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ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

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• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

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As the calendar turns and the world rushes into new goals, we're invited to take a deeper, wiser approach. In today’s episode, we continue the journey we began yesterday by exploring what it means to live with resolve rather than relying on fleeting resolutions. Drawing on Jonathan Edwards's intentional commitments, we’ll explore how God calls us to a life of meaningful, Gospel-rooted change. Learn how to aim higher, think deeper, and build a foundation for transformation that doesn’t fade by February.

You’ll also hear how to take your next step in biblical emotional and spiritual health through our free Navigator Level community.

Key Topics Covered

• The problem with typical New Year’s resolutions
• What it means to live resolved before the Lord
• How Jonathan Edwards modeled intentional, Gospel-centered living
• Why change must begin with the heart, not just habits
• A biblical path toward sustainable transformation
• A special invitation to join the Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life community

Scripture References

• Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
• Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
• Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Call to Action

Are you ready to take a gentle first step into biblical emotional and spiritual health?
Join the Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life community today. It’s completely free, with no pressure or obligation. You’ll find encouragement, prayer support, and Gospel-centered conversations—all in a safe space.

👉 Join now

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

Send us a text

Welcome to the first episode of the new year! In today’s episode, we’re not just talking about setting resolutions; we’re talking about crafting resolves that flow from your heart, shaped by God’s purposes and grounded in Gospel truth.

Drawing on the Full Focus system by Michael Hyatt and the legacy of Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions, I’ll walk you through a framework for setting meaningful, spiritually rooted goals that go beyond surface-level change.

You’ll learn:

• Why most resolutions fail
• The importance of heart-level transformation
• How to follow a simple 4-part process for setting life-shaping goals
• The power of writing down your goals and committing them to prayer

Whether you’re starting fresh or refining your direction, this episode will help you aim higher, grow deeper, and walk forward with purpose in 2026.

Resources Mentioned:

• Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt
  
  
• Jonathan Edwards’ 70 Resolutions

Take Action This Week:

• Go to our website for more helpful resources at jameslongjr.org
• Journal your top 3 life domains to focus on this year
• Pray through your motivations: “What is God calling me to aim for in 2026?”

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

Send us a text

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

Send us a text

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

Send us a text

Title: Psalm 30: Discovering Breakthrough Joy After Seasons of Suffering

Psalm 30 reminds us that God humbles His people, not to destroy them, but to restore them. In this episode of Counseling through the Psalms, James Long Jr. unpacks how pride can collapse into despair, yet God’s favor turns weeping into joy and mourning into dancing. We’ll see how David’s experience points us to Christ, who bore God’s anger so that His people might know His eternal favor.

If you have ever walked through loss, illness, or a season of deep struggle, Psalm 30 offers hope. God’s discipline is temporary, but His restoration is lasting. The night of weeping may feel long, but morning joy is certain.

Key Takeaways

• God delivers His people from death and despair (Psalm 30:1–3).
• His anger is momentary, but His favor lasts a lifetime (Psalm 30:5).
• Pride leads to discipline, but humility brings restoration (Psalm 30:6–10).
• Christ fulfills Psalm 30 by bearing God’s wrath and bringing eternal joy (Romans 5:8–10).
• Our mourning is turned into dancing, and our silence into songs of praise (Psalm 30:11–12).

Connect & Share

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
  
  
• Explore membership and coaching options: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnow
  
  

Closing Encouragement:
When the night feels long and your heart is heavy, remember that God’s favor outlasts your weeping, and His joy will greet you in the morning.

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

Send us a text

Few experiences shake us like a thunderstorm. The lightning, thunder, and wind remind us how small and fragile we are. In Psalm 29, David takes this awe-inspiring force of nature and declares that it is not Baal, blind chance, or impersonal forces that command the storm, but Yahweh, the Lord of heaven and earth. His voice thunders over the waters, shakes the wilderness, and yet, for His people, His final word is peace.

In this episode of Counseling Through the Psalms, we’ll explore how God’s voice reveals His majesty, His sovereignty over creation, and His gift of strength and peace to His people.

Key Points from Psalm 29

• Heavenly Worship (vv. 1–2): All creation, even the angelic hosts, are called to ascribe glory to the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.
• The Voice of the Lord (vv. 3–9): Seven times the psalm repeats, “The voice of the Lord,” emphasizing God’s command over the storm, from the seas to the mountains to the wilderness.
• The King on the Throne (vv. 10–11): The psalm concludes with the Lord enthroned forever, giving strength and peace to His people.
• Christ-Centered Hope: Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, calmed storms with His voice, bore cosmic judgment at the cross, and now gives His peace to His people.

Resources & Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
  
  
• Explore membership and coaching options: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnow

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

Send us a text

Title: Psalm 28: Learning to Trust God’s Love in the Silence

Psalm 28 gives voice to one of the hardest experiences of faith—when God seems silent. In this episode, discover how David perseveres in prayer, moves from desperation to praise, and rests in the love of the Shepherd who carries His people forever. Learn how God’s apparent silence is never His absence, and how His steadfast love strengthens us in seasons of waiting.

Episode Highlights

• Silence in prayer does not mean God has abandoned us (vv. 1–2).
• David pleads for mercy, lifting his hands toward God’s presence in faith.
• A prayer for justice reveals God’s holiness and the seriousness of sin (vv. 3–5).
• Fear turns into thanksgiving as David rejoices in God’s strength and deliverance (vv. 6–8).
• God’s help for one believer strengthens the whole people of God.
• The psalm ends with a prayer to the Shepherd who carries His people forever (v. 9).
• Christ fulfills Psalm 28 as our Rock, Redeemer, and Good Shepherd.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
  
  
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnow
  
  
• Download devotionals, attend live meetups, and access biblical life training to grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

• Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
• Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity