Love God First

In this episode, I explore the story of Hagar from Genesis 16, focusing on the themes of dependence on God, the struggles of Sarai, and the cultural context of her decision to give her maid as an extra wife to her husband. Through Sarai's story we can see how easy it is to try and generate our own human solutions to God's leading and promises instead of relying on God Himself to do what He has promised.

This is the first of four episodes where we look at the same story from four different points of view. 

Keywords

dependence on God, Hagar, Sarai, faith, trust, promises, surrender, prayer, biblical stories, personal reflection

In this episode Pastor Kari Bulman and I continue our conversation about covenant and its significance to us today.  Through covenant, God's shows us His unwavering commitment to His people. Hopefully by the end of this episode we can get closer to truly understanding the depth of God's commitment to us.

Keywords

covenant, love God, Old Covenant, New Covenant, marriage, promises, faith, relationship, trust, leadership

In this episode Pastor Kari Bulman and I explore the concept of covenant and its significance in both biblical and modern times. We talk about the difference between the Old and New Covenants and discuss how covenants represent trust and commitment, contrasting them with the contracts we make in our modern-day world. Ultimately, we highlight the beauty of God's unwavering commitment to His people and the transformative power of understanding covenant relationships.

Keywords

covenant, love God, Old Covenant, New Covenant, marriage, promises, faith, relationship, trust, leadership

In this episode, we delve into the profound theme of God's covenant love as illustrated through the life of Abraham. We explore the nature of covenants in the ancient Near East, the significance of the covenant ceremony between God and Abram, and how this covenant foreshadows and is fulfilled by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. The episode emphasizes the level of commitment God has to His promises and the depth of His love, encouraging listeners to appreciate the covenant relationship we have with God through faith in Jesus.

If you want to learn more about covenant, watch this Essential Doctrines video from Life Lesson Publishing explaining more. I used it myself to prepare this episode!

https://youtu.be/0TyQDQW5pPE

Keywords

covenant, God's love, Abraham, biblical themes, Old Testament, New Testament, faith, promise, Jesus, sacrifice

We explore on a little bit more of the journey and life of Abraham, focusing on him becoming a father of many nations because he believed in the Lord. I touch on the the importance of honesty in prayer, but the real focus is on the significance of faith and its connection to righteousness. Ultimately, we must make the choice to believe God just like Abram did.

Keywords

Abraham, faith, God's promises, righteousness, belief, covenant, spiritual journey, biblical teachings, prayer

With the example of the priest-king Melchizedek in Genesis 14 as a springboard, we take this episode to look at what the author explains in Hebrews about the similarities between Melchizedek and Jesus. And by the end we see how having a high priest like Jesus can be such a comfort to our souls. 

In this episode, we watch Abram and his allies fight and defeat some Mesopotamian kings, save Lot, and head home to the hills. But on the way back, Abram meets a unique individual who is unlike almost every other person in the Bible. Join me as we lay some groundwork on understanding Melchizedek. We will discuss his and Abram's interactions and how Melchizedek's priesthood has some big repercussions on how we view and understand Jesus. The next episode will finish where this one leaves off. 

Resources:

Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews by Dr. Steve Schell

The Genesis Record by Dr. Henry Morris

Foundations of Pentecostal Theology by Drs. Van Cleave and Duffield

Bible History: Old Testament by Alfred Edersheim

Keywords

Jesus, Melchizedek, High Priest, Abram, Faith, Old Testament, New Testament, Spirituality, Christianity, Intercession

In this episode we watch the next chapter of Abram's story unfold with his nephew Lot. We are focusing this episode on the theme of spiritual growth and on being patient with the process the Lord has us in because there is an absolutely wonderful reward in store for us at the end. Listen to find out what unique reward we have to look forward to!

Keywords

spiritual growth, Abram, Lot, God's promises, contentment, faith, trust, identity, biblical lessons, personal development

In this podcast episode, we explore the process of decision-making for Christians using biblical examples from Abram and David. I emphasize the importance of faith, the need to renew one's mind and the necessity of seeking God's guidance in making decisions. The discussion highlights the consequences of fear-driven choices and provides practical steps for making decisions aligned with God's will.

Keywords

Christian decision-making, faith, Abram, David, Bible stories, God's will, renewing the mind, fear, guidance, prayer

In this episode I discuss the significance of building altars in our lives as a means of remembering God's promises and sustaining our faith. I emphasize the importance of returning to these altars to strengthen our relationship with God and to remind ourselves of His faithfulness. Through practical examples and personal anecdotes, I illustrate how modern-day altars can be created through journaling and other methods. Hopefully listeners will see the value of actively recording their significant moments with God!

Keywords

altars, faith, remembrance, spirituality, worship, promises, God, prayer, journaling, personal growth