Keep the Heart

Build Your Bible Habit~Proverbs Chapter 17

May 11th, 2022

BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 17 on Build Your Bible Habit. There are plenty of relationship instructions woven into this chapter. Verse nine reminds us not to go around telling others how someone else hurt us, while verse 14 clearly states that conflicts always have a telltale beginning, signaling us to avoid making matters worse. This chapter is like a combination of recipes and roadmaps.

You are in the process of developing a valuable life habit. Daily Bible reading leads to increased Bible study by design. God draws us deeper into His Word and before we know it, our relationship with God has grown and become so much more real. Personal relationships are bound to grow when we’re spending more time together. Time in God’s Word is the same as time spent with God, because He is the Word. Our reminder verse for this week is found in Proverbs 17:1, which says this: "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife." This is God’s way of reminding us that if we have quiet and peaceable lives, we are wealthier than we think.

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Soundbite~Are You Angry With Someone?

May 9th, 2022

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 living biblically.

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Bonus Episode~The Obvious Motherhood Instruction

May 7th, 2022

BONUS MOTHER'S DAY EPISODE: God gave this obvious motherhood instruction: love your children. Why did God have to tell us to do something that should have been automatic? Is it possible that we would have missed the obvious in the midst of a culture that is so focused on image and outcomes that it forgets about people? Or is it more personal? Do we love our children fully, or only when we're pleased with them.

This bonus episode is a brief glimpse at the instruction in Titus 2:4: "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children..." (emphasis added). Clearly, God saw a need to put this instruction in Scripture for reasons unknown, but we can guess that in part, He knew that we'd need to be reminded! Consider this a five-minute Mother's Day card, given with love from a sister friend in the motherhood journey right along with you.

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Build Your Bible Habit~Proverbs Chapter 16

May 5th, 2022

BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 16 on Build Your Bible Habit. This chapter opens with the reality that God knows why we do what we do. Sometimes we’re not even completely clear or even honest about our motives, so God uses His Word to shine the light on any dark areas that need to change. God not only knows our motives, but He knows the best direction for our lives.

By this point, you are well on your way to building your Bible habit. Beware of the human nature tendency to want to quit. Things of value always require effort. You can help yourself by scheduling your Bible habit like an unbreakable appointment. Some like to have Bible and breakfast, while others like their Bible with bedtime. Regardless of when or where, keep this habit up and you’ll notice improvements in your decisions and a deepening of your relationship with God.

Proverbs 16:3 is a great reminder that all plans are worthy of prayer. It says this: "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." God can be trusted with our plans, and He knows which direction will lead to the best outcome for our lives. You are building a life-changing Bible habit!

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We Are Not Called to Be Argumentative

May 2nd, 2022

The man in the sky club who asked me what I did for a living was so excited it was suspicious. I thought that maybe he wanted to hear more about the Bible. It turned out that he wanted a debate. I’m not into debates. I’d rather engage with a willing participant in a respectful dialogue than get into a lengthy dispute with someone who feels like they’ve finally found their sparring partner for the day. And when it’s a complete stranger, I really can’t inspire myself to quarrel. Why argue with someone I don’t know when I could do that with people I do know? Haha! But seriously, this was a gospel opportunity, as long as I didn’t mess it up by becoming argumentative.

People are so confrontational today, and they feel emboldened because it’s popular to be against things that are good and for things that are destructive. It didn’t take long for this stranger to identify himself as a proud unbeliever, which made me politely and carefully respond to him while gradually ending the conversation. I concluded with a string of Bible verses quoted from memory. His face changed as I quoted Scripture, and I knew that the Bible was doing what I could not do. There is a spirit in every human, and while it can’t be reached by arguments, it can be penetrated by the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

There are reasons why unbelievers don’t understand believers, and we make the division worse when we get into arguments just to score points. Let’s consider just a few reasons why there is this communication gap, considering our own roles and making sure that we’re not becoming repellant or annoyingly self-assertive.

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Build Your Bible Habit~Proverbs Chapter 15

April 28th, 2022

BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 15 on Build Your Bible Habit. Have you ever said something that got you into trouble, when you knew you should have kept your mouth shut? Many of us have been there, but we can learn how to do better the next time. Chapter 15 opens with verses about the tongue, and continues with more instructions for navigating the daily issues of life. Proverbs 15 is an excellent directional chapter.

You’ve reached the halfway point in building your Bible habit. By applying what we’re learning from these chapters, we're equipping ourselves to walk in wisdom. So many issues of life are related to a simple lack of wisdom, but when we know better, we can do better. Take a little extra time to select a verse of the day, applying it as often as possible. For example, Proverbs 15:1 tells us that "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." The next time you’re tempted to answer someone in a harsh tone, pause and edit your words. By employing the soft answer, you’re putting your learning into action while avoiding unnecessary drama. Building a Bible habit makes us wiser.

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Teachback Tuesday~The Consistent Friend

April 25th, 2022

Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we feature the most popular episodes from the previous season. The topic of friendship is frequently misunderstood. If we’re looking at the relationship from the “what’s in it for me” perspective, we're missing the point that friendship is meant to benefit both sides.

Friendships can be a blessing or they may become a steady stream of draining drama. People come into friendships with the baggage of their backgrounds, and we show up with ours as well. Learning how to be the kind of friend that makes life better is a "work of heart." Ready for a review on how to be an “iron sharpeneth iron” friend? Gather with your sister friends and make this a small-group study. You'll discover practical ways to be more consistent in your friendships.

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Build Your Bible Habit~Proverbs Chapter 14

April 21st, 2022

BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 14 on Build Your Bible Habit. This chapter covers the wise, the foolish, the scorner, the backslider, the angry person and more! Once again, God has given us instructions on the right and wrong ways to live. It’s like being served a meal where there are things that we really like mixed with things that we’d rather not eat, even though they’re very good for us. We need both for balance. This chapter is a life buffet.

To build a Bible habit, we need to make a commitment that’s firm. We can’t be on and off about it. God has provided us with an abundant life through His Word. How many With as many Bibles as the average person owns, we could at least commit to reading one of them consistently. Make your Bible study an unbreakable appointment. Try pairing it with something else, like Bible and breakfast. Just commit and stay committed. As it says in Proverbs 14:27, "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." There is more value to building a Bible habit than we can imagine. It is so worth it!

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I Am Slap-Wore-Out

April 18th, 2022

I can’t remember where I was when a young woman told me that she was "slap wore out," but it was somewhere in the south. It cracked me up because I’ve never heard that phrase before. I’m still learning how to speak southern. What does this have to do with today’s episode? Everything, because after over 30 flight segments in a few hectic months of conference travel, this teacher is slap wore out. Today’s episode will be more like a freelance coffee date with a sister.

Have you ever been so tired that you were afraid to drive your car? Or have you ever been so bone weary that you fell asleep fully dressed? Or maybe you’ve been so exhausted that you totally forgot about an important appointment and didn’t even realize it until someone told you? I am right there with you.

I was so overbooked a while ago that I forgot to disarm the security system on my way out the door. I accidentally tripped the alarm, but still got into my car and drove away. I didn’t even hear the 60 second warning chime because I shut the door behind me so quicky, the beep-beep of the warning didn’t register! It wasn’t until the security company called me to ask if everything was alright that I realized that I had created a false alarm.

When we’re worn out, we can activate lots of alarms.

Are you slap-wore out? This episode will share three things from Scripture that are points to ponder for the weary. Maybe you should listen while lying down. I'm only sort of kidding. Listen to this during break time.

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