Episode notes
Many people come to God expecting a quick miracle that will make everything better. What the Bible actually emphasizes is “building,” which is a long-term view of life. Those whose lives collapse almost always have ignored building the emotional aspect of their spiritual lives—they were not willing to dig down deep. Building or rebuilding our emotional lives will allow us to grow our character as we walk with God and develop our strength from the inside out.
Check out this excerpt from chapter six of our new book, He’s Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself, which is available now on Amazon!
References
“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Luke 6:47–49 NIV
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16–19 NIV
Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:4 NLT
And when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands toward this temple—then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart), so that they will fear you and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors.
2 Chronicles 6:29–31 NIV
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 NIV
Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart.
Psalm 15:1–2 NIV
Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
Proverbs 26:24 NIV
I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.
Psalm 36:1–2 NIV
But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.
Psalm 51:6 NLT
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:12–13 NIV
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:11–14 NIV
But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
1 Corinthians 12:18–21 NIV
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About the show
The Deep Spirituality Podcast is a show about having spiritual conversations. Join our Editor-in-Chief Russ Ewell and guests as they have candid discussions on spiritual topics ranging from faith to anxiety to vulnerability, inspiring you to go deeper in your relationship with God and have challenging and honest conversations of your own.
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We are excited to present to you an excerpt from the audio version of our upcoming book He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself.