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

201 – How good are you at walking in someone else's shoes?

This week I have a conversation with Neil Matthews, host of the Other People's Shoes podcast.

We talked about the importance of empathy when interacting with others.

Neil shared several examples in the Bible when people expressed empathy:

• Jesus with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well
• Jesus with the woman caught in adultery
• Pharaoh's daughter when she took baby Jesus out of the basket in the Nile

Why empathy is important

Neil also talked about why empathy is important

• When you are empathetic with people, they feel seen, heard, and loved
• It helps you understand where someone is coming from
• You are less judgemental
• You have more peace of mind

Walking in Jesus's footsteps

Neil loves shoes and his podcast is about walking in other people's shoes, trying to understand things from someone else's perspective.

I asked: What it would be like to walk in Jesus's sandals? Listen to the episode to hear Neils heart-felt response.

For a full transcript of the episode, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/201 and click on the link to download a copy.

Text me your questions or comments.

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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
  
  

200 – What are some of your favorite Bible verses?

That's what this episode is all about.

To celebrate Episode 200 of The Bible Speaks to You Podcast, I asked listeners to share their favorite Bible verse and why it's important to them.

The response has been tremendous. Over 70 people, from all over the world, emailed me with their favorite passages in the Bible.

Listen now, to see if someone mentioned your favorite verse.

If you'd like to read everyone's response, go to the show notes page: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/200

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
  
  

199 – How do you pray when bad things happen?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by with a problem, or series of problems, when it seemed like evil forces are trying to tempt or harm you?

As always Jesus has the answer to these kinds of situations

He told his disciples, who had been out preaching and healing, that he gave them authority to overcome all the power of the enemy (Satan).

Christ gives you and me this same power today, to defeat the lies and temptations of the devil.

That's what this week's episode is all about. Here are some of the main points I cover.

• We can  pray "with the mind of Christ.
• Accept the authority Christ gives us
• See the devil what he is, as Jesus defined him
• The lies Satan tells don't have any power over you unless you believe them
• Every time Jesus healed, he was exercising his power over the devil
• Turn Satan's lies back on him
• Why it's important to call Satan by name

You can only resist the devil, you can only speak with authority to Satan, when you first submit wholly to God. This allows you to see the devil for what he is: a liar, the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning, in whom there is no truth.

Christ gives you this authority over Satan. God empowers you to exercise this authority. And the Holy Spirit keeps you alert to when and how to speak to Satan with authority.

Never doubt your ability to follow Jesus’s example of speaking to Satan with your God-given authority.

To read a full transcript of this episode and study the Bible references quoted, go to the show notes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/199

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
  
  

178 – Did you have to memorize Bible verses when you were a kid in Sunday School?

It can be a really good way to get to know the Bible. But it's not enough just to know the words. We need the spirit behind the words.

Too much of what's in our hearts has been put there by the world, by people with good and bad intentions, and our own experiences.

It seems like everyone and everything is trying to influence us in one way or another.

But the most important things in your heart are what God puts there.

God says to the Children of Israel:
     "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and   they will be my people. "  Jeremiah 31:33  NIV

This week's episode is about what God is writing in your heart. I share

• How my mom taught me the importance of learning Scripture when I was disrespectful of her
• Why God will write His laws in our hearts
• What happens when other people try to write things in your heart
• Why you need a direct relationship with God

I encourage you to become increasingly aware of, not what you or others have written in your heart, but what God has, is, and will write in your heart.

Think of the love and the joy He has put there. What about the spirit of forgiveness and patience, wisdom and understanding. 

But that’s just the beginning. God is writing His law of love in your heart every day, in a language you understand. 

To read a full transcript of this episode and study all the Bible references mentioned, check out the show notes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/198.

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
  
  

197 – Have you ever looked at someone through a wall of glass bricks?

The image is all distorted. You can't really tell who's behind all that glass. You can see shapes and forms and some color, but that's about it.

Believe it or not, that's the way some people look at God. But it's not a literal wall of glass bricks. They see God through fear, man-made doctrines, and their own misconceptions about God.

For example, if you think God is wrathful and vindictive and gleefully waiting to punish you for the tiniest little mistake, that's a "glass brick" that distorts God's true nature as divine Love.

You may see God that way, but that doesn't mean that's the way God actually is. It's the lens you look through that makes Him appear that way.

How do I know? 

Well, Jesus gave us a clear picture of God's nature. He only did what he saw God do and only said what God told him to. You can look at Jesus's words and actions and get a pretty good idea of what God is really like and how He wants us to act.

That's what this week's podcast is all about. I talk about:

• A modern day parable about knitting that explains why we don't  see God clearly
• Some of the "glass bricks" that distort our view of God
• How to detect the glass bricks in our thinking
• How to get rid of them
• Why  it's hard to get rid of them
• Why a distorted view of God prevents you from praying effectively

The good news is that Christ is revealing God's true nature to you right now without any distortions of human opinions, culture, limitations, or fear. Christ is always revealing God’s true nature to you. 

Take an honest look at whatever glass bricks may be distorting your view of God. Let Christ dismantle them. Then bask in the un-distorted, undiminished light of God’s full glory.

To read a full transcript of this episode and study all the Bible verses mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes page: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/197

Thanks for listening. Please share with a friend.

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
  
  

196 – How do you make room for God in your life?

With all the busyness of today's world and the demands of daily life, it's sometimes hard to find the time to make space for one-on-one time with God.

In this week's episode, I chat with author Tommy Thompson about how he has discovered ways to benefit from creating spaces in your life to be with God.

Tommy says the best way to do this is start with small steps making room for God in your life. It could be just 10 more minutes of prayer each morning.

And it's important to be consistent.

Even if there's a day or two where you may not feel connected to God in your prayers, the consistent practice of making room for God will have a long term effect.

Here are some of the questions I asked Tommy. You'll love his straight forward and practical answers.

• Why is it important to create space in your life for God? 
• What practical steps can we take to de-clutter our minds and hearts from external distractions? 
• How do you prioritize your day and find what is truly important? 
• How can slowing down and creating space be more impactful than rushing through tasks? 
• How has this impacted your personal life and relationship with God? 
• Why is consistency important in connecting with God? 
• What's the difference between chronos time and kairos time, and why is kairos moments are so important? 

These are just a few of the things we talked about.

To read all the Scripture references in this episode, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/196 and scroll all the way to the bottom.

To read the full transcript of this episode, download it here.

Resources:
Tommy's book: Space to Breathe Again: Hope for the Overloaded and Overwhelmed*
Website: http://www.tommythompson.org/

*Amazon affiliate link

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
  
  

195 – Have you ever thought about having a Spiritual Independence Day?

July 4 is celebrated in the United Sates as Independence Day.

It's the anniversary of the day, back in 1776 when a small group of men, gathered in Philadelphia, and after much discussion and debate, decided to declare independence from England.

If you would like to read a copy of that document, and don’t have one, click this link: The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

If you are a citizen of the United States, this is of deep importance. And it has served as a model for other countries.

But it also serves as a metaphor for each of us to declare our independence from negative, material, and evil influences, that would pull us away from our God-given heritage and freedoms.

Declaration of Spiritual Independence

It is in this spirit that I share something I wrote several years ago and had on my website, but have now updated. It is a Declaration of Spiritual Independence.

But it’s not enough just to declare our independence from the material and evil influences of the world. Just as those early Americans had to defend their newly proclaimed freedom and then fight to establish it, at times we need to defend our right to be free of worldly influences.

I encourage you to print off a copy of this Declaration of Spiritual Independence, sign it, and put it somewhere you can see it.

To check out the show notes for this episode with all the Bible quotes implied in the document, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/195.

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
  
  

194 – Who do you identify with the most in the parable of the Good Samaritan?

We usually like to think of ourselves as always being like the Good Samaritan, but sometimes we play some of the other roles.

When I take an honest look at my life, there have been lots of times I have been more like the priest and the Levite.

But there are several other characters in the story and this week's episode talks about all of them and what we can learn from them:

Here they are. Which ones have you been? Who are you now?

• The priest
• The Levite
• The Good Samaritan
• The innkeeper
• The donkey
• The thieves
• The man who was robbed and beaten

If you're like me, you've been several of these characters. 

As I said earlier, we usually like to think we are always the Good Samaritan in this story, but sometimes you may be the innkeeper or the donkey. All three are important and work together to bless the one who needs help. 

And  sometimes you need to be a Good Samaritan, an innkeeper or a donkey to yourself, especially if you’ve been the thief, the priest, or the Levite to yourself.

I’ll leave you with these questions: Who is your neighbor? And whose neighbor are you? What will you do about it?

To read the full transcript and  Bible quotations in this episode, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/194.

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
  
  

193 – What comes to  mind when you hear the phrase: surrender to God?

Is it something you're comfortable with? Or is it a something you've tried to do but not very successfully? Or maybe it's something you don't really think about that much?

This week, we're going to dive into this topic of surrendering to God

• What does the word surrender actually mean?
• What it means to surrender to God 
• What should we surrender?
• How to surrender to God
• The best example in the Bible of someone who surrendered to God

Surrendering to God should be a quiet process between you and God and no one else. You don’t need to tell anyone else about it. You don’t need to announce it at church to show how spiritually minded you are or to impress anyone.

Let them see the changes that take place in the way you live your life.

If there is something in your life you need to surrender to God, or if you’ve realized you need to surrender your whole self to God’s purpose for your life instead of trying to force your own plans, I encourage you to set aside some time to ponder this deeply.

Go into your prayer closet. Be still. Ask God for help. Be quiet. Listen for God’s direction. And I would encourage you to write down everything God tells you. Put yourself at God’s disposal. Put your life completely in His hands. 

Thanks for listening.

Check out the Bible verses mentioned this week as well as a complete transcript of the episode at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/193

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
  
  

192 – Have you ever known someone who worried about almost everything?

Or have you ever been that person, that just couldn't help worrying about stuff?

This week's episode dives into Jesus's solution to overcoming being a worrywart. It's all about embracing his promise that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Here are some of the key things this week:

• To quit worrying is about trusting God (Proverbs 3:5, 6, of course)
• You have to quit trying to manipulate people and circumstances to get what you want
• What are the consequences of the kingdom of heaven being at hand?
• How to get rid of the fear that keeps us from trusting God
• Find out what my friend Eunice quit worrying when there was no money and she didn't have one crumb of food to feed her family the day before Thanksgiving 
• What does it really mean to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?
• You can't just quote Scriptures and think that will solve the problem
• Some people think they're praying, when actually they're just worrying

The way to stop worrying, is to seek and find the kingdom of heaven at hand, to experience being in God’s presence. 

Jesus would not tell us to seek this kingdom if we couldn’t find it. The implication is that we can be conscious right now of heaven’s presence and dwell there.

In heaven there’s nothing to worry about. And that is where you dwell. You have everything you need and God is in complete control. 

For a full transcript of this episode and a list of Bible references mentioned, check out the show notes: Episode 192

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