Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Christian Affirmations, Hearing God, Prayer, Holy Spirit, Daily Devotional

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  Saturday Daily Affirmations: I Recognize God's Faithfulness in Seen and Unseen Moments (Psalm 77:11) 03.10.2026 11min

  Saturday Daily Affirmations: I Recognize God's Faithfulness in Seen and Unseen Moments (Psalm 77:11) Saturday is a good day to slow down and look back over your week with God. Not to replay everything or overthink it, but to notice where He met you, where He carried you, and where His grace showed up. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a gentle way to reflect with honesty and gratitude before the new week begins. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then read the Bible verse it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Saturday affirmations and Scripture I thank God for walking with me through this week. Psalm 143:10 — "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." I recognize God's faithfulness in both the seen and unseen moments. Psalm 77:11 — "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago." I release regret and receive God's grace. Psalm 32:5 — "Then I acknowledged my sin to You... and You forgave the guilt of my sin." I trust that God was at work even when I didn't notice. Ecclesiastes 3:11 — "He has made everything beautiful in its time." I give thanks for the strength God provided each day. Psalm 28:7 — "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me." I acknowledge where I grew this week. 2 Peter 3:18 — "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I notice where God invited me to trust Him more deeply. Psalm 37:5 — "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this." I receive God's mercy for where I fell short. Micah 7:18 — "You delight in mercy." I choose gratitude over self-criticism. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 — "Give thanks in all circumstances." I honor the work God has been doing in my heart. Philippians 1:6 — "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." I acknowledge God's presence in ordinary moments. Psalm 16:11 — "You make known to me the path of life." I release this week into God's care. Psalm 55:22 — "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you." I trust God with what remains unfinished. Proverbs 16:9 — "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." I thank God for His patience with me. Psalm 103:8 — "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." I rest in the truth that God sees me fully. Hebrews 4:13 — "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." I choose to end this week with gratitude. Psalm 92:1 — "It is good to give thanks to the Lord." I release comparison and embrace contentment. Hebrews 13:5 — "Be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you.'" I acknowledge God's protection this week. Psalm 121:7 — "The Lord will keep you from all harm." I thank God for His provision. Matthew 6:31-32 — "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them." I recognize God's quiet guidance. Isaiah 30:21 — "This is the way; walk in it." I let go of striving and receive rest. Psalm 23:2 — "He leads me beside quiet waters." I honor the limits God has given me. Psalm 127:2 — "He grants sleep to those He loves." I trust God with what I do not understand. Romans 11:33 — "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God." I receive peace as I reflect with God. Psalm 4:7 — "You have filled my heart with greater joy." I end this week grounded in God's faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23 — "Great is Your faithfulness." Closing prayer God, thank You for walking with me through this week. Help me to see Your faithfulness clearly and to release what I need to let go of. I trust that You were present in ways I noticed and in ways I didn't. I place this week back into Your hands. Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  God Saw What Was Done to You: Listener Questions 02.10.2026 24min

  God Saw What Was Done to You: Listener Questions Today is one of our Q&A episodes, where we take a pause from the Bible study so you have time to catch up and I can work through questions that have come in. Two questions in this one. The first asks why people with religious roles so often fail to live obediently, which is a pattern running straight through Scripture. The second is harder and I want to handle it gently: why did God protect Cain after what he did, and why do some people lose their freedom because of somebody else's choices? Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Does being close to religion mean you're obedient to God? Sarah put it in a phrase I keep thinking about: religious proximity does not equal religious obedience. That's been a theme in Scripture from the very beginning. Adam and Eve were in perfect communion with God. They walked with Him daily. And still, because God gave us free will, proximity didn't produce obedience. There isn't a day that goes by without someone in a religious role falling into sin. We hear about it constantly. You may have experienced church hurt yourself at the hands of a leader or a pastor. That's the reality of the fall, and it's the story written all through the pages of Scripture. We've been watching it in Luke. The Roman political system had corrupted the religious leadership of the day, which is the whole backdrop behind the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the religious establishment Jesus keeps encountering. Having a religious role never meant being obedient to God. What it comes down to is the difference between going to church and knowing Jesus. Some people go to church and then go home and harm their families the rest of the week. Some go hoping it absolves them of what they're doing elsewhere. A great deal of harm has been done in the name of religion. Proximity is not an indication of where the heart is. And God's remedy for that, over and over in Scripture, is sending Jesus. We can know about Jesus without actually knowing Him, and those are two different things. My hope for this show, and for the books and the trips and everything else we do, is that you would know Him for yourself. That doesn't mean you'll always get it right. We aren't perfect, which is exactly why we need Him. But being disobedient, feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit, confessing, and being restored to right relationship through Jesus is the whole rhythm of the Christian life. Why did God protect Cain? This question came in from someone working through the Genesis series, and it's one a lot of people carry, usually in different forms. At the heart of it is often a wound. If you've ever been hurt by somebody else's choices, you know the ache in it. Why does the person who caused the harm seem to get mercy while the person who was hurt has no say at all? Let's look at what actually happens in Genesis 4. Cain kills his brother in a field. Then God comes to him and says, what have you done, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Before God says one word about punishment, He makes it clear that He heard Abel. Abel never got a voice in that field. God gave him one. The first murder victim in Scripture is not forgotten. Then comes the sentence, and it has layers. Cain is driven from the land, the ground won't produce for him, and he becomes a restless wanderer. He panics and says whoever finds him will kill him. And God puts a mark on him so that no one will. Here's the detail worth knowing. The Hebrew word for mark is ot, which means sign. It's the same word used for the rainbow after the flood and for the blood on the doorposts at Passover. It isn't a brand of shame. It's a sign of protection. Why would God protect him? Two things are happening. In the ancient world there were no courts and no police. Justice was handled by family members, and it usually meant revenge. And revenge did not stop at one life. Entire families were wiped out in the name of it. You can watch it start just a few verses later with Lamech, Cain's descendant, who brags about killing a man for wounding him and says if Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven. That's what vengeance does when it's left in human hands. The seed of it grows. So God's protection of Cain puts a limit on the violence before it consumes the whole human family. And look what Jesus does with that number later. He takes Lamech's seventy-seven and turns it into how many times we forgive. The way of Jesus is forgiveness. There's still justice, but it belongs to God rather than to us. Protecting Cain is not the same as excusing Cain. He lived with real consequences the rest of his life. The ground didn't work for him, and at that time that was survival. But God also didn't give up on him. Remember, we're not reading these stories to study the people. We're reading them to see the character and nature of God. Here we see mercy and justice together. That's hard to hold at once, especially when you're the one who was hurt. Why do some people lose their freedom because of someone else's choices? God doesn't hand out free will to some and withhold it from others. Every person bears God's image and every person has a will. But we live in a broken world where our choices land on other people. Freedom means the choice to love, and it also means the choice to harm. When someone abuses or wounds or betrays another person, the one who was hurt didn't choose that. Their safety was taken. Their innocence was taken. God calls that evil. I struggled with this myself for a long time. Years ago in seminary I was working through some childhood trauma with my spiritual director. In my mind, I got saved at fifteen, so I had somehow concluded that anything that happened before that was my own fault for being sinful, or that God hadn't shown up in my life yet. What my spiritual director said to me then is what I've said to many of you since: the evil that was done to me grieved God too. He grieves what is done to us. That's part of why He sent His Son. There's a theological piece here worth naming. We live in what's called the already and the not yet. Jesus has already come, lived a sinless life, completed the work on the cross, defeated death, ascended, and sent the Holy Spirit. But this world is not yet fully redeemed. Until He returns, it isn't finished. So we live in a broken place, and those things break God's heart. Where is God in what happened? Scripture keeps showing us a God who moves toward the one who was harmed. Think of Hagar. She was used and mistreated and left alone in the desert, and she named God El Roi, the God who sees me. One of my favorite verses to share with people who are hurting is Psalm 34:18, that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He knows you will experience heartbreak. This is not the world He designed, and it's why He sent Jesus to redeem and restore it. We're just not there yet. He also promises justice. Romans 12 tells us vengeance belongs to the Lord, which means nothing done in the dark is overlooked. And then there's Hebrews 12, which says the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Abel's blood cried out for justice. The blood of Jesus speaks healing and forgiveness and restoration. Jesus was the innocent one harmed by other people's choices, and He allowed it so that nothing done to you would be the end of your story. If you're carrying something that was done to you, I want you to know that God saw it. He grieves it. And He has not stopped working toward your healing. Timestamps 00:00 Why we do Q&A episodes, and what SpeakPipe is for 01:20 Sarah's question on religious proximity 02:07 Why proximity never guaranteed obedience 03:32 What we've seen in Luke about corrupted leadership 04:01 Going to church versus knowing Jesus 04:30 Knowing about Jesus is not knowing Jesus 06:15 A question from the Genesis series 07:13 The ache underneath the question 07:44 God heard Abel first 08:31 What the word for mark actually means 08:58 Why revenge could not be left to people 09:46 Lamech, and what Jesus does with that number 10:16 Protection is not the same as excuse 11:21 Everyone has free will, and choices land on others 12:20 What my spiritual director told me 13:08 God grieves what was done to you 13:32 The already and the not yet 14:29 Hagar and the God who sees 15:30 Vengeance belongs to the Lord 15:36 A better word than the blood of Abel 16:25 He saw it, and He is still working 16:47 Prayer Frequently asked questions What is SpeakPipe for? Prayer requests and questions about the show or past episodes. It isn't a place for complaints or for counseling. What does the mark on Cain mean? The Hebrew word is ot, meaning sign. It's the same word used for the rainbow and the Passover blood, and here it functions as protection rather than shame. Do I need to listen to the series in order? No. The content is evergreen and people listen in whatever order works for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Friday Daily Affirmations: God's Peace Fills My Heart and I Rest in His Presence (Matthew 11:28) 02.10.2026 11min

  Friday Daily Affirmations: God's Peace Fills My Heart and I Rest in His Presence (Matthew 11:28) End your week anchored in peace and presence. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to set down what you've been carrying and find rest in God's care. Today's affirmations are about releasing your burdens, letting go of striving, and remembering that God's strength, love, and renewal are available right where you are. It's time to stop striving and start resting in His goodness. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then share the Scripture it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin The week is ending, and as we step into the weekend, let's take a moment to breathe. Release your burdens and rest in God's presence. We're not meant to carry everything ourselves. God calls us to lay our worries at His feet and find renewal in Him. Friday affirmations and Scripture I release my worries and trust God to handle what I cannot. 1 Peter 5:7 God's peace fills my heart and I rest in His presence. Matthew 11:28 I am not defined by my mistakes. God's grace is greater than my failures. Lamentations 3:22-23 I let go of the need to control everything and surrender to God's perfect plan. Proverbs 3:5-6 I am deeply loved by God and nothing can separate me from His love. Romans 8:38-39 God refreshes my soul and renews my strength. Isaiah 40:31 I will be fully present today, trusting that God holds tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 My body, mind, and spirit find rest in God alone. Psalm 62:1 I let go of striving and choose to rest in God's love. Zephaniah 3:17 I step into the weekend with joy, knowing that God is in control. Psalm 118:24 God's presence is my safe place. Psalm 91:1 I am fully known and fully loved by God. Psalm 139:1-2 I will not let stress steal my peace today. Philippians 4:6-7 God is my refuge and I am safe in His hands. Psalm 46:1 I do not need to have all the answers. I trust God. Romans 11:33 God is fighting my battles and I can rest in His victory. Exodus 14:14 I will not fear because God is with me. Isaiah 41:13 I am held together by God's love even when life feels overwhelming. Colossians 1:17 God's goodness and mercy follow me every day. Psalm 23:6 I will not carry burdens that God has already taken from me. Matthew 11:29-30 I am at peace because God is in control. Isaiah 26:3 I trust in God's timing even when I don't understand. Ecclesiastes 3:11 I will lay down my burdens and take on God's. Psalm 4:8 I am never alone for God is always with me. Deuteronomy 31:6 No matter what happens today, God is still good. Nahum 1:7 Closing prayer Father, as this week comes to an end, I lay my burdens at Your feet. Help me to release my worries, rest in Your peace, and trust You with everything I cannot control. Refresh my heart and renew my spirit so I can step into the weekend with joy. In Jesus' name, Amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Separate to Elevate: Luke 3:2 01.10.2026 32min

  John the Baptist could have served in the temple. He was the son of a priest, and by birthright that door was open to him. Instead he lived in the desert, and that's where the word of God found him. Today we slow down on one phrase in verse two and ask what the wilderness actually was, why John chose it over the temple, and why God so often separates people before He uses them. Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at ⁠BibleStudyLive.org⁠ Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: ⁠SpeakPipe⁠ Why was John in the wilderness? Luke told us back in chapter one, verse eighty, that the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel. So the wilderness is essentially where John grew up. The practical reason may be simple. Zechariah and Elizabeth were both advanced in years when he was born, so it's reasonable to think they died while he was still young. Scripture doesn't say, but something moved him out of the village and into the desert early. There's also the calling. Gabriel said he would drink no wine or liquor and would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, which sounds a great deal like the Nazirite vow from Numbers 6. Normally a person chose that vow. John was set apart from conception, the way Samson and Samuel were. That word anointing means set apart. Someone with that kind of calling was never going to live an ordinary village life. Mark fills in the picture. John was clothed with camel's hair, wore a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. Locusts were permitted food under the law, so he was eating what God provided in the desert. The clothing is not an accident either. Elijah is described in 2 Kings as a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist, and Gabriel said John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. John was dressing the part. He didn't have to. It was a physical way of showing people who he was and what he had come to do. Why does it matter that he chose this? Because he had another option. John was the son of Zechariah, a priest. By birth he had the right to serve in the temple. He could have spent those years in the temple courts waiting for Jesus to begin His ministry, and it would have been far more comfortable. The temple was the center of Israel's worship, the place where God's presence dwelt with His people, the most sacred address in the entire nation. John went the opposite direction. What was that wilderness actually like? When we hear desert we picture sand dunes. This was not that. This was rocky hills, deep ravines, scrub brush, and almost no water. The area sits in the shadow of the mountains of Judea, so storms drop their rain on the Jerusalem side and very little makes it over. Jericho gets only a few inches a year. In spring a thin grass comes up and shepherds bring flocks through, but the rest of the year it is dry and very hot, especially as you drop toward the Dead Sea, which sits about 1,400 feet below sea level, the lowest place on dry land anywhere on earth. The Hebrew word for this region is midbar, and it doesn't mean dead. It means uncultivated. Open country where you might drive flocks at certain times of year, but land nobody could farm and nobody owned. This is the land David knew. He shepherded here as a boy and hid here from Saul. When he wrote in Psalm 63 about seeking God in a dry and weary land where there is no water, he wasn't only being poetic. He was describing what he could see. How did people at that time think about the wilderness? They held two feelings about it at once. First, it was dangerous, physically and spiritually. No water, extreme heat, wild animals, even rumors of lions, and bandits. The road from Jerusalem down to Jericho ran through here, which is the road in the story of the Good Samaritan. People understood that story because they knew that road. Beyond the physical, they believed evil was out there. On the Day of Atonement they drove a goat carrying the sins of Israel out into the wilderness, which we read in Leviticus. Isaiah 34 describes ruined desert places haunted by wild creatures. Jesus Himself later says an unclean spirit passes through waterless places. Keep that in mind, because in Luke 4 Jesus goes into this same wilderness for forty days. Second, and at the same time, it was holy ground. Many would have remembered the wilderness as the place where God courted Israel. In Jeremiah 2, God says He remembers the devotion of her youth, the love of her betrothals, her following after Him in the wilderness. It was almost their honeymoon, the time before they had anything, when they simply followed Him. This is where Israel became a people. They came out of Egypt and spent forty years in the desert. They received the law at Sinai. They ate manna. They learned to depend on God for water. This was the place where they had nothing but Him. In Hosea 2, God says He will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her. When God wanted to win back the hearts of His people, He brought them here. Why baptize in the Jordan? There's one exception to all that barrenness. The Jordan River valley runs through it like a green ribbon, thick with brush and trees. Scripture calls it the thickets of the Jordan, dense enough that wild animals lived there. So picture John standing at the meeting point of two worlds. Behind him, miles of empty rock and heat. In front of him, a muddy winding river with green growing along both sides. In the middle of all that nothing, he is preaching about life and water. They could see that. We can't, but they could. Practically, he needed water, and the Jordan was the travel route, so the crowds were already there. But the river also carried history. This is where Israel crossed into the promised land. So when people walked out to be baptized, they were stepping into the same water their ancestors crossed in Joshua 3. It was like a national do-over, a chance to start over. And notice what the trip itself required. To be baptized by John you had to leave Jerusalem, walk away from the temple courts, and travel out toward the desert. That journey was part of the message. The system had grown so corrupt that the high priesthood was political and controlled by one family. John's location was essentially saying, come out here, we're going to start over. Was this politically dangerous? Yes. Josephus, the Jewish historian writing in that same era, describes several men who claimed to be deliverers, gathering followers out in the wilderness near the Jordan and promising signs of freedom. Rome crushed every one of them. In Acts 21 a Roman officer asks Paul whether he's the Egyptian who led four thousand men into the wilderness. So when crowds started streaming out of Jerusalem to hear a man in camel's hair eating locusts, it looked like the start of something. That's why the religious leaders sent a delegation to ask who he thought he was, and it's part of why Herod Antipas eventually arrests him. What does this mean for us? John could have been in the temple. But the word of God didn't come to the temple. It came to a man in the desert who was ready to prepare the way. And here's the part I keep sitting with. John was out there a long time before any of this happened. Alone. That's a pattern. Moses met God at the burning bush after tending someone else's sheep for forty years. Elijah heard the still small voice after running for his life, in a cave. David wrote some of his best psalms while hiding. Years ago at a women's retreat, they had us write a letter to ourselves from God. What came out was this: in this next season, you're going to have to separate to elevate. At the time I thought it just sounded like a sermon title. Then the Lord began pulling me away from relationships that had been fine in the season before, out of the orphan care ministry and the global missions role I loved, into heavy research for books and Bible studies and eventually into podcasting full time. I had to be separated before that season started, and it felt lonely. When we're separated, we tend to think those seasons are empty and God isn't there. But the wilderness is often where He forms the people He's about to use, because there is nothing out there competing for your attention. It's just you and Him. John spent decades in that silence before he said a word publicly. When he finally spoke, the whole nation came out to listen. If you're in a separated season, I know it's lonely. Let it be the season that drives you to your knees and teaches you to recognize His voice, so that when the thing He's preparing you for arrives, you come to it having already spent time alone with Him. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and where we are in Luke 3 00:47 Reading Luke 3:1-9 02:09 Prayer 02:29 Picking up where we left off 03:20 Why our picture of wilderness is wrong 04:19 What Luke told us in chapter one 05:13 Set apart from birth, and the Nazirite vow 06:25 Camel's hair, locusts, and Elijah 08:17 He could have served in the temple 08:55 What that wilderness was actually like 09:52 Midbar, and what the word means 10:50 The land David knew 11:38 Why they saw it as dangerous 12:35 The scapegoat and the demons of the desert 13:33 The Jordan, a green ribbon through the dry 14:55 Why John baptized where he did 16:38 Leaving the temple to get there 17:06 The wilderness as holy ground 17:58 Where Israel became a people 19:32 Isaiah 40 and the road through the desert 20:31 Why this was politically charged 22:18 The word didn't come to the temple 23:14 Separated on purpose 24:07 Separate to elevate 26:07 What God forms in the silence 26:36 Prayer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Thursday Daily Affirmations: I Trust in the Lord to Guide My Steps (Proverbs 3:5-6) 01.10.2026 10min

  Thursday Daily Affirmations: I Trust in the Lord to Guide My Steps (Proverbs 3:5-6) You were created on purpose, for a purpose. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to walk into your day with intention, clarity, and wisdom. Whether you're questioning your calling or finding your footing in a new season, today's affirmations will help you trust God's plan, listen for His guidance, and move forward with boldness. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then share the Scripture it's based on. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin God created you for a reason. Your life is not an accident, and your steps are not random. He has a plan for you, a purpose that brings glory to Him and fulfillment to your heart. As you listen to these affirmations, let them remind you that God is leading, guiding, and equipping you for everything He has called you to do. Thursday affirmations and Scripture God has a purpose for my life and I walk in His plan. Jeremiah 29:11 I trust in the Lord to guide my steps. Proverbs 3:5-6 I seek wisdom, and God gives it freely. James 1:5 God is directing my steps and I do not walk alone. Psalm 37:23 I am a light in this world, shining for Christ. Matthew 5:14 God has prepared good works for me to do today. Ephesians 2:10 I am equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:17 I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 I will walk in faith, not in fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 God's Word lights my path. Psalm 119:105 I choose obedience, knowing God's ways are best. Deuteronomy 5:33 I live with purpose and do not waste my time. Ephesians 5:15-16 I am called to make an impact for God's Kingdom. Matthew 28:19-20 I have the mind of Christ and seek His wisdom daily. 1 Corinthians 2:16 I am a vessel for God's work. 2 Corinthians 4:7 I will not grow weary in doing good. Galatians 6:9 God's purpose for me cannot be stopped. Job 42:2 I do everything for the glory of God. Colossians 3:23 God is using my life to accomplish His plan. Romans 8:28 I am bold in sharing the gospel. Romans 1:16 I walk in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 I remain steadfast in my calling. 1 Corinthians 15:58 God will finish the work He started in me. Philippians 1:6 I live with an eternal perspective. Colossians 3:2 I press forward in my faith, knowing my reward is in Heaven. Philippians 3:13-14 Closing prayer Father, thank You for calling me to a life of purpose. Help me to walk in wisdom today, seeking You in all I do. Give me clarity where I need direction, courage where I need boldness, and a heart that is always ready to serve You. Let my life bring You glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Power Does Not Equal Influence 30.09.2026 30min

  Luke opens chapter three with a list of names most of us skip. An emperor, a governor, three regional rulers, two high priests. Every one of them had access, money, and a platform. And the word of God went past all of them to a man in the wilderness. Today we slow down and work through who these people actually were, why Luke includes them, and what it means that God chose the one person on that page nobody would have picked. Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at ⁠BibleStudyLive.org⁠ Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: ⁠SpeakPipe⁠ Why does Luke open with a list of names? For years I skipped this part. It felt like Roman background I didn't need. But when we slow down to actually study the word, we find that everything is there on purpose. Luke wrote this, but these words are God breathed, which means the Holy Spirit decided what went in and what stayed out. Luke is doing two things. First, he's dating the story like a historian. That's how the ancient world marked time, by naming who held power. He's writing to Gentiles, so he's saying these were real rulers and this really happened, and you can go check it. Second, he's setting up a contrast that lands in verse two. Who was Tiberius Caesar? The emperor of Rome, and the stepson of Caesar Augustus, the one we talked about in the Christmas story. Augustus adopted him as his heir. That detail tells us how much time has passed. Augustus ruled from 27 BC to AD 14. Tiberius ruled from AD 14 to 37, so his fifteenth year puts us around AD 28 or 29, which is when John started preaching. It lines up with verse 23, where Jesus is about thirty. Last we saw Him, He was twelve in the temple. One thing worth knowing: after Julius Caesar, Caesar stopped being a family name and became a title, basically another word for emperor. Every Roman ruler after him took it, which is part of why this gets confusing. Tiberius was not a popular leader. He was suspicious of people and harsh with anyone he saw as a threat, and he eventually withdrew from Rome entirely to the island of Capri while the empire mostly ran without him. Who was Pontius Pilate? The Roman governor of Judea from about AD 26 to 36. His official title was prefect, and we know that for certain because in 1961 archaeologists digging in Caesarea found a stone slab with his name and title carved into it. It's called the Pilate Stone. Jewish writers from that time describe him as stubborn and cruel. He brought Roman military standards into Jerusalem knowing it would offend Jewish law. He took money from the temple treasury to build an aqueduct. Luke 13 mentions Galileans he had killed while they were offering sacrifices. He's eventually the man who hands Jesus over to be crucified. Which Herod is this one? This is where a lot of us get lost, so let's slow down. The Herod in the Christmas story was Herod the Great, and he is not the same Herod you meet later. He died around 4 BC. He had about ten wives and a lot of children, and he was so paranoid about losing his throne that he killed three of his own sons. A Roman writer said it was safer to be Herod's pig than his son. When he died, Rome split his kingdom three ways among his surviving sons. None of them became king. The word tetrarch means ruler of a fourth. A family that once held all the power was now fractured into pieces. Archelaus got the largest share, including Judea. He was brutal, and after about ten years both the Jews and the Samaritans, who agreed on almost nothing, complained to Rome and Augustus removed him. That's how Judea ended up under direct Roman governors like Pilate. He shows up in the Christmas story too. When Joseph came back from Egypt and heard Archelaus was ruling Judea, he was afraid to go there and settled in Nazareth instead, which we read in Matthew 2. Philip ruled the northeastern territories and built Caesarea Philippi, the city where Peter later confessed that Jesus was the Christ. Of all the Herods, he had the best reputation. Herod Antipas is the one named here. He ruled Galilee, where Jesus grew up and did most of His ministry. He's the one who arrests John the Baptist and eventually has him beheaded. Jesus calls him that fox in Luke 13, and Pilate sends Jesus to him during the trial. There's a fourth son we hear little about, usually called Herod II. He never ruled anything, but he was the first husband of Herodias. Antipas took her from him, and that's the marriage John the Baptist called out publicly. That is eventually what costs John his freedom and his life. Later there's Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great, who kills the apostle James in Acts 12. This family line runs from the birth of Jesus all the way through Acts. Who was Lysanias? An obscure ruler, not related to the Herods at all, who ruled a small region called Abilene near Damascus. Some people have questioned why Luke bothers to include him. He's there for the same reason as everyone else. Luke is sketching the political map from the top down. The emperor, the governor of Judea, the Herod sons in Galilee and the northeast, and then one more regional ruler further north. Luke is a details guy, and he's saying in exact terms who was in charge of every piece of this world, and what year it was, so you can go verify it. Why are there two high priests? Israel was only supposed to have one, and he was supposed to serve for life. Here we have two. Annas served as high priest from about AD 6 to 15, and then Rome removed him. But Rome could take away the office without taking away the power. Five of his sons served as high priest at different times, and so did his son-in-law Caiaphas, who holds the title during the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus was arrested, they brought Him to Annas first, which we saw back in John 18. Acts 4 still calls Annas the high priest. Caiaphas held the office. Annas was calling the shots. Luke names both because both were running things, and it shows how far the priesthood had fallen. The holiest office in Israel had become a political appointment by Rome. Even the religious establishment was under Roman control. Why does Luke write like an Old Testament prophet? Think about how Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea open their books. They date the writing by naming the kings in power, and then comes the line: the word of the Lord came to them. That's exactly the formula here. Luke names the rulers, and then verse two says the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. We have just come out of four hundred years with no prophet in Israel. Luke picks up the old formula because the prophet is back. It isn't silent anymore. And what did the Old Testament prophets do? They foretold Jesus. That's exactly what John is here to do. Who did God actually speak to? Look at that list again. Every powerful person in it had access. They had money. They had influence. They had platform. None of them got the word from the Lord. Instead the word came to a man in the wilderness, a miracle baby whose parents had waited their whole lives for him, a man who ate locusts and honey and dressed in fur and struck people as an oddball. That gives me so much comfort. There are seasons in my own life where I feel like I'm out in the wilderness and I'm the oddball, and the Lord still speaks. I would much rather be a person in the wilderness in communication with God than somebody in power who isn't. So the next time you're tempted to think God won't use you because you're just some weirdo in the wilderness, remember that is exactly who He uses. He always has. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and where we are in the Luke study 01:16 Reading Luke 3:1-9 03:42 Why I used to skip this part 04:31 The two things Luke is doing 05:48 Tiberius Caesar and the timeline 07:26 Why every emperor was called Caesar 08:25 Pontius Pilate and the Pilate Stone 09:36 What kind of ruler Pilate was 10:04 Sorting out the Herods 10:58 A kingdom split three ways 11:34 Archelaus, and why Joseph settled in Nazareth 12:41 Philip and Caesarea Philippi 12:55 Herod Antipas, the one named here 13:39 Herod II, Herodias, and what it cost John 14:25 Herod Agrippa and Acts 12 14:53 Lysanias of Abilene 16:17 Why two high priests? 17:43 Annas in power, Caiaphas in title 18:14 How far the priesthood had fallen 18:43 Luke writes like an Old Testament prophet 19:43 The prophet is back 20:22 Real people, real history, go check it 21:21 Look at who God actually spoke to 22:31 The oddball in the wilderness 24:23 Prayer Frequently asked questions What does tetrarch mean? Ruler of a fourth. It was used loosely by this point, but it indicates a ruler over part of a kingdom rather than a king. What is the Pilate Stone? A stone slab found by archaeologists in Caesarea in 1961 bearing Pontius Pilate's name and his title as prefect. Which Herod is named in Luke 3? Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee and later had John the Baptist beheaded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Wednesday Daily Affirmations: I Cast All My Worries Onto Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) 30.09.2026 10min

  Wednesday Daily Affirmations: I Cast All My Worries Onto Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) Midweek is when the noise gets loudest. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to trade anxiety for peace and remember that God is still in control of what you can't see yet. Today's affirmations are about surrendering worry, resting in His presence, and trusting His timing even when the picture isn't clear. God's peace isn't just a feeling. It's a promise. I'll say each statement, then pause so you can repeat it after me, and then I'll share the Scripture it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin Breathe in God's peace, and exhale your worries. This day is a gift, and no matter what's ahead, you can trust that God is in control. His love is steady. His plans for you are good. His presence goes before you. Let these affirmations remind you to trust Him today. Wednesday affirmations and Scripture I am ruled by God's peace today. Isaiah 26:3 I cast all my worries onto Jesus. He carries them for me. 1 Peter 5:7 I will not be anxious. I will pray and trust God. Philippians 4:6-7 God's plans for me are good, and I trust Him. Jeremiah 29:11 I do not need to worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 I will rest in God's presence today. Exodus 33:14 God is my refuge and strength. Psalm 46:1 I will not let my heart be troubled. I trust in God. John 14:27 The Lord directs my steps. Proverbs 3:5-6 Even when I don't understand, I trust in God's wisdom. Romans 11:33 I do not have to be afraid because God is with me. Deuteronomy 31:8 God is fighting for me. Exodus 14:14 I am not alone. God walks with me. Isaiah 41:13 God is my rock and salvation. I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:6 I find rest in God alone. Psalm 62:1 God's love never fails me. Lamentations 3:22-23 I have peace because I am in Christ. John 16:33 I wait on the Lord and He renews my strength. Isaiah 40:31 I will trust in God, even when I don't see the whole picture. 2 Corinthians 5:7 God is working all things for my good. Romans 8:28 God's peace rules in my heart today. Colossians 3:15 I give my burdens to the Lord and He sustains me. Psalm 55:22 I will be still and know that He is God. Psalm 46:10 I trust God's timing and His ways. Ecclesiastes 3:11 I will rejoice in the Lord always. Philippians 4:4 Closing prayer Father, I surrender my worries to You. I choose to rest in Your peace today, trusting that You are in control. Fill my heart with faith instead of fear, and let Your peace guard my mind. In Jesus' name, Amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  When You Know It Was God but Don't Understand It: Luke 2:41-52 29.09.2026 24min

  Mary knew exactly who her son was. She had the angel, the virgin conception, the shepherds, and Simeon's prophecy. And when her twelve-year-old said he had to be in his Father's house, Scripture tells us plainly that she did not understand what he said to her. Today we're finishing Luke 2 with Jesus at twelve in the temple. This passage gets taught incorrectly a lot, so we're going to slow down and ask some questions of the text. We'll look at what Passover actually meant to this family, what Jesus was really doing among the teachers, and the difference between knowing something and understanding it. Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today. Plant your first seed and see what God can grow. SEEDS What was the Feast of Passover? It goes back to Exodus 12, the night God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. Each family killed a lamb without defect and put its blood on the doorposts, and when God's judgment moved through Egypt that night, He passed over the homes marked with the blood. That same night Pharaoh finally let God's people go. God told them to keep that meal every year forever. Roasted lamb, bread without yeast because there hadn't been time to let it rise, and bitter herbs to remember the bitterness of slavery. The feast ran eight days, one for Passover itself and seven for the Feast of Unleavened Bread right after, which is why Luke says they stayed until the days were over. It fell in late March or April, right around when we observe Easter. Deuteronomy 16 required all the men to appear before the Lord three times a year, at Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Technically only Joseph had to go. Mary went anyway, which was common for devoted families but not universal. We see the same thing with Hannah going up year after year in 1 Samuel. Luke is telling us this was a faithful household. There was a lot of hard in their lives, and they kept showing up. Why did it take a day to notice Jesus was missing? Because nobody traveled alone. Nazareth was about eighty to ninety miles from Jerusalem by road, which was a three to five day walk, and families traveled together in large groups with relatives and neighbors for safety. Luke tells us exactly that in verse 44. So when Mary and Joseph couldn't find Jesus, it was because they assumed he was with the caravan, somewhere among thirty cousins. A whole day could pass before anyone noticed a twelve-year-old was gone. What was Jerusalem like during Passover? Packed. Scholars think Jerusalem normally held somewhere in the tens of thousands, and during Passover it swelled well beyond that. Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, wrote about numbers in the millions. Many scholars think that's heavily exaggerated, or that he simply meant there were people everywhere. People camped on the hillsides and in surrounding villages because there was nowhere to stay in the city. The temple courts would have been loud and crowded, with lambs being sacrificed and the Levitical priests singing psalms. For a boy from a small village, this would have been one of the biggest things he saw all year. Why did Passover matter so much to them? For us it reads like a history lesson. For them it was how Israel remembered who they were and where they came from. God built the teaching right into it. Exodus 12 says that when your children ask what this rite means, you tell them the story again. So every year the children asked and the parents retold it. That's part of how the faith got handed down, because most people couldn't read. It was an oral history carried by ritual. And remember where they were standing. Israel was under Roman occupation. A feast week about God breaking the power of an empire and setting His people free meant something. During Passover, they were reminded of hope. Rome knew it too, which is why the Roman governor came up from the coast with extra soldiers during the feast to prevent a riot. What is being foreshadowed here? Think about what's happening. A twelve-year-old boy travels to Jerusalem for a feast about a lamb whose blood saved people from death, and he sits in the temple courts asking questions. About twenty years later he comes back to that same city, at that same feast, at that same time of year, and becomes the Lamb himself. Paul says it in 1 Corinthians: Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. There's one more thing I hadn't noticed until this time studying it. Mary and Joseph searched three days before they found him. Later, at Passover, three days would pass before Jesus was found again. That pricked my heart about how strategic God was in the timing. Was Jesus teaching or learning in the temple? This is where the passage often gets taught incorrectly. Verse 46 says he was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Sitting, listening, asking. Those are the actions of a student. Then verse 47 says all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Here's what ties them together: Jewish teaching worked by question and answer. A student asked a question, the teacher often answered with a question back, and the way you answered was how they measured whether you really understood. So we have a twelve-year-old sitting among the teachers, asking, listening, and answering. That's learning. But the depth of his answers was teaching them at the same time. He wasn't correcting them or taking over. The Greek word for understanding is sunesis, the ability to put things together and see how the pieces connect. They weren't amazed that he had memorized a lot of Scripture. Plenty of Jewish boys had. They were amazed at how he understood what it meant. This matters theologically. Jesus was fully God and fully human, and his human mind grew the way yours and mine does. He learned his Scripture. It wasn't just automatically installed. He sat under teachers. I think we need to give ourselves some grace there. People sometimes assume I have the whole Bible memorized. I don't. I know how to read it and study it. I know a lot more than I did five years ago, and that came from studying, listening, and asking questions. What's the difference between knowing and understanding? Verse 50 says his parents did not understand the saying he spoke to them. He had said he must be in his Father's house. Why didn't they understand? Mary knew he was God's Son. She knew she was a virgin when she conceived. She knew it. She didn't understand it yet. She had a twelve-year-old who had scraped his knees and run and played and laughed like any child. She knew, and she was still growing into understanding. So when we don't understand something right away, we tend to look down on ourselves as though something is wrong with us. This is Mary. This is Jesus. There's a difference between knowing and understanding, and we grow into it. Scripture says she treasured these things in her heart. Sometimes God reveals something and you know that you know it was Him, and you still have no idea what it means. Sometimes that clears up quickly. Sometimes you sit with it for years. When God first showed me Bible Study Live, I was standing at the villa in Italy and He showed me an image of myself teaching a Bible study. I knew it was revelation from the Lord. I had no idea what it meant. I was working at a church and leading mission trips at the time, so I assumed it was connected to that somehow. It took six years before I understood. For some of us it takes a lifetime. For some of us, it may be on the other side of heaven. What happened after they went home? Verse 51 says he continued in subjection to them. The Son of God went home to Nazareth and spent the next eighteen years obeying a young mom and a carpenter. The next time we see him, he's about thirty. Verse 52 says Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. The Greek word for increasing is prokopto, and it carries the picture of cutting a path forward through brush. Slow, steady progress. Notice there are four areas. Wisdom, stature, favor with God, favor with people. Mind, body, spirit, and relationships. He grew in all of them, which means he started in one place and moved to another. If that was true for Him, it's certainly true for you and me. Timestamps 00:00 Finishing Luke 2 with a slow read 00:27 Reading Luke 2:41-52 01:25 Prayer 02:22 Why this passage gets taught incorrectly 03:16 Where Passover comes from 04:13 The eight days and the three pilgrim festivals 05:11 Mary didn't have to go, and she went anyway 05:37 The walk from Nazareth 06:8 Traveling in family groups 06:34 How a whole day passed unnoticed 07:2 How crowded Jerusalem was 07:58 Passover under Roman occupation 09:27 Why Rome sent extra soldiers 09:54 The Lamb who would become the Lamb 10:52 Three days, and then three days again 11:23 Was Jesus teaching or learning? 12:23 How question and answer teaching worked 13:20 What sunesis means 14:28 Jesus learned the way we learn 15:47 Knowing versus understanding 16:42 Mary knew, and she didn't understand yet 17:40 Six years before I understood 18:33 Eighteen quiet years in Nazareth 19:14 Prokopto, and the four areas of growth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Tuesday Daily Affirmations: I Do Not Fear Because God Is With Me (Isaiah 41:10) 29.09.2026 10min

  Tuesday Daily Affirmations: I Do Not Fear Because God Is With Me (Isaiah 41:10) Step into your week with boldness, peace, and purpose. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short but powerful way to trade your own strength for God's before the day gets away from you. As the world demands more, God invites you to lean on Him. Today's affirmations are a reminder that you are never alone, never powerless, and never without purpose. I'll read each phrase, you repeat it, and then I'll tell you the Scripture it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin Today's affirmations are for strength and confidence for the week ahead. Whatever this week holds, you are not facing it alone. God is with you, strengthening you, guiding you, and fighting for you. No matter what challenges you encounter, you can walk in faith knowing that God has already prepared the way for you. Tuesday affirmations and Scripture I am strong and courageous in Christ. Joshua 1:9 I do not fear because God is with me. Isaiah 41:10 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 I am victorious through Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:57 I have the power of God working within me. Ephesians 3:20 I will not be shaken because God is my refuge. Psalm 62:6 I walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 No weapon formed against me shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17 God fights my battles and I need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 I am not afraid because God has overcome the world. John 16:33 I have authority in Christ over every attack of the enemy. Luke 10:19 I am rooted and established in God's love. Ephesians 3:17 I have divine wisdom and strength for today. James 1:5 I am resilient and I will persevere through trials. Romans 5:3-4 I am filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 I will not grow weary in doing good. Galatians 6:9 God's grace is sufficient for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 I have peace that surpasses understanding. Philippians 4:7 I am never alone. God is always near. Deuteronomy 31:8 I am protected under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 God's Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 I stand firm in faith and do not waver. James 1:6 I am free from fear because God's perfect love casts it out. 1 John 4:18 I have a spirit of power, love, and sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 God is working all things for my good today. Romans 8:28 Closing prayer Lord, I surrender my fear to You. Fill me with boldness, courage, and confidence in You. No matter what today holds, I trust in Your strength. In Jesus' name, Amen. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Not Everything Is for Everyone: Luke 2:22-40 28.09.2026 34min

  Two people recognize the Messiah on the same day, in the same temple. God gives one of them a private word and the other a public one. That difference has a lot to say about how God works through you when He starts giving you spiritual insight. Today we're in Luke 2:22-40 with Simeon and Anna. We'll talk about why Mary needed purification, what the two birds tell us about this family, how the Holy Spirit worked before Pentecost, and what Simeon meant when he said the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. Links Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Greece 2027 is full, but Rome and Maui are open. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today. Plant your first seed and see what God can grow. SEEDS Why did Mary need to be purified? Jesus had no sin, so why would His mother need cleansing? This wasn't about sin. It had to do with the blood of childbirth, going back to Leviticus 12. That law said a mother waited forty days after having a son before returning to worship at the temple, and eighty after a daughter. Then she brought offerings to the priest. Being unclean didn't mean she'd done something wrong. It meant she wasn't ready to come near holy things yet. Leviticus 15 says any bodily discharge made a person ceremonially unclean, and Numbers 19 says touching a dead body made you unclean for a week. If Joseph helped Mary deliver, he would have been unclean too. This was ritual cleansing, not a sin offering. Why did they bring two birds instead of a lamb? Leviticus 12 called for a lamb and a bird, but if you couldn't afford a lamb you were permitted to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons instead. They brought two birds. That tells us they couldn't afford a lamb. The Son of God was born into a family living in poverty. And think about this. She didn't need one. She was holding the Lamb. Years later Jesus would become the final sacrifice, which is why you and I don't have to bring a perfect lamb as an offering. Birds were plentiful in that region and nested in the clefts of the rock walls there. They were considered clean, simple, and harmless, which is why they fit as a sacrificial animal. Keep an eye on the doves as we move through Luke. Why does Scripture say "up to Jerusalem"? Because people literally had to go up. Jerusalem sat on a ridge higher than the surrounding area, so you climbed to reach it from almost any direction. The Psalms of Ascent were the songs people sang on that journey up the hill. How do the regions fit together? Galilee was the north, green and fertile with trade routes running through, which meant many non-Jewish people settled there. Isaiah calls it Galilee of the Gentiles. Southerners looked down on Galileans and could pick out their accent immediately. That's where Jesus grew up. Samaria was the middle. There was real bad blood between Samaritans and Jews over where to worship and which Scriptures to accept, and Jewish travelers would cross the Jordan and back just to avoid passing through. That's what makes it so striking later when Jesus had to go through Samaria to meet the woman at the well. Judea was the south, the heartland, with Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The name comes from Judah, which is also where we get the word Jew. Nazareth was a small village in Galilee, the kind of place that prompted Nathanael to ask whether anything good could come from there. Bethlehem was a small town in Judea about six miles south of Jerusalem, and its name means house of bread. It was David's hometown and the setting of Ruth and Boaz. Here's what used to confuse me. City of David usually means Jerusalem in the Old Testament. But Luke gives that title to Bethlehem, because that's where David was born and tended sheep. It's a reversal his readers would have caught. The King of kings comes from a small town, not the royal capital. Put the travel together: Nazareth in the north, ninety miles south to Bethlehem for the census, then six miles up to Jerusalem to present Him at the temple. How did the Holy Spirit work before Pentecost? Luke says the Spirit was upon Simeon and led him into the temple on the exact day Jesus was brought in. But Pentecost hasn't happened yet, so what is this? All through the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon specific people for a specific assignment or season. We saw it with Zechariah and Elizabeth. David spoke of it and begged God not to take it from him. It was real, and it was temporary. The Spirit came on and off people. At Pentecost that changes. Peter quotes Joel, that God will pour out His Spirit on all mankind and sons and daughters will prophesy. Not just prophets and kings. You and me. And it becomes permanent, made possible by the finished work of Jesus. So if you have come to faith in Jesus, you already have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There's also the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which works more like what we see here, coming on someone for a specific purpose. We'll get to that later in the series. What does "the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed" mean? This line is easy to brush past. The word for revealed is apokalypto, where we get apocalypse. It means unveiling. It does not mean disaster. The word for thoughts is dialogismoi, where we get dialogue. It describes internal reasoning, the back and forth you have with yourself in your own head. So Simeon is talking about the private objections and doubts people carry about Jesus without ever saying them out loud. We see it again when Jesus asks the Pharisees why they are reasoning in their hearts, and after the resurrection when He asks why doubts arise in their hearts. He knows. Jesus is going to pull the cover off what people actually think about Him. That can bring peace, and it can also feel like chaos. I'm not saying God is the author of chaos. But when He brings truth into the light, whatever has been hiding in the dark scatters. In some places I've worked, you flip a light on and the cockroaches run. He exposes things because He wants to heal them. Why does Simeon speak privately and Anna publicly? Simeon waited a long time, and when the fulfillment came, he kept his word private. He gave it to one couple, specifically to Mary, and it was hard. A sword will pierce your own soul. Anna does the opposite. She declares her word publicly to everyone waiting for the redemption of Israel. Jewish law required two witnesses to establish something, going back to Deuteronomy, and Luke keeps giving us pairs. Zechariah and Mary. Elizabeth and Mary. Now Simeon and Anna. Luke calls Anna a prophetess with no hesitation. She was a woman, a widow, and at least eighty-four. Some translations suggest she'd been a widow for eighty-four years, which would put her past a hundred. Widows were among the outcasts of that culture, and her tribe, Asher, had been scattered generations earlier. She was part of the faithful remnant God preserved. Two people, same room, same day, two assignments. One private, one public. That's what I want you to carry. When God gives you a word, not everything is for everyone. If He's growing you in spiritual insight, recognize that, especially when the word is hard. Hard words are usually meant for private. Knowing the difference is part of spiritual maturity. Featured quote "Not everything is for everyone." Scripture referenced Luke 2:22-40 (ESV), Leviticus 12, Leviticus 15, Numbers 19, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Joel, Acts 2 Timestamps 00:00 Where we are and why we go slowly 01:22 Reading Luke 2:22-40 03:17 Prayer 04:11 Why did Mary need purification? 06:11 Two birds instead of a lamb 07:03 She was holding the Lamb 08:25 Why Scripture says up to Jerusalem 10:57 Galilee, Samaria, and Judea 13:37 Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem 15:45 Why Luke calls Bethlehem the city of David 17:40 The Holy Spirit before Pentecost 19:02 What changes at Pentecost 21:18 The thoughts of many hearts revealed 23:27 Why Jesus brings things into the light 24:38 Simeon's private word 25:28 Anna's public word 26:34 Who Anna was 27:25 Not everything is for everyone 28:23 Prayer Frequently asked questions Was Mary being cleansed from sin? No. This was ritual purification after childbirth under Leviticus 12. How far did Mary and Joseph travel? About ninety miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then six miles up to Jerusalem. How old was Anna? At least eighty-four, and possibly over a hundred depending on the translation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Monday Daily Affirmations: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Psalm 139:14) 28.09.2026 10min

  Monday Daily Affirmations: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Psalm 139:14) Start your Monday with confidence, peace, and purpose. These daily Christian affirmations are a short but powerful way to realign your heart and mind with biblical truth before the week begins. Today's affirmations are all about identity: who God says you are, and what changes when you believe it. Speak life over your day, renew your faith, and step into God's promises with Scripture straight from His Word. I'll read each phrase, you repeat it, and then I'll tell you the Scripture it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin Take a deep breath. This is a new day filled with God's grace and purpose. You are not defined by your past, or your mistakes, or the opinions of others. You are defined by the truth of God's Word. Let these affirmations fill your heart as you step into today. Monday affirmations and Scripture I am a child of God, chosen and loved. 1 John 3:1 I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 I am fully known and loved fully by God. Psalm 139:1-2 I have been chosen before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 I am created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 I am redeemed and made new in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 I am set apart for God's purpose. 1 Peter 2:9 I am God's masterpiece, created for good works. Ephesians 2:10 I am loved with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3 I am called by name and belong to God. Isaiah 43:1 I am not my past. I am a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God. 1 Corinthians 6:20 I'm seated in heavenly places with Christ. Ephesians 2:6 I am co-heir with Christ. Romans 8:17 I am not rejected. I am accepted in Christ. Ephesians 1:6 I am never alone. God is always with me. Hebrews 13:5 I am valuable and precious in God's sight. Isaiah 43:4 I have been set free by the truth of Jesus. John 8:36 I am more than a conqueror through Christ. Romans 8:37 I am a light in this world, shining for Christ. Matthew 5:14 I am God's dwelling place. His Spirit lives within me. 1 Corinthians 3:16 I am forgiven and free from condemnation. Romans 8:1 I have a divine purpose and calling from God. Jeremiah 29:11 I am dearly loved and nothing can separate me from God's love. Romans 8:38-39 Closing prayer Father, thank You for reminding me who I am in You. Help me to walk in confidence today, knowing that I am chosen, loved, and called by You. No matter what comes my way, let my identity be rooted in Your truth. In Jesus' name, amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Sunday Daily Affirmations: I Place This Coming Week in God's Hands (Psalm 31:15) 27.09.2026 9min

  Sunday Daily Affirmations: I Place This Coming Week in God's Hands (Psalm 31:15) Sunday is for looking ahead with God. Before the week begins, we pause and place what's coming into His hands. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a steady way to enter the week grounded, attentive, and trusting God to lead you one day at a time. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then read the Bible verse it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Sunday affirmations and Scripture I place this coming week in God's hands. Psalm 31:15 — "My times are in Your hands." I trust God to guide my steps. Psalm 37:23 — "The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him." I enter this week with expectancy, not fear. Romans 15:13 — "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him." I invite God into every moment ahead. Proverbs 16:3 — "Commit to the Lord whatever you do." I trust God to order my priorities. Matthew 6:33 — "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness." I receive God's wisdom for the days ahead. James 1:5 — "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God." I walk into this week anchored in truth. Psalm 119:105 — "Your word is a lamp to my feet." I trust God with what I cannot foresee. Isaiah 46:10 — "I make known the end from the beginning." I choose faith over anticipation of stress. Psalm 56:3 — "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." I rely on God's grace for each day. 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for you." I trust God's timing this week. Habakkuk 2:3 — "Though it linger, wait for it." I remain open to God's leading. Psalm 25:4 — "Show me Your ways, Lord." I step forward with humility and trust. Micah 6:8 — "What does the Lord require of you? To walk humbly with your God." I depend on God's strength, not my own. Psalm 68:35 — "God gives strength and power to His people." I trust God with every conversation and decision. Proverbs 20:24 — "A person's steps are directed by the Lord." I choose obedience over control. John 14:23 — "Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching." I walk into this week aware of God's presence. Exodus 33:14 — "My Presence will go with you." I trust God to work through ordinary moments. Zechariah 4:10 — "Do not despise these small beginnings." I release anxiety about outcomes. Psalm 112:7 — "They will have no fear of bad news." I remain attentive to God's voice. John 10:27 — "My sheep listen to My voice." I trust God to meet my needs. Philippians 4:19 — "My God will meet all your needs." I step into this week with courage. Psalm 31:24 — "Be strong and take heart." I trust God to shape my character. Romans 8:29 — "To be conformed to the image of His Son." I begin this week grounded in hope. Hebrews 6:19 — "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul." I rest in God's faithfulness as I move forward. Psalm 33:4 — "The word of the Lord is right and true." Closing prayer God, as I step into this new week, I place everything ahead of me in Your care. Go before me, guide my steps, and help me stay attentive to You. I trust You with what's coming, one day at a time. Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Saturday Daily Affirmations: I Thank God for Walking with Me Through This Week (Psalm 143:10) 26.09.2026 11min

  Saturday Daily Affirmations: I Thank God for Walking with Me Through This Week (Psalm 143:10) Saturday is a good day to slow down and look back over your week with God. Not to replay everything or overthink it, but to notice where He met you, where He carried you, and where His grace showed up. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a gentle way to reflect with honesty and gratitude before the new week begins. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then read the Bible verse it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Saturday affirmations and Scripture I thank God for walking with me through this week. Psalm 143:10 — "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." I recognize God's faithfulness in both the seen and unseen moments. Psalm 77:11 — "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago." I release regret and receive God's grace. Psalm 32:5 — "Then I acknowledged my sin to You... and You forgave the guilt of my sin." I trust that God was at work even when I didn't notice. Ecclesiastes 3:11 — "He has made everything beautiful in its time." I give thanks for the strength God provided each day. Psalm 28:7 — "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me." I acknowledge where I grew this week. 2 Peter 3:18 — "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I notice where God invited me to trust Him more deeply. Psalm 37:5 — "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this." I receive God's mercy for where I fell short. Micah 7:18 — "You delight in mercy." I choose gratitude over self-criticism. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 — "Give thanks in all circumstances." I honor the work God has been doing in my heart. Philippians 1:6 — "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." I acknowledge God's presence in ordinary moments. Psalm 16:11 — "You make known to me the path of life." I release this week into God's care. Psalm 55:22 — "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you." I trust God with what remains unfinished. Proverbs 16:9 — "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." I thank God for His patience with me. Psalm 103:8 — "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love." I rest in the truth that God sees me fully. Hebrews 4:13 — "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." I choose to end this week with gratitude. Psalm 92:1 — "It is good to give thanks to the Lord." I release comparison and embrace contentment. Hebrews 13:5 — "Be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you.'" I acknowledge God's protection this week. Psalm 121:7 — "The Lord will keep you from all harm." I thank God for His provision. Matthew 6:31-32 — "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them." I recognize God's quiet guidance. Isaiah 30:21 — "This is the way; walk in it." I let go of striving and receive rest. Psalm 23:2 — "He leads me beside quiet waters." I honor the limits God has given me. Psalm 127:2 — "He grants sleep to those He loves." I trust God with what I do not understand. Romans 11:33 — "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God." I receive peace as I reflect with God. Psalm 4:7 — "You have filled my heart with greater joy." I end this week grounded in God's faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23 — "Great is Your faithfulness." Closing prayer God, thank You for walking with me through this week. Help me to see Your faithfulness clearly and to release what I need to let go of. I trust that You were present in ways I noticed and in ways I didn't. I place this week back into Your hands. Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The God Who Locates You: Listener Questions and the Sacred Echo 25.09.2026 39min

  Today we're pressing pause on the Bible study so you have time to catch up. The color method takes real work, and not everyone can listen every day. A couple of times a month I'll stop, let you get caught up, and do a separate teaching that still connects to where we are. Two parts today. First, your questions from SpeakPipe, including a correction I owe you, a great catch about the bread and the fish in John 6, and a long answer about the Ethiopian Bible and the so-called lost books. Then a teaching on the sacred echo, and the one thing God has repeated to me all week: He knows exactly where you are, and He is the one who comes looking. Links Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Greece 2027 is full, so add your name to the waitlist. Rome and Maui are open. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Ad-free episodes and the full organized library of past series start at $5 a month: Patreon My new book Never Unseen is available for pre-order now. SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today. Plant your first seed and see what God can grow. SEEDS A correction about the New World Translation I answered a question about translations recently and didn't catch that the caller mentioned the New World Translation. A listener pointed it out, and I'm grateful. I do not endorse it. That's the Watchtower Bible, used by Jehovah's Witnesses, and there is a great deal in it that is problematic from an evangelical Christian perspective. My answer was about the standard Christian translations, and I apologize for not catching the reference sooner. Why doesn't John mention the fish in the leftovers? Great catch, and it shows how intentional each gospel writer was. These were four different people with different purposes in what they chose to include. In John 6:13 the disciples fill twelve baskets with pieces of the five barley loaves, and the fish aren't named. But John isn't the odd one out. Matthew and Luke also describe the leftovers as broken pieces without naming the fish. Mark is the only one that says bread and fish. So why do three out of four focus on the bread? Bread carries real theological weight in John, because right after this Jesus gives the I am the bread of life teaching. John's attention lands there because he's setting up what's coming. Bread also echoes the manna God provided in the wilderness, and the crowd would have been thinking about Moses. The fish didn't carry that same weight. It may also be how people told stories. Bread was often shorthand for a whole meal. I've seen that serving overseas, where someone says they made bread and they mean bread and stew and fruit and everything else. It's like telling your family there's leftover pizza when there's also salad and breadsticks. The fish weren't forgotten. They just weren't the detail John wanted to highlight. Notice what you notice This is the whole reason I teach the color method. It slows your brain down enough to actually comprehend what you're reading. A lot of us trained ourselves into short attention spans. What the Lord draws your attention to may be different from what He draws mine to, because He is a personal God. We each have a personal calling and a personal relationship with Him. The more you do this, the more you'll see how He reveals things to you specifically. What about the Ethiopian Bible and the lost books? This comes up constantly, and I have some passionate feelings about it. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has a Bible with 81 books. Ours has 66. The extra ones include titles like Enoch and Jubilees, plus some you've probably never heard of. First thing to understand: these books are not lost in the sense that anyone is hiding them from you. They've been around the whole time, part of the Ethiopian church from very early on, while the rest of the church settled into a different set. Take Enoch. It was written centuries after the real Enoch could have lived, and it's full of speculative material you don't find anywhere else in Scripture. It was attributed to him to give it credibility. Yes, Jude quotes a line from it, but quoting a true statement is not the same as calling the whole book inspired. Paul does something similar when he quotes pagan Greek poets in Acts. He's using a reference his audience knows, not endorsing it as Scripture. Jubilees is a later retelling of Genesis and Exodus that adds things the original text never says, like an angel dictating everything to Moses. The Meqabyan books sound like Maccabees, which we talked about in the 400 years of silence episode, but they're completely different. Nobody really knows where they came from, and they've never been used anywhere in church history outside Ethiopia. Catholic Bibles include several additional books, like Tobit and Judith. Those are a different case, because they have genuine historical value. I've read a number of them, Judith especially, while researching women in the early church for my new book. But they were written in Greek rather than Hebrew, which means they were never part of the Hebrew Bible that Jesus and the apostles used. Neither the Jewish community nor the early church recognized them as Scripture. Historical value, not scriptural value. Even in the Ethiopian church, some of those books, like the Shepherd of Hermas, are considered valuable but not inspired. So even they don't treat all 81 the same way. Here's the pattern. Most were written later than they claim, far removed from the original timeline, and credited to someone famous for credibility when that person had nothing to do with them. That's dishonest on its face, and it's worth asking what agenda was behind it. From an evangelical view, the 66 books we have are the ones God intended us to have, and that canon has been settled a very long time because those are the books that were verified. My honest advice: unless you're in seminary studying why these books were excluded, I wouldn't spend your time there. So many people I talk to don't yet know what their actual Bible says. Bankers don't study counterfeit money. They study the real thing until they know the feel and texture of it, so they recognize a fake immediately. Study the authentic Scriptures, and when someone hands you a sensational claim about hidden books, you'll be able to stop right there. If you want new revelation, go study the Old Testament. God is not trying to hide Himself from you. He wants you to know Him. What is a sacred echo? It's what happens when God keeps saying the same thing to you through different means until you catch it. Here's how mine went this week. On Sunday I woke up with the name Zebedee on my heart, the father of James and John. I went back to Scripture to see whether I was forgetting something, and I wasn't. There's very little about him. What we know is that he was a fisherman with multiple boats, which in that time meant he was a businessman with money enough to buy a second one. He had influence and likely some affluence. We don't really know him for himself. We know him as the father of those boys. Zebedee was doing what he was called to do. He was faithfully fishing. And that put his sons in the exact place they needed to be when Jesus came walking by. As a parent, that got me. My greatest aim is children who love and serve the Lord, far more than podcasts or books or anything else I do. There was a reason Zebedee was on the Sea of Galilee doing what he was doing, because God was getting ready to use his sons, and his ordinary faithfulness positioned them for it. I carried that into church still praying about it. During communion, our pastor's wife said we were doing something different. Instead of coming forward, they would bring it to us. As they served us where we sat, the Holy Spirit said: I know where you are. I can come to you. That was the Zebedee connection. God knew where he was, and He had positioned him there on purpose. Then this week we got to Luke 2 and the shepherds, and the same thing happened. They were out in the field doing a job many considered beneath them, and God sent an angel to announce that the Messiah had come. God located them. Where does that leave us? God can locate you. He knows exactly where you are, and much of the time He placed you there on purpose, in His timing. We talked about Zechariah this week, and how his past didn't prevent his future. The same is true for you. Your past does not prevent your future. Often it becomes one of the things the Lord uses to redeem and restore and prepare you for what He's calling you to. He seeks us out. He finds us. That's the pattern all through Scripture, and I'm so thankful for it. Featured quote "He is the God that locates us." Scripture referenced John 6, Luke 2, Acts, Jude Timestamps 00:00 Why we're pausing the Bible study 07:20 A correction about the New World Translation 08:36 Why John doesn't mention the fish 12:29 Notice what you notice 14:14 The Ethiopian Bible and the lost books 16:20 What's going on with Enoch 18:12 Jubilees and the Meqabyan books 19:38 Catholic Bibles and historical value 22:18 Why to study the real thing first 24:39 Waking up with Zebedee on my heart 27:23 What happened during communion 28:19 The shepherds, and the same echo again 29:07 God locates us 30:06 Prayer Frequently asked questions What is SpeakPipe for? Prayer requests and genuine questions about the series we're in. It isn't a place for counseling or complaints. How many books are in the Ethiopian Bible? Eighty-one, compared with the sixty-six in an evangelical Protestant Bible. When does the Luke study pick back up? Next episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Friday Daily Affirmations: I Release My Worries and Trust God (1 Peter 5:7) 25.09.2026 11min

  Friday Daily Affirmations: I Release My Worries and Trust God (1 Peter 5:7) End your week anchored in peace and presence. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to set down what you've been carrying and find rest in God's care. Today's affirmations are about releasing your burdens, letting go of striving, and remembering that God's strength, love, and renewal are available right where you are. It's time to stop striving and start resting in His goodness. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then share the Scripture it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin The week is ending, and as we step into the weekend, let's take a moment to breathe. Release your burdens and rest in God's presence. We're not meant to carry everything ourselves. God calls us to lay our worries at His feet and find renewal in Him. Friday affirmations and Scripture I release my worries and trust God to handle what I cannot. 1 Peter 5:7 God's peace fills my heart and I rest in His presence. Matthew 11:28 I am not defined by my mistakes. God's grace is greater than my failures. Lamentations 3:22-23 I let go of the need to control everything and surrender to God's perfect plan. Proverbs 3:5-6 I am deeply loved by God and nothing can separate me from His love. Romans 8:38-39 God refreshes my soul and renews my strength. Isaiah 40:31 I will be fully present today, trusting that God holds tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 My body, mind, and spirit find rest in God alone. Psalm 62:1 I let go of striving and choose to rest in God's love. Zephaniah 3:17 I step into the weekend with joy, knowing that God is in control. Psalm 118:24 God's presence is my safe place. Psalm 91:1 I am fully known and fully loved by God. Psalm 139:1-2 I will not let stress steal my peace today. Philippians 4:6-7 God is my refuge and I am safe in His hands. Psalm 46:1 I do not need to have all the answers. I trust God. Romans 11:33 God is fighting my battles and I can rest in His victory. Exodus 14:14 I will not fear because God is with me. Isaiah 41:13 I am held together by God's love even when life feels overwhelming. Colossians 1:17 God's goodness and mercy follow me every day. Psalm 23:6 I will not carry burdens that God has already taken from me. Matthew 11:29-30 I am at peace because God is in control. Isaiah 26:3 I trust in God's timing even when I don't understand. Ecclesiastes 3:11 I will lay down my burdens and take on God's. Psalm 4:8 I am never alone for God is always with me. Deuteronomy 31:6 No matter what happens today, God is still good. Nahum 1:7 Closing prayer Father, as this week ends, I lay my burdens at Your feet. Help me to release my worries, rest in Your peace, and trust You with everything I cannot control. Refresh my heart and renew my spirit so I can step into the weekend with joy. In Jesus' name, Amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  To Know Him and To Make Him Known: Luke 2:1-21 24.09.2026 34min

  So many of us read Luke chapter 2 as the Christmas story, but we don't recognize how strategic God was in the timing of it. Politically and spiritually, we see God's perfect timing and intention reveals His heart for humanity. In today's episode, we take a look at what it means for us and how we can know Him and make Him known. Links Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the Luke series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today. Plant your first seed and see what God can grow. SEEDS What is a decree, and who was Caesar Augustus? A decree is an official order from someone in power. It's not a request or a suggestion. It carries the force of law, and people could not ignore it. The Greek word here is dogma, which is where we get our English word, though here it means a legal ruling rather than a religious teaching. Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome, ruling from about 27 BC to AD 14. Before that his name was Octavian, and he was the great nephew of Julius Caesar. When Julius was murdered, his will named Octavian as his adopted son and heir. He was only eighteen. He fought his way into power, and the Roman Senate eventually gave him a new name, Augustus, meaning the revered one or the majestic one. Why does Luke mention Caesar at all? Because of the contrast, and it's sharper than most of us realize. When Julius Caesar died, the Roman Senate declared him a god. That meant Augustus, as his adopted son, could call himself Divi Filius, Latin for son of the deified one. Son of a god. He put that title on coins and monuments across the empire. He picked up other titles too. People called him Savior, because his rule brought a long stretch of peace known as the Pax Romana. One inscription from Egypt during his reign calls him a great heavenly savior. So by the time Jesus was born, Rome already had its own son of a god, its own savior, and its own version of peace. All of it came from a human ruler. All of it was political propaganda. Luke wants you to see that the real Son of God and the real Savior was about to be born, not in a palace, but in a stable. The enemy always offers a counterfeit. What was the census actually for? Taxes. Augustus was counting his empire so he could tax it. Here's what he had no idea about. While he thought this was all his doing, God used that decree to move a pregnant teenager from Nazareth to Bethlehem, exactly where the prophet said the Messiah would be born. Augustus was helping fulfill a promise hundreds of years old and never knew it. Did women have to register for the census? Yes. Since the census was about taxes, most women were counted, and in the Roman province of Syria, which included Judea, women paid the poll tax too. Records show taxation started as early as twelve or fourteen and ran to age sixty-five. So Mary would have been on the tax rolls, though whether she had to appear in person is a separate question given how risky travel would have been. We actually have surviving census records from that world. The papyrus and leather used in Judea rotted away over the centuries, but in the dry climate of Egypt hundreds of census forms survived. And among documents found near the Dead Sea are the personal papers of a Jewish woman named Babatha, including her own census declaration listing land she owned. That's roughly a century after Mary's trip, and it's real evidence of a Jewish woman taking part in a Roman census. Was Jesus really born in a stable? Most scholars think the inn wasn't an inn at all. It was a house, and the space they stayed in was the area where the family brought their animals inside at night. That may sound strange in an American context, but I've served in missions around the world and seen homes with a section in the back where the cows are kept, so they don't get stolen or wander off. The point is the contrast. Caesar, the political son of a god, would have been born in a palace. The actual Son of God was born in a crowded house in the space reserved for animals, with no special room set aside and a feeding trough for a bed because it was the softest place available. God came right into the middle of normal and messy and crowded, on purpose. Why did God tell the shepherds? Shepherds were near the bottom of society. They worked outdoors constantly and often smelled like their animals, which meant they couldn't always keep the religious washing rules. Shepherding was work a lot of Jewish fathers wouldn't even teach their sons. They'd hire it out or give it to their daughters. And like women, a shepherd's testimony wasn't trusted as a witness in court. These were the people God chose to tell first. There's something beautiful in the location too. This was Bethlehem, David's hometown, and David was a shepherd boy before he was king. God describes Himself as the shepherd of His people in Psalm 23 and Ezekiel 34, and He promised a shepherd king from David's line. So God announces the birth of the great Shepherd King to ordinary shepherds working the same hills David once worked. One more thing worth considering. All through the Old Testament, it's often young people and women tending flocks. Rachel in Genesis 29 was a shepherdess. So were Zipporah and her sisters in Exodus. Watching sheep was often given to the youngest in the family, which is why David was almost overlooked when Samuel came. The word Luke uses is plural and masculine, but it's the kind of word that can describe a mixed group. We don't know for certain who was out there. What we do know is how society saw them. Why does it say "heavenly host" instead of angels? This is one of my favorite details. The word for host is stratia, and it means army. It connects to the Old Testament title Lord of hosts, meaning the Lord of armies, the commander of heaven's forces. So verse 13 is telling us a whole army of heaven showed up. And they didn't come to declare war. They came to announce peace. Remember Caesar and the Pax Romana, peace brought to the empire through armies. Now heaven's army appears and announces a completely different kind of peace, one that comes through a baby laid in a manger. This was the rescue plan, and it was always a spiritual battle. Where do we see "know Him and make Him known" in this passage? Right here, in the first twenty verses after Jesus is born. Verse 8 tells us the shepherds were out in the field keeping watch by night. They were working. It was an ordinary night on an ordinary shift, and God found them right there. Verse 10 has the angel bringing good news of great joy. That phrase is the Greek word we get evangelize from. The first person to share the good news of the gospel was an angel, and he shared it with shepherds in a field. God takes the first step and comes to where we are. Verse 15 has the shepherds saying let's go and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. God isn't afraid of us verifying. He invites it. He wants us to seek Him out for ourselves. Then verse 17 says they made known what had been told to them. It's the same Greek word used in verse 15. God made Himself known to them, and after they experienced Him, they made Him known to everyone else. That's the whole pattern. God reveals Himself, you go see for yourself, and then you tell somebody. What does "those with whom he is pleased" mean? Verse 14 says peace among those with whom He is pleased, and I've wondered before how a person becomes someone God is pleased with. The Greek word is eudokia, made of two parts meaning good and to think or decide. It's God's good pleasure, His kind intention, His good decision. The focus isn't on how good the people are. It's on God's pleasure resting on them. It works a lot like the favor we talked about earlier in this series. It starts with God, not with us. Featured quote "Jesus is God's rescue plan. It was strategic. He thought through it. Everything was on purpose, on time, in time." Scripture referenced Luke 2:1-21 (ESV), Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, Genesis 29, Exodus Timestamps 00:00 Starting Luke 2, and why I'm not re-teaching the prophecies 01:30 Reading Luke 2:1-21 03:33 Prayer 04:30 What a decree actually is 05:22 Who Caesar Augustus was 06:48 Son of the deified one 07:47 Rome's savior and the Pax Romana 08:47 A census for taxes 09:28 What Augustus didn't know he was doing 10:21 Did women have to register? 11:11 Taxation from twelve to sixty-five 12:00 Do the census records still exist? 13:05 Babatha's papers 13:58 The inn that wasn't an inn 15:02 A palace versus a feeding trough 15:58 Who the shepherds really were 17:02 Washing rules and untrusted testimony 17:31 David's hometown and David's hills 18:28 Were they young? Were they women? 20:20 Why it says heavenly host 21:06 An army that declares peace 22:34 Pax Romana and the counterfeit 23:36 Know Him and make Him known, right here 24:41 God finds you in the ordinary 25:10 The angel evangelizes first 26:06 Go and see for yourselves 27:10 They made known what was made known to them 28:19 What "those with whom he is pleased" means 32:32 Prayer Frequently asked questions When did Caesar Augustus rule? From roughly 27 BC to AD 14. He was the first emperor of Rome. What does the word dogma mean here? It's the Greek word behind decree, meaning a binding legal ruling rather than a religious teaching. Who was Babatha? A Jewish woman whose personal papers, including her own census declaration, were found near the Dead Sea. They date to about a century after Mary's trip to Bethlehem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Thursday Daily Affirmations: God Has a Purpose for My Life (Jeremiah 29:11) 24.09.2026 10min

  Thursday Daily Affirmations: God Has a Purpose for My Life (Jeremiah 29:11) You were created on purpose, for a purpose. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to walk into your day with intention, clarity, and wisdom. Whether you're questioning your calling or finding your footing in a new season, today's affirmations will help you trust God's plan, listen for His guidance, and move forward with boldness. I'll say each affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and then share the Scripture it's based on. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin God created you for a reason. Your life is not an accident, and your steps are not random. He has a plan for you, a purpose that brings glory to Him and fulfillment to your heart. As you listen to these affirmations, let them remind you that God is leading, guiding, and equipping you for everything He has called you to do. Thursday affirmations and Scripture God has a purpose for my life and I walk in His plan. Jeremiah 29:11 I trust in the Lord to guide my steps. Proverbs 3:5-6 I seek wisdom, and God gives it freely. James 1:5 God is directing my steps and I do not walk alone. Psalm 37:23 I am a light in this world, shining for Christ. Matthew 5:14 God has prepared good works for me to do today. Ephesians 2:10 I am equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:17 I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 I will walk in faith, not in fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 God's Word lights my path. Psalm 119:105 I choose obedience, knowing God's ways are best. Deuteronomy 5:33 I live with purpose and do not waste my time. Ephesians 5:15-16 I am called to make an impact for God's Kingdom. Matthew 28:19-20 I have the mind of Christ and seek His wisdom daily. 1 Corinthians 2:16 I am a vessel for God's work. 2 Corinthians 4:7 I will not grow weary in doing good. Galatians 6:9 God's purpose for me cannot be stopped. Job 42:2 I do everything for the glory of God. Colossians 3:23 God is using my life to accomplish His plan. Romans 8:28 I am bold in sharing the gospel. Romans 1:16 I walk in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 I remain steadfast in my calling. 1 Corinthians 15:58 God will finish the work He started in me. Philippians 1:6 I live with an eternal perspective. Colossians 3:2 I press forward in my faith, knowing my reward is in Heaven. Philippians 3:13-14 Closing prayer Father, thank You for calling me to a life of purpose. Help me to walk in wisdom today, seeking You in all I do. Give me clarity where I need direction, courage where I need boldness, and a heart that is always ready to serve You. Let my life bring You glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Your Past Doesn't Disqualify You, It Prepares You: Luke 1:67-80 23.09.2026 30min

  Your Past Doesn't Disqualify You, It Prepares You: Luke 1:67-80 For nine months, Zechariah couldn't say a word. The man whose entire job was to speak on behalf of God to the people of God lost his voice because fear got louder than God's. And the very first thing he does when that voice comes back is prophesy. Today we finish Luke 1 with Zechariah's prophecy. We'll talk about what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, what prophecy actually is, what the horn of salvation means, and how the area where Zechariah failed became the very place God used him. If you've been quietly disqualifying yourself because of your past, this one's for you. Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the Luke series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today. Plant your first seed and see what God can grow. SEEDS What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Luke tells us Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. That's the same language he used for Elizabeth, and you're going to see it over and over in Luke and in Acts. The most famous example is Pentecost in Acts 2, but Luke uses it for Peter, for Stephen, and for Paul at key moments too. And almost every time Luke says someone was filled with the Holy Spirit, a prophetic word follows. It's his signature way of telling us that what comes next isn't coming from that person's own thinking or feelings. It's coming from God through them. I love that God keeps using people in the story of Jesus. Does He have to? No. But He does, because we were created to be in relationship with Him, to know Him, to make Him known, and to be known by Him. What is prophecy, really? A lot of people hear the word prophecy and think of predicting the future. Sometimes it means that. More often, prophecy is God's people speaking on His behalf, reminding others what God has already said, what He's already done, or what He's promised to do. It's forthtelling more often than foretelling. And prophecy isn't weird. It's all through your Bible. Entire books of the Old Testament are the words of the prophets. The silent years were called silent because there were no prophets in Israel. Now that Jesus is on the scene, we see the Holy Spirit and prophecy come roaring back. Here's what's interesting. Zechariah was a priest by training and by vocation. Prophecy wasn't technically his job. But after nine months of silence, the first thing he does with his restored voice is step into a prophetic role, and God uses him in it. What is Zechariah looking back on? His prophecy has two halves. If you're doing the color method and marking timing words, you may have caught it. The first half looks back, and the second half looks forward. In the first half, he praises God for keeping His covenant promises and raising up a Savior from David's line. He reminds the people what God already said through the prophets of old: that He would save them from their enemies and show the mercy He promised to Abraham. What do holiness and righteousness actually mean? Verse 75 talks about serving God in holiness and righteousness, and I think a lot of us check out when we see those words. We figure we could never measure up. I usually fall off the wagon by breakfast. But in the biblical sense, holiness is about spiritual wholeness, being dedicated to God and made whole because we're in right relationship with Him. Righteousness is very similar. It's being in right relationship with God. How do we get there? Through belief in Jesus. Before Jesus, that relationship was maintained through animal sacrifice under the old covenant. Jesus becomes the new covenant. He's the final sacrificial lamb. What is the horn of salvation? This is a Hebrew idiom that Zechariah's world would have understood immediately, but it's easy for us to miss. The image comes from an animal's horn, like a bull or a ram. The horn was that animal's main source of strength and its primary weapon for defense. So calling something a horn meant it was a source of real, effective power. In Psalm 18, God is called the horn of my salvation. In Psalm 132, God promises to make a horn sprout for David. When Zechariah says God has raised up a horn of salvation in the house of David, he's saying God has raised up a powerful deliverer from the promised royal line. This isn't the gentle, comforting side of God. It's His strength, the kind that actually acts on your behalf. What is Zechariah looking forward to? In the second half, he turns to the future and speaks over his son. John will prepare the way for the Lord by giving people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, so that when Jesus offers salvation, they're ready. Then he speaks about Jesus, the sunrise from on high who gives light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, and guides our feet into the way of peace. The word for peace here carries the idea of shalom, and shalom is so much more than the absence of conflict. It means complete wholeness, things being set right. Ever since Eden, people have been trying to get back to that wholeness. It's impossible without Christ. Because of Jesus, we can finally be whole and restored to God. That's the good news. Jesus is the good news. Why does "serve him without fear" matter so much? Go back to verse 74. Zechariah prophesies that God's people will be delivered from their enemies so they can serve Him without fear. Think about who's saying this. Nine months earlier, fear fell on this man in the temple, and his fear-driven demand for proof cost him his voice and possibly his hearing. Now, filled with the Holy Spirit, he's prophesying that the whole point of salvation is to produce people who can serve God without fear. It's the exact opposite of where his story started. How does God use our past? Why do you think God took Zechariah's voice so seriously? Because his voice was going to become his area of spiritual gifting. As a priest, his entire role was to speak for God to God's people. Fear overcame him and he doubted, and there was a consequence and discipline. But that discipline led him right into his gifting. The enemy attacks in infancy what he fears in maturity. My mouth has been getting me in trouble my whole life. In first grade, my desk was literally put in the hallway because I would not stop talking. And my whole life is now dedicated to serving God with my voice. Your past does not prevent you. It prepares you, as long as you surrender it to Him. Some of us have disqualified ourselves from what God wants to do because of where we've been. But when you lay that down at the foot of the cross and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and use you, He can take those dark seasons and step you right into your calling. Featured quote "Your past does not prevent you from God's plan. It prepares you for God's plan. But you have to surrender it." Scripture referenced Luke 1:67-80 (ESV), Psalm 18, Psalm 132, Acts 2 Timestamps 00:00 Finishing Luke 1, and why we're going slowly 00:56 Don't compare what you see to what I see 01:22 Reading Luke 1:67-80 02:47 Prayer 03:17 Zechariah's voice returns 04:00 Filled with the Holy Spirit 04:54 Luke's signature pattern: filled, then prophesied 05:47 Prophecy isn't weird. Do you read your Bible? 06:46 Forthtelling, not just foretelling 07:45 A priest steps into a prophetic role 08:15 Two halves: looking back and looking forward 09:14 What holiness and righteousness actually mean 11:27 The horn of salvation 12:52 Psalm 18 and Psalm 132 14:12 John will prepare the way 15:00 The way of peace and the meaning of shalom 16:17 Back to Eden 17:28 Serving Him without fear 18:38 Why God took Zechariah's voice so seriously 19:31 Your past doesn't prevent you, it prepares you 19:54 My desk in the hallway 20:25 The enemy attacks in infancy what he fears in maturity 21:15 Don't disqualify yourself 22:07 Prayer 23:29 Maui and the longing for Eden Frequently asked questions What is Zechariah's song called? It's traditionally called the Benedictus, from the first word of the Latin version, meaning blessed. Where did John grow up? Verse 80 tells us he grew and became strong in spirit and lived in the wilderness until his public appearance to Israel. When do we start Luke 2? Next episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Wednesday Daily Affirmations: I Am Ruled by God's Peace Today (Isaiah 26:3) 23.09.2026 10min

  Wednesday Daily Affirmations: I Am Ruled by God's Peace Today (Isaiah 26:3) Midweek is when the noise gets loudest. These Scripture-based Christian affirmations are a short, steady way to trade anxiety for peace and remember that God is still in control of what you can't see yet. Today's affirmations are about surrendering worry, resting in His presence, and trusting His timing even when the picture isn't clear. God's peace isn't just a feeling. It's a promise. I'll say each statement, then pause so you can repeat it after me, and then I'll share the Scripture it comes from. Links AD-FREE Daily Affirmations are on my Patreon: Patreon Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe Before we begin Breathe in God's peace, and exhale your worries. This day is a gift, and no matter what's ahead, you can trust that God is in control. His love is steady. His plans for you are good. His presence goes before you. Let these affirmations remind you to trust Him today. Wednesday affirmations and Scripture I am ruled by God's peace today. Isaiah 26:3 I cast all my worries onto Jesus. He carries them for me. 1 Peter 5:7 I will not be anxious. I will pray and trust God. Philippians 4:6-7 God's plans for me are good, and I trust Him. Jeremiah 29:11 I do not need to worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 I will rest in God's presence today. Exodus 33:14 God is my refuge and strength. Psalm 46:1 I will not let my heart be troubled. I trust in God. John 14:27 The Lord directs my steps. Proverbs 3:5-6 Even when I don't understand, I trust in God's wisdom. Romans 11:33 I do not have to be afraid because God is with me. Deuteronomy 31:8 God is fighting for me. Exodus 14:14 I am not alone. God walks with me. Isaiah 41:13 God is my rock and salvation. I will not be shaken. Psalm 62:6 I find rest in God alone. Psalm 62:1 God's love never fails me. Lamentations 3:22-23 I have peace because I am in Christ. John 16:33 I wait on the Lord and He renews my strength. Isaiah 40:31 I will trust in God, even when I don't see the whole picture. 2 Corinthians 5:7 God is working all things for my good. Romans 8:28 God's peace rules in my heart today. Colossians 3:15 I give my burdens to the Lord and He sustains me. Psalm 55:22 I will be still and know that He is God. Psalm 46:10 I trust God's timing and His ways. Ecclesiastes 3:11 I will rejoice in the Lord always. Philippians 4:4 Closing prayer Father, I surrender my worries to You. I choose to rest in Your peace today, trusting that You are in control. Fill my heart with faith instead of fear, and let Your peace guard my mind. In Jesus' name, Amen. I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up next. Listen daily and start your morning with God's truth so you can walk in faith, clarity, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Allowing God's Voice to Be the Loudest: Luke 1:57-66 22.09.2026 32min

  Allowing God's Voice to Be the Loudest | Luke 1:57-66 Sometimes the hardest voices to push past aren't the critics. They're the people who love you. In today's passage, Elizabeth finally gives birth, and the neighbors and relatives who had been celebrating God's mercy right alongside her show up with a plan for what to name the baby. They mean well. They're also wrong. And Elizabeth, who has experienced God for herself, says no. Today we're in Luke 1:57-66, the birth and naming of John. We'll talk about why everyone was making signs to Zechariah, why a name carried so much weight in that culture, and what it looks like to let God's voice be louder than even the well-meaning people in your life. Join me on an immersive Bible Study Experience. Our 2027 trips are open, Learn more at BibleStudyLive.org Have a question about the Luke series or a prayer request? Leave me a voicemail: SpeakPipe SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today. Plant your first seed and see what God can grow. SEEDS Why were they making signs to Zechariah? This one always confused me. Gabriel told Zechariah he would be unable to speak until everything came to pass. So if he was mute, he could still hear, right? Why is everyone gesturing at him? The word Luke uses for Zechariah's condition is kophos, which carries the idea of being blunted. In that time it could mean deaf, it could mean mute, and sometimes it meant both. So the signs are a clue that Zechariah may not have been able to hear either. Think about what that means. If that's what was happening, he spent this entire pregnancy in silence, in a place where he could only really communicate with God. That's worth noticing. Who were the neighbors and relatives? Scripture tells us they heard the Lord had shown great mercy to Elizabeth, and they rejoiced with her. These weren't strangers or critics. They were people who loved this family, who could see the evidence of God working in her life, and who came to celebrate it. That's what makes the next part so striking. Why did they go over Elizabeth's head? On the eighth day they gathered to circumcise the baby, and they were ready to name him Zechariah after his father. Elizabeth said no, his name is John. And instead of listening to her, the living, breathing miracle standing right in front of them, they went to Zechariah. The man who was still mute, possibly deaf, and still carrying the consequence of not believing God. I don't think they had bad intentions. I think they just hadn't experienced God the way Elizabeth had. She had felt that baby leap when Mary walked in. She had been filled with the Holy Spirit. She knew that she knew. And Zechariah, in a very different way, knew too. He had spent months living with the consequence of his doubt. Why did the name matter so much? In our culture, naming a baby after family is mostly sentiment. In theirs, it meant much more. A name carried identity and calling. People believed you became what was spoken over you. That's why we see names changed in Scripture to reflect who God made someone to be, and why Jesus renamed Simon to Peter. Naming this baby Zechariah would have meant he'd follow in his father's footsteps as another priest from the line of Abijah, carrying the family's God-given role into the next generation. And this wasn't a quiet conversation at home. A circumcision was a public ceremony, and the whole community was there to witness the naming. So when Elizabeth said his name is John, she was announcing publicly that this child would not be what everyone expected. Gabriel had already said John would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. His calling was prophetic, not priestly. The name was the first public sign that his life was going to look nothing like his father's. What happened when Zechariah wrote, "His name is John"? He asked for a writing tablet and wrote it out, and immediately his mouth was opened and he spoke, blessing God. I believe his freedom was tied to his obedience. Some people read this and see a harsh God. I see a loving one. As a parent, I discipline my kids because I know things they don't, because I love them, and because I want them in right relationship with God and with our family. Discipline motivated by love teaches us to obey. Zechariah came out of that season, obeyed, and was set free. What does this mean for us? People can love you, praise God with you, have your best interests at heart, and still lead you away from what God has said. That doesn't make them bad people. Sometimes the call of God on your life just doesn't make sense to anyone else. That's the whole reason I do what I do. You have to know God for yourself. Elizabeth and Zechariah could stand firm because they had heard His voice for themselves. His voice has to be the loudest voice in your life, even louder than the people who love you most. And sometimes we're the ones on the other side, doubting what God has said to someone else. That's worth sitting with too. Featured quote "The voice of God has to be the loudest voice in your life." Scripture referenced Luke 1:57-66 (ESV) Timestamps 00:00 Welcome, and how the kids show fits with the Luke study 01:25 The Bible I'm using for this series 02:55 Reading Luke 1:57-66 03:56 Questions this passage raises 04:25 Why were they making signs to Zechariah? 05:19 Kophos: deaf, mute, or both 06:42 A season of silence with God alone 07:09 Marking the supernatural with the color method 08:08 Neighbors and relatives who rejoiced with her 09:05 Going over Elizabeth's head 10:01 Elizabeth knew that she knew 10:57 His mouth was opened 11:27 Discipline motivated by love 12:56 Naming in our culture 14:53 Naming in their culture: you became what you were named 15:50 Why naming him Zechariah meant a priestly future 16:46 A public ceremony and a public announcement 17:38 A prophetic calling, not a priestly one 19:00 Well-meaning people can still lead us the wrong way 19:43 Why you have to know God for yourself 20:54 Prayer 22:44 Bible Study Live 2027 update Frequently asked questions Was Zechariah deaf as well as mute? Possibly. Luke uses a word that could mean deaf, mute, or both, and the fact that people made signs to him suggests he may not have been able to hear. Why did the relatives want to name the baby Zechariah? In that culture a name carried identity and calling. Naming him after his father would have marked him as the next priest in the family line. Why was the name John so significant? It publicly declared that this child had a different calling. John would be a prophet preparing the way for the Lord, not a priest carrying on the family role. Why could Zechariah speak again? Immediately after he obeyed and wrote "His name is John," his mouth was opened and he spoke, blessing God. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices