Westlight Podcasts

Was Jesus stepping out of line when He asked His Father to rethink His perfect plan? Or, was Jesus demonstrating for us an important aspect of prayer, namely, confession?

Have you ever read a prayer that was composed by someone else? Would it be considered authentic if your prayers were edited? Praying composed prayers (liturgies) is a way for us to connect with all the saints that has come before us.

Part of praying is humbling receiving prayer from others. Why is it hard to have someone pray for you?

Have you been afraid of praying for others because you're not an "expert"? We are all learning on how to pray, so let's keep praying for others!

How can you distinguish between God's voice and your own? Are there techniques we can employ to hearing His voice?

Before we begin thanking, praising, requesting, or confessing, we must let God search our hearts. This is called the Prayer of Examen.

If prayer is simply "talking to God," then we have problem because God knows everything before we pray it. Jesus taught that before we pray, we must first practice God's presence.

Instead of opening the doors to the Kingdom of God, the authorities locked everyone out. Jesus created a new way to include everyone - by using His authority to break down barriers. [Luke 11:52-54]

Have you ever said, "If I were in their shoes, I would have never..." Before we judge someone, let's be reminded that we are all capable of missing the mark. [Luke 11:47-51]

Just because the Bible gave us a list of rules does not mean that following them is the main point of our faith. The Law has a context, and if we don't know it, it may end up weighing us down. [Luke 11:45-46]

It's easy to criticize the Pharisees for missing the point. However, is it possible that Christians are the present-day Pharisees? [Luke 11:44]

Have you tried to accomplish something, but somehow ended up accomplishing the exact opposite? Perhaps its because we forgot the original intention. [Luke 11:43]

If you think the Bible is a step-by-step instruction book, then you're missing the point! Why we follow the rules may be more important than what the rules are. [Luke 11:42]

How do we regain our positive influence in our world? Jesus commands us to do heart-changing actions that will make us into influential people. [Luke 11:34-41]

Jesus' critics asked Him for a sign. But Jesus denied them of that sign because a loving God could not allow unhealthy relationships. What is keeping you from Jesus? [Luke 11:29-32]

Whenever we sense threat, we quickly draw an imaginary line and create division. How does Jesus remedy this? [Luke 11:14-28]

Why hasn't God granted your prayer requests? Is it our fault? What is God thinking when we lift up our prayers? [Luke 11:1-13]

Resurrection was great! But what does it mean? The First-Century Christians had to wrestle with the idea that being Jesus' followers is not easy, but has the power to bring shalom into our world.

We can all acknowledge that Jesus' death on the cross was necessary. However, was the beatings leading up to the crucifixion needed? Why did God allow his beloved Son to go through the slaughter?

Are you happy with your personality? Is it possible to change? Change requires us to have a deep understanding of who we are.