Hearing Jesus: Daily Bible Study, Christian Affirmations, Hearing God, Prayer, Holy Spirit, Daily Devotional

Why Did Jesus Walk Away From a Crown?

This episode is part of Bible Study 101, a short series teaching a method Rachael calls the color method. The idea is simple. You take one passage, and instead of reading it once and moving on, you go through it several times marking different things in different colors. Each color answers a different question, and by the end you can see things on the page that you'd never catch reading at normal speed.

This week the passage is John 6:1-15, the feeding of the five thousand. Today's color is red, and red marks the action words. Once the whole passage is covered in red, you can go back and ask a question that changes how the story reads: who is actually doing all of this? The answer is that Jesus starts every single thing, and everyone else responds. Which makes the very last verse land differently, because it's the one moment the crowd tries to move first.

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Chapters

0:00 Where we are in the series

0:30 Red is the color people overthink

0:59 What counts as an action word

1:56 The picture test

2:50 Reading John 6:1-15

4:46 Marking the passage verse by verse

5:16 When a word needs more than one color

7:45 The words that could go either way

8:14 Repetition is not an accident

8:42 Verse 11, and why John slows down

10:20 The last action in the passage

10:45 What all that red tells you about the kind of writing you're in

12:09 Why verse 11 is the center of gravity

12:38 Now go back and look at who is acting

13:31 Jesus initiates. Everyone else responds.

14:32 Verse 15 and the crown

16:11 Prayer

17:22 Homework

What is the color method?

It's a way of studying the Bible that Rachael developed years ago while teaching sixth and seventh graders who had never been shown how to read Scripture for themselves. She later published it in her first book, She Hears.

You take a short passage, ten to fifteen verses, and you mark it with colored pencils or highlighters. Each color stands for one question. Green marks the who, meaning every name, title, and pronoun. Blue marks the supernatural, the things only God could have done. Red marks the action words. There are three more colors coming later in the week.

The point isn't the colors. The point is that you can't put a color on a word without making a decision about that word, and you can't make a decision without slowing down enough to actually read. Most of us skim familiar passages without realizing it. This makes skimming impossible.

What passage are we in?

John 6:1-15, the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus is followed by a large crowd, He asks Philip where they'll buy bread, Andrew finds a boy with five loaves and two fish, and Jesus feeds thousands of people with it. The passage ends with the crowd trying to make Him king.

We're spending the whole week in these fifteen verses, adding one color a day.

What does red mark in the color method?

Red marks the action words. The verbs.

But red is the color people overthink, so use the picture test. Could you watch this happen? Would it show up on a video? Running, walking, sitting, healing, handing something to someone. If you can see it happening, mark it.

Technically words like is, was, and had are verbs too. You can't picture "was," so leave it alone. You can picture "sat down," so mark it. That's the whole rule.

What if a word needs more than one color?

Mark it twice. In verse 2, the word "healing" is red because it's an action, and it's also blue because healing is something only God can do. That overlap happens constantly, and it's telling you something. God is active, so the things only He can do tend to also be things He is doing.

Some words could go either way. In verse 9, "how far will they go" is about food stretching rather than a person moving. Rachael would probably mark it. You might not. There's no wrong answer.

What does repetition in Scripture mean?

It's not an accident.

Look at verse 10. Jesus said, have the people sit down, and then they sat down. Same action twice, once as the instruction and once as it happens. The writer had a reason for including both.

You often can't see repetition until you've marked it. Once it's in color on the page, it jumps out.

Why does John slow down in verse 11?

Because he's pointing at something.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.

Took. Gave thanks. Distributed. Three deliberate movements in a row, each one named separately. John could have written "Jesus fed them" and moved on. He didn't.

When a writer slows down like that, pay attention. Verse 11 is also the verse with the most blue in it, which makes it the center of gravity for the whole passage.

How can you tell what kind of writing a Bible passage is?

Look at how much red is on the page.

This passage is covered in it. People cross water, climb a hill, sit down, eat, gather, leave. Things happen in sequence. That's a historical narrative, a story about events that took place.

Now compare that to a passage in Romans, where Paul is building an argument. You would find almost no red at all, because nobody is doing anything. They're thinking. Poetry looks different again, and so does law.

So red is one of the fastest ways to identify what kind of text you're holding, and you don't need a study Bible or a class to do it.

Who is actually doing the actions in John 6?

Go back through and track it.

Verse 1, Jesus crossed. Verse 3, Jesus went up and sat down. Verse 5, Jesus looked up, saw, said. Verse 6, Jesus asked. Verse 10, Jesus said. Verse 11, Jesus took, gave thanks, distributed. Verse 12, Jesus said. Verse 15, Jesus withdrew.

Now everyone else. The crowd followed, saw, sat down, ate. Philip answered. Andrew spoke up. The disciples gathered and filled.

Jesus initiates. Everyone else responds. He moves and people follow. He speaks and people sit. He gives and people eat. He asks a question and Philip answers. Nobody in this entire passage does anything that Jesus didn't start first.

That's not something you catch reading at speed. You see it when the actions are marked and you go back and ask who is doing them.

Why did Jesus walk away when they wanted to make Him king?

Look at verse 15, the last action in the passage. Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Hold that against everything else you just marked. Fifteen verses of Jesus initiating. He crosses, He climbs, He asks, He takes, He gives. And the one moment the crowd tries to initiate something, He leaves.

They had just been fed. They had just called Him the Prophet who is to come into the world, and they weren't wrong about who He is. But what they wanted to do next was put a crown on Him by force, and He wanted no part of that. They were looking for a king who would deal with Rome and keep the bread coming.

That last action tells you something about the distance between what people wanted from Jesus and what He actually came to do. John ends the passage right there on purpose.

FAQ

Do I need to have heard the earlier episodes? No. This one explains what it needs to. If you want the full method from the beginning, start at the episode on writing in your Bible.

What do I need to follow along? A Bible or a printed copy of John 6:1-15 that you're comfortable marking, and something red. You can print the passage free at Bible Gateway.

Do I need special supplies? No. Colored pencils from a kid's school supply drawer work fine. Wax Bible highlighters are nice because they don't bleed through, but a pencil gets you most of the way there.

Am I going to have to remember grammar rules? No. Use the picture test. If you can watch it happen, it's red.

What if I'm marking different words than Rachael? That's fine. Some words genuinely go either way, and God shows different things to different people from the same text.

Can I pause the episode? Yes, and you should. There's no race and nothing is being graded.

What's the homework? Pray and ask God to show you something you haven't seen before. Then go back through the actions you marked and count how many of them Jesus does.

What's next? Purple, and there's a phrase in this passage we've been walking past all week that changes how the whole thing reads.

Where can I go deeper on the color method? She Hears, available on Amazon, teaches it over six weeks through the stories of six women in the Gospels. All the Scripture is printed in the workbook, so you don't have to write in your Bible if you'd rather not.
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Friday: I Will Not Fear: Daily Affirmations, Christian
Affirmations, Biblical Affirmations, Affirmations

End your week anchored in peace and presence. This episode invites
listeners to release their burdens and find rest in God’s care. With each
affirmation and verse, you’re reminded that you’re not alone—God’s strength, love, and renewal are available right where you are. It’s time to stop striving and start resting in His goodness.

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Affirmations for rest, renewal, and surrender:

The week is ending, and as we step into the weekend, let’s take a
moment to breathe. Release our burdens and rest in God’s presence. We’re not
meant to carry everything ourselves. God calls us to lay our worries at His
feet and find renewal in Him.



Repeat after me, then listen to the Bible verse.



I release my worries and trust God to handle what I cannot.

1 Peter 5:7



God’s peace fills my heart and I rest in His presence.

Matthew 11:28



I am not defined by my mistakes. God’s grace is greater than my
failures.

Lamentations 3:22–23



I let go of the need to control everything and surrender to God’s
perfect plan.

Proverbs 3:5–6



I am deeply loved by God and nothing can separate me from His love.

Romans 8:38–39



God refreshes my soul and renews my strength.

Isaiah 40:31



I will be fully present today, trusting that God holds tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34



My body, mind, and spirit find rest in God alone.

Psalm 62:1



I let go of striving and choose to rest in God’s love.

Zephaniah 3:17



I step into the weekend with joy, knowing that God is in control.

Psalm 118:24



God’s presence is my safe place.

Psalm 91:1



I am fully
known and fully loved by God.

Psalm 139:1–2



I will not let stress steal my peace today.

Philippians 4:6–7



God is my refuge and I am safe in His hands.

Psalm 46:1



I do not need to have all the answers. I trust God.

Romans 11:33



God is fighting my battles and I can rest in His victory.

Exodus 14:14



I will not
fear because God is with me.

Isaiah 41:13



I am held together by God’s love even when life feels overwhelming.

Colossians 1:17



God’s goodness and mercy follow me every day.

Psalm 23:6



I will not carry burdens that God has already taken from me.

Matthew 11:29–30



I am at peace because God is in control.

Isaiah 26:3



I trust in God’s timing even when I don’t understand.

Ecclesiastes 3:11



I will lay down my burdens and take on God’s.

Psalm 4:8



I am never alone for God is always with me.

Deuteronomy 31:6



No matter what happens today, God is still good.

Nahum 1:7



Closing Prayer:

Father, as this week comes to an end, I lay my burdens at Your
feet. Help me to release my worries, rest in Your peace, and trust You with
everything I cannot control. Refresh my heart and renew my spirit so I can step into the weekend with joy. In Jesus’ name, amen.



I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to
go deeper, just keep listening. Your full Bible study episode is coming up
next.



#ChristianPodcast #DailyAffirmations
#FaithOverFear #BiblicalTruth #MorningDevotions #RenewYourMind
#HearingJesusPodcast

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Does God Still Do Miracles? | Bible Study 101

Blue day, and it's Rachael's favorite. Blue marks the supernatural, the
things only God could have done, and the test is simple: could a person have
pulled this off on their own? When you mark John 6:1-15 that way, the blue
doesn't spread evenly. It clusters. The longest stretch of dialogue in the
whole passage, where Philip and Andrew are running the numbers, stays
completely white. Green told you this passage is about Jesus. Blue tells you
why. The episode closes with a story from Malawi that Rachael watched happen with her own budget in her own team.

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Chapters

0:00 Picking up where we left off

0:29 What blue marks, and why it's the favorite

0:57 One page, or a fresh page each day

1:54 Why familiarity wears the edges off these stories

3:23 What actually counts as supernatural

4:50 When two colors land on the same word

6:18 Reading John 6:1-15

8:40 Marking the passage verse by verse

9:39 Why John calls them signs and not miracles

10:37 The verse most of us read straight past

12:33 How John describes the miracle itself

13:34 As much as they wanted

14:40 Step back and look at where the blue clusters

15:31 Green told you who. Blue tells you why.

16:57 What is this sign pointing at?

17:30 Took, gave thanks, broke, gave

18:13 Prayer

18:44 The day 1,800 children showed up in Malawi

21:19 God does not change

22:12 Homework

What does blue mark in the color method?

Blue marks the supernatural. The things only God can do.

The test is one question: could a person have done this on their own? If
the answer is yes, leave it alone. If the answer is no, mark it blue.

That covers the obvious things like miracles, healing, calming, raising.
But it's broader than that. Mark it when God speaks. Mark it when someone knows something they could not have known unless the Holy Spirit told them. Mark it when sin is forgiven, because nobody else can do that. Mark it when angels show up, or when a dream or a vision carries a message.

Why does John call them signs instead of miracles?

Because a sign points to something past itself.

John doesn't usually call these events miracles or works of power the way
the other Gospel writers do. He calls them signs, and that's deliberate. He's
telling you from the start that what's happening here means something beyond the event itself.

So the feeding was never mainly about lunch. Hold that question through
the rest of the week: what is this sign pointing at?

Which verse do most people miss?

Verse 6. He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind
what he was going to do.

That's blue, and it's easy to skip because nothing dramatic happens in
it. But Jesus knows the outcome before anything occurs. He's standing there
asking Philip a question He already has the answer to. That's knowledge no
person has, and John slips it in without any fanfare.

It's the kind of thing you only catch when you've slowed down enough to
ask whether a human could have done it.

How does John describe the miracle?

Almost casually, which is the striking part.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who
were seated as much as they wanted.

There's no visible moment where the bread multiplies. No clouds cracking
open, no angels, no drama. He took it, He gave thanks for it, He handed it out,
and there was enough. John doesn't even call it a miracle. He just tells you
the result.

And notice the result. As much as they wanted. Not one slice each. Not
barely enough to get by. That tells you something about how God provides.

Where does the blue land on the page?

Not evenly. Blue clusters.

There's a bit in verse 2, a clause in verse 6, and then it's heavily
concentrated in verse 11. Now look at what surrounds it. Verses 7 through 9 are the longest stretch of dialogue in the whole passage, and they're almost
entirely white. That's Philip running the numbers and Andrew finding the boy, two men doing their honest best and coming up short.

That's the whole point. Everything in this story that mattered, Jesus
did. The disciples participated. They seated people, they handed out food,
they gathered the leftovers, and that's real work that God invited them into.
But the thing that made any of it possible, none of them did.

Green told you this passage is about Jesus. Blue tells you why.

Does God still do miracles today?

Rachael says yes, and she tells a story to explain why she's confident
about it.

While she was doing international development work in orphan care, her
Malawi team planned a village program right after pandemic restrictions lifted. Staff canvassed the area and estimated around 700 children. They planned for 800 and loaded supplies for a thousand. Snacks, juice, prizes, everything. Eighteen hundred children came.

And there was enough for every one of them. Her staff member Francisco,
the man who physically packed the truck, told her afterward that she didn't
understand. She did understand. She'd approved the budget. She knew what had been purchased and what had gone on that truck.

Her point isn't the story itself. It's this: even people who don't
believe in present day healing or miracles will agree that God does not change. So when we read about Him working in signs and wonders throughout Scripture, and then quietly assume none of that applies now, something isn't lining up.

Something to sit with before tomorrow

Look again at what Jesus does in verse 11. He takes bread. He gives
thanks. He breaks it. He gives it out.

That sequence should sound familiar. Don't rush it. Just notice it.

FAQ

What do I need today? Your marked page from yesterday and something blue.

What if a word needs two colors? Mark it twice. That happens constantly, especially tomorrow with red,
since most of what God does is also an action. Two colors on one word helps you understand. Sometimes Rachael colors half a word in each.

Should I use one page all week or a fresh page each day? Either. She Hears gives you a fresh printed page per day. Rachael personally keeps everything on one page, notes in the margins and all, because she wants to see the colors working together by the end of the week.

Should I use the same translation every day? Rachael reads NIV for this series. In She Hears she uses a different version each day, which can open up something new. You can print any version free at Bible Gateway if you want to try it.

What's the homework? Pray and ask God to show you something new. Sit with the idea that God math is different from people math, and think about a time in your own life when the numbers didn't work and He showed up anyway.

What's tomorrow? Red. Bring something red to write with.

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Thursday: I Walk In The Spirit: Daily Affirmations, Christian Affirmations, Biblical Affirmations, Affirmations

You were created on purpose—for a purpose. In this episode of Daily
Affirmations, we focus on walking with intention, clarity, and wisdom, grounded in God’s truth. Whether you’re questioning your calling or navigating a new season, these affirmations help you trust God’s plan, listen for His guidance, and move forward with boldness.

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God created you for a reason. Your life is not an accident, and
your steps are not random. He has a plan for you—a purpose that brings glory to Him and fulfillment to your heart.



As you listen to these affirmations, let them remind you that God is leading, guiding, and equipping you for everything He has called you to do.

I’ll say the affirmation, pause so you can repeat it after me, and
then share the Scripture reference it’s based on.



Affirmations and Scriptures:



God has a purpose for my life and I walk in His plan.

Jeremiah 29:11



I trust in the Lord to guide my steps.

Proverbs 3:5–6



I seek wisdom, and God gives it freely.

James 1:5



God is directing my steps and I do not walk alone.

Psalm 37:23



I am a light in this world, shining for Christ.

Matthew 5:14



God has prepared good works for me to do today.

Ephesians 2:10



I am equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:17



I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8



I will walk in faith, not in fear.

2 Timothy 1:7



God’s Word lights my path.

Psalm 119:105



I choose obedience, knowing God’s ways are best.

Deuteronomy 5:33



I live with purpose and do not waste my time.

Ephesians 5:15–16



I am called to make an impact for God’s Kingdom.

Matthew 28:19–20



I have the
mind of Christ and seek His wisdom daily.

1 Corinthians 2:16



I am a vessel for God’s work.

2 Corinthians 4:7



I will not grow weary in doing good.

Galatians 6:9



God’s purpose for me cannot be stopped.

Job 42:2



I do everything for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:23



God is using my life to accomplish His plan.

Romans 8:28



I am bold in sharing the gospel.

Romans 1:16



I walk in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25



I remain
steadfast in my calling.

1 Corinthians 15:58



God will finish the work He started in me.

Philippians 1:6



I live with an eternal perspective.

Colossians 3:2



I press forward in my faith, knowing my reward is in Heaven.

Philippians 3:13–14



Closing Prayer:

Father, thank You for calling me to a life of purpose. Help me
to walk in wisdom today, seeking You in all I do. Give me clarity where I need
direction, courage where I need boldness, and a heart that is always ready to
serve You. Let my life bring You glory.



In Jesus’ name, amen.



I hope these affirmations spoke to your heart today. If you want to
go deeper, just keep listening—your full Bible study episode is coming up next.

Listen daily and start your morning with God’s truth so you can
walk in faith, clarity, and confidence.





#ChristianPodcast #DailyAffirmations
#FaithOverFear #BiblicalTruth #MorningDevotions #RenewYourMind
#HearingJesusPodcast


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Is the Feeding of the 5,000 About the Boy? | Bible Study 101

Today the color method actually starts. One color, one question: who is
this passage about? You'll mark every name, every title, and every pronoun in John 6:1-15 in green, and by the end you'll be looking at something most of us have never seen laid out visually. The boy with the loaves and fish, the one
we've heard entire sermons about, gets exactly one mark. Jesus is in nearly
every verse. Rachael walks the passage verse by verse so you can do it
alongside her.

Links

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Jointhe newsletter

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Chapters

0:00 Moving from the why to the how

0:59 What you need in front of you today

1:28 Why we always start with the who

2:19 What gets marked in green

3:14 What if my whole page turns green?

4:34 Why pronouns carry more than you think

6:22 A bonus habit: draw a line back

7:20 Reading John 6:1-15

9:44 A note about your translation

10:46 Do this before you read your study Bible notes

11:44 Why Rachael uses a separate Bible for this

13:35 Marking the passage verse by verse

20:19 Now sit back and look at your page

21:45 The boy in verse 9

23:49 The title in verse 14, and what the crowd wanted

25:44 Prayer

What does green mark in the color method?

Green marks the who. Every name, every title, and every pronoun that
refers to a person.

So in John 6 that means Jesus, God, the Lord, but also Philip, Andrew,
the disciples, the crowd, the boy. And it means all the pronouns attached to
them. He, she, them, we, you, I.

Yes, that's a lot of marking. On some passages your page will be almost
entirely green, and that's fine. That's information, not a problem. It's
telling you something about the passage.

Why does marking pronouns matter?

Because pronouns carry meaning we skip right past.

Here's a sentence in plain English: he gave it to him because he asked
for it. If you're not paying attention, you might read that as one person.
It's two. All three pronouns are masculine, and you have to slow down to sort
out who is who.

Scripture is full of this. In a single paragraph Paul can be referring to
God, to Jesus, to himself, and to the church he's writing to, all through
pronouns. If you build this muscle on an easy narrative passage now, the
letters get significantly easier later.

There's a bonus habit worth picking up. When you hit a pronoun and you
don't immediately know who it points to, go back and find out, then draw a
small line or arrow connecting them. It forces you to make a decision instead
of assuming you know. Rachael has been doing this for years and still gets
tripped up and has to work backward three or four verses.

Watch out for pronouns that aren't people

Verse 9 has a trap in it. Here is a boy with five small barley loaves
and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?

That "they" is not people. It's the loaves and the fish. So it
doesn't get marked.

Verse 13 does the same thing. So they gathered them and filled twelve
baskets. The "they" is the disciples, so that's green. The
"them" is the leftover pieces, so it isn't.

That's exactly the kind of thing you never catch at reading speed.

Is the story of the five loaves and two fish about the boy?

No, and the green makes that impossible to miss.

Look at what actually happens with that boy. He appears in verse 9 and
nowhere else. He has no name. He never speaks. He's introduced by Andrew inside a sentence whose whole point is how far his lunch is from being enough. Then he's gone, and he isn't mentioned again in the remaining six verses.

Now think about how you've heard this story taught. Most of us have sat
through entire sermons about that boy. His generosity. His obedience. Give
Jesus your little and watch Him multiply it. And there's truth in that, Rachael
isn't denying it.

But look at the page. That boy is one green mark out of dozens, and he
shows up as a detail inside someone else's sentence. Meanwhile Jesus is in
almost every verse, and in most of them He's the one doing something.

This is what it looks like when the thing we've been saying all series
stops being theory. The people in Scripture are not the model. Now you can see
it in proportion, right there in front of you.

Should I read my study Bible notes first?

Do the color method first, then read the notes.

Rachael isn't telling you to skip commentary. She uses study Bible
dictionaries and encyclopedias constantly when she's preparing to teach. But the order matters. When you read the commentator's take before you've looked at the text yourself, your heart closes off a little to what the Holy Spirit wants to show you.

So let Him reveal what He wants to reveal first. Then go back and use the
notes as evidence, to check whether you're on the right track.

What if my translation is different from Rachael's?

She's reading NIV in this episode. If you're in the NLT or the ESV or
something else, your wording and your pronouns may not match hers exactly.
That's normal, and it means you'll need to pay attention rather than just
copying her marks. It's also good practice.

Two more things to notice

In verse 5, Jesus asks Philip, Where shall we buy bread for these
people to eat? Not where shall you buy bread. We. Worth drawing a line and
making a note.

And in verse 14, the crowd hands Jesus a title. Surely this is the
Prophet who is to come into the world. Then verse 15 tells you what they
wanted to do with Him, which was make Him king by force. There's something in this passage about the gap between what the crowd wanted Jesus to be and what He actually came to do, and the green is where you first start to see it.

FAQ

What do I need for today? Your Bible or a printout of John 6:1-15, and something green.

What if my page ends up completely green? That's fine. Not every color shows up in every passage, and in this one green is heavy. It's information.

Can I pause and do it myself first? Yes, and Rachael encourages it. Pause, mark the passage on your own, then come back and compare.

What's the homework? Go back over your page and make sure you caught them all. Pray and ask God to show you what He wants to say through this. Send a SpeakPipe with what you noticed. And don't add any other colors yet.

What's tomorrow? Blue. It's Rachael's favorite, and she'll explain why.

Is there a workbook version? She Hears, on Amazon, teaches this over six weeks. All the Scripture is printed in the workbook, so if you'd rather not write in your Bible at all, that solves it.

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