Episode 19

Last week, my daughter suggested I read from Matthew 6 and share Jesus’s command not to worry. I’ve listened to that podcast four times over the past week, and have repeated last week’s declaration over and over. If you’re new to Believe & Speak, you need to know that I always start by reading a…

Episode 18

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great deal of uncertainty, which is a magnet for worry. Today’s episode provides a gentle reminder of Jesus’s command not to worry. He says, “do not worry” three times in the span of nine verses. Fortunately, when Jesus gives a command, he always empowers us to obey. In today’s…

Episode 17

At the end of every podcast, I always say, “Your tongue has power. Use it for good.” It’s not easy for me to use my tongue for good when my thoughts aren’t so good. Over the past week or so, I was having a particularly hard time with the increasing duration and escalating restrictions of…

Episode 16

Today’s declaration verbalizes a promise Jesus made with an if/then condition. His promise that you will bear fruit and that your joy will be complete hangs on your decision to remain in Jesus and remain in his love through obedience. The Scripture comes from a record of Jesus’s last hours on earth with his closest…

Episode 15

Today’s podcast is second in a two-part series on Psalm 91. This episode not only encourages you to not be afraid of terrors and disease, but it also reminds you and I of the power and authority we have to crush fierce lions and serpents under our feet. The Bible calls Satan a lion on…

Episode 14

Since the Coronavirus outbreak captured the world’s attention, I have heard Psalm 91 quoted multiple times. In a difficult season like the one we’re in right now, the specific promises in this psalm resonate deeply, bringing comfort and igniting hope. In today’s episode, I will be echoing a psalm that has already been quoted in…

Episode 13

I could not have known when I kicked off this podcast 13 weeks ago how different our world would look today—from the empty shelves in the grocery stores to the empty highways during rush hour. I live in California, the first state to quarantine its residents due to COVID-19. The fact that I can’t drive…

Episode 12

The heading in my Bible above Psalm 63 says that David wrote it when he was in the desert. Time in the desert exposes empty places. The verses in today’s podcast show us how David felt and where he turned in a particularly dry season. While I have clung to several different promises of God…

Episode 11

Isaiah 43:1–4 is filled with words of affirmation—from the wonderful promise in verse one that you belong to God, to the tender expression of God’s love for you in verse four. Many of the affirmations found in these four verses would make a great-sounding and powerful declaration. I certainly welcome you to declare that God…

Episode 10

Believers in Jesus have been adopted into the family of God and are co-heirs with Christ. The Spirit you received when you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior does not make you a slave. The Spirit makes you royalty, with all the wealth, prominence, power, and authority given to an heir of the King.…