The Bible Speaks to You James Early

173 – Is there anything you need to surrender to God?

This week's episode is a parable about  six year-old Charlotte, who tries to take all 12 of her stuffed animals on a hike, crammed into her backpack.

But it's not so easy to keep them all tucked away. One after the other they either fall in the water, get left behind, get covered in mud, or fall in a thorn bush.

But Charlotte is determined to take all her "friends" with her each day.

Join in the fun and listen as the wise little six-year old summarizes the camping and hiking trip:

“I had the best time ever and my favorite thing was that I learned sometimes the things you love, hold you back when you hold onto them too much. Sometimes you have to let go of the things you love so you can go where you want to.”

The question is on the table for you and me: What will you take out of your overloaded backpack? What will you surrender so you can follow Christ more closely?

Check out the full transcript of this episode at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/173.

I also make mention of a conversation I had with my friend Pam Fields, host of The Mom Next Door: Stories of Faith Podcast. Pam shares how she was able to surrender something from the past and accepting the Holy Spirit's gift in exchange.

Two previous parables on The Bible Speaks to You Podcast:
Episode 14 – Would You Let Jesus in Your House if You Hadn’t Cleaned Up for Weeks?
Episode 32 – The Parable of the Unbaked Cake
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He 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.

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172 – What is it like to live in the Holy Spirit?

Is it still possible today? Yes, it is!

To understand why, we need to go back to when Jesus promises his disciples he will send the Holy Spirit to guide them, teach them everything they need to know, and remind them of everything he taught them.

In this week's episode I talk about
Why Jesus had to leave before the Holy Spirit would comeHow to know that you have the Holy Spirit in your life2 things you can do that bring the Holy SpiritThe overall purpose of the Holy Spirit in Scripture and todayWhether to say the Holy Spirit or just Holy SpiritHow to actually live in the Holy SpiritExamples in the New Testament of people living in the Holy SpiritAre you willing to let go of your agenda, your preconceptions, your opinions about what and how things have to be done, and be completely willing to go where the Holy Spirit guides you? 

Is your church willing to do this collectively?
Never think you are exempt from being "employed" by the Holy Spirit to further the Cause of Christ in the world.

God can use your talents and abilities, and even your perceived lack of them, to His greater purpose. It’s not about how capable or holy you are, but how capable and holy God is.

My prayer for you is that you will feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, that you will live in the presence of the Holy Spirit and that the light of Christ in you heart will shine out into the world to bless all mankind.

Blog posts mentioned in this week's episode:
What Does the Holy Ghost ACTUALLY Do?”
The Holy Spirit: Advocate, Comforter, and Defense Attorney

Bible verses quoted this week are in the show notes:
thebiblespeakstoyou.com/living-in-the-holy-spirit/


Support the show_________________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He 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.

Subscribe to the podcast • Make a donation to support the show

171 – Have you ever wondered why Jesus spoke in parables so often?

Recently I got an email from a listener, Brian, wondering why Jesus spoke so often in parables but didn't ever explain things to the crowds of people who were listening. He only explained them to his disciples.

So I decided to do a whole episode about this. There's actually a lot to it and Brian actually had a lot of related questions.

Here are the questions Brian asked and that I talk about this week. He was referring specifically to the Parable of the Sower:
What benefit was it to telling the multitude to plant seeds in good soil? Jesus wasn't trying to teach them how to grow their crops.What benefit could the crowds get if they didn't have an explanation?Did Jesus think people would think deeply about what he said and eventually figure out what he was talking about?Did he not care that most of the crowd didn't understand as longs a few people did?Did Jesus know that his words would be written down and shared in the future?Why didn't Jesus speak more clearly to his disciples?I also talk about the number 1 problem in trying to figure out what the parables, or any of Jesus's teachings, mean.

And I share the very best way to actually discover the meaning of Jesus's parables.

To see all the Bible verses quoted in this week's episode, check out the show notes at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/171.

NOTICE:  If you have a topic you'd like me to talk about on The Bible Speaks to You Podcast, please click the contact link in the bio below.
Support the show_________________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He 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.

Subscribe to the podcast • Make a donation to support the show

170 – If you're stuck in a legalistic church, it may be time to leave.

Being in a legalistic church is like being stuck in a small, tight box with little freedom.

In today's podcast, I have a conversation with my friend Emily Louis, a worthiness coach and the host of the Abundant Grace Podcast, who left legalism for God's abundant grace.

Here are some of the things we talked about:
Why did you start your podcast, Abundant Grace and how has it blessed folks?What was the first thing you found freedom from in you journey out of legalism?Why was it so hard?Why do you think people find comfort in the box, in the rules and the legalism? What caused you to rebel against legalism?Why do people obey the legalistic rules if they don't agree with them?What was your concept of and your relationship with God growing up and how has that changed?How has your approach to prayer changed?What are some of the theological things you don't believe anymore?How did you find your worth as a child of God?How do you help people discover and accept their worth?What is God's abundant grace and unconditional love like?How did it feel when you actually left the church you grew up in?To see all the Bible references mentioned in this episode, go to:
thebiblespeakstoyou.com/170

Resources:
Instagram: emily.abundantgrace
Podcast: Abundant Grace
Please visit this special page Emily created just for you: emilyklouis.com/thebiblespeaks
Support the show_________________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He 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.

Subscribe to the podcast • Make a donation to support the show

169 – Have you thought about what your spiritual vision for 2023 will be?

It's not just setting a goal and making it happen but seeing what God is doing in your life.

The book of Proverbs shares a powerful truth: "Where there is no vision, the people perish:" (Proverbs 29:18)

But this vision doesn't just mean what you see with your eyeballs. It means spiritual or prophetic vision, the ability to see what God is doing in your life and the world.

In this week's episode, I talk about
Why spiritual vision is importantWhat spiritual vision isHow to look at your life from a more spiritual perspectiveLooking at yourself and others with your spiritual visionHow did Jesus see things?Can you and I have the same spiritual vision Jesus did?Where will you go spiritually in 2023?God has given us spiritual vision, we just need to use it. 

God has given you the ability to see way beneath and beyond the surface appearance of things and discern the things of the Spirit 
Use this gift often. Open your spiritual eyes and you will see what God is doing in 2023.

For Bible references mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/169.
Support the show_________________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He 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.

Subscribe to the podcast • Make a donation to support the show

2022 Highlights of The Bible Speaks to You Podcast

Sometimes at the end of the year and before the new year begins, you need a little reminder of all the good things that happened in the last 12 months.

In this episode I share clips from 10 of the most listened to episodes of The Bible Speaks to You Podcast during 2022.

Here are links to the full episodes of all those mentioned:

# 120  Jason Elam: You Are Loved and Accepted by God
# 125  Can Your Prayers to End War Make a Difference?
# 136  Cultivating the Mindset of Christ
# 139  The Healing Power of Blessing Others with Pierre Pradervand
# 146  You Are Filled with All the Fullness of God
# 149  You Are Here for Such a Time as This
# 153  Where Does Your Self-Worth Come From?
# 157  How to Find Inspiration when You Feel Uninspired
# 159  Following Wise Women in the Bible
# 161  You Are Already Complete
Support the show_________________________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He 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.

Subscribe to the podcast • Make a donation to support the show