Lisa Lorenzo is the host of the Faith With Friends podcast. She is passionate about faith, relationships, and spiritual growth. Through her podcast, she aims to help listeners prioritize prayer and the reading of God's Word.

Summary:

In this episode of the Faith With Friends podcast, host Lisa Lorenzo explores Hebrews chapter three, which calls us to have a steadfast faith. She emphasizes the importance of fixing our thoughts on Jesus and immersing ourselves in the teaching and life of Jesus through reading the Bible. Lisa highlights that reading God's Word transforms us and equips us for every good work. She also discusses the significance of prayer as a means of communing with God and aligning our hearts with His will. Lisa encourages listeners to guard their hearts against sin and unbelief and to support and uplift one another in the journey of faith. She concludes by reminding us that growing in faith is a lifelong journey and that we are called to soften our hearts and bring our burdens to Jesus.

Key Takeaways:

Fix your thoughts on Jesus and prioritize reading the Bible to grow in faith and strengthen your relationship with God.

Reading God's Word transforms us and equips us for every good work.

Prayer is a means of communing with God and aligning our hearts with His will.

Guard your heart against sin and unbelief and support and uplift one another in the journey of faith.

Soften your heart and bring your burdens to Jesus to experience His transformational power.

Quotes:

• "Nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian." - Tozer
• "True prayer is neither mere mental exercise nor vocal performance. It is far deeper than that. It is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of all heaven and earth." - Charles Spurgeon
• "We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end." - Hebrews 3:14

Prioritize Prayer and God's Word for Steadfast Faith

Summary:

Lisa Lorenzo hosts the Faith With Friends podcast, where she discusses faith, relationships, and spiritual growth. In this episode, she explores Hebrews chapter three, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing prayer and reading God's Word. She highlights the significance of fixing our thoughts on Jesus and immersing ourselves in the teachings of the Bible. Lorenzo encourages listeners to guard their hearts against sin and unbelief, while also emphasizing the need for community and support in the journey of faith. The episode concludes with a reminder to hold firm to our faith and seek transformation through prayer and Scripture.

Introduction to the Faith With Friends podcast

0:00:19

Hebrews chapter three calls for steadfast faith

0:00:53

Importance of fixing our thoughts on Jesus

0:01:35

The transformative power of reading God's Word

0:02:45

Warning against hardening our hearts to God's voice

0:03:40

The significance of reading the entire Bible

0:04:38

Importance of supporting and encouraging one another

0:05:59

The privilege of sharing in Christ's life

0:07:02

Prioritizing prayer and reading God's Word

0:09:26

The challenge to not harden our hearts and seek transformation

"So grab your Bible, so grab your Bible, open your heart, and let's dive in."

"Nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian."

"True prayer is neither mere mental exercise nor vocal performance. It is far deeper than that. It is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of all heaven and earth."

"We weren't meant to walk on this path alone. But by encouraging and supporting our fellow believers, we strengthen our faith and create a community of love and accountability."

"We have this incredible privilege as believers to share in Christ's life"

"Just as physical exercise strengthens our bodies, the spiritual discipline of reading God's word and praying strengthens our faith."

"We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end."

"Today is the day you can repent. You can ask God for help. You can invite Him into your situation, into your heart, into your life."

"Remember that growing in faith is a lifelong journey, and he gives us friends and sisters and brothers to help us along the way to encourage and support each other."

"You can't love God more than you love God's word. So if you think you love God and you haven't spent any time praying or studying God's word, this week. Today is the perfect day."

[TRANSCRIPT]

0:00:00 - (Lisa Lorenzo): You're listening to Faith With Friends podcast, where we talk about faith, relationships and spiritual growth. Welcome to our circle and the conversation where we seek to know God and make Him known. Now, here's your host, Lisa Lorenzo.

0:00:19 - (None): Today we have an exciting topic that will help us to prioritize prayer and the reading of God's Word. We're going to be exploring Hebrews chapter three, a powerful chapter that calls us to have a steadfast faith. So grab your Bible, so grab your Bible, open your heart, and let's dive in. The amplified translation reads like this therefore, holy brothers and sisters who share in the heavenly calling thoughtfully and attentively, consider the apostle and the high priest whom we confessed as ours when we accepted him as Savior, namely Jesus.

0:00:53 - (None): This verse reminds us to fix our thoughts on Jesus. He is the centerpiece of our faith and the one that we should be looking to for guidance, for help, for salvation. As we commit to reading the Bible, we immerse ourselves in the teaching and life of Jesus. And it's through this intentional focus on Him that we can grow in our faith and be strengthened in our relationship with God. In two Timothy three, verses 16 and 17, it says that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproofing, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man or woman of God may become complete and equipped for every good work. That means that as we read the Bible, god's Word transforms us.

0:01:35 - (None): We encounter God's wisdom and instruction and truth, and then he equips us for every good work. That means he has purpose for us, he has created a good work for each of us, and then he equips us and prepares us to do it, helping us to grow into the people God intended us to be. So let's pause for a moment and think, how has reading God's Word impacted your life? Are there specific instances where you have experienced transformation through the Scripture?

0:02:01 - (None): Think about times like that, and if you haven't experienced it, then I encourage you and dig into God's Word. He desires to reveal Himself to us. In Hebrews three, verses seven and eight, it says so as the Holy Spirit says today if you hear his voice, don't harden your heart like you did in rebellious times during the time of your testing in the wilderness. What does that mean? The Israelites had a time of disobedience and the consequence they faced for hardening their hearts against God. And it challenges us to heed God's voice so that we do not repeat the same mistake. And in connection to this, in Psalm 95, verses seven and eight, for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

0:02:45 - (None): Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart as you did in the wilderness. The Psalmist here reinforces the message of Hebrews urging us not to harden our heart when it comes to hearing God's voice. Instead, we're called to be responsive and obedient to Him. When we prioritize anything other than God's Word, anything or anyone other than God and His Word, we're hardening our hearts. We're telling God that this is my priority.

0:03:13 - (None): Tozer put it like this nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian. Nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian. And this shows us the significance of reading the entire Bible, not just selective portions. It's through this comprehensive understanding of God's Word that we can fully grasp his character, his promises, and his will for our lives. Imagine if I send you a letter and you only read every third line.

0:03:40 - (None): You wouldn't truly be able to understand my message or what I was saying. As a matter of fact, it would probably lead to more confusion and misunderstanding than when you started. Charles Spurgeon also expressed the impact of prayer in our spiritual lives. He said, True prayer is neither mere mental exercise nor vocal performance. It is far deeper than that. It is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of all heaven and earth.

0:04:03 - (None): Prayer is not just a routine or a duty or something we check off our list. It's certainly not just handing God your to do list. It's a means of communing with our Heavenly Father, pouring out your heart before Him. It is through prayer that you and I can start to align our hearts with God's will, spending time with Him and learning about Him. Let's go back to Hebrews, chapter three, verses twelve and 13 says, see to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God, but instead encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today.

0:04:38 - (None): Why? So that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We're reminded to guard our hearts against sin and unbelief. Listen, I know that when you pray for a long time, you can get to the point that you're like, do you even hear my prayers? He's never going to do this. He's never going to change this situation. And he might not. But if you're connected to God in prayer, he changes you. But we are called to support and uplift one another, encouraging one another in this journey called faith.

0:05:07 - (None): Why? Because doing so, we prevent our hardness of our hearts. We can point each other. I have one friend that always tells me, look up, look up. When I'm complaining about what's going on around me, she reminds me to look up. I have another friend who will remind me immediately, let's go to the Scripture and see what God has to say about it. I have yet another friend that says, if you take all of the emotion out of it and look at the facts, let's see what God could be doing in your life. What do you think God is trying to teach you?

0:05:35 - (None): I remember her saying one time, I'm not going to pray that God would remove this burden. I'm going to pray that he strengthens you through it. Galatians six, verse two, reminds us to bear one another's burdens because it fulfills the law of Christ. We weren't meant to walk on this path alone. But by encouraging and supporting our fellow believers, we strengthen our faith and create a community of love and accountability.

0:05:59 - (None): Not just love and support, also accountability. Are there individuals in your life who can serve as prayer partners? Encouragers? Do you actively pray for your friends? Or when they come to you complaining, do you just offer some really good, strong advice and hang up the phone? I challenge you. In this life, in this walk of faith, we cannot afford not to pray for one another. Hebrews three, verse 14 says, for we have come to share in Christ. If indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end, we have this incredible privilege as believers to share in Christ's life.

0:06:33 - (None): It encourages us to hold firm to the faith, to remain steadfast in our commitment to God. Even and especially, I'd say, in face of challenges and trials, I want to leave you with this thought just as physical exercise strengthens our bodies, the spiritual discipline of reading God's word and praying strengthens our faith, we're not left the same. Let us prioritize these in our lives, seeking to know God and make Him known, seeking to align our hearts with his will.

0:07:02 - (None): Remember, reading God's word and praying aren't just a task that we can take off our list. They're opportunities. We don't have to pray. We get to pray. We don't have to read God's word. We get to read God's word. And it's the opportunity for intimate communion with our Father. Considering these things, sit back and listen as I read Hebrews three in its entirety. Therefore, holy brothers and sisters who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and our high priest.

0:07:34 - (None): He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus was found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future.

0:07:59 - (None): But Christ is faithful as Son over God's house, and we are his house if indeed we hold firmly to the confidence and hope in which we glory. Verse seven. So, as the Holy Spirit says today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the wilderness where your ancestors tested and tried me. Though for 40 years. They saw what I did. That's why I was angry with that generation.

0:08:28 - (None): I said, their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways. So I declared on oath in my anger, they shall never enter my rest. See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God, but instead encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you will harden your heart to sin's deceitfulness.

0:08:53 - (None): We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Today, if you hear my voice, don't harden your heart. As in the rebellion, who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those who Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose body perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter into rest if not to those who disobeyed? As we see, they were not able to enter into rest because of unbelief.

0:09:26 - (None): Wow, what a challenge. And a warning is given to you. And I pray that as you hear this, it's just not words on a page or something being read out loud that you would stop and ask yourself, am I hardening my heart? Has my heart become hardened, unforgiving, bored with the word of God? Quick to cut my prayer short? Today is the day you can repent. You can ask God for help. You can invite Him into your situation, into your heart, into your life.

0:09:54 - (None): You can turn over those doubts and fears and whatever it is that you're experiencing. Trials and heartache, give them to God. But don't harden your heart, friend. Open your heart wide open and ask God to come in. Remember that growing in faith is a lifelong journey, and he gives us friends and sisters and brothers to help us along the way to encourage and support each other. And I hope that I and you are that encouragement to others.

0:10:19 - (None): So today, remember that we share a heavenly calling. Remember to fix your thoughts on Jesus, and remember that Christ is faithful over God's house, and you and I are God's house. So when you go through times of testing in the wilderness, instead of hardening your heart, soften your heart. Bring your burdens to Jesus so that you and I can experience the transformational power that is in Jesus. Well, friends, our time is up. I hope that you found this episode encouraging, and I hope that you'll take a little time right now to examine your heart, talk to God about it. Are you rebelling against God, running from Him, or hardening your heart? You can't love God more than you love God's word.

0:10:55 - (None): So if you think you love God and you haven't spent any time praying or studying God's word, this week. Today is the perfect day. Until next time.

0:11:04 - (Lisa Lorenzo): Thanks for joining us for today's Faith with Friends podcast. We hope you will like and subscribe as we continue the conversation. Follow us on Instagram at Faith with friends. If you enjoyed this podcast, would you forward to your friends so our circle will continue to grow?