How to Study the Bible

1 年前

（基於 PinQueue 指標）

We want to experience God through the Bible… we really do!

But our good intentions fall flat when reading the Bible just doesn’t seem to help us experience God in a real way. What should feel dynamic and important and alive often feels confusing and boring and irrelevant. But it doesn’t have to.

In this podcast, pastor and Bible teacher Nicole Unice brings life back to reading the Bible by walking listeners through her Alive Method of Bible study, helping us personally encounter God through his Word by giving us a practical, clear road map for understanding, interpreting and applying Scripture to our lives.

https://www.spreaker.com/show/how-to-study-the-bible_5

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 - Planning Life in Light of Eternity

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:

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/ecclesiastes-3-1-9-planning-life-in-light-of-etern

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 10:55:59 +0000

All Is Vanity: Ecclesiastes 1-2

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
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/all-is-vanity-ecclesiastes-1-2

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:01:02 +0000

Why ‘Crucifying Self’ Is Key to the Good Life (Galatians 6:14)

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
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/why-crucifying-self-is-key-to-the-good-life-galati

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 11:07:08 +0000

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

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:

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

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/joy-is-not-a-feeling-you-wait-for-it-s-a-choice-yo

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:09:51 +0000

How to Fight Fear: The Third Secret of the Good Life

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/how-to-fight-fear-the-third-secret-of-the-good-lif

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 11:46:22 +0000

Confess and Receive: The Second Secret of the Good Life (Psalm 51)

Today, we’re going to be working through Psalm 51, and we’re going to work through it as a devotional using the Alive Method. I encourage you to get out your bible and journal as you listen.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Notice what you notice. Write down what stands out to you – that is God speaking to you through his Word. That alone is a beginning of a conversation with the Spirit.

In Psalm 51:

David acknowledges specific sin

He longs for restoration, asking for it (“grant me a willing spirit”)

A willingness to talk about your sin to testify to the grace of God

WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY?

This is the psalm David wrote after his sin with Bathsheba (listen to our episode on this story).

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

We cannot move into a place of joy and peace if we have unconfessed sin or thought patterns that do not align with the glory of God and the truth of his Word and promises to us.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

1. Do you have a practice of regular confession? If you feel blocked or dull in your study of God’s Word, consider what you need to confess to God. What places do you live in fear, anxiety, self-pity, or self-hatred? Are you able to say, “This thought pattern in me, does not represent the glory of God.” (If you have a clinical thought pattern problem, you might need outside therapies! Or you may not have a clinical crisis but still carry stuck thought patterns).

2. After confession, we draw on God’s righteousness: A huge part of our faith is understanding that we throw ourselves onto the goodness of God, that we claim his character and his actions as the way we live and move (completely counter-cultural to the messages of today). I don’t have to claim to be righteous, I’m drawing on God’s righteousness. I need to own up to my mistakes and faulty and self-focused thinking.

Two verses to memorize:

Psalm 71:2: In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me.

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

3. The more we consider, confess, and spend time with Jesus, the more we love what we love and detest what he detests: As we hang out more with Jesus, we want to be more like Jesus. As we look at ourselves clearly and objectively, we are going to discover that we don’t like the ways of wickedness, bit by bit. Sure, we keep failing and falling, but our desires begin to be for what God desires. It’s hard to spend time with the creator of the universe and keep claiming that we oversee our reality and our view of the world IF we are willing to confess and receive.

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/confess-and-receive-the-second-secret-of-the-good

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 11:21:46 +0000

The First Secret of the Good Life: Consider God

At the start of the year, I like to get back to the basics. What does the good life look like, according to Jesus? We have an opportunity to be a winsome follower of Jesus. If people were to see that hope in me and ask me about it, what would I say? How would I describe what the good news of Jesus is and the true, full life he offers us?

The spiritual questions of this generation are centered on personal and societal pains, and how to choose joy, purpose and selflessness for the good of others. In this series, we’ll tackle these ideas and show how Jesus gives us the answers to our pressing questions about ourselves and the world.

The first secret to a good life in our faith is to cultivate the posture of considering. To consider means a thoughtful engagement. It requires us to focus and pay attention. Psalm 8 – “When I consider the work of your hands.” We need to create space to be intentional about thinking.

Most of us don’t make space to intentionally think, because when we do, it brings up negative feelings – anxiety, un-dealt with emotions, and places where we feel grief or loss or out of control.

But when we disconnect from bad feelings, we disconnect from the good feelings of joy, hope, and love. To feel the fullness of joy, we also have to engage with the things that are difficult. Considering, then, is the first step to a more joyful life.

What might this look like in our lives? Well, first, it might look like a 5-10 minute quiet walk or spending time to explore something outside of yourself and away from technological distractions.

What our culture tends to do is look inside ourselves to find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. This “Gospel according to Oprah” sounds so good but it doesn’t work.

John 4:24 tells us a better way. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” This is objective truth. Do you believe this?

Your Practice For This Week: Consider – Who Is God?

1. Read how God reveals himself in creation: Job 38

2. Then, consider how God reveals himself through creation AND through his care for mankind: Isaiah 40:25-31

3. Finally, read Psalm 8:1-4, and consider how God reveals himself, is mindful of us, AND has provided dominion, glory, and honor to us.

What does it mean for me?

When I feel unsure about where I stand in the world or how to make my way through it, I need to practice God-centered mindfulness we are called to; not to reflect on our own problems but to consider the glory of God and then place ourselves within his glory.

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/the-first-secret-of-the-good-life-consider-god

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Mary: Surprised By Joy

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Luke 1

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

What do we know about Mary:

-she knew some scripture
-she was faithful
-she was among the believers [not venerated, but in community]

Acts 1:14

14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

Mary had no qualifications for being chosen.

This beginning also mirrors our beginning when it comes to receiving the good news.

All of the good news is contained here:

You who are highly favored.

In the context of the world, she is not highly favored. When we think of what makes someone highly favored, we tend to think of the examples we have in the world. But that wasn’t Mary at all.

You have found favor with God.

[favor=charis=grace]

-Not dependent on anything that she (or us) can do.

The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 7:6–8)

What was given through the Israelites is now passed to everyone:

Galatians 3:14

14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

The Lord is with you.

Matthew 1:23

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

You aren’t alone. You aren’t isolated. God knows you.

*Emmanuel

But God with us, as in He comes to live inside us, giving us strength in place of weakness, courage in place of fear, and vibrant life in all those dark places that once felt dead. – Jennifer Slattery

The power of being “with”. When people are hurting, we want to be with them. Waiting in hospital rooms. [Brantley/AJ]

She receives two promises: highly favored, Lord with you. Crazy surprise –

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Basil Pennington: “my self-worth my value depends on what I have, what I can do, and what others think of me”

My false self protects me with:

I am what I do.
I am what I have.
I am what others think of me.

My true self:

I am. (I am worthy)
I am the Lord’s. (I belong)
I am the Lord’s servant. (I have purpose)

Living in our true self is about a radical acceptance of who we are, based on what God has decided.

“Some Christians base their identity on being a sinner. I think they have it wrong—or only half right. You are not simply a sinner; you are a deeply loved sinner.” David Benner

Accepting the incredible surprise of the good news means releasing control.

Receiving the gift of our favor is the ability to open our hands to everything God gives, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word be fulfilled.”

Radical acceptance unlocks the joy of surprise.

surprise-find-shift-change

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

What sets Mary apart is her radical acceptance to God’s invitation, and what defines us as children of God is our radical acceptance to the same invitation.

Radical Acceptance:

God has not given up on me, no matter how I feel.

I do not need to try harder.

My pain and struggle is not wasted.

My false self protects me with:

I am what I do.
I am what I have.
I am what others think of me.

My true self:

I am. (I am worthy)
I am the Lord’s. (I belong)
I am the Lord’s servant. (I have purpose)

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/howtostudythebible-week5-mary-02-19-10-20

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Bathsheba: How to Wait with Joy

Get Your FREE Gift from Nicole!

Nicole has written a free Christmas Eve liturgy for you and your family: https://www.nicoleunice.com/christmas

When you sign up for Nicole’s newsletter, you’ll also be entered to win Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers!

TODAY’S PASSAGE: 1 Kings 1:28-31:

28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So, she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30 I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

- Bathsheba is a key person in David’s kingdom

- Lineage passing

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

- Run down your study notes in 2 Samuel 12
- Trouble in the kingdom, sons ready to kill for the throne
- Backstory of the pain and renewal of David and Bathsheba - a whole new life

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

- So why is Bathsheba mentioned in Matthew 1? (And she’s named Uriah’s wife)
- Advent: as we wait, we can trust in the renewal of all things that is promised through Christ and in Christ’s ultimate return:

Titus 3: 4-6:

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

God’s plan is uncomfortable- if we didn’t know it before with Tamar and Rahab, Ruth are we getting it by now?

Do not count yourself out -- you are not your own judge.

The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/bathsheba-how-to-wait-with-joy

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 11:30:00 +0000

Faith Over Fear: Having The Courage to Process Past Traumas

We live in a broken world filled with broken people. Because of this, everyone experiences some level of trauma. Unfortunately, past trauma experiences can greatly impact our lives, perceptions, and interactions in the present. This special bonus episode (from the podcast Faith Over Fear) sheds a light on this topic and offers valuable resources you can use in your life to gain courage.

To hear more episodes of Faith Over Fear, please check out the links below!

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-over-fear/id1500408829

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5GCj0NnLVrkEqeSraSxJYx

LifeAudio: https://www.lifeaudio.com/faith-over-fear

Nicole will be back on Monday with a brand new episode of How to Study the Bible. Thanks for listening!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/faith-over-fear-having-the-courage-to-process-past

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 10:30:00 +0000

Ruth: God is in the Business of Renewal

**Giveaway! Enter to Win Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers by signing up for Nicole’s newsletter at: https://nicoleunice.com/christmas/

Today’s Passage: Ruth 1:15-18:

15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Ruth makes an incredible declaration of loyalty, commitment, and acceptance of God.

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Ruth is Moabite: why is that significant?

Corners of fields were historically left for the poor to glean.

Themes in the book of Ruth include emptiness/fullness; God’s sovereignty and also human responsibility/courage

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The story of Ruth closes with genealogy: a little micro-story of the goodness to come in Matthew 1. God’s sovereignty is on the move from generation to generation. During hard, evil times, God is at work.

God’s extension of grace to outsiders is a theme throughout the Bible and through the line of Jesus. He is in the business of renewal, moving us from emptiness to fullness.

God rewards faith, tenacity, and audacity – we see this in Ruth.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

What do you need to hear in this story today?

Be encouraged - God’s not done even with your story.

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://omny.fm/shows/how-to-study-the-bible/ruth-god-is-in-the-business-of-renewal

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:15:00 +0000

Rahab: Have Faith in God’s Plan for You (God of Our Mothers, Pt 2)

Get Your FREE Gift From Nicole!

Nicole has written a free Christmas Eve liturgy for you and your family:
https://www.nicoleunice.com/christmas

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

This week, we’re looking at Joshua 2 and Joshua 6

The stories of the God of the Israelites have spread to the cities surrounding them and have gotten to Rahab. She decides to go all-in based on what she has heard about God.
WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

Matthew 1: Genealogies are put in place because the people matter to the story

What stories continue to be told about Rahab? She comes up in Hebrews and in James: “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Faith without deeds is dead. Faith does not exist as just an idea in your mind. It is only faith when it’s put into action.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?
Even if you feel like you have no options, like the doors are closed – you can still be righteous. You can still have faith that God has a plan and a purpose for you, even if it feels like a dark season in your life.

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-the-bible-advent-week-2-rah

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 11:00:02 +0000

Tamar: You Are Not Defined by Your Past (God of Our Mothers, Part 1)

We are kicking off a new Advent series! We are going to be looking at the women in Jesus’ lineage in a ‘God of Our Mothers’ series. In Matthew 1, we get a genealogy of Jesus’ family. Genealogies are put in place because the people matter to the story, and there are several women named in his family line. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look closely at the women in Jesus’ lineage and what they have to teach us about the God who loves us and came to rescue us.

This week, we’re looking at the story of Tamar.

FREE Gift from Nicole!

Nicole has written a free Christmas Eve liturgy for you and your family:
https://www.nicoleunice.com/christmas

*WHAT DOES IT SAY?*

Matthew 1:1-3:

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar…”

Genesis 38 – Who Is Tamar?

1. She is not an Israelite
2. She is unwanted
3. She is mistreated
4. She is seeking justice
5. She is shrewd

(Don’t forget how Judah’s mom came to have him--also veiled and in disguise)

Genesis 38:26 is the turning point in the story. Judah confesses his unrighteousness, and we see that Tamar is brought into his family and one of her twin sons becomes part of the lineage that leads to Jesus (Perez).

*WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY*

After Joseph is sold into slavery, we get this graphic story in Genesis 38. We see the wickedness of Judah as a foil to Joseph’s righteousness. But eventually, we’ll see Judah take a righteous turn. First, though, he marries a Canaanite, and they have three sons. One of these sons marries Tamar.

*WHAT DOES IT MEAN?*

1. God colors outside the lines.
2. We are never defined by our past.
3. God sees the marginalized.

*WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?*

How do we define ourselves? Are we righteous on our own, or sinners on our own? Can we relate to Tamar? If we can relate, we can receive. “I have come for the sick, for the sinners.

Matthew 9:10-12:
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-the-bible-tamar-genesis-38

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 11:26:42 +0000

How to Be “Seasoned with Salt” toward Outsiders (Colossians 4:5-6)

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

This is Paul’s last final instructions for us in this letter. 4 big points:
1. Be wise in your way
2. Make the most of every opportunity
3. Shape our conversation
4. Know how to answer outsiders

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

A. On outsiders and opportunities:

People are being added to the church every day – God is not just the God of the Jewish people but of everyone. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about being saved through grace by faith. Paul is saying, “you have to engage with those outside the faith.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 states “Be careful then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…”

B. On conversation:

1 Peter 3:15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” This verse assumes you are living hopeful. Amid your sufferings, you have a hope that makes people want to ask you, “Why are you the way you are?” Are you living hopeful? Are you living joyful, despite your troubles?

C. On being seasoned with salt:

Salt is used to season food, to make it palatable and enrich the flavor. But salt is also a “symbol of lasting concord,” and the Arabic expression “There is salt between us” implies eating together and developing a friendship. Speech seasoned with salt can mean several things:

1. Salt, as a seasoning, makes speech more intriguing and enticing to the listener. Paul was known to speak this way, as with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens. Salt, as a symbol of friendship, implies that believers were not to “preach” to their non-believing neighbors, but to be in relationship and friendship with them, letting their actions and conduct join with their “seasoned” words in sharing the gospel.

2. Salt has also been associated with wit and is sometimes rendered “common sense.” The multiple meanings bring forth vivid imagery that points the reader to the importance of graceful speech in the context of meaningful relationships with non-believers to share the “mystery of Christ.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(Remember, at this point in Bible Study you are looking for timeless principles or truth that transcends our own time and culture) –

1. The gospel is for all! The playing field has been leveled.
2. As our hearts grow in knowledge and love for Christ, we also grow in wisdom and love for those outside of the kingdom.
3. The gospel requires intentionality in our relationships

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?

1. Who is an outsider of the faith in your life? Can you write them down in your prayer journal and pray specifically for them?

2. Another application of the passage would be on the need to have a clear, succinct knowledge of our faith. Understanding the “mystery of Christ” and knowing how to present it with clarity and conviction is required “so that you may know how to answer to everyone.”

Scripture that is central to salvation must be written on the Christian’s heart. Knowing how to answer to everyone implies that there are questions! Slick programs and spiritual platitudes cannot cultivate a faith that is rooted deeply enough for the demands of life. When believers understand that they must meet “outsiders” where they are, they are alert to opportunities for spiritual conversation. To prepare to know how to answer, a teaching from this passage could prompt listeners to process some of their own questions as they came to the knowledge of Christ, and then use that conversation to prepare their own wise, “seasoned with salt” responses.

FOLLOW NICOLE:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-the-bible-seasoned-with-salt

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 11:29:46 +0000

How to Practice Radical Forgiveness with Carley Marcouillier (Colossians 3:12-17)

FOLLOW NICOLE FOR THE FREE COLOSSIANS READING PLAN!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/howtostudythebiblepod/
Email Newsletter: https://nicoleunice.com/realtalk/

FIND MORE FROM CARLEY:

Listen to Carley's Podcast Therapy + Theology:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapy-theology-with-carley-marcouillier/id1565826125

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1q70A94yQ8lT5tUPKgN9R1

LifeAudio: https://www.lifeaudio.com/therapy-theology-with-carley-marcouillier/

FOLLOW T+T on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/therapyandtheologypodcast/

FOLLOW CARLEY:
Website: https://www.carleymarcouillier.com/

WHAT DOES IT SAY:

12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

OBSERVATIONS:
- Where we start from: we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly beloved. That is our identity.

- Clothing yourselves with these character traits is a daily, intentional practice

- Forgiveness practices: it’s NOT sweeping things under the rug. It’s going to the person and explaining the hurt. It’s countercultural, it’s not in our nature outside of Christ. The new nature that we are able to put on enables us to practice forgiveness.

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

- Forgiveness is a regular practice. Most pastor letters like Colossians are addressing human problems and conflict.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Forgiveness isn’t a feeling. It’s a foundation from which we build on repair and reconciliation.

“Let the Word of God dwell in you richly.” - It’s hard to hold on to hurt if you’re praying for a person, praying for their heart, their hurt, their healing.

This starts with identity, then moves into practice. We can’t give what we don’t have. We receive forgiveness, and then can forgive

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

- If you can’t clothe yourselves with these things, it’s probably because you’re in a place of unforgiveness. And if you CAN clothe yourselves in these things toward the person you have a grievance with, the way you engage in a spirit of forgiveness comes out in a place of love for them.

- We’re calling it forgiveness, but are we trying to get polite vengeance or justice? That’s a self-focused perspective. But if we have put on the character traits of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-the-bible-colossians-with-c

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 11:38:28 +0000

Jesus Has Authority Over All (Colossians 2:1-5)

I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?
- Paul’s goal: that the church would be encouraged in heart and united in love--that’s the vehicle for how we know Christ.
- All wisdom is in Christ
- Deception is real!

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?
- Paul is writing to a church he helped to start. Usually, these Pauline letters are a response to a conflict or question in the church.
- Use your cross-references to build your own bible study. For example, in this chapter, our cross reference points us to 1 Peter, where we see there are things within the church that are deceptive: 1 Peter 5 and Ephesians 6

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
- To stand firm and discern wisely, I need to be finding my wisdom in Christ by remaining in him.
- John 15:4: Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Stop/Start/Continue -
- What do I need to stop? Start? What do I need to continue in order to be walking in the way of Jesus?

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-bible-jesus-authority-colossians

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 15:02:20 +0000

Jesus Is Enough for All (Colossians 1:15-20)

Last week, we covered the big idea of Colossians, be sure to check that out if you haven’t:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3U6gRAC
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3TSodIa

Grab the FREE Colossians reading plan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/howtostudythebiblepod/
Email Newsletter: https://nicoleunice.com/realtalk/

WHAT DOES IT SAY:
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Look for repetition – in this section of scripture, the word “All”:

- Over all creation
- All things were created
- All things were created
- Before all things
- All things hold together

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY:
He existed before his earthly life (before all things) – he is supreme

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
v 18 - “so that” – cues us in to the reason Paul is explaining this to the Colossians

v 19-20 - Jesus is God, and He is a reconciling agent (bringing back into proper order)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?
There is nothing in life that is untouched by Christ--either now or later. Either you choose to have Christ’s reconciling work bring you to communion with the Father, or ultimately that will happen later. I choose to be friends with God now.

Revelation 21
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Be thirsty for God.

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-the-bible-colossians-ep2-02

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 10:01:57 +0000

NEW SERIES! A Vision for All (Colossians 1:3-7)

Our new series starts today!! Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be in the book of Colossians.

FOLLOW NICOLE FOR THE FREE COLOSSIANS READING PLAN!
Starting 10/31 we will have a reading plan as we cover the book of Colossians. You can receive that by following me in one of a few places:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/howtostudythebiblepod/
Email Newsletter: https://nicoleunice.com/realtalk/

INTRO TO COLOSSIANS:

Colossians is an early letter in Christian history, about 30 years after Christ’s death and resurrection, written by Paul (with help from Timothy).

Why are the New Testament letters usually written? Because conflict in the church is happening, and Paul (the planter of churches) is writing to address those issues help them through those conflicts.

THEME OF COLOSSIANS:
The overarching theme of this book is how Christ is in all things, and the ramifications of that for us.

Most commentators agree that perhaps someone in the church was teaching different rituals and superstitions for a “different level” of faith, a “Jesus plus ‘this ritual’” – and Paul is returning the church to this true doctrine, that Jesus is ALL. There is nothing else we must add to our faith. Jesus is ALL.

LET’S READ TOGETHER:

Colossians 1:3-7 -

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/how-to-study-the-bible-colossians-intro

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:35:34 +0000

Jacob: Wrestling for the Truth (Genesis 32:22-32)

WHAT DOES IT SAY?
Jacob Wrestles with God

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY?

It’s really important in the Old Testament to zoom out and figure out where the story you are reading is placed within the larger story surrounding it. If we cut Genesis into fractions, we’ll miss out on its meaning.

Let’s first look back at Jacob’s life -

Jacob is a twin, who struggled inside his mother’s womb. His life is marked by struggle, an ongoing theme throughout his life. He steals his brother’s blessing and birthright, and then leaves home.

Jacob prays to God in Genesis 32:9-12. He is fearful and trying to control the situation he finds himself in (about to meet Esau).

After the dream – Esau is a picture of grace. He runs to Jacob, kissing him.

During the dream encounter – struggling with his identity. He is given a new name, “Israel” – he struggles with God. And he doesn’t let go of this person he is encountering – he wants relationship! He is finally responding to God. He takes the journey we all take--moving from fearful to free, from wrestling with God and man, to accepting what He gives us.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

AW Tozer – “God formed us for himself.” Anytime we are out of relationship with God, we will struggle. Until we find ourselves in him, named by God and identified with him, we will struggle in our souls.

Genesis 47 – he bows in worship at the end of his life. He is in relationship with God, and lived out of the identity God gave him. He still struggled, but not in the way he had before he wrestled with God.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Deep soul struggle is addressed through Christ. He makes a way for us to cease striving and have relationship with God.

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. - Isaiah 43:1

Do you know where you belong? Do you know you have an identity? Do you feel at home in my soul? Is God dwelling in my heart? If yes, your only response is praise! Your only response is worship and gratitude.

If not, invite God into your life in this real and meaningful way.

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

FOLLOW NICOLE:

Website:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-howtostudythebible-god-of-our-fath_2

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 15:12:16 +0000

Jacob: God Is Committed to Dwelling with Us (Genesis 28:10-22)

We are part of a very big story. Every single one of us who calls on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is a living stone. Every single one of us has a precious and important part to play in creating this spiritual house, this place where God dwells. I am living my life out as a piece of the dwelling place of God! I take my little piece everywhere I go.

Everywhere you go, you bring a dwelling place of God with you.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel - Genesis 28:10-22:
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it[a] stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.[b] 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

18 Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel,[c] though the city used to be called Luz.

20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord[d] will be my God 22 and[e] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Questions you might ask the text:

1. What does the dream mean?
2. Jacob receives the blessing?
3. Do the stones matter?
4. Call the place Bethel?

Observations:

1. Standard approach: humans quake with fear when God shows up
2. Same blessing is again repeated--maybe we also need to hear things a lot to believe them, especially when they take faith.
3. Gen 28:13-15: Sounds like a covenant
4. Gen 28: 20-21: IF God is with me… Jacob is not totally sold?
5. Gen 28:22: Promised sanctuary, the stone is the consecration…

WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY?

1. Jacob’s childhood and adolescence - he has swindled his brother out of this birthright AND blessing
2. His father Isaac sends him away and confers God’s blessing on him
3. God then confirms the blessing through the dream.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. God is committed to making the earth his dwelling place.
2. This story is linked to the bigger story of lineage in Genesis, which is linked to the BIGGER story of a coming king, which is the story of Jesus and the story of you and me.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

1. God is committed to dwelling with us.
2. Are you committed to dwelling with him?
3. Jacob’s stone is a signpost pointing us toward the promised sanctuary in 1 Peter 2:4-6:

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-howtostudythebible-god-of-our-fath_1

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 10:38:28 +0000

Do You Believe the Lord Will Bring You into a Spacious Place? (Genesis 26:22-26)

God calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, over and over in Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments. God is establishing his covenant through these families; God’s chosen people is created – these families become the Israelites. And we, through Christ, are the new Israel as believers. As Galatians 3:18 tells us, “we are all one through Christ Jesus.”

*WHAT DOES IT SAY?*

Genesis 26:22-25
He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

-- There is so much humanness playing out in these verses - arguments, playing favorites, lying! Humanity makes mistakes, even God’s chosen people. Isaac lied about his wife just like Abraham did.

-- Just because you are struggling or in conflict, doesn’t mean you are outside of God’s favor.

*WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?*

-- There is a famine in the land, but God tells Isaac to stay in the land and promises blessing.

-- Both Abraham and Isaac fall prey to being scared about their wives’ beauty and lies about them – a pattern of lying for self-protection (and not trusting God).

-- God’s chosen people are not perfect. Isaac and Rebekah, and their children, lie and manipulate. Human family disfunction is playing out.

*WHAT DOES IT MEAN?*

-- “The Lord has given us room.” This phrase points to the idea of “a spacious place” told to us in scripture, such as in Psalm 118:5. “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.” We are most likely to sin any time we get into a scarcity mindset – there’s not going to be enough for us, that God is not actually going to provide, that God is not trustworthy to make sure we’re going to be okay. We see this in Abraham and Isaac’s lives.

-- A world of anxiety exists when we believe we must protect ourselves and our stuff. When we do this, we become small people. OR – we can have a centered place in us, a spacious place – where we trust what God is doing and will do for us. Do you believe God will bring you into a spacious place?

*WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?*

-- Does your family still struggle with generational sin? You’re not alone. These patterns of living are as old as the stories in the Bible. God still faithfully shows up and works in the people who trust him – not the people who are necessarily righteous. We have to deal with pain caused by other people’s sin, and our own.

-- God is faithful even when we mess up. 1 John 3:16 – we can keep coming back to God, every day, to experience God’s spacious place for us.

-- The priority is your availability. Are you available to God? Do you put God’s plans in front of your own? “God, what you want is more important than what I want. What you want leads to spacious places, so I’m going to want what you want.”

A simple prayer for today –

“God make me aware of your presence, make me available for your interruptions. Make me purposeful on my path and restful in the spacious place of your grace. Amen.”

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

FOLLOW NICOLE:

Website:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-howtostudythebible-god-of-our-fath

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:15:17 +0000

Isaac: Saved by Grace (Genesis 22:11-14)

Why does it matter that we study these Old Testament stories? When we’re able to zoom way out and see what God has been stepping in to help the generations before us, we’re able to place our own sufferings and struggles in context. The God of our Fathers is our God, too. The covenants God has made with our forefathers are for us, too.

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” - Genesis 22:11-14

God appeared to Abraham and told him to sacrifice Isaac. We have to remember; this is a different time and day. Abraham trusts God and obeys. As he moves toward the action of sacrifice, God intervenes. God calls out personally to Abraham, and he provides an alternative. He doesn’t just cancel the plan, he provides a substitute sacrifice.

WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY?

If you’ve been reading Genesis, you know a few weeks ago that God made a covenant with Abraham through his descendants, promising him that he will in fact have children. Sarah does in fact get pregnant even though she’s ninety years old.

Then the bizarre happens: God tells Abraham to sacrifice this son, who is the fulfillment of the covenant. What is going on here?

This is another chapter in a long life with a faithful God. Many commentators believe that Abraham might have thought even if he killed Isaac, God could bring him back to life.

God tests us to show us what’s already there. He tests us to show us the strength of our faith that is already present. When we go through testing, we’re getting more and more anchored in our identity in God, who he is. Something eternal is growing and developing in us.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The Lord Will Provide--beginning of a pattern of substitutionary atonement. God is faithful to his promises. We are seeing the start of God’s people, the Israelites.

Romans 3:24-25:
24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.

Redemption means something is bought back, recovered, or handled. God redeems us through Christ. Abraham was required to take his beloved, one and only son to sacrificed, but God stayed his hand, and provided a sacrifice instead.

But when God sent his one and only son to the mountain to be sacrificed, he did not stay his hand. He allowed Christ to be sacrificed for our sins, once and for all.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

1. Even when all hope seems lost, God will still provide.

2. Sometimes going backward in our story can give us the strength to face what’s ahead

3. Our faith in Christ’s substitution is built on generations upon generations of God showing his faithfulness to us as his people.

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

FOLLOW NICOLE:

Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/howtostudythebible-god-of-our-fathers-we

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 10:25:36 +0000

Understanding the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15:1-6)

This episode is the second in a series we are calling God of Our Fathers. Find all of our episodes here: https://www.lifeaudio.com/how-to-study-the-bible/

1. WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Notice how God is personal and relational. “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

2. WHAT IS THE BACKSTORY?

Abram is childless but knows God’s promise to make a nation from his.
In Genesis 14, he’s just been tempted to gain power by making a treaty with another king and resists that temptation. His faithfulness has been tested.

Covenant ceremony: You cut the animal and walk between in as a sign. “Let me be like these dead animals if I don’t keep my promise.”

3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Covenant is an incredibly important part of our faith.

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. – This is incredibly important! It is his faith, not his work, that God counts his righteousness.

Faith is belief in action.

This idea carries us into our relationship with a Christ, who made a new covenant--he cut a new deal, or more importantly, a “fulfilled” deal, Hebrews 7:22 “Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant…”

No longer under the law as a sign of our citizenship and acceptance as God’s people--we are under the covenant, an inward reality.

Old Covenant required a series of laws and birthright to be God’s chosen people.
Old Covenant required sacrifices made over and over.
Old Covenant required a priest to mediate between the people and God, not direct access.

New Covenant calls all people by faith.
New Covenant means Christ is the ultimate sacrifice made for all our sins.
New Covenant means Jesus is our great high priest, mediating on our behalf so we have access, full communion with God through him.

4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

Because of our acceptance, our worth comes from what’s been done for us, not what we do for God.

Our response, our obedience to God comes from love and worship, not obligation and duty

This is what love looks like.
WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-how-to-study-the-bible-god-of-our-_1

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:24:19 +0000

We’re Back! God of Our Fathers: Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3)

WHAT DOES IT SAY?

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

We see “blessed” 5 times in the text – the central message of this passage is blessing!

WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Genesis 3-11: A dumpster fire of what happens when sin separates people from God

Genesis 11: Terah (Abram’s dad) is going to Canaan, but settles in Haran. Abram is going to be told to go to the place his father never made it to.

“I will bless you so you will be a blessing” – this is the purpose of blessings, to bless others.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Questions to consider –

What does it mean to be a representative?
What does it mean to bless?
What does it mean that Abram is a blessing?
What does it look like to move blessing on?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

God always has a plan. He pursues blessing for his people despite our failings.
Abraham’s part to play was obedience.

Everything in your life is part of a bigger plan. God is constantly working his plan out in the world, and you a part of that plan.

WANT MORE?

Check out Nicole’s book Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-how-to-study-the-bible-god-of-our-

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 10:25:22 +0000

Finding Strength in God's Joy (Re-Air)

RESOURCES:
Help, My Bible Is Alive!: https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

Subscribe to Nicole’s weekly podcast, Let's Be Real: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-be-real-with-nicole-unice/id1505817001

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/nicole-finding-strength-in-gods-joy-w-st

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:58:06 +0000

Introducing: The Happy Rant Podcast

In this episode of the Happy Rant, Ted Kluck, Ronnie Martin, and Barnabas Piper wander to and fro through a variety of topics:

1. Who we are, a brief introduction for new listeners
2. What we love about podcasting together
3. How we would describe our show: The Seinfeld of podcasts, a Piper family dinner party, and a description to aspirational college students

Subscribe to Happy Rant:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happy-rant/id878250651
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3iIwABQZ3mTsFtOx6hOafX

Listen on LifeAudio: https://www.lifeaudio.com/the-happy-rant/episodes

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-rant-ep-drop_3

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 10:00:02 +0000

Finding Security Despite Uncertainty (Re-Air)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-nicole-finding-security-despite-un

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:57:58 +0000

Finding Peace in Anxiety (Re-Air)

This month we are re-airing Nicole’s 2020, 4-part miniseries called "Comfort in God’s Promises." We'll be using what we learned through the Alive Method of Bible Study in order to apply God’s never-changing truth to the ever-changing circumstances of our lives.

“As a people of God, we are called to bold and courageous action. But when our lives get smaller and smaller because of the fear of what we think might happen, we actually are out of accord with God’s purpose and design for our lives.”

Fear is real, and it’s because we do have real things to be afraid of. But sometimes, our survival instincts, like fear, can begin to work overtime and unnecessarily become anxiety. In today’s episode, Nicole unpacks what to do when our fears become anxieties that begin to impact how we make decisions. If you struggle with anxiety, this is a must-listen episode.

This is episode #2 in Nicole's 4-part series "Finding Comfort in the Promises of God." You can listen to part one here: Finding Hope in Stressful Times

RESOURCES:
Help, My Bible Is Alive!: https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

Subscribe to Nicole’s weekly podcast, Let's Be Real: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-be-real-with-nicole-unice/id1505817001

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/finaltrue-nicole-finding-peace-in-anxiet

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:08:01 +0000

Finding Hope in Stressful Times

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-nicole-finding-hope-in-stressful-t

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:21:04 +0000

Stories Jesus Told: The Prodigal Son, Part 2 (Luke 15)

If you’ve been in the church or faith for a while, the temptation to believe “God, aren’t I good enough to get the best from you?” When we say that, we really mean what seems best to us. This is an easy but dangerous mindset for the “good person” to slip into.
In this last session in our Stories Jesus Told series, we are looking once again at the Prodigal of the Lost Son. But this week, we’ll be looking at the older son, the second half of this parable.

**1. WHAT DOES IT SAY?**

What a cliffhanger ending! A courageous conversation from the father, and we do not know if the older son accepts and receives this word from the father.

In the older brother’s heart is resentment and a refusal to go into the celebration. The younger son went far away in his heart and body. The older son went away in his heart and is now physically outside. The father goes to both, but the reactions of the sons are different.

The father’s posture toward both sons is continual generosity.

**2. WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?**

The older son always gets a double portion, which is not touched by the younger son. The anger, animosity and resentment are not because the younger brother swindled him.

**3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?**

It is by grace we are saved. For the younger brother, the sin is obvious and so are the consequences of that sin. What’s less obvious is how sin interrupts the older brother’s life, but the consequences are there, too.

Who’s outside the party now?

The older brother fails to realize that “anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” (1 John 2:9-11).

**4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?**

In this story, the child closest to home is the one who has allowed sin to blind him from his own reality, from his own need for lavish grace.

How are you like the older brother, demanding the best from God (as defined by you)?

Are you willing to open your eyes to see the gift of right standing with God – or are you allowing comparison and resentment to keep you from the party?

***
Check out: Rembrandt’s ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ - https://bit.ly/3PCQmkL

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-nicole-week-seven-blind-son

Tue, 31 May 2022 10:00:03 +0000

Stories Jesus Told: The Prodigal Son, Part 1 (Luke 15)

“We will find ourselves far from home all throughout life, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The question is, when we find ourselves there, what will we do with grace?”

This is perhaps the most famous parable Jesus told. This week, we are looking at this story from the eyes of the father, and the eyes of the younger son.

Check out: Rembrandt’s ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ - https://bit.ly/3PCQmkL

1. WHAT DOES IT SAY?

- The younger son says he wants his inheritance. This is egregious- who asks for their inheritance before the parent dies? But the father doesn’t protest – he gives the son his share of the inheritance.

- He leaves for a distant country and squanders it all. Then the country experiences a famine, and unprepared, he finds himself with nothing. He goes to feed pigs – an unclean animal to the Jews. He’s so hungry he wants to eat the food of the pigs. No one is there for him.

- Decides to go back to his father and beg to become his servant.

- The father sees the son, runs to him, kisses him, clothes him, and celebrates his return.

2. WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Jesus is telling stories of things people lose – and the final story is about an actual person who is lost.

3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Our Heavenly Father is waiting for our return, scanning the horizon. He runs to us, full of compassion.

4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

What piece of this story can you relate to?
Are you trying to will yourself back to the good path?
Can you recognize yourself in the younger son? What will you do with the astounding level of grace and love God has for you?
We reap what we sow – what are we reaping in this life?

***
Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-nicole-week-6-young-son

Mon, 23 May 2022 14:16:37 +0000

Stories Jesus Told: The Great Banquet (Luke 14)

A reminder: A parable is a story that tells us a spiritual truth.

The blessings of the kingdom are available to all who will come to Christ by faith. We have a part in accepting that invitation.

1. WHAT DOES IT SAY?

The question asked of Jesus: What does it mean to be righteous? What behaviors make you righteous? Jesus shocked them with a different way to see the kingdom.

The man preparing the banquet – God. This is God’s story.

Think about the excuses that were given – are they “good excuses”?

Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom of heaven is open for people who would not normally get an invitation.

2. WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?

Who was “one of those” – a prominent Pharisee
Where was the table? – the Pharisee’s house

3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

It’s not about what you have to get invited, it’s about whether you say yes. The only ones left out are the ones who choose to be left out. The blessings of the kingdom are available by faith.

The inclusion of the Gentiles is a fulfillment of Hosea 2:23, “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’” God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

We need to realize that as we become comfortable in our faith, as we are more and more surrounded by those who are also Christians, the edge of self-righteousness can creep in. Let’s not lose the spirit of the invitation!

God is seeking people intentionally and intensely seeking people for his kingdom. The people in Jesus’ time who wanted to put restrictions around who was invited were the ones Jesus directed these parables to.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER THIS WEEK:

Are we inadvertently putting up barriers between ourselves and other people, to say someone is in or out of the kingdom?

Am I more concerned with naming behaviors that help me know who is in or out of the kingdom? Or, am I more concerned with the heart of God, a God who is extending an intense and urgent invitation out into the world?

***
Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-nicole-week-5-the-banquet

Mon, 16 May 2022 15:50:10 +0000

Stories Jesus Told: Asking God for Good Things (Luke 11:5-13)

“We do not become less needy and less dependent when we pray, we become more needy, more dependent, that is to say, more human.” - Eugene Peterson

God invites us into a relationship where we are more dependent on him, not less and less.

1. WHAT IT SAYS
One friend is needy and dependent on another. What makes the other friend finally get up? The persistent, shameless knocking.

2. WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?
This whole passage comes right after Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. “Give us this day our daily bread.” Now Jesus is telling a parable centered around one friend asking another friend for food.

3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
God wants to meet us in the human stuff of life. He wants to meet our real needs. Above all, he gives the Holy Spirit.

When we ask for good things, he will not give us bad things. The best thing he can give us is the Holy Spirit.

4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?
Do we come to God more and more dependent? God is inviting us to become more and more dependent on him, not less. He is inviting us to become more aware of our need for him.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER THIS WEEK:

Have you found yourself no longer asking God for things in prayer? Have you stopped being shamelessly audacious? Are your dreams smaller and smaller? Are you less dependent and open to receiving from the Lord?

Perhaps God is knocking on the door of your heart to allow Him to give you good things. Be honest about your daily needs. And be confident that he meets those needs with a filling of the Holy Spirit.

***
Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-nicole-week-four-friends

Mon, 09 May 2022 10:13:50 +0000

Stories Jesus Told: Two Debtors (Luke 7 & Matthew 18)

This week, we’re looking at two different stories about debts owed, Jesus’ response to those debts, and our experience with forgiveness.

Forgiveness does not necessarily always mean the restoration of a relationship. If someone hurts you repeatedly, it does not mean you should put yourself in a position to be hurt again and again. But what God does call us to is forgiveness, because it is good for our souls.

When we are not forgiven, we are bound up, and when we are bound up, we are not receiving the mercy of God for ourselves. We’re not receiving the love of God for our deep debt.

--1. What Does It Say?--

In both stories, we have –

Two debtors: one who owes a little, and one who owes a lot.
A merciful king, willing to relieve the debt
A different way of receiving the forgiveness that is happening

--2. What Does It Mean?--

Forgiveness for us and to us is not optional in the Kingdom of God. Our relationship to forgiveness will be in direct proportion to our ability to love.

God gives two options in Matthew 18 – do you want justice or mercy?

--3. What Does It Mean for Me?--

God has called you to forgive because it is good for your souls, and because he wants you to receive forgiveness.

--Questions to consider this week:--
What would it look like for me to live with a heart of mercy?
Are there any places in my heart where I am harboring unforgiveness and hurt?
Do you want to live with your Father who is merciful, or your Father who is just?

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-week-three-two-debtors

Mon, 02 May 2022 14:51:51 +0000

Stories Jesus Told: The Neighbor (Luke 10:25-37)

Parable means “to throw alongside” – Jesus uses everyday stories to teach spiritual truths.

- 1. - What does it say:

This story is so familiar that even those outside of Christianity know and use the phrase “the good Samaritan.”

Who are the characters?

The lawyer – this was a religious leader whose job it was to interpret the Law for the people, to explain how to live righteously.

People groups called out – Jesus uses different people groups that would have a known context to his listeners and to provoke thought and engagement

- 2. - What’s the backstory:

Usually, the person in authority would ask the questions of the teacher, but immediately Jesus turns it on its head and asks the lawyer to answer the question.

To deal with anything “left half-dead” would make you unclean. The uncleanliness of helping a half-dead man would leave the religious leaders unable to perform their religious duties.

- 3. - What does it mean:

Both ‘neighbor’ and ‘love’ are redefined by Jesus in this parable. The expert correctly links the love of God and love of neighbor to each other, but Jesus redefines who was a neighbor, therefore expanding the love of God.

He is showing that religious duties are not as important as offering mercy to the people in your path.

- 4. - What does it mean for me?

The right question is not “who is my neighbor?” The right question is “who is being a good neighbor?” How can we “go and do likewise”?

Am I being a neighbor? Perhaps in big things, it would be easy, but what about in little things?

Neighbor is no longer defined by the other person, it’s defined by my action.

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-week-two-the-neighbor

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 13:42:57 +0000

New Series Starts Today! The Parable of the Sower: Luke 8:4-15

We are kicking off a new series this week! Stories Jesus Told: A Series on Parables.

Today, we’re looking at the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-15. In light of Jesus’ resurrection, let’s look back at the way of his teaching and the relevancy of his lessons for us today.

“A parable is not to tell us something new, but to remind us of something we’ve overlooked.” - Eugene Peterson

- 1. What does it say? -

Questions we might ask:

Who are the characters in this story?
Where does the seed land?
What happens to the seeds in the various places they land?
What is the text -not- saying? (We will use scripture to interpret scripture)

- 2. What is the background context? -

Parables use a story that would make sense to the listeners at the time--and Jesus then uses that story to lay down a spiritual truth. Parables are for those who are willing to receive: so we start today with this parable of “hearing.’

- 3. What does it mean? -

This parable is explained for us by Jesus, so we don’t have to reach far to find the explanation!

- 4. What does it mean for me? -

What kind of hearer of the Word are you? In this season of life, how does the Word land for you, when you hear it or read it? How can you receive the Word with joy today?

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/htstb-week-one-the-sower-final

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 13:34:54 +0000

How to Pray, Week 6: Deliver Us from The Evil One

Every single day you face temptation. And every single day, you have tools to remember who you are and who you belong to. You my friend, are a child of God.

FIRST - What’s the backstory?

Remember, at this point in our reading, we will have questions! Here are a few of mine:
Does God lead us to temptation, or to sin?
How does God deliver us? Who is the evil one?

For answers, let’s look to Scripture:
James 1:13-14: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

Matthew 4:1-11: look at how Jesus was tempted….

SECOND - What does it mean?

How does the enemy work?

1. With subtle, powerful lies:
When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
Coaching work/struggle is real is about bringing out lies into the light—
What kind of lies are you likely to believe?

2. By masquerading as light:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

3. Using questions to lead us to temptation:
Designed to confuse, confound, discourage and ultimately to take us toward independence from God and suspicion toward others:

THIRD - What does it mean for me?
We will have fights to face in this world, but we don’t face them alone.

This is a daily and intentional practice from beginning to end. The fullness of what it looks like to be in relationship with God is captured in this prayer.

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-unice-htp-6

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 13:42:37 +0000

How to Pray, Week 5: Forgive Us Our Debts

1. What Does It Say?

“Forgive/Forgiven”, “Debts/Debtors” – We are asking God for forgiveness. We also forgive our debtors. What is going on when we forgive someone?

2. What Is the Backstory?

Jesus is preaching in the Sermon on the Mount – a primer to a completely different way of life in the Kingdom of God.

This verse has a legal background – Deuteronomy 15:2. Debt must be address. We are in a deficit. And the Lord’s release has been proclaimed.

3. What Does It Mean?

This prayer is all about connecting with God – and prayer, confession and forgiveness is part of that connection. God’s holiness cannot endorse our sinfulness – we must address our sin.

God’s abundance makes stringent economic pressure on others inappropriate.

4. What Does It Mean for Me?

Do we live with a sense of superiority over others? This is fundamentally unwise. If you can’t forgive others, you have not experienced forgiveness.

(Drew also explains what forgiveness is *not*)

***
Want to go deeper than the podcast? This series includes access to a private Facebook group: you can join here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodwithnicoleunice

If you want access to exclusive content (interviews, bonus teaching and a 28-day prayer plan), you can pay for premium here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/

Subscribe to Nicole’s mailing list and get a weekly companion guide for each episode, with journal prompts and reflection questions: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unicehowtopray5

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 11:30:03 +0000

How to Pray, Week 4: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

1. What does it say?

“Give” – We need something outside of us to supply sustenance. How much do we believe that we are the source of love and life for ourselves and others?

“Us Our” – This prayer for all of God’s children, for a community of people. This is communal prayer. We are praying for ourselves, but also for a community of people to be provided for, by God.

“This Day Our Daily” – This isn’t tomorrow’s bread or retirement bread. It’s today’s bread. Are you anxious for provision months away? This prayer challenges us to focus our prayers for today’s needs and come back to him daily.

“Bread” – Our most basic, daily needs are food and water, and God wants us to ask for our daily needs.

2. What is the backstory?

In Matthew’s gospel, this verse comes in the middle of the Lord’s prayer. This verse comes right after the part of the prayer that is totally focused on God and what he has done. This is the shift in the prayer that focuses on us and what we need.

Further out context – this is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This prayer comes amid teaching about the Kingdom of God and how to live life in the Kingdom.

3. What does it mean?

Whole-bible context: God provided manna in the desert during the Exodus. It was literally a daily provision of food from God to his people. God provides for our needs. Are you grateful and aware of his daily provision?

Jesus’ miraculous abilities are shown through providing food – think of the thousands he fed, and The Last Supper. Bread is a symbol of community, and a symbol of his body, broken for us.

4. What does it mean for you and for me?

God provides in all seasons of life – in hard and good seasons, through neighbors or friends – if I accept my neediness, then I will be able to accept God’s provision in my life through these various means. Life becomes a gift to receive, not a trial to endure.

***
Want to go deeper than the podcast? This series includes access to a private Facebook group: you can join here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodwithnicoleunice

If you want access to exclusive content (interviews, bonus teaching and a 28-day prayer plan), you can pay for premium here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/

Subscribe to Nicole’s mailing list and get a weekly companion guide for each episode, with journal prompts and reflection questions: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-unice-how-to-pray-4

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:44:32 +0000

How to Pray, Week 3: Thy Kingdom Come

Jesus is always using stories to describe the Kingdom of Heaven. He uses imagery to help us humans - who are not yet in heaven – understand a little bit of what heaven is like.

Week 3 Scripture: Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10

This week, we’re looking at three specific things in this verse – “your/thy,” “kingdom,” and “will.”

Reflection Questions:

1. What does the Bible say about the kingdom of God?
2. What does the Bible say about His will?

***
Want to go deeper than the podcast? This series includes access to a private Facebook group: you can join here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodwithnicoleunice

If you want access to exclusive content (interviews, bonus teaching and a 28-day prayer plan), you can pay for premium here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/

Subscribe to Nicole’s mailing list and get a weekly companion guide for each episode, with journal prompts and reflection questions: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-unice-how-to-pray-3

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 13:54:43 +0000

How to Pray, Week Two: Our Father in Heaven

We have a Father in Heaven and are invited into a relationship and purpose with him! Today we are diving into the first verse in the Lord’s Prayer – Matthew 6:9.

What does it say?

1. “our” father – we are immediately placed in community. This is not an individual prayer.
2. “father” – we all have emotional underpinning to this word. If I say the word father, what is the first word that comes to your mind? Check out Romans 8:15 and think about what it means that God is your Abba Father. We have a framework here for how we can approach our Father in Heaven – with freedom and confidence.
3. “hallowed be your name” – God is not only our intimate father, but also to be revered as set apart and holy. God wants to be intimately a part of your life, but not as a genie, but as God of all creation. Lord -help us to know you and set you apart the way you are meant to be known and set apart

***
Reflect:
1. Do we need to ask our Father in Heaven – “Lord, what does it mean that you are my Father?”
2. We have a shared Father in heaven, we want to know him and for him to be known as holy.

“God the Father is ours, and we are his.” - Dale Bruner

***
Want to go deeper than the podcast? This series includes access to a private Facebook group: you can join here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodwithnicoleunice

If you want access to exclusive content (interviews, bonus teaching and a 28-day prayer plan), you can pay for premium here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/

Subscribe to Nicole’s mailing list and get a weekly companion guide for each episode, with journal prompts and reflection questions: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

***
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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-how-to-pray-week-2

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:23:34 +0000

How to Pray: Prerequisites to Prayer

Want to go deeper than the podcast? This series includes access to a private Facebook group: you can join here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodwithnicoleunice

If you want access to exclusive content (interviews, bonus teaching and a 28-day prayer plan), you can pay for premium here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/

Subscribe to Nicole’s mailing list and get a weekly companion guide for each episode, with journal prompts and reflection questions: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

In this first episode, we’re going to talk about the little passage that leads into The Lord’s Prayer – Matthew 6:5-9.

A. What does it say?

3 Praying People in These Verses:

1. The hypocrites – what do they do? They love to be seen in prayer, and they already have their reward.
2. The righteous – they pray private prayers (at least in this context), and God rewards them later on.
3. The pagans – they babble on with many words, thinking they will be heard – do not be like them.

This passage is not a formula for prayer. If we take this too literally, we will miss the principles, the general framework, that we can grab from this passage.

B. What is the backstory?

Hypocrites were known to pray as performance, and Jesus was addressing that during the Sermon on the Mount – his sermon introducing his upside-down kingdom and what is required of those who choose to follow him.

C. What Does it Mean?

Prayer should not be performance, but personal.

Jesus is setting up a framework that says, there is a way you can pray that helps you connect to a Father who knows you and loves you.

Notice: Jesus does not say “here is ‘what’ to pray.” But rather, “here is ‘how’ to pray.”

D. What Does it Mean for Me?

Am I making space for private, personal prayer? Or am I praying to be seen? Don’t pray for others’ affirmation.

These next few weeks is an invitation to create a place of intimacy and connection with your heavenly father. If you have felt like you are missing something because prayer does not feel like what you think it should – if you have those questions, you are in the right place.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-unice-howtopray1

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:07:40 +0000

1 John 4: Release Fear to Experience Fierce Love

When there is more love, there will inevitably be less fear. The more we believe and accept God’s love for us, the more we trust him. And the more we trust him, the less we will fear, even when life is not going the way that we want.

1. Context and backstory:
Division within the church, with people in the church teaching something other than the gospel. John returns again and again to the fruit of people’s actions, specifically how we love our Christian brothers and sisters.

2. What do these verses say:
More love = less fear. Fierce love requires an ongoing acknowledgment and release of fear.

3. What does it mean for me?
A. God calls us to fellowship locally with believers. Are you in fellowship with believers in a face-to-face way?

B. When you are in a pattern of fear, name the things that only God can handle in your life. For example: your identity can only be entrusted to God. Also: your soul, your calling, your future.

C. If our identity and calling are secure in the Lord, we can begin to love others with God’s love as the source. We don’t want to give love in order to get love.

D. “Keep yourselves from idols” What does John mean by that? We must keep our spiritual house in order. Anything that takes top priority in our hearts, when we begin to link our identity and the way that we decide if life is worth living to those things, our spiritual house is chaotic and messy.

Isaiah 42:8 says it this way: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” God is very inclusive in his invitation to find life in him, BUT he is very exclusive about his positioning in our hearts. He demands priority in our hearts, not for his good, but for our good.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our How to Pray Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-1-john-4

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 15:44:15 +0000

1 John 3: Make Space for God to Speak to You

Have you made space (silence) in your life to hear from the Holy Spirit? This week, Nicole helps us understand the connection between making space in our lives for the Spirit and the spiritual freedom we want but don’t know how to get.

A. Principle in this Passage:

1. God loves us as his children (1 John 3:1). Can you take a moment today and imagine God’s love for you. Imagine the most loving parent you have ever known. God loves you even more perfectly and completely than that. Allow his love to meet you today.

2. If you can’t believe the feeling of God’s love, believe the fact of his love: Jesus Christ laid down his life for you. (1 John 3:16)

B. What Is The Backstory?
John was correcting divisions in the church. The way they could know who was living in the love of Christ: how they loved others.

C. What This Means for Me:

Obedience in Action (v. 18) – If you experience this love of God, out of that overflow of love there will be an immediate and recognizable change in how you treat believers.

Confidence in Discernment (v. 20-21) – God hears everything and hears your prayers. If you’re feeling less than or have regret, confess to God and he is faithful to forgive – have confidence before God. If your heart feels clear, good! You’ll want to do what pleases him.

Know God Lives in You by the Way You Are Led by the Spirit (v. 24) – make space in your life this week. 5 or 10 minutes to start. Be quiet. Say, “search me or know me. Engage with me, help me know how to engage in this world.”

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our How to Pray Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/final-1-john-ep-3

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:24:44 +0000

1 John 2: What It’s Like to Really Know Jesus

In this passage, John gives us a series of tests for our faith – not tests like the kind we take in school that you can pass or fail, but tests that reveal to us the genuineness of our faith – so that we can have full assurance of our salvation and so that we can recognize true believers.

Test 1: Obedience Out of Love
Test 2: Live as Jesus Lived
Test 3: Having Love for Brothers and Sisters

Principle in this Passage:

1. I know him
2. I love him
3. I love others because I love him

What does it mean for me?

1. Apply: What is the motivation of my obedience?
2. Apply: What does increasing love look like for my brothers and sisters in faith?

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our Lent Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/1-john-2-what-it-s-like-to-really-know-j

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 05:00:00 +0000

We’re Back! 1 John 1: Fierce Faith

This short letter is rich, deep, and will challenge how we have looked at Bible study so far. This pastoral letter, written by an older Christian, encourages us toward assurance and confidence in our faith.

As we begin to open this letter, remember that this letter has a tone of fellowship, joy, and blessing.

Big Overview of the Letter:
Circular themes of true doctrine, obedient living, fervent devotion

Walking through 1 John 1 with the Alive Method:

1. What does it say?
Themes of light/darkness, cleansing, sin

2. What’s the back story?
Connection back to the gospel of John
Circular themes--keep a list of questions

3. What does it mean?
There is a process to forgiveness
There is a path to our righteousness

4. What does it mean for me?
The practice of confession

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/

**Don’t Miss Our Lent Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/

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/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/we-re-back-1-john-1-fierce-faith

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 05:00:00 +0000

(Rebroadcast) Making It Personal – What Does It Mean for Me?

Nicole will be back next week! Until then, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.
****

Let’s review the first three questions you ask of Scripture:

1. What does it say? Can I restate what the passage says?
2. What’s the backstory? What’s our context and history in the time it was written?
3. What does it mean? What is the principle at play, what is it teaching me about God and our interaction with him?

Today, we’ll unpack question four – What does this mean for me? All of our work in studying and understanding the Bible is all meant to move us to this place: where our lives are transformed by who and what we know.

What can Scripture give us?
1. Encouragement and priorities for the hard or mundane seasons of life.
2. Conviction leading to repentance when we sin (2 Corinthians 7:8-13).
3. Worship as a response to what we now know about who God is and what he has done!

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: https://nicoleunice.com/help-my-bible-is-alive/

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/rebroadcast-making-it-personal-what-does

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

(Rebroadcast) What to Do When You Get Stuck

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

****

In this episode, we’ll look at the three most common issues that can derail our Bible study and how we can overcome them:

Problem 1 - These passages contradict! How can I possibly find the meaning?

Questions to ask yourself: What else happens in Scripture related to this topic, beyond this verse? Is it bound in a cultural time or is it a timeless principle?

Problem 2 - It seems like the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament disagree.

Questions to ask yourself: What if I’m wrong? Have I read both the Old and New Testament in their entirety? Have I explored the backstory?

Problem 3 – The Old Testament doesn't seem relevant in my life.

Questions to ask yourself: Have you read large passages (several chapters or even an entire book) of the Old Testament at once? Can you read it for the larger story and not only read at the verse level?

Resources Mentioned:
The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight: http://urlme.cc/Ll8q

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/rebroadcast-what-to-do-when-you-get-stuc

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

(Rebroadcast) Unpacking Principles and Finding Meaning

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.
****

“The minute you have asked ‘why?’ – you have become a theologian.” – Carolyn Custis James

First, the bad news: you might be a little uncomfortable with this part, at least a first. But the good news (and it really is good news!) is that as you know more, it more it becomes easier to pull the principle out of Scripture.

In this episode, Nicole talks about the five filters we use to understand what a passage is teaching us about God, ourselves, and the world we live in:

1. Is the principle or theory reflected in the passage?
2. Is the principle timeless?
3. Does the principle transcend culture, gender, age, status, etc.?
4. Is the principle harmonious with the rest of Scripture?
5. Is this principle relevant then and relevant now?

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: https://nicoleunice.com/help-my-bible-is-alive/

Grasping God’s Word by Duvall and Hays: https://amzn.to/3rn2gE9

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/rebroadcast-unpacking-principles-and-fin

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

(Rebroadcast) Digging Deeper - What’s the Backstory?

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

****
If you’ve ever gone to a play, you’ll have been handed a playbill before the program began. This playbill gives you some important information like the characters, the setting, and the scenes you’ll see when the lights dim. The backstory helps us engage with what’s in front of us.

When we read the Bible, we also need a backstory. The problem is, we often want it to ignore the backstory and apply the Word immediately to our lives instead of asking what it meant to the original audience. But when we do this, we misapply Scripture.

Join Nicole in this episode as she unpacks how we can understand what’s going on behind the scenes of the passages we read.

Nicole’s Favorite Study Bible: The NIV Study Bible - https://www.amazon.com/NIV-Study-Bible-Hardcover-Letter/dp/0310438926/

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word: https://amzn.to/3A7Yy5j

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/rebroadcast-digging-deeper-what-s-the-ba

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

(Rebroadcast) The Basics of Bible Study

While Nicole is taking a much-needed break, we are re-airing her first episodes on the basics of Bible study. If you didn't catch these episodes when they first aired, be sure to listen. These episodes lay the foundation for Nicole's simple but powerful approach to Bible study.

****
Here’s a secret of the universe: there are always basics of everything. If you want to be physically fit, you have to do cardio and strength training. If you want to be a good cook, you have to learn how to chop, mix spices and know how flavors complement one another. And if you want to be good at reading and understanding the Bible, there are basic skills you need to learn as well.

In this episode, we’ll unpack just what those fundamental skills are, through Nicole’s 'Alive Method,' by asking four basic questions of every passage of Scripture.

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - http://urlme.cc/OroK

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/rebroadcast-the-basics-of-bible-study

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

(Rebroadcast) Three Common Obstacles to Understanding the Bible

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/rebroadcast-three-common-obstacles-to-un

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Sixteen: Wrapping It All Up

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

What does it say?

Over the past 16 weeks, we have learned the truth about sin, the power of faith, and the fulfillment of the law with love.

In closing this book, Paul encourages us to be wise about others and wise about the way we love and create unity within the body of Christ.

What does it mean for me?

Be able to tell someone what the book of Romans is about! What would you say if someone is curious? What would you say to them that would inspire them to read the book for themselves?

Nicole’s Wrap-Up of Romans:

“The book of Romans: the truth about sin, the power of faith, alive in Christ, released from the law, free in the spirit, suffering for a reason, more than conquerors in this world! Mercy always reigns -- for Israel and for us. Now we are transformed! So, at home and at work, whether weak or strong, we fulfill the law with love! We need each other, and everyone matters. But let’s be wise --seek unity and love, not division or strife.”

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-sixteen-wrapping-it-all-up

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Fifteen: For the Glory of God

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-fifteen-for-the-glory-of-god

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Fourteen: When We Disagree

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-fourteen-when-we-disagree

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Thirteen: Love Does No Harm to a Neighbor

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?
4. What does it mean for me?

1. What do the verses say? (We’ll be looking at two verses in particular)

Romans 13:1
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.

Romans 13:10
Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

2. What’s the backstory? What’s the context?

Before we get to our own authorities, we’ve got to ask what it would have first meant to the first hearers of Paul’s letter. The civil rulers were most likely all pagan. Christians might have been tempted to ignore their civil leaders because of the corruption that influenced their government. The Christians of that day would have been looking for guidance on how to live as oppressed people under a morally bankrupt government. There is no doubt that the morality of the Roman Empire was darker than the morality of today.

3. How do we wrestle through principles together?

(Remember the principle test: principles are timeless, transcend culture, and are harmonious throughout scripture).

4. What does it mean for me?

Rather than a heart of violence or a critical spirit, what does it look like for me to say “love does no harm to my neighbor?”

Think about the fact that Jesus deliberately came into the world during a morally dark time but did not come to overthrow the authorities of the day. What might that teach you about how to live today?

*****
Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: GettyAleksei Morozov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-thirteen-love-does-no-harm-t

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week 12: A Living Sacrifice

Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?
4. What does it mean for me?

What does it say?

Romans 12 gives us a clear picture of where we are going in the next few chapters. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly you are supposed to do as a Christian, you can find your answers in this chapter.

What’s the backstory?

The main backstory is that everything before this chapter mattered. Everything we are talking about now has to do with God’s mercy up to this point.

What does it mean? And what does it mean for me?

A few questions to ask yourself:

1. What does sacrifice look like for me in this season?
2. What does serving look like for me this season?
3. What am I drawn to in the love passage in this chapter?
4. What am I being called to overcome?

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-12-a-living-sacrifice

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Eleven: The Mystery and Clarity of God

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-eleven-the-mystery-and-clari

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Ten: A Fork in the Road

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-ten-a-fork-in-the-road

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Nine: A New World Order

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

What does it say?

Paul has great sorrow in his spirit knowing that his own people do not see Jesus as their Messiah and as Christianity begins to blossom, his desire is that they accept Jesus as the chosen one.

The Jewish people are stumbling trying to be righteousness by law, but it is the gentiles; the people outside of Judaism, that are choosing righteousness by faith.

What’s the backstory?

There are a lot of people out there who will debate with you about theology and the verses in Romans 9. Amid the mystery of these verses, remove everything you know about church and look at the story for what it is: a historical man who had a 3-year career, who died, and his followers insisted that he was raised from the dead. It sounds like fooliness. And yet, here we are in 2021 with billons of people believe in this message. This is who Jesus is.

What does it mean?

When we are trying to understand the mystery of Romans 9, we must interpret it with scripture that we know is clear and forthright.

Two verses to help us interpret Romans 9:

1.John 3:16: “For God so loved the world.”
2.2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patience with you not wanting anyone to parish but everyone to come to repentance.”

What does it mean for me?

Am I willing to be clay in God’s hands? Am I willing to be formed or reformed? Can I hold onto the mystery of what I cannot explain with the certainty of what I can explain?

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-nine-a-new-world-order

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Eight: You Are Not Condemned

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-eight-you-are-not-condemned

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Seven: Our Struggle with Sin

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-seven-our-struggle-with-sin

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Six: Free from the Enslaving Nature of Sin

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

What does it say?

It’s okay to be confused or uncomfortable while reading scripture. When reading tends to feel like this, it is important to refer to the study notes.

If we are justified, how do we grow into maturity in Christ? We are going to talk about maturity in three parts over the next two or three weeks:

1.Freedom from sin’s tyranny.
2.Freedom from condemnation.
3.Life in the power of the Spirit.

What’s the backstory?

In verse 18-19, Paul uses the analogy of slavery, which may be hard to digest in 2021 as we go through this difficult time in our history.

In verse 19, Paul also uses the word “offer,” which may be easier to understand in this context. Paul suggests that we offer ourselves as willing servants to the Lord.

What does it mean?

We are free not from sin itself, but from the enslaving, tyrannical nature of sin. In the power of Christ, we have the ability of Christ to break out of our patterns and give ourselves to a higher power.

Sin is deceptive in its charm, but destructive in its nature.

What does it mean for me?

What does increasing holiness look like in your life? Increasing holiness is a person looks like someone that is full of love, presence, kindness, and in enjoyment of the world.

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-six-free-from-the-enslaving-

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Five: Peace with God

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

What does it say?
There are four phrases we are going to look at to help us understand the passage:

Justified by faith: Justification comes through Jesus’ blood. In the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, we can now be in right standing with God. It is the process of reconciliation.

Peace with God: Peace with God is not a weather condition; it is like a location. We can have circumstances that make it feel different, but peace is always the same.

Access into this grace: We all have access into this grace.

Boast in hope: We boast in the hope of the glory of God because of his peace that we have experienced.

What’s the backstory?
Everything that happened through Adam in the book of Genesis is rectified through Jesus. Just like Adam, we are all sinful from birth. We are all made in the image of God, so we are imprinted with his imagery, but we also bring sin into our life. Adam is the way that sin entered the world, and Jesus is the way we experience the abundance of life.

What does it mean?
Peace and hope are always ours to have. Always. Through Jesus Christ, in faith, we get to stand in grace.
What does it mean for me?
Do you practice the peace of God in your life?

What would it look like for you to practice the peace of God this week?

Romans 5:1-2:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-five-peace-with-god

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Four: Romans 4 (with Rayshawn Graves)

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Today is a special day! Today I am joined by my friend Rayshawn Graves as we dig into Romans 4. Rayshawn is a pastor here with me in Richmond, Virginia, and hosts the podcast Ask A Pastor.

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Romans Week Four: Romans 4

1. What Does it Say?
We learn what it looks like to believe in Jesus – it doesn’t work to depend on works. You could stack your works against the works of the holiest person that you can think of, and the scales do not balance.

2. What Is the Backstory?
Sometimes we may think that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, but Paul takes us back to the Old Testament through Abraham reminding us that God has always had a plan. Abraham trusted and believed in God when he had nothing else.

3. What Does It Mean?
We must believe in Him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead. And believe that Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Knowing, embracing, and leaning into this truth is the basis of our faith (v. 23-24).

4. What Does It Mean for Me?
We see God’s goodness and proactiveness in our lives – he does for us what we couldn’t do.

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-four-romans-4-with-rayshawn-

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Three: God’s Signature Move

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-three-god-s-signature-move

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week Two: Good News for Everyone

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Romans Week Two: Romans 2: 3-4, 29

1. What Does This Passage Say?

Last week on the podcast we left off knowing that 1) Romans is going to give us a vision for our life and 2) that we are set up with a problem of sin and need a savior.

This is the chapter of conviction. Paul is preaching that the church has a problem. Some people are worshipping created things, some who call themselves good are passing judgment and condemnation, and all have a sin problem.

“So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (v. 3-4).

“No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (v. 29)

2. What’s the Backstory?

Paul sets up this life-giving letter to say that human beings cannot be good on their own. There is no holiness that you can pursue that will make you holy enough for God. We need to ask the question, what am I relying on to make me feel good? What am I relying on to say that I am okay?

Whether your sin is on the outside or inside, we all have the same need for God’s kindness – and that becomes the starting point for the good news.

3. What Does It Mean?
Genuine faith does not come from outward acts, but an inward reality. Heart change is proven over time.

4. What Does It Mean for Me?
I have a problem just as much as anyone – and that problem is my sin. Questions to ask yourself: Do I believe that I need a savior? Do I experience in my own self-awareness that I fall short every day?

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-two-good-news-for-everyone

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Romans Week One: A Vision and a Problem

Click here to subscribe to Nicole's mailing list and receive bonus resources on Romans
Click here to join the conversation in Nicole's Romans Facebook group

Questions We Ask Every Time We Read the Bible:

1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory? What's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Romans Week One: Romans 1:16-17; 25

1. What Does This Passage Say?
In the opening of this great letter of the Apostle Paul, we get a vision for what the gospel really means. This gospel is righteousness, by faith, and is the power of God for life. But, what is the problem in the world? “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.” (v. 25)

2. What’s the Backstory?
Paul is doing ordinary pastoral problems and challenges. In the midst of that, he gives us a detailed and thoughtful doctrinal statement on what really matters. We often separate the doctrine & belief from the everyday reality. But what if we chose to see this great gift of salvation as 100% relevant to our everyday life?

3. What Does It Mean?
The gospel is the power of God, and it is for the Jews and Gentiles – it is not for just one people group. It is about and for the world.

4. What Does It Mean for Me?
If someone turned to you and asked you: “Why do you follow Jesus?” “How are you different than me?” “What is grace really?” What would you say? That is what is ahead!

Resources:
Help! My Bible Is Alive

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/aradaphotography

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/romans-week-one-a-vision-and-a-problem

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Truth for When I Feel Angry: Psalm 4:4

Join our FREE Romans Group to take your study of Romans to the next level! Just head over to https://nicoleunice.com/romans/ to sign up for access to weekly inspirational content and access to our private Facebook group! We will walk through Romans as a community, and Nicole will be in the group every week answering your questions about Romans and providing reflections for you to take your study to a deeper place.

***
No matter what circumstances you are in, God describes himself as slow to anger, compassionate, and rich in love.

In today’s episode, we are searching for truth in our feelings when we are angry. What do we do when we feel angry? Behind our anger can be fear, insecurity, pride, control, and irritation, but God is calling us to search our hearts before him to understand where our angry is being placed.

In today’s episode, Nicole does a topical study of scripture and breaks down 3 important principles about anger:
1. God is slow to anger.
2. God’s anger and human anger are not the same things.
3. Anger is not a sin, but it can lead to sin.

Questions to consider:
1. Since anger is a natural reaction, what is my plan for dealing appropriately with it?
2. How am I at releasing anger? What might I need to request from God about my anger?

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What do the verses say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture Referenced:
Exodus 34:6
Psalm 135:8
Psalm 103:8
Psalm 86:15
Nehemiah 9:17
Proverbs 15:1
Escalates 7:9
Ephesians 4:26
James 1:19-20
Psalm 4:4

***
Check out Nicole’s latest book, The Miracle Moment: a six-week Bible study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/
Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Pict Rider

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/truth-for-when-i-feel-angry-psalm-4-4

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Truth for When I Feel Scared: John 14:15-27

Join our FREE Romans Group to take your study of Romans to the next level! Just head over to https://nicoleunice.com/romans/ to sign up for access to weekly inspirational content and access to our private Facebook group! We will walk through Romans as a community, and Nicole will be in the group every week answering your questions about Romans and providing reflections for you to take your study to a deeper place.

***
Sometimes we tend to go through life with a low-lying fearful anxiety that may come out stress, irritability, or tiredness. Sometimes we need to stop and ask ourselves: What am I fearing…really? In today’s episode, Nicole challenges us to become in touch with our fear, knowing that our heavenly Father will never leave us nor forsake us.

In this new three-week series of How to Study The Bible, host Nicole Unice is breaking down how to be met by God when you are confused, scared, and angry.

In today’s episode, Nicole breaks down 2 principles from God as seen in John 14:15-27:
1. God promises to be with us.
2. Our fear is dissipated by God’s presence.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

***
Check out Nicole’s latest book, The Miracle Moment: a six-week Bible study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Aleksei Morozov

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/truth-for-when-i-feel-scared-john-14-15-

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Nicole Is Back! Truth for When I Feel Confused: Proverbs 3:1-12

Join us as we study Romans together! Nicole has created a FREE Romans Group Study to take your reading of Romans to the next level! Just head over to nicoleunice.com/romans/ to sign up for access to weekly inspirational content and access to our private Facebook group. We will walk through Romans as a community, and Nicole will be in the group every week answering your questions and providing reflections for you to take your study to a deeper place.

***
In today's episode, we ask: Am I making God’s commands the central focus of my heart? There is a spiritual blessing when we are willing to take on God’s commands and live in God’s way. In this new three-week series of How to Study The Bible, host Nicole Unice is breaking down how to be met by God when you are confused, scared, and angry.

Here are the five commands from The Lord as seen in Proverbs 3:1-12:
1. Let love and faithfulness never leave you.
2. Trust in The Lord with all your heart.
3. Do not be wise in your own eyes.
4. Honor The Lord with your wealth.
5. Do not despise The Lord’s disciple.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture:
Proverbs 3:1-12

***
Check out Nicole’s latest book, The Miracle Moment: a six-week Bible study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/
Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/danijelala

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/nicole-is-back-truth-for-when-i-feel-con

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Questions Jesus Asked – Don’t You Understand, Yet? (Mark 8:14-21)

We all have the desire to make a big impact in the world. We each want to live with purpose and feel connected to others. But, do we fully understand this or are we too caught up with daily provisions in our life? In today’s episode guest host, Drew Daniels, will be breaking down the last question of this four-part series, “Don’t You Understand Yet?” taken from Mark 8:14-21.

Questions to ask yourself:
1. Do I actually believe that God’s spirit is living and active around me the way scripture says it is?
2. Do I actually believe that God will work in my life in a real and tangible way?

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

***
Drew has been in full-time ministry for nearly a decade. He and his wife Paige currently live in Richmond, Virginia and have two lively toddlers, Nash and Lux. A worship leader and pastor, Drew is passionate about the Bible and leading others to love God’s Word. He is currently pursuing pastoral ordination, completing his Master of Divinity at Fuller Seminary and actively church planting with a team of missionaries in Richmond.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/rudall30

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/questions-jesus-asked-don-t-you-understa

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Questions Jesus Asked – You Don’t Want to Leave Too, Do You? (John 6:60-70)

**Quick Note to our Listeners! Nicole is off for the next few weeks, so while she enjoys some much-needed time off, we hope you enjoy hearing from some of Nicole’s friends in our latest series, “Questions Jesus Asked.”

Have you ever felt Jesus speak to you? Maybe you had a sudden urge that God wanted you to do or say something? There are going to be times in our lives when we are confronted with this, and it may not make any sense to us. So how do we learn to stay, listen, and wait for Jesus to reveal himself in these times?

In this new series, we will be diving deep into questions Jesus asks throughout The Bible and what they mean for us today. In today’s episode guest host, Erin Rose, is back with us breaking down the question, “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture: John 6:60-70
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[a] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

***
Erin Rose is a real estate agent in Richmond, VA, who also serves as a pastor and worship leader. She’s part of Urban Doxology, a worship group dedicated to writing songs of reconciliation for the urban context. Listen in and discover their music at @urbandoxology.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/questions-jesus-asked-you-don-t-want-to-

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Questions Jesus Asked - Who Touched Me? (Mark 5:21-34)

**Quick Note to our Listeners! Nicole is off for the next few weeks, so while she enjoys some much-needed time off, we hope you enjoy hearing from some of Nicole’s friends in our latest series, “Questions Jesus Asked.”

Have you ever struggled with where you find your identity? In this new series, we will be diving deep into questions Jesus asks throughout The Bible and what they mean for us today. In today’s episode guest host, Drew Daniels, will be breaking down the first question “Who touched me?”

In Mark 5:21-34, we learn about a woman with a physical condition who had suffered for 12 years and desperately desired to be healed. As the woman comes forward amid the crowd and falls before Jesus, something miraculous happens.

Questions to ask yourself:
1. Do have an area in my life where the healing is not complete? Maybe you have dealt with the surface wound but is there something at the core level that needs to be addressed?
2. Do I desire for Jesus to heal me and make me whole?

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

***
Drew has been in full time ministry for nearly a decade. He and his wife Paige currently live in Richmond, Virginia and have two lively toddlers, Nash and Lux. A worship leader and pastor, Drew is passionate about the Bible and leading others to love God’s Word. He is currently pursuing pastoral ordination, completing his Master of Divinity at Fuller Seminary and actively church planting with a team of missionaries in Richmond.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/rudall30

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/questions-jesus-asked-who-touched-me-mar

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Questions Jesus Asked - Why Are You Afraid? (Mark 4:40)

**Quick Note to our Listeners! Nicole is off for the next few weeks, so while she enjoys some much-needed time off, we hope you enjoy hearing from some of Nicole’s friends in our latest series, “Questions Jesus Asked.” This week, Erin Rose hops on the podcast to share her investigation into one of the most fascinating stories in the gospels – when Jesus calms the storm.

****
Fear and anxiety are real things we deal with every day. Even though we know Jesus is with us, we still tend to be afraid. In this new series, we will be diving deep into questions Jesus asks throughout The Bible and what they mean for us today. In today’s episode guest host, Erin Rose, will be breaking down the first question “Why are you afraid?”

In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples find themselves in a windstorm amongst the sea. As fear grows amongst them, Jesus rebukes the wind, and says the sea, “peace be still.” The disciples are amazed as God’s power and reign go beyond what they can see or even imagine.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture: Mark 4:35-41
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

***
Erin Rose is a real estate agent in Richmond, VA, who also serves as a pastor and worship leader. She’s part of Urban Doxology, a worship group dedicated to writing songs of reconciliation for the urban context. Listen in and discover their music at @urbandoxology.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Mimadeo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/questions-jesus-asked-why-are-you-afraid

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Invitation to Integrity: 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Do you ever struggle with confronting a loved one’s sin? Is God calling you to speak the truth to someone you know?

As Jesus walked through life, his greatest desire was to be obedient to the Father. He confronted sin; but also engaged, loved, and leaned into all kinds of relationships.

We are called as people of integrity to align our emotions, words, and actions in pursuit of a God-honoring life. In this episode, Nicole walks us through 2 Timothy 3:1-5 where we learn that God desires us to be people that bring the gospel not just through our words, but through our actions.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/XtockImages

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/invitation-to-integrity-2-timothy-3-1-5

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Seek Restoration: John 21:15-22

What does it mean to seek restoration in our relationships? Are we willing to do the work to reach mutual peace and understanding? In this episode, Nicole breaks down the narrative between Peter and Jesus in John 21.

In this passage, Jesus models what true restoration looks like including the need for forgiveness, reconciliation, and repentance. We learn that we are forgiven in Christ because of the work Jesus did on the cross. We experience full forgiveness and have a mandate as believers to offer forgiveness to others.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture:
John 21:15-22
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me? ”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me? ”Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

***
Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/seek-restoration-john-21-15-22

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 04:00:00 +0000

What is Truth: John 18:28-19:16

What does it mean to lead a life of love? In this episode, we are looking at the narrative between Pilate and Jesus in John 18-19. In this pivotal story, we learn about the nature of humanity and the difference between leading a life of fear and leading a life of love. It can be so easy to step out of a place of love and step into a place of fear.

So what do you fear? What do you fear in your relationships? What do you fear when you think about being more loving, forgiving, or truthful? If we are not willing to look deeply at who we are, we will miss out on the joy and the miracle of Christ strengthening us in our places of weakness.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture:
John 18:28-19:16

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/what-is-truth-john-18-28-19-16

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 04:00:00 +0000

It's a Mindset: Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 3:12-14

There are moments when we fail in our love towards others – it is inevitable! So how do we learn to love others fully, as Christ loves us, despite our earthly desires? Is there a relationship in your life where you desire more closeness?

In the following passages, we will learn how to train our mindset to love others and how to put it into our daily practice. Through challenging relationships and difficult situations, Christ can transform us into his likeness.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture:

Philippians 2:5-8 NLT -
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV -
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Francesca Bellini

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/its-a-mindset-philippians-2-5-8-colossia

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 04:00:00 +0000

The Promise of Victory: Romans 8:31-39

When did your heart start to wake up to God? Can you pinpoint when you fully understood the victory of Jesus?

The promise of victory is a foundational truth for how we understand ourselves, engage in growing with Christ, and engage in loving others. The promise of victory states that you cannot mess up enough to leave the dominion of God's love, and you cannot condemn yourself enough to be separated from the love of Christ.

If God is powerful, who can bring a charge against the most powerful one? If God is justified, who could condemn that justification? Can anything separate us from the love of God? Through scripture, we are convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God. When we are confident of this, we can step into our lives differently.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What's the backstory, what's the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today's Scripture:
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." [j]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

***
In this series, we're going to walk through the idea that Jesus is the teacher, and his classroom is your life. Your experiences, your struggles and joys, all of that is the living stuff that Jesus uses to teach you about himself and the kingdom of God.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/nadia_bormotova

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/the-promise-of-victory-romans-8-31-39

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 04:00:00 +0000

The Miracle of Hope: 1 Peter 1:3-9

There is a kind of joy present when you understand your salvation. It changes the way you look at trials; you begin to see that those trials are important to your faith. And when you have joy in your salvation, and you experience those trials that are important to your faith, you get to remember these deep promises that come with salvation - that you have been made new, that you have a new birth, and that you have a hope that exists and is alive. You have an inheritance that is a reward, kept for you in eternity.

Our creator knows our tendencies to doubt what we cannot see and to give up when the going gets tough. So he’s given us this gift called living hope.

What is hope? It is an active, robust experience of believing that there is more for us in the future than we can see in the present. This can reframe our trials, our grief, everything that feels frustrating or stuck. That’s why I believe that living hope is a miracle.

As a reminder, here are the three questions we ask each show:
1. What does the passage say?
2. What’s the backstory, what’s the context?
3. What does it mean? What are the principles of this passage?

Today’s Scripture:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

***
Check out Nicole’s latest Bible study and video series, The Miracle Moment: a six-week study on transforming conflict into connection: https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/

***
Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Ponomariova_Maria

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/the-miracle-of-hope-1-peter-1-3-9

Mon, 31 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: Jonah – God’s Grace Extends in All Directions

Out of this story of Jonah’s failure (and obedience), we see God’s grace extended not only to the people who are wicked, but also to the person who is considered righteous. God extends his grace in both directions because God isn’t just looking at actions, he looks at our heart.

What Are the Principles in Jonah?

1. God loves the people you think are against you. Think of the people or place you least enjoy. God’s grace extends to even to them.

What Does the Book of Jonah Mean for Me Today?

1. Who is my Nineveh? Where is my Nineveh? Who are the people, person, or group that God might be asking you, “Do you know my grace extends to them as well as you?”

2. Are you willing to give love as your first response to those people you feel are against you? Do you want their repentance and for them to receive grace?

3. “Those who cling to worthless idols will forfeit the grace that is theirs" - Jonah 2:8. Dwell on the word “forfeit.” Am I showing up for grace? Or am I clinging so tightly to something important to me, that I am not showing up for the grace given to me?

4. Worship! Dwell on the gift of God’s grace in your life today!

***
Next week, we start a brand-new series on my new book, The Miracle Moment. We’re going to walk through the idea that Jesus is the teacher, and his classroom is your life. Your experiences, your struggles and joys, all of that is the living stuff that Jesus uses to teach you about himself and the kingdom of God.

You can check out The Miracle Moment here! To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/. If you order the book in advance, you will also get a FREE 30-day coaching group.

***
Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/xochicalco

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-jonah-god-s-grace-extends-in-al

Mon, 24 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: Seeing David as a Shadow of the Christ to Come

In this episode, Nicole unpacks Jesus' authority on earth through the fullness of David’s heart in Matthew 22:41-46 and Psalm 110.

In Matthew 22:41-46, we see the Pharisees relentlessly asking Jesus questions to trap him. However, Jesus turns the tables on them prophetically and profoundly through Psalm 110.

Jesus reveals to them that he fulfills any prophet, priest, and king of the time. David was just a shadow of what was to come. Jesus was continually moving his life towards a sacrificial end and ushers in a whole new way of life.

In this episode, Nicole covers:

1. Why Jesus quotes David’s psalm when speaking to the Pharisees (Psalm 110)
2. What Matthew 22 reveals about Jesus (Matthew 22:41-46)

Principles in this Passage of Scripture:

1. Jesus is not only your savior, but he dwells within you. You have access to the wisdom, knowledge, and purposes of Christ.
2. God himself will reveal more of himself through you. Not only is he our savior, but our leader, teacher, and friend.

Question to ask yourself: Do you allow God to reveal himself through you?

Next Week we will look at the story of Jonah!

Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/gldburger

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-seeing-david-as-a-shadow-of-the

Mon, 17 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: Seeing the Gospel in the Story of Ruth

The book of Ruth is a love story... but maybe not in the way you think it is.

In this episode, Nicole unpacks the Old Testament book of Ruth. Ruth was so valuable and crucial to the life of Jesus Christ that she is even named in his genealogy. The book of Ruth is a love story of redemption.

In this episode, Nicole covers:
1. What a Kinsman-Redeemer is (Ruth 2:19-20)
2. What moral righteousness means (Chapter 3:9)

Principles in this Passage of Scripture:
1. God's redemption extends to every true Israelite. God's chosen people extend beyond lineage. There is comfort in the fact that God's grace extends to the ends of the earth.
2. God uses human needs to extend his principle of grace.

Questions to ask yourself: What have you perceived as beyond the care of the Lord? What feels hopeless or too far gone outside of his redeeming love?

Next Week's Scripture: Matthew 22:41-46, Psalm 1:10

Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/vinap

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-seeing-the-gospel-in-the-story-

Mon, 10 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: Moses (Numbers 21:4-9)

This story is mysterious and frankly, a little weird. But when you know what it means in the context of the narrative of Scripture, it makes so much more sense.

Context:
In this part of the exodus, the people are impatient to get to the Promised Land. “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” In doing this, they speak against God’s grace.

When God withdrawals his grace, he leaves the Israelites open to the natural dangers of the wilderness (dangerous snakes, in this case). He wants his children to see their entitled attitudes. But as soon as they turn toward him, he gives them a way back to him.

What Does This Story Mean?
John 3:14-17: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Here are God’s people, spurning his grace, and in doing so, are choosing death. That death can only be relieved by looking to this snake that has been lifted up. There is a choice to be made. Jesus himself says in John that the whole point of that passage is to point to what is going to happen through himself.

What Does This Mean for Me?
When you hear this story, what is your response?

If you lack understanding or doubt, have you asked God to unveil your understanding?

Our Verses for Next Week: Ruth 1-4

Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/vinap

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-moses-numbers-21-4-9

Mon, 03 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: Abram (Genesis 15)

In this episode, unveils the promises of God in Genesis 15, through the Old Testament character Abram. In the New Testament, Abram is reintroduced to help us understand the promise of Jesus, and Nicole walks us through those connections in Scripture.

Through Abram's belief in and commitment to God, we can hold fast to the promises of The Lord.

In this episode, Nicole covers:
1. Abram's belief in God and God's credit of righteousness (verse 6)
2. Abram's belief that God can do the impossible (verse 15)
3. Abram's understanding of the sacrifice of God (verse 17)

Principles in this Passage of Scripture:

1. You do not have to do something to get to God. God is coming to you first in your sin and goes before you to give you life.
2. The covenant of grace supersedes any earthly thing we can do... all we have to do is believe.

Next Week's Scripture: Exodus 14 and Numbers 21

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have at home, in love, and at work into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/KatBuslaeva

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-abram-genesis-15

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: Melchizedek (Genesis 14)

Today, Nicole unveils the meaning behind the old covenant through Genesis 14.

Over the next two weeks, Nicole is going to teach us about two characters in scripture that are reinterpreted in the New Testament to help us understand Jesus' promise. The first character is Melchizedek.

Through Melchizedek, we learn that Jesus died once and for all. Therefore, we are secure in our relationship with Him.

In this episode, Nicole covers:
1. Who Melchizedek was (Genesis 14)
2. What Melchizedek means (Psalms 1:10)
3. Why Melchizedek is important (Hebrews 7)

Principles in this Passage of Scripture:
1. Jesus is our guarantee. Therefore, Jesus can save those who come to God through Him.
2. Jesus has established a new world order. In doing so, God has been using moments throughout the Old Testament for a redemptive narrative.

Questions to ask yourself: What does this mean for me? Am I falling in love with my security, identity, and confidence that comes from Jesus?

Next Week's Scripture: Genesis 15

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have at home, in love, and at work into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Sedmak

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-melchizedek-genesis-14

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Unveiled: The New Adam (Genesis 3:15)

This week’s Bible verses: Genesis 1-3, Genesis 3:15

What Nicole covers in this episode:
1. The context of Genesis 3 and why we can’t start our story there; we have to start in Genesis 1-2.
2. Why God’s mercy was on display when he made Adam and Eve leave the garden.
3. The first human experience of shame and what we can learn from it.
4. What happens to Adam and Eve’s relationship after sin entered the world, and how Satan’s work to divide impacts all relationships.
5. God's plan for redemption, already in place.

Principles from this Passage of Scripture:
1. God’s redemptive plan has been ongoing since the beginning of humanity.
2. God is in control even when all seems lost.
3. God has provided a way for a restored relationship with Him

Question to Ask Yourself:
Do I ever feel like all hope is lost, and if so, how can I move toward a posture of belief around redemption?

Scripture to read for next week: Genesis 14 & 15

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have at home, in love, and at work into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Gldburger

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/unveiled-the-new-adam-genesis-3-15

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Glory in the Unveiling (2 Corinthians 3:10-18)

In this first episode of our new ‘Glory in the Unveiling’ series, Nicole unpacks 2 Corinthians 3:10-18.

Today we are looking at the transformation of the old covenant and the new covenant through an unveiled face. What is an unveiled face? Why do we need to know this?

In this episode, Nicole breaks down what the veil means and how it impacts our faith:

1. God gives us a bold faith (2 Corinthians 3:12)
3. Comparing the past and the present (2 Corinthians 3:16)
2. Freedom will come (2 Corinthians 3:17)
4. Transformation begins (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Principles in this Passage of Scripture:
1. Our contemplation in the work of Christ in the entity of scripture brings us increasing freedom and transformation. With an unveiled face, we can see the world differently, no matter who we are.

Next Week's Scripture: Genesis 1-3

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have at home, in love, and at work into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Wachiraphorn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/glory-in-the-unveiling-2-corinthians-3-1

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

True Life: The Temptation of Shortcuts

This week, we are unpacking Matthew 4:8-11 in our ‘Temptations of Jesus’ series. You can listen to the first and second episodes here.

In this passage, we are looking at the temptation of shortcuts, or moral relativism. This temptation asks us, “Don’t you want to accomplish and achieve all the things you know God would want?”

In this temptation, Satan gets more obvious and blatant with what he wants – “bow down and worship me.” Of course, Jesus quotes Scripture; his weapon in this battle that is not of flesh and blood… If Jesus needed Scripture to defeat the lies of the enemy and overcome temptation, how much more so do we?

In this episode, Nicole also helps us unpack the backstory of the enemy:
1. He is the accuser or slanderer. He uses words and twists them to attack us.
2. There is no truth in him. He is the liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
3. He is still under the power of God (Luke 22:31; the book of Job)
4. He is scheming: (Ephesians 6:11)
5. It is possible to resist him (James 4:7)
6. His work has already been destroyed (1 John 3:8)

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have?at home, in love, and at work?into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Overearth

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/true-life-the-temptation-of-shortcuts

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 04:00:00 +0000

True Life: The Temptation of Validation

In this second episode of our True Life series, Nicole looks at the temptation of validation that Jesus faced, and what his victory of it means for us today. Listen to the first episode here!

Today, we’re looking at how Satan tempted Jesus to throw himself off the highest point of the temple. What should we imagine when we read that? What do we need to know to be able to rightly interpret Jesus’ response?

Principles from this passage:
Satan tempts Jesus (and us) to prove who God really is. But we learn from Jesus that there is a difference between claiming the promises of God and asking God to prove himself to us.

We see from these verses that interpretation matters. Am I honest with myself when my doubt or discouragement is actually disobedience? Am I equipped to answer my doubt or discouragement with the Word of God?

Scripture Referenced in this Episode:
Matthew 4:5-7; Psalm 91

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have?at home, in love, and at work?into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Grivina

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/true-life-the-temptation-of-validation

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 04:00:00 +0000

True Life: The Temptation of Comfort

As we lead up to Easter, for many of us, understanding what the Resurrection means and its importance in our faith are sometimes lost on us. It’s easy to go through the motions but not actually experience the Resurrection as a true reality in our lives.

In this episode, we begin our look at the Temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry gives us a window into what Jesus was sent to do. When we see how he began, we understand how his ministry was fulfilled. We also get an interesting angle into the kinds of temptations that we should expect while we are here on earth.

When Jesus quotes the Word of God at Satan, we have a model for perfect obedience. The truth of God's Word was stronger than the temptation of comfort. By calling on the Word of Truth, Jesus was able to keep himself from temptation, as so can we.

Principles in this Passage of Scripture:
1. The Enemy’s Methods are Not Creative, But Often Effective: He calls into doubt your identity. He tempts you to prove yourself and looks for moments when you’re weakest to tempt you. We don’t need to be fearful, but we need to be discerning.

Related Resources:
Be sure to check out Nicole's newest book, The Miracle Moment! There’s a moment in every conversation that can change the whole relationship. It’s the “miracle moment.” And once you learn how to recognize and respond to it, it holds the power to help transform the relationships you have?at home, in love, and at work?into the ones you really want. To learn more or to join Nicole's launch team, visit https://nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment/.

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Tony Baggett

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/true-life-the-temptation-of-comfort

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Love Psalms: Psalm 145 - A Praise

The most surprising thing about God’s character is that he is all-powerful AND all-merciful. In this episode, we dive into a psalm full of beautiful praise to our powerful, merciful God: Psalm 145.

What Are the Principles That Psalm 145 Teaches Us?
- A call to remember the character of God as he is written about in this psalm.
- Do we believe these attributes of God are true, and meant to bless us?
- What does it mean for us to recite to ourselves what is true about God?
- It is important to meditate on the wonderful works of God (v. 5)
- We have a responsibility to the next generation for the way we live out our lives for God
- We are called to praise every single day, forever and ever.
- God welcomes us to celebrate the goodness in life, and be joyful.

How might you take one of these principles from Psalm 145 and apply it to your life today?

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Benjavisa

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/love-psalms-psalm-145-a-praise

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Love Psalms: Psalm 103 - A Promise

The Psalms cover the entire range of human expression. They invite us to be fully honest and fully ourselves with God. But they also instruct us on how to use trust and praise to strengthen our faith.

Perhaps you’ve wondered about the positive psychology idea of “self-talk.” Well, today we are going to learn about the origins of that very idea--right here in the Psalms. Let’s take a look together at what we can learn about the power of promises to lift our spirits and direct our paths.

What Are the Principles Psalm 103 Teaches Us?
#1 - This earthly life is a chapter in our eternal life. He might heal (see the story of Hezekiah), or he may not on this side of eternity. We might not yet fully understand what his healing looks like in our earthly lives.
#2 – When God says he removes our sins “as far as the east is from the west” – we can learn several things about God’s forgiveness for us: it is permanent, it is limitless.

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Benjavisa

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/love-psalms-psalm-103-a-promise

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Love Psalms: Psalm 40 - A Prayer

What does it really mean to pray honest prayers to God? The honest prayers of David can teach us so much about how to come to God in prayer.

This is the third episode in our Love Psalms series. Here is the first episode, and here is the second.

What Nicole Covers in This Episode:
• How to dig into large sections of Scripture at a time
• In this honest prayer, what is David asking, what is he declaring? How can we take that framework and apply it to the way we pray?
• What is the backstory and how does that information help us understand it?
• Where else do these verses show up in Scripture? (Hebrews 10, Matthew 5:3)
• Takeaway Principle 1: To praise God is to remember. We can call on the promises of God in confidence, even when we are in a place of trouble. There is a trust we are cultivating with God when we choose to praise and remember who he is.
• Takeaway Principle 2: The attitude of the heart is more important than any other offering (cf. Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13)
• Which of these aspects of prayer do you want to commit to today?

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Overearth

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/love-psalms-psalm-40-a-prayer

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Love Psalms: Psalm 6 - A Plea

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge, kicked off on February 1st. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

This is the second episode in our Love Psalms series. Here is the first episode.

If you are in a season of discouragement, loss, or grief, come study Psalm 6 with us.

Discussed This Week:
• Have you accepted that trouble and suffering is a part of this world, not the exception but the rule?
• Other Psalms of lament: 8, 12, 32, 38, 46, 51, 102, 130
• One of Nicole’s favorite definition of mercy: “God’s affection set on relieving our affliction”
• Even if we have brought grief on ourselves, like David has in Psalm 6, we can still cry out for mercy.
• Does God punish us for our sin? (Yes, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8.) Nicole explains how with grace, the penalty for our sin is removed and we can have right standing with God. But grace does not mean that if we go on sinning that we do not receive consequences.
• How do we handle it when God doesn’t seem to come to our aid?
• The confident turn in Psalm 6 that shows us in the midst of suffering we can have confident hope in who God is.
• Three questions: Do I need to repent of something in my life? Do I need to have confidence in my grief in sorrow? Do I need to believe that God has heard my cry?

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/izumikobayashi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/love-psalms-psalm-6-a-plea

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Love Psalms: Psalm 1 - A Posture

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge, kicked off on February 1st. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

If you’ve ever wanted to better understand the Book of Psalms, this series is for you! We are going to spend the next five episodes looking at the 5 types of major psalms in the Bible and how to properly read this poetic book.

We’re calling it Love Psalms, because sometimes love is full of praise, sometimes love has lament in it. Sometimes love is about when we feel close, and sometimes it’s our love is expressed in the anguish we feel in distance. The Psalms allow us the full emotional expression of human existence.

Every part of your emotional experience, every part of your life experience, is welcome in God’s presence. That’s the subscript of the whole book of Psalms.

In this episode, Nicole breaks down:

• What is the posture of the righteous? What do they do, and what don’t they do?
• How to spot imagery and parallelism (and what they matter)
• What it means that this is the first psalm in the entire book
• What you should expect when you live a righteous life?
• How to correctly interpret the idea of “prospering”

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/izumikobayashi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/love-psalms-psalm-1-a-posture

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 05:00:00 +0000

New Year, New Thing (with Erin Rose)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/new-year-new-thing-with-erin-rose

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 05:00:00 +0000

New Year, New Creation

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge, which kicks off on February 1st. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

Nicole’s book 'Help! My Bible Is Alive' is available here.

In This Episode:
Right about now, we start to realize just how difficult it is to change. If you’re feeling that way, know that you have a Heavenly Father who promises to do the things he requires of us. If he’s calling us to holiness, he’s going to make a way for us to get there. If he’s calling us to a new attitude or mind, he’s going to make a way. We are active participants in the transformative work that the Spirit is doing in us.

This week, we are diving deep into 2 Corinthians 5:17 and the amazing implications it has for us as believers. What does it mean to be a new creation? It means our eternal life starts now, not once we’re in heaven.

This Week’s Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Ponomariova_Maria

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/new-year-new-creation

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 05:00:00 +0000

New Year, New Mind

Are you looking to get more out of your time studying the Bible? Or maybe you're ready to finally start building a consistent, daily quiet time with the Lord? If that sounds like you, then Nicole would like to personally invite you to join her Help! My Bible is Alive FREE 30-Day Challenge, which kicks off on February 1st. To sign up, head over to https://nicoleunice.com/bible

Nicole’s book 'Help! My Bible Is Alive' is available here.

In This Episode:
The work of a new heart is done in Christ, but we are still participants in that work. Every day, we have the choice: will we continue to put off the old self, and put on the old self? In this episode, Nicole looks at what it means for us to take our thoughts captive and hold them up to the truth of God’s Word.

This Week’s Key Verses:
Ephesians 4:22-24: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Follow Nicole:
Her Site | Facebook | Instagram

Episode Image Credit: Getty/nadia_bormotova

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/new-year-new-mind

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 05:00:00 +0000

New Year, New Heart

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/new-year-new-heart

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Introducing: Let's Be Real (Why Boundaries Are So Hard)

In this special episode, we wanted to introduce you to Nicole's other podcast, Let's Be Real! In this episode, Nicole shares why setting healthy boundaries can be so hard, and how to be a peaceful, joyful person with your YES and your NO.

To take Nicole's FREE boundaries assessment, just head over to https://nicoleunice.com/boundaries/.

To listen and subscribe to Let's Get Real, go to https://nicoleunice.com/podcasts/ (Episodes 18, 19, 20, and 21 are the ones focused on setting healthy boundaries.)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/introducing-lets-be-real-why-boundaries-

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Philippians 4: The Pursuit of Peace

In our forth and final episode of our latest season, Nicole walks us through Philippians 4 and our path to peace.

Recommended Resources:
Walking with God: A 30-Day Guided Discovery of Philippians and Ephesians. This is a 5-week guided devotional plan to help you unpack God’s Word in simple, daily steps. Learn more at https://nicoleunice.com/walking-with-god/

Connect with Nicole:
Her website: https://www.nicoleunice.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Malte Mueller

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/philippians-4-the-pursuit-of-peace

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Philippians 3: The Source of Our Confidence

In this third episode of our new season, Nicole helps us open our eyes to receive the riches of Philippians 3 and the source of our confidence.

Recommended Resources:
Walking with God: A 30-Day Guided Discovery of Philippians and Ephesians. This is a 5-week guided devotional plan to help you unpack God’s Word in simple, daily steps. Learn more at https://nicoleunice.com/walking-with-god/

Connect with Nicole:
Her website: https://www.nicoleunice.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/

Episode Image Credit: Getty/Ponomariova_Maria

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/philippians-3-the-source-of-our-confiden

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Philippians 2: Work Out Your Salvation

In this second episode of our new season, Nicole digs deep into the goodness of Philippians 2, connecting the experience of our salvation with the outwork of our salvation.

Recommended Resources:
Walking with God: A 30-Day Guided Discovery of Philippians and Ephesians. This is a 5-week guided devotional plan to help you unpack God’s Word in simple, daily steps. Learn more at https://nicoleunice.com/walking-with-god/

Connect with Nicole:
Her website: https://www.nicoleunice.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/

Episode Image Credit: Getty/nadia_bormotova

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/philippians-2-work-out-your-salvation

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Walking with God - An Introduction to Philippians

A new season of How to Study the Bible Is here! This season, Nicole takes us through the book of Philippians and what it looks like to have abundant joy in a world that is often anything but joy-filled.

In this episode, Nicole reminds us how we use the Alive Method to discover the meaning and application of Scripture, and begins to walk us through Philippians.

Recommended Resources:
Walking with God: A 30-Day Guided Discovery of Philippians and Ephesians. This is a 5-week guided devotional plan to help you unpack God’s Word in simple, daily steps. Learn more at https://nicoleunice.com/walking-with-god/

Connect with Nicole:
Her website: https://www.nicoleunice.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/

Episode Image Credit: Getty/FORGEM

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/walking-with-god-an-introduction-to-phil

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Finding Strength in God's Joy

What does it mean to find strength in God’s joy? In this episode, Nicole looks at Nehemiah 8 in order to help listeners move from happiness based on circumstances, to being people who actually find within themselves a deep joy that is settled in God.

While we can’t change our circumstances, we want to be people who deal with our circumstances differently because of God in our life.

Resources:
Help, My Bible Is Alive!
Subscribe to Nicole’s weekly podcast, Let's Be Real.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/finding-strength-in-gods-joy

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Finding Security Despite Uncertainty

“When the things we have found our comfort and security in are failing, it is at that point Jesus invites us to go deeper with him.” - Nicole Unice

In this episode, Nicole walks us through Luke 5:4-11 using the Alive Method of Bible Study, guiding us to our true source of security when life is uncertain.

This is episode #2 in Nicole's 4-part series "Finding Comfort in the Promises of God." You can listen to part one here: Finding Hope in Stressful Times

Resources:
Help, My Bible Is Alive!
Subscribe to Nicole’s weekly podcast, Let's Be Real.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram

Image Credit: ©Getty/frimages

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/finding-security-despite-uncertainty

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Finding Peace in Anxiety

“As a people of God, we are called to bold and courageous action. But when our lives get smaller and smaller because of the fear of what we think might happen, we actually are out of accord with God’s purpose and design for our lives.”

Fear is real, and it’s because we do have real things to be afraid of. But sometimes, our survival instincts, like fear, can begin to work overtime and unnecessarily become anxiety. In today’s episode, Nicole unpacks what to do when our fears become anxieties that begin to impact how we make decisions. If you struggle with anxiety, this is a must-listen episode.

This is episode #2 in Nicole's 4-part series "Finding Comfort in the Promises of God." You can listen to part one here: Finding Hope in Stressful Times

Resources:
Help, My Bible Is Alive!
Subscribe to Nicole’s weekly podcast, Let's Be Real.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/finding-peace-in-anxiety

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Finding Hope in Stressful Times

This is episode #1 of a new, 4-part miniseries called "Comfort in God’s Promises." We'll be using what we learned through the Alive Method of Bible Study in order to apply God’s never-changing truth to the ever-changing circumstances of our lives.

In this episode, Nicole unpacks how to go to Scripture to find hope in stressful times. Learn what it looks like to "go back to home base” whenever you feel discouraged or confused.

Scripture References:
Matthew 13:44; Matthew 6:19-21; Ecclesiastes 2; Philippians 4:19

Resources:
Help, My Bible Is Alive!
Subscribe to Nicole’s weekly podcast, Let's Be Real.
Follow her on Facebook and Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/finding-hope-in-stressful-times

Thu, 28 May 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Episode 8: Hearing God through His Word for a Lifetime

You’ve got the plan, you know what to do, but now you’ve got to do the work. We’re all prone to laziness or apathy, but if you truly want to hear from God through his word for a lifetime and be transformed, you’ve got to make an effort.

Here are a few steps you can take to build on the success you’ve had so far:
1. Maintain the Habit
2. Always Be Somewhere in Scripture
3. Set Short and Attainable Goals
4. Seek to Live in Community
5. Teach Somebody Else

Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-8-hearing-god-through-his-word-f

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 7: Putting It All Together

It’s amazing what 15 minutes with God can do to our perspective, our attitude and our actions in one day. Putting the Alive Method together, Nicole walks you through all 4 questions we've unpacked in previous episodes using one passage of Scripture.

(It might be a good idea to have your Bible, notebook and a pencil for this episode, as we’re getting practical and applying everything we’ve talked about here!)

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-7-putting-it-all-together

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 6: Making it Personal – What Does It Mean for Me?

Let’s review the first three questions you ask of Scripture:

1. What does it say? Can I restate what the passage says?
2. What’s the backstory? What’s our context and history in the time it was written?
3. What does it mean? What is the principle at play, what is it teaching me about God and our interaction with him?

Today, we’ll unpack question four – What does this mean for me? All of our work in studying and understanding the Bible is all meant to move us to this place: where our lives are transformed by who and what we know.

What can Scripture give us?
1. Encouragement and priorities for the hard or mundane seasons of life.
2. Conviction leading to repentance when we sin (2 Corinthians 7:8-13).
3. Worship as a response to what we now know about who God is and what he has done!

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-6-making-it-personal-what-does-i

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 5: What to Do When You Get Stuck

In this episode, we’ll look at the three most common issues that can derail our Bible study and how we can overcome them:

Problem 1 - These passages contradict! How can I possibly find the meaning?

Questions to ask yourself: What else happens in Scripture related to this topic, beyond this verse? Is it bound in a cultural time or is it a timeless principle?

Problem 2 - It seems like the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament disagree.

Questions to ask yourself: What if I’m wrong? Have I read both the Old and New Testament in their entirety? Have I explored the backstory?

Problem 3 – The Old Testament doesn't seem relevant in my life.

Questions to ask yourself: Have you read large passages (several chapters or even an entire book) of the Old Testament at once? Can you read it for the larger story and not only read at the verse level?

Resources Mentioned:
The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight: http://urlme.cc/Ll8q

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-5-what-to-do-when-you-get-stuck

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 4: Unpacking Principles and Finding Meaning

“The minute you have asked ‘why?’ – you have become a theologian.” – Carolyn Custis James

First, the bad news: you might be a little uncomfortable with this part, at least a first. But the good news (and it really is good news!) is that as you know more, it more it becomes easier to pull the principle out of Scripture.

In this episode, Nicole talks about the five filters we use to understand what a passage is teaching us about God, ourselves, and the world we live in:

1. Is the principle or theory reflected in the passage?
2. Is the principle timeless?
3. Does the principle transcend culture, gender, age, status, etc.?
4. Is the principle harmonious with the rest of Scripture?
5. Is this principle relevant then and relevant now?

For more, check out:
Take the 30-Day 'Help, My Bible Is Alive' Challenge: http://urlme.cc/vzQp

Grasping God’s Word by Duvall and Hays: http://urlme.cc/DNlP

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-4-unpacking-principles-and-findi

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 3: Digging Deeper - What’s the Backstory?

If you’ve ever gone to a play, you’ll have been handed a playbill before the program began. This playbill gives you some important information like the characters, the setting and the scenes you’ll see when the lights dim. The backstory helps us engage with what’s in front of us.

When we read the Bible, we also need a backstory. The problem is, we often want it to ignore the backstory and apply the Word immediately to our lives instead of asking what it meant to the original audience. But when we do this, we misapply Scripture.

Join Nicole in this episode as she unpacks how we can understand what’s going on behind the scenes of the passages we read.

Nicole’s Favorite Study Bible: The NIV Study Bible - http://urlme.cc/AvRn

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - http://urlme.cc/OroK

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-3-digging-deeper-what-s-the-back

Sun, 12 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 2: The Basics of Bible Study

Here’s a secret of the universe: there are always basics of everything. If you want to be physically fit, you have to do cardio and strength training. If you want to be a good cook, you have to learn how to chop, mix spices and know how flavors complement one another. And if you want to be good at reading and understanding the Bible, there are basic skills you need to learn as well.

In this episode, we’ll unpack just what those fundamental skills are, through Nicole’s 'Alive Method,' by asking four basic questions of every passage of Scripture.

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - http://urlme.cc/OroK

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-2-the-basics-of-bible-study

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Episode 1: Three Common Obstacles to Understanding the Bible

Most of us want to hear from God, but when we actually go to the Bible, it feels irrelevant, archaic or just plain confusing. In this episode, Nicole addresses three of our common obstacles we face in spending time in the Bible and how to get past those into a vibrant relationship with God through His Word.

Check out Nicole’s book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God’s Word - http://urlme.cc/OroK

You can find more from Nicole at https://nicoleunice.com/
And on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/15345404/episode-1-three-common-obstacles-to-unde

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

今年夏季，絕不能錯過名勝壹號世界郵輪重回基隆啟航！多種優惠方案讓您輕鬆預訂心儀的日本沖繩郵輪行程，同時省下大筆開支！

0 則留言