gospelspice podcast

Episode 151 - Jesus' humility is the roadmap to glory. Stephanie humbly invites us to dive into the meaning and expression of humility in Jesus's life. It started even before His incarnation - when He left the beauty and perfection of heaven to come dwell on planet earth, with a human body, and for the express intent to die a horrific death, not only physically but mostly a spiritual death of separation from His heavenly Father. What love is this... and it is demonstrated in meekness and humility. So, since humility was so essential to Jesus, so must it be with us too! Except... it does not come to us naturally. So we look at delighting in God in the context of humility today.

This is an in-depth look at the meaning of the cross, and how we are called to the ultimate beauty of surrendering our self-will to delight in glories unimaginable. Today is an invitation to see, maybe for the first time or at a deeper level, that a quest to delight in God is truly the most reasonable, and the most enthralling adventure that we are called upon.

We look at what it means to "be in Christ," an expression that can be so overused, it is devoid of meaning. Yet, the key to delight in God in found in its meaning. What does it mean, truly, to "be in Christ"? We talk about the delight of surrender, and the surrender of delight. We invite you to insert Jesus in every practical aspect of your life, only to find He is already there. That is true delight. Join us!

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIES

Delighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?

Why does God’s glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God’s glory as our heart’s true delight, how can we then come alongside others?

Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God’s glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God’s glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father’s love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory.

Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address contact@gospelspice.com. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 150 - Why does it matter to delight in God? Why does God command us to delight in Him and enjoy Him forever? Doesn't that sound like the whinings of an egotistic tyrant, an insecure bully in search of affirmation, or a boastful narcissist? Stephanie invites us to discover the deeper meaning of delighting in God, and why it actually is the most logical, reasonable, and yes, delightful thing in the world.

God is not human--it means He is the ultimate standard in all things beautiful and perfect and lovely and, yes, delightful. So, when He enjoins us to delight in Him, He is really inviting us to enjoy the ultimate best in all things. Doesn't sound so egotistic after all, does it?

Jesus provides the perfect example for us--to absolutely no one's surprise! He role-models a life of perfect humility and delight in God. So we're taking a good look at delight in God as revealed in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God ... in the Face of Christ Jesus! That's one of the most foundational verses that Paul ever wrote, and it is one of our guides this week.

"God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:6, NIV.

 

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIES

Delighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?

Why does God’s glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God’s glory as our heart’s true delight, how can we then come alongside others?

Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God’s glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God’s glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father’s love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory.

Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address contact@gospelspice.com. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 146 - We are so excited to welcome you to our new series, God's Glory, Our Delight. Taking delight in God: Nothing could be more important, and nothing could be more practical today. Can we be totally honest here? This is Stephanie's favorite series to date, because it is her own personal life motto!

We kick off the series with an episode that transitions us from Easter into this new season of deeper intimacy with God. You are invited to experience the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus today! Today Stephanie has invited a long-time friend who shaped her own theology of glory and of the cross of Jesus Christ when she was a young believer. Pastor John Lambert tells us about the places where he has encountered the glory of God in Scripture, and humbly invites us on a journey to do the same. What is human glory? What is divine glory? Who is Jesus Christ when it comes to God's glory? Most importantly, how does Easter and the crucifixion manifest the glory of God in most unexpected and most moving ways? Jesus’s Passion (His suffering) and His death are seen as the supreme showcase of His glory. How can this be?  How can glory come from such horror and excruciating suffering?

Jesus closed the gap between our sin and God’s righteousness. Because of this, Jesus’s complete innocence was given to us. John invites us to ponder glory emanating from creation is illusive, momentary, diluted and falls short of the glory of God. What times in your life have you experienced this momentary, fleeting glory? How long did it satisfy you? Did it make you want to keep seeking it??  If this type of glory never brings complete satisfaction why do we keep seeking it?

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT | THE GOSPEL SPICE SERIES

Delighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?

Why does God’s glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God’s glory as our heart’s true delight, how can we then come alongside others?

Join us to cultivate a sincere delight for God’s glory, rooted in an honest, hard look at the depth of our need, and in the much deeper Reality of His grace. Trace the glory of God through Scripture and in your own life. Behold the exact radiance of God’s glory, revealed in Jesus. Learn to see yourself as Christ does—through the lens of the Father’s love at the cross. Jesus offers to overwhelm our deadly self-centeredness with His resurrection power. He carries us every step of the way, even as He calls us to true humility on the path to glory.

Who has time to cultivate the delight that comes from pondering the glory of God? And yet, nothing could be more urgent today. Marthas and Marys, Peters and Johns—we are all invited to dare to dream of a lifestyle of God-centered delight. Nothing could be more practical.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address contact@gospelspice.com. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Os Guinness is back for this special Easter 2022 episode on the meaning of life. We discuss our role in seeking God, and His role in finding us! Os says, "Without God, we cannot know God; and we know God only when we meet Him."

This Easter, we invite you to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the season, and to ask yourself if you are living the fullness of the life God has for you. We also invite you to invite others to ask themselves this essential question! Os tells us that questions can have "a subversive, even revolutionary potential." He talks about the power of personal experience in our journey to find God. In a nutshell, he invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good! As Os says, "coming to know God is coming home."

Watch the LIVE conversation recording on our YouTube channel and make sure to subscribe: 

f876e4119e11c8d06d3e02a16796fe0b

 

Os shares his latest book, The Great Quest, a most useful little jewel of a book to share the meaning of life with those who are seeking to live a life worth living: What is life all about? What are we here for? Is there any meaning or purpose to our existence? Thinkers throughout the centuries have pondered these questions. While the distractions of the modern world prevent many from grappling seriously with such matters, the truth is that humans cannot live without meaning any more than we can live without breathing or eating.

The Great Quest is also perfect for Christians who seek to take their relationship with God to the next level (that would be all of us!) through reason and experience both. Os says, "faith in God is a step taken in the light of reason, and it may certainly be a step taken with deep emotions."

Os tells us what keeps people from thinking about the examined life. What questions do we need to be asking? Where do we find answers? How do we go about exploring the answers that seem potentially legitimate? How does the Christian faith illuminate our quest in ways that no other worldview does? What does Easter mean in all of it? How does it provide the most --the only--adequate answer to our deepest longings? Why is truth more relevant than ever, in our postmodern, post-truth culture?

ABOUT "THE GREAT QUEST"

"The unexamined life is not worth living." —Socrates

Os Guinness invites us to examine our lives and join the great quest for meaning and a life well lived. For those who are up to Socrates' challenge, it is a search that is indispensable to making the most of life. Guinness charts the course of the thinking person's journey toward faith and meaning, calling for a firm grasp of reason, an honest awareness of conscience, and a living sense of wonder. He affirms that there is a time for questions, and that following those questions can indeed lead us to answers, evidence, and commitment.

When life becomes a question, the search is on for an answer. Come find yourself on a sure path to meaning.

ABOUT OS GUINNESS

Os Guinness (DPhil, Oxford) is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books, including The Dust of Death, The Call, Fool's Talk, Carpe Diem Redeemed, The Magna Carta of Humanity, Last Call for Liberty, Impossible People, Unspeakable, and Time for Truth. He is the founder of the Trinity Forum, a prominent social critic, and a frequent speaker who has addressed audiences worldwide.

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Identity in the battle | Ephesians

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/

Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/

Shades of Red | Against human oppression

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/

God's glory, our delight 

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/

 

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 141 - Stephanie is joined by 3 friends to explore a cross-cultural conversation around racial dialogue. Around a cup of virtual coffee, Angel, Beth and Lindsay answer some key questions and invite YOU to step up to initiate your own conversations towards racial reconciliation:

- What has been your personal experience, or a meaningful encounter, with the idea of racial difference?

- What does it take for conversations about differences to even be possible or be considered?

- What is your reaction to how you are seeing the church in general handle this conversation? How about the idea of hoping the system can change?

- If the church and the system are not stepping up to the task, then it is even more obvious that it is our role, on a personal level, to role-model these conversations. So, how do we develop trust and safety to create the context for them to happen?

We hope this conversation will invite church-going believers to engage meaningfully with others who are different from them. We want to communicate that creating an atmosphere and foundation of trust is necessary for any meaningful conversation to start happening, and then for ever-deeper conversations to keep happening.

This episode is a joint gift by the Gospel Spice team as a whole. It is an integral element of our Shades of Red series because we hope this conversation is an example of mature conversation between deep friends. We hope to stress that it is not the starting point of a relationship, nor the listener’s goal as a starting point. It is more like an end goal to keep in sight: the goal to get to a place where you too can have those conversations, and feel ok if they still feel awkward. Because they will!

Communication is a dance that helps us find out how far we can take the conversation. Some key tips from this episode:

-        A commitment to racial dialogue is a series of small steps, a long obedience in the same direction.

-        Gauge the relationship at every step to decide if it is time to take it deeper, or best to let it cruise a bit.

-      As with dancing, we want to be ok to say you stepped on my toes, be ok to acknowledge and apologize, be ok to keep dancing and creating beauty together, even of not perfectly.

-        The importance of the music when you dance: being in tune together

Jesus role-models hard conversations and sets the tone for us: He is singing reconciliation over us, and invites us to dance to His music. How will YOU respond to His calling today?

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.

SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address contact@gospelspice.com. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 135 - What does it mean to be "Shades of Red" as fallen humans? What are the consequences of the curse of sin in human relationships? Stephanie invites us to ponder the consequences of what we discovered about the law of spiritual gravity in Episode 134. Make sure to have listened to it before you tune in for today!

We saw that the adama-red of the adama-ground is for the first time an echo of the adama-blood of adama-man in death (Genesis 4:3-11). It was only the beginning. We have all chosen to experience evil—maybe not in the form of murder, but as anger or resentment at least. We have broken the spiritual law of gravity, and it has spiritually killed us as effectively as a jump off a 1,000-foot cliff would kill our body. Spiritual death means we are all separated from the Tree of Life by those sword-wielding cherubim (Genesis 3:24). The swords will kill us if we seek to approach a holy God, who is Life. True life is so much off limits, that death will worm its way into our physical life, and we will die physically even as we are dead spiritually. Death will become so prevalent, in fact, that all of creation will suffer echoes of the spiritual death of adama-man-ground. Choices have consequences, and we look at what they were for our ancestors: Eve will not understand Adam’s burden, nor he hers. And now, male ‘kai’ female is no more. They are estranged from and at odds with each other. Fascinatingly, it is the very first time that male and female are treated differently—as separate Selves. The first consequence of their common choice of Self over God is their separation. No more male ‘kai’ female until Christ unites us again, as Galatians 3:28 points out. Now there is conflict and division, a focus on Self, a quest for equality and rights or authority and power, instead of God’s pre-fall plan of unity and love.

For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at the potential risks of human relationships with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Lindsay. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red.

 

SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.

SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us. 

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address contact@gospelspice.com. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 134 - Stephanie invites us to ponder what she calls "the spiritual law of gravity. It is quite simple, really. We all know not to break the physical law of gravity. It has its commandments. A smattering:

-          Do not jump off a high building.

-          Do not go into the deep if you don’t know how to swim.

-          Do not drop heavy rocks on your head.

Laws of gravity. We know any one of these would be enough to kill us; it does not take all of these together. Breaking one is enough to kill our body.

Moreover, none of us has ever challenged the laws of gravity. We don’t vote on them. We don’t approve or reject them. We don’t see them as optional preferences. We don’t think they have to do with personal choice. We accept them as facts of life. So much so, that we lovingly teach them to our children. Not to do so, would be parental neglect.

And so it is with the spiritual law of gravity. You don’t need to break all of its ten commandments to kill yourself spiritually. Only one is enough. A smattering?

-          Do not murder.

-          Do not commit adultery.

-          Do not steal.

-          Do not lie.

-          Do not envy.

When Jesus says that anger is murder, He is essentially saying that it does not take a 100-ton murder-boulder on your head to kill you; a one-pound rock of anger is plenty. It won’t take jumping off a 100-story building; a 2-story can be enough. And we all know that we can drown in less than a foot of water. It doesn’t take murder. Anger is enough. Murder as anger is one of the laws of spiritual gravity. Just ask Cain and Abel.

For more on this topic, join our guest teacher for a thorough look at what the spiritual law of gravity means for us humans, with our special Gospel Spice teacher, Lindsay. Become a member today for free to access her teaching, along with all the other, member-exclusive lessons that take you deeper into the Gospel Spice experience of Shades of Red.

BREAKING NEWS!

Shelley S. is the winner of the Gospel Spice giveaway we organized in January to celebrate our new membership platform. She will receive 2 exclusive Gospel Spice mugs, a Gospel Spice-green cloth covered journal, an 8*10 framable print and a pair of earrings made by a survivor of human trafficking. Congrats Shelley! We are honored to serve you.

Please check out gospelspice.com for more info on how to become a member!

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family.

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people!

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our minimal operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

(*ListenNotes ranking, 2023)

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!

First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.

Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. 

And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!

NEW!

Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example,

- a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours.

- a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.

MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.

Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely free, but we would truly love your support.

We want the money to go to those who really need it. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Each year, we aim to give as much as we can. For example, Stephanie works more than full time for Gospel Spice, entirely for free. All board members and volunteers are donating time. We limit our operational expenses to the bare minimum.

Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170.

We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

SHADES OF RED is a new original series by GospelSpice Ministries. We ponder humanity as loved, created, fallen and, in Christ, redeemed.

SHADES OF RED brings you a simple theological perspective to understand the consequences of the curse of sin on humanity, followed by a practical approach to step up against the evils of our day, rooted in unity between man and woman. Weaving real-life Bible stories, this series will help you get informed, keep interceding, get involved, and keep influencing our generation. We will also occasionally welcome special guests who share our passion to fight against oppression in all its forms, for example through the fight against human trafficking, or through racial reconciliation, and more.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 121 – Susie Larson joins Stephanie today to ask, What Matters Most This Christmas Season? What if you approached this Advent more open to the things of God? What if you decided to be expectant that God would move in your midst? What if you made room for the joy found in the coming of our King?

Stephanie absolutely devoured “Prepare Him Room”, the brand new Christmas Advent devotional that Susie is bringing to us this Christmas.

 You can also watch the live video of the conversation on our YouTube channel, and make sure to subscribe: 

f876e4119e11c8d06d3e02a16796fe0b

These are some of Stephanie’s favorite quotes from Susie’s latest release:

"It takes great maturity to embrace holy contentment and holy expectation simultaneously."

"Whenever we ask for more from God, He asks for more from us."

"Jesus was physically weak but spiritually strong. So can we."

"If we don't think God cares about our hunger, we'll miss out on the beautiful experience of His provision; We will be too full on lesser things to notice it."

"With Jesus, subtraction precedes multiplication. Humility precedes breakthrough."

"Humility and faith is an irresistible combination for Jesus."

"God wants you to want His influence."
"Jesus invites us to approach Him with wide-eyed wonder and ask that all of who He is would come in and change all of who we are."

In their conversation today, Susie shares with Stephanie what she is asking God for Christmas: that He would teach her to leave this year and enter the next, trusting Him more. This is a bold, ambitious, Christ-centered prayer.

Susie reminds us that the first Christmas was not commercialized, but was focused on the light of the Lord against the backdrop of darkness. She tells us that our “not yets” do not make us “have nots”—because that is how Christmas came to be. Jesus identifies with the broken and the poor. “Silent night” was deep darkness; and yet, light was entering and is inextinguishable. Her raw emotion when she shares about her precious Lord, is beautiful and draws us deep into worship.

Susie prays a humble, bold prayer for everyone who will be listening to this episode. This prayer gave Stephanie goosebumps. Do not miss the blessing and the anointing of this prayer over you! It is a most special Christmas gift from Susie to you this year.

Gospel Spice Giveaway:

“Prepare Him Room” invites you to give God sacred space in your holiday season as you ponder the miracle of Christ and respond to His work in your life. As you begin your Christmas preparations this year, journey through Luke's account of Jesus' birth, life, death, and ultimate resurrection. God invites you to be still and let Jesus radically transform you this holy season. Let earth receive her King!

Susie is giving away several copies of “Prepare Him Room.” Go to gospelspice.com/giveaway to enter for a chance to win. Winners will be notified directly.

Meet Susie Larson:

Susie Larson is a talk radio host, national speaker, and bestselling author. In both 2016 and 2017 Susie was nominated and voted into the top ten groups for the National John Maxwell Leadership Award. Susie has been married to her dear husband Kevin since 1985 and together they have three wonderful sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, two beautiful grandchildren, and one adorable pit bull named Memphis. Susie’s passion is to see women everywhere awakened to the value of their soul, the depth of God’s love, and the height of their calling in Christ Jesus.

You will find Susie at susielarson.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/susielarsonauthor

You will also find her on Instagram @susielarsonauthor

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU!! 

"A Gospel Spice Christmas" is a five-day devotional and reading plan available exclusively on YouVersion / the Bible App.

Do you long for fresh spices to flavor your spiritual experience of the Incarnation of Christ? Are you tired of stale clichés that taste like microwaved Christmas dinner leftovers? Are you hungry for an explosion of fresh flavors in your Christmas devotions? Experience a Gospel Spice Christmas alongside the shepherds, and discover how to make your life a daily nativity scene where Christ can be born in ever-deepening ways.

Click here or go to your YouVersion Bible App on your phone, and search "Gospel Spice." It is our gift to you! Enjoy!

PAY GOSPEL SPICE FORWARD THIS CHRISTMAS.

Did you know that this show is completely free because of listeners just like you who pay the show forward, so that it is free for you? We do not want to add paid advertisements because we believe that your time is precious. So, would you consider joining the Gospel Spice family by paying Gospel Spice forward? Because we are a registered non-profit organization, your donation is 100% tax-deductible (in the USA). Contact us for monthly payments, or donate by Credit Card or via PayPal. Go to gospelspice.com/payitforward for more details.

We invite you to join us to reach even more than the 125 countries we currently serve, and the thousands upon thousands who enjoy the Gospel Spice podcast.

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools brought to you by Gospel Spice Ministries. The Gospel Spice Ministries exist to inspire Christ-followers in our generation to delight in the glory of God by knowing and experiencing Jesus more intimately. We provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Donate by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 107 - We are in a battle. It is raging, it is fierce, and it is up close and personal. It is not a battle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual darkness. How do we fight it?

(If you have joined us recently, a big hearty WELCOME! We are SO HONORED you are with us! We warmly invite you to start our Identity in the Battle Series at the beginning with episode 101 titled "What does it mean to be IN Christ?").

This is a very practical episode. What does it mean to put on the armor of God? What purpose does it serve? What does it symbolize? 
In episode 104, we saw that "the only way to stand up to the devil is to kneel before God." Then, in episode 105, we looked at the first three of seven pieces of spiritual armor. So today, we study the final four pieces of our spiritual armor.

Our text is Ephesians 6:16-20 (NIV): "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

A shield? A Roman army-issued shield was the size of a small door. It was no round ceremonial token! It was the primary defense against long-distance attacks. It also allowed an exceptional display of team effort to save mutual lives. It provides a timely illustration about the relationships within the body of Christ today on the battlefield. 

Flaming arrows? Yes, Satan plays dirty. Fire is not necessary to kill. A well-shot arrow is enough. So why fire? Take a listen to uncover Satan's strategy in his use of fire, and how YOU can counterattack with the true Fire from the Spirit.

A helmet? The helmet of salvation is essential. What is salvation? We look at a few key verses:

- Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, Phil 2:12

- Rom 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

And then, your head represents your mind. Here are some of our key texts from today. They're the kind of verses that satan doesn’t want you to know. He knows his time is short, but he’d rather YOU didn’t know that. If you did, you’d become wise and a threat to him!

2 Cor 10:4-5 - The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power(B) to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Stephanie challenges you to deeper living: "Move from a philosophy of scarcity to one of abundance today."

A sword? Stephanie takes us on a trip to France as she unveils how two French words will deepen your understanding of the sword that is the Scriptures.

(Heb 4:12 - the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.)

A secret weapon? Yes! Prayer is our spiritual weapon and it is powerful! Pray at all times, in all circumstances: to kneel before God is the only way to stand up to the devil.

Do not leave today's episode without chewing on this comforting truth: you’re not alone in the fight.

Note: This episode is the 5th in our Gospel Spice Identity in the battle Summer 2021 series. If you missed it, make sure to listen to Episodes 101 through 105 before you launch this one! Also, it is the final of three episodes focusing on our spiritual armor.

 

----- IDENTITY IN THE BATTLE BIBLE STUDY ------

You have the option to go beyond listening to this series, and to participate actively. It is completely free, a resource by Gospel Spice Ministries. Go to gospelspice.com/identity to register for a self-paced Bible study. You will receive a downloadable, printable workbook containing listening guide for each of the 6 episodes in this series, space for note taking, and discussion questions if you want to do this study with a friend! What better way to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend this season, than to discuss your identity in the battle together? So, grab a friend or family member, or someone to mentor or be mentored by, and register together. 

Special bonus! When you register, you will be added to an exclusive live Zoom call with Stephanie and the Gospel Spice Ministries team to discuss the episodes and ask YOUR questions! There will be 2 live calls over the course of this series (August 2021 only, upon initial release of the episodes).

Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 105 - We are in a battle. Last week, we saw that "the only way to stand up to the devil is to kneel before God." Today we study and put on the first of seven pieces of spiritual armor. This is taken straight from Ephesians 6:14-15 (NIV): Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

(If you have joined us recently, a big hearty WELCOME! We are SO HONORED you are with us! We warmly invite you to start our Identity in the Battle Series at the beginning with episode 101 titled "What does it mean to be IN Christ?").

This is a very practical episode. What does it mean to put on the armor of God? What purpose does it serve? What does it symbolize? 

Truth? Truth is what God says. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). We wear truth when we are IN HIM: be strong IN the Lord and IN the strength of His might.

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Breastplate? There's the theory, and then there's the practice. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart. Satan is after your mind, your emotions, your will. He knows you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, so you can stand. So, identify the lies of the enemy (with the belt of truth) and then DO SOMETHING about it: protect your heart by clothing yourself in the righteousness of Christ.

Shoes? Roman army shoes were knee-high boots designed to stand firm (giving stability) and to move fast (giving motion) both. They are powerfulyl symbolic of our identity in Christ. Because they speak of readiness, they inform our attitude as believers.

Isaiah 52:7 - How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.

Note: This episode is the 4th in our Gospel Spice Identity in the battle Summer 2021 series. If you missed it, make sure to listen to Episodes 101+102+104 before you launch this one! Also, it is the second of three episodes focusing on our spiritual armor. Episode 107 will continue today's lesson. Make sure to tune in when it releases!

Here are some of our key texts from today. They're the kind of verses that satan doesn’t want you to know. He knows his time is short, but he’d rather YOU didn’t know that. If you did, you’d become wise and a threat to him!

Isaiah 11:5 - Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (NIV)

Isaiah 59:17. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak (ESV).

Deuteronomy 33:29. He is the shield that protects you, the sword that you boast in. Your enemies will cringe before you and you will tread on their backs.

Deuteronomy 6:7-9 - Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol[b] on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (HCSB)

 

----- IDENTITY IN THE BATTLE BIBLE STUDY ------

You have the option to go beyond listening to this series, and to participate actively. It is completely free, a resource by Gospel Spice Ministries. Go to gospelspice.com/identity to register for a self-paced Bible study. You will receive a downloadable, printable workbook containing listening guide for each of the 6 episodes in this series, space for note taking, and discussion questions if you want to do this study with a friend! What better way to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend this season, than to discuss your identity in the battle together? So, grab a friend or family member, or someone to mentor or be mentored by, and register together. 

Special bonus! When you register, you will be added to an exclusive live Zoom call with Stephanie and the Gospel Spice Ministries team to discuss the episodes and ask YOUR questions! There will be 2 live calls over the course of this series (August 2021 only, upon initial release of the episodes).

Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 104 - We are in a battle. The most important takeaway Stephanie wants you to keep today is this:   "The only way to stand up to the devil is to kneel before God."

This is an all-important episode to ground your battles in the only foundation that will never be shaken: your identity in Christ.

Just to make sure you remember this: we cannot lose our salvation. We are secure in Christ. That’s the whole point. It’s GOOD NEWS, this armor. There is a battle, and we have won already.

God is giving us spirit-issued uniform. We don’t have to buy it ourselves, He purchased it at great cost. It is the highest quality and it is more than enough for the task ahead. It’s wonderful news! We are not walking into this battle naked. We are not delicate china hiding behind cabinet doors. We are warriors equipped to win, under the command of our general, Christ the Lord, our Warrior-King.

This episode is the 3rd in our Gospel Spice Identity in the battle Summer 2021 series. If you missed it, make sure to listen to Episodes 101+102 before you launch this one! Also, it is the first of three episodes focusing on our spiritual armor. Episodes 105 and 107 will continue today's lesson. Make sure to tune in when they release!

----- IDENTITY IN THE BATTLE BIBLE STUDY ------

You have the option to go beyond listening to this series, and to participate actively. It is completely free, a resource by Gospel Spice Ministries. Go to gospelspice.com/identity to register for a self-paced Bible study. You will receive a downloadable, printable workbook containing listening guide for each of the 6 episodes in this series, space for note taking, and discussion questions if you want to do this study with a friend! What better way to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend this season, than to discuss your identity in the battle together? So, grab a friend or family member, or someone to mentor or be mentored by, and register together. 

Special bonus! When you register, you will be added to an exclusive live Zoom call with Stephanie and the Gospel Spice Ministries team to discuss the episodes and ask YOUR questions! There will be 2 live calls over the course of this series (August 2021 only, upon initial release of the episodes).

Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 102 - Stephanie invites us into the Father's heart today. We start by deciphering the meaning of "downpayment of the Holy Spirit." Staying away from Christianese, we taste the beauty of experiencing the Holy Spirit today. The downpayment of the Holy Spirit as guarantee of our inheritance is a drop of heaven, that makes us long for the ocean of it.

Then, we look at what we call "the cross-shaped dimension of the gospel": Finding our identity in Christ means growing in intimacy with Him. 

The depth of your desire to know the secret things of Christ is the measure of your spiritual growth. There is a massive difference between knowing something about God, and knowing God. Jesus reveals His secrets to us, His mind, and He enables us to reveal the secrets of our hearts to Him. This is the proof of the great delight He takes in us, and teaches us to take in Him.

We then turn to the importance of Christ's position today: seated at the right hand of God, and interceding for us. How is it relevant practically for you and me today?

Ephesians 2:8-10 is the core of our study:  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This episode is the 2nd in our Gospel Spice Identity in the battle Summer 2021 series. If you missed it, make sure to listen to Episode 101 (last week) before you launch this one!

 

----- IDENTITY IN THE BATTLE BIBLE STUDY ------

You have the option to go beyond listening to this series, and to participate actively. It is completely free, a resource by Gospel Spice Ministries. Go to gospelspice.com/identity to register for a self-paced Bible study. You will receive a downloadable, printable workbook containing listening guide for each of the 6 episodes in this series, space for note taking, and discussion questions if you want to do this study with a friend! What better way to enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend this season, than to discuss your identity in the battle together? So, grab a friend or family member, or someone to mentor or be mentored by, and register together. 

Special bonus! When you register, you will be added to an exclusive live Zoom call with Stephanie and the Gospel Spice Ministries team to discuss the episodes and ask YOUR questions! There will be 2 live calls over the course of this series (August 2021 only, upon initial release of the episodes).

Every week, Stephanie shares truth from Scripture and invites you to dig deeper in your faith to delight in the glory of God.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

------------ DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES ------------

The Gospel Spice Podcast is part of a larger range of tools given to you by Gospel Spice Ministries.

In a nutshell, we exist to inspire Christ-followers to delight in God.

In more details: we provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

PAY IT FORWARD!! Would you consider supporting this show today to help others enjoy it for free? It comes to you completely free, but is labor-intensive to produce, and we want to keep putting it in the ears of people! For the price of a cup of coffee, PAY IT FORWARD with $5 or $10 to make a huge difference! Contact us to pay it forward by Credit Card, or donate via PayPal.

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. All donations above our operating costs go to Christian organizations fighting human trafficking. We do not take a salary, but only seek to cover our operating costs.

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the link with friends and family

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 92 - What is wisdom? What is righteousness? Who are the primary role-models in wisdom and righteousness in the Old Testament, and how do they point us to Christ?

As we conclude our last episode in our Gospel Spice Proverbs series, Stephanie invites us to take a final look at what righteousness and wisdom truly are, and then we will gaze at the Face of Him who is our righteousness. We ponder perseverance and endurance in the faith in oiur struggle against lust--in whatever form.

On righteousness:

Proverbs talks a lot about the righteous and the wicked, the lazy, the fool. It teaches by example—what is righteous by showing what is wicked. 

The moment you accept Christ, life does not become a stroll in the park. Perseverance in your faith is the hallmark of your faithfulness. Your authenticity is proven by your walk. The walk of faith is a slow transformation with lots of roadblocks and deadends and detours, many coming from the past – past idols trying to trip you up in guilt and shame. But you are a new creation in Christ. You are the Bride of Christ, pure and blameless and spotless and righteous—not on your own strength but HIDDEN IN HIM.

If you think that conversion is a fast-pass to transformation, you are in for a deception. Faith is slow-cooked more often than it is pressure-cooked, though both happen.

Righteousness is valuing God above all else. It means that ethics and morality find their source in respecting God as the ultimate worth. Righteousness is more than doing the “right” thing: righteousness is valuing God as ultimate in all things. Valuing God as ultimate in all things is the ultimate right thing, and that is what makes you righteous in His eyes.

Our righteousness is exhibited when we too value and respect the worth of God without wavering and upholding it in all that we do, to the nest of our strength in Christ. In other words, We as humans are to practice righteousness towards the goal of obtaining it, knowing it is already ours in Christ.

On wisdom:

Solomon was the wisest king who ever lived, yet we have seen that he didn’t end so well. The consequences cannot be overstated.

Proverbs extols wisdom associated with a man who, by everyone’s judgment, was considered wise and is so to the present day. Yet he failed to live by wisdom. The result is further affirmation of the testimony of the Law, that our hope is in One. Even so great a force as wisdom, when it is nurtured and embraced, cannot rescue us from the evil that resides in our hearts. Solomon’s details and bad ending, moral of the story: even the wisest man, apart from Christ, is not wise enough.

“The universal Voice of God was by the ancient Hebrews often called wisdom.” (AW Tozer, The Pursuit of God)

“This habit of explaining the Voice by appeals to natural law is at the very root of modern science. In the living, breathing cosmos there is a mysterious Something, too wonderful for any mind to understand. The believing man does not claim to understand. He falls to his knees and whispers, “God.” The man of the earth kneels, too, but not to worship. He kneels to examine, to search, to find the cause and the how of things.” AWTozer

Folly is looking for an explanation in the dirt of the earth, under the sun. Wisdom is knowing that God will be found above the sun. And so, wisdom, the voice of God, calls and searches the one who wants to cultivate their spiritual heart.

If you have ever experienced inexplicable loneliness, or otherworldly longing, or a feeling of awe and wonder, a moment of light and lightness – that is the Voice of God guiding your spiritual heart to find your rest in Him.

On wisdom from above, in the Face of Christ Jesus:

Jesus describes the wisdom that is from above in His Sermon on the Mount.

Take the Beatitudes and write them in reverse – you will get the wisdom from the world: accumulate riches. Be selfish. Be on the lookout for Number One. Live for this world alone.

Jesus is not offering an opinion here. Jesus never gives opinions. He gives truth. HE KNOWS. His wisdom is not from under the sun like Solomon’s. His wisdom is not the result of his study of human nature or nature itself. Jesus gives truth because He is fully God. He is speaking from within the intimacy of the Trinity.  His words are not opinions. They are truth. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ definition of wisdom that is from above.

So, worship God, who is from above the sun. Worship Christ, the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. This is taken from Hebrews 1:1-5, which tells us that God spoke wisdom through the Old Testament, in Proverbs for example, but that He went all out in Christ: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."

 

---------------Note to PARENTS---------------

We CARE about your family!! As usual, Stephanie brings in a fictitious character to illustrate our theme. This week's trait is lust. Therefore, the initial illustration, while not explicit, might not be for the youngest ears--unless you are ready to answer spicy questions about intimate relations. Stephanie's mention is brief, but an inquisitive little heart may pick up on questions worth asking! Decide for yourself when to best listen to the first 5 minutes of this episode!

 

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODE

If you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforward

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. 

Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!

Contact us on the website or at contact@gospelspice.com to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you.

--------- NEW SUMMER SERIES STARTING JULY 19 2021 ---------

Stephanie mentioned our new Gospel Spice series, Identity in the battle, starting July 19, 2021. We offer a brand new option to go deeper into our series together. It is completely free, and registration will open on JUNE 1, 2021 at gospelspice.com/identity. It is only available over the Summer 2021, so if you catch this episode after we've closed our Summer 2021 series, stay tuned for MORE options! Check gospelspice.com for the latest updates.

This season of the Gospel Spice Podcast is powered by Biblica! We are grateful for this partnership.

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!

First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.

Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. 

And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!

NEW!

Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example,

- a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours.

- a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.

MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.

Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely free, but we would truly love your support.

We want the money to go to those who really need it. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Each year, we aim to give as much as we can. For example, Stephanie works more than full time for Gospel Spice, entirely for free. All board members and volunteers are donating time. We limit our operational expenses to the bare minimum.

Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170.

We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 89 - Will I dare ask myself if greed is an issue in my life? What is keeping me away from God today? Could greed be a problem?

There’s a French saying: some people are so poor, all they have is money. Today we are talking about replacing greed, and all forms of idolatry, with joy.

Greed. What does the Bible say about it? 

Proverbs 1:19 - Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

Proverbs 11:28  -Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Greed doesn’t give. Greed robs. Greed robs YOU of joy.

To start us off, Stephanie challenges us--and herself--with seven questions to self-diagnose if we have unknowingly fallen victim to greed, in one form or another:

1.     Is it MY money or God’s?

2.    What would I do differently if I knew I would be dead in a year?

3.     WHY do I want more money?

4.     How do I spend my time? thinking of ways to earn more, or of ways to advance God’s Kingdom?

5.     How would I behave if I lost everything?

6.     Am I truly generous?

7.     Do I compromise character to make more money?

Then we ponder the link between joy and righteousness and the only true cure against greed.

Idolatry is misplaced worship. 

Proverbs describes where joy cannot be found.

The summary of the entire book of Proverbs can be found in Mark 8:36: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" That’s the definition of unrighteousness.

Joy "must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure" - CS Lewis

Joy is “unsatisfied desire, which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” – CS Lewis again.

God promises to give us a joy that surpasses anything this world has to offer. Here’s the question: how much of your life to do you spend experiencing this joy, vs looking for joy elsewhere?

Psalm 35:27 - Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

Haydn, the great musician, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful, and he replied: "When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen ; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit."

Joy is the juice of gladness that comes from the fruit of peace, itself springing up from the ground of righteousness – our righteousness in Christ. Matthew Henry defines joy as "a constant delight in God."

Who does the work of transforming our hearts to find satisfaction in God? God Himself is the One who transforms our heart to increasingly see Christ as our supreme treasure, even as we seek to find our satisfaction in Him.

Cyprian was a third-century North African. As he was anticipating death, he penned these last words to his friend Donatus in 258AD: “It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them.”

This is an episode you do not want to miss. We look forward to serving you through it this week!

 

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODE

If you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforward

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. 

Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!

Contact us on the website or at contact@gospelspice.com to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you.

 

--------- CELEBRATING THE ASCENSION AND PENTECOST ---------

This year, Gospel Spice is not publishing episodes dedicated to the celebration of the Acension and Pentecost. These are crucial, momentous events in the life of Christ, and of the church. Please go to https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/gospel-spice/series/experience-the-ascension-and-pentecost/ to listen to all our content on this pricelesss topic! You will also find several other topic-themed inspiring series at the bottom of the page: gospel-spice.com

--------- NEW SUMMER SERIES STARTING JULY 19 2021 ---------

Stephanie mentioned our new Gospel Spice series, Identity in the battle, starting July 19, 2021. We offer a brand new option to go deeper into our series together. It is completely free, and registration will open on JUNE 1, 2021 at gospelspice.com/identity. It is only available over the Summer 2021, so if you catch this episode after we've closed our Summer 2021 series, stay tuned for MORE options! Check gospelspice.com for the latest updates.

This season of the Gospel Spice Podcast is powered by Biblica! We are grateful for this partnership.

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 84 - We are resuming our journeyr through the Book of Proverbs after our amazing guest interview with Jill Briscoe in our previous episode. Today, Stephanie takes us deep into the topics of fear, insecurities and anxiety in order to ponder the Christ-centered alternative: faith and trust.

Many proverbs are centered on the concept of fear--both as something to avoid when it is the fear of man, and as something to nurture when it is the fear of God. What do these proverbs mean, and what can they teach us today?

As has now become our habit, we start off by meeting a fictional character who embodies the traits we will be pondering today. Her name is Jessica, and she tries hard to please everyone! Stephanie takes us to a profound quote by Thomas Chalmers about the "expulsion power of a new affection" as the underlying secret to replace fear by faith. We examine fear to conclude that it is always a secondary motivation in the transformation process, and that growing in faith makes for a much more powerful vector of transformation.

Faith predates the fall in the garden, but fear follows it. Therefore, in Christ we are given the opportunity to return to our deepest roots, restoring the harmony of our intimacy with the Father in the garden, and even more. Because of the transformative power of faith in Christ, we can become salt and light--this is actually the context of Jesus' famous teaching about our identity as salt of the earth and light of the world!

We ponder that genuine faith and trust in God are only possible when we rejoice and delight in God first, and foremost, and, actually, all in all. Faith is grounded in who God is; fear is grounded in who we are in our own eyes, or in the eyes of the world.

We examine this powerful thought by Saint Augustine, that challenges us to give up the "fruitless joys we are afraid to lose" in order to "embrace the joy-filled fruit we cannot lose." We do this, by looking at Peter's faith when he dared to step out of the boat. Will we dare to step out of our own boats in faith, keeping our eyes on the One who holds our hand?

This event in Peter's life teaches us that, if we have faith in mankind, we will have the fear of man; but if we have faith in God, then we will cultivate the only healthy fear: the fear of God, which is the "beginning of wisdom" and the "beginning of knowledge" as Proverbs teach us.

So, what is the fear of God? How can it be good, since we've expounded on fear being bad, so far? It requires a look at who God is. His preeminence in presence, power, goodness, justice, love, patience and kindness set Him so very much apart, that He is a category all His own. To be "set apart" literally is the root of the word "holy." The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge because God is a category all His own, and we cannot fear Him as we fear man. It's not the same fear because it's not the same category.

The fear of God is wise because it is awe and reverence and worship and adoration--not cowering in fear of getting hurt by a vengeful tyrant. God's identity makes Him trustworthy and, therefore, make His guidance much sought after.

We end with yet another favorite quote of Stephanie's, "complaint supposes ill-usage." If we complain that God has not come through for us (as we all are prone to do!) we basically state that God is out to get us, or that He does not have our best interest at heart; that He behaves towards us with ill-will. When we take time to think this through, we realize it is not consistent with who we know God to be. In other words, complaining against God is always rooted in a faulty understanding of His grace and heart on our behalf. It means we can correct our faulty view, and therefore grow in joy and contentment! What a delightful prospect.

Such promises are NOT for the fearless, perfect version of you, some time in the future. They are for you TODAY, as you are, imperfections and all. And that is the best news we can hear all day!

If it is true that we become what we behold, then behold Christ. Anything lower is beneath you as a royal priesthood, adopted child of God.

---------------

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODE

If you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforward

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. 

Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!

Contact us on the website or at contact@gospelspice.com to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you.

 

As a reminder, you will find a complete listening guide as downloadable PDF in the shownotes or at gospel-spice.com so you can take full advantage of this PACKED episode!

This season of the Gospel Spice Podcast is powered by Biblica! We are grateful for this partnership.

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!

First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal. See below for more details about your impact.

Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc…). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast. 

And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!

NEW!

Another way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us! For example,

- a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours.

- a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.

MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.

Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely free, but we would truly love your support.

We want the money to go to those who really need it. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Each year, we aim to give as much as we can. For example, Stephanie works more than full time for Gospel Spice, entirely for free. All board members and volunteers are donating time. We limit our operational expenses to the bare minimum.

Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170.

We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 81 -- Welcome to our new Gospel Spice season in the Book of Proverbs.

Stephanie hopes to provice a Christocentric approach to the Book of Proverbs as "wisdom from above the sun." If you are NEW to Gospel Spice, we invite you to discover us at gospelspice.com. Stephanie teaches about 2/3 of the time here, and then has amazing guests for the rest of our time! For example she recently welcomed Liz Curtis Higgs and Geof Morin to celebrate Easter. And now, we are back to our usual rhythm with our new Proverbs series. Expect amazing guests every third week! 

For this series, Stephanie will start each episode by introducing you to a fictional character... but they may hit close to home! They will embody a value or trait that will be the focus of the episode. We will meet eight characters, and they will teach much about wisdom... or the lack thereof!

Stephanie is offering a FREE listening guide to this episode. You will find it in the shownotes to print or follow along!

Today, we will seek to understand what is wisdom by first looking at what it is not. What does Proverbs tell us about the "simple"? The "foolish"? The "wicked"? Who are they, how are they the same and different, and what can we learn from them... to avoid becoming like them?

We will ponder "wisdom under the sun" as Solomon touts in Ecclesiastes; and then realize that, through Christ, we are given access to the wisdom that is from above the sun--the only one that will truly carry us through life.

We will look at the wisdom of the world, and contrast it with the wisdom of Christ. How does Jesus complete the wisdom of Proverbs?

We will ponder the lessons from the lives of the authors and compilers of the Book of Proverbs. What do they teach us? How did their walk match their talk? Who inspired them? 

How does our theology influence our experience of Proverbs... and vice-versa?

Stephanie challenges us to ponder these nuggets of wisdom in Christ:

Wisdom is genius. 

Humility is heroic.

Faith is daring.

Love is extravagant.

And, surrender to God is true boldness.

This season of the Gospel Spice Podcast is powered by Biblica! We are grateful for this partnership.

------ JOIN THE GOSPEL SPICE COMMUNITY! --------

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODE

If you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforward

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. 

Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!

You can also support us financially through PayPal or directly by secure link. We are a registered non-profit 501c3 organization, and your donations are fully tax-deductible in the USA!

Contact us on the website or at contact@gospelspice.com to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you.

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Episode 68 - Stephanie is totally giddy to welcome one of her dream guests, Margaret Feinberg, to celebrate the beginning of a new year, unique among all others.

When they first met, Stephanie was drawn to the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in Margaret; this triggered a curiosity that is led to today's episode! They talk about Margaret's latest book, More Power to You, and they invite you to start 2021 with this 52-devotions powerhouse of a book to embrace God's full purpose for you in 2021.

Margaret says, “I devoted two minutes to reading through the list [of declarations]—often out loud,” Feinberg says. “One by one, I rejected the lies I’d accepted as truth and made bold Daily Declarations rooted in Scripture about God’s goodness, the fierce love of Christ, and my worth. Seventy-two hours later, [her husband] Leif said, ‘Something’s radically different about you—you’re lighter and freer than I’ve seen in months.’”

Margaret is giving three Gospel Spice Podcast listeners a copy of her book, More Power to You! All you need to do is go to gospelspice.com/giveaway to enter for a chance to win one of the three copies. Winners will be announced next week.

Margaret Feinberg, one of America's most beloved Bible teachers, speaks at churches and leading conferences including Catalyst, Thrive, and Women of Joy. Her books, including Wonderstruck, Fight Back With Joy, and Scouting the Divine and their corresponding Bible studies, have sold more than one million copies and received critical acclaim and national media coverage from CNN, Associated Press, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and more. She was named one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today by Christianity Today. Margaret savors life with her husband, Leif, a pastor in Park City, Utah, and their superpup, Hershey.

Did you enjoy this episode? Then you will LOVE our Gospel Spice series! Click to listen to the first episode of each season:

 The Gospel of Matthew: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/3281/link/

 

The Psalms: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/33755/link/

 

The Gospel of Luke: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/40838/link/

 

The Book of Proverbs: https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/68112/link/

 

-----------

DISCOVER THE GOSPEL SPICE MINISTRIES BEHIND THIS EPISODE

If you enjoyed this episode, we invite you to discover more about how God is at work at Gospel Spice Ministries, and even to join in His work! There are 3 easy ways to do that:

PLAY IT FORWARD by SHARING the show with friends and family: https://www.podcastics.com/podcast/38/link/

PAY IT FORWARD by supporting us financially: gospelspice.com/payitforward

PRAY IT FORWARD by praying for us and those you share it with!

Go to gospelspice.com for more info about Gospel Spice Ministries, the umbrella ministry over the podcast. You will discover our partners and the various services we offer, such as in-depth Bible studies with interactive conversation groups, a couple of times a year. 

Go to gospel-spice.com (with a "dash"!) to join the Gospel Spice Podcast community and interact with us!

Contact us on the website or at contact@gospelspice.com to send us your prayer requests (we pray for you as a team every week!) and let us know how we can come alongside you.

The Gospel Spice Ministries exist to inspire Christ-followers in our generation to delight in the glory of God by knowing and experiencing Jesus more intimately. We provide resources to empower Christian leaders across generational, social, ethnic and geographical boundaries towards more intimacy with Jesus Christ and discipleship effectiveness through a Biblical Christocentric foundation. The Gospel-Spice Ministries provide a safe environment for spiritual and community growth empowering people to know Christ more intimately, serve one another more powerfully, and reach the world for Jesus.

Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status. Your donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170. We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support.

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!