The Bible Never Said That

Many of us who glory in our independence love to say, “God is the only one I need.” When we do this, we miss out on one of the great gifts of God: the family of believers God has given us. God clearly says he will meet our needs, not be the only one we need. Just look at our origin story- “It is not good for man to be alone.” Verses Referenced:Philippians 4:19; Romans 8:32; Genesis 2:18; Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 21:1-3You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Наталья Кириллова Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Bible clearly says “Judge not.” But, it also says “Judge rightly.” You can make a defense for both if you pick out individual verses, so let’s explore all of them a bit more, in context, to get a better understanding of judgment. Articles Referenced: Judge Not, That You May Judge Well by Jon BloomBooks Referenced: All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah AndersonVerses Referenced: Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 7:16-20, John 7:15, Luke 6:37-38, James 4:12, 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, John 8:3-7, John 7:16-24, 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, 1 Samuel 16:7You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/nadia_bormotova Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Is All Sin Equal? Yes… and no. Yes, all sin is equal in that all sin separates us from God. Apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, all sin – big and small - condemns us. For those who believe, all sin is also covered by the blood of the cross.However, not all sin is equal in that there are varying consequences for varying sins. In this episode, Chara talks about different consequences for different types of sins and why we should think about this as we wrestle through our own "little sins."Verse Referenced: Roman 3:23; Romans 5:18-19; James 2:10; Matthew 11:23-24; 1 John 2:2; Luke 12:42-48; Galatians 6:7; Romans 6; Romans 6:23 Articles Referenced: Billy Graham's Answer: What Is Sin? Are All Sins Equal in God's Eyes? By Billy Graham Evangelistic AssociationLittle Sins by C.H. Spurgeon You can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/BananVandam Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This is one of the oldest excuses in the book. In fact, this is the first excuse man and woman make after they sin. Is there any truth in this phrase? In this episode, Chara looks at legitimate instances of spiritual stronghold from the enemy, and when "the devil made me do it," becomes a mere excuse.Verses referenced: Genesis 3:11-13; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:10-17; Mark 5; Luke 22:3-6; Luke 8:2; Mark 1:21-28; Mark 9:14-29; Romans 5:8; Galatians 3:2-3; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Luke 22:40Song referenced: From Now On from The Greatest Showman SoundtrackArticles:10 Steps to Take Against Sin You Can't Shake by Chara DonahueYou can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/shtonado Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This is one of those half-truths. God wants us to be happy. He also wants us to be holy. It’s not an either/or, it’s a both/and.In this episode, Chara helps us understand how to think about our happiness and what God does and does not desire for us.Verses Referenced: Psalm 37:4, Galatians 5:16, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 1 John 2:17, Psalm 37:9-11, 1 John 2:17, Ephesians 1:7, Philippians 4:4, Romans 15:13, Psalm 16:8-9,11, Hebrews 11:24-25Articles Referenced:10 Desires of Your Heart God Always Says Yes To by Chara DonahueChristian Hedonism by John Piper, Desiring GodBook Referenced: Glorious Weakness by Alia JoyYou can find Chara at Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Nadia Bormotova Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We struggle in a society where no absolute truth is acknowledged, where “your truth” and “my truth” can be completely opposite and yet somehow equally “true.” In an attempt to be tolerant, we have risked giving up the discernment needed to draw a line between what is true and false. We are settling for individualized truth rather than what is true.Jesus himself declared “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This isn’t pride. This is sacred fact.In this episode, Chara takes us through Jesus’ trial in front of Pontius Pilate, and how Pontius’ rejection of absolute truth paved the road to the cross. The dangers of relative truth then, are still dangerous to us now.You can find Chara at: Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterVerses Referenced: John 14:6, John: 18 28-40, Matthew 7:15-20, John 6:60-69Articles Referenced: What Is Truth? By Ron GrahamEpisode Image Credit: Getty/BRO Vector Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This phrase is so popular that even Dictionary.com has an origin story for it. In this episode, we dive into why "cleanliness is next to Godliness" is problematic. Chara helps us understand why there were so many rules and regulations around cleanliness in the Old Testament, and what, if anything, we can and should take from that today.Scripture Referenced in This Episode:John 13:21, 1 Corinthians 14:40, Matthew 15, Luke 15, Leviticus 13:45-46, 2 Kings 5, Luke 5:12-15, 1 Corinthians 6:7-11, 1 John 1:7-9, Hebrews 9: 11-15, Psalm 51Website Referenced:Dictionary.comArticles Referenced:10 Stories from the Bible That Rarely Make It into Sermons by Chara DonahueYou can find Chara at: Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Nuthawut Somsuk Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Too many people explain away the toxicity in their relationships with this saying. What does the Bible say about love? It says: love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.In this episode, Chara looks specifically at how love keeps no records of wrongs and does not delight in evil. She looks at the story of Samson as an example of what happens to someone who lives by the notion that love is blind.Verses Referenced: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Hebrews 5:13-14, Philippians 1:9-10, Judges 13-16, Ephesians 5:11-16, Genesis 16Books Referenced: The Emotionally Destructive Marriage by Leslie VernickArticles Referenced: The God Who Sees by Kara WilliamsEpisode Image Credit: Getty/mightyisland Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Is there any merit to the notion that “ignorance is bliss?” Chara unpacks this idea and looks at it through the lens of the Bible. We look at the story of Apollos to see how God interrupted his ignorance so that the gospel could spread.Articles Referenced: 7 Steps to a Deeper Understanding of the Bible10 Women in the Bible God Used to Save Lives and Lead Others Books Referenced:Strength to Love by Martin Luther King Jr. Verses Referenced: Deuteronomy 32:4, Acts 18: 18-28, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 John 5:14, Proverbs 15:14, Proverbs 1:7, Romans 1:20, Judges 2:10 You can find Chara at: Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Vaselena Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When people evaluate their lives, they see the need to evaluate their priorities. It is wise to assess how we spend our time, but to say life is all about balance is placing too much stock in an abstract idea. For the Christian life, it can only ever be all about Christ.Finding balance seems like a sound way to operate in life. But we break down why this can be a problematic framework for our walk with Christ.Verses Referenced: Job 31:6, Colossians 3:4, Colossians 3:17, Matthew 6, Hebrews 12:2,Articles Referenced: Thirteen Practical Steps to Kill Sin by John Piper https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/thirteen-practical-steps-to-kill-sin A Week of Prayers for When You Feel Spiritually Dry by Chara Donahue https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/a-week-of-prayers-for-when-you-feel-spiritually-dry.htmlYou can find Chara at: Anchored Voices | Facebook | TwitterEpisode Image Credit: Getty/Nuthawut_Somsuk Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.