Bible podcasts, videos, blogs, printables, and more to help you know, trust, and apply the Bible.

from Yvon Prehn to help you know, trust, and apply the Bible

On this site you’ll find Bible podcasts, videos, blogs, printables, and more to help you know, trust, apply, and teach the Bible. For FREE downloadable, editable, no attribution required teaching resources based on the content of this site, go to www.Bible805Academy.com.

Thru the Bible, Lesson #14 Samuel and Saul, the importance of listening to God and how to do it

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This lesson from the lives of Samuel and Saul focuses on the importance of listening to God and the consequences of ignoring Him. From an early age, Samuel learned to recognize and obey God’s voice, even when it was difficult. His life demonstrates steady faithfulness, humility, and obedience over time.

In contrast, Saul’s life shows what happens when a person repeatedly chooses not to listen to God. Though he began with great promise, his impatience, fear of others, and tendency to justify his actions led to spiritual failure and ultimately a tragic end.

The lesson emphasizes that listening to God is essential for living the life we were created for. God speaks through His Word, and we are called to respond with trust and obedience. When we fail to listen, we often try to control outcomes, justify our choices, or manipulate situations, all of which lead us away from God’s best.

Ultimately, this lesson reminds us that we each have a choice: to live like Samuel, listening and obeying, or like Saul, doing what seems right in our own eyes. The results of that choice shape the direction of our lives.

For materials to enable you to teach this class, CLICK HERE for the Bible805Academy.com free downloadable PowerPoints, Notes, Discussion Guide, Video & Audio files, editable and free.

Lesson Handouts

Thru the Bible Lesson #13 Judges and Ruth, my way or God’s way–how to live the best way

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This lesson from Judges and Ruth contrasts two ways of living: doing things our way or following God’s way. The book of Judges presents a sobering picture of what happens when people repeatedly choose their own path. Over hundreds of years, Israel cycles through sin, consequences, repentance, and deliverance, only to repeat the pattern again. The summary statement of the book captures it clearly: people did what was right in their own eyes.

Judges reminds us that human “heroes” are deeply flawed and that God alone is the true hero of the story. Though He shows mercy and raises up leaders to deliver His people, the deeper issue of the heart is often left unchanged, leading to continued failure.

In contrast, the book of Ruth offers a quiet but powerful example of faithfulness. In the midst of a dark and chaotic time, Ruth chooses to trust God and follow Him, and God works through her life in ways far greater than she could have imagined. Her story reminds us that even in difficult circumstances, God is always at work through those who trust Him.

Together, these books challenge us to choose God’s way over our own, to live intentionally according to His truth, and to trust that His way leads to the best life.

For materials to enable you to teach this class, CLICK HERE for the Bible805Academy.com free downloadable PowerPoints, Notes, Discussion Guide, Video & Audio files, editable and free.

Lesson Handouts

Thru the Bible, Lesson #12 Joshua, how to fight and win in the battles of life

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This lesson from the book of Joshua presents the Christian life as a spiritual battle and offers practical guidance on how to live faithfully in the midst of it. After years of wandering, Israel enters the Promised Land, but instead of immediate rest, they face ongoing and opposition. This reflects the reality of the Christian life—after salvation begins the process of sanctification, where we grow to become more like Jesus.

Through nine key lessons, the book of Joshua shows that God gives His people victory, but they must trust Him, obey Him, and persevere. Challenges are not signs of failure but opportunities for growth. Success comes from grounding our lives in God’s Word, seeking His will, dealing honestly with sin, and refusing to quit.

The lesson emphasizes that the battle continues throughout life, but God is faithful. Whether in times of difficulty, failure, or discouragement, believers are called to keep trusting, keep obeying, and finish strong.

Lesson Handouts

Thru the Bible, Lesson #11 Understand & Apply Bible Stories & Biblical Narratives

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This lesson explains how to properly understand and apply the many stories found throughout the Bible. While narrative is one of the most engaging parts of Scripture, it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many people assume that if a Bible character acted in a certain way, we should do the same. However, the lesson makes clear that Bible stories are not primarily about us—they are about God and His work in history.

The lesson teaches that narratives record what actually happened, not necessarily what should have happened. Some actions in the Bible are examples to follow, while others are warnings of what not to do. To understand them correctly, we must consider the broader teaching of the Bible, the historical context, and the overall story of God’s plan of redemption.

A key principle is that God is the true hero of every Bible story. Individual accounts fit into a much larger story of creation, redemption, and restoration. When we read narratives with this perspective, we avoid misapplying them and instead learn what they reveal about God’s character, purposes, and ways of working.

Lesson Handouts

Mother’s Day, some gentle cautions and an opportunity to challenge your people to spiritual parenting

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This is not a happy upbeat piece, but it comes from my heart and I hope in sharing I might lesson the pain of some and turn some hurts into hope.

What follows is some very important pastoral advice, so upbeat or not, I pray you’ll listen all the way through

Many women who attend your church on Mother’s Day are not mothers. The reasons for that pain are many: they may have lost a child; they may be unmarried and with little prospects of a future marriage. They may be infertile and may not have had enough money for adoption or fertility treatments (both of which are extraordinarily expensive). They may have prayed for children for years, but for some reason the answer received was “no.” The reasons are many, but the pain felt daily by many of these women is deepened significantly on Mother’s Day. Often, this pain is intensified by the unintentional, unthinking and unkind actions of churches on Mother’s Day.

Here are some examples

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Mother’s Day—IS a great Sunday for evangelism and spiritual growth—here’s how to make the most of it

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Mother’s Day Sunday is the third-highest day for attendance in churches in North America, running slightly behind Christmas and Easter. Though most churches know this and work hard to make it a special Sunday, many miss significant evangelism and spiritual growth opportunities for that day—because of the day’s exclusive focus on mothers.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying churches shouldn’t honor mothers on Mother’s Day. They should; it is an important time to praise mothers and to thank God for them. What I’m recommending is that churches not make mothers their exclusive focus, but that they take advantage of the additional ministry opportunity made possible that day because of mothers. Here are three ways to do this, each of which will be discussed in more detail:

  1. Evangelism opportunities: unchurched children and spouses
  2. Honor moms by challenging them to pray–featuring One Mother’s Prayer
  3. An opportunity to challenge your people to spiritual parenting

I’m doing three separate short Ministry Misc. Podcasts for each one

There is a downloadable, free ebook with this content, and links to other materials at the Bible805.com website and at the end of this post.

First, let’s talk about evangelism opportunities: unchurched children and spouses

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One Mother’s Prayer, an inspiration and challenge for Mother’s Day and anytime

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One of the most important things anyone can do is to pray for another and the story in this handout is the true story of one of the most significant prayers in church history. HERE is a link to download preprinted PDFs of it as well as the text https://wp.me/pDky9-8TI

This brief piece has probably been reprinted and shared more than anything I’ve written. It first appeared in Today’s Christian Woman, a magazine that was reprinted in their Best of 10 Years of Writing issue, has been used and reprinted all over the world (I’ve even got a copy of a German magazine that featured it).

I’ll read it to you.

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Thru the Bible, Lesson #10 Deuteronomy, Where rules become joyful reality in our lives

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Deuteronomy lessonThis lesson from Deuteronomy addresses a central question: how should God’s people live as they enter a new season, surrounded by a culture that does not follow Him? After forty years of wandering, Israel stands ready to enter the Promised Land. Deuteronomy gathers and applies what God has already revealed, showing that His commands are not burdensome but are given for their good, leading to a life of joy, purpose, and blessing.

The lesson highlights three key areas: how we love, how we give, and how we define ourselves. God’s love is the foundation—He loves first, and His people are called to reflect that love to others, especially those in need. Giving is presented not as a duty alone, but as a joyful, generous lifestyle that supports worship, celebration, and care for others. Finally, identity is not merely individual but corporate—we are a people, called to live in relationship, reflecting the relational nature of our Triune God.

Deuteronomy reminds us that obedience is not about restriction, but about choosing life. When we understand God’s love and follow His ways, we discover that His commands lead to the most fulfilling life possible.

Lesson Handouts

Thru the Bible, LESSON #9 Book of Numbers, Bad Choices, Tragic Consequences, and how Spiritual Disciplines Can Help Avoid Them

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This lesson from the book of Numbers answers an important question: what does God expect of us after we become a Christian? Using Israel’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, we see a powerful picture of the Christian life. Though the people were delivered from slavery, they struggled to trust God in their daily lives, resulting in repeated cycles of sin, complaint, forgiveness, and consequences.

Numbers shows how small patterns of disobedience, especially grumbling and lack of trust, can grow into major failures with lasting consequences. Even though God remained faithful to His promises, the people’s refusal to trust Him led to years of wandering instead of entering the life He had prepared for them.

The lesson also introduces the importance of spiritual disciplines, better understood as spiritual habits, as a practical way to grow in trust and obedience. These habits shape our character over time so that when challenges come, our responses reflect faith rather than fear or frustration. Ultimately, this lesson reminds us that while God’s grace saves us, our growth requires intentional cooperation with Him.


Lesson Handouts

Confusion about Bible Stories, from series, HAPPY CORRECTIONS, because the Bible doesn’t say what you think it says

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Many Christians become confused or disappointed when they expect God to act toward them exactly as He did in the lives of biblical characters. While God’s nature never changes, His actions in specific historical situations often served unique purposes in His redemptive plan.

This lesson clarifies how to properly understand and apply the story or narrative sections of the Bible—stories that reveal God’s character and work through human lives yet were not written as direct promises or commands to us.

Using Gideon’s “fleece” as a case study, the lesson teaches that not every biblical story gives us a pattern to imitate. Instead, narratives show what God did, not necessarily what we should do. Proper application requires understanding genre, context, and the larger story of Scripture—from Genesis to Revelation—where God alone is always the hero. Following is the podcast, video, NOTES, and Discussion Guide for the lesson.

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Know, trust, apply, and teach the Bible—what it means to Bible805 and to you, an UPDATE for the Bible805 Ministry as of 3-30-2026,

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Tools to help your people get into the Bible in the coming year.
The parts of Bible805 that will help you know, trust, apply, and teach the Bible.

Though some parts of the ministry are still in the process of being tidied up, revised, and updated, the core of the ministry has thousands of resources that have helped people all over the world know, trust, apply and teach the Bible. I’ve worked hard to create some new resources and to clearly organize past ones. Though this process continues, I wanted to remind everyone of the resources that are available to you. Below is the Ministry Miscellany podcast of the content and below that a transcript of it with links to many useful and free resources.

The meaning of “Know, trust, apply. and teach the Bible.”

I use these four terms, know, trust, apply, and teach the Bible to describe the ministry of Bible805. I’d now like to share what I mean by them in terms of what is available for you in the Bible805 ministry based on each term: [Read more…]

God doesn’t forget your dreams–it’s maybe time for a reset in life

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Hi, welcome to the Hobo Soul Podcast of road advice from the Bible and from me, Yvon Prehn, someone who’s a little further down the road of life. I’ll talk to you every weekday for about five to 10 minutes, with periodic longer talks on serious Saturdays.

In my devotional reading this morning, I read one of my favorite stories and I’m going to share what I think is a really life changing message from it for all of us.

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