The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

Hello, friend. Thanks for joining me on The Encouraging Word Podcast. This week we explore depression through the story of Elijah, reminding us that even the strongest among us can experience seasons of deep discouragement. He reminds us that we don’t have to walk through those seasons alone, and that seeking help can be an important part of the healing process. My hope is that this episode reminds you that God meets us with hope, compassion, and purpose—even in our darkest moments.

Hi, friend. I hope you're doing well today. This week on the podcast, we're encouraged to remember that God’s promises are greater than our circumstances. Elijah’s faith and prayers during a time of drought encourage us to trust God, listen for His voice, and believe His promises even before we see them fulfilled. Through Elijah’s story, we’re reminded that seasons of drought are temporary, but God’s promises are eternal. When we humble ourselves, pray, and trust Him, we can have hope in His faithfulness and confidence that He will fulfill what He has promised.

Hello, friend. In This Encouraging Word, Max Lucado takes us to Elijah’s showdown on Mount Carmel, where God reveals His power and reminds His people that He alone is Lord. Through Elijah’s story, we’re reminded that spiritual battles are real, worship matters, and faith calls us to stand firm in God’s truth. This episode also points us toward the ultimate victory of Christ and encourages us to trust God’s power in every battle we face.

Hello, friend. Thanks for joining me on The Encouraging Word Podcast. In this message, we continue our study of Elijah and the showdown on Mount Carmel, where God exposes the emptiness of Baal and reminds us that He alone is Lord. If you have ever felt pulled between two loyalties, or wondered whether God can really come through in a hard place, this episode will encourage you to stand firm and gaze at Christ.

Hello, friend. Thanks for joining me on The Encouraging Word Podcast. This week we continue our discussion on the life of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. We’re talking about what to do when God gives you a calling, but you don’t yet have the provision - or know where it will come from. You’ll see how Elijah and a nameless widow both discovered that the God who calls also supplies, right on time, in just the amount needed.

Preview Max’s new audiobook, Unbreakable Courage, exclusively for podcast listeners! One of the most remarkable things about Elijah’s life was the end—he didn’t die. God took him to up heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah knew what was coming, but until that moment, he went about his work. He ministered, he served. He showed us how to face our final days with faith. Elijah’s exit from this world reminds us that God oversees every aspect of our lives, including the end. Those who live on the promises on the God die with unshakeable hope in the life to come. Learn more at MaxLucado.com/UnbreakableCourage

Hello, friend. Thanks for joining me on The Encouraging Word Podcast. This week we’re beginning a new series studying the life of Elijah. His steadfast faith in a chaotic world offers great hope in these topsy-turvy days. I hope you’ll come back for the next several episodes to hear more about this wild, wooly Old Testament prophet and all the ways his story can encourage us today.

Preview Max’s new audiobook, Unbreakable Courage, exclusively for podcast listeners! Listen as Max introduces the story of Elijah the prophet, a resolved, faithful servant of God, immovable despite tremendous challenge. You face great challenge in your life too; we all do. So what can you learn from Elijah? Faith can overcome unbelief. Impossible prayers are heard. You can have unbreakable courage in a world of chaos. Learn more at MaxLucado.com/UnbreakableCourage

Hi, friend. Thanks for joining me for another Encouraging Word. We live in a world where truth is relative, where people are more concerned with “my truth” or “your truth.” It’s a modern philosophy, a political or business strategy, an approach to relationships. We build narratives to fit our agenda. But that’s not just sin, it’s dishonesty, and it doesn’t meet God’s standard.

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re having a good day. Did you know God has a goal for you? It’s not that you would preach to millions, or cure diseases, or end wars. God’s goal for you is to think and act like Jesus. That starts in your brain, with what you allow your mind to entertain. So when you think more like Jesus, you begin to act more like Jesus. And then who knows what you might accomplish!

Hi, friend. I hope you’re doing well today. This week on the podcast, we’re looking at a familiar passage in John 15 that was particularly helpful to me during a season of transition at our church a few years ago. In Jesus’s final message to his disciples before his arrest, he issued to most important call: Abide in Me.

Hello, friend. I hope you’re having a good day. We’re in the throes of summer vacation, which for many of us means more time with our families. Kids at home during the day with no school, summer trips, family reunions. These things bring fun and lasting memories, but they can also bring added stress. The apostle Paul has a word for families in his letter to the Colossians. I pray it encourages you if you find yourself feeling a little tense amidst some extra togetherness.

Hello, my friend. I hope you’re doing well today. As we conclude this series of episodes about living life with less fear, I think it’s important to note a time Jesus felt afraid. That might sound wrong to you, but he did. And there is good news, friend – the same resource Jesus relied on to deal with his fear is available to you too.

Hi, friend. I hope you’re having a good day. “Do I even matter?” That’s something most, probably all, of us have wondered. Maybe you don’t ask the question out loud, but the choices you make or the things you pursue indicate a striving for significance. Friend, don’t look at what the world says is important for the answer. Look for the answer in Scripture: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me today. This week’s episode touches on a heavy topic, but it’s one I think about more often as I get older: death. What comes next. Life after this life. I know it can feel uncomfortable, even scary. But I also know the promise of Jesus. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26).

Hello, friend. I hope you’re doing well today. Father’s Day is coming up, making this week’s episode especially timely. We’re looking at a couple of stories in the Bible when scared, desperate fathers felt out of options. And what God said to them, he says to you: Trust your children to me.

Hello, my friend. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “The only constant in life is change.” Chances are, you’re facing some changes right now. If you’re struggling with the unknown or worried about what’s ahead of you, may the promise of Psalm 23 remind you that whatever you face, you are never, ever alone. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6)

Hello, my friend. Thanks for joining me today. You’re likely familiar with the story of the first sin. The moment in the Garden of Eden when Eve defied God’s instruction to not eat the fruit from one specific tree. But have you ever considered what was at war in Eve’s mind and heart? Maybe she wasn’t simply prideful, or disobedient, but perhaps she was first afraid?

Hello, friend. Welcome back to the Encouraging Word Podcast. Today’s episode finds us considering one of the most common human emotions: worry. And in Matthew Chapter 14, we’re reminded of one of God’s most enduring promises: with Jesus, you always have enough.

Hi, friend. I hope you’re doing well today. We’re in the midst of a series here on the podcast looking at occasions Jesus instructed us to not be anxious or afraid. Today we’re going to Matthew chapters 24 and 25, to the final week of Jesus’ life. He knows what awaits him, but his admonition to his disciples remains the same: Don’t be afraid.