A Bigger Life: Episodes

Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover

Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...

Recent Episodes

A Prayer-Meditation to Put on the Belt of Truth in Ephesians 6:14

16:14 | 05-14-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Ephesians 6:11, 14-17 says: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. …Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (NIV). One way to “put on the full armor of God” is through prayer. Here’s an example of how to “take your stand against the devil’s schemes” in your life and family through prayer. Today we will meditatively pray to put on “the belt of truth.” Father in Heaven, your word tells me to submit to you and resist the devil, and he will flee from me (James 4:7), and so I want to do that now in this prayer. I submit my whole self to you, my whole life to you, (my family to you), all my cares to you, and my entire future to you. And I take my stand right now against all the devil’s schemes in my life (and family). I put on your “belt of truth” so I can resist the devil’s slanderous lies against your goodness, your steadfast love, and your faithfulness to me. I put on the truth of all that you are for me in Jesus Christ, who has become for me true wisdom from God, righteousness, holiness, and redemption (1 Cor 1:30). I stand in this truth that sets me free (Jn 8:32) from “the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). Fill my mind and body with the wisdom of your Spirit of Truth (Jn 16:13). Right now I submit to your Spirit’s work of leading me into a new and true self according to the image of Christ (Rm 8:29-30) — leading me to an eternal future of glory and beauty and joy and awe.Amen.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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A Meditation on Overcoming the Evil One by God’s Word Living in You from 1 John 2:14

14:23 | 05-09-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Ephesians 6:11, 17 (NIV)11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. …17 Take …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.John 6:63 (NIV)“The Spirit gives life... The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”Matthew 4:4 (NIV)Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)“For the word of God is alive and active.”1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV)“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”1 John 2:14 (NIV)“I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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A Meditation to Imagine God’s Word Speaking the Spirit’s Life Into You from John 6:63

16:38 | 05-07-2024

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Another Meditation to Imagine Feeding on Every Word That Comes from the Mouth of God in Matthew 4:4

14:55 | 04-30-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to stop, relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Ephesians 6:11, 17 (NIV)11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. …17 Take …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of GodOur primary weapon against the slanderer’s slander is to speak or meditate on promises/truth from God’s word.In the Gospels, when we read of the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness, in all three temptations Jesus resisted the slanderer by speaking God‘s word from Deuteronomy 6 and 8 — passages exhorting the Israelites to trust God in their wilderness experience.Matthew 4:4 (NIV)Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”This is what we’re doing in each episode of this podcast. When you meditate on the promises/truth of God’s word, you are eating the Spirit’s bread of life.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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A Meditation to Imagine Feeding on Every Word That Comes from the Mouth of God in Matthew 4:4

14:20 | 04-25-2024

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A Meditation to Imagine Peace With God in John 14:27

14:02 | 04-23-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to stop, relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Ephesians 6:11, 14-15 (NIV)11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.Putting on shoes of the gospel of peaceEphesians 6:15 (ESV)“And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”John 14:27 (NIV)“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. …Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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A Meditation to Imagine Peace With God in Hebrews 4:16

14:43 | 04-18-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to stop, relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Ephesians 6:11, 14-15 (NIV)11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.Putting on shoes of the gospel of peaceEphesians 6:15 (ESV)“And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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A Meditation to Imagine Peace With God in Romans 5:1-2

22:47 | 04-16-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to stop, relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Ephesians 6:11, 14-17 (NIV)11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.Putting on shoes of the gospel of peaceEphesians 6:15 (ESV)“And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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Another Meditation to Imagine What Trust Looks Like in Isaiah 26:3-4

17:35 | 04-11-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to stop, relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS infinitely 100% present with you and intimately focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” and “Trust in the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective tension with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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A Meditation to Imagine What Trust Looks Like in Isaiah 26:3-4

18:24 | 04-09-2024

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to stop, relax, refocus, and re-narrate your life. I’m Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God’s presence through biblically guided imagination. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.Ephesians 6:11-13, 16 NIV“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground… Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”Romans 8:23-24 NIV“…The redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.”Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

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