What does it mean to have faith? And what does faithfulness look like over a lifetime? And, is it okay to ask or desire to see signs or proofs of God? We’ll cover all of that in today’s episode, the second part of our two part bible study on Gideon, found in Judges 6-8. Is it okay to ask God for signs, as Gideon did? God knows we long for signs, and has answered that in the person of Jesus. It says in Scripture: You will be given a sign. This will be a sign among you. The virgin will give...

Today, we're delving into the Old Testament, specifically Judges 6 through 8, to discuss the story of Gideon. This narrative is deeply personal to me, as it reflects my own experiences and the lessons I've learned about faith. What do we do when our faith falters, when we have questions? This story has so much to teach us. The context of Judges reveals a cycle of rebellion among the Israelites, who have turned away from God and are suffering the consequences. Despite their struggles, God...

While Nicole is on a break, we're replaying some of your favorite episodes from the archives. Be sure to grab a copy of Nicole's latest book Not What I Signed Up For! This short letter is rich, deep, and will challenge how we have looked at Bible study so far. This pastoral letter, written by an older Christian, encourages us toward assurance and confidence in our faith.As we begin to open this letter, remember that this letter has a tone of fellowship, joy, and blessing. Big Overview of the...

While Nicole is on a break, we're replaying some of your favorite episodes from the archives. And be sure to grab a copy of Nicole's latest book Not What I Signed Up For! Have you ever struggled with being content? Have you ever had that little thought in your mind, “If only I had more, if I only had that thing, then I would be at peace”? Today, we’re talking about the superpower of contentment in your lives. This ancient Scripture is incredibly relevant for our age, as we wrestle with our...

Has the true story of the cosmic reality of what Jesus has done for us on the cross and through his resurrection been lost on you? Has the story grown stale? My prayer is this passion week, you might hear something in this chapter you haven’t noticed before, and remember the joy of your salvation. RESOURCES: Nicole’s Newest Book: Not What I Signed Up ForFind all of Nicole's books and resources on Amazon or Barnes & Noble ----------- WHAT DOES IT SAY? This week, listen to Nicole read...

Have you ever wondered what God’s Kingdom is? Well, it’s God’s rule and reign in every aspect of life. Today, Nicole and David talk about kingdom versus empire. What is that kingdom like? And then they discuss how Jesus brings victory in the kingdom through his resurrection, and how that restores shalom.  Learn more from David and his work at Arrabon: https://arrabon.com/a-people-a-place-and-a-just-society/  Get the introduction and first chapter to Nicole's latest book here:...

What does it mean for us to be a people who reflect God's image and likeness? And what has the fall done to us? In this episode of How to Study the Bible, Nicole sits down with David Bailey, the head of Arrabon, a ministry working to build "a reconciling community." In this special episode, Nicole and David look at the big story of the Bible and zoom in on the first few chapters - God as Creator who creatively imagines and creates a flourishing world, and the fall of Adam and the ripple...

Think about the last few years of your life. How would you describe them? No doubt there have been some beautiful moments, but it's almost certain that you have walked through trials that have left you thinking, This isn't what I signed up for. You're not alone - in today's episode, Nicole and Rev. Rachel discuss Nicole's new book Not What I Signed Up For. Together they chat about the events that led Nicole to write this book, as well as the process of choosing a title and subtitle. Listen...

Today, Nicole and Rev. Rachel are tackling your tough questions - and we mean tough! A lot of the questions we have in life are questions precisely because there is not an easy, black and white answer. So we are going to go into God's Word together to see what the BIble has to say about your questions, and we trust that you'll do the same as you bring your own questions to God and see what His Word has to say about them. Have a Bible or life question you want Nicole to tackle? Send your...

Life can be really hard if you are trying to figure out how to follow God in your everyday life. Whether you're raising your children, trying to show up well in your workplace or your school, people are tough and messy. And often when we face that kind of trouble or conflict, we're trying to figure out, how do I show up with love? How do I show up with energy? We can get kind of stuck in that. We can get in our own heads about who we are and what we need to be, and when are we supposed to...

In this episode, we extend our series on "five words to live by" for one more week as we delve into the theme of "remembering" and its significance in our spiritual lives. We explore how remembering God's promises and reflecting on our past experiences with Him can reinforce our faith and identity in Christ. This act of remembrance can profoundly impact our lives, not by altering our circumstances, but by deepening our understanding of God's acceptance and goodness. The episode focuses on...

Today, we are exploring one of my favorite biblical narratives—the vision of the dry bones in Ezekiel 36 and 37. This story is a profound illustration of revival, where God promises to cleanse us from impurities, give us a new heart, and put a new spirit within us. We see this promise come to life in Ezekiel's vision of dry bones being reassembled and brought back to life through the breath of God. This story has connections to other parts of the Bible. We see the theme of God breathing life...

Welcome back to another episode of How to Study the Bible. I'm Nicole Unice, and today we're continuing our journey through Scripture, focusing on words to build our lives upon in 2024. This week, we're diving into the concept of "restore" and what it means for God to restore us. Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to all the new listeners who've joined us, especially those who've been drawn in by our 2024 series. It's heartwarming to see you exploring earlier episodes where we laid out...

Acts 4:13 shows us the courage of Peter and John, ordinary men who astonished others because they had been with Jesus. This courage is not about worldly qualifications but about the transformative relationship with Jesus. Jesus often encouraged people to take heart or have courage, usually in the context of inner transformation. In Matthew 9, He tells a paralyzed man and a woman with a bleeding issue that their faith has healed them, linking courage to forgiveness and healing. In John 16:33,...

We’re continuing our word of the year series with a focus on the word JOY this week. (Be sure to listen to last week’s episode on Trust and Isaiah 40 if you missed it). This week, I want to introduce you to a study tool in the back of your Bible called the concordance. A concordance is an alphabetical index of words used in the Bible and the main Bible references where the word occurs. This week, I’m using my concordance to help me study the word joy. I loved this phrase in my concordance....

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about the importance of spending time at the beginning of the year reflecting on the previous year and thinking about the year to come, rather than rushing into setting New Year's resolutions. It is God who orders our steps and therefore, let’s spend time listening to what God has for us this year as we step into Bible Study. The central question posed in this episode is: What is the evidence for your trust in God? I challenge listeners to think about...

Have you ever chosen a word for the year? Whether you pick a word each year or never have before, I think this episode will help you order your life in the year to come. If you don't know what your word is, today might be a great day for you to hear some of the things that we are promised in Christ that you in faith can claim for yourself for 2024. Keep in mind, each of these words requires faith. Looking ahead to 2024 with these 5 words: Trust: Isaiah 40 Joy: 1 Peter 1:6-9 Courage: Acts...

This episode was part of our summer series on creating spiritual rhythms. If you missed the series and liked today's episode, here are the other episodes in that series: Week 2: Creating Digital Rhythms That Quiet Your Soul in an Age of Distraction Week 3: Learning to be Shaped by Scripture: Creating a Spiritual Rhythm of Bible Study Week 4: Creating Rhythms of Silence and Solitude Week 5: Finding Sabbath: How to Create a Regular Rhythm of RestWeek 6: Celebration as Spiritual Rhythm: Why...

Merry Christmas everyone! On this glorious Christmas Day we are sharing Nicole's Christmas message from last year on Mary and the visitation from Gabriel. Whether you are cleaning up wrapping paper, making a Christmas feast, or quietly taking in the day, let's ponder the miracle of Jesus' birth and the awe Mary experienced together.  WHAT DOES IT SAY? Luke 1 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his...

Welcome back to the How to Study the Bible podcast. We have something a little bit different for you today. We are in the holiday season and getting ready to round down the year. So we're going to be sharing a few different things with you. We decided to post a few of my past sermons here as much as we can as well. Today you’ll hear a sermon I preached this month at Hill City Church here in Richmond, Virginia. It's about the power of invitation and the virtue of hospitality that we receive...

We're wrapping up our Bible Highlight Reel series today, as we look at the book of Isaiah and specifically, at chapters 52 and 53. In this chapter, as we are reminded of Israel's exile, that God has not abandoned them. In the midst of this, Isaiah introduces a new character to the story via prophecy: the promise of a suffering servant. In this episode, Nicole and Rachel discuss: 1. How we know that this prophecy is about Jesus2. Why this passage can be hard for us to read and really think...

This week, we're reading Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53. Grab your Bible, find a quiet spot, and read along with us. This passage is one of the prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament, where we learn about our unexpected, suffering, servant-king.  Be sure to check back in tomorrow (Tuesday) when we dive into the chapter and study this passage of Scripture together. Download the FREE 9-Week Reading Plan! https://nicoleunice.com/oldtestament/. RESOURCES: Sign Up for Nicole's Newsletter:...

Join us this week as we recap the Old Testament up to this point, dig deep into the book of Daniel in the Bible and study what this important book means for the history of God's plan of redemption for his people, and how we can apply what we learn to our lives today. Download the FREE 9-Week Reading Plan! https://nicoleunice.com/oldtestament/. RESOURCES: Sign Up for Nicole's Newsletter: https://nicoleunice.com/realtalk/  Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!Ask Nicole a Bible study...

This week, we're reading Daniel chapter 2. Be sure to check back in tomorrow (Tuesday) when we dive into the chapter and study this passage of Scripture together. Download the FREE 9-Week Reading Plan! https://nicoleunice.com/oldtestament/. RESOURCES: Sign Up for Nicole's Newsletter: https://nicoleunice.com/realtalk/  Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!Ask Nicole a Bible study question: [email protected] FOLLOW NICOLE:Website: https://nicoleunice.com/ YouTube:...