Believe & Speak

I recently updated the cover photo on my Facebook page with a picture of my yard. The center of the image shows a pink and orange wash of light reflected in our pond, making the glorious sunset filling the back of the photo even more beautiful.

As I was responding on Facebook to comments about the beauty of that picture, I was reminded of the verses that inspired today’s podcast.

2 Corinthians 3: 14 says the veil that keeps people from understanding the truth can only be removed by believing in Christ. Which means whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil that once covered their unbelieving mind is taken away. Once that veil is removed, we not only can see, but we also reflect the glory of the Lord.

Just as water reflects a sunset, you and I reflect the image of Christ. But even more than mirroring a beautiful image, the Holy Spirit makes us like the image we’re reflecting!

2 Corinthians 3: 18 says, “the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

You are every bit as glorious as a beautiful sunset because you reflect the Son of God. You reflect the glory of the Lord.

 

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

Enjoy this 10-Day Reading Plan on the YouVersion Bible App

This week's scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Last week my girlfriend sent me an intriguing image of a man’s hand holding a lit match. What made the image so fascinating was the fact that—even though the man’s hand cast a bold, dark shadow on the wall barely an inch behind him—the flame on top of the match did not cast a shadow. The crazy thing is, if you merely looked at the shadow, you wouldn’t know that the match was lit. There is no darkness in light, none at all. A flame cannot even cast a shadow. Today’s declaration is the truth.

Nothing can overshadow you to a point where it dims the brightness of Christ in you.

I can’t help but think of Psalm 23. You may already know what that familiar psalm says about shadows. Verse 4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (NKJV)

We may walk through shadows, but the light of Christ will chase them away. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” (NLT)

And Psalm 139:12 says, “even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (NIV)

You may have to walk through some pretty dark moments, my friend. But the darkness does not have the power to overcome the light that is in you. Just as the flame on the tip of a match does not cast a shadow, nothing can keep the light within you from chasing away every shadow that falls on your path.

 

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

Enjoy this 10-Day Reading Plan on the YouVersion Bible App

This week's scripture: John 1:1-5

I read a daily devotional by Dutch Sheets called Give Him 15. In his post on April 29th, he addressed the importance of developing an intimate relationship with God. He said, “Our levels of faith, power, authority, and effectiveness will always be determined by how well we know Him.” Dutch also said, “The more we know His heart and ways, the more authority and responsibility He can trust us with.”

I have prayed not only to truly know Christ myself, but also that others would know him intimately. I agree with Dutch that “an intimate knowledge of Yahweh should be our highest goal in life.”

Pressing in to know God more intimately has long been a prayer of my heart. The last time I was a guest on The NEW, I quoted some of the Bible verses that will be our focus today. In the testimony I gave on that talk show, I talk about the rewards as well as the cost of knowing Christ. We can learn about Jesus by studying scripture and listening to sermons. But I don’t think we can know him intimately enough to experience his resurrection power without first sharing in his sufferings. I can honestly say God reveals himself in profound ways in my darkest moments.

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

Enjoy this 10-Day Reading Plan on the YouVersion Bible App

This week's scripture: Philippians 3:7–14

Ever since mentioning that viral video last week of a sheep jumping right back into a ditch after being rescued, I’ve been bombarded by Bible verses having to do with Jesus as our Shepherd and the promises God has made to his sheep. A couple verses from Hebrews 13 have been hounding me, so I decided to read them today

If you missed that funny video I mentioned last week, I included a link again today. Thankfully, God rescues us out of the ditch—even when we jump into it again and again.

The author of Hebrews gave a word of blessing by writing “May [the great Shepherd] equip you” and “May he produce [good things] in you.” In other words, the power of Jesus Christ is able to equip you to carry out the will of God. The power of Jesus Christ is able to produce God-pleasing qualities in you. But you must allow the Shepherd to shepherd you.

Mark 6:34 says, “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (NLT)

Whenever we stray and then cry out like a lost sheep, we can be certain the same grace that saved us from hell and gave us eternal life will pull us out of the ditch and set our feet upon solid ground. By God’s grace, you and I have a Shepherd to guide us, protect us, and rescue us every time we fall. We have a Shepherd who not only pulls us out of the ditch, but also equips us to steer clear of the ditch. We have a Shepherd who speaks in a voice known by his sheep.

Let’s listen to our Shepherd and claim his promise of grace.

 

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

Enjoy this 10-Day Reading Plan on the YouVersion Bible App

This week's scripture: Hebrews 13:20-21

My daughter texted me a viral video earlier this week of a sheep jumping right back into a ditch after being rescued.

Seeing that careless sheep hopelessly stuck by repeating the same mistake made think of the first part of Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray...” (NIV)

I’m thankful for the hope in 1 Peter 2:25, which says, “For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (NIV)

The Scripture and declaration for today’s episode of the Believe & Speak podcast celebrates the fact that God hears our cries when we find ourselves trapped in a ditch.

No wonder David wrote in Psalm 28:7, “My heart leaps for joy.” Even if we leap straight back into the pit that our Savior just lifted us out of, we can count on God to hear our cries for mercy, to be our strength and shield, to save us and bless us.

We have a shepherd worthy of our praise. How thankful I am that Jesus is attentive enough to hear my cries, loving enough to lift me up, and strong enough to carry me forever.

 

10-Day Reading Plan

http://bible.us/r/6Ra

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture: Psalm 28:6-9

Ever noticed how the Holy Spirit often gives the same message to several different messengers within the same timeframe? Whether you hear a Sunday sermon, read a daily devotional or listen to a Christian podcaster, you keep hearing the same thing.

I read a daily devotional called Give Him 15, and was encouraged by a recent three-day series on the power of speaking God’s Word, which ran April 10–12. The author, Dutch Sheets, dedicated the series to helping his audience understand why we decree and declare.

The Believe & Speak podcast is all about making declarations based on the truth of God’s Word, and I agree wholeheartedly with what Dutch said last Sunday: “We must find out what the Scriptures teach about our situations, then make our biblical confessions and declarations accordingly.” On Monday he said, “Simply stated there is no more powerful weapon against the enemy than releasing the Word of God from your lips.”

Amen! That’s why we read Scripture together, make a declaration, and then pray to seal the truth into our hearts and minds. We will do that again today because the more you know and speak the Word of God, the less you’ll be deceived.

10-Day Reading Plan

http://bible.us/r/6Ra

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture: Hebrews 4:12

With the beauty and majesty of Easter Sunday fresh on my mind, I was led to the book of Romans for today’s episode. This week’s declaration comes straight from verse 14 of Romans 6 and it’s designed to remind you that you are not a slave to obeying the letter of the law. You are the beloved child of your gracious Heavenly Father.

Today’s church isn’t necessarily caught up in obeying rituals like circumcision, but we can certainly get entangled in a list of dos and don’ts.

Romans 6:6 says that sin might lose its power in our lives. It does not say it might cease to happen in our lives. Thankfully, it says sin might lose its power.

We need to spend less time trying to obey every letter of the law and more time loving Jesus. His death and resurrection accomplished everything our striving to obey could not achieve for us—freedom from the wages of sin, which is death.

We have been set free from the power of sin! We are no longer slaves to sin! We are alive and victorious, blameless and spotless, chosen and forgiven. Now THAT’S good news!

10-Day Reading Plan

http://bible.us/r/6Ra

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture: Romans 5:20-6:14

This week is a really big week for the church. I saw a graphic on Facebook that said “A lot can happen in seven days” and to prove it, the graphic contained side-by-side line drawings of a palm branch, a crown of thorns, a cross on a hill, and a stone rolled away from a tomb.

Yes, a lot can happen in seven days.

The palm branches are behind us on our calendar and the cross and empty tomb are before us. This is the perfect time to share with you what Paul wrote to the Colossians about how believers participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus. I really like how the Message interprets the verses I chose for today. As I read Colossians 2:8-15, keep in mind that The Message does not give an exact translation of the original text, but it does present a beautiful description of being crucified with Christ and being resurrected into a life of freedom from sin.

A more literal translation from my NIV Study Bible puts this Colossians 2:14-15 way: “having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; [Jesus Christ] has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” But I sure love the word picture found in The Message: Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.

I love the idea of Jesus marching demons naked through the streets! Hear me say that those demons may be powerful, but they have no authority over you. Jesus destroyed the power of sin when he died for you. He paid the debt of your sin and canceled any claim the powers of hell have over you. You are victorious because Jesus wears the victor’s crown.

10-Day Reading Plan

http://bible.us/r/6Ra

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture: Colossians 2:8-15

Ever feel ignored by God? Like he’s withholding answers to the prayers you’ve desperately prayed? We may feel like he’s holding out on us at times, but that’s not true. According to the verses I read in today’s episode of the Believe & Speak podcast, God does not withhold good things from us.

When God doesn’t give me what I’m asking him for, I try hard not to think of it as him saying, “No, you can’t have that.” Instead, I imagine God saying, “No, that wouldn’t be good for you right now.”

The idea of God only withholding what would not be good for me reminds me of Proverbs 30:8-9, which says, “give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (NIV)

James also speaks to those of us who may think God is holding out on us. In Chapter 4, he writes, “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.” (James 4:2b-3a NIV)

When we ask God with pure motives for good things to be given at the right time, God hears us. He is not slow in keeping his promises to us—at least according to his timeline.

One day in the courts of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere. The Lord God is your sun and shield. He bestows favor and honor. That means he will always protect you and provide for you. Saying this week’s declaration will help you remember these truths.

10-Day Reading Plan

http://bible.us/r/6Ra

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture: Psalm 84:10-12

Today’s episode was inspired by the word “inconceivable” from last week’s declaration. If you missed Episode 63, I encourage you to listen and then repeat the declaration from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that I gave you. I firmly believe that speaking declarations drawn from the Bible empowers our tongues with truth. That’s why every episode is based on Scripture, and every declaration is drawn from the verses I read.

In the Bible passage I read today, Paul quotes Isaiah—with a slight difference. Isaiah 64:3-4 says, “When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (NLT)

Watch for the change Paul made in 1 Corinthians 2:9. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (NLT)

This side of the cross, Paul not only added the mind to the eyes and ears, he also changed “those who wait” to “those who love”. The wait is over! God wants to accomplish the inconceivable through those who love him.

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week's scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-10