The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

Loren Hicks
  • 4.9 (175)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Daily

Daily episodes are hosted by Pastor Loren Hicks. This podcast will challenge you to go deeper into your Christian faith. The goal is to inspire you to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Episodes have been downloaded over 750,000 times.

  1. 5h ago

    #1,602: Why Jesus Died For Us

    If you fully understand the gospel and what Jesus has done for us, you comprehend that was not just executed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. You recognize that He willingly laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died for us. He took our place. With his death on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins, so we would not have to. Main Points: 1. Since God is just, he does not sweep our sins under the rug of the universe. He feels holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). To not punish us would be unjust.  2. Imagine someone has committed a crime against you, or your loved ones. You would be at the court demanding justice. 3. But here’s what is truly amazing…Jesus accepts God’s wrath on our behalf. Jesus doesn’t cancel God’s wrath, he absorbs it. He diverts is from us to himself. Today’s Scripture Verses: Romans 5:6-8 - “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 - “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 1 Peter 2:24 - ““He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  2. 1d ago

    #1,601: You Can Have Confidence in God

    When we come to God in prayer, our confidence is not found in ourselves, our ability to pray good prayers or even the amount of our faith. Our confidence rests solely in God. We are confident in His love, His character, and his power. We are confident in His promises and that He always fulfills his Word. Main Points: 1. It’s possible to bring a lack of confidence into our prayer lives. We pray without certainty and assurance. We pray lackluster prayers, not really sure that God hears us or that He will answer. 2. I want you to see that our Heavenly Father wants us to come to him with confidence. God wants us to believe in Him, to trust Him, to recognize that He is a good Father who cares about His children. He wants us to feel confident that we can bring any need, whether small or big to God. 3. When you think about those in your life that you have confidence in, the reason you have such assurance in them is because of your relationship with them. You know them. You know their life and their character. Over time they have proven they are reliable and trustworthy. Today’s Scripture Verses: Hebrews 4:16 - “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 1 John 5:13-15 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” Psalm 34:15 - “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  3. 2d ago

    #1,600: The Test of Your Integrity

    Character matters. Your integrity matters. Living by biblical values matters. Our integrity will be tested. It will be tried. But if you remain resilient and determined, you can honor God, and yourself by refusing to compromise your values. Main Points: 1. Integrity is the personal choice to hold yourself consistent with your beliefs and moral principles. It is who you are when no one else is looking. In our culture of shifting values, your integrity will come under attack. It is important to pre-determine your values before you face the temptation to compromise. 2. The test of your integrity never starts in the big decisions. It always starts with the small ones. It’s tempting to think that small decisions don’t matter. They seem insignificant. We’ll tell ourselves, “no one knows and it won’t hurt anyone.” Yet, small decisions matter because they never stay small. A small acorn eventually becomes a mighty oak tree. 3. It’s always easier to resist the winds of change if your roots run deep in God’s truth. God wants to use your life to make a difference, but to do so, you must start with integrity Today’s Scripture Verses: Luke 16:10 - “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” Proverbs 4:23 - “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  4. 5d ago

    #1,599: Waiting on God's Timing

    Trust today that your steps are being established by the Lord. When it’s time to take the next step, God will it clear. As you wait, believe that even though the waiting may not make sense, God’s will is being performed in your life. His will, His plan, and His timing is perfect. Main Points: 1. God is never early, never late, but he’s always on time. Our timing isn't God's timing. For us, God's timing often feels like a long, desperate delay. 2. I’m struck with how many verses there are in the Bible that talk about waiting on God. One Bible scholar has found that the word “wait” is in the Bible 154 times. That is a lot of waiting. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly enjoy waiting. Yet, if God makes us wait, there is a reason. There is something to be learned in the waiting and I don’t want to miss the lesson. 3. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the life of the believer. One of his purposes is to bring guidance and direction to our lives. He is faithful to lead us to God’s plan, but He can also be trusted to guide us to God’s timing. Today’s Scripture Verses: Psalm 31:15 -  "My times are in Your hands ..." Ecclesiastes 3:11 - "He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Proverbs 16:9  - “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”   Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  5. 5d ago

    #1,598: Our Struggle with Worry

    I’ve found that often times worry has to do with the fear of what could possibly happen. They haven’t happened. We don’t know if they will happen, but we fear it could happen. This internal stress causes anxiety, fear, and apprehension. Not only can it make us emotionally and mentally unwell, but it can also cause physical illness too.  Is there a cure? Main Points: 1. The dictionary defines worry as giving way to anxiety or unease: to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulties or trouble, whether actual or potential. 2. So, is there an answer? Is there a cure for worry? Is Jesus’ command to not worry about our lives possible? What can we do?  3. I believe the answer is found in worship. In fact, it’s very hard to worry and worship at the same time. Worship reorients our focus. A shift is made. A transition happens in our thoughts and in our spirit. As we worship our savior, we focus on his greatness, his goodness, and his faithfulness. We begin to remember that he is in control and there is nothing he cannot do.  Today’s Scripture Verses: Matthew 6:25 - “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life." Matthew 6:25-26 - ““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:27 - “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Philippians 4:6-7 - “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  6. Sep 30

    #1,597: Great is the Lord and Most Worthy of Praise

    If you read the Bible from cover to cover, you will come away with the knowledge that God is great. There is no limit to His power. There is no end to His creativity. He is a miracle-working God. Main Points: 1. As much as we would like to, we cannot fully understand the greatness of God. We are finite, but He is infinite.  2. Over the centuries, Bible scholars have done their best to describe and articulate the greatness of God, but when it comes to God words will always fail us. The language of humans is incapable of accurately describing the greatness of God.  3. He is the one true God. He has no beginning and no end. He created all things and all things exist by his divine power. He has no peers. No one gives God advice. No one can fully understand him.  God is perfectly holy. He is pure and righteous in every way.  Today’s Scripture Verses: Psalm 145:3-7 - “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;      his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another;      they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—      and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—      and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness      and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Job 23:13 - “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases” Isaiah 55:9 - “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”   Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  7. Sep 29

    #1,596: Where Do We Find Absolute Truth?

    Where do we find absolute truth? We find truth in the Bible.  What God says is true, and it is true absolutely.  There is no wavering in God’s truth.  Truth does not change according to polling data or by decisions handed down by Congress or the Supreme Court.  Why?  It is God’s truth.  Truth is what God says. Main Points: 1. We don’t usually think of a belt as a piece of armor, but the belt was important because the breastplate was tied into it.  The belt even held the sword and the helmet when they were not in use.  It was the first piece of armor that was installed. 2. The Apostle Paul gives us this image:  we should tie up all the loose things in our lives with the belt of God’s truth.  If we are going to stand when attacked we must have a firm grip on spiritual truth. 3. Studies conducted by the Barna organization showed that only 22% of Americans believe in absolute truth.  It is no wonder so many people lose more spiritual battles than they win.  It’s no wonder they get tripped up in Satan’s schemes. Today’s Scripture Verses: Ephesians 6:14 - “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” John 18:37b-38 - "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.  John 8:32 - “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

  8. Sep 28

    #1,595: Does God Speak Today?

    We live in a very loud culture. The sound of our day is filled with the voices of media, news, politics, music, movies, sports, social media, friends, teachers, spouses, and much more. We hear it all, but have we heard the voice of God? God doesn’t have a speaking problem. We have a listening problem. He is speaking and it’s critical to hear what He is saying. Main Points: 1. I believe God is a speaking God. In fact, I know He is a speaking God. On many occasions, I have heard the voice of God. No, not in an audible voice, but in the quiet of my spirit. God has confirmed his voice many times. You can’t convince me that God does not speak today. 2. The struggle is not God speaking, I believe He is always speaking. The challenge is in listening. We struggle to get quiet before the Lord. We don’t always make time for Him and sometimes we haven’t been in the practice of listening for his voice. 3. When someone speaks in a whisper, you have to get very close to hear. In fact, you have to put your ear near the person’s mouth. We lean toward a whisper, and that’s what God wants. The goal of hearing your heavenly Father’s voice isn’t just hearing his voice; it’s intimacy with Him. Today’s Scripture Verses: Revelation 2:7 - “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says…” John 10:27 - “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Quick Links: Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on Social Join The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

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Daily episodes are hosted by Pastor Loren Hicks. This podcast will challenge you to go deeper into your Christian faith. The goal is to inspire you to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Episodes have been downloaded over 750,000 times.

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