The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#1,207: God's Comfort When we Mourn Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

All through the Scripture, we see that our God is a God of comfort! The comfort of God is available to us when we are experiencing different kinds of loss and grief.

Main Points:

1. It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to mourn. God created us with the ability to express these emotions. I’ve ministered to Christians who felt they weren’t supposed to mourn or that if they were grieving they were failing God. It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to weep. God wants you to experience his comfort during your time of mourning.

2. I have found that God draws especially close to me in the tough times of life. When my heart is breaking, I find God’s presence near me.

3. If you are mourning, if you are grieving, lean into Jesus. Press into him through prayer and worship. Meditate on the Word of God. Reach out to a friend who can join you in your mourning. At this moment, I believe you’ll experience the blessing of God’s comfort.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 5:4 - “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Psalm 23:4 - “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 119:50 - “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”

Psalm 34:18 - “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

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#1,206: Do our Motives Matter? Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

We discover that God cares about the heart. God wants us to love Him, value Him, and esteem Him above all things. When we serve the Lord out of sincere hearts, wanting to please Him, and wanting to give Him the glory, he rewards us only a loving Heavenly Father can.

Main Points:

1. In Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount he speaks to the heart of what we do for God, not just what we do for God. We learn that it’s not just the act of serving God that pleases the Lord, but our motives matter to Him as well.

2. I believe this is one of the things that distinguishes Christianity from every other world religion. You see every world religion is about what you do. It’s about your work. Salvation is earned by your diligence to hard work and keeping rules.

3. In Christianity, it’s not that Jesus doesn’t care what we do, but he is more interested in those intentions that are hidden from human eyes. He’s after our hearts.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 6:1 - “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16 - “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Psalm 26:2 - “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”

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#1,205: The Goal is to Be Like Jesus Mar 25, 2025

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We are being transformed, not just improved, not just reformed. The scripture says we are being transformed. We are being made new. We are being transformed into his image. In lifestyle and character, we are to be in the image of Jesus. This is why Ephesians 5:1 says we are to “imitate God in everything we do because we are his dear children.”

Main Points:

1. Without realizing it, every day, we who believe in Jesus are leaving an impression of Him on others. Not with brushes and paint, but with attitudes, actions, and relationships.

2. All of us are being transformed. We are not yet complete. We are not like Jesus in every area of our lives. We are in process. We are not who we used to be and we are not yet who we are going to be.

3. If we want to be like Jesus, we must spend time with Him. How else can we discover what He is like? In what other way could we learn his character? There is no other way.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ephesians 5:1-2 - “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 - “We all . . . are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

John 15:4 - “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

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#1,204: The Story Your Life Will Tell Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

You can outlive your life. Today you are writing the chapters that will be told of you, long after you are gone. There will be a service for you one day, in which eulogies, memories, and stories will be told. The life you live today determines what story lives on.

Main Points:

1. Over the years I have met a lot of Christians who started well. You could say they’re on fire for God. They love God. They want to learn, they want to grow, and they want to be used by God. But somewhere along the line as years go by they get distracted or they get sidelined or they get tripped up by somebody else. Some people do not finish life well, the way God intended for them to.

2. I have one story I want told. If there is anything of my life that remains, I want it to be that Loren Hicks was faithful. He was faithful to his God, he was faithful to his family, he was faithful to his friends, and he was faithful to his calling. I started well, but I want to finish well.

3. I want to stand before Jesus Christ one day and hear him say, “You did it! You did a good job! Well done good and faithful servant.” I don’t want to just start well, and just to grow a little bit spiritually. I want you to hear God say, “Good job! Well done! You finished the race that I put you on earth to do.”

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Deuteronomy 34:10-12 - “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”
Hebrews 11:24-26 - “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

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#1,203: Are You Prepared For Your Next Season? Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

Are you preparing for your next season? I believe God has a preferred future for your life. He’s not finished with you and wants to use your life for His purpose. Too many people have settled with a belief they have reached their potential or that there’s nothing more God wants to do through their lives.

Main Points:
1. Let me encourage you with this truth: Everyone has a next step to take. No matter how long you have served Christ, He still has a next step for you. It might be a step of faith or a step of obedience but know that you have another step to take.

2. We must prepare ourselves today for what God has for us tomorrow. We can’t wait until opportunities arrive to get prepared. We must prepare now. God may withhold opportunities because we are simply not ready.

3. In a spiritual sense, God has a new season for you. His work in our lives is never static. By His Holy Spirit, God is always moving us forward. We must prepare today for what God wants to do in our lives tomorrow.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Joshua 3:5 - “Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."

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#1,202: Revenge Is Not An Option Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever felt the temptation to take revenge? Your work colleague takes the credit for a project you have worked so hard on. Your so-called friend betrays your confidence and spreads lies about you. Your spouse has been unfaithful. Someone has attacked you, mistreated you, ignored you, or socially rejected you.

Main Points:
1. Revenge is the desire or urge to get even with somebody. To punish or cause harm as an act of retaliation.

2. The idea of revenge is only an illusion. You can never “get even” with anyone. It is impossible to balance the scales of hurt. The only possible way to come out on top is to respond to hurt with a godly attitude and trust that God will settle the account.

3. The people of God do not retaliate. The people of God do not seek vengeance. We do not take revenge into our own hands.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 5:44 – “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Romans 12:19-21 - “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

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#1,201: Bold Christians Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

What does it mean to be bold? The dictionary defines the word bold as “a characteristic of confidence and courage.” I believe God is calling for you and me to live our faith out loud with confidence and courage. How else will the world around us know the difference Jesus has made in our lives?

Main Points:
1. Pastor and Author Craig Groeschel wrote, “Sometimes we function as ‘Christian Atheists.’ We believe in God, we just live as though he does not exist.”

2. We’ve been told by our culture that faith is a private matter, it’s inappropriate and rude to share it with anyone else. This, of course, is Satan’s strategy to intimidate believers into silence and ineffectiveness for Christ. If our enemy can cause us to be afraid of what others will think of us, we’ll keep our voices quiet and our influence will be minimized.

3. We cannot be ashamed, timid, or afraid. The gospel is the “good news” of Jesus Christ. God intends for us to live out our faith in a public way. We can do this in kind, gentle, and respectful ways and still have a bold testimony for Christ.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 28:1 - “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Romans 1:16 - “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”

Luke 9:26 - “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

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#1,200: The Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

The question Jesus asks in Matthew 5:6 is….”Do we possess a craving hunger and thirst for God’s righteous life? The promise? “If we do, we will be filled.”

Main Points:
1. Because of our lack of hunger, it may be difficult for us to understand this particular beatitude. We rarely hunger and thirst after anything, so we miss the urgency of these words.

2. If you and I want righteousness, we can have it. If you want a closer relationship with God, you can have it. Jesus provides the way. If you want to do God’s will, you can. If you want to grow spiritually, you can. You have to hunger for it.

3. How do we maintain a hunger for the righteousness of God? We make knowing God our number one goal in life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 5:6 - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

James 4:8 - “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Psalm 107:9 - “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

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#1,199: God's Grace is Still Amazing Mar 17, 2025

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Grace is God's undeserved kindness. The doctrine of grace is that God treats us better than we deserve to be treated. Grace is "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.” Grace comes from the Greek Word “charis” literally meaning “gift, kindness, generosity.”

Main Points:
1. God’s Word teaches us that we are all sinners. We are all in need of God’s grace. Jesus came, and by his death on the cross, paid the penalty for our sins. Salvation doesn’t happen automatically because God is good. Because God is good, there is now a path to salvation, but it must be received. We receive grace by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone.

2. Eternal life is not a reward for good people; it’s God’s gift to forgiven people. When Jesus died on the cross he was lifted up to carry the sins of the world. Your sin and mine. His death satisfied sin’s requirements. Whatever you think you owe God, Jesus paid it.

3. To receive God’s amazing grace, we must recognize we are lost. We must agree with God that we are sinners in need of His salvation. This is where we offer God our confession and repentance. Through faith, we believe in Jesus, and by grace we are saved. It’s only here that those who are lost are found. Those who are blind now can see. God’s grace is truly amazing.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Romans 5:20 - “… But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

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#1,198: Bringing Comfort to Others Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

As we have journeyed through life, you and I have experienced the comfort God can give. We know what it is like to feel his presence. We know the comfort God can give to a weary soul. The Bible also teaches us that we should use the comfort God has given us, and comfort others.

Main Points:
1. As we study the scripture, we begin to realize God wants to use us as His agents of comfort to others. Since we have experience in facing life’s challenges but have also received God’s comfort, we should be ready, willing, and available to express this comfort to others.

2. One of my convictions is that in the body of Christ, no one should struggle alone. We are to be there for one another. Sometimes comfort is not found in the words we say. Have ever thought, “I don’t even know what to say?” Comfort is often not received in our words, but more so by our presence. I call this the ministry of presence. It’s a ministry to just sit and be with those who are suffering or grieving. The simple act of holding someone’s hand, a hug, and a prayer for God’s peace can comfort a heart that is hurting.

3. We bring comfort by sharing how God has sustained us through our hard times. Remind them of God’s presence. Encourage them to know God will never leave them or forsake them. Comfort them with the comfort you have received from God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 34:18 - “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

Romans 12:15 - “…mourn with those who mourn.”

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