The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#774: A God of Abundance Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

God’s power is immeasurable. You can’t calculate or quantify the power of God. It is beyond what we can see, know, and understand. God’s power is without limit. When we pray, God can do more than we ask or imagine.

Main Points:
1. Most of us, in our moments of despair, have cried out to Lord and asked, “God, can you meet my needs? Are you able to provide what I need?” Theologically, we know God can do anything. We know He has all power. We understand He is the creator of all things, yet, when our back is up against the wall, we question whether God can and will meet our needs. But as we read His Word, we learn of His power, His might, and His ability. In reality, the question is not “What can God do? But what can God not do?”
2. There is no lack with God. God never runs out of resources. He is never in short supply of whatever we need. He is a God of abundance.
3. Speak truth to your own soul. Stand upon the never-changing Word of God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ephesians 3:20 - “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”

Jeremiah 32:17 - “Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

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#773: How to Comfort Others Feb 02, 2023

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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#772: Modern Day Idols Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

God’s desire is that we love Him above all else. We are to love Him with all of our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds, and all of our strength. Only God can satisfy the deepest longings of our souls. Everything else we would turn to is an idol, something we run to instead of God. Yet, every time the idol leaves us empty. It produces regret, shame, and even fear.

Main Points:
1. We seek God first in our lives because He alone is worthy. We love Him above all things because He is Lord of all, and because He has loved us with an incomparable love. We refuse to have idols in our lives because none of them compare to God and what He can do for us.
2. An idol can be a person or a relationship. An idol can be our work, our talents, or our career goals. An idol can be food or other substances we consume. An idol can be something we use to fill our time such as tv, movies, and social media. As we see, idolatry really could be anything we turn to instead of God.
3. Idols are fake imitations of God. Let’s search our hearts, ask for God’s forgiveness, and relinquish any idols we may have worshipped. Let’s give our allegiance to the one true God and remove modern-day idols.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Exodus 20:3 - “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Proverbs 4:23 - “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Ezekiel 14:3 - “These men have set up idols in their hearts”
Ezekiel 14:6 - “Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!”

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#771: The Prayer Jesus Prayed for You Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Remember, this unity is only found in Christ. Unity is the oneness or harmony of believers in Jesus Christ. It is our relationship with Christ that unites us with each other. We are united in essential doctrine, mission and purpose, and love for one another.

Main Points:
1. Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples. He knew if they would work together in unity, a unity that comes from the love of Christ, they would be effective in their mission. But if they allow division to come into their midst, if they began to fracture their relationships, they would be ineffective.
2. Though we are different in many ways, Jesus calls us together in unity of purpose and mission. We love one another and live in harmony with each other. In a broken and divided world, this unity will be so compelling and so contagious that the world around us will see that Jesus is the source of our unity.
3. How do we maintain this kind of unity? Each of us must search our hearts and ask sincere questions. How can I support the purpose and mission of God’s church? What small differences should I let go of? Which personal preferences should I relinquish in light of God’s greater plan for His church? How can I show more love to my brothers and sisters in Christ?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 17:20-21 - “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)

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#770: Confession is Good for the Soul Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Confession brings God’s forgiveness, healing, and freedom. Confession empties our souls of the burden of sin we have been carrying. What was in the dark has now been brought to the light. Our heavy load of sin has been lifted. We can now live in the freedom of God’s grace.

Main Points:
1. Today, we don’t hear much about the importance of confession and repentance of sins. We are taught to place our faith in Jesus and to accept him into our lives, but there is little teaching on repentance.
2. When we truly recognize that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and mercy, there is sorrow that fills our hearts. We experience this heaviness because we now understand we have sinned against God.
3. This sorrow leads us to be willing to not only believe in Jesus as our savior, but also to confess our sins to God, and offer our repentance.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Proverbs 28:13 - “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
2 Corinthians 7:10 - “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…”

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#769: The Love of the Father Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

What an amazing truth this is! Our Heavenly Father has lavished his love on us. The word “lavished” refers to something generous or extravagant. God has been extremely generous in His love for us. So much so that He has adopted us into His family and He now calls us His children. We are the children of God.

Main Points:
1. Because of our past sins, failures, and mistakes, we may feel as if we are unloveable and unworthy of God’s love. In and of ourselves, we are unworthy of his love. We can’t earn, merit, or ever deserve the love of God. You might even think, “Why would God love someone like me.”
2. Here is the good news: Jesus makes us worthy. It is Jesus who gives us access to the Father’s love. In fact, there is no other way. Jesus opens the door to a relationship with the Father. It is here that we become the children of God.
3. Let this truth fill your heart and mind today: You are loved deeply by your Heavenly Father.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 John 3:1 - “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

John 1:12 - “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

1 John 4:19 - “We love because He first loved us.”

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#768: Closed Doors and Open Doors Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

When we surrender our lives to the lordship and leadership of Jesus, in His sovereignty, he will open doors of opportunity. Sometimes He will close doors. Surely, you have seen both in your life. In both cases, the issue is the surrender of our will to God. Will we let the Lord direct our steps?

Main Points:
1. When it comes to allowing God to guide our lives, the struggle is often the surrender of our own will. When God opens a door will you, by faith, walk through it? When God closes a door, will you recognize it as one of the ways God protects and guides us?
2. We celebrate open doors. They are exciting. We praise God for making a way and leading us forward. While closed doors don’t seem quite as exciting, we should thank God for them because they are one of the ways he protects us and directs our steps.
3. Let’s allow the God who sees and knows all things to take us where we need to go. When a door needs to be opened, God can open it. When a door needs to be closed, He can certainly do that as well. Let’s trust His plan for our lives.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Revelation 3:7-8 - “What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”
1 Corinthians 16:9 - “For a wide door for effective work has opened to me…”
Colossians 4:3 - “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word…”

Acts 16:6-7 - “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”

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#767: Developing a Godly Perspective Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Why is it important to have a biblical or godly perspective? Our perspective should be the same as the God we serve. We want to see and interpret things the way God does. This will only happen as we make the Bible the lens through which we see the world. You’ll never see things the way God does until you see things through the lens of scripture.

Main Points:
1. It’s common to hear people, in a moment of disagreement say, “I don’t see it that way.” As Christ-followers, we need to ask the question, “How does God see it?” We then reframe our perspective to match how God sees things.
2. Our perspective matters because it influences our beliefs, values, our lifestyle, our mindset, and our attitude.
3. Determine that the Bible will be the lens through which you see and interpret the World. As you do, you’ll begin to see things the way God does.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 - “ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

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#766: The Conditional Blessings of God Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

There are many times the Bible informs us of conditional blessings. These are places in Scripture where God says, “If you will, then I will.” We need to pay attention to the conditional blessings listed in Scripture because there are quite a few of them.

Main Points:
1. Sometimes, as a Father I bless my children simply because I love them. I do things for them, I surprise them, and I’m generous with them for no reason at all but that it gives me joy. I’m confident God does this too.
2. We should also pay attention to the conditional blessings of God. Be watching for where the Word of God says, “If you will, them I will.”
3. Meditate on this truth today: The obedient life is a blessed life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 16:20 - “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 - “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.”
Psalm 1:1-3 - “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

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#765: Which Voices are you Listening to? Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Which voices are you listening to? As Christians, we have to guard our hearts. We cannot listen to just any voice. We can’t give all voices the same credence and acceptance. We must decipher through the voices to determine what is true, what is right, and what is godly. All other voices must be rejected.

Main Points:
1. The Word of God is our filter. If the Scripture is the final authority for faith, belief, and practice, it must become the lens by which we see and interpret the world.
2. The enemy of our soul will bombard us with words of fear, discouragement, and despair. We’ll be provided with counsel and guidance that can lead us astray. He will lie to us and tell us God is not good and that He is not faithful. He’ll use the words of others to distract us and keep us so preoccupied with busyness that we cannot hear the voice of God. Our adversary will bring people into our lives that will offer deception and cause us to deviate from the truth we know.
3. You and I cannot listen to every voice. We must be discerning. We must choose to listen to Godly voices and shut every other voice out. The Word of God must be our gauge by which we determine the validity and the acceptance of each voice.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 10:11 - “The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.”

Proverbs 10: 20-21 - “The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless.” The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense."

Proverbs 10:31- 32 - “The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice, but the tongue that deceives will be cut off. The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.”

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