Have you made space (silence) in your life to hear from the Holy Spirit? This week, Nicole helps us understand the connection between making space in our lives for the Spirit and the spiritual freedom we want but don’t know how to get.

A. Principle in this Passage:

1. God loves us as his children (1 John 3:1). Can you take a moment today and imagine God’s love for you. Imagine the most loving parent you have ever known. God loves you even more perfectly and completely than that. Allow his love to meet you today.

2. If you can’t believe the feeling of God’s love, believe the fact of his love: Jesus Christ laid down his life for you. (1 John 3:16)

B. What Is The Backstory?
John was correcting divisions in the church. The way they could know who was living in the love of Christ: how they loved others.

C. What This Means for Me:

Obedience in Action (v. 18) – If you experience this love of God, out of that overflow of love there will be an immediate and recognizable change in how you treat believers.

Confidence in Discernment (v. 20-21) – God hears everything and hears your prayers. If you’re feeling less than or have regret, confess to God and he is faithful to forgive – have confidence before God. If your heart feels clear, good! You’ll want to do what pleases him.

Know God Lives in You by the Way You Are Led by the Spirit (v. 24) – make space in your life this week. 5 or 10 minutes to start. Be quiet. Say, “search me or know me. Engage with me, help me know how to engage in this world.”


Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our How to Pray Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

Follow Nicole:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this passage, John gives us a series of tests for our faith – not tests like the kind we take in school that you can pass or fail, but tests that reveal to us the genuineness of our faith – so that we can have full assurance of our salvation and so that we can recognize true believers.

Test 1: Obedience Out of Love
Test 2: Live as Jesus Lived
Test 3: Having Love for Brothers and Sisters

Principle in this Passage:

1. I know him
2. I love him
3. I love others because I love him

What does it mean for me?

1. Apply: What is the motivation of my obedience?
2. Apply: What does increasing love look like for my brothers and sisters in faith?

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our Lent Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

Follow Nicole:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This short letter is rich, deep, and will challenge how we have looked at Bible study so far. This pastoral letter, written by an older Christian, encourages us toward assurance and confidence in our faith.

As we begin to open this letter, remember that this letter has a tone of fellowship, joy, and blessing.

Big Overview of the Letter:
Circular themes of true doctrine, obedient living, fervent devotion

Walking through 1 John 1 with the Alive Method:

1. What does it say?
Themes of light/darkness, cleansing, sin

2. What’s the back story?

Connection back to the gospel of John

Circular themes--keep a list of questions


3. What does it mean?

There is a process to forgiveness

There is a path to our righteousness


4. What does it mean for me?

The practice of confession


Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our Lent Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

Follow Nicole:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Nicole will be back next week! Until then, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.
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Let’s review the first three questions you ask of Scripture:

1. What does it say? Can I restate what the passage says?
2. What’s the backstory? What’s our context and history in the time it was written?
3. What does it mean? What is the principle at play, what is it teaching me about God and our interaction with him?

Today, we’ll unpack question four – What does this mean for me? All of our work in studying and understanding the Bible is all meant to move us to this place: where our lives are transformed by who and what we know.

What can Scripture give us?
1. Encouragement and priorities for the hard or mundane seasons of life.
2. Conviction leading to repentance when we sin (2 Corinthians 7:8-13).
3. Worship as a response to what we now know about who God is and what he has done!

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: https://nicoleunice.com/help-my-bible-is-alive/

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

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In this episode, we’ll look at the three most common issues that can derail our Bible study and how we can overcome them:

Problem 1 - These passages contradict! How can I possibly find the meaning?

Questions to ask yourself: What else happens in Scripture related to this topic, beyond this verse? Is it bound in a cultural time or is it a timeless principle?

Problem 2 - It seems like the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament disagree.

Questions to ask yourself: What if I’m wrong? Have I read both the Old and New Testament in their entirety? Have I explored the backstory?

Problem 3 – The Old Testament doesn't seem relevant in my life.

Questions to ask yourself: Have you read large passages (several chapters or even an entire book) of the Old Testament at once? Can you read it for the larger story and not only read at the verse level?

Resources Mentioned:
The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight: http://urlme.cc/Ll8q

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.
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“The minute you have asked ‘why?’ – you have become a theologian.” – Carolyn Custis James

First, the bad news: you might be a little uncomfortable with this part, at least a first. But the good news (and it really is good news!) is that as you know more, it more it becomes easier to pull the principle out of Scripture.

In this episode, Nicole talks about the five filters we use to understand what a passage is teaching us about God, ourselves, and the world we live in:

1. Is the principle or theory reflected in the passage?
2. Is the principle timeless?
3. Does the principle transcend culture, gender, age, status, etc.?
4. Is the principle harmonious with the rest of Scripture?
5. Is this principle relevant then and relevant now?

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: https://nicoleunice.com/help-my-bible-is-alive/

Grasping God’s Word by Duvall and Hays: https://amzn.to/3rn2gE9

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

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If you’ve ever gone to a play, you’ll have been handed a playbill before the program began. This playbill gives you some important information like the characters, the setting, and the scenes you’ll see when the lights dim. The backstory helps us engage with what’s in front of us.

When we read the Bible, we also need a backstory. The problem is, we often want it to ignore the backstory and apply the Word immediately to our lives instead of asking what it meant to the original audience. But when we do this, we misapply Scripture.

Join Nicole in this episode as she unpacks how we can understand what’s going on behind the scenes of the passages we read.

Nicole’s Favorite Study Bible: The NIV Study Bible - https://www.amazon.com/NIV-Study-Bible-Hardcover-Letter/dp/0310438926/

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word: https://amzn.to/3A7Yy5j

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

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Here’s a secret of the universe: there are always basics of everything. If you want to be physically fit, you have to do cardio and strength training. If you want to be a good cook, you have to learn how to chop, mix spices and know how flavors complement one another. And if you want to be good at reading and understanding the Bible, there are basic skills you need to learn as well.

In this episode, we’ll unpack just what those fundamental skills are, through Nicole’s 'Alive Method,' by asking four basic questions of every passage of Scripture.

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - http://urlme.cc/OroK

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

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Most of us want to hear from God, but when we actually go to the Bible, it feels irrelevant, archaic or just plain confusing. In this episode, Nicole addresses three of the common obstacles we face in spending time in the Bible and how to get past those into a vibrant relationship with God through His Word.

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - http://urlme.cc/OroK

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Tetiana5

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

What does it say?

Over the past 16 weeks, we have learned the truth about sin, the power of faith, and the fulfillment of the law with love.

In closing this book, Paul encourages us to be wise about others and wise about the way we love and create unity within the body of Christ.

What does it mean for me?

Be able to tell someone what the book of Romans is about! What would you say if someone is curious? What would you say to them that would inspire them to read the book for themselves?

Nicole’s Wrap-Up of Romans:

“The book of Romans: the truth about sin, the power of faith, alive in Christ, released from the law, free in the spirit, suffering for a reason, more than conquerors in this world! Mercy always reigns -- for Israel and for us. Now we are transformed! So, at home and at work, whether weak or strong, we fulfill the law with love! We need each other, and everyone matters. But let’s be wise --seek unity and love, not division or strife.”

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.