S5 · E4
Thursday · 19 min
BE
Be Encouraged
Dean Chicquette
"Be Encouraged," the podcast where we dive into the New Testament topic of TRUST with heartwarming stories and uplifting anecdotes to inspire your faith journey.
- 23 episodes
- daily
- Avg 4 min
- English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
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S5 · E3Tuesday · 20 minP003-Entering The Divine Darkness
This episode examines the life and philosophy of Pseudo-Dionysius, a mysterious sixth-century theologian who utilized a pseudonym to explore the intersection of Neoplatonic philosophy and Christian mysticism. Central to his work is the concept of negative theology, which suggests that God transcends all human language and can only be reached through silence and the negation of intellectual concepts. He illustrates the indwelling of Christ through the example of the Apostle Paul, describing an ecstatic union in which the believer is transformed and opened to the divine presence. This spiritual journey is facilitated by the ecclesiastical hierarchy and sacraments, which serve to unify the Church and elevate the soul toward deification. Ultimately, his writings encourage a pursuit of God through sacrificial love and a structured ascent within the community of faith.
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S5 · E2August 19 · 16 minP002-Unmaking Saul
The Apostle Paul realized Christ within through a violent, blinding encounter on the Damascus Road. In that moment, the risen Jesus confronted him directly, shattering his self-righteous identity as Saul. Paul later articulated this discovery as the great mystery: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). He said God REVEALED His Son in him. He wrote, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). His former self—the zealous Pharisee—was crucified with Christ. What remained was a new creation, a living temple indwelt by the risen Lord. Paul's entire apostolic message became the proclamation of this indwelling Christ, transforming him from persecutor to preacher of the very mystery he once opposed.
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S5 · E1August 17 · 18 minP001-Heaven In Your Boots
Jakob Böhme discovered Christ within through a profound inner crisis and mystical vision. In 1600, while gazing at a pewter dish reflecting sunlight, he experienced a "flash”, a sudden, overwhelming inner illumination that revealed the divine nature within his own soul. He felt the inner birth of Christ taking place in his being. For Böhme, discovering Christ within meant realizing that the soul's true center is a "nothingness"—a place where all self-will and desire die so that the divine life of Christ can be born and live in its place. He described this as the spiritual "clothing" of the soul with a new body of divine substance, achieved by dying to one's own ego and surrendering wholly to God. This was the discovery of Christ as an indwelling, transformative presence that remakes the soul from the inside out.
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S3 · E23Mar 26, 2024 · 2 minTrust is Enough
I am glad to provide some scriptures that strengthen and encourage you as you trust God. Remember, He is faithful, loving, and ever-present, and He will never leave nor forsake you. Quoted from NIV.
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S3 · E22Mar 25, 2024 · 50 secYour Cross
“He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:3, NKJV) These verses highlight the themes of trust, , and faithfulness in God throughout the Old Testament. But make no mistake, it takes from you a repentant heart. What is that? Well, it is simple. Die to any idea of coming to God for you to keep or gain. Come to God with the same humility as Mary, and let Christ be formed in you. As ruler of your heart, He is as ready to transform the world through blood as Then. Not the shedding of another’s blood but the shedding of His blood now coursing through His life in your veins. “But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’” (Matthew 26:52, NKJV)
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S3 · E21Mar 24, 2024 · 47 secHealed Core
“A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” (Proverbs 11:13, NKJV) What if the heart was ill, not physically but spiritually, and the cure was embodied in the Person of JESUS’ residence within it? Furthermore, what if this spiritual remedy was freely accessible to all? Jesus is the ultimate solution for the deeper matters of the soul. He encourages us to accept Him with gratitude, acknowledging His unmatched value and having brought healing to the very core of our being. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34, NKJV)
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S3 · E20Mar 23, 2024 · 42 secYour Choice
“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” (Psalm 31:14, NKJV) This verse expresses steadfast trust and devotion to God. It reflects a personal declaration of faith, affirming God's sovereignty and acknowledging Him as the ultimate source of guidance, protection, and provision. It's a declaration of loyalty and reliance on God amidst life's surprises, affirming He is worthy of your trust and adoration. See Him, then trust Him! “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40, NKJV)
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S3 · E19Mar 22, 2024 · 48 secShine Through
“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.” (Psalm 16:1 NKJV) To experience the full expression of God through us, we must first completely trust in His ability to do so. Our attempts to do good on our own accord are ultimately flawed. However, we can witness His glory shining through by surrendering to God’s natural ability to meet the challenges in our lives. This glory can transform our minds and hearts, allowing us to let go of our efforts and trust in both His divine plan and methods. “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us, therefore, be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:10–11 NKJV)
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S3 · E18Mar 21, 2024 · 47 secMy Stronghold
“Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 1:32 NKJV) If you asked a friend to help you, you would want them to have your exact address. Let God know your coordinates. How? Pray! What is prayer? Prayer is a simple conversation. Jesus said it was as easy as saying… “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9–13 NKJV)
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S3 · E17Mar 20, 2024 · 48 secThe Cure
“The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7, NKJV) Imagine having skin cancer, and only one company possesses a cream to cure it. Would you hate, despise, or reject them over being the only remedy? What if that life-saving remedy were named JESUS and offered the cure for free? The analogy highlights the value of the remedy provided by Jesus, urging us to embrace it with gratitude and recognize its unparalleled significance for the soul. Those who choose to dis this cure remain in peril. Your soul attached to your flesh is death. The solution that separates your soul is Christ’s blood. Then, His love binds you to God. “They hated Me without a cause.” (John 15:25b NKJV)
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S3 · E16Mar 19, 2024 · 53 secRejoicing Hearts
“But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5 NKJV) Simply put, this verse tells us that our salvation comes from trusting in God's mercy. Some people believe that God despises them, but Jesus' sacrifice shows that he took the punishment for their sins, offering them forgiveness. However, this belief can trap them in a cycle of doubt, always questioning if they're truly saved. Instead, those who seek freedom from relying on themselves find fulfillment in Christ's love, which reassures them of God's affection. By turning away from worldly desires, they experience the power of Christ's sacrifice, which sets them free from doubting God's love. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NKJV)
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S3 · E15Mar 18, 2024 · 53 secTotal Dependence
“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.” (Psalm 143:8 NKJV) Our complete reliance on God affirms that we cannot do better than follow. We have the privilege of doing exactly what God is doing. If He desires to feed people in a starving nation, He, in human form, wakes up early to plow, plant, tend, harvest, and distribute the crops. At the same time, He also energizes sailors to transport goods. He desires to work through us to live out His ways of love. He, even through our selfish desires to harm others through acts of greed, can become His opportunities to provide abundance for all. “You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.” (Acts 2:28, NKJV)
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S3 · E14Mar 17, 2024 · 52 secAre You Afraid?
“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3 NKJV) The world often inundates us with various forms of fear, suggesting our lives are in danger. From a shortage of food to destruction, we are constantly urged by our independent living to think God is out to harm us, and it is our responsibility to prevent it. However, entertaining such a notion implies a lack of trust in God’s love for His creation. Jesus Christ came to dispel this belief. From what have you been saved? You have been saved from the limits of your mistaken identity! The old ‘i’. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever trust Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17 NKJV)
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S3 · E13Mar 16, 2024 · 44 secOlive Tree
“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8 NKJV) Within Christendom, mercy is commonly understood as the gracious act of not receiving the consequences one rightfully deserves. However, a deeper perspective emerges, transforming your behavior into a covenant with God’s acceptance by our unwavering trust in God's loving character. This broader view sees mercy as a continuous attitude, where God not only withholds deserved consequences but perpetually accepts our reliance on His love as the foundation of our trust in Him. “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 4:5 NKJV)
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S3 · E12Mar 16, 2024 · 47 secPaths
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV) Your ways! Your path. Or His ways and His paths. God, as the master of your soul, reveals His way of bringing forth life. Those who place their trust in Him can do what they desire to do: give life. Similarly, those who distrust Him will do what they want to do: take life. Ultimately, the question is whether you did the things you did or trusted God to do them through you as if it were you. Once settled, He has you; you can have Him. “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5, NKJV)
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S3 · E11Mar 14, 2024 · 51 secGod Did It
“Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5 NKJV) Exercising trust in God means receiving His love as His very Person who shares His love. When we feel secure in God, we can help others feel secure. By God being Himself within us, they, too, can begin to acknowledge God in them. To the extent you do not trust God loves you, you will not love yourself, nor can you love your neighbor. The ability to reject God comes through doctrines or methods to gain God, get More, or become. Your new you is empty of self and bound to His love to express Christ’s person and will. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV)
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S3 · E10Mar 13, 2024 · 58 secAuthentic
“Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:4, NKJV) Let's go beyond mere apprehension of Mr. Love and fully welcome His presence into our hearts. Allow His love to course through you. This is more than a sentiment; it is truth in action: you were recreated to manifest His love. In the world, we strive against participating with rejection, hostility, discrimination, exclusion, intolerance, indifference, alienation, neglect, and criticism. Through His Spirit, we reflect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these. “The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.” (Zephaniah 3:15 NKJV)
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S3 · E9Mar 12, 2024 · 49 secFeed
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3, NKJV) Embodying His love becomes a liberation bounded only by His will. Not only the will for you as an individual but for all. He unlocks the doors of self-imposed confinement, freeing you to embrace the essence of charity. In this liberated state, you become a beacon of love, radiating kindness and compassion to those around you. He in you becomes the catalyst for true freedom – freedom to extend a helping hand, offer a comforting word, and contribute to the well-being of others. This is His law in action, His image reflected. “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23, NKJV)
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S3 · E8Mar 11, 2024 · 56 secMy Song
The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. (Psalm 28:7) Christ Jesus overcame our wrath for Him. When Mr. Love envelops you, you become Christ’s goodness, one who is acceptable to God and perfectly free to do God’s will. Yet, in the absence of experiencing His love, one finds oneself entangled in the confines of one’s mind and body – a state better known as death. Without the life of Mr. Love, one remains trapped in a self-imposed prison, disconnected from one’s intended destiny, which is to experience existence as God’s eternal expression. “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’” (Isaiah 12:2, NKJV)