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

162 – How do you define success?

Too many people today define success by how much money they have, their career, the things they have, their education, and lots of other externals.

But we need to redefine what success really is according to Tim Winders, my guest this week.

Tim made some very insightful observations about success:

• Redefining  success is about busting up the Babylonian or worldly system of approaching life and business and how success is defined. And then asking 'What does the kingdom of God success look like? That’s really the bottom line.'
• What is success in the kingdom of heaven?
• Are you walking  in the assignment God has given you?
• The three types of language Jesus used with different types of people
• Why brokenness often causes us to finally turn to God for help
• To be a good leader, you need a relationship with your Creator
• The difference between 
  • the Babylonian approach to success and the kingdom of heaven approach
  • servant leadership and steward leadership

I also asked Tim three final questions:

• If you could talk to anyone in the Bible other than Jesus, who would it be? 
• Who do you identify with in the Bible?
• How does Jesus really want us to live our lives?

Tune it to hear his answers.

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Resources:
Website: timwinders.com
Book: Coach - A Story of Success Redefined*

For Tim's bio and the Bible verses mentioned go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/162

Previous episodes mentioned:

• 155 – Aramaic in the New Testament with Roy Gessford
• 160 – Why Does the Sabbath Still Matter Today?

* Affiliate link

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__________________
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
  
  

161 – Did you know that as the image and likeness of God, in a sense, you are already complete and whole.

When I was a kid, I usually felt there was something missing in my life. I didn't have everything I needed. I felt incomplete. I often thought I needed some thing or situation to make me complete, but it was actually a mindset issue. Way down inside, I felt incomplete as a person.

As I grew in my faith, I came to see that as a child of God made in the divine image and likeness, my completeness came from God, not external things or just good human thoughts internally.

In this week's episode, I talk about how Jesus saw the completeness of the people he came in contact with and the healing effect it had on their lives. I discuss:

• The woman who touched Jesus's clothes for healing and how Jesus took that healing to a deeper dimension 
• Bartimaeus, whom Jesus could see as whole before he was was healed
• The two aspects of Jesus's mindset that revealed a person's wholeness and then healed them
• Where did Jesus see someone's completeness? 
• What Jesus said to the woman who couldn't stand up that revealed she was already complete, even before she was healed

Christ represents the fullness of God. All God’s fullness is in Christ. 

When you truly embrace this idea that Christ embodies the fullness, the full nature, of God, then,  “you also are complete through your union with Christ.” (Colossians 2:10  NLT)

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Bible references in this week's episode: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/161

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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
  
  

160 – Why is the Sabbath still important?

In the world today, lots of people don't really think too much about honoring the Sabbath. They may be glad to have a day off from work, but they’re not aware of its deep spiritual significance. 

Other folks who consider themselves spiritual but not religious, may think it’s just some old-fashioned religious tradition. They may be thinking, “Why can’t we just celebrate and be spiritual however we want to? Why should one day be more important than another?”

And some people take a very ritualistic approach to observing the Sabbath.

In this week's episode, I talk about

• Where the idea of the Sabbath comes from
• The origin of the Hebrew word that refers to the Sabbath
• God's displeasure with the way the Children of Israel were sometimes celebrating the Sabbath in the Old Testament
• How Jesus healed on the Sabbath and why that is so significant
• How the Pharisees felt about Jesus healing on the Sabbath (hint: they did NOT like it one bit)
• The spiritual essence of the Sabbath
• How we can remember the Sabbath all week long, not just on one day.

__________________

Bible references in this week's episode: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/160

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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
  
  

159 – The Bible is full of women who speak with wisdom and have positions of authority.

Several years ago in my Bible class at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT, I put together a class on all the women in the Bible.

It was fascinating to look at the Bible from the perspective of what women were doing and what was being done to them. 

One of the first things I realized in preparing for and teaching this class was that the Bible is full of examples when women were in charge, had great authority, were sought out by men for advice, and were chosen for important roles. 

These women were not subservient to men. They owned their power and fulfilled their God-given purpose by being true to themselves and to God.

In this week’s episode, we’re going to look at a few of these women and see what we can learn from them. This not just for you if you’re a woman. Guys, there are lots of lessons we can learn from what God does with women in the Bible.

Here are the women I talk about in this week's episode:

• Sarah: God commanded Abraham to obey wife and do everything she told him, in regards to sending Hagar and Ishmael away
  • Abraham obeyed his wife
  • Husbands who think their wives should always obey them need to remember what God told Abraham
• Deborah was a prophet and a judge in Israel, before there were kings
  • The people came to Deborah as a judge and prophet because they truested her. 
  • Her reputation spoke for her. They did not discredit her because she was a woman.
  • Deborah commanded Barak to gather 10,000 troops and he obeyed
  • Barak wanted Deborah to go with him into battle. He valued what she had to offer.
  • Barak was willing not to take credit for the victory because he knew Deborah was the one who brought the victory
• Huldah was a prophet during the reign of King Josiah
  • When the book of the Law was found in the Temple and read to the Josiah, he sent the priest and others to Huldah, a prophetess, to inquire what God wanted him to do
  • The king, the mightiest man in the kingdom, asked for advice from a woman
• Mary Magdalene was commissioned by Jesus to proclaim his resurrection to the disciples
  • This is a case where men should have listened to a woman but didn't
• Priscilla, along with her husband, taught a very educated man, who thought he already knew the Bible, about how Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies

How many times throughout history has God given wisdom to women, but people did not listen?

Ask yourself: Who is God appointing today to share His wisdom with the world? When it’s you, are you sharing it? When it’s someone else, are you listening?

Bible reference and full transcript: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/159
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__________________
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
  
  

158 – Have you ever thought of yourself as a prophet?

Have you ever thought it was even possible for you to be a prophet?

We usually think if someone is going to be a prophet, it’s going to be someone else. Not us!

And we have this stereotype of prophets in the Bible predicting the future, issuing a warning to an evil king, or performing miracles of some sort.

But to be a prophet, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do all these things.

Basically, to be a prophet, in the Bible, or today, you have to be able to hear God talking to you, do what He tells you do, say what He tells you to say to whom He tells you to say it.

To be a prophet means you  have to set aside your personal opinions and listen to God for what to say and do.

In this week's episode, I talk about what the spirit of true prophecy and what makes it's possible for you to be a prophet.

A true prophet:

• Hears God's voice
• Obeys God's directions
• Says what God tells them to say to whom God tells them to speak
• Sets aside their personal opinions and perspectives
• Is not deterred when someone tries to intimidate them or discredit them

Sometimes people try to squash your prophetic spirit. Even Joshua did this when two of the elders, who were supposed to come to the Tabernacle to receive God's Spirit, stayed in the camp. God placed His Spirit on them anyway.

When Joshua found out, he told Moses to stop them.

But Moses replied, "I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” Numbers 11:29  NLT

Don't let anyone intimidate you out of sharing what God reveals to you and calls you to do.

The world needs your spiritual vision, this spirit of true prophecy that you have and can bring to bear in a given situation. Human opinions will never bring healing to the world, but your prophetic spirit will.

Whenever you are filled with the Holy Spirit, even if it's just for a minute, whenever you hear God, whenever say and do what God impels you to, you are a modern day prophet.
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Bible references in this week's episode: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/158

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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
  
  

157 – Have you ever had one of those days...

You know, when you just feel down in the dumps, uninspired, and nothing seems to get you out of the doldrums? 

You sit there praying and it just seems like words? You try to read and study your Bible but even your favorite stories and verses seem empty and flat?

It happens to most of us at one point or another. 

So how do we get out of it?

Well, it may have very little to do with you. It may be the atmosphere you're in, the mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical atmosphere around you.

It's not the sailboat's fault when there's no wind to propel it forward. You many just need a little wind in your sails to get you going in the right direction.

In this week's episode, I talk about how to get out the spiritual doldrums and start going forward with your life. Some of the points I cover:

• Who has the wind in his fists? (Hint: Proverbs 30:4)
• What is the spiritual meaning of wind?
• What do you do when your down in the dumps and all your prayers and Bible study seem like a bunch of hollow words?
• The recipe for getting out of the doldrums (Hint: Psalm 42:11)
• The crucial importance of the word again in that verse
• The power of singing
• The power of gratitude

When your life feels like a sailboat out on the lake with no wind to move you forward, take a moment right now to start praising God. 

Pour your heart out in gratitude for all your blessings. 

Sing every hymn you can think of. Make up your own songs. 

This is one of the best ways to get some wind in your sails, to get your life moving in the right direction, and to feel the genuine inspiration of God’s presence in your life.
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Bible references in this week's episode: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/157

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___________________________________________

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
  
  

156 – Do you remember the story about the Syrophoenician woman who asked Jesus to heal her daughter?

Have you ever wondered why Jesus was so incredibly inclusive of all types of people is in his ministry? 

I mean, think about it. Jesus talked to every sort of person there was to talk to: the rich, the poor, the holy, the humble, the sinner, the self-righteous. It didn’t matter to him if someone was of high or low social and religious status. What he cared about was if someone was receptive to who he was and his message of the kingdom of heaven. 

And Jesus didn’t only minister to people of the Jewish faith. He often broke the social and religious boundaries by talking to non-Jewish people.

In this week's episode, I focus on how Jesus interacted with the Greek woman who was a Syrian Phoenician. There are some important things to keep in mind:

• Matthew and Mark both recount this story, but they each give details the other leaves out
• Matthew says Jesus didn't even respond at first to her plea for help
• Jesus disciples were bothered by her presence and wanted Jesus to get rid of her
• Jesus saw an opportunity for healing; the disciples did not
• Jesus basically calls the woman a dog
• The word he used for dog actually meant a little dog, a lap dog, or pet. It was a term of endearment, not an insult
• The woman picked up on this. The "dogs under the table" are pets, members of the family and the woman realized Jesus was including her as worthy to be healed.
• Jesus was "the bread of life" and did not deny this woman this bread
• He healed her daughter

How was Jesus able to see this as an opportunity for healing when no one else did? How can we see these kinds of things as opportunities for healing?

Jesus knew his message of the kingdom of heaven and salvation was for all mankind. What is he teaching us about heaven in this story? What is he showing us about how his church should treat people who are rejected by social, cultural, and religious tradition?

This encounter is actually prophetic of how the Gospel would be shared with the non-Jewish world relatively soon after Jesus ascended.

How could Jesus love the social outcasts, and even the foreigners who worshiped false gods? What was he thinking? 

Whatever it was, we need to think like he did. We need to love like he did. We need to, and can, see every situation as an opportunity to bear witness to the healing power of God. Even when it’s awkward, uncomfortable, or difficult. 
__________________

Bible references in this week's episode: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/156

Subscribe to the podcast

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
  
  

• When the devil tempts Jesus to turn the stone into bread
• The line in the Lord's prayer about God's will being done on earth
• Getting a deeper understanding of Jesus's mindset that God's healing power is here today just as it was then
• He shares a healing he had because of the conviction he found in Jesus's words
• In John 21, the word play with the words lamb and sheep when Jesus tells Peter three times to tend his flock.

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
  
  

154 – Have you noticed lately how so many people are predicting the end of the world?

There is so much talk about "end times" these days. But actually it's been going on for years, even centuries.

Think of all the people who came up with exact dates for when the world was going to end. But it never happened the way they predicted.

Jesus said no one knows that day and time, not the angels, not even him. Only the Father knows.

If Jesus said he didn't know, then we shouldn't be trying to figure it out.

In this week's episode, I look at "the end of the world," share some ideas, and look at it all from a little bit different perspective. I talk about

• Harold Camping, who incorrectly predicted the end of the world several times
• What God has to say about false prophets
• When John of Patmos saw the new heaven and new earth, was it a vision of the future or was it something he was able to see that had always been there?
• Why it's important to understand the Greek word translated "world" in the phrase, "the end of the world."
• The end of the world is not just a one-time, far off, or not so far off, event in the future. 
• Every time you obey God, every time you have a spiritual victory, the material world is coming to an end, bit by bit.
• We are not supposed to figure out when the final "end of the world" happens? 
• We need simply to bear witness to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

The end of the material world is today and every day that we obey the First Commandment, that we put God and the things of the Spirit first and foremost in our lives, that we follow Christ and imbibe his mindset that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The more we do this, the more we will see the end of this material world, the less material it will appear, because the lens we’re looking through is more spiritual. And the more we will see of God's kingdom already come, here and now.

Don’t believe what the world, and the people in it, tell you. Open your eyes, your spiritual eyes, and bear witness to what already exists, and that God is revealing to you this very day, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
________________
Bible references in this week's episode. Check them out at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/154

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___________________________________________

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
  
  

153 – How can we find true self-worth?

A friend of mine lost his job. All his confidence and self-assurance vanished. He never was able to reclaim a sense of his own worth. He saw his value based on the job he had and the money he made.

But true self worth doesn’t come from anything you do, say, or achieve. It’s not based on how much money you make, how successful you are in business, with your family, or at church. 

It doesn’t depend on where you’re from or where you went to school. It’s not about your physical appearance. Or how famous you are. Or how many followers you have on Social Media.

True self-worth comes from understanding who you are as child of God. It’s really that simple. Then, whatever the circumstances you can value who you are.

 In this week's episode, I talk about:

• Gideon's low self-worth when based on social status and family position
• Gideon's high self-worth when he trusted in God's help
• How Jesus sees our worth
• How Paul describes our worth
• How King David describes our worth
• Why we don't feel our God-given worth
• Where the negative view of ourselves comes from
• The right and wrong way to get a better sense of your worth

This verse from Ephesians 2:10 sums it up: "We are God’s masterpiece."
________________
Bible references in this week's episode. Check them out at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/153

Subscribe to the podcast
___________________________________________

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