Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Daily Devotional, Prayer, Hearing God & Christian Affirmations

Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Daily Devotional, Prayer, Hearing God & Christian Affirmations

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Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Daily Devotional, Prayer, Hearing God & Christian Affirmations episodes

  • Why Do I Feel Like I Have to Prove Myself? (Luke 4:1-13) | Daily Devotional & Bible Study

    The devil's first words to Jesus were "if you are the Son of God." God had just called Him exactly that.

    We're in Luke 4 today talking about the enemy. Who he is, how he actually

    operates, and why his opening move is almost always an attack on identity. He isn't trying to get you to doubt that God exists. He's trying to get you to
    prove something God already settled, because once you're busy proving, he can get you to do almost anything. This one is meant to give you a battle plan, not fear.

    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

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    voicemail: SpeakPipe


    Questions we answer today

    What does the word devil actually mean, and why does his name describe

    his job?
    Is the enemy all-knowing the way God is?
    How do our words give him ammunition?
    Why does he attack identity first?
    What was the opportune time he was waiting for?
    What weapon did Jesus actually use, and why that one?

    Timestamps

    00:00 Picking up in Luke 4

    01:30 Reading Luke 4:1-14

    03:00 Why we were never really taught about the enemy

    05:00 Diabolos, Satan, and what the names tell us

    06:30 The other names Scripture gives him

    07:30 He is not a second God, and he is already

    defeated

    09:30 He observes, he does not know

    10:20 The blackout week, and the power of our words

    13:00 Conviction versus condemnation

    14:20 If you are the Son of God

    15:10 The oldest move in the book

    16:20 When sin shows up as the solution to doubt

    17:10 Overworking and oversharing to prove something

    18:30 Until an opportune time

    19:20 Predictable resistance

    20:40 The opportune time was Gethsemane

    23:20 Anointing, testing, then ministry

    25:00 What he actually wants, and why

    27:00 Every offer is a shortcut

    29:20 How he twists Scripture

    31:00 Offering what was never his to give

    35:30 It is written, not I feel

    36:30 The only offensive piece of the armor

    37:40 Submit first, then resist

    39:20 Why we do the daily affirmations

    40:20 Prayer


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    47 min
  • Tuesday Daily Affirmations: Victorious Through Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57)

    Tuesday Daily Affirmations: Victorious Through Jesus (1 Corinthians

    15:57)

    Step into your week with boldness,

    peace, and purpose. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short but powerful way to trade your own strength for God's before the day gets away from you. As the world demands more, God invites you to lean on Him. Today's affirmations are a reminder that you are never alone, never powerless, and never without purpose.

    I'll read each phrase, you repeat it, and then I'll tell you the Scripture it comes from.

    Links

    AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: ⁠Patreon⁠

    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at ⁠BibleStudyLive.org⁠

    Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: ⁠SpeakPipe⁠

    Before we begin

    Today's affirmations are for

    strength and confidence for the week ahead. Whatever this week holds, you are not facing it alone. God is with you, strengthening you, guiding you, and
    fighting for you. No matter what challenges you encounter, you can walk in
    faith knowing that God has already prepared the way for you.

    Tuesday affirmations and Scripture

    I am strong and courageous in

    Christ. Joshua 1:9

    I do not fear because God is with

    me. Isaiah 41:10

    I can do all things through Christ

    who strengthens me. Philippians
    4:13

    I am victorious through Jesus. 1

    Corinthians 15:57

    I have the power of God working

    within me. Ephesians 3:20

    I will not be shaken because God

    is my refuge. Psalm
    62:6

    I walk by faith, not by sight. 2

    Corinthians 5:7

    No weapon formed against me shall

    prosper. Isaiah 54:17

    God fights my battles and I need

    only to be still. Exodus
    14:14

    I am not afraid because God has

    overcome the world. John
    16:33

    I have authority in Christ over

    every attack of the enemy. Luke
    10:19

    I am rooted and established in

    God's love. Ephesians 3:17

    I have divine wisdom and strength

    for today. James 1:5

    I am resilient and I will

    persevere through trials. Romans
    5:3-4

    I am filled with the power of the

    Holy Spirit. Acts
    1:8

    I will not grow weary in doing

    good. Galatians 6:9

    God's grace is sufficient for me. 2

    Corinthians 12:9

    I have peace that surpasses

    understanding. Philippians
    4:7

    I am never alone. God is always

    near. Deuteronomy 31:8

    I am protected under the shadow of

    the Almighty. Psalm
    91:1

    God's Word is a lamp to my feet

    and a light to my path. Psalm
    119:105

    I stand firm in faith and do not

    waver. James 1:6

    I am free from fear because God's

    perfect love casts it out. 1
    John 4:18

    I have a spirit of power, love,

    and sound mind. 2
    Timothy 1:7

    God is working all things for my

    good today. Romans 8:28

    Closing prayer

    Lord, I surrender my fear to You. Fill me with boldness,

    courage, and confidence in You. No matter what today holds, I trust in Your
    strength. In Jesus' name, Amen.

    Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so

    you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence.

     

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    11 min
  • Why Does Resistance Come Right After You Obey God? (Luke 4:1-13) | Daily Devotional & Bible Study

    Have you ever said yes to God and then watched everything get harder?

    Luke 4 shows us why.

    We're starting Luke chapter 4 in our fall Bible study, and before we get

    to the three temptations, there's something in the first two verses most of us
    read right past. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is the one
    who led Him into the wilderness. The hard season wasn't a detour from the
    assignment. It was part of it. Today we look at the forty days, why that number matters, and how Jesus fought as a Spirit-empowered man rather than by pulling rank.


    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at ⁠BibleStudyLive.org⁠

    Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a

    voicemail: ⁠SpeakPipe⁠


    Questions we answer today

    Was Jesus not already full of the Holy Spirit before His baptism?

    Why does Scripture keep using the number forty?
    Why did Jesus answer the devil with verses from Deuteronomy?
    What does Israel's forty years have to do with Jesus' forty days?
    Is the wilderness a detour or an assignment?


    Timestamps

    00:00 Starting Luke 4, and how this series works

    01:00 Reading Luke 4:1-13

    02:40 Prayer

    04:00 Why the color method stopped me at "forty

    days"

    05:00 Was Jesus always full of the Holy Spirit?

    07:00 What Isaiah said about a Spirit-empowered Messiah

    08:30 What actually happened at the Jordan

    10:00 Fully God and fully human

    11:30 Why His victory matters for us

    14:20 A callback to Israel's forty years

    15:30 Why all three answers come from Deuteronomy

    17:30 God's son Israel failed, God's Son Jesus passed

    18:50 Other forty-day seasons in Scripture

    21:00 Predictable resistance after obedience

    23:30 Tempted the whole time, not just at the end

    24:30 The wilderness was the assignment

    25:00 Prayer

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    30 min
  • Monday Daily Affirmations: Chosen Before the Foundation of the World (Ephesians 1:4)

    Monday Daily Affirmations: Chosen Before the Foundation of the World

    (Ephesians 1:4)

    Start your Monday with confidence, peace, and purpose. These daily Christian affirmations are a short but powerful way to realign your heart and mind with biblical truth before the week begins. Today's affirmations are all about identity: who God says you are, and what changes when you believe it. Speak life over your day, renew your faith, and step into God's promises with Scripture straight from His Word.

    I'll read each phrase, you repeat it, and then I'll tell you the Scripture

    it comes from.

    Links

    AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon

    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

    Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe

    Before we begin

    Take a deep breath. This is a new day filled with God's grace and purpose.

    You are not defined by your past, or your mistakes, or the opinions of others.
    You are defined by the truth of God's Word. Let these affirmations fill your
    heart as you step into today.

    Monday affirmations and Scripture

    I am a child of God, chosen and loved.

    1 John 3:1

    I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

    Psalm 139:14

    I am fully known and loved fully by God.

    Psalm 139:1-2

    I have been chosen before the foundation of the world.

    Ephesians 1:4

    I am created in the image of God.

    Genesis 1:27

    I am redeemed and made new in Christ.

    2 Corinthians 5:17

    I am set apart for God's purpose.

    1 Peter 2:9

    I am God's masterpiece, created for good works.

    Ephesians 2:10

    I am loved with an everlasting love.

    Jeremiah 31:3

    I am called by name and belong to God.

    Isaiah 43:1

    I am not my past. I am a new creation.

    2 Corinthians 5:17

    I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

    1 Corinthians 6:20

    I'm seated in heavenly places with Christ.

    Ephesians 2:6

    I am co-heir with Christ.

    Romans 8:17

    I am not rejected. I am accepted in Christ.

    Ephesians 1:6

    I am never alone. God is always with me.

    Hebrews 13:5

    I am valuable and precious in God's sight.

    Isaiah 43:4

    I have been set free by the truth of Jesus.

    John 8:36

    I am more than a conqueror through Christ.

    Romans 8:37

    I am a light in this world, shining for Christ.

    Matthew 5:14

    I am God's dwelling place. His Spirit lives within me.

    1 Corinthians 3:16

    I am forgiven and free from condemnation.

    Romans 8:1

    I have a divine purpose and calling from God.

    Jeremiah 29:11

    I am dearly loved and nothing can separate me from God's love.

    Romans 8:38-39

    Closing prayer

    Father, thank You for reminding me who I am in You. Help me to walk in

    confidence today, knowing that I am chosen, loved, and called by You. No matter what comes my way, let my identity be rooted in Your truth. In Jesus' name, amen.

    I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go

    deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next.

    Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in

    faith, clarity, and confidence.

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    11 min
  • Sunday Daily Affirmations: I Enter This Week with Expectancy, Not Fear (Romans 15:13)

    Sunday Daily Affirmations: I Enter This Week with Expectancy, Not Fear

    (Romans 15:13)
    Sunday is for looking ahead with God. Before the week begins, we pause and place what's coming into His hands. These Scripture-based Christian
    affirmations are a steady way to enter the week grounded, attentive, and
    trusting God to lead you one day at a time.

    I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then

    read the Bible verse it comes from.

    Links

    AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon

    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

    Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe


    Sunday affirmations and Scripture

    I place this coming week in God's hands.

    Psalm 31:15 — "My times are in Your hands."

    I trust God to guide my steps.

    Psalm 37:23 — "The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights
    in Him."

    I enter this week with expectancy, not fear.

    Romans 15:13 — "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as
    you trust in Him."

    I invite God into every moment ahead.

    Proverbs 16:3 — "Commit to the Lord whatever you do."

    I trust God to order my priorities.

    Matthew 6:33 — "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness."

    I receive God's wisdom for the days ahead.

    James 1:5 — "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God."

    I walk into this week anchored in truth.

    Psalm 119:105 — "Your word is a lamp to my feet."

    I trust God with what I cannot foresee.

    Isaiah 46:10 — "I make known the end from the beginning."

    I choose faith over anticipation of stress.

    Psalm 56:3 — "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You."

    I rely on God's grace for each day.

    2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for you."

    I trust God's timing this week.

    Habakkuk 2:3 — "Though it linger, wait for it."

    I remain open to God's leading.

    Psalm 25:4 — "Show me Your ways, Lord."

    I step forward with humility and trust.

    Micah 6:8 — "What does the Lord require of you? To walk humbly with
    your God."

    I depend on God's strength, not my own.

    Psalm 68:35 — "God gives strength and power to His people."

    I trust God with every conversation and decision.

    Proverbs 20:24 — "A person's steps are directed by the Lord."

    I choose obedience over control.

    John 14:23 — "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching."

    I walk into this week aware of God's presence.

    Exodus 33:14 — "My Presence will go with you."

    I trust God to work through ordinary moments.

    Zechariah 4:10 — "Do not despise these small beginnings."

    I release anxiety about outcomes.

    Psalm 112:7 — "They will have no fear of bad news."

    I remain attentive to God's voice.

    John 10:27 — "My sheep listen to My voice."

    I trust God to meet my needs.

    Philippians 4:19 — "My God will meet all your needs."

    I step into this week with courage.

    Psalm 31:24 — "Be strong and take heart."

    I trust God to shape my character.

    Romans 8:29 — "To be conformed to the image of His Son."

    I begin this week grounded in hope.

    Hebrews 6:19 — "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul."

    I rest in God's faithfulness as I move forward.

    Psalm 33:4 — "The word of the Lord is right and true."

    Closing prayer

    God, as I step into this new week, I place everything ahead of me in Your

    care. Go before me, guide my steps, and help me stay attentive to You. I trust
    You with what's coming, one day at a time. Amen.

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    10 min
  • Saturday Daily Affirmations: I Release Regret (Psalm 32:5)

    Saturday Daily Affirmations: I Release Regret (Psalm 32:5)

    Saturday is a good day to slow down and look back over your week with God. Not to replay everything or overthink it, but to notice where He met you, where He carried you, and where His grace showed up. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a gentle way to reflect with honesty and gratitude before the new week begins.

    I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then

    read the Bible verse it comes from.

    Links

    AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon

    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

    Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe


    Saturday affirmations and Scripture

    I thank God for walking with me through this week.

    Psalm 143:10 — "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your
    good Spirit lead me on level ground."

    I recognize God's faithfulness in both the seen and unseen moments.

    Psalm 77:11 — "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will
    remember Your miracles of long ago."

    I release regret and receive God's grace.

    Psalm 32:5 — "Then I acknowledged my sin to You... and You forgave the
    guilt of my sin."

    I trust that God was at work even when I didn't notice.

    Ecclesiastes 3:11 — "He has made everything beautiful in its
    time."

    I give thanks for the strength God provided each day.

    Psalm 28:7 — "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in
    Him, and He helps me."

    I acknowledge where I grew this week.

    2 Peter 3:18 — "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
    Jesus Christ."

    I notice where God invited me to trust Him more deeply.

    Psalm 37:5 — "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do
    this."

    I receive God's mercy for where I fell short.

    Micah 7:18 — "You delight in mercy."

    I choose gratitude over self-criticism.

    1 Thessalonians 5:18 — "Give thanks in all circumstances."

    I honor the work God has been doing in my heart.

    Philippians 1:6 — "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to
    completion."

    I acknowledge God's presence in ordinary moments.

    Psalm 16:11 — "You make known to me the path of life."

    I release this week into God's care.

    Psalm 55:22 — "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain
    you."

    I trust God with what remains unfinished.

    Proverbs 16:9 — "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord
    establishes their steps."

    I thank God for His patience with me.

    Psalm 103:8 — "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
    abounding in love."

    I rest in the truth that God sees me fully.

    Hebrews 4:13 — "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's
    sight."

    I choose to end this week with gratitude.

    Psalm 92:1 — "It is good to give thanks to the Lord."

    I release comparison and embrace contentment.

    Hebrews 13:5 — "Be content with what you have, because God has said,
    'Never will I leave you.'"

    I acknowledge God's protection this week.

    Psalm 121:7 — "The Lord will keep you from all harm."

    I thank God for His provision.

    Matthew 6:31-32 — "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them."

    I recognize God's quiet guidance.

    Isaiah 30:21 — "This is the way; walk in it."

    I let go of striving and receive rest.

    Psalm 23:2 — "He leads me beside quiet waters."

    I honor the limits God has given me.

    Psalm 127:2 — "He grants sleep to those He loves."

    I trust God with what I do not understand.

    Romans 11:33 — "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge
    of God."

    I receive peace as I reflect with God.

    Psalm 4:7 — "You have filled my heart with greater joy."

    I end this week grounded in God's faithfulness.

    Lamentations 3:23 — "Great is Your faithfulness."

    Closing prayer

    God, thank You for walking with me through this week. Help me to see Your

    faithfulness clearly and to release what I need to let go of. I trust that You
    were present in ways I noticed and in ways I didn't. I place this week back
    into Your hands. Amen.

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    12 min
  • I Don't Want to Give the Devil Any of My Days: How Christians Should Handle Halloween and Other Listener Questions

    Every year around this time I get the same question. What do we do about Halloween?

    You'll hear everything from it's a free-for-all with no spiritual implication, to turn the lights off and hide in the house. My answer lands somewhere in the middle, and it starts here: I don't want to live in a way that hands the devil my days.

    Today we take on Halloween, and then a harder question about free will and the passages where God hardens a heart.

    Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

    Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe

    How should Christians handle Halloween?

    I'm answering this as both a parent and a former children's pastor. I grew up in a conservative Christian environment and later served in a charismatic one, so I've watched different churches handle this very differently.

    Here's my baseline. As Christians we're called to take light into the darkness, not run from it. Most Christians would agree. But for some reason we treat Halloween as the one exception.

    I don't want to give the devil any of my days. If I'm on this earth a hundred years and I hide every Halloween, that's a hundred days I handed over out of fear.

    That said, I won't pretend there's nothing there. There are real spiritual implications around Halloween. So my answer isn't either extreme.

    What does a good alternative look like?

    When I was a children's pastor, we did a trunk or treat. We played music from Jump Start 3, a ministry that set Scripture to music kids actually liked, and gave away their CDs. We served a lot of low income families whose kids didn't get CDs bought for them. We used that same music in Sunday school because it got God's Word into kids in a way they remembered.

    We had rules for the trunks. Nothing evil, nothing scary, nothing representing the occult. We had a Candyland trunk and an apple harvest trunk. We ran contests and giveaways and made it a genuinely fun night, so families had somewhere good to go. If your church does something like that, it's a great option.

    When does a church alternative go wrong?

    I've also seen the other side of it.

    We took our youngest daughter to a trunk or treat at a local church. They'd advertised a fall harvest party, so we weren't expecting anything unusual. It turned out to be inside the building, and to get in you had to walk through a black tunnel with skeletons on the walls, stinky smoke, and fire. I thought maybe it was one of those heaven-or-hell presentations, which I'm not a fan of, but you couldn't turn around and you couldn't get out.

    When we came through, the gymnasium was covered in scary, creepy Halloween decorations. My husband and I looked at each other and we were out. Then we met the pastor and he told us they wanted to make it even scarier next year.

    That's losing the plot entirely. There's no reason to invite families into a church building and hand them a haunted house.

    What else can we do on Halloween?

    We're called to live in the world and not of it, so this has looked like different things for our family over the years. Sometimes when we went house to house, we gave something instead of taking something. Sometimes we'd make it an exchange and ask people if they needed prayer.

    Here's what I keep coming back to. Yes, there is evil happening that night. It's also a night when kids and families are out looking for something. They are literally going door to door asking.

    If you live in a neighborhood with kids, you could hand out Scripture music, or candy with a Bible verse attached. Or you could simply say, I love your costume, is there anything you need prayer for?

    This is one of the few nights a year when we have a natural reason to meet our neighbors. If we have the good news, why wouldn't we offer it on a night when people are at our door asking for something?

    Now, if you start handing out ghosts and goblins, you've missed the plot. But hiding with the lights off and pretending we're not home is literally hiding your light under a bushel. We all learned that song as kids. Halloween is a good chance to actually live it.

    What about my kids?

    If you're going to participate, it comes with a conversation, and it's still your responsibility to protect your children.

    Letting them dress up as a witch is not okay. But there are plenty of options. They can be a favorite character or dress up as popcorn. There's a lot of room between a witch costume and hiding in the house.

    While you're out, if a house looks evil, you skip it. Or maybe you pray for it. Or maybe you go up and offer to pray for those people. That depends on the age of your kids. If you have a four-year-old, I wouldn't. If you have a sixteen-year-old, maybe you should.

    If we take the mentality of hiding from evil, where does it stop? We're not called to hide. We're called to face it.

    What about "God hardened his heart" and free will?

    A listener wrote in accepting that God is sovereign while also believing we can choose to turn away, and wrestling with Romans 9 and the Pharaoh passages. You're not the first to sit with this. Scholars have discussed it for centuries.

    Start in the garden. God put the tree there and gave a real command with a real consequence. That means they had a choice, and that matters, because love that can't say no isn't love. It's control. That theme runs all the way through. Moses sets before Israel life and death and tells them to choose life. Joshua says choose this day whom you will serve. God calls people to respond, but He doesn't force it.

    So what about Pharaoh?

    Before the plagues begin, God tells Moses that Pharaoh's heart will be hardened. Read that alone and it's troubling. Read the whole story and something else emerges.

    Again and again, Pharaoh hardens his own heart. He sees God's power, experiences a plague, asks Moses to stop it, the plague is removed, then he changes his mind and hardens his heart again. Only later does Exodus say the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart.

    This isn't a willing heart that God forces into rebellion. Pharaoh is already resisting. God allows that resistance to solidify and uses it for His purpose.

    The Hebrew helps. One word is chazaq, meaning to strengthen or make firm. When I taught this to kids I compared it to Jell-O. The ingredients are all there, and eventually they set. Another is kabed, carrying the sense of making something heavy. The picture is God confirming Pharaoh in a direction he already chose.

    That connects to Romans 1, where three times Paul says God gave them over to the sin they had chosen. Sometimes God's judgment isn't forcing someone to do what they don't want. It's allowing them further down the road they keep insisting on.

    How should I read Romans 9?

    In context, which means reading 9, 10, and 11 together. Those chapter divisions were added centuries later by scribes.

    Paul doesn't open Romans 9 with a lecture on predestination. He opens by grieving, saying he has unceasing anguish because his own people have rejected Jesus. The question he's answering is whether God's promise to Israel failed.

    His answer is no. God's purposes have not failed, and He has always been free to choose how He accomplishes them. That's the context for I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. The point isn't that God randomly decides who gets saved. It's that He decides how He accomplishes His plan.

    Keep reading. In chapter 10, Paul says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone. Then that Israel can be grafted back in, and eventually that God has bound everyone over to disobedience so He may have mercy on them all.

    How do both things hold together?

    Scripture doesn't feel the need to pick one and throw out the other. At Pentecost, Peter says Jesus was handed over according to God's deliberate plan, and in the same breath tells the people they were responsible for His death. Paul says work out your salvation with fear and trembling, then adds that it is God who works in you.

    We also read difficult passages in light of clear ones. God wants all people to be saved. Jesus stood over Jerusalem and said how often He longed to gather her children, and they were not willing.

    So here's where I land. God is sovereign and nothing is outside His authority, and our choices are real. I don't believe God creates some people for salvation and others for hell. That isn't consistent with His character, and predestining someone to hell and then holding them responsible for a choice they were never free to make throws out free will entirely.

    He is powerful enough to accomplish His purposes even when people resist. Pharaoh said no and God didn't lose control.

    Mystery isn't the same thing as contradiction. When we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus.

    Timestamps

    • 00:00 Why we do Q&A episodes
    • 01:40 The Halloween question
    • 03:06 Taking light into the darkness
    • 03:32 A hundred years, a hundred days
    • 04:32 What our trunk or treat looked like
    • 06:25 The trunk or treat that went wrong
    • 07:51 When churches lose the plot
    • 08:17 Giving instead of taking
    • 08:47 They're already at your door asking
    • 09:45 Hiding your light under a bushel
    • 10:13 Talking with your kids about it
    • 11:26 The free will question
    • 14:22 What about Pharaoh?
    • 16:31 Chazaq and kabed
    • 18:37 Reading Romans 9 in context
    • 26:36 Where I land on it
    • 28:27 Mystery is not contradiction
    • Frequently asked questions

      What is Jump Start 3?

      A music ministry that set Scripture to music kids enjoyed. We used it in Sunday school and gave the CDs away at our trunk or treat.

      How do I send in a question?

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      34 min
    • Friday Daily Affirmations: God's Grace Is Greater Than My Failures (Lamentations 3:22-23)

      Friday Daily Affirmations: God's Grace Is Greater Than My Failures

      (Lamentations 3:22-23)
      End your week anchored in peace and presence. These Scripture-based
      Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to set down what you've been
      carrying and find rest in God's care. Today's affirmations are about releasing
      your burdens, letting go of striving, and remembering that God's strength,
      love, and renewal are available right where you are. It's time to stop striving
      and start resting in His goodness.

      I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then

      share the Scripture it comes from.

      Links

      AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon

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      Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe

      Before we begin

      The week is ending, and as we step into the weekend, let's take a moment to

      breathe. Release your burdens and rest in God's presence. We're not meant to carry everything ourselves. God calls us to lay our worries at His feet and
      find renewal in Him.

      Friday affirmations and Scripture

      I release my worries and trust God to handle what I cannot.

      1 Peter 5:7

      God's peace fills my heart and I rest in His presence.

      Matthew 11:28

      I am not defined by my mistakes. God's grace is greater than my failures.

      Lamentations 3:22-23

      I let go of the need to control everything and surrender to God's perfect

      plan.
      Proverbs 3:5-6

      I am deeply loved by God and nothing can separate me from His love.

      Romans 8:38-39

      God refreshes my soul and renews my strength.

      Isaiah 40:31

      I will be fully present today, trusting that God holds tomorrow.

      Matthew 6:34

      My body, mind, and spirit find rest in God alone.

      Psalm 62:1

      I let go of striving and choose to rest in God's love.

      Zephaniah 3:17

      I step into the weekend with joy, knowing that God is in control.

      Psalm 118:24

      God's presence is my safe place.

      Psalm 91:1

      I am fully known and fully loved by God.

      Psalm 139:1-2

      I will not let stress steal my peace today.

      Philippians 4:6-7

      God is my refuge and I am safe in His hands.

      Psalm 46:1

      I do not need to have all the answers. I trust God.

      Romans 11:33

      God is fighting my battles and I can rest in His victory.

      Exodus 14:14

      I will not fear because God is with me.

      Isaiah 41:13

      I am held together by God's love even when life feels overwhelming.

      Colossians 1:17

      God's goodness and mercy follow me every day.

      Psalm 23:6

      I will not carry burdens that God has already taken from me.

      Matthew 11:29-30

      I am at peace because God is in control.

      Isaiah 26:3

      I trust in God's timing even when I don't understand.

      Ecclesiastes 3:11

      I will lay down my burdens and take on God's.

      Psalm 4:8

      I am never alone for God is always with me.

      Deuteronomy 31:6

      No matter what happens today, God is still good.

      Nahum 1:7

      Closing prayer

      Father, as this week comes to an end, I lay my burdens at Your feet. Help

      me to release my worries, rest in Your peace, and trust You with everything I
      cannot control. Refresh my heart and renew my spirit so I can step into the
      weekend with joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

      I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go

      deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next.

      Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in

      faith, clarity, and confidence.

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      12 min
    • Your Messy Family Doesn't Disqualify You: Luke 3:23-38

      I know what a lot of you are thinking. The genealogy. Are we really going there?

      We are, and there's a reason. If God had wanted a clean family tree for His Son, He had the power to arrange one. Instead He built this one, out of the overlooked and the outsider and the people who were wronged.

      Today we're finishing Luke 3 by walking through the lineage of Jesus and the women hidden inside a list that never names them.

      Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

      Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe

      Why does Luke put the genealogy here?

      Matthew opens his gospel with a genealogy. Luke buries his at the end of chapter three, right after the baptism and right before the temptation. Luke is a details guy, so the placement is intentional.

      Look at what comes immediately before. The heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice says you are my beloved Son. Then Luke runs the family line all the way back to Adam, who he calls the son of God.

      And look at what comes right after. Next week we study the temptation, where the enemy says if you are the Son of God.

      So Luke sandwiches this family tree between heaven declaring the sonship of Jesus and the devil attacking it. In the ancient world, genealogies were identity documents.

      Why does it say Jesus was about thirty?

      Thirty was a meaningful number. The Levites entered temple service at thirty. David became king at thirty. Joseph entered Pharaoh's service at thirty. Ezekiel's visions began at thirty. It was the age a man was considered ready to carry the responsibility of ministry.

      Luke says about thirty because he's a careful historian. The point is that this is not a kid. He's ready.

      Why is Luke's genealogy different from Matthew's?

      Matthew starts with Abraham and walks down through David to Jesus. He's making a Jewish case, laying out the royal credentials.

      Luke flips it. He starts with Jesus and walks backward through David, past Abraham, all the way to Adam, and then one step further to God.

      That difference is intentional. Matthew stops at Abraham because his point is the covenant with Israel. Luke pushes past Abraham because his point is the entire human race. He's a Gentile writing to Gentiles, saying this is for everybody.

      Remember what Luke quoted from Isaiah a few verses earlier. All flesh will see the salvation of God. Matthew and Mark stop that quotation short. Luke carries it all the way through, and then he builds a family tree that backs it up.

      And think about the timing. John just told the crowd that having Abraham as their father wasn't enough. Then Luke shows that the family line of Jesus goes back further than Abraham anyway.

      Why do the two lists split after David?

      From Abraham to David, Matthew and Luke match. After David they diverge almost completely. Matthew traces the line through Solomon, the royal line. Luke traces it through Nathan, a different son of David.

      They also give different fathers for Joseph. Matthew says Jacob. Luke says Heli. Scholarship is divided. One explanation is that Luke is giving Mary's line, with Heli as her father and Joseph listed as son-in-law, since Jewish lists didn't name women. Another is that Matthew gives legal rights to the throne while Luke gives physical descent. They run through different members of the same families, so they aren't in conflict.

      Why does any of this matter?

      Here's what struck me. Most of these names appear nowhere else in Scripture. We know nothing about them. No recorded words. And they're in the line of Jesus.

      Dozens of people who lived and raised children and died without making a mark on history, except that they were part of the lineage of the Messiah. God was working through generations who never knew what they were part of. They died without ever seeing it.

      For a Jewish person, your genealogy was your identity. Wrapped up in it were land rights, your tribe, and sometimes your job. A priest had to prove descent from a priest in order to serve.

      And it was verifiable. Genealogies were part of the public archives, and Josephus talks about consulting them for his own work. When Luke published this list, people could go check it. Those records were destroyed when Rome leveled Jerusalem around AD 70. At the time Luke wrote, you could still look it up.

      Why does it end with Adam, the son of God?

      Luke is the only gospel writer who takes it all the way back.

      Paul later calls Jesus the last Adam in 1 Corinthians, and Luke is making that same connection here, using a list instead of an argument.

      The first Adam was tested in a garden where he had everything, and he failed. The very next thing we read in Luke is Jesus going into the wilderness, hungry for forty days, tested. And He doesn't fail.

      Where are the women in this list?

      There aren't any named. Matthew includes four. Luke includes none, because he's writing the way historians of that era wrote.

      But here's what I can't get past. Every name in this list required a woman. And if Luke is in fact tracing Mary's family, then this entire list is her family tree, recorded under the men's names.

      So let me point out a few of them.

      Eve, the wife of Adam. The very first promise of a rescuer in Scripture was given to her, not to Adam. God tells the serpent that her offspring will crush his head. This whole line Luke just traced is the working out of a promise spoken to a woman about her children. Adam named her Eve because she was the mother of all the living, and Luke traces Jesus back through all the living.

      Noah's wife. We don't know her name. We know she boarded the ark, survived the flood, and raised the sons the whole human race descends from, including Shem, who is in Luke's list. Everything after Genesis 8 runs through a woman nobody ever named.

      Sarah, attached to the son of Isaac. Twenty-five years waiting on a promise, into her nineties, past any reasonable hope. She laughed when she heard it. Gabriel later tells Mary that nothing is impossible with God, echoing Sarah's story to a young girl who knew it well.

      Leah, attached to the son of Judah. Jacob loved Rachel. Leah was the wife he didn't choose, and Genesis says plainly she wasn't loved. She names her first sons in a way that reflects that ache. Then the fourth son she names Judah, which means praise, saying this time I will praise the Lord. She stopped naming her children after the love she couldn't get and named one after the God who saw her. And Judah is the son the Messiah came through. The unloved wife is the great-grandmother of the royal line.

      Tamar, attached to the son of Perez. Widowed twice in Judah's family and left in limbo. Under the law she had a right to a husband from that family, and Judah withheld it. A woman with no power, denied what she was owed, who did the only thing available to keep her family line alive.

      Rahab, the mother of Boaz. A Canaanite living in Jericho under judgment, with a shameful job. She hid the Israelite spies because she had heard what their God had done and she believed it. Hebrews 11 lists her among the faithful. Her great-grandson was King David.

      Ruth, the mother of Obed. A Moabite, and Deuteronomy 23 restricted Moabites from the assembly of Israel. A widow with no children, which meant no security of any kind. She followed Naomi and Naomi's God, and gleaned leftover grain at the edges of fields, the provision the law made for the poor. Two generations in a row, the royal line runs through foreign women.

      Bathsheba, attached to the son of Nathan. According to 1 Chronicles 3, Nathan and Solomon had the same mother. Her story was not a clean one, and it was not one she chose.

      What do we do with that?

      Most of these women are invisible to us. Hundreds of years of women whose names we don't have, who carried babies and delivered them and fed them and taught them and buried them and kept going. All of them part of the story.

      And it wasn't only the respectable ones. There's a woman nobody wanted. A widow who had to fight for her place. A Canaanite with a shameful job. A foreigner from an excluded nation. A woman a king took advantage of.

      If God had wanted a clean family tree, He could have arranged one. He built this one instead.

      So if you feel unseen, or unchosen, or like your story is too messy to be useful, this list is for you. You're in good company, and the company is the family line of Jesus. My own family line is messy too. Praise God that He takes the mess and redeems it.

      Timestamps

      • 00:00 Finishing Luke 3, and why we go slowly
      • 01:28 Reading the genealogy
      • 03:25 Prayer
      • 04:25 Why we study genealogy at all
      • 05:01 What comes right before and right after
      • 06:52 Why thirty mattered
      • 08:53 How Matthew and Luke differ
      • 09:49 Why Luke pushes past Abraham
      • 12:40 Two fathers for Joseph
      • 15:57 The names we know nothing about
      • 17:54 Verifiable in the public archives
      • 19:19 The son of Adam, the son of God
      • 19:49 The first Adam and the last Adam
      • 21:07 Why there are no women in the list
      • 22:42 Eve and the first promise
      • 23:27 Noah's wife
      • 23:55 Sarah and the impossible
      • 25:49 Leah and the son named praise
      • 26:54 Tamar
      • 28:15 Rahab
      • 30:24 Ruth
      • 31:49 Bathsheba
      • 33:37 The women we never see
      • 34:45 If God had wanted a clean family tree
      • Frequently asked questions

        Why do Matthew and Luke give different genealogies?

        Matthew traces the line through Solomon and Luke through Nathan, another son of David. Explanations include Luke tracing Mary's line, or Matthew giving legal throne rights while Luke gives physical descent.


        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

        36 min
      • Thursday Daily Affirmations: I Seek Wisdom, and God Gives It Freely (James 1:5)

        Thursday Daily Affirmations: I Seek Wisdom, and God Gives It Freely (James 1:5)


        You were created on purpose, for a purpose. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to walk into your day with intention, clarity, and wisdom. Whether you're questioning your calling or finding your footing in a new season, today's affirmations will help you trust God's plan, listen for His guidance, and move forward with boldness.

        I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then

        share the Scripture it's based on.

        Links

        AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon

        Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org

        Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe


        Before we begin

        God created you for a reason. Your life is not an accident, and your

        steps are not random. He has a plan for you, a purpose that brings glory to Him and fulfillment to your heart. As you listen to these affirmations, let them
        remind you that God is leading, guiding, and equipping you for everything He has called you to do.


        Thursday affirmations and Scripture

        God has a purpose for my life and I walk in His plan.

        Jeremiah 29:11

        I trust in the Lord to guide my steps.

        Proverbs 3:5-6

        I seek wisdom, and God gives it freely.

        James 1:5

        God is directing my steps and I do not walk alone.

        Psalm 37:23

        I am a light in this world, shining for Christ.

        Matthew 5:14

        God has prepared good works for me to do today.

        Ephesians 2:10

        I am equipped for every good work.

        2 Timothy 3:17

        I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

        Acts 1:8

        I will walk in faith, not in fear.

        2 Timothy 1:7

        God's Word lights my path.

        Psalm 119:105

        I choose obedience, knowing God's ways are best.

        Deuteronomy 5:33

        I live with purpose and do not waste my time.

        Ephesians 5:15-16

        I am called to make an impact for God's Kingdom.

        Matthew 28:19-20

        I have the mind of Christ and seek His wisdom daily.

        1 Corinthians 2:16

        I am a vessel for God's work.

        2 Corinthians 4:7

        I will not grow weary in doing good.

        Galatians 6:9

        God's purpose for me cannot be stopped.

        Job 42:2

        I do everything for the glory of God.

        Colossians 3:23

        God is using my life to accomplish His plan.

        Romans 8:28

        I am bold in sharing the gospel.

        Romans 1:16

        I walk in step with the Spirit.

        Galatians 5:25

        I remain steadfast in my calling.

        1 Corinthians 15:58

        God will finish the work He started in me.

        Philippians 1:6

        I live with an eternal perspective.

        Colossians 3:2

        I press forward in my faith, knowing my reward is in Heaven.

        Philippians 3:13-14

        Closing prayer

        Father, thank You for calling me to a life of purpose. Help me to walk in

        wisdom today, seeking You in all I do. Give me clarity where I need direction,
        courage where I need boldness, and a heart that is always ready to serve You. Let my life bring You glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

        I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go

        deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next.

        Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in

        faith, clarity, and confidence.

         

        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

        11 min

      About Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Daily Devotional, Prayer, Hearing God & Christian Affirmations

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      Do you ever wonder whether you're actually hearing God's voice, or whether it's just your own? Have you been in a season where He feels completely silent?

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