ToddTalks--Spirit By Design: Your Weekly Survival Guide

Hosted by Todd Andrewsen

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207

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

ToddTalks--Spirit By Design is for those of you who desire to increase your spiritual wellness, utilize spiritual gifts, and overcome spiritual obstacles. If you struggle to maintain your spirituality, your beliefs, your testimony, in this chaotic world, come listen in and learn some things that can change your life. Maybe you can't make it to church due to your responsibilities whatever they may be. Maybe you struggle with your Testimony or beliefs and are looking for help. Maybe you just need someone to give you ideas on how to build and strengthen your faith. This podcast is to help you design your spiritual life. Spirit by Design means you are in charge of your life. You surrender it to God and allow him to help you design the life you desire. By developing and strengthening your spiritual side, you will find peace, joy and serenity in this chaotic world that is only getting worse.

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60 recent

August 19, 2026Episode 4122 min

Personal Revelation - God Teaches You How To Think With Him

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever second-guessed a prompting, you’re not alone. We get honest about what personal revelation actually feels like when it shows up in normal life: a thought that lands with quiet clarity, a feeling of peace that won’t let go, or that moment when your mind and heart agree and you know you need to act. We talk about why God expects us to think, not outsource our agency to algorithms, anxiety, or anyone else. The pattern is simple but demanding: study things out, pray, ask, listen, then act. Along the way we connect scriptures and modern counsel, including Doctrine and Covenants 8 on revelation in the mind and heart, Joseph Smith’s James 1:5 question, and President Russell M. Nelson’s warning that we won’t be able to function in the latter days without the Holy Ghost. In a world of deepfakes, fake news, and constant noise, spiritual discernment is not optional, it’s survival. We also unpack a powerful analogy from Elder Dale G. Renlund: revelation works within a framework, like aviation. Inside the laws, you can safely use incredible capability; outside the framework, you crash and burn. That framework includes scripture study, prayer, covenants, and stewardship. And we push on the practical challenge many of us face: getting quiet enough to hear God. Stillness, reflection, and even meditation can create space for the Spirit of truth to guide us. If you want a clearer way to recognize promptings and trust what you receive, listen now, then share this with a friend, leave a five-star review, and follow Todd Talks Spirit by Design so you don’t miss the next episode. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

August 18, 2026Episode 4016 min

God Prepares You For A Moment Like This - Esther

Send us Fan Mail The moment you’ve been avoiding has a question attached to it: will you choose what’s right even if it costs you something? We dig into the kind of courage that doesn’t come from hype or fearlessness, but from discipleship rooted in Jesus Christ. If you’ve ever felt pressure to stay quiet, blend in, or trade conviction for comfort, this message is for you. We walk through Esther’s defining decision and Mordecai’s timeless challenge from Esther 4:14, “such a time as this.” Esther doesn’t rush in on adrenaline. She fasts, invites others to fast, seeks divine help, and then moves forward without knowing the outcome. That pattern becomes a practical roadmap for anyone trying to follow the Spirit through hard choices, especially when personal revelation feels urgent and the stakes feel real. From there, we bring courage into everyday life: standing for truth when others stay silent, refusing dishonest practices, protecting your marriage, repenting when pride wants to hide, and choosing moral cleanliness when it’s unpopular. We connect Captain Moroni’s Title of Liberty to modern covenant living, share a real story about navigating storms by instruments, and end with three simple principles that build spiritual strength over time. Subscribe for more, share this with someone who needs courage today, and leave a review with the phrase you’re choosing to live by this week. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

August 14, 2026Episode 3920 min

God’s Glory Is Intelligence - Seek to Constantly Grow Intelectually

Send us Fan Mail God’s glory isn’t wealth. It isn’t raw power. It’s intelligence, light, and truth and that single idea can change how you treat learning, creativity, and ambition as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I challenge the belief that “getting more spiritual” means caring less about education, innovation, and building meaningful things. Heaven teaches the opposite: the more we learn, the more prepared we are to become like Him and to bless His children. We dig into modern scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 93 and 88 to show why God ties spiritual strength to intellectual growth, and why “study and faith” belong together. I talk about how faith without study can become shallow, how study without faith can become prideful, and how combining both produces wisdom you can actually use in real life. I also share why creation is divine and why building, writing, inventing, and solving problems can be expressions of discipleship when your motives are righteous. From the brother of Jared proposing a solution before the miracle, to the parable of the talents warning against burying gifts, the pattern is consistent: God partners with creators. We also look at how inspired innovation has blessed the world, and why comfort and fear are often the real enemies of spiritual progress. Then I leave you with practical invitations for the week, including daily study, naming your hidden dreams, praying for a solution you can develop, and creating something that increases your capacity to serve. If this message helps you, subscribe to Todd Talk Spirit By Design, share it with a friend, and leave a five-star review so more people can find it. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

August 11, 2026Episode 3826 min

Why Strength Training and Caring For Your Body Honors Jesus Christ

Send us Fan Mail You can be deeply sincere about Jesus Christ and still slowly lose the physical capacity to serve, endure, and show up for the people you love. I’ve been thinking about that every time I walk through an airport and see how many people are worn down, hurting, and stuck in patterns that quietly steal their strength. So we’re talking about the body, not as an image project, but as stewardship and gratitude for a sacred gift. We dig into why the Restoration frames body and spirit together as the soul, and why that makes faith-based wellness more than “self-improvement.” I share how Satan often pushes us toward extremes like neglect, gluttony, addiction, self-hatred, or vanity, all of which pull Christ out of the center. Then we ground the conversation in scripture and prophetic counsel, including the idea of the body as a temple and the Word of Wisdom as a law of health and obedience that emphasizes what helps us flourish: moderation, wholesome food, wisdom, gratitude, and order. From strength training and cardio to sleep and nutrition, the big takeaway is this: discipline is a spiritual muscle. What you practice in workouts can spill into prayer, repentance, marriage, parenting, and ministry. I also use an aviation story to explain why “maintenance” creates margin, margin to recover, handle stress, help in disasters, play with grandkids, and answer the late-night call when someone needs you. If you want a simple, Christ-centered reset, I close with seven gospel principles for fitness and a seven-day prayer commitment. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review with one habit you’re working on next. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

August 7, 2026Episode 3720 min

What If Your Trial Is Shaping You? Answer - It is!!

Send us Fan Mail The hardest trials are the ones that don’t resolve on your timeline, the ones that make you whisper, “Why is this happening to me?” We sit with that question and walk straight into one of Scripture’s most intense stories: Job. Not to chase easy answers, but to learn how faith holds when life turns upside down. Job is described as spiritually mature and wholehearted, yet he loses everything in a single day. That tension breaks the myth that righteousness guarantees a storm free life. We talk about why the Book of Job is ultimately about becoming, how worship can be an act of courage when you don’t understand God’s reasons, and why the adversary’s real target is your relationship with Jesus Christ. If you’ve ever felt the lie “God has forgotten you,” this conversation names it and pushes back with something sturdier than mood or circumstance. We also get practical. Todd shares the “trust the instruments” analogy: when emotions and senses distort reality, you rely on steady spiritual instruments like scriptures, covenants, prayer, personal revelation, and prophetic guidance. We discuss Elder David A. Bednar’s piercing question about having the “faith not to be healed,” and why real discipleship can mean trusting God inside the storm, not demanding the storm disappear. Finally, we talk about comfort. Job’s friends teach a negative lesson: explanations can wound, but presence can heal. If you’re carrying grief, anxiety, depression, chronic illness, or a season of silence from heaven, come listen, then share this with someone who needs steadiness today. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what helps you keep flying by faith when you can’t see the horizon? Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

August 4, 2026Episode 3619 min

How To Use Visualization To Build An Abundant Life With Christ

Send us Fan Mail Visualization gets lumped in with “manifesting,” hustle culture, and wishful thinking, but I want to reclaim it as something much older and much holier. When we understand it correctly, visualization isn’t about trying to force the universe to hand us whatever we want. It’s about aligning our mind, heart, and actions with God’s will until our life starts to reflect what He has already promised faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. We walk through the scriptural pattern that God gives vision before He gives reality, then connect it to faith as “things not seen.” From there, we get practical about what “abundant life” really means. It’s more than money. It’s peace, joy, health, purpose, strong marriages, spiritual gifts, and wise financial stewardship that gives you power to bless others. That definition changes what we visualize: not possessions first, but becoming the kind of disciple who can be trusted with more. We also bring in neuroscience and elite performance: athletes, pilots, and emergency training show how mental rehearsal prepares you for pressure before it arrives. Spiritually, that’s prayer, temple worship, scripture study, and covenants training our instincts so we don’t invent faith in a crisis, we rely on the faith we’ve practiced. We close with a simple daily exercise and one hard question that keeps it real: after you visualize, what’s the next faithful step you’ll take today? Subscribe for more faith-centered tools, share this with someone who needs a clearer path forward, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What is one specific Christlike action you’re choosing today? Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

July 31, 2026Episode 3526 min

Servant Leadership That Actually Changes People - Leadership part 3

Send us Fan Mail Leadership can look impressive and still be hollow. We’re digging into a sharper standard: the real measure of a leader isn’t how many people know your name, it’s how many people come closer to Jesus Christ because they’ve come to know you. I walk through the final part of a leadership series by putting two kings side by side: Rehoboam and King Benjamin. They both inherit authority and speak to their people, but they produce opposite outcomes. Rehoboam leans on pride, control, and heavier burdens. King Benjamin leads through sacrifice, stewardship, and a relentless habit of redirecting praise upward to God. Along the way we unpack Mosiah 2, including the practical power of “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God,” and why gratitude is one of heaven’s strongest safeguards against pride. Then we bring it home with everyday, practical servant leadership: parenting that helps children believe, marriage built on serving without keeping score, and workplace leadership that protects and lifts instead of demanding. The daily question becomes personal: which king rules your heart today, pride or humility, proving yourself or improving yourself? If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who leads in any way, and leave a review so more people can find the message. What’s one burden you can lighten for someone this week? Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

July 28, 2026Episode 3420 min

What If Leadership Isn’t About Power At All - Leadership Part 2

Send us Fan Mail If leadership is “getting people to do what you want,” you can win a lot of battles and still lose your kingdom. We pick up part two of our leadership series with a hard contrast: Rehoboam’s power-driven instincts versus the Savior’s Christlike model of service, influence, and love. The world calls the person with the most authority “great.” Jesus teaches that the greatest leader is the one who carries others. We walk through why Jesus was misunderstood from the beginning, not born into status, not surrounded by elites, and not riding in as a conquering king. Then we sit with one of the most confronting leadership moments in scripture: the Last Supper. No speeches, no spotlight, just a towel, a basin, and the Lord of heaven kneeling to wash feet, even Judas’. That single scene shows what servant leadership really means when people don’t “deserve it,” when nobody is clapping, and when love is the point. From there, we get practical. Christlike leadership begins with seeing people, not counting them. We talk about distraction, phones, airports, and the way modern life trains us to miss the souls right in front of us. Using the idea of situational awareness from aviation, we explore spiritual awareness: noticing who in your family feels discouraged, who in your quorum feels forgotten, and who in your neighborhood is carrying grief you can’t see. We also draw a clean line between authority and influence. Authority can force results fast, but influence changes hearts over time and that’s what discipleship requires. We close with a self-audit that hits home: Do people feel lighter after being with me? Do I listen more than I lecture? Do I correct with patience or frustration? If Jesus were leading my home, my calling, my workplace, what would he do differently? Subscribe, share this with a leader you love, and leave a review with the question that challenged you most. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

July 24, 2026Episode 3324 min

The Cost Of Not Listening - Leadership Part 1

Send us Fan Mail One stubborn moment can undo years of trust, and Rehoboam proves it. He inherits the greatest advantages imaginable as Solomon’s son, yet he manages to fracture Israel because he won’t listen. We unpack how that kind of leadership failure doesn’t stay in ancient scripture; it shows up today in homes, marriages, friendships, church leadership, and even the way we govern our own emotions. We start with a simple leadership request from the people: lighten our burdens and we will serve. Then we follow Rehoboam through a choice that feels familiar: he seeks counsel, but he only accepts the advice that feeds his ego. From there, we dig into servant leadership and spiritual leadership, why pride often disguises itself as confidence, and how selective listening can quietly sabotage your influence. If you’ve ever felt the urge to prove you’re “in charge,” this conversation gives language for what’s happening under the surface. From Christ’s teachings on greatness to His personal example of serving, we look at what real strength looks like: humility, meekness, charity, wisdom, and staying teachable through revelation. We also contrast Rehoboam with King Benjamin, who earns trust through labor and service and teaches that serving others is serving God. You’ll leave with a set of questions to pray through before major decisions and a clear challenge for the week: stop trying to control one “kingdom” in your life and start looking for a way to lift it. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a five-star review so more people can build a stronger spiritual life and become better servant leaders. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig

July 21, 2026Episode 3218 min

If You Stop Learning, You Start Losing

Send us Fan Mail One sentence can fracture a family, a team, or an entire kingdom. That’s why I’m leaning into a hard leadership lesson from the Old Testament: Rehoboam had a crown, resources, and a legendary father, yet he “forsook the counsel” that could have saved his people and his legacy. I use his story to talk about the kind of leadership that actually keeps your life from falling apart when pressure hits. For me, the hinge is teachability. Real spiritual leadership starts when I let Jesus Christ influence me first, and that takes humility. We talk about how continuous revelation only works when I stay open to correction, how confidence can masquerade as inspiration, and why the moment I think I’ve arrived is often the moment my growth slows down. I also contrast stubbornness with gospel courage: the courage to repent, apologize, forgive, and change direction when the Lord shows me I’m standing in the wrong place. To make it practical, I share an aviation picture I love: we don’t wait until we’re miles off course to correct, we make constant small adjustments and deviate around known danger. Then I close with a servant leadership challenge modeled by King Benjamin and perfected by Jesus Christ: choose one relationship that matters and ask, “How can I serve more?” If you find this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend who leads, and leave a review with the one question you’re taking into this week. Support the show You can reach me anytime at email: tandrewsen.monat@gmail.com Instagram @toddtalks_ig