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

102 – How are you related to Jesus?

There are so many facets to your relationship with Jesus. Here a few obvious ones:

• Jesus is Lord and Savior: it's a Master-servant relationship
• Jesus is the Messiah, or Christ: it’s a relationship between prophecy and its fulfillment in our lives
• Jesus is our teacher: it's a teacher-student relationship
• He is the Great Physician: it’s a healer-patient relationship

Jesus is all these things and they are beyond value

But Jesus is not just all these high and holy things to us. He refers to God as his Father and our Father (see John 20:17). That makes Jesus our brother since we have the same Father.

And Jesus called his disciples his friends (see John 15:14, 15). That can certainly apply to you and me as well, as long as we actually follow Jesus in what we say and do.

When you think about it, it’s amazingly wonderful we can know Jesus as our Lord our teacher, our Great Physician, but for him to also be our friend and brother makes the relationship even more meaningful.
But there's one more aspect of our relationship to Jesus that most folks never really consider.

We can be Jesus' mother

Before you start thinking I'm crazy, check out what Jesus says when his mother, his brothers and sisters can't get through the crowd to talk to him. He asks the crowd, 

Matthew 12:48-50  ESV 
48  "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?"
49  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 
50  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Here’s another example of why you can’t take the whole Bible literally. Jesus did not mean we become his literal mother. We don't turn into Mary. Only she could fill that role.

It's easier to see how we can be Jesus' brothers and sisters. But his mother? Really? Yes, really.

When you hear God’s voice and do God’s will, you are, in effect, “giving birth” to Jesus in your heart and in your life. Every time you obey God's will, Christ appears more clearly in your life and to those around you.

But think about the relationship a mother has with her child. A mother does not just give birth; she nurtures, loves, protects, teaches, and guides her child. 

Every time you set aside your will to listen for and follow God's will, you are metaphorically mothering the baby Jesus, the toddler Jesus, the teenage Jesus, the grown man Jesus in your heart. 

You are giving your love to the Cause of Christ just as you would to your own child.

I encourage you to embrace this aspect of your relationship with Jesus. It is close. It is intimate. It is powerful, full of love and support. It is holy. 

As you give birth to and partner with Christlike thoughts and actions, nurture them and they will nurture you.

It all comes down to listening for, hearing, and doing God’s will. This is the very heart of prayer. In fact, every time you hear God’s voice and obey it, you are praying.

When you do this, you become a member of Jesus's immediate family.

Cherish all the ways you are related to Jesus.

Text me your questions or comments.

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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
  
  

101 – Should women dress modestly to support guys trying to overcome lust?

According to some church circles the answer is yes.

But that makes the assumption that men can't think for themselves, are controlled by what women wear, and don't have to take responsibility for their own sinful thoughts.

In this week's episode, I talk about some of the issues involved in overcoming lust.

Even if all women dressed modestly, according to the definition of those self-appointed regulators of what they think the word means, it would not solve the problem. Men would still feel lustful desires.

Jesus explains that these lustful feelings come from the heart, not from what women are wearing. Okay, there are some women who wear things on  purpose to lure a man sexually, but that's here motive. It's a man's responsibility to resist that temptation.

Sometimes we try to hard to overcome a sin. What we really need is to replace the sinful thinking in our hearts with Godlike thinking.

If you are struggling with lustful thoughts, you'll find practical ideas in this episode to help you face this temptation and overcome it.

James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.

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
  
  

100 – If you could talk to your favorite Bible Character, other than Jesus, who would it be and what would you ask them?

In celebration of Episode 100 of The Bible Speaks to You Podcast, I have asked my listeners to share the answer to this question.

Here are the people from the Bible who are on the hot seat this week to answer some pretty good questions:

• Enoch
• Methuselah
• Abraham
• Joseph, son of Isaac
• Jochebed, mother of Moses
• Moses
• Jabez
• Deborah
• Samuel
• Abigail
• Ruth
• David
• Elijah
• Naaman's wife's maid
• Jonah
• John the Baptist
• Mary, mother of Jesus
• Peter
• John
• Mary Magdalene
• The one leper of ten who came back to thank Jesus for his healing
• The man who was possessed with the Legion of demons
• Rich young ruler
• The prodigal son's dad
• Zacchaeus
• Martha
• Lazarus
• Judas
• Young man at Jesus's arrest who fled naked
• Paul
• Timothy
• Author of Hebrews
• James, the brother of Jesus

Who is your favorite Bible character? What would you ask them?

James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.

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
  
  

099 – Have you ever wondered how Jesus healed people?

There are so many ways to talk about this, and there’s no way to go into great depth in a single podcast episode. But there are a few main points I will emphasize.

How did Jesus heal?

First, I believe he was so completely aware of God’s healing presence. 

Jesus knew the Scriptures, so we can assume he knew this verse "I am the LORD who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)

It brings to mind the words of David in Psalms, "He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies." (Psalm 103:3, 4)

Jesus knew God was the source of healing, of health, and wholeness.

That’s really the first step in understanding how Jesus healed and being able to heal as he did.

The second thing I want to emphasize is the way Jesus described his ability to accomplish something.

He said, "I can do nothing on my own." (John 5:30) and "...my Father who lives in me does his work through me." (John 14:10)  

Jesus makes it even clearer how he is able to do all he does when he says, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does."  (John 5:19 )

Jesus repeats that he can’t do anything on his own. He only does what he sees God doing and it is God working through him to accomplish whatever he does, including healing.

Let that sink in a minute. How does this apply to you and me? Can we say the same things? Can we follow Jesus’s methodology here? Can we adopt this mindset?

The answer is yes, but it’s not necessarily easy.

What can you see God doing?

When you and I can see God at work the way Jesus did, we will be able to do the works that Jesus did.

Listen to this episode for more insights on how to pray for healing.

If you have any questions about healing, I'd love to hear from you. Click the link in my bio.

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
  
  

098 – God's will for you is healing

Over the years I’ve talked to many Christians about God’s healing power and that this is part of the original Christianity Jesus taught and practiced during his ministry, and that it should be part of Christianity today.

Today we’re talking about the fact, yes the fact, that it is God’s will for you to be healed.

So, why is one person healed when you pray for them and another person is not healed?

I don't have all the answers to that question, but I do have some observations to share. Here are a few reasons your prayers may not bring healing.

• When you start your prayer with a doubt or a lack of faith that God is able to heal
• When you start your prayer with the possibility that it might be God's will not to heal
• When you are preoccupied with un-godlike thoughts: fear, worry, selfishness, sin, etc.
• When you're not tuned into the right spiritual wavelength

Where to start

The best place to start to understand that it IS God's will for you to be healed is with what Jesus said about healing and who and how he healed.

Jesus always did the Father's will. That means that when Jesus healed someone, it was God's will that they were healed.

Jesus never told someone they weren't ready to be healed or that God was teaching them a lesson through suffering.

But isn't that what we say sometimes when we're not healed?

I have had many healings and seen many in my family and the Christian Church as a whole, in many denominations.

Don't give up

But when I haven’t been healed though, I don’t give up. I don’t decide it must be God’s will not to heal me. I keep praying. 

I keep asking God for guidance and insight on how to fast and pray more effectively. 

And by fasting, I don’t mean going without food for a certain amount of time. I mean fasting from negative, self-focused, fearful, sinful thinking.

Once I was healed of an unsightly growth on my abdomen about the size of a walnut. I had been praying for several months but it kept getting bigger. 

I finally realized I had to be healed of resentment and animosity toward someone. When I healed that in my heart, I knew the problem was healed too. And the growth melted away in just a few days.

God is always able and willing to heal. It is His nature. It is His will that you are healed through His presence, His love, His mercy, and grace.

If you have questions about God's healing power, I'd love to chat with you. 

Text me your questions or comments.

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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
  
  

097 – What happens when you forgive someone?

For Mark Sowersby, forgiveness brings freedom.

Mark is a Pentecostal preacher and shares a powerful testimony of forgiveness in this week's episode. As a child, he was abused sexually. But freedom did not come when the abuse stopped after seven years. 

It took decades for Mark to find true freedom and it only came as he was able to forgive his abusers.

At one point Mark thought he could just forgive his abusers and it would all be over. But he has realized that forgiveness is a journey. All too often, Christians want to forgive someone because they know they're supposed to, and they say the words, but don't really deal with the deep levels of forgiveness required.

We have to be willing to take this journey and trust in God's help along the way. We can't forgive someone all by ourselves. It's only with God's love and forgiveness that we can forgive others.

Two things propelled Mark on this journey of forgiveness: 

1.  He was sick and tired of being sick and tired. He had hit rock bottom. 
2.  His mother passed on, which stirred a lot of emotions and feelings and caused a lot of self-reflection and praying. It caused him to turn to Christ.

Mark says there are a lot of people who are hurting because of what has been done to them and they haven't been able to forgive. They don't want to go through the process because they think it's too hard or they don't want to forgive.

Here are some of the points Mark makes about forgiveness

• Don't make excuses for going on the journey of forgiveness
• It’s important to find individuals and communities of people who you feel safe with that you can talk to about your feelings 
• Forgiveness needs to start in your prayer closet. You have to be honest with God. Ask God where to start, who to talk to
• To get out of the victim mentality we need to be sober about what happened to us. You can’t pretend those things didn’t happen. For him, God’s Word, God’s love, God’s grace, God’s voice, became louder than the voices from the past. 
• Don't use your victimhood as a bubble to live in to protect you from having to deal with facing uncomfortable issues of the past
• Letting go of identifying as a victim can be scary but it forces you to accept personal responsibility for your own actions.  
• When you forgive someone, they no longer have any power over you. It’s not allowing them to have real estate in your mind any more. That’s where the freedom comes.
• True forgiveness begins with getting to know God better. It’s about surrendering to God
• You can’t bury the hurt feelings. They have to come to the surface to be healed.

James Early is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster and conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.

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
  
  

096 – Is it possible to think with the mindset of Jesus?

Yes. Paul says, "We have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:16)

But how do we do it? How do we think like Jesus did?

There are so many aspects to the mindset of Jesus, there's no way to cover them all in one podcast episode.

I'll talk about two of the most important ones today.

The first thing to consider is what culminated in Jesus's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Not my will but Your will be done."

Jesus had this same attitude throughout his ministry. He said that he did not come to do his will but the will of the Father, who sent him. (John 5:30)

Related to this he said he only said what God told him to say (John 12:49, 50) and he only did what he saw the Father do (John 5:19)

Jesus has set the supreme example for us here. What if we only did God's will, only said what God told us to say, only did what we saw God do? Our lives would be very different.

It's a goal to strive for.

This gives us an insight into how to think with the mindset of Jesus.

To know what God's will is, you have to be able to hear His voice. So perhaps, the best place to start is nurturing your relationship with God.

The second aspect of Jesus's mindset I talk about in this episode is the declaration Jesus made at the very beginning of and throughout his ministry: the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

This was a radical idea. The Jews thought the Kingdom of God was in the past when David and Solomon had been kings of Israel. Or they thought the kingdom of heaven was off in the future when the Messiah would come on a white horse and deliver them from the Romans.

But Jesus wasn't referring to a geo-political kingdom. He meant the spiritual realm where God is infinite, supreme, completely in charge and all is good, beautiful, loving, and harmonious, filling the whole universe with God's presence.

If you look at things from earth's perspective, there' a terrible mix of good and evil. But in heaven there is no evil, no sickness, pain, sorrow, tears, sin, nor death.

Jesus healed and helped people by looking at things on the earth from the perspective of what is true in heaven. 

For example, when people were mourning the death of Jaiurs's daughter, Jesus said to them: She's not dead, she's only asleep. From earth's perspective she was dead, but from the perspective of what'ss true in heaven, where there is not death, she could never die.

Jesus saw this spiritual truth so clearly, it was like turning on a light switch in a dark room so everyone could see.

The more we look at the earth from the perspective of what is true in heaven, the more of heaven we will see here on earth. The more we will think with the mindset of Jesus.

What a grand adventure.

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
  
  

095 – What if there was a Spiritual Olympics?

What events would you enter?

As I was recording this episode, the 32nd Summer Olympiad is taking place in Tokyo. Have you gotten to watch many of the events?

I love the stories of hard work and determination. I love the dedication the athletes have for their sports. 

It's a good example for us. We need dedication and discipline to follow Christ in our daily lives.

Which prompts me to ask: What if there was a Spiritual Olympics?

Paul describes an event in what I am calling the spiritual Olympics. He wrote: "I want to know Christ and experience the might power that raised him from the dead....I press on to reach the end of the race  and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians 3:10, 14)

What are some others events in this "Spiritual Olympics"?

Take a fresh look at the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12.

I have never thought of them as Olympic events until this podcast episode. But each one has a gold medal associated with it.

Imagine being poor in spirit or meek as events, as well as the other Beatitudes. 

It's not like the real Olympics where you compete with others and only one person or team get the gold medal (unless there's a tie, of course).

In the Spiritual Olympics, everyone who  participates is able to get a "gold medal.

Th e book of Hebrews talks about the race we are to run. "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1, 2

Which events in the spiritual Olympics will you win a Gold Medal in? You could do a sweep and get the gold medal in every event. It takes perseverance. It takes discipline. 

But the cool thing about the Spiritual Olympics is that they don’t just come around every four years. They’re every day. The more we discipline ourselves in these “events” they more often we will excel.

So, Let’s go for the Gold. Let’s strive to follow Christ, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to be peacemakers, to be meek. In short, to think more like Christ, to act more like Christ, to be more like Christ.  

To see all the Bible quotes in this week's episode, check out the show notes at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/095.

Please share this with a friend.

Text me your questions or comments.

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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
  
  

094 – Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive."

Does that mean we will get whatever we pray for? Not at all.

In this week's episode, I dig down into what it really means to ask God for something. We talk about:

• What the Greek word "ask" really means
• Why we can ask and pray with expectation
• Reasons why our prayers aren't answered
• Why your motives are important when you pray
• What to do when our prayers aren't answered
• What to pray for instead of just asking God for things
• And so much more!

To read the Bible verses quoted in today's episode, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/094

Thanks for listening. Please share this 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
  
  

093 – The Sermon on the Mount and the mindset of Jesus

Last week we started the discussion about how to be more like Jesus.

This week we’re going to look at a few things in the Sermon on the Mount to get a better insight into Jesus’s mindset. Everything Jesus tells us to do in this Sermon, he does as well. 

It’s how he wants us to think, how to act, how to follow him, how to be more like him. 

There’s no way to cover everything in the Sermon on the Mount, but we’ll cover a few things.

Last week I encouraged you to read the whole sermon pondering what it tells us about how Jesus thought and acted, and how he wanted us to think and act.

Here are the points I cover in today’s episode:

• What does it mean to be “poor in spirit” and why is that a blessing?
• If we’re persecuted for following Jesus, how can we deal with it like he did?
• What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world?
• How can we get a fresh perspective on the commandments and other favorite Scriptures like Jesus did?
• What does it mean to love like Jesus did, even your enemies?
• How to give to charitable organizations or people who need help the way Jesus did
• How to fast and pray like Jesus did
• The perfect solution to worrying about everything
• Why Jesus never worried
• Do you value yourself and what you have to offer the world the way Jesus did?

When you follow the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says you are like a wise builder who builds a house on a rock. When the storms of life come, your life and your faith have a strong spiritual foundation and cannot be destroyed.

The more you put all these teachings into practice in your daily life, the more you will be like Jesus. Then, rinse and repeat. Do it over and over.

The beautiful thing is, Jesus knew we can do it. He expected us to do it. And he has empowered us to follow him, and to be more like him.

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