Everyday Encouragement: Timeless Truths for Today Volume 2 Podcast Transcripts Episodes 29-52

By Jennye Guy

Everyday Encouragement: Timeless Truths for Today is a weekly podcast bringing encouragement from the Bible in 15 minutes or less to listeners. Volume 2 contains the transcripts of episodes 29-52 for those who want to have a written copy as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennye Guy
• Release date: Apr 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463141014

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

For those who enjoy reading podcast show notes, here are the transcripts to episodes 29-52 of the Everyday Encouragement: Timeless Truths for Today podcast. Everyday Encouragement is a weekly podcast that, in 20 or minutes or less, provides Bible-based snippets of encouragement to today's busy listeners.

The texts are as I recorded them. Several of the entries contain lengthy scripture passages which I read during the podcast episodes. Those passages are included in Appendices at the end of the ebook.

Hopefully, you will hear your voice as you read these transcripts and can apply their truths to your situation.

I pray the messages from Everyday Encouragement: Timeless Truths for Today will encourage you too.

Jennye Guy

http://www.jguypublisher.com

[e-mail]

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Episode 029

A Balancing Act, Part 1: Introduction

I recently took a test that measures how well I'm doing in life, how successful I am. By analyzing my answers to a series of questions in categories such as finances, physical care, relationships, and social interaction, etc., the test identified those areas in which I need to improve. Some of the answer choices captured my situation and behavior quite accurately while others left me wondering how in the world could I answer the question and still be true to myself?

I confess. I cheated on the test. Not when I responded, but at the very beginning when I selected the areas in which I wished to be evaluated. I cheated by omitting some areas I knew would weigh heavily against me if they were included. So, after slanting the test as best as I could in my favor, I proceeded to take it.

My results said I was successful in life. But I ranked on the low end of the success scale. Now, remember, I had skewed the test in my favor before taking it. However, even after doing that, I still just barely made it into the successful category. Hopefully, when I take the test again next year, I will be greatly improved in the weak areas and therefore, will rate as a bigger success.

Yeah, right. As I write these words, I know that I'm not going to work any harder than I am now on self-improvement.

But the test did serve another purpose, however. It made me stop and examine how I'm living my life. So, I reframed the test's basic purpose from measuring success to that of evaluating balance. Doing this turned the test into a good indicator of whether or not I was balanced in critical areas of my life.

In my heart of hearts, I know I'm not balanced across the board and really don't need a test to point out the areas in which I'm falling down. Take consistently exercising for example. Allow me to paraphrase Mark Twain's quote on quitting smoking as it reveals my attitude toward exercise. My version of his quote goes, Exercising is easy. I've started and stopped thousands of times.

I suspect that you, too, in your heart of hearts, know the areas in which you're out of balance.

Success is a worthy goal, but it's a moving target. And if success is ever finally attained in an area, we may find that it doesn't satisfy us as deeply as we thought it would.

Working toward more balance in life, on the other hand, is a goal that affects every part of our being. Balance even helps us as we chase success.

Do you want to know what a standard for balance in life is? It's found in this verse from the book of Third John, chapter one, verse 2. It says, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

That's the standard for balance. According to the Bible, we're supposed to be healthy and prosperous. And on the inside, we're supposed to prosper there, too.

This verse implies that we realize and understand that we are composed of three parts. We have a body. We have a spirit. And we have a soul. The body component is obvious, and no further explanation of that is needed.

The spirit is that part of us which is regenerated or born again when we accept Christ. Jesus explained that concept of the spirit during his nighttime conversation with Nicodemus, the Pharisee. Their conversation is found in the gospel of John, third chapter, verses one through 21.

With two parts of our being accounted for, that leaves the third part: the soul. John says this part should prosper also. But what exactly is the soul if it's not our spirit or body?

The soul has been defined as being made up of the mind, the will, and the emotions.

So using that definition, let's look at John's prayer again. Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your mind, will, and emotions prosper.

John is saying that for our soul to prosper, every part of it needs to be in balance with the others.

For example, we shouldn't be so controlled by our minds that we block our emotions. I know he's not real, but think about Mr. Spock here. I'm guessing you know some people who are related to him.

Likewise, our emotions shouldn't dictate our actions. Emotions are necessary, and we cripple ourselves when we don't acknowledge them. But allowing them to erupt like volcanoes doesn't do us, or the people around us, any good.

Finally, our will shouldn't be so strong that it overrides everything that would try to help us make good decisions. Maybe you've heard someone described as being hardheaded or strong-willed. That's the description of a person whose will is so overpowering that we feel like we're being run over by an armored tank whenever we interact with them.

John is saying that when our souls are out of balance, then we aren't prospering as much as we could be. Sure, on the outside it may appear that we are doing alright. But are we really? What about on the inside? How do we answer that question at 3:00 a.m. when we're lying in the dark?

In an earlier episode titled Take It From a Chiropractor, I wrote about the need for balance in loving ourselves as we love others. Now I'm suggesting that being able to properly love ourselves starts with being in balance within our souls.

Today's episode, A Balancing Act: Introduction is the first in a series that will examine John's prayer for us to prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper.

My goal today is to introduce the idea of our souls as having three components. In the coming weeks, we will look at what the Bible has to say about each of those components--our mind, our will, and our emotions. I believe we will be encouraged as we learn what God's Word says about our souls as we pursue both balance and success in life.

During the next few days, I invite you to join me in an experiment. Observe how you approach life and see if you can identify the way in which you operate most comfortably or most often. In other words, from which component of your soul do you approach life? Are you in balance?

We can live in balance. We can live, as John says, in health and in prosperity with our souls prospering also. God's Word will show us how to do that.

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Episode 030

A Balancing Act, Part 2: The Mind

We're continuing to look at John's prayer for us that's found in the book of Third John, first chapter, and second verse. It says, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. John is saying that for us to enjoy true prosperity, our souls should prosper also.

In order to help our souls thrive, we need to understand what they're made of and how those parts work together. Last week I introduced the concept of our souls having three parts: mind, will, and emotions. All three need to be in balance and operate in harmony for our souls to flourish.

If you'll remember, I asked you to join me in an experiment in observing and identifying the area of your soul from which you operate most often or are most comfortable living in. Did you try it? If so, what did you learn about yourself? Do you approach life mind-first, will-first, or emotions-first?

There are no right or wrong results to my little experiment. It was designed