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It doesn’t matter if it’s a good day, a hard day, or somewhere in-between—we need the hope God offers every day. Max shares words of hope and help through simple, one-minute daily devotionals to encourage you to take one step closer to Jesus.
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In these tough times, could you use a word of encouragement? From Max Lucado, a pastor for over 40 years and bestselling author whose books have sold more than 145 million copies in over 50 languages, The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast is all about the greatest story ever told—the living Savior who brings you a lifetime of hope. With rich biblical insight, heartwarming storytelling, and Max’s comforting tone, you’ll be empowered to place your faith in a loving God who is always near you ...
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Listen to Today's Devotion You have a Bible? Read it! Has any other book ever been described like the Bible? In Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) says, “The Word of God is living 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.” The words of the B…
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Hi, my friend. I hope you’re doing well today. For the next few weeks on the podcast, leading up to Easter, I’ll be sharing from one of my favorite verses. I’ve been asked what I would choose if I could only preach one topic or one passage for the rest of my life. I think this is it—John 3:16. The Hope Diamond of the Bible. “For God so loved the wo…
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Listen to Today's Devotion You know I can get lost anywhere. Seriously—anywhere. I once got lost in my hotel. I told the receptionist my key wasn’t working. I’d been on the wrong floor trying to open the wrong door! If geese had my sense of direction, they’d spend winters in Alaska. Can you relate? Of course you can. We’ve all scratched our heads a…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Solomon said, “There is a time to mourn” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Give yourself some. Face your grief with tears, time, and one more—face your grief with truth. God has the last word on death. And if you listen, he will tell you the truth about your loved ones. They’ve been dismissed from the hospital called Earth. You and I s…
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Listen to Today's Devotion After the wife of C.S. Lewis died he wrote, “Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.” Just when you think the beast of grief is gone, you pass a restaurant where the two of you used to eat, or you hear a song she loved. And the giant of grief keeps stirring up. You see couples and long for your mate. You see …
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Listen to Today's Devotion The problem? You’ve handled, tolerated, done, forgiven, and taken until you don’t have one more “one more” in you! But be encouraged. 1 Samuel 30:6 describes six hundred men stoking their anger against David. But then it says, “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” How essential that we learn to do the same. Su…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Don’t give up! In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim the ocean waters between Catalina Island and the California shore, through foggy weather and choppy seas. After fifteen hours her muscles began to cramp and her resolve began to weaken. She begged to be taken out of the water. But her mother, riding in a boat alon…
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This week on the podcast we're looking at what is, for many people, the challenge of life. Forgiving people who have hurt us. Forgiveness is not easy but, I believe with the Lord's help, the grace we have received from God can overflow into the lives of others. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn mo…
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Listen to Today's Devotion The next time you lack the will to go on, seek healthy counsel. You won’t want to. Slumping people love slumping people. We love those who commiserate and avoid those who correct. Yet correction and direction are what we need when we’re tired. I discovered the importance of healthy counsel in a half-Ironman triathlon. Aft…
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Listen to Today's Devotion How we handle our tough times stays with us for a long time. When you’re tired of trying, tired of forgiving, tired of hard-headed people, how do you manage your dark days? With a bottle of pills? An hour at the bar, a day at the spa? Many opt for such treatments. So many, in fact, we assume they reenergize the sad life. …
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Listen to Today's Devotion In a concentration camp, a guard announced a shovel was missing. Screaming at the men, he kept insisting someone had stolen it. He shouldered his rifle, ready to kill one prisoner at a time until a confession was made. As the story continues, a Scottish soldier broke ranks, stood stiffly at attention, and said, “I did it.…
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Listen to Today's Devotion Forgiveness is not excusing, nor is it pretending. To forgive is to move on, not to think about the offense anymore. You don’t excuse him, endorse her, or embrace them. You just route thoughts about them through heaven. Revenge is God’s job. By the way, how can we grace recipients do anything less? Dare we ask God for gra…
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Our topic for this episode is God's greatest gift to us, grace. I've preached a lot of sermons on grace, I've written a few books on grace, but I never get tired of talking about this gift of being made right with God through his grace. As perfectly summarized in 1 Corinthians 5:18-21, "All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between u…
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This week on the podcast we’re turning our attention to a favorite passage of mine found in Matthew chapter 6: “Give us this day our daily bread.” No prayer better summarizes our relationship with God than this expression of trust. God’s treatment of fear has always been trust. These are fear-filled days, aren’t they? We see it in newscasts and on …
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What happens when we believed we are loved by God? What do we do? How do we act? Might I suggest that the primary purpose of the Christian is this: to worship. When we worship God for who he is and all he has done for us, it reinforces what we know to be true of God’s character, enables us to receive his love, and changes how we see the world as pe…
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Our theme for today’s episode is faithfulness, and to help us understand the concept of faithfulness we’re looking at the life of Joseph. Joseph’s story reminds us that when we trust God and respond with faith, He can bring triumph from tragedy. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Cho…
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This week is Valentine’s Day, so it feels appropriate to bring you an episode about love. February 14th may prompt us to show extra affection to those dearest to us, but what do we do when people are hard to love? May these words from the apostle John serve as an encouraging reminder: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one …
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Thank you for joining me this week on The Encouraging Word podcast. The last few episodes we’ve been talking about the fruits of the spirit, and our topic today is kindness. In this episode I share a story from the Bible about two figures you likely know and one you may not. I can think of no better story to illustrate the lasting impact of the kin…
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Hello friend. Thanks for joining me on the Encouraging Word Podcast. This week we're discussing the importance of patience. The reality is we are all "works in progress" until the return of Christ. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.…
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Hello, my friend. What do you do when an unexpected storm blows into your life and disrupts everything? Where do you find strength to battle anxiety and fear? The Bible offers an answer in Philippians chapter 4. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And th…
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Hello there my friend. Thank you so very much for joining me today. We're beginning the year with some episodes looking at the big ideas of the Bible. We started last week by talking about the purpose of the Bible, why it matters and why it's important to study it. This week we're moving on to some concepts found in scripture that you might know as…
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Happy New Year! Welcome back to the Encouraging Word podcast. It's resolution season. All over the world people are resolving to exercise more, spend less, try a new hobby. A common resolution for people of faith is to read the Bible more and if that resonates, today's episode is for you! The Bible is the most important book for the Christian. It a…
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It’s that time of year when we're choosing gifts to give for Christmas. As the hero of the holidays, Jesus deserves our finest gift. But what could that be? We can look to the angels to know what Jesus really wants from us this Christmas. As a reminder, The Encouraging Word Podcast will be off next week, but we’ll back with new episodes in January.…
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Hello friend. Thanks for joining me today. Can you believe we’re halfway through December? Christmas will be here in just a few days. As you’re no doubt busy preparing for the holidays, I pray today’s episode gives you a few moments to reflect on the Savior who comes at just the right moment. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from H…
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Hi friend. I hope you’re doing well today. The past few episodes we’ve been talking about what it looks like to live in a way that reflects God’s glory to the world around us. We’ve considered different aspects of life where we can take the focus off ourselves and put it on God. For some, the most difficult time to do that is when we’re succeeding.…
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Hello my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. As we continue this series about living a life that reflects the glory of God, might I suggest that includes your struggles? We all have things in our lives we would change, things we wish we didn’t have to deal with. Illness, financial challenges, difficult relationships. But take comfort in this t…
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Hello friend. I hope you’re doing well today. This week on the podcast we’re looking at an issue that plagued the Philippian church—legalism. They trusted the work of Jesus but were trying to add a little something on their own. If you ever find yourself looking for “Jesus plus” something else, the apostle Paul says to you what he said to the Phili…
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Hello friend. Thanks for joining me on the Encouraging Word Podcast. We’re tackling a new topic today. For the next few weeks we’ll be talking about living a God-centered life. Now that might sound simple, but living a God-centered life means not living a me-centered life. Not quite so easy, but with God as our helper, it’s possible. Watch the Ark …
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Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things." God calls us to walk out sacrificial love. I pray this message encourages you. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen…
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344: A United Church in a Divided World
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Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me this week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. We really live in contentious times. This episode is releasing the day before a Presidential Election here in the United States. Regardless of the outcome, some people are going to be disappointed. Maybe angry. Including some Christians. But, no matter whi…
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Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. This week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we conclude our study of heaven’s timeline and what happens next. As I’ve studied and taught on this topic, I’ve been asked many times, “So, Max, are we living in the end times?” I think we are. And in today’s episode we consider the signs that i…
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Hello, friend. Welcome to the Encouraging Word Podcast. For the past several weeks we’ve been studying heaven’s timeline and God’s plan for the ages. Today’s episode brings us to a challenging topic. What happens to those who reject Jesus? There will be a judgment day. It will be a sobering event. But you don’t have to fear it. You don’t have to wo…
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Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me this week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast. This world is not paradise. It doesn’t look like the perfect Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter one. Devastating weather events, ongoing war, famine and illness – all symptoms of our fallen world where Satan prowls. But a day is coming, friend. A day when C…
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This week on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast, as we continue our study of heaven’s timeline, we’re looking at the second coming of Christ. It won’t be like the first. Baby Jesus, sleeping in the manger – this is a familiar image. But it’s not the image of Christ’s return. When he comes again, it will be to rule and reign and answer the pray…
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Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the Encouraging Word Podcast. We’re working our way down heaven’s timeline and God’s plan for the ages. Today we come to the period of tribulation. Scripture tells us this will be a dark, chaotic time, in part because the church and those who follow Jesus will be gone. But Scripture also tells us that this darkness…
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In last week’s episode of The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we talked about the rapture, and today we’re talking about what happens to the church after the rapture. I know these can be unsettling topics, but take heart, my friend – great celebrations in heaven await us. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Hear…
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Today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast we're continuing our study on the end times. What purpose does the rapture serve? How can I believe that it will take place? Those are the questions we're beginning to answer today... Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.…
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What do you know about the millennium? The 1,000 year reign of Christ as described in revelation. Maybe you've never heard of it, maybe you're confused by the thought of it, maybe you don't understand the purpose of it, or maybe you’re fascinated by it. Regardless of where you are in your consideration of this wonderful and intriguing promise, I th…
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We're continuing our study on the end times, and on today's episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we're going to look at passage in the book of Daniel. Now bare with me, it is a bit challenging, but it is an important prophecy that warrants our careful examination. That's what we're doing today...digging into Daniel chapter 9. Watch t…
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Did you know that God has great plans for you? We get a glimpse of His plans for you in the Garden of Eden. A perfect garden where God's children, made in His image, live in perfect relationship with Him, with each other and perfected bodies in paradise. This story of the garden is more than a story...it's a picture, a description. It's a forecast …
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Hello friend. As I mentioned last week this Fall on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast we'll be in a series called "What Happens Next.” Over the next several episodes we're going to look back at major events in the bible and we'll look forward to what Jesus has promised for the future. Let's do this with hope and urgency, and standing firm on …
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Join us for a special episode where K-Love's Lauree Austin sits down with Max Lucado to answer questions about his new book "What Happens Next"! Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.Av Max Lucado
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What Happens Next Preview - The People of Paradise
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In this special episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we're sharing an exclusive preview of Chapter 6 of Max's new book, What Happens Next. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books! Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more …
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What Happens Next Preview - Good to Go
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In this special episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast, we're sharing an exclusive preview of Chapter 1 of Max's new book, What Happens Next. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. You can find the What Happens Next book and Bible study at MaxLucado.com or wherever you buy books! Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more …
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This summer on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast we’ve been talking about what we can do to give every day a chance. That can feel especially challenging on a day when things don’t go according to plan, when you’re bumped off track. Just ask the apostle Paul. You think he planned to go to prison? You think Paul said to himself, “Some time in …
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Thanks for joining us today on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast. On this episode we’re looking at a story in the New Testament about a daughter and the faith of her father. When the situation seemed hopeless, the father went to Jesus. And because he did, his family saw a miracle. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. You can find the…
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Do you ever feel anxious? I know there’s plenty to worry about – between wars and extreme weather and the economy, not to mention the more personal concerns of health struggles or strained relationships. But I also know what God says about worry. If you want to worry less, today’s message is just what you need. Learn more about The Solomon Foundati…
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In today’s episode of the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast, we’re looking back at the most important days in the history of our faith – the first Easter weekend. If you’re struggling in the pain of Friday or the silence of Saturday, may you remember that, in Christ, the celebration of Sunday is coming. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation her…
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Thanks for joining us on the Max Lucado Encouraging Word podcast this week. As we continue our series “Every Day Deserves a Chance,” let’s consider something that has derailed many a day – unforgiveness. Forgiving an offense doesn’t come easily, but doing so grows our understanding of grace. As you experience God’s mercy, and then share it with oth…
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In Luke chapter 17 we read the story of Jesus healing ten men with leprosy. This story tells us two important truths: one, it demonstrates the mercy of Christ. And two, it reminds us that God noticed a grateful heart. Learn more about The Solomon Foundation here. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn …
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