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

385 – Is loving your enemies still relevant? One of the most challenging commandments Jesus has given us is to love our enemies. This was not a request nor a mere suggestion to follow through on only if we want to. It’s not just a recommendation or advice. It's a command directly from Jesus’s heart to yours and mine. But what is the point of loving someone who is mean to you, has abused you, and has done everything in their power to oppose you and what you stand for? Why on earth ...

384 – How often do you think of and say Jesus is Lord? One of the hallmarks of the way Christians refer to Jesus is to say Jesus is Lord. Sometimes referring to Jesus as their Lord is an open window on the deep sincerity of their devotion to Jesus and commitment to follow him at all costs. But all too often, there are times when some Christians refer to Jesus as Lord, almost too casually, sort of like it’s just part of his name or title, without the reverence or depth of loyalty a...

383 – Do you want to see more healing in your life? If you had lived 2,000 years ago, would you have asked Jesus to heal you? Probably so! Unfortunately, since Jesus isn't here personally the way he was back then, some Christians have concluded God doesn't or can't heal the way He did in the Bible. But there's a growing movement within the greater Christian church which is experiencing the healing power of God in their everyday lives. In this week's episode, we're going to answer the question...

382 – How do you face opposition to your church going forward? When you’re involved in church, there’s usually a lot of folks interested in helping the church grow. It might be trying to encourage new members to join the church. It might literally be a building project or helping to start or plant a new church. It could be helping the whole membership grow spiritually. The odd thing is that all too often when you and other church members are focused on building, rebuilding, growin...

381 – Does God still heal today? The Bible is full of people who were healed by God, both in the Old and New Testaments. Many Christian churches today believe in and practice Christian healing in some way. Personally I have seen many healings in my own life and I have friends in many different Christian denominations who have been healed through prayer. But there are some churches who say God is no longer in the healing business, that He does not heal today the way He did in the Bible. They c...

380 – Would you like to sit at the feet of Jesus? Have you ever wondered what it would’ve been like to hear Jesus teach and preach? To see him heal people? To ask him to heal you? Would you have followed him or opposed him? Would your pride have rebelled at the strong moral demands he made on his followers? Or would you have sat at his feet, humbly listening to everything he had to say? Hopefully the latter. In this week’s episode: What it means to sit at the feet of J...

379 – What does it mean to be a Christian? There’s a mistake the Christian church has been making for hundreds of years, 1,700 years to be more accurate, that has radically changed the way Christians identify and represent themselves in the world, as well as among themselves. The sad truth is that most Christians don’t realize they’re making this mistake or that it has such a long history. In fact, they find comfort in it and think what they’re doing is totally appropriate. But this shift in ...

378 – Do you ever ask God for a sign? Have you ever had an important decision to make and you just didn’t know what to do? You’ve gone round and round trying to make the right choice. You even prayed about it, but the answer still wasn’t clear. When you’ve tried everything, is it okay to ask God for a sign showing you what to do, to point you in the right direction? If so, what’s the best way to do that? And is ever not right to ask God for a sign? Spoiler alert: Yes, sometimes it’s not...

377 – Where does your confidence come from? Are you a confident person? Or do you sometimes feel a lack of confidence in yourself that keeps you from accomplishing things or even attempting to do something? Or maybe you’re confident about some things and not so confident about others. All too often, we get our confidence or lack of confidence from external factors like...family heritage, education, how much money you have, how you look in the mirror. But true confidence can only c...

376 – Is longsuffering good or bad? You’re probably familiar with the word longsuffering. It’s in the Bible, at least some translations of the Bible, multiple times. Sometimes it’s translated as patience. And longsuffering is usually considered a virtue in the Bible. We are supposed to be patient with each other and not over-react when things don’t go the way we want. But sometimes in the process of trying to be longsuffering, it’s easy to get discouraged because the thing or the person...

375 – Do you ever tell God you Love Him? When you’re going through a challenge, one of the most comforting things to remember is that God loves you. And it’s not just saying the words that help, but actually feeling God’s love and care for you in that particular moment. But love is not a one way street. Love comes and goes in both directions in a healthy human relationship, and this is even more true in your relationship with God. Yes, it’s important for you to know God loves you. But i...

374 – Are you using your spiritual riches? Have you ever felt you didn’t have enough money to pay the bills, to buy food, to pay the rent, or whatever it might be? Maybe your job wasn’t paying enough. Or you’re not charging your customers enough for the products or services you provide or not enough people are buying your products or services. Maybe you didn’t get your share of an inheritance. Maybe you’ve had plenty of money at one point, but realize now you spent too much of it ...

373 – Have you experienced God's redemptive grace in your life? What did that feel like? How did it transform your life? One of the most often quoted verses in the Bible is from Chapter 2 of Ephesians For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—(Ephesians 2:8 NIV) But if you talk to enough people, it’s pretty obvious there are lots of different definitions or perspectives on what grace is and how it works in our lives. And...

372 – Have you noticed? A spiritual awakening is taking place. In spite of all the negative and evil influences in the world today, there’s a collective spiritual awakening going on in the lives of those who love and follow Christ. Sometimes it’s subtle, quiet, personal, and almost unnoticed. Sometimes it’s loud and clear and obvious to anyone who is halfway paying attention. The Holy Spirit is at work deep in the hearts of mankind rousing and waking us up to the deeper and more spiritual dim...

371 – Are you willing to let Jesus upset your apple cart? What happened to you the first time you encountered Christ? Or maybe a better way to ask it: What happened to you first time you took the message of Jesus seriously, accepted it, and tried to live it in your life? When you accept Christ into your life, it should have a profound effect on you. Something changes. The commitment to follow Christ gives you a whole new perspective on life, no matter what your circumstances were ...

370 – Have you ever felt it's too late to do what God wants you to do with your life? ...that you missed the opportunity God gave you? Or maybe you never got a clear message from God about what your purpose was. Or maybe you have heard God’s voice tell you exactly what to do, but you haven’t done it for whatever reason. And now it feels too late to start, to try again, or get back on track. Or you’ve waited too long to do what God told you years ago. Then this episode is for you. ...

369 – Where does your spirituality come from? Have you noticed? A lot of people these days are talking about spirituality, but they don't all mean the same thing when they use the word spiritual (or spirituality). What is spirituality? Where does it come from? Is it something you make happen? Or is it something that's already there, but you have to discover? In this week's episode: The Biblical basis for your spiritualityHow to become more aware of your spiritualityHow to live your spir...

368 – It's true, nothing can separate you from God's love Have you ever felt separated from God? Maybe because you did something you know you shouldn’t have, or maybe something traumatic happened you had no control over. Or it could just be a feeling you have for whatever reason. When God seems far away, it’s hard to know what to do or where to turn for help. In this episode, we’re going to dig into the stories of several people in the Bible who found themselves in really tough uncomfor...

367 – Are you letting God into every part of your life? Or do you let God only into some parts of your life? There's no need to be hesitant to open up completely to God. You don't need to be afraid of something you've hidden deep inside you. Your past mistakes and insecurities, any doubts and fears you may be embarrassed about or ashamed of, are no match for God's love for you. In this week's episode: The joy of letting God into every part of your lifeThe freedom and peace of mind that ...

366 – What is your spiritual identity? How do you figure out what it is or what it even means? And why do Christians make such a big deal out of this? In this week’s episode I’m talking with Clint Riggin about why understanding who you are spiritually is so important and the freedom it brings to your life. We talk about: What it actually means to surrender your will to God's willThe only real way to discover your spiritual identityWhat your relationship with God has to do with itW...

365 – What will be the fate of today's corrupt leaders? When will justice catch up with them? Are the standards of integrity, honestly, and love for God and mankind out of date? When will the moral and spiritual laws of God take their rightful place in the life of nations and the world? In this week’s episode, we’re going to take a look at several leaders in the Bible who blatantly disregarded God’s laws. The Bible gives us a preview of what could happen to corrupt leaders t...

364 – How can you show Jesus how much you love him? There are so many ways to show someone you love them. You can tell them directly: I love youYou can show your love by how you act and how you treat themYou can listen to get to know them betterYou might give them something or do something for themOr just spend time with themNow think of how these things apply to how you love Jesus. But Jesus isn't here in person the way he was 2,000 years ago. So how can you show Jesus you ...

363 – What do you do when all hope is lost? Have you ever been in a situation where the outcome was exactly the opposite of what your hopes and expectations were? Things just went from bad to worse. You poured out your heart to God in prayer, but it didn’t really seem to do much good. Everything kept getting worse until it was all over and there wasn’t even a glimmer of hope. But then, in the most amazing and unexpected way, things turned around and you found more joy and hope than you could ...

362 – How do you pray for world peace? On a scale of 1 to 10, how concerned are you about the way things are going in the world today? Everywhere you turn, it seems like there’s turmoil and chaos, wars and violence, plus a host of other serious issues. When will it ever stop? Will it ever stop? Is there any way to find peace in this world of chaos and even more importantly, bring some peace to the situation? That’s what this episode is all about. We’ll be talking about some first ...

361 – Would you like your prayers to be more effective? Of course! Sometimes it feels like God hears and answers your prayers almost immediately. Other times you pour your heart out to God and you’re not sure it makes any difference. So is there a best way to pray? What is the most effective prayer approach? Well, there’s not a secret formula or a set of words or phrases that that make your prayers more effective. But there are definitely some things you can do to pray...

360 – FREEDOM FRIDAY What would you do if you were the gatekeeper for an important event? You could only let in people who were authorized to be there, people who had tickets or an invitation. You would be in charge of who got in and keeping out the people who weren’t supposed to be there. In this episode of Freedom Friday, we talk about You are the gatekeeper for your mind of all the thoughts that come to youYou have the ability to let in thoughts and keep others outSome thoughts are w...

259 – Have you ever read the New Testament Books in Order of Date Written? Have you ever read through the entire New Testament from beginning to end? What did you learn from doing this? How did it strengthen and encourage you? Well, you’re probably very familiar with many parts of the New Testament, lots of the stories, and inspiring verses. But when you read it as a whole, you get a much bigger perspective of what’s going on. But the order of the 27 books in the New T...

358 – FREEDOM FRIDAY How does it feel when you make spiritual progress in your life? It’s pretty exciting isn’t it? You feel like you’ve finally had a victory over the guilt and sins of the past, or a challenge you’ve been facing. But then sometimes, right on the heels of that spiritual progress, you fall back into the old patterns of thinking and acting. How do you hold onto your spiritual progress? In this episode, we talk about: Share your spiritual progress with a trusted friendDon'...

357 – How do you explain God's wrath in the Bible? Have you ever read some of those passages in the Old Testament where the text basically says God told the Children of Israel to kill all the inhabitants of Canaan, or other enemies, including the women and children, even babies? But in the New Testament, Jesus brings a very different perspective to dealing with your enemies. Instead of killing them, or praying for God to kill them, Jesus says to love and bless your enemies. What’s going on he...

FREEDOM FRIDAY Are you hungry and thirsty for spiritual things? Have you ever been really hungry or really thirsty? Why does that happen? It’s because your body is telling you need to eat or drink something. Hunger and thirst tell us there’s something we need that we don’t have. Jesus said we will be blessed when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when we realize the need in our lives for things of the Spirit. In this episode: People, places, and things will never satisfy you...

355 – What is God teaching you? When was the last time you felt like God taught you an important lesson? Was it when you did something really well and you felt God showed you how to navigate all the different things that had to happen for a good outcome? Or did you make some mistakes and God taught you a better way to take care of the situation? The real question is: What did you do next? What did you do with what God taught you? Did you do apply those lessons to your life or just...

Welcome to Freedom Friday 354 – Jesus said: The kingdom of heaven is at hand Do you believe him? Most people think heaven is somewhere you go after you die. When you start seeing yourself from the perspective that heaven is at hand, the shame and guilt from you past will begin to dissolve. In this episode: Jesus promised that the kingdom of heaven is at handYou can't see it with your material eyes, just like you can't see radio wavesBut it's here and God reveals it spirituallyYou can discern ...

353 – When you’re facing a serious challenge... Do you tend to run away from it, ignore it, or face it so you can deal with it? The best solution is to face your challenges head on, ask for help if you need it, and do what you can to find a solution. In today’s episode we’re going to look at several examples in the Bible of people who faced their challenges some who tried to run away from them. And we’ll talk about what you can do to face your challenges head-on and the blessings that c...

It's Freedom Friday What if you could think and pray like Jesus did? What if you could love the way Jesus did? Does that even seem possible? What keeps us from doing that? Sometimes you might think there’s no way you could of be like Jesus and that it’s not even worth trying. Or maybe you’re afraid to love as much as he did. It’s just too much to commit to. But Jesus wanted and expected everyone who believed in him to follow his example of living and loving. In fact, Paul re...

351 – What do you ask for in your prayers? A new job, a good relationship, to be healed of an emotional problem or physical disease? What about asking God for guidance in what to do with your life and how to fulfill your purpose? Sometimes we ask God for small things and sometimes our prayers have a broader scope. But all too often we don’t go as broad and as deep as we could in what we ask for in prayer. Considering everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s t...

350 – Do you know your spiritual identity? It's FREEDOM FRIDAY How often do you really stop and ponder that you are a child of God? All too often we identify ourselves based on what we have done or not done, the accomplishments or the failures we’ve had. And it’s very easy to fall into identifying yourself with the sins and mistakes you’ve made over the years. But the way you see yourself, the way you identify yourself, determines to a large degree how you will act and interact with oth...

349 – Are you praying for your government? If you take an unbiased look at the government of countries all over the world, you’ll often find some degree of corruption. Sometimes it doesn’t run very deep but other times senior leaders and the heads of government themselves are the source of corruption. This has been going on since governments began. Is there a solution? Even when politicians claim they try to get rid of all corruption, it’s a difficult thing to accomplish. Many governmen...

348 – What defines your spiritual identity? Do you ever struggle to find freedom from guilt over things that happened in the past? You’re trying to follow Christ and live your life in obedience to all Jesus says, but sometimes it’s hard to let go of the guilt from things you did years ago, or maybe even just yesterday. You know that God has forgiven you, but once in a while, those past sins and mistakes weigh heavy on your heart. Is it possible to find freedom from all that guilt from t...

347 – What do you do when no one understands you? Have you ever been with a group of close friends and you share some pretty deep ideas you’ve been thinking about, but then everyone looks at you like you’re crazy. They have no idea what you’re talking about. You try to explain, but they’re still clueless, their eyes glaze over, and they go back to discussing with great enthusiasm, something that seems trivial and inconsequential. The same thing happens with your family. You ...

346 – Freedom Friday! Have you ever found it hard to accept God’s forgiveness? The mistakes you’ve made and the sins you’ve committed just seem too much for God to wink at, much less forgive? When you carry around the guilt, along with the feeling you don’t deserve God’s love and forgiveness, it can be a terrible burden that keeps you from living the life of joy and freedom God has in store for you. When someone gives you a gift, what do you do? You accept it, open it, and use it, wear ...

345 – Is Christian unity possible? Ever been disillusioned by people from different Christian denominations arguing about who is right theologically, and in the process sending everyone who disagrees with them to hell? So many churches today think they are the only true followers of Christ and dogmatically insist you must agree with their theology to be a Christian. This attitude doesn’t bring fellow believers together but is incredibly divisive. In this divisive atmosphere among so man...

344 – Freedom Friday What's your first thought when you hear the word, repentance? It doesn’t always have a positive connotation does it? Can’t you just hear an angry preacher shouting from the pulpit that you need to repent of your sins? Sometimes it seems like they are trying to rub your nose in all the sins you’ve committed and make you feel really bad about yourself. But when Jesus said we need to repent, that’s not what he meant at all. True repentance is a actually a wonderf...

343 – Understanding the Lord's Prayer How often do you say the Lord’s Prayer. Now, what I really want to know is how often you pray the Lord’s Prayer. They’re not always the same thing. Have you ever been at church and it seems like when you get to the Lord’s Prayer it’s a race to see how fast you can say it? Jesus didn’t want us just to repeat words. He wanted this prayer to be a guide to understanding God and our relationship with Him. And that’s what we’re talking about today, unders...

342 – Bad motives versus good motives Have you ever kept making the same mistakes and committing the same sin, even though you’ve tried to stop? You’ve tried to do what’s right but you keep slipping back into old patterns of thinking and acting. Sometimes, trying to change one behavior by a different behavior doesn’t really get at the root of the problem. We need to go a little deeper and deal with the mental and spiritual motives, with our thinking, to consistently do what’s righ...

341 – What are your hopes for 2026? Who do you want to be? At the beginning of a new year a lot of people set goals and make resolutions of what they want to accomplish or stop doing during the next 12 months. The focus is usually on achievements and results, changing behavior, establishing new habits, things like that. Other people like to pick out a phrase or a word as a theme for the year. But a lot of folks I know have trouble keeping their resolutions and their theme for the year b...

340 – Ever have trouble admitting your mistakes? Have you ever had a hard time accepting responsibility for the mistakes you’ve made and the sins you’ve committed? I know, it’s all too easy to blame someone else or circumstances, the way you were brought up, the way someone treated you, or whatever it may be. But if you really want to heal the burden of guilt you’re carrying around, you’ll accept full responsibility for your mistakes and sins. This will bring healing and freedom into your lif...

339 – Thank You 2025! It's been a great year in many ways, but it had its challenges as well. There have been ups and downs for sure, but from all the people I talk to and interact with online, I feel a gradual and growing momentum in the way people’s hearts are reaching out for things of the Spirit. Before we launch out into a new year, it can be really helpful to appreciate all the lessons learned in 2025 and the good received and experienced. In that spirit, that’s what this ep...

338 - It's Freedom Friday How often to you compare yourself with others? How's that workin' for you? One of the things I’ve really had to work at over the years is not to compare myself with others. When I’ve seen someone who is more successful, is smarter, stronger, better looking than me, it’s easy to feel inferior to them. I've felt guilty I didn’t work as hard as they did, or maybe I tried but didn’t succeed like they did and it adds to the guilt of feeling I’m not good enough. ...

337 – Let the light of Christmas shine bright One of the major themes at Christmas time is the light of Christ shining into a dark world. In fact the Christmas story has all kinds of light in it. There’s the star that appears to the Wisemen from the East. There’s the glory of God shining on the shepherds as the angels talk to them. And most important of all is the birth of Jesus, who came as the Light of the world. But Jesus didn’t come just for us to be passive recipien...

336 – What makes you want to obey God? People sometimes ask: "Is there a way to obey God from a place of love instead of from a sense of duty or fear of punishment?" And my answer is always: Absolutely, Yes! It is totally possible to obey God from a place of love instead of duty or fear. God doesn’t want you to obey Him because you’re afraid of Him. God wants a loving relationship with you. When you realize He always has your best interests at heart, you really do want to ob...

335 – Will you or anyone you know be alone for Christmas this year? An estimated 14 million Americans will spend Christmas alone in 2025. That’s a lot of people! I don’t have numbers for other countries, but this really opened my eyes to a problem that’s a lot bigger than I realized. There’s a wide variety of reasons why people are alone at Christmas, and a small percentage of them actually prefer to be by themselves. But the vast majority of these 14 million people would rather ...

334 – It's Freedom Friday How good are you at overcoming temptation? What do you do when you are tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t do? How do you resist the temptation? Or do you just give in to it? A question I get a lot is: How do I resist the temptations in my life? This is something we all have to deal with. And at some point, as you grow spiritually, it’s not just about resisting temptation, but getting to where they are no longer temptations and you have freedom and p...

333 – God still uses ordinary people to accomplish His purpose Christmas is just a few weeks away, and a lot of people I know are busy getting ready for this special time of year when we celebrate Christ’s coming. And I don’t just mean making all the preparations for holiday meals, gifts, and seasonal activities. A lot of people take very seriously getting ready spiritually to be more receptive to the spirit of Christmas, the appearing of Jesus here on earth and the significance of that...

332 – FREEDOM FRIDAY You are made in the image and likeness of God. The Bible makes this clear in the very first chapter of Genesis. But then the Bible tells story after story of how people have sinned and not been true to the way God created them. Someone asked the other day: If I’m really made in the image and likeness of God, why do I keep sinning? That’s a pretty deep question and that's what this episode of Freedom Friday is all about. It has a LOT to do with how you see yourself. ...

331 – What gives you a sense of self-worth? Over the years, I've met some people who are very, very wealthy. I've also met people who probably didn’t have $20 to their name. And lots of people in between. Some of these very wealthy people, even though they have been incredibly successful in many areas of their life, have a very low sense of self-worth. And a few of the homeless people I’ve met, who don’t have enough money to get a good meal, have a remarkable sense of their own va...

330 – Does God ever tempt us? A lot of people are convinced God sends temptations to see if they are faithful. You’d be surprised how many Christians believe some version of this, that God tempts us or puts tempting things and thoughts in our path. But nothing could be further from the truth. God never tempts you. That's what we're talking about this week on FREEDOM FRIDAY. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Show notes: Full transcript at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/330 Text me your questions or comments. Support the...

329 – Are you grateful when things don't go the way you want them to? A lot of folks I’ve been talking to lately are facing some pretty serious challenges. And they don't really think they have anything to be grateful for. They’re worried about the rising cost of living, if they can pay their bills and put food on the table for their families. They’re worried about the rising costs of health care. Some folks have lost their jobs and haven’t been able to find work. Other people are...

328 – How do you quit being influenced by others? Have you ever worked hard to quit making the same mistakes or committing the same sins and finally got your life cleaned up and straightened out, when someone, maybe even an old friend, tries to pull you back into that old life style? You feel negatively influenced by others to do things you don’t want to do. It can be a pretty hard situation to deal with. But there are things you can do and new ways to think that will help you not to le...

327 – What are you most hungry and thirsty for? What do you want more than anything else in the world? To be successful, to have a great job and make lots of money, to have a loving family and good friends? Do you want to have a lot of power and influence? Do you want to make a difference in the world and help people who are less fortunate than you? Maybe a better question is: What does God want you to do more than anything else? You may already have an answer for that and be working in...

326 – FREEDOM FRIDAY How do you deal with judgmental people? Have you ever been talking to someone who gets very judgmental of you because of mistakes you've made in the past, things you're not still doing, attitudes and actions that you have left behind, but they want to keep you in the past? Do you know how to deal with judgmental people like this? Maybe it's not on purpose, but they make you feel guilty all over again for something that happened a long time ago. In their mind they ju...

325 – Does your life ever feel incomplete? How often do you feel like there’s something missing in your life? It could be a relationship, a better job, enough money to pay the bills, better health. It could go deeper than that. You might feel like your life is incomplete because you don’t know what your higher sense of purpose is, and if you do, you’re not sure how to fulfill it. Why is it that most of us at some time or another feel like something is missing in our lives? W...

324 - What do you do when someone won't forgive you? Have you ever apologized to someone, but they won’t forgive you? They're still feeling hurt or betrayed and they just can’t bring themselves to forgive you. It’s a pretty lousy feeling. And sometimes it seems like you can’t get on with your own life until there’s some reconciliation and you get that relationship healed. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. So what do you do when that happens? How do you pray and what do yo...

323 – You’ve probably heard of the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem when the Roman army destroyed it in 70 AD. But have you ever wondered how that event is relevant to us today? What can you and I learn from the destruction of Jerusalem, now almost 2,000 years later? Well, actually there’s a lot we can learn and my guest this week, Ward Sanford, and I are going to dig into some important lessons we need to learn, individually and collectively as the church, that can make al...

322 – It's time to accept God's forgiveness Have you ever had trouble accepting God’s forgiveness for mistakes you made or sins you committed? And you still feel a burden of guilt even though you’re not making those same mistakes or committing those sins anymore? That’s what we’re talking about this week on Freedom Friday. Here are a few key points to help you in this process. Forgiveness is a gift from GodYou are worthy to accept this giftConfess your mistakes and sins to yourself and ...

321 – If Jesus came to your home town, what would he do? Have you ever wondered what would happen if Jesus came to your community? Who would he talk to? Who would he preach to? Who would he heal? Who would be receptive to his message? Who would oppose him and try to stop him or get rid of him? In this week’s episode, we dig into The way Jesus ministered to people in their communities How some people were receptive to him How others were opposedWhat’s going on in ou...

312 FF – Have you ever struggled to forgive yourself? In this week's Freedom Friday episode, we're going to tackle what is sometimes one of the hardest things to do, forgive yourself. I share my friend Jim's story where he learned to forgive his father and himself for things that happened years ago. The thing that helped him the most was an odd little exercise I had him try. It worked! And it's helped a lot of folks since then actually forgive themselves. I'd love to hear how you have b...

319 – It's time to get back to Bible basics Have you ever been in a conversation about the Bible with someone who is so caught up in some minute detail of something the Bible mentions only once, maybe twice? But the way the conversation is going, it sounds like it's the most important thing in the whole Bible? Maybe you’ve seen it happen when you’re watching a Bible-based video on social media where all the attention is focused on something very obscure or rarely mentioned in the Bible....

318 FF – Are you committing the same sin over and over? You're not alone. A lot of people struggle with this. I sure have. In this week's Freedom Friday episode, I share just a few ideas that can help you face these temptations to keep committing the same sin. Take an honest look at your self and what you think this sin is giving youRealizing whatever sin "gives" you is a counterfeitSin never really meets a needGod is the only one who can meet your needsTemptations don't come from you, but fr...

317 – What do you think of when you hear the word "evangelism"? Is it a good thing? Or does it make you cringe? All too often evangelism today has a negative connotation with some folks. The word is often associated with Christians, who may or may not be imbibing the true spirit of Christ. Others, even many within the Christian church, get evangelism and proselytizing mixed up. They don’t want to be too pushy in sharing their faith, so they don’t share it at all. They don’t ...

316– Welcome to Freedom Friday Ever wondered why you still feel guilty, even after you repented? Being free from guilt is so much more that just repenting. It's really about learning to see yourself in a whole new light, as a child of God instead of as a miserable sinner. Paul says to put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man. He doesn't say to fix up the old man, the old way of seeing yourself as a sinner. Sin does not define who you are. Only Go...

315 – Keep following Jesus Have you ever been at a point in your life when you just didn’t know what to do next? It could be a simple project you’re working on at home, at school, or at work. It could be a career choice or something with long term consequences. Or it could be a major life change on a much grander scale. If you don’t know where you’re going, what do you do next? You’ve done all you’re allowed to or know how to do, and the next step just isn’t clear or doesn’t seem possib...

314 – Welcome to Freedom Friday What does it really mean to repent? It's not just feeling sorry for something you did wrong. It goes much deeper. It's really about getting a deeper spiritual perspective on who you are, who God is, and how much He loves you. It's about looking at things from the perspective of what is already true in heaven and letting go of old habits and negative ways of thinking that lead to sin. When you see how much God loves you right now in the kingdom of heaven, ...

313 – How much do you and your church really want to grow spiritually? A lot of churches are struggling these days with dwindling membership numbers, but just getting more warm bodies in the pews on Sunday morning is not necessarily a solution or a fulfillment of your church’s mission. The real need, which is not a new idea, since Jesus talked about it 2,000 years ago, is to be hungry and thirsty for things of the Spirit. A church that is on fire with the Holy Spirit is a very attractiv...

312 Freedom Friday – Finding freedom from guilt and shame Welcome to Freedom Fridays: A new series from The Bible Speaks to You Podcast Too many people these days are walking around with a heavy burden of guilt and shame from past mistakes and how others have harmed them. If that sounds like you, this episode is for you. Show notes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/312 ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Text me your questions or comments. Support the show If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a ...

311 – Do the people you love know you love them? Have you ever felt a deep sense of love and affection for someone, but they had no clue you cared so much about them? All too often someone feels unloved, while people actually do love them, but they never tell the person or express their love in a tangible way. In this week’s episode we’re going to talk about the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself from a little different angle: How to love people so they know they are lovedHow...

310 – Do you ever look God in the face? It's probably not on the top of your to-do list. It’s probably not something you think about very often or even consider as a possibility. In fact, you may not want to talk to God face to face, for a variety of reasons. And what does that even mean, to look at God this way? To talk to God this way? Doesn't the Bible say you can't see God's face? Yes it does, but it also talks about Moses and God talking face to face. This week's episode jump...

309 – What’s your first thought when someone says, “You need to repent.”? Does it make you uncomfortable or uneasy? Or do you agree and admit to yourself that you do need to repent? It might depend on the context and tone of voice someone uses to say those words, but all too often it happens during a sermon that sounds like a shouting match with the preacher yelling at his audience, using fear and emotional triggers to convince them of the consequences if they don’t stop sin...

308 – Do you ever feel separated from God? Maybe because of something hurtful someone said or did to you? Or maybe because of bad choices you made that weren’t good for you or someone else? Or maybe it’s just because of all the problems the world is facing right now? Where is God in all this? Sometimes God does seem far away. In this week’s episode we’re going to talk about God’s nature as omnipresent, that God is everywhere, what that actually means, and how it affects your...

307 – How often do you think about your relationship with God? Not very often, once in a while, maybe a lot, maybe even every day? What kind of a relationship do you have or would like to have with God? Maybe a more important question is: What kind of relationship would God like to have with you? God has infinite love for you and is always willing and able to support you. In this week’s episode, we’re going to talk about a deeper kind of relationship, called a co...

306 – What will it take for you to let God be in charge? Have you ever been so involved in getting something done, wanting everything to turn out just right that you put your whole heart into it but somehow you ended up having to push and shove to get things to come out the way you wanted them? And even after all that effort, things don’t always work out? Maybe you’ve even prayed about it and asked God to help you, but at the end of the day there was more of you trying to make something...

305 – Do your prayers need to be more persistent? Have you ever been praying about something and just didn’t seem to be getting any answers? You poured your heart and soul into praying and studying the Bible, but after a while, you just couldn’t see any progress or evidence of your prayers having any effect at all. Maybe some of your friends even told you it was ridiculous to pray for whatever it was you were praying about. And so you gave up. Maybe you tried to convince yourself it jus...

304 – Have you ever felt like the devil was trying to control you? A preacher on social media recently warned all his listeners about how powerful the devil is and how careful you have to be not to fall into all the temptations that come to you. It seemed to me he actually was trying to scare his audience so they would listen to him and do what he said. I agree, it's important not to give in to temptations, but the question for today is: Does the devil have power over you? In this week’...

303 – Who decides what it means to be a Christian? Have you ever been told by someone you’re not a Christian because you didn’t agree 100% with them on every tiny detail of theology? It’s not a great feeling. Some churches have a pretty wide and inclusive definition what it means to be a Christian, including people from many different denominations. Some churches believe they are the only ones with the truth but that God will be merciful to others. But there are a few churches who...

302 – Is it possible for you and me to heal like Jesus did? Have you ever struggled with a problem and reached out to God in prayer for healing and resolution, but never really felt your prayers were answered, at least not in the way people who asked Jesus for help were healed? Somehow you got through and were able to cope with the situation, but you didn’t have the kind of healing you read about in the Bible. Is it even possible for you and me to heal and be healed the way Jesus did 2,000 ye...

301 – What is the secret to church growth? How is your church doing these days? Are you growing? Are you holding steady? Are you barely hanging in there trying to keep the doors open? A lot of churches are struggling right now. Some are closing. Some are growing. What is it that makes a church not just survive but thrive? There are lots of factors, but what really helps a church grow, and I’m not just talking number of members, but more importantly, spiritual growth, the des...

300 – If you could go back in time and talk to Jesus, what would you ask him? This is the question I posed to you, my listeners, several weeks ago and in today’s episode I share all your answers. I am totally blown away with the amazing responses you sent me, over 150 questions. Now, there’s an incredibly wide variety in these questions. You will see very quickly these questions come from very diverse theological perspectives. Some of them have an assumption built into them that r...

299 – Has God put a calling on your life? Have you ever felt a calling from God on your life but just didn’t feel you were qualified, or didn’t have the talents, time, or resources to accomplish what was being asked of you? Well, you’re not alone. There are lots of people today and even in the Bible who have felt the same way when God called them to their purpose. The beautiful thing is, God takes what you have – what He has already given you – even if it seems to be hardly anything, an...

298 – Do you ever feel like your life is full of unsolved problems? Life seems to be racing along and it’s hard to deal with everything when it comes up. This can happen on a personal level, but it happens at work, at school, at church. And just think of all the unsolved problems on a national and international level as well. But the solution is more than just finding a way to get all these problems resolved. Believe it or not, it’s more about how you see yourself. Because how you see y...

297 – Do you know who you are? When you ask someone who they are, all too often, they respond with what they do or maybe what their hobbies and interests are. Sometimes they define themselves by their past, either good or bad, their education, their social and economic status, their cultural, religious, ethnicity and/or country of origin. But none of these descriptions really answer the question, Who are you? How would you answer the question: Who are you? In this week’s episode, ...

296 – What if Jesus was interviewing people to work for him? Would you apply for the job? How would you get ready for the interview? Do you think Jesus would hire you? I know, it sounds kind of odd to even talk about this. But when someone asked me these questions, it got me to thinking. How did Jesus choose people to work for him? We call them his disciples. But they were working for him and with him. He gave them on-the-job training for three years. How does Christ choose people to work for...

295 – What do you think of when you hear the phrase: worshiping idols? You probably think of something that happened thousands of years ago, but isn't relevant in today's world. I mean really, who bows down to idols today? Well, you’d be surprised. We may not make idols the way people in the Bible did, but there are modern day idols that we need to quit worshiping. My guest this week, Jake Doberenz, host of the Smashing Idols Podcast, talks about some of the idols in today’s world that ...

294 – Are you tired of all the theological debates? Social media is full of people from different churches "explaining" why their theology is right and everyone else's theology is wrong. The basic problem is they are defining what it means to be a true Christian by doctrinal beliefs instead of actually living the teachings of Jesus in their daily lives. This mistake has gone on for at least 1,700 years. It's time to stop the theological debate mindset, trying to prove you are righ...

293 – Can you see God's beauty in yourself? Have you ever been out in nature and were just amazed at the beauty of the scene in front of you? Maybe you were in a forest with towering trees above. Maybe it was a view of majestic mountains that took your breath away. Maybe it was the crisp yellow and red of fall foliage. Or maybe it’s just the tulips and daffodils, the lilacs, iris, and the peonies blooming in your own yard showing the beauty of God’s creation. Now think about...

Does your church need a mentor to help you find fresh ways to reach out to your community with the healing message of Christ? For more information: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/speaking-bible-workshops 292 – How do you deal with evil influences in your life? What do you do when you, or someone you know, is barraged by and overcome with evil influences? How do you respond? How do you pray? There no simple answers to these questions. But in this week's episode, we're going to look at how Jesus de...

291 – What does it really mean to preach the Gospel to all creation? How do you feel when you read Jesus’s command to his disciples to preach the gospel to every creature, to all creation, to all mankind? Does this get you excited to go share your faith with as many people as possible? Or does it make you cringe because you don’t feel qualified to preach the gospel to even one or two people, let alone the whole world? And how would you be able to do that anyway? Or maybe you just ...

Does your church need a mentor to help you find fresh ways to reach out to your community with the healing message of Christ? For more information: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/speaking-bible-workshops 290 – What do you do when you feel helpless? Have you ever been so worried about something you couldn’t sleep? The problem just loomed too large for you to fix personally. And you couldn’t even imagine how anyone individually or collectively could resolve the situation. Just recently ...

Does your church need a mentor to help you find fresh ways to reach out to your community with the healing message of Christ? For more information: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/speaking-bible-workshops ••••••••• 289 – What can you learn from women leaders at church? What is your response to some Christians who insist that women should not be in any leadership roles in church? This is more prevalent than you may be aware of. And these folks quote a few Bible passages, sometimes way out of context ...

Does your church need a mentor to help you find fresh vision for ways to reach out to your community with the healing message of Christ? For more information: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/speaking-bible-workshops ••••••••••••••••• 288 – Jesus's death on the cross cannot by itself save you from your sins I know, this is a pretty bold statement. But have you ever noticed how lots of Christians focus on the crucifixion as the basis for their salvation? But then at Easter, they suddenly start talking ...

287 – Have you ever been a stranger in a foreign country? You didn't speak the language. You couldn’t read any of the signs, you couldn’t understand what people are saying. You don’t understand the customs. And you felt lost or confused by what was going on around you. Or maybe you've been in a strange location and felt out of place. Then, all of a sudden, someone helps you get where you're going or explains what's going on. A simple act of hospitality makes all the difference. There’s...