The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

Hi, friend. I hope you’re doing well. 

A quick note before we get into today’s episode, particularly if you listen in the car or where younger ears can hear. This message includes the reading of a painful story in the Old Testament and some pretty blunt language about the dangers of pornography. Consider this a heads-up if you want to adjust when or where you listen.

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. 

Anxiety. It’s an all-too-common part of our lives. The statistics, especially among young people, are staggering. I know there are legitimate concerns in our world that need attention. And I know there are times clinical intervention is the solution God provides to those who struggle. But I also know peace is possible.

Hello, friend. I hope you’re having a good day. 

Today’s episode is a bit of a history lesson. We’re going back to first century Rome, to the time of the apostle Paul and the emperor Nero. Readers of the New Testament have learned a lot from Paul, but the life of Nero offers a critical lesson as well.

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Hi, friend. Thank you for joining me on the podcast this week. 

Today’s episode is about UFOs. No, not that kind. I’m using the term UFO to describe those destructive thought patterns that leave us stuck in what the Bible calls strongholds. But there is hope! When you learn to identify and deal with them, those scary, odd-looking UFOs will stop taking up space in your brain.

Hi friend, Max Lucado here. As an Encouraging Word listener, I want to share with you an exclusive preview of my new audiobook, Tame Your Thoughts. This message is for anyone who embraces the promise found in Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” I pray it encourages you.

Hello, friend. I hope you’re having a good day. 

We’re diving into a new topic this week on the Encouraging Word Podcast – thought management. Controlling your anger or managing your anxiety may seem like an impossible task at times, but it’s not! It’s a promise found in Scripture and backed up by neuroscience. With God’s help, you can tame each thought and become a person who thinks and acts more like Jesus.

Hi friend, Max Lucado here. As an Encouraging Word listener, I want to share with you an exclusive preview of my new audiobook, Tame Your Thoughts. This message is for anyone who embraces the promise found in Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” I pray it encourages you.

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Hello, friend. Welcome to the Encouraging Word Podcast.

Did you know the Bible has something to say about crisis management? That might feel like a modern construct, but it’s not. In Joseph’s life he faced multiple crises, including an extended, widespread famine. So how did he get through it? A two-pronged approach – he approached the crisis with faith and then came up with a plan.

Hello, friend. I hope you’re having a good day. Today’s episode brings us to a pivotal moment between Joseph and his brothers. If you don’t know what happens in the story, it powerfully illustrates what happens when the prince turns out to be your brother.

Hi, friend. Welcome to the Encouraging Word Podcast.

If you’ve listened to the last few episodes, you’ve likely noticed a recurring theme: Joseph is resilient. He faced challenge after challenge, but kept bouncing back. How could he do that? Because he saw the bigger picture of an active, sovereign God.

Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me today.
This summer on the podcast we’ve been studying the life of Joseph to learn how God helps us get through painful and difficult parts of life. This week we’re deviating a bit from Joseph to take a look at the role his brothers play in the story. Maybe as you’re listening you relate more to Jacob’s other sons. If that’s you, be encouraged, friend – God is still working.

Hi, friend. I hope you’re doing well today.

For anyone who’s ever been treated badly—in other words, everyone—Colossians 3:13 offers one of the New Testament’s most challenging admonitions: “even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.” Really, God? you might think. I’m supposed to just forgive them? I know it’s not easy, and it won’t be a straight line. But, with God’s help, you will find the space of grace.

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. 

Family pain has been around since, quite literally, the first family. The earliest chapters of Genesis introduce us to a crooked family tree. If you know family wounds, I think you’ll find some hope in Joseph’s story.  

Hi, friend. Welcome back to the Encouraging Word Podcast. 

Does gratitude matter to God? The Bible suggests it does. In Luke chapter 17 we read the story of Jesus healing ten lepers, and only one returns to thank him. But the one who comes back does so praising God. His gratitude made him joyful. Friend, the quickest way out of a tough day is through the door marked “thank you.”

Hello, friend. Thanks for joining me. 

Let me ask you a question – is God good when life isn’t? I understand if that’s hard to answer. But I think today’s episode could help; I pray it does. 

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re doing well. Today’s episode reminds us that God is the business of grand reversals. For Joseph, that meant prison one day, Pharaoh’s palace the next. I can’t imagine Joseph saw that big moment coming, but he was ready for it because he saw a big God.