How to Study the Bible - Bible Study Made Simple

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How the Enemy Tempts Us and How We Can Resist Temptation (A Bible Study on Matthew 4) Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

Every time you fail, God’s grace outruns your failure. He is ultimately merciful, so don’t let your failure separate you from God. That’s what the enemy wants you to do. What God wants you to know is that he is always willing to welcome you back, he is always ready to embrace you. Come back to him today.

This is Week 2 of our Jesus 101 series. Be sure to go back and listen to Week 1!

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

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WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Matthew 4

Right after his baptism, Jesus is led into the wilderness, fasts for 40 days and nights, and is tempted by the devil. He endures three temptations, and then angels came and ministered to him.

Three temptations – what is the enemy really tempting Jesus with?

The first temptation - Satisfy your appetite (v 3). Make yourself feel good right now. We don’t want to wait for God, we want to remove discomfort.

The second temptation – Show your approval (v 5). Prove you have God’s approval, do it yourself.

The third temptation – Choose a shortcut to authority (v 8). “What you want to see happen in the world, I can make happen… just make this one concession.”

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Deuteronomy 8:1-5

Jesus’ desert temptations echo back to the Israelites’ wandering in the desert for 40 years after the exodus. Those years were marked by constant disobedience and complaining. God’s people were incapable of doing what God commanded them to do.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus did what God’s people could not do when tested: he stayed obedient to the Father. In this way, he is the new and better Moses. How he overcomes temptation is a blueprint for how we – the new Israel - can overcome temptation.

If Jesus was tempted, we will be too. You’ll be tempted to make a shortcut for your appetites, to prove yourself, and you’ll be tempted to find life outside of God.

All temptations will pass over time. When we resist, the enemy leaves.

We need to know God’s Word AND God’s intent. The enemy can use Scripture against us.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Perhaps we can expect that after mountaintop moments, temptations will follow. Will we allow God to teach us in both places? How are we experiencing the grace of God, abounding more and more?

The Enemy always wants humans separated from God. He wants us to bow down to him, not God. Soul death is giving our lives away to something that does not have life in it. To give our lives away to worship anything that is not God.

Study the Bible and pray regularly so you can understand God’s intent and discern when the enemy is tempting you.

Expect trial & trouble (John 16:33) We do have a real enemy, who is persistent but not that creative. Most temptations will come to us in the form of shortcuts: satisfying our own appetites, seeking approval, or choosing a shortcut for authority.

Questions to ask this week:

Am I shortcutting my life apart from God?

Am I moving toward more or less dependence on God?

Am I using pride, satisfying myself with comforts that keep me numb to my longings and hunger for God? Or am I showing up expectant, asking God to meet my needs and satisfy me?

RESOURCES:

Read: Anonymous by Alicia Britt Chole

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Jesus 101: What His Baptism Means For You (A Bible Study on Matthew 3) Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Can you believe that the God of the universe knows you? He knows your sin and limitations, and yet loves you beyond what we can imagine. He gives us belonging, he gives us his acceptance, he gives us his approval. Which one of those do you need to believe is true?

As we approach Easter, we’re getting back to the basics of Jesus' life, the movements of his earthly ministry that lead to his death and resurrection. He has moved in this world and is moving in our lives as well. This week, we’re looking at Matthew 3 and the story of Jesus’ baptism.

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

For the first 30 years of Jesus’ life, he had a quiet life. Now he’s stepping into the spotlight, into his calling.

Meanwhile, John, a righteous Jew who is seeking the Messiah as foretold in the Old Testament. is preaching in the desert. People are coming to him to be baptized – a common cleansing rite that many kinds of religious orders would have participated in.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

We learn at least three groups of people approaching John. He calls them to bear the fruit of repentance.

Some were being baptized and repenting, others were standing around watching (judging?)

Then Jesus walks up. John doesn’t want to baptize him, knowing he is not worthy. But Jesus insists – he is obedient to the Father.

“This is my son” – there is connection and belonging

“whom I love” – there is acceptance

“with whom I am well pleased” – there is approval

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

All the prophecies of the Old Testament are coming to fulfillment in Jesus. This is an incredibly important moment, where God offers Jesus his full belonging, acceptance, and approval.

Jesus was beloved, and that same standing is conferred (given, transferred) to us when we believe: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Before we can do anything or approve anything, God gives us belonging, acceptance and approval.

If you believed this to be absolutely true for you, what would change?

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

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4 Principles You Need to Interpret Difficult Scripture: A Bible Study on Ecclesiastes 10 Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

What does it look like to live wisely? When you don’t know what to do, go find a commandment of God, and say to yourself, “I can work on this in my life today.” We never outgrow God’s Word. At the end of the day, we are all to “fear God, and keep his commands.”

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

If you just read these words as they are, you’re going to read them literally or it’s all going to go over your head. So, in order to unlock meaning, we need context.

We need basic hermeneutic skills – that’s a fancy word that just means bible interpretation skills. Here are four basic interpretation principles for passages of scripture that are hard to interpret:

Return to main themes – you can use the intro to the book of Ecclesiastes in your study notes to help with this.
Look for repeating ideas – helps us to come back to the big picture
Consider context & tone – if I don’t understand a passage, I might consider re-reading it in a different tone. (10:19 in this example – can be read ironically, with a wink)
Zoom out – zoom way out to what you know is true, where else can I read to interpret the trickier passages.

In this passage, we’re thinking of authority structures in the world. The Teacher might be drawing his listeners back to the history of their government. “Eat, drink and be merry because money is the answer to everything” – that’s the way of the world. Yet, “Don’t revile the king” – you are going to have to live in the world, the way the world works. But you need to live uprightly amid that.

Cross Reference: Romans 13

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

I heard it said, “You should be known for what you are for.” When you look at suffering or problems or leadership in the world, yes we want to judge wisely, but we also want to ask the question, “How then should I live?” and “What does wise look like here?”

Wrapping Up the Book

As we wrap up Ecclesiastes, let’s head to the conclusion of the book - Chapter 12

(v 13): Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the duty of all mankind.

Applying the Book of Ecclesiastes to Our Lives:

Fear God. Live with a reverent sense of who God is. Worship him in his holiness.
Keep His Commandments. When you don’t know what to do, go find a commandment of God and work on living it out.

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

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Sadness, Conflict and True Righteousness: A Bible Study on Ecclesiastes 7 Feb 27, 2023

Show notes

You and I were made for righteousness. But sin entered in and created brokenness beyond repair, and it has caused us to seek out many different schemes to make ourselves feel okay.

Today, we return to what we are focusing on throughout the book: How do we make sense of a dark and broken, and complicated world in light of God’s promises and goodness?

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

The preacher addresses three different concepts in Ecclesiastes 7:

First - The Role of Sadness in Our Lives (7:2-5)

What really brings wisdom? What helps us grow as people? The reality is, pleasure and good times don’t grow us. None of us like hard times, but we grow in those times. So allow the hard things to teach you to number your days. It will move you toward a greater purpose. The things that move and break our hearts are sometimes the places where God calls us to be activated.

Second - Conflict and the Reality of People (7:8-9; 21-22)

How do we live well in relationship with people? Set an intention for what you want to have come out of conflict (being patient is better than pride). We get so caught up in being right, heard, or getting our way. If we take lightly what people say about us, we acknowledge that everyone (including ourselves) is broken, hurting people.

Are you focused on getting to the resolution of the conflict, or are you focused on being right?
Are you easily angered and provoked?
How is your patience – are you showing up with a spirit of listening?
How are you doing with forgiving – are you able to let go of small slights?

Third: True Righteousness (7:27-29)

This is challenging scripture. He’s laying out an axiom – an accepted truth – that there is no one on earth who is righteous. This is one of the mega themes of the Bible.

Why is it written out like this? Perhaps to draw out this idea of the rarity of righteousness. It might be a literary technique to gather up a statement of wisdom. But there is nowhere in scripture where it says that women are morally inferior to men. What it does say is that all humanity is broken beyond repair: “none are righteous.”

The preacher is preaching the gospel!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Allow the hard things to teach you to number your days.
Engaging in the reality about yourself and others is true humility and the beginning of wisdom.
The message of the gospel rings through scripture, and Jesus is our answer.

Additional Scripture to Meditate on This Week: Romans 5

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:

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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Superpower of Contentment: A Bible Study on Ecclesiastes 5 Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever struggled with being content? Have you ever had that little thought in your mind, “if only I had more, if I only had that thing, then I would be at peace.” Today, we’re talking about the superpower of contentment for your lives. This ancient Scripture is incredibly relevant for our age, as we wrestle with our own contentment and the American Dream culture in which we live.

Truly, our whole lives are absolutely bombarded with the message that there is just one more thing around the corner. That if you experience contentment, you will get peace and experience contentment. But is that true? Let’s examine this in light of what the teacher of Ecclesiastes tells us about contentment.

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

Ecclesiastes 5 -

“Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.”

The teacher is saying, “If you love money, you’re never going to have enough of it.” Money is a tool that has a lot of power to corrupt us. One of the ways it corrupts us is in our belief that we can buy our contentment and fulfillment.

“As goods increase, so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?

The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.”

It might seem like it would be better to have more money, but in reality, there’s something about a simple life that makes it easier to rest in the world.

“Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.”

The secret of contentment according to these verses:

The ability to enjoy what we have
The ability to accept our lot in life
The ability to be happy in our toil (work)

It’s all in our mindset and attitude. Our ability to be satisfied with the life we have is the secret of contentment.

How then can I be content?

Philippians 4:11-13:

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Contentment is in this: When our identity is squarely with Christ. When our understanding of life is based on what Christ has said makes a good life. When we open our eyes and say, “I am happy because I get to worship God. I am happy with what he has given me and where he has settled me, I am happy with the work I have today.” When we do this, we’re humbly placing ourselves before God, aligning our hearts and lives with his plan for us.

1 Timothy 6:6 -
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

What Does This Mean for Me?

Examine your relationship with money. Have you held onto it too tightly? Has money made you happy? Do you need to redefine money and your relationship with it?
Am I living with contentment? Am I entering this day thanking God, satisfied with where he has placed me? If the answer is no, one next step is confession – “God, I know I’m not settled, I know I don’t bring contentment to my world and life – will you help me grow in that area?”

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:

Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Planning Life in Light of Eternity (A Bible Study on Ecclesiastes 3:1-9) Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

Ecclesiastes is a book designed to provoke emotion and get us thinking. The preacher – probably Solomon – wrote this to make sense of a good God in a broken and dark world. In this section, he ponders what it means to number our days wisely.

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

Bible Reading Tip: When we read the bible, we should look for the tone and emotion of the author, as well as the words and structure. In wisdom literature, like Ecclesiastes, we need to see the poetic, literary form that the wisdom is held in.

Part 1: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - Understanding Time

Turn, turn, turn by The Byrds - they took these words from Ecclesiastes and made it into a hit song and anthem of a volatile age (1965).

Our time is short, full of ups and downs, full of work, and also time to rest. There are times when things are falling apart, and when things are coming together.

Application:

What would it look like to open your hands and heart and say, “I want to live fully in the day I have”?

What season are you in? Is there room for both sides of what is presented here? Joy, and also grief? Work, but also rest? Tearing down, but also building up? We want to avoid lopsided living.

Pray to understand what season your loved ones are in as well. Ask God to give you discernment to see and understand where loved ones are, and give them grace and compassion for the place they are in.

Part 2: Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 – Our Experience of Time, God’s Experience of Time

“What do workers gain from their toil?” [cf: Genesis 1-3] – we’re trying to figure out work, with knowledge of good and evil, in a way that we can’t fully comprehend. But God knows the whole story.

God knows all and is above and beyond time, and therefore is the one we can trust. Rightly numbering our days and seasons leads to a content and peaceful human life.

Application:

Allow seasons to come. Trust that our God is good and sovereign. He knows what is happening in your life and therefore, you can trust him. We have to come to a settled acceptance that there are things God sees and knows that we ourselves will never understand.

We want to control things. But we must cede control. This is how we find freedom. Cf: Psalm 90:12: Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

God, who knows all and is beyond time, is the one we can trust. Rightly numbering our days and seasons leads to a content and peaceful human life.

“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.”

What time are you in? What would it look like to live rightly just today? And then trust the rest of your days to the Lord who loves you, knows you, and who already sees how everything is playing out.

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:

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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

All Is Vanity: A Bible Study on Ecclesiastes 1-2 Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

Ecclesiastes is a complicated book. It’s meant to be provocative. It’s meant to be emotional, to create emotion in you. It’s meant to raise questions.

Ecclesiastes means assembly. Most people think it’s written by Solomon. You can think of it as a preacher’s manifesto. The opening line is “vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

Vanity of vanities is repeated 38 times in this book! The meaning of which becomes clearer as we go along. The literal meaning is’ vapor.’ Something that dissipates.

It’s okay if you can’t immediately interpret everything in Ecclesiastes. Right now, we want to hear it, Step back and read a larger portion, and see what the larger theme is. The theme of Ecclesiastes might be, ‘what is the good life?’ What is man meant to get out of the world, in his vapor of time on it?

You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

Section 1: Finding Life in Wisdom

What does man gain?

This is the journey of the book. How do we make sense of a dark and broken and complicated world considering God’s promises and goodness?

What is it like to wrestle with the concept that life does not always improve? What do we do when righteousness doesn’t lead to blessing and goodness? All the frameworks we use to make sense of the world are being inspected and attacked here.

“Vanity of Wisdom”

v 18 – in much wisdom is much vexation, he who increases wisdom, increases sorrow.

The preacher is willing to address the flip side of wisdom. Solomon asked for wisdom, sought it out, gained it – and he admits, it’s a mixed bag. As you grow in wisdom, you can grow in sorrow. “Vexation” – sad and angry. We might call this an existential crisis – the more you know about the world, instead of finding hope, you find sorrow.

Everything can be hard. There’s a plus and a minus to everything in life, even wisdom.

Section 2: Finding Life in Self-Indulgence

The preacher tried wisdom, it led to sorrow, so he turns to pleasure to see what it can offer him. He found this was all also vanity.

2:4: “I made great works” – he became great through his work. This shows we can do good things with the wrong motive too, if we are trying to find life in them. If you want these things to hold the weight of your life, you will be greatly disappointed.

“There was nothing to be gained under the sun.” What emotions come up when you hear this? What do you wrestle with? What’s your response?

Takeaway Lesson: 2:12-13

After considering the vanity of wisdom and the vanity of self-indulgence, he decides both are a mixed bag, but still, it’s better to be wise than foolish. “There is more gain in light than darkness.”

The pastor is refreshingly honest about it all. When we move toward the light, it doesn’t take away everything hard, but it’s still way better than being in the dark.

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:

Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Why ‘Crucifying Self’ Is Key to the Good Life (A Bible Study on Galatians 6:14) Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

Today we’re exploring the highest call we have in following Jesus: what it means to crucify the self. Why does the call to Christ have to seem so wholesale, so violent, so destructive to ourselves? Why does following Christ have to feel like a death? How do we reconcile being made in the image of God with this sense that we are worthless?

Let’s explore all of that together today. You can find the full show notes at https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

Secrets of the Good Life Series:

Week 1: The First Secret of the Good Life: Consider God
Week 2: Confess and Receive: The Second Secret of the Good Life (Psalm 51)
Week 3: How to Fight Fear: The Third Secret of the Good Life

Week 4: Joy Is Not a Feeling You Wait For; It’s a Choice You Make (Philippians 4:4-7)

Galatians 6:14

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

What questions does it generate in me? If you try to re-write this in your own words, what do you come up with? What is Paul trying to get us to see and understand in this analogy?

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Is this a train of thought or a point of teaching that we find repeated in Scripture?

Cross references: 1 Corinthians 2:2; Philippians 3, Romans 6:6

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Let’s put these cross-references together to get a clearer picture of what Paul is talking about:

1 Corinthians 2:2-5: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified… so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

There are two systems at work in the world: human wisdom and human strength, and then there is this whole other system: God’s power

Philippians 3:3-9

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence…But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

According to the system of the world, Paul had everything. But after Christ, everything worldly is considered garbage. Not only are there two systems in the world, but having operated in both, he finds system of Christ so good that everything else seems like a loss.

Romans 6:6-7

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

When we die to the way of the world, we are no longer slaves to the things the world demands. You don’t have to be or earn or prove anything. How do we enter this completely different system through the cross of Jesus Christ?

This is where the sacrament of communion comes in. “His body was broken so that we can have access to God through him.” But there is a cost to us. We don’t just enter this new system without a cost – and the cost is that we crucify the self.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

To crucify self is to let go of an entire system of action and being and feeling, and to enter into an entirely different system. This system is so glorious, so freeing and so powerful, that you will look back on your old self and think, “I can’t believe I used to operate that way. I operated in bondage to what people thought of me, to achievement, to unforgiveness and bitterness and anger.”

When we crucify that old self, we crucify these things in the old system. When we sacrifice that system of living, we find there is only freedom on the other side.

Romans 12:2
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Joy Is Not a Feeling You Wait For; It’s a Choice You Make (A Bible Study on Philippians 4:4-7) Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

Your life is meant to change when you begin to follow Jesus. But for so many of us, that doesn’t happen. Why the disconnect? This series is all about unlocking the good life in Christ, and what it really means to be changed by him.

Secrets of the Good Life Series:

This week (week 4), we’re looking at what it means to really choose joy.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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.

If you want to know how to start your day out with God, here it is!

“Always” – rejoicing is not limited to when everything is going well in our lives. Joy is not a feeling you have but a choice you make.

“Gentleness” – the fruit of our time with God is a gentle spirit, our gentleness should be evident to other people.

“Every situation” – nothing is too small

“The peace of God… will guard your heart” – his peace will keep you from spiraling into anxiety, or stop you from trying to control everything

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Pastoral letters like Philippians give us a view of what’s happening in the church as more people believe and as Christianity is spreading.

Pastoral letters set a direction for us. We do not need to be confused about who we are meant to become – the Word shows us.

If you’re feeling down, or anxious, this is a great letter for you. The theme of joy echoes throughout Philippians, where Paul is making it clear that joy is based on trusting the sovereignty of God and is always available.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

What does it mean to choose joy? It is about rejoicing not in the circumstances but in who God is within the circumstances.

Principle for the week: Joy comes from unshakable promises.

Psalm 16:8: I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

We must separate happiness and joy. Joy comes from things that can never be taken away.

Joy is a practice.

Make a list! Who does God want you to become? From these verses, we would say “always rejoicing” and “gentle” – is that the intention of your lives? Year after year, are you growing in these things?

Make another list – what promises of God can you rejoice in each day? What attributes of God can you rejoice in today?

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How to Fight Fear: The Third Secret of the Good Life Jan 16, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever wondered how your fear overlaps with other people’s fears? I think we’d find we are far more fearful that we realize.

There is healthy fear, and unhealthy fear. One of the roles of Christianity is a new way to understand what fear is and how God helps us be confident even in the most trying circumstances. Today, we’re going to look at what God has given us to fight the fear in our lives.

In a 2022 survey of Americans, almost 9 out of 10 reported daily anxiety about inflation, with over 60% reporting daily anxiety over everything from health to relationships to global events.

Our recent history as a culture is full of trials that tempt us toward fear, whether it presents itself as a low rumble of worry always operating in the background of our mind, or a crippling anxiety that controls our every decision. When it comes to fear, the Bible has good news and bad news for us. First, the bad news: fear is as present a reality today as it was when the Bible was written, and there is no promise that circumstances will improve in a way that would give us reason not to fear.

But the good news? What God promises us is not deliverance from fearful circumstances, but deliverance from a fearful heart. In Genesis 50, Joseph’s first words for his brothers were “do not be afraid.” The good news Joseph gave to his brothers pales in comparison to the good news we find in Jesus, who repeatedly affirms that we do not need to be afraid. In Christ, we can live in uncertainty and still have peace.

(For the 19-30% of Americans with an anxiety disorder, simply “trusting God” is not the answer to a complicated illness. If your anxiety interferes with your ability to lead a normal life, there are treatments that can help alongside of your spiritual practices).

The secret of the good life is NOT that suffering won’t happen, but that we can be different people, people without fear, because of Christ.

Verses This Week:

John 14: 26-27: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Hebrews 13:5-7: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me?”Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

Practical Steps to Fight Fear:

Watch out for what clutters your life. What we fear is often what we think we need to live in peace. Good things become ultimate things, Tim Keller says. When these good things become idols, we fear losing them so much we create anxiety around them.
Practice contentment. This is like changing the channel in your brain and choosing to focus on what God has given you and his promises to you.
Look for role models. Being in local community is so important for this reason. You need real, in the flesh human beings, who are role models for what it looks like to live out the Christian life.
Remember: healthy fear is an instructor; unhealthy fear is a taskmaster.

RESOURCES:

Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!

Ask Nicole a Bible study question: nicole@nicoleunice.com

FOLLOW NICOLE:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.