annie downs

Whenever I hear someone say, “We need to just love people like Jesus did,” I get kind of annoyed. Not because I’m against that idea, but because generally, it’s used as sentiment and one that is un-Biblical... almost like it’s used to avoid hard issues. 

"We should just love people like Jesus did" usually means "be nice and don't be controversial." The real Jesus we meet in the Gospels loved people in a much better, deeper, richer, and much more controversial and confrontational way. Today's passage is a great example of how Jesus loved people and teaches us much about how we can love them, too

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Check out what Lancaster Bible College | Capital – Washington, D.C. is all about!

As tempting as it may be to obey our desires, the Bible describes the human heart as “deceitful” and “desperately sick” It tells us not to lean on our own understanding. Jesus taught that out of the heart come “evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Following Jesus means denying yourself, not discovering the god inside. Today we read one of the most famous verses in Jeremiah that comes in the context of people who are sinning greatly while still asking “What sins are we committing?” Let’s hear God’s response. 

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

God give me the peace of mind to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Today we read about the anointing of King Saul over Israel and the power of change. 

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Check out what Lancaster Bible College | Capital – Washington, D.C. is all about!

Have there been periods in your life where it seemed to be one long, unending string of trials? Maybe it’s the pandemic that has exacerbated these issues. The quarantines, the distancing, the loneliness. Today's podcast is an encouragement for you, but not in the way you might expect. Today we will be reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

What burdens are you carrying because you can’t forgive yourself? If Jesus has forgiven you, do you also have to forgive yourself? Do you feel stuck there? Trapped in a cage of shame? I’ve been to therapy, I’ve been to counseling, and I was the host of a Christian radio show for 11 years. I’m attempting through this podcast to grow in Bible knowledge. When it comes to self-help, I’ve probably heard it all. So when I saw this article from The Gospel Coalition titled, “Say No to the Gospel of Self-Forgiveness,” my antenna went straight up. Self-forgiveness is like this core doctrine in our therapeutic culture.  

Writing in Psychology Today, psychotherapist Beverly Engel says, “I believe that self-forgiveness is the most powerful step you can take to rid yourself of debilitating shame.” But here’s the vital question for Christians: Can you point to one example in Scripture of someone forgiving themselves? Well, I did the work for you and the answer is no. And guess what? That’s incredibly liberating! You CAN’T offer yourself forgiveness. It doesn’t work! You cannot release yourself of guilt. So what DOES Scripture say? We look at one example today in Psalm 51.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

This episode of the VERSED podcast is sponsored by Faithful Counseling. Visit FaithfulCounseling.com/VERSED – to get 10% off your first month! Join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional.

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Alright so I’m going to ask you a question and your response to it is going to reveal so much about yourself, ready? How are you doing?

Maybe you recoiled into yourself when I said that. I think most of us hit cruise control and default on a “good” or “fine.” That’s what we say when we don’t feel like talking about what we are really going through because we don’t feel like telling the whole story or burdening someone else or just going there emotionally. The truth is that most of you, myself included, are overwhelmed, have a long to-do list, and are physically, emotionally, and possibly even spiritually tired. That doesn’t make you a bad person, that just reflects reality. 

My hope is to encourage you to embrace that truth. "YES. I’M OVERWHELMED. I'M EXHAUSTED. I’M NOT IN CONTROL." Don’t run from it. Give yourself permission to feel those heavy burdens and don’t beat yourself up for it. The point is not to bury it with a “good” or a “fine” let it breathe for a moment and then also embrace this truth you can embrace the realities of living in a fallen world, a sinful world, an anxious world WHILE embracing the Word of God, rooting yourself deeply in it, holding fast to it.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

If you are walking through difficult circumstances. If you are in need of comfort and need of encouragement to keep trusting and hoping in God...don’t look past today’s episode.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Check out what Lancaster Bible College | Capital – Washington, D.C. is all about!

Paul uses this phrase to frequently describe believers in his letters, “In Christ.” He uses the phrase 143 times. It’s said that he did this because he understood that all people struggle with sin that is rooted in an identity crisis. He knew that once they were awakened to their true identity “in Christ” that that knowledge would transform their desires, behaviors, and their lives. 

In today's passage, Paul says that when you are “in Christ” you become a new creation. It doesn’t matter if you have been “in Christ” for an hour or for 20 years. Being “in Christ” means you have a new position before God.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

Is God your ultimate joy and treasure? Can you say with confidence like David, that you have nothing good besides God? It’s important that we understand that our source for everything is God. Especially when we are going through difficult times. Today on the VERSED podcast we read and study Psalm 16.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

What does the Bible say a downward sin spiral is? It’s more than just sinning a lot. It’s actually where sin leads to discipline from God. It comes in the form of frustration or hardship or failure and instead of us coming to God with it spiraling sin is when we seek relief from that disciple from the world - continuing to sin. Seeking a man-made solution to what is ultimately a spiritual problem - and so the cycle continues. We see this in the book of Hosea, chapter 5. 

Today we read from Hosea 6 which teaches us how to break the cycle.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Visit FaithfulCounseling.com/VERSED – to get 10% off your first month! Join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional.

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

We are being lied to every day by our culture which tells us all sorts of untrue things about ourselves and calls it tolerance and diversity. It's lies upon lies that are destroying people. We can’t be a part of distorting and undermining God’s creation. We have to live and proclaim the truth that actually sets people free and that’s the truth of Jesus. It’s the truth that God is CREATOR of all things and REDEEMER by sending Jesus to take on the penalty for our sins. Jude speaks directly to this, very boldly, and I hope it's an encouragement to you today.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Visit FaithfulCounseling.com/VERSED – to get 10% off your first month! Join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional.

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Alright, I’m going to tell you out of the gate this is a different verse than you are used to if you listen to this podcast. I’ve typically gravitated towards verses that have been blatantly encouraging and reveal something about the nature of God or Jesus. That hasn’t been intentional necessarily but today we are diving into a verse my friend texted me and at the end said “what am I even reading? I think that’s enough Ezekiel for today.” Embracing this challenge let’s dive into it. 

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

What we are about to read today is one of my favorite and incredibly beautiful verses. It is blunt, direct, poetic, black and white truth about Jesus. It's certainly not nonchalant. It punches you right in the face. And for me, its truth delivered in a way that overwhelms me with awe and wonder, a rightful fear of the Lord born out of belief in Him as Creator AND Redeemer through Jesus. 

We are reading the beginning of the Gospel of John today…

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Visit FaithfulCounseling.com/VERSED – to get 10% off your first month! Join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional.

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Sometimes the food that tastes good is not the healthiest. Ok, maybe that’s a lot of the time. The problem is that if we exclusively ate food that tasted great and disregarded how it can affect our bodies, or stopped searching for food that can taste great AND be good for our bodies we would have premature health issues that could lead to death. The same philosophy applies to our spiritual lives and it's what today’s verse, 2 Timothy 4:3 is talking about. There will be a time where people will not want spiritual “food” that is healthy but simply something that tastes good.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

God doesn’t just want to save you, guard you, and shelter you from attacks from the devil, He wants to show you how he cares for you. Hee uses the psalmist in Psalm 91 to do that. 

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

Have you watched that new documentary, "Get Back" on The Beatles? At the time of this recording its new anyway. I thought it was really cool! I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes of the creative process and all that. I’m rediscovering how amazing The Beatles truly were and how influential they were on our culture. 

You know this song 'All You Need Is Love? It was an anthem, right? Even though the philosophy behind the idea was flawed and damaging (like to the extreme) that longing is what’s in us. A key component of what it means to be human is not only the capacity to love but also the need to be loved. The Bible makes it clear that love is woven into the very fabric of our nature. We read about that today in Genesis.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Visit FaithfulCounseling.com/VERSED – to get 10% off your first month! Join the over 500,000 people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional.

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

I’m preparing this episode while Lord of The Rings plays in the background. It's ironic actually because the theme of today's episode is worshiping idols and how to know if you are. For anyone who has read, heard of, or watched Lord of the Rings, you get it, so I don’t need to explain further about the power that the ring has in the story and the hold it has on those who come into its presence. If you haven’t, let’s talk about the story of Romeo and Juliet. I never really liked it probably because I read it in middle or high school and never really understood it. But this idea of worshipping another person so much that the very idea of having to live without the other caused each of them to commit suicide is a bit dramatic. There are stories throughout history, fact, and fiction that show the issues that arise when we worship anything other than the one true God. We see a true story of that playing out today in history, in the biblical narrative. It begs these questions, how do we know what we are truly worshipping? And what is the difference between worshipping idols and God?

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

I heard Elisabeth Elliot define suffering as having something you don’t want or wanting something you don’t have. That can come in many extremes however big or small but it fits in that definition. There have been hard things in my life just like yours. I can’t say that I know what you’re going through but I can say that I know the one who knows. It’s through the deepest suffering that I’ve learned the deepest lessons. If we trust Him for it be can be assured that He’s got this, he has a loving purpose and he can turn something terrible into something wonderful and that suffering is never for nothing.

If you would like to dive deeper into this, or other verses in the Bible, if you have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode if have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

If you’ve experienced significant struggle; a diagnosis you didn’t expect, a betrayal by a loved one, death in your family, family issues, complications in surgery, financial mountains that need to be climbed, you know this isn’t right! This isn’t good, you are in a battle, you’re being attacked. It's thick in the atmosphere and there’s no denying it. 

There are also ways we are attacked that aren’t so obvious; constant comparison with others; about your success, your body, your clothes, your kids. Over-sexualized content that draws you into clicking deeper and swiping longer than you want, confusing your heart. Information overload locks you up in distraction causing you to be overly stimulated and anxious.

You are on a battlefield. A battlefield where the enemy has more ground than you realize, and with all of this going on now is not the time to be spiritually passive.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon

Subscribe to The Pour Over

Have you ever felt like your prayers have gone unanswered, that God has rejected them and you? That he feels indifferent toward you? Have you ever been through so much pain, troubling thoughts, and crippling anxiety that hope seems to be absent? You are not alone. Psalm 43 teaches us and instructs us in what our souls need in these times.

This is the VERSED podcast; a daily pursuit to become more perceptive to what the Bible says. 

If you would like to dive deeper into certain verses in the Bible, have a verse you would like to submit to have included in a future episode, have questions about the Bible that you would like answered in a bonus episode, or simply want to connect with me... text VERSED to 88474 or click here

Also included in that link is a list of resources and references I use in this podcast and can help you grow deeper in your faith as well. 

As always – ratings and reviews are massive! They really help others discover the podcast and ultimately help us improve VERSED. Thanks in advance for that 😊

Love you all – keep making hope louder!

John

FOLLOW ME ON IG! @johnlawhon