The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Discerning God's Will Starts with Knowing What You Really Want

   If you're facing a decision right now, or wondering where God is in the middle of a season you didn't plan for, this series is going to meet you right where you are. Over the next four weeks, we're talking about discerning God's will and wayfinding to the good life, and it comes straight out of what I have personally been walking through as we've been discerning a major next step in my own life. Download the free four-week study guide on Discerning God's Will at NicoleUnice.com/decisions But before we get into decisions and direction, we have to start somewhere that might feel a little unexpected. We have to start with desire. I know that word can feel uncomfortable, especially if you've grown up in the church hearing that desires are dangerous or selfish. But the Bible tells a very different story. Psalm 37:4 says God will give you the desires of your heart. Jesus Himself asks people over and over again, "What do you want?" And in John chapter 7, standing up at a Jewish festival in a loud voice that would have stopped everyone around Him, Jesus says, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me." He is addressing a longing. He is meeting a desire. He is saying, if there is something in you that is unsatisfied, come to me. So what do you actually want? Most of us are working from surface-level desires. I want that promotion. I want out of this pain. I want more money, more peace, more security. And those things are real. But underneath them is usually something deeper and truer. The desire for security. For love. For freedom from fear. For purpose. For a life that actually matters. And those deeper desires? Those are holy. Those are God-given. Those are actually reflecting the image of God in you. We also look at what God promises about the good life, because here's something Jesus says that a lot of us have missed: the kingdom of God is not just heaven someday. In Luke 17:21, He says the kingdom of God is already among you. And Romans 14:17 tells us what that kingdom actually looks and feels like: goodness, peace, joy, and power in the Holy Spirit. That is what's available to you right now, not just one day, here on earth. So this week, I want to give you one brave invitation: ask yourself what you really want. And then ask again, what is the desire under that desire? Be honest with God. Be courageous. Even if you've never talked to God before, start there. Because that's exactly where the discernment journey begins. Reflection Questions What do you want right now, in this season of your life? What is the desire underneath that desire? If you could experience goodness, peace, joy, and power in your everyday life, would that be what you want? Where do you sense God might be inviting you to trust Him with your deepest longings? Want More? 📥 Download the free four-week Discernment study guide at NicoleUnice.com/decisions — follow along with the series and use it as a tool for talking to God about your next step Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

   September 14, 2026·25min
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   Number 2: How Knowing Your Season Will Help Your Decision Making

   We're in week two of our Wayfinding series on discerning God's will, and this week we're talking about something I've been thinking about a lot lately, partly because I spent three days hiking alone in the Santa Cruz Mountains before stepping into this new season of ministry. We're talking about terrain, and what the mountains and valleys of your life are actually trying to teach you. Here's the first thing I want us to hold onto: we should expect both. Psalm 126 gives us this soaring, almost disbelieving joy: "When the Lord restored our fortunes, we were like those who dreamed." And Psalm 13 gives us the raw lament, "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?" Those two psalms sit just pages apart, and that's not an accident. That's the reality of life. Mountains and valleys, abundance and loss, seasons that surprise us with joy and seasons that bring us to our knees. Download the free four-week Decisions study guide at https://www.NicoleUnice.com/decisions The question for those of us in a season of discernment is: what is the terrain trying to clarify? And here's what I've found to be true: when we're wandering, when a decision hasn't come, when the direction still isn't clear, it often means God is still purifying our destination. He's showing us all the other things we're quietly serving alongside Him. Because here's the thing about discernment that I really need us to understand. Discernment isn't about choosing between right and wrong. That's just obedience. Discernment is about choosing between good things, and knowing which good thing points you most directly toward your highest calling, which is serving God wholeheartedly. When serving God becomes the actual destination, everything else, your career, your relationships, your money, your time, becomes a means to that end. Not the end itself. And the moment any of those things becomes an end in itself, it becomes an idol. I know that's rigorous. I know it's uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable for me too. But this is where the terrain does its work, because it's only possible to hear from God clearly when we're willing to live in the reality of our actual condition. Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek. He's not describing a special category of people. He's describing all of us, and saying that the ones who experience my blessing are the ones willing to live in the truth of that. So this week, the invitation is simple but not easy: listen. Listen to God through His Word, through wise counsel, through what He's already done in your life. And stay in the uncomfortable zone of waiting, knowing that God is good and His hands are full of abundance. Reflection Questions What season are you in right now, a mountain, a valley, or somewhere in between? Are there any good things in your life that have quietly become conditions you've placed on following God? What would it look like this week to listen to God more intentionally, through His Word, through counsel, through silence? Want More? 📥 Download the free four-week Decisions study guide at https://www.NicoleUnice.com/decisions - includes weekly reflection prompts to keep discernment moving between episodes 📖 Scriptures from today: Psalm 126 · Psalm 13 · Matthew 5:3–5 (Sermon on the Mount) · Psalm 66:16–20 · Genesis 32 (Jacob wrestling for the blessing) 📸 Want to see photos from Nicole's three-day solo pilgrimage in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Find them on Instagram @NicoleUnice or on her Substack (https://nicoleunice1.substack.com/) Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

   September 21, 2026·23min
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   Number 3: Creating Rhythms of Silence and Solitude

   One of the paradoxes of Jesus is that he lived a perfect life without sin and had perfect communion with his Father, yet he still needed to withdraw from ministry success and pray. This observation challenges the notion that rest and solitude are only necessary for those who are burnt out or overwhelmed. Instead, it suggests that even in the midst of busyness and productivity, intentional rest and solitude are essential for reconnecting with God and being who we are meant to be. RESOURCES: Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive! Ask Nicole a Bible study question: [email protected] 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.

   August 10, 2026·22min
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   Number 4: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less

   If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself. Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture. Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks. I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years: 2 Corinthians 4:1 — "Since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." Everything we do is through His mercy, not our striving. 2 Corinthians 4:7–9 — "We have this treasure in jars of clay." Life is hard — not might be hard. But hard-pressed is not crushed. Perplexed is not despairing. Isaiah 40:28–29 — "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Your only qualification for this promise is that you need it. 1 Peter 5:6–7 — "Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you." All of it. No anxiety too small, too irrational, or too shameful to hand over. Galatians 6:9 — "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." God sees every seed you're planting in this season. None of it is wasted. This summer, we'll be replaying some favorite episodes while I try to practice what I'm preaching and be present for this last summer with my youngest at home. I'll miss you, but I trust God's Word is living and active, which means an episode from three years ago can still fall fresh on your heart today. Want More? 📖 Scriptures to write out this week: 2 Corinthians 4:1; 4:7–9; Isaiah 40:28–29; 1 Peter 5:6–7; Galatians 6:9; Psalm 119:11 Practice mentioned: Handwriting scripture on Post-it notes or index cards on a ring — place them somewhere you'll see them every day Book mentioned: Not What I Signed Up For by Nicole Unice — for unresolved, unexpected, or weary seasons. Available wherever books are sold Sign up for Nicole's monthly newsletter at NicoleUnice.com — the best way to stay connected over the summer and let Nicole know what you'd love to study next While Nicole is on summer break, catch up on favorite past episodes right here on the podcast feed. Stay connected and access resources at NicoleUnice.com/realtalk Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

   June 15, 2026·23min
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   Number 5: How to Take Hold of Hope Even in Disappointing Seasons | Mark 16

   Have you ever been so disappointed — for so long — that you just stopped hoping anything good could happen next? That's exactly where these women are as they make their way to the tomb in the early morning hours of Mark chapter 16. They aren't coming with expectation. They're coming with burial spices. They have planned for a burial. And what they find instead is so shocking, so completely outside of anything they were prepared for, that they flee trembling and bewildered — which is, honestly, one of the most human responses in all of Scripture. We're in the final eight verses of Mark today, and I want us to really slow down here, because there is so much tucked into this ending. First — did you notice that the angel specifically calls out Peter by name? Go tell the disciples, including Peter. Remember where we last left Peter — weeping bitterly after his complete and utter failure. And yet the angel makes sure he's included by name. Because that was not the end of Peter's story. And it is never the end of ours either. We also talk about the way Mark ends — abruptly, with the women frightened and silent — and what that might mean for us. Whether the manuscript was lost or Mark intended this cliffhanger, I think there's something really beautiful about being left in the tension. Because that's where most of us actually live, isn't it? In the unresolved. In the not-yet-fully-clear. And what the resurrection says into that tension is: hope can begin before you have full clarity. Here's what we know is true from this passage and from the whole arc of the Gospel: death is defeated. Creation is being renewed. God brings life out of dead places — in history, and in your story too. The same God who said to Abraham is anything impossible for God? is the same God who rolled away that stone. Which means there is no relationship, no season, no place in your soul that is too far gone for Him. So as we close out the entire Gospel of Mark together, I want to leave you with this: is there a place in your life where disappointment has made hope feel foolish? Could you just tell God about that today — and then claim hope again anyway? What Does It Mean for Me? Questions to Consider: Is there a place in your life where disappointment has made hope difficult? Can you stay open to hope even when life is unresolved? What would change if I believed even more today that the resurrection was true? How would I live my life if I knew that nothing is impossible for God? Want More? Read along: Mark 16:1–8 Old Testament connection: Isaiah 43:19 — "See, I am doing a new thing" Psalm 30:5 — "Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" Not What I Signed Up For For unresolved seasons and places in your story where you're still waiting for God to show up. Includes a free video Bible study series. Available wherever books are sold or at NicoleUnice.com 📧 Stay connected and access resources at NicoleUnice.com/realtalk Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

   June 08, 2026·14min
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