Ep. 52: Final Thoughts

Can you believe it? A year in and it's time to say goodbye! If there's one thing I want you to take away from this year on the podcast, it's the importance of immersing ourselves, daily, in God's Word. Thank you so much for listening and supporting this brief adventure in the world of podcasting! God bless you!

0:00 - Introduction

1:00 - Greetings and (at the same time) farewell!

--> Isaiah 40:8

2:30 - We live in an age of deception. We need to stand firm on the truth of God's Word!

5:40 - Scripture reading (Psalm 19:7-11)

6:32 - Prayer

Ep. 51: The Truth About Suffering

Suffering is one of those really tough topics. Our minds are often flooded with so many questions surrounding it: Where does it come from? Why does God allow it? But even suffering, in the hands of a good God, can be used for good in our lives.

0:00 - Introduction

1:18 - Suffering is often an obstacle to our faith and trust in God

3:43 - Where suffering comes from

8:09 - Why does suffering happen?

21:04 - Memory Verse (Psalm 34:19)

21:37 - Practical application

22:21 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next Thursday for our final episode!

Ep. 50: My Thoughts Matter

Our thought lives are the battleground in our war against sin. All our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors begin there. So, it's important that we guard our thoughts.

0:00 - Introduction

1:38 - Our thoughts matter more than we think

4:06 - Divine weapons

9:43 - Memory Verse (Romans 13:14)

9:55 - Practical application

10:40 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next Thursday for a talk about suffering.

Ep. 49: Commitment Over Comfort

It's all too easy to allow our desire for comfort to infiltrate our spiritual lives. But Jesus is looking for those who will choose commitment over comfort.

0:00 - Introduction

1:28 - Humans are naturally creatures of comfort

6:23 - Our faith in Christ and our comfort zones are in direct opposition to one another

8:10 - Practical application

11:27 - Memory Verse (Philippians 1:21)

11:47 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next Thursday for a chat about the importance of our thoughts!

Ep. 48: Replace Scarcity with Sufficiency

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! So often we view our lives from scarcity mindsets–what we don't have, how we don't measure up–instead of looking at situations through the lens of Christ's sufficiency. It's time to rewrite the narrative!

0:00 - Introduction (some of the things I'm thankful for this year!)

5:02 - The harm of scarcity mindsets

8:12 - Scriptures to combat scarcity mindsets

--> 2 Peter 1:3

--> 2 Timothy 3:16-17

--> 2 Corinthians 12:9

--> Matthew 6:32-33

--> James 1:5

--> John 14:27

--> Matthew 11:28-30

--> Philippians 1:6

--> Galatians 6:9

--> Psalm 16:11

--> Matthew 5:4

--> Job 42:2

13:31 - God has everything we need

14:22 - Practical application

--> Check out the song "Jireh" by Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music!

15:43 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next Thursday for a talk about choosing commitment over comfort!

Ep. 47: Marked By Gratitude

As Christians, we are called to gratitude in all circumstances. Sometimes this is hard to put into practice. But with the proper perspective, and God's help, it is possible!

0:00 - Introduction

1:38 - Christians have more cause than anyone to be grateful

5:01 - Gratitude is a command

6:06 - Gratitude is an opportunity to witness to others

7:46 - Practical application

--> check out my blog series, "7 Practices for Cultivating Contentment", at www.sparrows-nest.blog

10:58 - A prayer over you

12:08 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next week for learning to replace a scarcity mindset with the sufficiency of Christ!

Ep. 46: The Truth About Worship

Did you know worship is not just singing praise to God? It's so much more than that! Worship involves every aspect of our lives.

0:00 - Introduction

1:50 - A limited definition of worship

2:32 - Worship is multi-faceted

13:06 - A fully surrendered heart

14:22 - Memory Verse (Psalm 103:1)

14:38 - Practical application

15:24 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next Thursday for another mark of the Christian life: gratitude!

Ep. 45: I Am a New Creation

So many times we affix labels to ourselves (or allow others to) based on our past mistakes, failures, and disappointments. But when we come to Christ, we are a New Creation!

0:00 - Introduction

1:17 - You are not defined by your past

2:01 - In Christ, we are a new creation

4:35 - How to remove old labels and put on our "new self"

10:37 - Memory Verse (2 Corinthians 5:17)

11:00 - Practical application

12:14 - Wrap-Up

--> Come back next Thursday for the truth about worship!