Walking Together with Dennis Leavell

What can possibly go wrong when we try to speed up God's plan?  Well, everything! In this episode, I unpack Genesis 16, where Sarai and Abram's shortcut leads to drama, hurt, and regret. Discover what happens when we rush God's timing—and how He still shows up with grace, even in the middle of our mess.

What do dead flies have to do with our walk with the Lord? Solomon describes it in vivid detail for us. The bottom line is that it doesn't take much to ruin something good. Listen in and be encouraged from God's Word.

A scent or smell can speak before a word is even said.  In John 12, Mary speaks without having to say a word.  Her act of worship fills the entire house with the smell of an expensive perfume. What does that mean for us today?  Listen in and be encouraged.

Today we look at a man who climbed up a tree, and it changed his life forever.  Jesus didn't allow this interruption to become a disruption.  He used it as an opportunity to extend grace and love.  Listen and be encouraged.

Why do we need to pray: "Give us this day our daily bread" if we already have bread?  Asking for daily bread means so much more than most people realize. It's a daily trust factor.  Either I trust my Heavenly Father to provide, or I don't.  Listen in and be encouraged.

In an era where everything is so fast-paced, when do we find time to slow down?  When the people we trust the most hurt us...  When everything around us goes wrong, do we remember who God really is?  If you're like me, it's time to pause and be still.

Most people fail to do anything about their situation because they get stuck in their 'stuckness'.  There were 4 lepers in the Bible who decided it was time to do something about their 'stuckness'.  There's 2 valuable lessons from these lepers that we desperately need to put into practice.

If you were asked point blank:  Do you like change?  Would you answer with a resounding "NO"?  Most people do!  But change is what following Jesus is all about.  Why do we resist it?  Today we meet Bartimaeus, a blind man, who could see what others could not.  Listen in and be encouraged!

As we approach Thanksgiving, it makes us pause and reflect on: Who were thankful to What we're thankful for And to ask where's the action that backs it up? Peter had to make a choice between his instinct and experience and his faith in Jesus.  And he was wise enough to know that broken nets and sinking ships was a necessary thing to make reflect on God's goodness.  Listen and be encouraged.

Everywhere we look, people are facing huge GIANTS: financial, marital, psychological and physical. How did David face and defeat the giant that stood in front of him?  David simply remembered 5 things.  The same 5 things will help defeat your giant too.  Listen in an be encouraged.

The law of harvesting tells us that what we sow, we will also reap.  Hosea warns those who sow the wind, because they will indeed reap the whirlwind.  What does that even mean?  Join us in today's podcast as we explore what happens when you confront people, but never actually love them.

The apostle Paul creates a new way of thinking for us by combining two words together in his letter to the church at Rome.  He uses this combination to remind us that we are MORE than conquerors.  What an encouraging thought!  Listen in to today's podcast.

What do you do when you have followed God to a dead-end?  God led the Israelites to a dead-end, and He did it on purpose. Don't be surprised if God leads you to a dead-end as well. Listen to the podcast to find out why. 

What happens when a king is so full of pride that God has to step in and show him who the REAL king is?  That's what we discovery today as we look at the life of King Nebuchadnezzar. It's a picture of what happens to all of us when we crown ourselves king of our own life.

We've all felt the frustration of feeling like it's Ground Hog Day. Everything seems to be on a perpetual loop. What happens when the frustration boils over and we become frustrated with God?  Let's look together at how Habakkuk dealt with this and how it radically changed his perspective.

What happens when friends disagree? Nobody ever wants to hit that roadblock, but it's inevitable. Today we look at what happened with Paul & Barnabus. God continued to bless their efforts because they were united in their main mission. Listen in an be encouraged!

In our current culture, the words "faithful, loved, and trustworthy" just aren't heard that often. In Ephesian 6 we read about Tychicus, a man who had all these character traits. Can this be said of you and I?  Listen in and be encouraged.

The latest statistics say that 92% of those who make New Year's resolutions will fail to keep them. And yet, we seemed surprised, shocked, and defeated when that happens. How do we make lasting changes? It's called "the battle before the battle."

When something finally clicks in your mind, this is what I call an "Oooooo" moment. Some call it an AHA moment. It's easy to live a selfish life and often we're not aware of it until someone points it out to us. Today's podcast will give you 3 simple truths that put you back on track when life becomes all about you.

What does a seasonal outdoor sign have to do with our hearts? We live in a culture that seems devoid of gratitude. How did this happen? Why does it continue to happen? How do we guard ourselves so that we don't fall into that trap? There's 3 easy things to remember. Learn to develop a new habit. You'll be glad you did.

What do you do when God "pushes" you into the unknown?  God pushed His people to do something that didn't make sense to them -- it certainly wasn't logical. Maybe He's pushing you from behind as well?  Listen in an be encouraged.

When you're in an impossible situation, do you sometimes feel that God doesn't understand or care? In today's episode we look at an event that happened in 2 Kings 6. Listen in and discover how this ties in to not only our daily lives, but also how deep and wide God's love for us truly is.

We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people, and somehow we have the idea that more stuff, more applause, more attention, or more pleasure will fill that void. Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who was in search of MORE. Where are you in your journey for "more"? Listen in an be encouraged.

Genesis 2:18 tells us that we were created to be in relationship.  But people are not always trustworthy because our hearts (and those of others) cannot be trusted. So what are we supposed to do when we get into a situation where we don't trust the people around us?  Listen in and be encouraged.

When people think of Gideon, they usually think of him as a hero, someone who walked with God.  But there were moments when Gideon, just like us, never consulted God before pulling the trigger on his own plans.  This resulted in the entire nation of Israel being negatively impacted.  Listen in and be encouraged.

My wife, Laura, joins me today to talk about what happens to us when we choose follow Jesus.  There's a transformation that takes place, and many usually miss it.  It's one small word..."ARE".  It happens automatically and it isn't an option.  Listen in an be encouraged.

One of the most unique miracles that Jesus does is found in Mark 8.  He heals a blind man by spitting on his eyes.  But there's a special interaction that takes place, and it clues us in to how the world actually sees Jesus.  Listen in and be encouraged.  

Photography has been a passion of mine for the past 45 years.  If you've ever take a picture using the wrong lens or a lens that won't focus, you know frustrating it can be.  In today's episode we'll talk about seeing our Christian growth through the wrong lens.  If we don't understand what is keeping us from growing, we will remain immature babies who refuse to grow up. Season 3, Episode 5

God gave Moses a command to go up to Mt. Sinai and WAIT for Him.  Moses obeyed, but it took 6 days before God actually said anything to him. The Bible doesn't even say how long he was supposed to wait.  He was just supposed to WAIT.  That's it.  The practical lesson here is that he didn't give up IN the waiting.  Listen in and be encouraged.

We live in a time where we are constantly offered compromises which have the potential to ruin our family and our testimony.  Pharaoh offered Moses 4 compromises.  All of them went against what God wanted for His people.  Don't fall into the trap, don't even consider these 4 compromises.  It's just not worth it.  Listen in and be encouraged.

The Bible shares events in the lives of people who struggled with bad choices, fear, manipulation, hypocrisy, deception, and even prostitution. These events are shared with us so that we don't fall into the same traps.  Today we'll look at Judah, one of Jacob's sons.  We can learn from his example of what NOT to do in our walk with God.

Haggai address a nation that chose to only focus on themselves and what they wanted, rather than surrendering to what God wanted.  God uses Haggai to ask a penetrating question:  "How does it look to you now?"  It's a great question to ask at the beginning of a new year.  Listen in an be encouraged.

Have you ever had a time when God seemed far away?  It's in those "silent nights" when it's easy to think and even convince ourselves that He isn't there, and He just doesn't care.  But never confuse His silence with His absence.  The reason He came to earth is so that He would be WITH us.  His name says it all:  Immanuel, God with us!

The word "worship" has been thrown around a lot, as a matter of fact, it's been abused.  How are we expressing worship?  What does true worship look like?  Today we look at 3 women in the Bible who took the time to teach us what true worship is.  Listen in and be encouraged.

When things don't turn out like we think they should have, we begin to question God.  Simply put, we want an explanation from Him.  We want to know His plans and we resist moving forward until we have a better picture of what's going on.  This was certainly the case with General Naaman, and what he discovers is that God simply wants us to trust Him and obey.  The bottom line is that God doesn't owe us an explanation.  

The apostle Paul tells us that we live in a world where people believe that everything revolves around them.  They will be so consumed with themselves that they will neglect, hurt, and vilify the people around them.  We have to answer 2 simple questions:  1) Did I love God more than myself this past week?  2) Did I love others more than myself.  Listen in as Paul gives Timothy some advice and warnings about people like this.

We're really good at trying to camouflage what we don't want people to see.  You might think you're good at faking it, but you're not.  God sees right through it, so do the people around you.  Isaiah experienced a personal worship service that changed him forever.  It prompted him to change and to respond.  God asks the same from us today.  Listen in and be encouraged.

One of the important lessons we learn in life is that MOTIVES MATTER.  Not just to us personally, but to God.  WHY we do something is just as important as WHAT we do.  Today we look at the Tower of Babel and it's a reminder about the danger of making our own plans without actually consulting God.  And God, in His mercy, didn't allow them to continue to follow the desires of their hearts.  Listen and be encouraged.

A hypocrite is a person who refuses to apply to himself the standards he applies to others.  Today we look at a handful of reasons why followers of Jesus don't look like genuine followers of Jesus.  The problem is not our job, our circumstances, our finances, or even our home life.  The real problem lies much deeper, our hearts.  Listen in and be encouraged.

So what's your reaction when other people refuse to serve at the same level of intensity that you're serving?  What if they don't lift a finger to help?  Let's take a look at two sisters who had 2 completely different ideas about what was important.

One of the terms that has been lost in our culture is "under-rower".  This meant a lot to the culture of ancient Greece.  The apostle Paul encourages the church in Corinth, as well as us, to be "under-rowers".  Listen in an be encouraged.  Season 2, Episode 6 of the Walking Together Podcast.  

Most of us recognize that God deserves our best, so why we do try to give Him our leftovers?  Our leftover time, our leftover creativity, our leftover energy, and our leftover finances.  The bible talks about a married couple who tried to offer God their leftovers.  They thought they could get away with it.  But God made sure they didn't.  Listen in and be encouraged.  Leftovers, Season 2, Ep. 5

Let's be honest, we're all looking for something that will satisfy our deep thirst for satisfaction in this life.  With the price of food, gasoline, and the cost of living skyrocketing, there's actually something that is still FREE and it has the power to quench our soul's thirst.  Listen in and be encouraged.

There are so many things that happen in our daily lives, and sometimes the only word that fits what we're going through is: "SHOCKING".  From world events to personal relationships, Jesus gives us the road map to conflict resolution.  It's not a question of IF we will experience conflict, but rather, what do we do WHEN it happens.  Listen in and be encouraged.

Have you ever been so mad you lost your temper?  How far did you act out your anger?  Has anyone ever called you out on it?  Today we look at David.  He was so enraged that he was willing to commit murder.  He didn't think about how his choice would impact his future as king of Israel.  It took a women, an agent of grace, named Abigail to make him realize just how wrong he was.  Listen in and be encouraged.

Season 2 has launched.  Every one of us is only a breath away from having our tomorrow cancelled.  But what happens to all the stuff that we've worked so hard for?  Jesus explains the principle of generosity to a group of listeners who frankly couldn't understand the concept.  He talks about a farmer who had so much more than he needed, but he chose to hoard it instead of sharing it.  When our hearts are focused on our stuff, we don't give God credit for what He's done.  Listen in and be encouraged.  Episode 20.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but all too often the joy gets sucked right out of us.  Listen in to hear what happens when we grumble and complain, and how God responded to a large group of grumblers.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, what's happening in our hearts?  How long does our gratitude actually last?  How often do we take a day to thank God without asking Him for anything?  Our thankfulness may be the greatest indicator of who we really believe is in charge.  Let's learn from the 9 guys who refused to say "Thank You" to Jesus.  It shows us how easily we put  thankfulness in the rear view mirror.

Let's be honest, the words that come out of our mouths can build someone up, or tear them down.  Our words are far more powerful than we think.  We've all said things we wish we hadn't, and we've all felt the consequences of speaking when we should have remained silent. Thankfully the Bible tells us plenty about the power of our words.  Be encouraged as you hear from Laura Leavell today.

What happens when you are over-worked, overwhelmed, and under-appreciated?  Whether we want to admit it or not, it will affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  The bible gives us a glimpse into the lives of 3 people who approached burnout with a skewed perspective.  Let's learn from their mistakes.

For over a year now, you can't turn on the news without hearing about Covid.  But Jesus tells us about another disease that's been around for much longer ... and we ALL have it.  It's called FPD (The Finger Pointing Disease).  Jesus paints a very vivid picture of how this plays out in our lives in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.