The Bible Speaks to You: Think, Pray, Love like Jesus

By James EarlyReligion & Spirituality Christianity Spirituality Religion

The Bible Speaks to You: Think, Pray, Love like Jesus episodes

October 08, 2024261 – The Best Motive for Prayer that Heals
261 – What is your motive when you pray for healing?

Is there anything in your life right now that you’re praying about for healing?

Maybe you’re praying for healing for someone else. It could be a health issue, a relationship problem, finding a new job, financial struggles, or maybe an emotional challenge.

The Bible says that God "heals all your diseases." But have you ever not felt your prayer for healing was being answered the way you felt it should be? I sure have.

It's definitely good to pray for healing, but Jesus warns us that we need to look at our motives for prayer.

Sometimes we get so absorbed in the problem, we just want to get rid of it. Sometimes we want a healing for ourselves or someone else as a blessing.

But the best motive for a healing prayer is to glorify God.

In this week's episode I look at several times in the Bible when this bigger picture of glorifying God was the main reason for someone's prayer and how that was what brought healing or resolution to a problem.
Hezekiah's prayer when the King of Assyria was threatening him
Joshua's prayer of gratitude to God for being able to walk on dry river bed of the Jordan River
Daniel's prayer not just for forgiveness but for God's name and glory to be restored
Jesus's command to let our light shine so people would see our good deeds and glorify God
When your ultimate motive in prayer is to glorify God, you rise far above any self-centered or self-focused desires. It gives you a broader perspective of how God is working in the whole world, instead of how you want Him to work in your little world.

It is a righteous prayer for us to pray for healing or solutions so the whole world may know that God can and does heal today just as in Jesus’s day.
Whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re praying for, it’s always the perfect time to pray that God will be glorified.

Show notes:
For a full transcript and Bible quotes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/261
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
23 min
October 01, 2024260 – What Will Your Spiritual Legacy Be?
260 – Is it possible for you to bless people 100 years from now?

Have you ever wondered what impact your life might have on future generations? Will people remember you 100 or 200 years from now or will your life be forgotten by the world in general?
You just might have more influence on the future than you can imagine. Think of folks who lived hundreds of years ago who are a blessing to you: maybe an author or an artist, or some historical figure.

And of course, think of all the people in the Bible, who lived thousands of years ago, but their lives, and the lessons they learned, are still a blessing to us today.

If this can be true for them, then it can be true for you and me as well.

What will your spiritual legacy be for future generations? In this week's episode I talk about.
The best way to leave a spiritual legacy is to obey God's commandments
Teach your children and those around you to love God and all mankind
God told Abraham he and his descendants would be a blessing to the whole world. If it's true for Abraham, it is true for you too
Jesus knew he would be a blessing for the whole world for all time to come
As a follower of Jesus, your life can have a similar far-reaching effect
The choices you make today in obedience to God, the way you live your life in following Christ, the humility you express in being guided by the Holy Spirit, will have a lasting influence far into the future, more than you can imagine or will ever know.

Acknowledge this influence is possible. Accept it. And trust God with the spiritual legacy you’re giving to future generations.

Related episode
Episode 176 – How Much Do You Love the People Who Will Be Born 100 Years from Now?

Show notes
Full transcript and Bible quotes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/260
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
22 min
September 24, 2024259 – Sandra Richter: Deborah, the Judge and Prophetess, Claiming Territory for the Kingdom of God
259 – What does your church need to learn from Deborah?

Deborah, the Judge and Prophetess in the Old Testament, has a message for you and your church, and it's probably not what you'd expect.

Most Christians don't really know much about Deborah and how she broke the female stereotypes of her day as a Judge, a Prophet, and her role in a military victory.

This week's episode is a conversation with Sandra Richter, who has unlocked the lessons Deborah has for us today. Sandy sheds light on
The cycles of obedience and disobedience of the Israelites in the times of the Judges, and how that cycle relates to us today
How Deborah broke the expectations of what women could do
How Deborah kept Israel faithful to God and maintained peace for 40 years
How Barak depended on and requested her leadership
How the people accepted her God appointed role as Judge and Prophet
How Jael became a hero in a most unexpected way.
Sandy says the most important lesson we can learn from Deborah, both individually and as a church, is to work here on earth for God's kingdom. Listen to the episode now to see what she means and how we can do this.

Contest to win free copy of Sandy's book about Deborah
Listen to the episode
Share on Facebook before October 1
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Contest only available if you're in the lower 48 states in the US
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Sandy's books*
The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament
The Epic of Eden: Psalms
The Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters
The Epic of Eden: Deborah – Unlikely Heroes and the Book of Judges

Contact info
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Show notes
Transcript and Bible quotes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/259

*Amazon affiliate links
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
54 min
September 17, 2024258 – What Does It Really Mean to Be a Disciple of Jesus Christ?
258 – If you had lived 2,000 years ago, would you have been a disciple of Jesus?

Imagine you lived in the time of Jesus and heard him preach. You saw him heal people. Would you decide to follow him? Would you want to be one of his disciples?

Would you have realized he was the Messiah? We would like to think we would, but it's hard to know for sure.

Jesus made some pretty strong demands on those who decided to follow him. Those expectations apply to you and me today.

What does it really mean to be a disciple, or follower, of Jesus?

This week's episode digs into what discipleship is all about and its "requirements"
Deny yourself and take up your cross
Be born again
Remain faithful to Jesus's sayings
Love Jesus and keep his commandments
Love Jesus more than even your closest family members
Actually love all other followers of Jesus
Bear much fruit
Give up all for Christ
Eat Jesus's flesh and drink his blood. (spoiler alert: it's a metaphor)
To truly be disciples of Jesus, we need to have the same love for God and all mankind that Jesus did. And of course, this goes hand in hand with our love for Jesus.

Without this love in our hearts, we’re more like robotic manikins, going through motions but with no real life in them.

With this love, we are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today.

Show notes:
To read the full transcript of this episode and all Bible quotes: go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/258
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
25 min
September 10, 2024257 – And God Said: Show Me Who You Are
257– How do you show someone who you really are?

You've probably heard the phrase, “When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.”

I had a friend who used to say that all the time to remind herself that one person in particular she had been associated with in the past were not a good influence on her.

She had been fooled by his attractive personality and the smooth words he spoke. But his actions, the way he actually treated her, were harmful and even abusive.

It took her years to break away from the spell he had on her.

It's important to show people who you really are and not try to fool anyone.

Recently during my prayer time, God said to me: Show Me who you are.

My first response was, “God, You already know me. You already know who and what I am. Why do You need me to show You who I am?”

But God showed me what He was really asking.

In this week's episode, I talk about
God showing Moses all His goodness
God telling Moses to present himself to Him
God telling Job to stand before Him and show he was a man
The importance of acknowledging who you are as a child of God
Doing this in God's presence
You can ask God to show you who He is
And much more
When God asks you to show Him who you are, remember you are the salt of the earth, stand forth and let your light shine. The world will see that you belong to God and will see who you are by the way you live your life.

Show notes:
Full transcript and Bible quotes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/257
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
24 min
September 03, 2024256 – The Biblical Cure for Loneliness
246 – Do you feel lonely at times--or all the time?

Maybe you’ve lost someone you felt close to, or maybe there are lots of people in your life but there’s no one you can connect with, no one on the same wave length enough that you enjoy being in their presence?

Maybe at work or church, everyone is satisfied with the status quo, but you have some new ideas you think would make things better. But no one else feels that way. That's a pretty lonely feeling.

There are lots of reasons people feel lonely.

This is true for people in the Bible too. When they turned to God in desperation, He helped them.

In this week's episode I talk about:
How King David was lonely, even though there were lots of people around him
How David prayed when he felt lonely
How Elijah felt so lonely and saw himself as a failure he asked for God to take his life. But God showed him several reasons why he was not alone after all
A nameless young Jewish girl, who was captured by the enemy army and how she acted righteously even though she was separated from her country and family
How even Jesus felt lonely at times
Several ideas on how to overcome loneliness
Sometimes being alone is a blessing and God is protecting you from evil influences. Think about that!
Maybe you're not a lonely person. Then pray for an opportunity to help someone who is. Minister to them. Love them. Let them know you see their value.

Please share this with someone who would enjoy it.

Show notes:
Full transcript and Bible quotes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/256

Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
26 min
August 27, 2024255 – The Only Thing that Will Completely Satisfy You
255 – Is it really possible to find true satisfaction in life?

So many people today are looking for satisfaction in getting a new car or a new job, accomplishing their personal and career goals, or maybe it's getting lots of followers on social media. Or whatever!

But the satisfaction that comes from these sorts of things never lasts very long. And then you always want something else.

The only thing that can bring you complete satisfaction, on every level and dimension of your life, is knowing God and your relationship with Him, and then living your life full of God's love.

That's what this week's episode is all about. I talk about
What satisfied me as a kid, but didn't last long
What Chirpie, a baby mockingbird, taught me about satisfaction
What love has to do with satisfaction
Why material things will never satisfy your deeper spiritual needs
What only God can do that satisfies you like nothing else can
True satisfaction comes when you find your identity and your worth in God as His image and likeness, and then live your life accordingly.

Show notes:
Full transcript of this episode and all Bible verses: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/255

Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
24 min
August 20, 2024254 – God Already Knows What You Need
254 – Is it really true that God already knows what you need?

If that's the case, why do we need to ask God for anything? Why doesn't He just give it to us?

Well, sometimes He does, but usually it's important to ask because it reminds us that God is the source of all our blessings and we are not.

The question is: What do you really need?

Sometimes we get what we need mixed up with what we want and we end up praying for the wrong thing.

Based on what Jesus said and did, and knowing that he was giving people what they really needed, what does that tell us about what those needs were?
In this week's episode I go deep into what we really need based on what God sent Jesus to give us. We need:
The Messiah, to show us the Way and be the Way of salvation
To prioritize seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness
Healing and forgiveness
To know how to pray
To know how to love our neighbors and ourselves
The Holy Spirit
The Bible
And everything else Jesus gave us
How does the way God meets a particular need in a Bible story apply to you? Do you see any parallels?
The underlying needs of these folks thousands of years ago are pretty much what you and I need today.
God knows what you need. It may not be what you want or what you think you need. But God knows what you need, what you actually need, better than anyone else.

Show notes
Full transcript and Bible quotes; thebiblespeakstoyou.com/254
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
22 min
August 13, 2024253 – What's the Most Important Thing to Surrender to God?
253 – Is it ever hard for you to surrender to God's will?

How often do you pray for God to give you what you want? And how often do you pray for what God wants?

You'd be surprised how many people actually tell God what they want and try to convince Him to give it to them.

There's a tiny little (actually big) problem with this. Sometimes, what we think we want and pray for is the worst thing for us.

This week' episode is all about surrendering what we want to what God wants for us. I talk about
Why it's hard to let go of what we want
The church doctrine that makes us think we can do whatever we want
The root cause of not surrendering to God's will
The real reason to surrender to God's will
How to figure out God's ultimate will for you
Does that mean we'll never get what we want?

Well, maybe, if we're asking for the wrong things. But God's will for you is always much better than what you could imagine.

God's ultimate will for you is always worth surrendering to.

Show notes:
For full transcript and Bible verses quoted, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/253
Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
26 min
August 06, 2024252 – The Reason You Should not Follow Jesus and the Reason You Should
252 – Are you following Jesus for the wrong reason?

Hey, it happens sometimes. Once in a while we get our priorities mixed up and our motives for following Jesus can get a little selfish.

You just want a blessing or a healing or a new job or whatever. Is that so bad? Well, there's nothing wrong with any of those things, but following Jesus just to get something is a bit self-focused.

The real reason to follow Jesus is because he's the Messiah, the Son of God. He gives us eternal life. He shows us our relationship with God.

This week's episode is a deep dive into Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. We talk about

Why so many people followed Jesus at one point
What Jesus said that confused them about following him
What Jesus said it really involves to follow him
Why so many people quit following Jesus
Why the 12 disciples continued to follow him
What you and I need to do to follow Jesus
Following Jesus for the right reason

Take an honest look at the reason you follow or want to follow Jesus? Is it just to get outward blessings, or is it to find God and His kingdom and experience your relationship with the Father through His Son, Jesus?

Jesus does expect a lot of us when we are his followers. But he never asks or expects anything of us that we’re not already capable of doing.

Show notes:
Full transcript and Bible verses mentioned this week: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/252

Text me your questions or comments.
Support the show
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

__________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.
Reach out today if you need a speaker or Bible workshop for your church or organization (online and in person)
Subscribe to the podcast (and get your copy of Praying with the Mindset of Jesus)
Make a donation to support the show
Schedule a free one hour coaching call to see if the Jesus Mindset Coaching program is a good fit for you
Contact James here
25 min

About The Bible Speaks to You: Think, Pray, Love like Jesus

From the publisher's feed

Have you ever poured out your heart, almost begging God to solve a problem, but it doesn’t feel like your prayer is ever answered? You wonder if there’s a better way to pray you don’t know about.…