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Episode 177-For years, I saw people through categories: saved or unsaved, spiritual or carnal, obedient or disobedient, walking with God or falling away. And without realizing it, I was constantly evaluating where people stood. But what did all that evaluating produce in me? In this episode of Grace at LAST, I’m looking honestly at how easily our beliefs can turn into scorecards and how much room is left for love when we’re busy deciding where everyone belongs. What if my job was never to label everybody? What if my job was simply to love the person in front of me?

176-If the Bible wasn’t written directly to us, is it still for us? If the Old Testament was written to Israel, what do we do with it? If Paul wrote Romans to believers in Rome, why should we read Romans? And if JesUs was speaking to His disciples, should we assume He was speaking directly to us? In this episode of Grace at LAST, we talk about the difference between who the Scriptures were written to and what we can learn from them today. Understanding the original audience doesn’t take the Bible away from us. It helps us understand it. We’ll look at familiar verses, promises, the law, Paul’s letters, and why context and covenant matter. Maybe context isn’t taking the Bible away from us. Maybe context is helping us hear it clearly.

175-If Christ has already completely forgiven us, why do we keep asking God for forgiveness? What about confession, mercy, the Lord’s Prayer, and 1 John 1:9? In this episode of Grace at LAST, we go back to the finished work of Christ and ask a bigger question: Are we forgiven, or are we repeatedly becoming forgiven? Complete forgiveness doesn’t mean our choices don’t matter. We can acknowledge when we’re wrong, apologize when we hurt someone, make things right, and change. But we do all of that from a place of forgiveness, not to become forgiven. One sacrifice. For all time. That’s good news.

174-If all of our sins have already been forgiven, what happens when we do something wrong? Does the Holy Spirit convict us of our sins? And if He doesn’t, does that mean sin no longer matters? In this episode of Grace at LAST, we look at what JesUs actually said about the Holy Spirit and conviction in John 16. We’ll talk about the difference between conviction and condemnation, what happens when the Spirit brings something in our lives to our attention, and why grace doesn’t cause us to care less about how we live. Grace doesn’t ignore our choices or their consequences. It changes the reason we live differently. Maybe condemnation was never what God intended to change us. Maybe grace is far more powerful than we realized.

173-Can we trust the Bible? In this episode of Grace at LAST, I share some of my own journey of asking that question. After more than twenty years of studying and teaching the Bible, I began to realize there was another question I needed to ask: Am I reading the Scriptures the way the writers intended? We’ll talk about translations, interpretations, context, audience, covenant, and the lens we bring with us when we open our Bibles. I have learned that asking questions does not have to weaken our faith. For me, it has done the opposite. My confidence is not built on having every answer. My confidence is built on knowing the God the Scriptures reveal. Let’s keep learning together.

172- If we're completely forgiven and secure in Christ, what motivates us to follow Him? In this episode, we look at why grace doesn't make us care less. It changes what we care about. Fear may change our behavior for a while, but love changes our hearts. When we stop trying to earn God's approval and begin living from the security we already have because of Christ, our motivation begins to change. We no longer live to become accepted. We live because we already are. Grace doesn't lower the value of living a godly life. It gives us a completely new reason for living it, one rooted in love, trust, and our identity in Christ.

171- In this episode, we take a fresh look at what Paul meant when he encouraged believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. We talk about why renewing our minds isn't about trying harder, thinking more positively, or becoming someone new. It's about learning to think in agreement with what is already true because of the finished work of Christ. As truth replaces old beliefs shaped by fear, shame, and performance, our thinking begins to change, and so do our lives. This isn't a one-time event. It's a lifelong journey of discovering who God really is, who we are in Christ, and learning to live from that reality every day.

170-In this episode, we consider how the way we see God,ourselves, and the world around us shapes the way we experience life. We talk about how fear, shame, performance, and past experiences can become lenses that quietly influence our thinking without us even realizing it. But JesUs invites us to see through a different lens; one of grace, truth, and our new identity in Him. This isn't about positive thinking or pretending life is easy. It's about allowing truth to replace the stories fear has been telling us. Maybe the greatest change isn't in our circumstances. Maybe it's learning to see them through the finished work of Christ.

In episode 169 we ask "Why are so many people afraid of God?" Where did that fear come from? In this episode, we look at how fear shapes the way we see God, ourselves, and even the way we read the Bible. We talk about why so many people assume God is disappointed with them, and how JesUs came to reveal the Father's heart. As we begin to see God more truthfully, fear starts to lose its hold. This isn't about trying harder to have more faith. It's about discovering the security we already have because of the finished work of Christ. My hope is that this episode helps you breathe a little easier, ask honest questions, and see the Father's love more honestly.

In Episode 168 of the Grace at LAST Podcast, we look at how prayer changes when we realize God is not distant but already present with us through Christ. If we are already united with Him, prayer becomes less about trying to get God's attention and more about enjoying an ongoing relationship. Together we'll consider how many of our ideas about prayer have been shaped by distance, performance, or fear, and what it looks like to simply rest in the finished work of JesUs. Rather than offering formulas or techniques, this episode invites you to rediscover prayer as a natural, honest conversation flowing from the security of God's love and our union with Him.

167-In this episode of Grace at LAST, we move from understanding the New Covenant to living it. It is one thing to recognize what JesUs accomplished, but another to let that reality reshape the way we think, respond, and experience everyday life. What if living in the New Covenant is less about trying harder and more about seeing different? We look at how fear, performance, and old patterns can continue to influence us even after we understand grace, and why renewing our minds is so important. You'll discover how your past was not wasted, how growth is something to celebrate, and why freedom becomes increasingly natural as we see ourselves through the finished work of Christ. This episode is practical, encouraging, and filled with everyday examples that invite you to experience the peace, confidence, and rest that come from living in the reality of the New Covenant.

166-How do we read the Bible after the finished work of JesUs? In this episode of Grace at LAST, we look at one of the biggest shifts many believers never consider: God has not changed, but covenant has.Instead of reading every passage as though it is written directly to us, we learn to ask who the original audience was, where the passage fits in the unfolding story of Scripture, and how it points to Christ. As we renew our minds with truth, fear, confusion, and struggling begin to be replaced with rest and clarity. The Bible becomes one beautiful, connected story revealing God's unchanging heart and His completed work through JesUs.

165-If you’ve ever felt more confused the more you studied the Bible, this episode is for you. In How Do I Read the Bible Now? we step back and look at Scripture through the lens of covenant, circumstances, and fulfillment rather than treating every verse as if it was written directly to us. What changes when we stop reading the Bible as one flat book of rules and start seeing the story it tells? We talk about audience importance, the movement from old covenant to new, and why reading with the big picture in view can bring clarity, peace, and a much healthier way to approach Scripture.

164-In the final episode of the Genesis to Revelation series, we step back from the details and consider the bigger picture. After looking at covenant from Genesis through Revelation, what does it look like to live in light of what has been fulfilled?  For years, many of us have approached Scripture searchingfor the next insight, the missing piece, or a deeper level of understanding. Yet when we zoom out and follow the thread of covenant through the Bible, a simpler and more beautiful picture begins to appear. The story is not mainly about self-effort, achieving, or maintaining a relationship with God. It is about God's desire to dwell with humanity and bring us into union with Himself through JesUs Christ. This episode reflects on what it means to live from rest rather than performance, from acceptance rather than fear, and from the reality of what has already been accomplished rather than what we hope to someday receive.

163-In Part 7 of Genesis to Revelation, we look at the book of Revelation through the perspective of covenant rather than disaster. What if Revelation was not mainly about events thousands of years in the future, but about the closing of one covenant age and the full arrival of another? Together, we consider the audience, timing, symbols, and imagery that have shaped so many interpretations of this book. From the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple to the arrival of the New Jerusalem, this episode follows the thread of covenant fulfillment woven throughout Scripture. If Revelation marks the end of the old covenant order, what does that mean for believers today? Join us as we reconsider familiar passages and explore the possibility that the story reaches its fulfillment in JesUs, inviting us to live in the reality of what has already been accomplished.