May I have a WORD with you?

John
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Helping ordinary people read the Bible for the sake of life application and a godly transformation. In other words, for the sake of becoming more like Jesus.

  1. 2h ago

    Ep 155 (S9E9) Five Smooth Stones: Pt 4 Reprise

    References: David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17Our fourth “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giantsFight - Resist, oppose - ἀνθίστημι (anth-is'-tay-mee) Eph 6:10-12, 13, 14-18withstand & stand (ἀνθίστημι & ἵστημι)To stand - ἵστημιActs 12:6-17 - great story, not the usage as our smooth stone1 Cor 10:12-13 - we’ll come back to this passage next weekBiblical usage in Eph 6:13continue safe and sound, stand unharmed, to stand ready or preparedto be of a steadfast mindof quality, one who does not hesitate, does not waiver1 Peter 5:8-9The communal quality of fighting with this smooth stone.Remember how David would fight lions and bears to protect the flockYour family of believers all over the worldPsalm 23:4-5 - Satan may look, but he cannot touch: the offensive action of HCJames 4:6, 7 & 8Our fighting stance - knowing our Champion has our back“humble yourselves before God.”“Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”Picture the courage of a cub when the alpha male lion is behind.Resist! Stand strong! Withstand in the evil day, that…... having done all, you will stand firm.”

  2. Oct 23

    Ep 154 (S9E8) Five Smooth Stones - Pt 3 Reprise

    References: David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17 Our third “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giantsRebuke - ἐπιτιμάω (ep-ee-tee-mah'-o) To honor (non-biblical), to adjudge in the sense of merited penalty, to censure severely, rebukeWe need rebuking - from the LordWhen we are right with the Lord, rebuke becomes a tool for the good of His Body, And a weapon to be used through the Lord.Jude 1:9–Michael the archangel “did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”Jesus rebukedThe devil and demonsMt 17:18; Mk 1:25; Lk 4:35, 9:42; etc.See Zechariah 3:2Natural forces: wind, waves, feverMt 8:26; Mk 4:39; Lk 4:39See Ps 106:9; Nahum 1:4; Malachi 3:11People not to reveal Him before the right timeMt 12:16, 16:20; Mk 3:12, 8:30; Lk 9:21James and John get rebuked by Jesus because of the state of their heartsLuke 9:51-56The disciples and other people rebukedOther people for bringing children to JesusMt 19:13; Mk 10:13; Lk 18:15Those seeking healing from JesusMt 20:31; Mk 10:48; Lk 18:39Peter rebuked Jesus!Mt 16:22 (Jesus doesn’t rebuke back); Mk 8:32-33To be used with godly wisdom2 Tim 3:16 & 4:2All Scripture is to: teach, rebuke, correct, trainRebuke here is actually ἐλέγχω (el-eng'-kho)Preach, reprove, rebuke, exhortel-eng'-kho, ep-ee-tee-mah'-o, par-ak-al-eh'-oLuke 17:1-10 esp v4We are taught to rebuke for the sake of forgiveness and healing the BodyFor fighting the giant - in Christ and with the LordRebuke Satan, demons, powers of darknessSatan’s strongholdsAny spirit of deception or division in the BodyAny powers that stand in the way of God’s Kingdom

  3. Oct 16

    Ep 153 (S9E7) Five Smooth Stones - Pt 2 Reprise

    References: David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17 πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων - “pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4)Our second “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giantsOpportunity - τόπος (top'-os), place, quarterMat 14:13 - Jesus made a discipline of going to solitary places (ἔρημον τόπον)Silence, solitude - disciplines of spiritual warfareThe battle: Eph 4:27 - give no place, no foothold, no opportunity to the devil. What gives Satan τόπος ?Anger, offense.Rom 12:19 - “give place unto wrath” KJV God will judgeNo Quarter! - Mat 12:43-45 Led Zepplin song The strategy: Mark 6:30-32Quiet τόπος, desolate τόπος, When you have received the cleansing of your heart, mind and spirit through the blood of Christ, fill the τόποςSilence before GodSolitude with GodResting in GodLet the Light shine in the dark τόπος. From the quiet τόπος, take the τόπος to listen to God’s powerful word of victory.

  4. Oct 9

    Ep 152 (S9E6) 5 Smooth Stones: Pt 1 Reprise

    References: David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17 ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν - “weapons of our warfare” (2 Cor 10:4)Our first “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giantsThoughts - νόημα (no'-ay-mah), mindThe peace of God keeps our νόημα in Christ - Phil 4:7The battle: 2 Cor 3 & 4Our preconceived notions about what is “right”The brilliance of the covenant and the veil - 2 Co 3:14The light of the new and eternal covenantJars of clay - 2 Co 4:4, 7The strategy:  “every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Cor 10:5Context: There are people sowing division in the Body of ChristIf Satan (the giant) can foster discontent with leadership, that’s a huge win for the enemyIt’s no good to have a mouth full of Bible verses if your heart is full of hatredPaul is not only being undermined, he is being attacked personallyOne of the most vulnerable points of our lives is our insecurity. It’s an identity issue. vs 7The armies of Israel didn’t have the confidence to face the giant, but David did.We know the God of heaven’s armiesIsa 54:17 - no weapon formed against us…We know Satan’s ways: evil schemes, designs, sly ways - 2 Cor 2:11A real concern - 2 Cor 11:3May Peace return and win the day: Phil 4:7

  5. Oct 2

    Ep 151 (S9E5) Sticks and Stones Reprise

    References: Sticks and stones… words can be powerfulhapax legomenon - a word that appears only once within a document or corpusThe works of William Shakespeare — known for wide variety in his vocabulary — are estimated to contain more than 6,000 hapax legomena (the plural form).Honorificabilitudinitatibus - "the state of being able to achieve honours"Wm Shakespeare's “Love’s Labour’s Lost” - Act 5, Scene 1David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17 Why five? Many people say because Goliath had four brothers. ??? Why smooth?Wouldn’t a jagged or sharp edged stone be more lethal?A smooth stone launched from a sling will fly truer than a jagged stone.Sling hunters will tell you that blunt force well placed is the effectiveness of dropping game, not penetration.  Smooth stones - חַלֻּק (khal-look') only used in 1 Sam 17:40A Biblical hapax legomenonFrom root חָלַק (khaw-lak') to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assignto be smooth, slippery, deceitfulSmooth Operator - Isa 41:7Smooth Criminal - Ps 36:1-4 (esp v2)Here are five “smooth” Biblical stones for fighting the giants of spiritual warfareThoughtsMind, thoughts - νόημα (no'-ay-mah) Phil 4:7, 2 Cor 2:11, 10:5Opportunities Occasion for acting - τόπος (top'-os) Eph 4:27Rebuke Rebuke of the Lord - ἐπιτιμάω (ep-ee-tee-mah'-o) Jude 1:9FightResist, oppose - ἀνθίστημι (anth-is'-tay-mee) James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9FleeExit, way out - ἔκβασις (ek'-bas-is) 1 Cor 10:13

  6. Sep 25

    Ep 150 (S9E4) Praise God! The 150th Episode

    References: Can you believe these stats?!?Over 11,000 downloads (listens?) as far as I can tell6 of the 7 Continents!!From 58 different countries.What!?!First podcast published on Substack on Aug 17, 2023Podcast platform went live on Nov 10, 2023Learning curve with RSS feeds, etc.Setting up a Domain (johnbromhal.com)Distribution began beyond Substack toThe BIG five (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio)And (Podcast Index, Castbox, Overcast, Pocket Cast, Podcast Addict, Deezer, and many others)Why is 150 significant?It is how long the waters of the flood covered the earth.Gen 7:21-24 - the time over which the chaos waters ruled.Everything that had breath, died. Except Noah and his family and the animals on the Ark.Noah’s ( נֹחַ )  name means “rest” - Ark תֵּבָה  (tay-vaw') , the same word used for the basket Moses was saved by in the waters of the Nile8:1-5 - the time after which the ark “rested” on AraratRested ( נוּחַ )  Mountain peaks reappeared150 days was not the end of the time in the ark. Most scholars put the stay in the ark duration at 370-371 days total.I’ve got a ways to go if I’m going to do as many podcast episodes!Psalm 150 - The last great celebratory Psalm in the Psalter. The where, why, how and who of worshipVerse 1 - Praise the Lord… where?In the holy placesAnd the created placesSee Gen 1:6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20A space רָקִיעַ (raw-kee'-ah), an expanse, sky, heavens Verse 2 - Praise the Lord… why?For what He does - megaleia (mighty works)For who He is - unequaled, excellent, magnificent greatnessVerses 3-5 - Praise the Lord… how?The full range of instrumentationFull body worship - dancingVerse 6 - Praise the Lord… who?Circle back to what suffered in the encroaching chaos of the flood. - everything that had breath.Lift not just our body in dance, nor just through instruments, but with our voices in song.Praise the Lord! -  Here’s to the next 150 episodes!

  7. Sep 18

    Ep 149 (S9E3) A Mind Changing Parable: Pt 2

    References: Review A Jesus Parable and Romans 12:1-2Don’t be “conformed”But be “transformed”Review Matthew 25:31-46Separating - aphorisms - from Merriam-Webster Onlinea concise statement of a principlea terse formulation of a truth or sentiment"Let us value the quality of life, not the quantity."Compare with a proverb (check out last week’s episode).Sheep vs GoatsBeing a goat is to practice transactional kindnessBeing a sheep is to practice joyful generosity“Lord, when did we see you… and help you?” Sheep mindset considers loving service of others as a natural, joyful default.“How can I help” flows from a foundational awareness of grace, loving as one has been loved.Sees people through the eyes of compassion, seeing the image of God in the vulnerable.Biblical support or clarification:Proverbs 14:31; 19:17 (NLT) - God’s wisdom reveals that how we treat the poor is how we directly treat God.My experience on the mission field has been that the poor often don’t see themselves as worthy of visiting, help, compassion, dignity.2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (NLT) - Sacrificial generosity grows from first giving one’s self to God, then the joyful response to God’s overwhelming gracious love.I have stories of desperately poor people showing me a sheep’s heart in their joyful generosity.Judgement:“‘when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”Into eternal life!I just wanna’ be a sheep. Baa baa ba baa.By the renewal of my mind.By the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

  8. Sep 11

    Ep 148 (S9E2) A Mind Changing Parable: Pt 1

    References: A Jesus Parable and Romans 12:1-2Conformed - συσχηματίζω (soos-khay-mat-id'-zo)BLB - to conform one's self (i.e. one's mind and character) to another's pattern, (fashion one's self according to)1 Peter 1:14Transformed - μεταμορφόω (met-am-or-fo'-o) as in Christ’s transfigurationBLB - to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure2 Corinthians 3:16-18Matthew 25:31-46 - the Sheep and the Goats parableSeparate - ἀφορίζω (af-or-id'-zo) BLB - to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separateWord from which we get “aphorism” (compare proverb)Proverbs …are a traditional, popular saying rooted in folk wisdom that offers common-sense advice.focus on moral instruction, caution, or practical guidance for daily life.Aphorisms…are a clever, original observation on life usually attributed to a specific writer or thinker.aim to provoke thought, offer a fresh philosophical insight, or reveal a deeper reality.Sheep from GoatsBeing a sheep is to practice joyful generosityBeing a goat is to practice transactional kindness“Lord, when did we see you… and not help you?”Goat mindset considers self first.“How can I help” may be based on convenience, obligation, or an attention seeking righteousness (see the “hypocrites” teachings in Mt 6, esp MSG).See people through the lens of utility, measuring others by what they offer or cost.Biblical support or clarification1 John 4:20 (NLT): Our treatment of the visible "least of these" is the ultimate diagnostic of our invisible faith.James 2:15–17 (NLT): Real faith isn't abstract theoretical agreement; it has hands and feet.Judgement: “‘when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”Into eternal punishment!I don’t want to be a “Goat.” Nope, nope, no, nope.

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Helping ordinary people read the Bible for the sake of life application and a godly transformation. In other words, for the sake of becoming more like Jesus.

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  • Creator
    John
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    155
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 May I have a WORD with you?
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    May I have a WORD with you?

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