The Bible Speaks to You

190 – When you pray, do you start with the problem or the solution?

This week we take a deep dive into how to pray more effectively. And so we're going to look at how Jesus prayed and see how we can follow his example.

Jesus never started his prayers with the problem. But isn't that what we do sometimes? We try to explain to God how bad the situation is, as if He doesn't already know what's rea...

189 – What do you do when you feel rejected?

It can be a pretty lousy feeling. When you feel rejected, sometimes it's hard to know what to do.

I’ve been hearing from people lately who have been rejected in one way or another. 

For some it’s being rejected by a family member or someone at school, or not getting the promotion at work they had hoped for. 

I have several friends who have been rejected by their chur...

188 – The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea have the same source. Why are they so different?

Have you ever noticed how many water metaphors there are in the Bible?

One of the most important ones is not specifically mentioned. You have to know the geography of the Holy Land to understand it.

The Sea of Galilee has fresh water coming into and water flows out of it. As a result, the Sea of Galilee is teaming ...

187 – What if the book of Revelation is not a prophecy of what will happen in the future, but a guidebook of how to follow the Lamb in the midst of Babylon?

This week I talk with Scot McKnight, author of Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple.

Scot warns against the tendency to read the book of Revelation through speculation as to who in the world today might be ful...

186 – With all the challenges in the world and in your life, is it really possible to stay faithful?

Yes, of course.

Sometimes we think of our faith in a big sweeping way. But staying faithful sometimes is about tiny little baby steps of doing what's right in the moment.

In this week's episode, I talk about 

• What it means to be and stay faithful
• Who we should be faithful to (it's not just...

185 – What does it really mean to dwell in the house of the Lord?

Usually we think it means sometime way off in the future after we die. But the Bible gives a lot of clues which point to the fact that we live in the house of the Lord right now, and always.

That's what this episode is all about, living in the house of the Lord right now.

Here are some of the key points:

• Psalm 23:6 says we dwell in ...

184 – Does it bother you if someone says they don't believe God is omnipotent?

There's a lot of fresh discussion around this age old question, "Is God omnipotent?" 

A lot of people are challenging this concept and tying to be honest with themselves about what they really believe. So that's what we're talking about today.

In fact, a lot of people are deciding that they no longer believe...

183 – What is the best way to minister to the people most people ignore, the "least of these," as Jesus called them?

This week on the podcast, I talk with Kit Cummings about his ministry in prisons and institutions, including men on death row.

My favorite Kit quote:
“A selfless act of service wakes up something inside of a person that, I don’t think, can be touched any other way.”

We talked ...

182 – Have you ever wondered how Jesus could say “I have overcome the world,” before he was crucified?

Easter is in just a few days and I’ve been thinking about something Jesus said to his disciples after the Last Supper and just before he went to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

It’s his famous saying, “I have overcome the world.” I’ve been pondering what he meant.

Jesus knew exactly what was coming. He had tr...

181 – It's easy to see what your eyes see, but have you ever wondered how to see spiritually?

Recently a listener asked me to comment of 1 Corinthians 2:9-14.  She wanted to know what it means to see spiritually and how we can do that.

This famous passage points out that the material senses, even the human mind and heart, cannot see or perceive the spiritual things God reveals to us. They can only be discerne...

180 – Have you ever had a "burning bush" moment and felt like you were standing on holy ground?

God appears to us in so many ways and situations.

Even when it seems you're wandering in the desert, hungry and thirsty, either literally or figuratively, searching for answers and solutions to problems, in need of healing and love, maybe even at the end of your rope, right there and then, you are on hol...

179 – Why did God rest on the original Sabbath day?

Was God tired? What does it mean for God to rest? 

How does this apply to you and me? 

Is there something we need to know about the original Sabbath day, that helps us find a Biblical rest and what it really means to obey the Fourth Commandment?

In this week's episode, I talk with Gregory Hall about what the original Sabbath is and how we can remembe...

178 – How do you see yourself?

There's a lot of debate these days about how some people choose to self-identify when their choices don't follow society's stereotypes.

Who or what is that defines us? 

• Can we decide who and what we are? 
• Are we defined  by our past, our position in life, our culture, our money and education, our emotions. 
• Can our mistakes define us? 
• Can other people define who we ar...

177 – Are you searching for the pathway to healing?

Have you ever felt like you were a long way off from getting an answer to your prayers? 

Maybe you’ve been praying for a long time about a resolution to challenge of some sort, guidance in making an important choice, or maybe you’ve been praying for healing, either physical or emotional, in your own life or for a friend.

 Sometimes it’s tempting to wish Jesus was ...

176 – Have you ever wondered if how much you love will have an impact on the future?

A couple of weeks ago during my prayer time, God dropped this question into my heart:

How much do you love the people who will be born 100 years from now?

It really blew me out of the water.

In this week's episode, I share some possible answers to this question. And I encourage you to think how you would ans...

175 – How is it possible to live in the kingdom of heaven today?

Recently I was talking with a new listener to The Bible Speaks to You Podcast about what it means to embrace the mind of Christ on the subject of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. If that's really true, how can we be more conscious of its presence? Can we actually live in the kingdom here on earth? And what...

174 – Getting from hurt to hope

Are there things hurting you from the past you're still carrying around? Or do you know someone who is?

This week's podcast episode is full of healing. I'm talking with Steve Wormer about his work as a minister, and the Hurt to Hope program he works with to help churches and individuals find healing in their lives.  It's a Bible-based program that helps someone ...

173 – Is there anything you need to surrender to God?

This week's episode is a parable about  six year-old Charlotte, who tries to take all 12 of her stuffed animals on a hike, crammed into her backpack.

But it's not so easy to keep them all tucked away. One after the other they either fall in the water, get left behind, get covered in mud, or fall in a thorn bush.

But Charlotte is determined to...

172 – What is it like to live in the Holy Spirit?

Is it still possible today? Yes, it is!

To understand why, we need to go back to when Jesus promises his disciples he will send the Holy Spirit to guide them, teach them everything they need to know, and remind them of everything he taught them.

In this week's episode I talk about

• Why Jesus had to leave before the Holy Spirit would come
• How to know ...