Believe & Speak

With Christmas Eve arriving the day after tomorrow, my guess (and hope) is that you’ve finished your Christmas shopping. If you over spent your budget, be encouraged by this week’s declaration drawn from Isaiah 55:3, which says, “Pay attention and come closer to me, and hear, that your total being may flourish.” (TPT)

The greatest gift we could ever receive is peace with God through his Son, Jesus Christ. So, if you’re feeling strapped for cash, repeat this week’s declaration with me now: I don’t need money for my total being to flourish.

Last week, I read Isaiah 9:6-7, which contains a prophetic announcement about the birth of Jesus that begins like this: “For unto us a child is born.” Isaiah then promises the child will “reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”

The verses I read today were written by the same prophet. And, just as Isaiah spoke on God’s behalf about the birth of our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, Isaiah also spoke for God when he wrote the verses that I read this week.

God invites us to “Come to the refreshing waters and drink. Even if you have no money, come… Yes, come and buy all the wine and milk you desire—it won’t cost a thing.”

I stopped short of reading Isaiah 55:6, which says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” (NIV)

Jesus is near! He is in the beauty of the music and serenity of the manger scenes. He is in the love we share as we exchange gifts and the hope we receive through faith in God. Nothing compares to the indescribable gift of God’s grace, which he gave freely so that we could have abundant life now and forever. So, come all ye faithful! Come and worship. Come to the refreshing waters and drink—it won’t cost a thing.

This week's scripture: Isaiah 55:1-3

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

Today’s declaration makes me think of a sermon given back in 1976 by a popular preacher named S.M. Lockridge. I can hear his rich, baritone voice even now, saying the phrase he repeated again and again in his sermon, That’s My King!

I’m tempted to add “that’s my king” to our declaration, which I drew from Isaiah 9:6-7. These verses from Isaiah form the basis of many Christmas sermons, and they provide the context for today’s podcast episode.

Dr. S. M. Lockridge served as the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. His initials stand for Shadrach Meshach. Sound familiar? S.M. Lockridge was named for two of the Hebrews who were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to bow down to a 90-foot statute of Babylon’s king. Shadrach and Meshach would bow only to one king—the King of kings—even if it cost them their lives. (You can read the story of their bravery in Daniel 3.) Dr. Lockridge’s name suggests he, too, knew the King of kings. He delivered a powerful sermon with a refrain that he repeated over and over: That’s my King. The three-minute excerpt of “That’s My King” on YouTube has millions of views.

Nearly every time Dr. Lockridge declares “That’s my king” he also asks, “Do you know him?”

Dr. Lockridge opens with “My King was born King.” Then he says, “He's the King of righteousness. He's the King of the ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of Glory. He's the King of Kings… Now, that's my King.”

Isaiah put it this way: Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

Yes, indeed. That’s my king.

This week's scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

With just two and a half weeks until Christmas Day, you may wonder why I chose John 20 for this episode. Well—thanks to the heartwarming presentation Linus gave on the stage of the Charlie Brown Christmas special—I feel a need to clarify the angel’s words in Luke 2:14.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (KJV)

Goodwill toward men is better translated as “toward men of goodwill.”

The NLT puts Luke 2:14 this way. “Peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

The NIV says, “…on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

In John 20, Jesus greeted the terrified disciples the same way the angels greeted the terrified shepherds—with the hope and promise of peace. Jesus is the prince of peace. Having peace is not dependent on being at peace with the world. The angels did not promise the shepherds that there would be goodwill among all men. Peace was given that night to the people who would receive their newborn King.

Jesus greeted His disciples with a reminder of his gift of peace when he exclaimed, “Peace be with you!” The Bible uses exclamation marks, so don’t miss our Lord’s excitement. I can’t help but wonder if Jesus spoke the traditional Hebrew greeting: Shalom Aleichem!

The New Testament was written in Greek, but Shalom Aleichem is how you say, “Peace be with you” in Hebrew. All thirteen letters of Paul, both of Peter’s letters, one of John’s, as well as Jude’s letter, and finally Revelation ALL include a form of that very same greeting. But Jesus spoke this well-worn phrase on just one occasion. Jesus waited until after His death and resurrection to greet His beloved disciples with the traditional Hebrew greeting: Shalom Aleichem!

At Christmas, the angels announced that peace had come to earth. At Easter, Jesus gave us the best gift we could ever receive—peace with God forever. Peace with God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, who is our Peace.

Shalom Aleichem! Peace be with you, now and forever! Once you receive this indescribable gift, you can believe and speak today’s declaration with blessed assurance.

This week's scripture: John 20:19-21, 24-26

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

News broke this past week about yet another variant of Covid-19… the virus that refuses to go away. However, the virus’s staying power has nothing on God.

Psalm 16:8-9 says, “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” (NLT)

Those of us who belong to God need not be shaken by news about the Omicron variant. Psalm 112:7 says, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.”

At the end of every year, I ask God for a prayer focus for the coming year. I’m pretty sure I mentioned a prior year’s focus in a previous episode of this podcast, but it bears repeating in the light of recent news.

In December 2019, God led me differently than in previous years. Rather than directing to pray FOR something, he directed me to pray AGAINST something. Specifically, I was to pray against a spirit of fear. Fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

In December 2020, God renewed the call for me to pray against fear. God’s perfect love drives away fear, and I’ve been asking him to empower me by his love at work in and through me to change the atmosphere—to displace fear with hope and peace. Today is December 1st, and the atmosphere is being filled with Christmas carols announcing the arrival of the prince of peace, the hope of the world. I’ll soon be asking God to reveal my 2022 prayer focus, but I won’t stop praying for God’s love to set us free from the spirit of fear. Don’t be afraid of bad news, my friend. Instead, declare the truth of God’s powerful presence.

This week's scripture: Psalm 16:7-11

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

Last Sunday, my pastor’s adult son gave the sermon. D.J. is a brand-new dad, and he shared a sermon illustration worth repeating—especially in light of our focus on God’s promise to hold us and ensure that we are provided for and protected.

D.J. said there have been times when he cradles his newborn son, attempting to quiet the infant’s screaming but nothing works. The young father knows his baby isn’t hungry or messy. Daddy knows his baby’s every need has been met. But the crying infant will turn purple screaming anyway. He simply doesn’t comprehend that he’s in the arms of a loving father who would do anything to protect and provide for his child. The baby does not yet recognize that the one holding him is attentive to his every need and stands ready not only to meet those needs but to cradle and comfort with tender compassion.

In the same way, our Heavenly Father holds onto us. Psalm 145:14 says, “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” Verse 18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” And verse 19 tells us that God hears our cries and saves us. He hears our cries, so we don’t have to turn purple from incessant screaming. Psalm 145:14 says, “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (NIV)

Look to our trustworthy Lord, my friend. He stands ready to meet your needs and fulfill your desires. Picture yourself resting in the arms of God, and acknowledge that he will provide for and protect you. Quiet your cries and repeat today’s declaration instead.

With the 100th episode of the Believe & Speak podcast, I decided to change things up a little. I want to give a shout out to my talented son, Scott Bryant, who wrote and produced the new music you heard for the first time with this episode. Scott created the stinger you’ll hear with each open and close, and also the two instrumental tracks. He created a brighter score to accompany the Scripture readings and a more contemplative musical piece to underscore the prayer. Thank you, Scott!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

This week's scripture: Psalm 145:13-19

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

My heart has been heavy with a compelling need to open the eyes of believers to the unconditional welcome we have been given to meet with the Most High God face-to-face as one meets with a friend. Listening to the previous two episodes of this podcast will prove my point.

Over the last two weeks, I have focused on the accessibility and availability of God. As believers in Jesus, we have been invited into the throne room. Yes, the indwelling presence of God never leaves us as believers, so we are never apart from God’s presence. But we can magnify the glorious presence of God, and can be empowered by His Spirit in greater ways.

Isaiah wanted the people of God to take notice of this, that’s why he wrote the words I read in today’s episode: Arise, shine, for your light has come.

I picture Isaiah shaking the shoulders of a sleepy church and shouting, Arise! Shine! You already have the light within you!

I can relate to the darkness making us want to close our eyes. We just changed our clocks by pushing them back one hour. I see the darkness out my window well before bedtime, and it makes me want to crawl under the covers and go to sleep.

In the same way, the darkness of our culture makes us want to turn away, but Isaiah’s words won’t let us close our eyes. He wrote, “See! darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but…” That word “but” discounts everything in front of it. It’s like Isaiah is saying, “I know you see the darkness. I know it’s all around you. I know it’s hard to see in the dark, BUT you have what you need to shine. The light of the Lord has risen upon you and his glory appears over you. Therefore, the darkness cannot overcome you.”

Christ’s light radiates from you, my friend. So, wake up! Arise and shine to believe and speak today’s declaration into the darkness.

This week's scripture: Isaiah 60:1-2

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

In last week’s episode, I shared the promise from Ephesians 3:12 that those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have the freedom to approach God with bold confidence. We are invited to sit down for a face-to-face conversation—not literal of course, because no one may see the face of God and live, but metaphorically.

Imagine the conversation you would have on a lunch date with a friend. God wants to have a date like that with you. Exodus 33 is in the Old Testament, and yet it supports this week’s declaration: The Lord wants to speak to me face to face, as one speaks to a friend.

The key to unlocking the privilege of having an intimate conversation with God is found in Exodus 33:7. Listen again to who would go to the tent Moses set up to meet with God.

“It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.” (NLT)

This “Tent of Meeting” was not the Tabernacle. That sanctuary for God’s presence had not yet been built. That sanctuary had a curtain that blocked access to God until Jesus threw open that door by his sacrificial death. (I talked about that last week.)

The tent mentioned in Exodus 33 provided a place where ANYONE could meet with God. EVERYONE was welcome inside, but in this passage, only Moses and Joshua went into the tent.

You have been invited inside. Christ has thrown open the door. Will you stand at a distance and worship God from afar? Or will you meet with God like you meet with your best friend?

This week's scripture: Exodus 33:7-11

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

I read just one verse in today’s episode, but what a powerful promise is found in that verse! It’s Ephesians 3:12 (NLT). Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. The New International Version says that “we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” What a beautiful word picture of the posture and the attitude you and I can have when we enter the throne room and come near to God.

Do you have any idea what a privilege we’ve been given? Those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have the freedom to boldly and confidently approach the King of kings. We don’t have to make an appointment. We don’t have to wait until we have a crisis. No concern is too big or too small to carry into God’s presence. We can approach God anytime for any reason because of Jesus and our faith in him. We would not be wise to approach God with arrogance, but neither should we cower in his presence. Never allow guilt, shame or regret stop you from boldly and confidently approaching God. You have been given the freedom to come as you are.

In Hebrews Chapter 10, we learn that “since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” we are welcome to “draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.” (NIV)

When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain that separated the Holy Place in the Temple from the Most Holy Place, was torn in two, opening the way to approach the throne of God. The Ark of the Covenant, which was kept behind the curtain was considered the mercy seat of God—his earthly throne, so to speak. The Bible tells us that the curtain concealing God’s presence was torn in two from top to bottom. Not only that, the curtain was way too thick for human hands to tear. God himself reached down and tore the curtain that separated us from him.

Christ’s broken body is like that torn curtain. Jesus is the doorway not only to eternal life, but also to intimate communion with God right here, right now. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Hebrews 10:22-23 says, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (NIV)

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are welcome to freely approach God, and when you are in the presence of the King of kings, everything is possible!

This week's scripture: Ephesians 3:12

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

This week’s episode centers on the Bible verses that fall in between the ones I read last week from Psalm 34. If you missed that episode, it’s OK to listen out of sequence. The promises are connected, but you can catch up with Episode 94 after you listen to this one.

The verse I’ll read today from Psalm 34:4-7 fall right after David writes about extoling the Lord at ALL times (i.e., good times, bad times and so-so times). These verses come right before David writes about God’s faithfulness to carry us through our seasons of lack. The message for us in these in-between verses is this: Being needy shouldn’t bring fear and shame; being needy should bring joy! That’s because it’s in our seasons of neediness that God shows up in dramatic ways to help us.

God wants to free us from the fear of not having our needs met.

Gods wants to free us from the shame of exposing our neediness.

God wants to free us from blaming ourselves and others for our troubles.

He welcomes our desperate prayers.

He listens to our cries for help.

He saves us from our troubles.

No wonder David wrote Psalm 34:5, “Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”

I encourage you to look to God. He has promised to surround you and defend you. With him as your protector and defender, your reasons to feel fear or shame will dissipate as you radiate with joy.

Don’t be ashamed of your neediness, my friend. Be filled with expectation of how God will show up in response to your desperate cries for help.

This week's scripture: Psalm 34:4-7

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.

I wrote last week’s episode for those of us going through a season of lack, and hadn’t planned on continuing with this theme. However, the daily reading for today—October 13—in Charles Stanley’s wonderful devotional, Every Day in His Presence, prompted me to focus on “lack” for one more week.

Dr. Stanley’s devotional opens with God’s promise of provision from Psalm 34:10, and goes on to say that no need is “too massive, problematic, or severe for Jesus to meet it.” Amen!

God has promised that we will lack no good thing. And yet, you and I can point to any number of good things that we lack, can’t we? We might lack peace, acceptance, or love. We might lack employment, income, or a nest egg for retirement. These circumstances make it hard to trust God to provide, but that’s when we need to declare the truth of God’s word all the more fervently.

The cares of this world can steal our focus away from God. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (NLT) Rather than yearning for the things we lack, we need to be yearning for greater intimacy with God.

Last night I attended a Chris Tomlin concert, which was more like a night of worship than a concert. He closed with his song, Good, Good Father. I looked up his discography on Spotify, and discovered that Good, Good Father had been played over 126 million times, far more times than the other songs listed as “Popular”. I think that’s because the message of that song helps us turn our focus away from the things we lack and toward our Heavenly Father, who has repeatedly promised in Scripture to give us everything we need.

This week's scripture: Psalm 34:1-3 and 8-10

Chris Tomlin’s Lyric Video of Good, Good Father

Mid-Week Miracle: Hope Gives Life Like CPR

 

Discover the healing power of Psalm 139 in my book, Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible, and as a digital download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app.

Take the 10-day journey with me and let Scripture heal your heart.

Look for the Longing to Belong Reading Plan on your mobile device via the YouVersion Bible app.