Wayne Stiles's Blog, page 23
July 3, 2019
Whom God Chooses He Uses—Even You [Podcast]
Mark 3:7-19
Have you ever wondered why God isn’t working in your life as He works in other lives? It’s a common question, but the reality may be far more different than you realize.
In this episode of Live the Bible, we’re going to be talking about how God uses whom He chooses. Without exception. In fact, God using you has less to do with your giftedness than it does with your willingness.
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Be...
July 1, 2019
What to Do When God Gives You a Hard Command
Why God Teaches You the Same Thing Over and Over Again
What God teaches us in one area of life we can easily miss in another area. So God has to repeat Himself. But sometimes the connection isn’t so easy for us to make.
(Photo: Waves crash ashore on the Sea of Galilee. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Jesus performed more miracles in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee than any other place in His ministry. Standing on its shores, one can easily see across the shallow lake. The...
June 26, 2019
Jesus and the God Squad [Podcast]
Mark 2:23-3:6
We all have expectations. Funny isn’t it, how they’re seldom met? Thankfully, God is bigger than our expectations of life.
In this episode of Live the Bible, Jesus helps us understand what to do when you come to a place when life (or even God) has let you down. When that occurs, one of two things is happening.
And the solution? It’s good news.
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Better still, get my full posts the...
June 24, 2019
An Ephesus Question: What Comes First in Your Relationship with God?
One thing more than anything is essential.
All Christians long to live pleasing to Jesus Christ. That’s why if Jesus told us He had a criticism for us, many of us would pull out our checklist and grab a pencil.
(Photo: Ephesus theater and the Arcadian Way. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
We’d make our way down the list and ask the Lord:
“Should I go on a mission trip?” “Do you want me to pray more?” “Maybe memorize the book of Romans?” “You just name it, Lord, and I’ll do i...June 18, 2019
Bad Company [Podcast]
Mark 2:13–22
Have you ever been around bad company? I don’t mean house guests. I’m referring to those people we choose to hang around—and more importantly why we hang around them. Jesus surprised many in His day by spending time with “bad company.” But His reasons were stellar.
In this episode of Live the Bible, we see how Christ’s example gives us the freedom to engage the world for Him.
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Episode Transcript
June 17, 2019
Come With Me to the Holy Land—and Egypt!
Experience a Life-Changing Journey, October 15-26, 2020
Picture yourself standing at the Sea of Galilee, with the waves lapping against your feet. Now imagine looking up at the massive Temple Mount in Jerusalem from the very steps Jesus climbed to get there. Or stare wide-eyed at the massive pyramids in Egypt…
(Photo: Three Great Pyramids of Giza. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Here’s the amazing truth: you don’t have to just imagine it—you can experience it!
I’m sending yo...
June 11, 2019
When God Gives You an Odd Prescription [Podcast]
Mark 1:14–2:12
I received an odd prescription from the pharmacy once—really funny, in fact. (I share the story in the opening minutes of this week’s podcast.) Truth be told, God gives what seem like odd prescription sometimes when His words make no sense in the real world.
In this episode of Live the Bible, we’ll discover what happened when Jesus did that one day, and the essential lesson it teaches us about our relationship with Him.
Episode Resources Download Rate & Review the Podcast How...June 10, 2019
Israel’s Negev Gives Enormous Hope for Your Barren Life
Nothing can stop God from fulfilling His promises.
Nothing can stop God from fulfilling His promises to those who believe in Him. In the mean time, it takes great vision to see something where there is nothing. Israel’s Negev provides a great example.
(Photo: Sculpture garden at Sde Boker, by שי קסל CC-BY-2.5, via Wikimedia Commons)
Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, saw the vast expanse of Israel’s Negev as something that offered great potential. In 1953, he settled in the kibb...
June 5, 2019
How to Keep First Things First [Podcast]
Who’s on first? The question may make us think of a classic comedy routine. But the question goes deeper when we consider the most important priorities we can chase in life.
In this episode of the Live the Bible Podcast, we’re going to look at “How to Keep First Things First,” and we have Jesus as our model. His example in Mark chapter 1 gives us at least two practical principles for how to choose among the many good options in life and ministry—and how to focus on the few essentials God want...
June 3, 2019
Traditions, Truth, and Praying with Your Eyes Open
The Western Wall challenges us to ask why we do what we do.
Some people find it hard to identify with the Jews who rock before Jerusalem’s Western Wall. When I first saw them, the prayers seemed odd. Then I thought about my traditions. Are they any less bizarre?
(Photo: Men praying at the Western Wall. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Oddness just comes in different flavors. They’re called “traditions.” For example:
Jews pray with their heads covered; we take our hats off. T...
