Keep the Heart

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "Blind Spots in Life" reminds us that there are some hazards that we may not be able to see without help. Have you ever almost side-swiped a car because they were in your blind spot? When new cars added the Blind Spot Warning system to vehicles, it really helped drivers to know when someone was in that zone. The system detects vehicles in the blind spot while driving and notifies the driver to their presence. Some systems provide...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! The 15th of every month could be nicknamed "Watch your mouth." Seven verses out of 33 are about the way we speak to each other. Are you a person who "has no filter"?  Get a filter. It's better for relationships when we are thoughtful with our words. "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!" (Proverbs 15:23) Apply: Living What We Learn-A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital T...

Proverbs 4:23 says to "keep" (guard) the heart, and viewing this as optional can make life harder. Things that affect our hearts affect us physically and spiritually. This episode covers three reasons why there is value in guarding our hearts. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23) Apply: Living What We Learn-A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor Peace Beyond Panic: A Heavenly Perspective on Anxiety and Depression by Dr. John W. Vaprezsan <...

TEACHBACK TUESDAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KATHY ASHLEY When Kathy Ashley heart about "AI," those letters brought two different words to her mind. Not "artificial intelligence," but Arrogance and Ignorance. This is the kind of AI that leads to an artificial inflation of self, and it's hazardous to our spiritual health. Arrogance is pride on steroids. When you mix arrogance with ignorance, this creates a puffed up conceit that is deceptive. We can become our own worst enemies when we're infected with the dynamic duo of arrogance and ignorance. The antidote to this infection is...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a daily chapter of Proverbs. This habit has the potential to increase your wisdom and understanding, especially if you will apply what you're hearing and reading. Here's a verse for the week: "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." (Proverbs 25:11) When we choose our words with good intentions, our words become effective relationship-building tools. Use words to communicate, not as weapons. Apply: Living What We Learn-A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor ...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we replay the most popular episodes from previous seasons. Have you ever gotten into an argument with a stranger? It's an enormous drain on the emotions, and often ends poorly. Most of all, it's sure not a great advertisement for Christianity. We need to be careful in this generation, because we’re always on duty as ambassadors for Christ. If you go toe-to-toe with someone, trying to have the last word while matching wits, you could come out the loser while losing an opportunity to represent Christ. God didn’t call...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! Proverbs chapter 11 is loaded with instructions on how to live in a way that pleases God. Righteousness is blessed by God. In contrast, wickedness leads to destruction. We don't use terms like "righteousness" or "wickedness" in everyday speech, but these are two polar opposites that happen daily. Righteousness is living in accordance with God's Word. Wickedness moves us away from walking with God, trading godliness for evil practices. Here's a verse to remind us of the contrast: "The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way...

I am personally familiar with flashbacks, and until I came to Christ, I did not know how to handle the torment these experiences would bring. The flashbacks from my childhood were related to the passing of my Dad when I was 10. In my teen years, I survived an attempted assault by a person I should have been able to trust. Both of those events happened before I was born again. Learning how God uses His Word to help us rescued me from years of torment. I finally found the help I needed. God’s Word is a bo...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit. In five minutes or less, you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs, gaining wisdom while spending time in God's Word. There is no substitute for biblical wisdom. As you listen and apply the principles of these practical chapters, you will notice that the way you handle challenges improves over time. Here's a great verse for the week, reminding us that we want the kind of "influencers" who will speak the truth in love: "He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth...

Welcome to Soundbites: Topics that are scripturally sound in bite-sized episodes. This week's topic: Anger. Are you angry with someone right now? The strong emotions and reactions that come with anger can get us into trouble. Being angry is not a sin by itself, but the way we express that anger can easily become sinful and harmful. This brief study will give us biblical patterns to follow, helping us to improve in our responses. Anger makes a really poor parking spot for the soul. Don't stay there. Forgiveness is more than an option; it's biblical. (Rebroadcast f...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can read along to an audio chapter of Proverbs. Be sure to visit the entire Proverbs audio library HERE to access all 31 chapters. Here's a verse from Proverbs 14 that serves as a relationship preservative: "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly." (Proverbs 14:29) Learning how to control our tempers is related to the character qualities found in the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we replay the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "When We Don't Want to Forgive," is meant to help anyone struggling with the tough task of forgiveness. Sometimes we feel that people simply do not deserve to be forgiven. We are not the first ones to feel this way. Consider this passage from Matthew 18:21-22: "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! No matter how many times you read or listen to a chapter of Proverbs, you will continue to notice things that you didn't catch before. This book is a bottomless treasure chest of wisdom, and we need endless wisdom to navigate the issues of life. Proverbs 30:32-33 is an example of verses that will help us to avoid creating new problems in our relationships with others: "If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. Surely...

It’s easy to point out the flaws and faults of others. What’s harder is to see our own imperfections. The Bible has an example of this in the account of the scribes and Pharisees in John chapter 8. They brought a woman to Jesus with an accusation of adultery, and Jesus exposed their hypocrisy in a single sentence: "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7) Hypocrisy is stone throwing while not want...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Reading Proverbs has so many benefits: drawing us closer to God, teaching us how to be better at relationships, helping us with principles of money management, child training, and more! Wisdom makes life better, and you are gaining wisdom as you Build Your Bible Habit! If you are looking for a helpful devotional to add to your collection, Apply: Living What We Learn will give you practical examples in for form of mini-devotions coupled with...

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "Don't Follow Your Heart" is from our first season in 2021, and it received thousands of downloads. There were many listeners who wanted to know why following their heart was not a good idea. "Follow your heart" is the motto of the times, but popular is not always principled. Proverbs 28:26 warns us that "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." Play foolish games, win foolish prizes. This episode will cover...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Proverbs are wisdom-building tools given to us by God so that we would know how to handle the issues of life. We don't have to make things up as we go along. We've got a spiritual GPS: "God's Positioning System" found in His Word.  Proverbs 2:6 is an inspiring verse for your week, proving that God gives us wisdom: "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:) NEW: P...

Welcome to this special interview episode with Dr John Vaprezsan, author of “Peace Beyond Panic: A Heavenly Perspective on Anxiety and Depression.” Dr. Vaprezsan shares the story of his own experiences with both panic attacks and depression, along with helpful insights and observations. When Dr. Vaprezsan heard the words, “You’ve had a panic attack,” it shocked him, but he didn’t let that stop him. God used it as a vehicle to learn more about this and other related conditions associated with anxiety and depression. These studies, along with years of preaching and teaching on the topics, led...

Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit. There is no substitute for the wisdom we gain from the Word of God. When we don't know what to do or how to handle a situation, God knows and He can direct us through scripture. Biblical principles are not just for reading. They are meant to be applied to daily living. Here's a great verse to apply for this week: "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good." (Proverbs 19:8) Get wisdom. It's the way to love your own soul. <...

Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! This episode had thousands of downloads in Season One. There must be a reason for that! Perhaps it's partly because we all have this human tendency to be argumentative, challenging, and even quarrelsome at times. If you had a chance to catch Contentious Relationships in 2021, this will be a refresher, but if you're new to Keep the Heart, this will give you some things to carefully consider in how you're interacting with others. Are there certain things that just easily set you off? If so, you'll find that these irritants often lead to dis...