Proverbs 31 Ministires

It seems like every opportunity that comes our way is often followed by opposition. So ... how do you really know if it’s God who is really telling you to keep pursuing that opportunity when you face a giant roadblock? What do you do when you’ve lost all confidence to do what you think He’s called you to do?  In today’s podcast episode, Katy McCown, one of our First 5 mobile app writers, will give a teaching from our First 5 study titled Opposition and Opportunity, based on the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. You’ll learn that if you’re only looking for opportunities and not expecting opposition with them, it’s easy to get confused about what you thought you were supposed to do. Or worse, you might even think you’ve misheard God or taken a wrong step, because if God really wanted you to make a move … why would something get in the way?  In this episode, you’ll… Gain clarity on the calling you believe God is asking you to follow by understanding the difference between an opportunity from God and opposition from th

Pause for a moment and think about your relationships … your spouse, children, friends, co-workers, neighbors. You can probably name some highs and lows of each relationship because, well, humans are human. And humans mess up!   Our relationship with the church is no different. When a body of believers (who are by nature sinners) come together, things aren’t always a beautiful picture of a happy community without conflict. Whether or not you’re new to the Christian community, a phrase that you’ll likely hear is “church hurt.” At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we don’t want to just talk about church hurt; we want to dig into God’s Word and understand what He says about the Church (the body of believers). Using the first church in the book of Acts as an example, Whitney Capps will lead us through a Scripture-based conversation on church hurt and how to navigate it in our own lives.   In this episode, it’s our hope that you’ll … Understand the relationship between the church and its members as outlined in Scripture and

“Why should I fast?” … is a real question that often goes unanswered. You might hear your pastor, ministry leader or friend talk about fasting and wonder what the purpose of depriving yourself of something really is. After all, why fast when you could simply pray, right?Throughout Scripture, you’ll discover fasting mentioned from Daniel to Elisha to Paul, and most commonly known, Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness. In today’s teaching, you’ll hear Proverbs 31 Ministries' Director of Theology, Joel Muddamalle, discuss the real reason we should fast and answer the question you might’ve always wanted to understand.  In this episode, you will … Learn about fasting in context of Scripture and understand how it can apply to your life today. Understand how fasting is part of many spiritual disciplines that are outlined in Scripture to help us look more like Christ. Discover how going “without” can help you reposition your heart and mind toward God through your ultimate need for Him. Related Resources: Although w

Social media and television make it incredibly easy to compare our behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel… especially in our marriages. We turn on the TV, and then we’re turned off because it seems everyone else has a happier, more exciting and more romantic marriage than we do. We all bring our brokenness into our marriage covenant and it doesn’t take long for that to surface. When conflict does arise, are we extending the grace Jesus extends to us or are we letting our broken selves break our relationship? In today’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Karen Ehman gives a teaching based on her new book, Keep Showing Up: How to Stay Crazy in Love When Your Love Drives You Crazy. You’ll discover… The three threads that can tangle your marriage — emotional baggage, unmet expectations and untrue perceptions — and how to have healthy conversations around them. You can honor your spouse by taking time to slow down, breathe and collect your thoughts before you enter into a hard conversati

Do you ever wonder if all the things you do for your children is even making an impact? If the wisdom we try to impart actually sticks or if we’re really cut out for this “mothering”  job after all? Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” As parents, this Scripture sounds promising, but being in the “thick of it” is tough! Lysa TerKeurst deeply understands this feeling! In this podcast episode, she invites you in on a conversation between her and her three adult daughters where you'll hear a raw, honest, family conversation about raising children and what it was like being raised in the TerKeurst home.To read the transcript for this episode click here.  You’ll discover… A bad parenting moment today doesn’t make you a bad parent forever. Creating an environment in your home for conversations that have a gentle balance of grace and truth will help your children be more open to sharing. Keeping your children talking, connected and reminded

If you were to walk through your home and make a stack of all the “advice” books you own, there’s a good chance that stack would be pretty tall! There is a book available for every subject you could ever need: time management, pregnancy, parenting, relationships, dieting, exercising, overcoming anxiety… the list goes on! But where do you find real wisdom for living?    It’s easy to want a simple formula that leads to a quick fix. For example, if we were to read the dieting book and closely follow the instructions, then the outcome should be to lose weight, right? But if we are really honest with ourselves, we often take the same approach to God’s Word when it comes to seeking wisdom in a specific area of life.   In this week’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Karen McNary shares how to gain wisdom by being connected to the giver of all wisdom… our Heavenly Father!  You’ll discover…Wisdom doesn’t mean that you’ll always know how to make the right decision. But, “wise” is what you become when you

 How do we embrace what seems so glaringly imperfect in the process of becoming more like Jesus? In Lysa TerKeurst’s new book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, she says “Anytime we feel not good enough we deny the powerful truth that we are a glorious work of God in progress.”   In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, you’ll have the opportunity to listen to one of our favorite chapters, "Paintings and People," from Lysa’s newest book. In this chapter Lysa takes us through her own experience of feeling not good enough, and teaches us how to trust God with our imperfections on this side of eternity.   You’ll discover… Sometimes you might be expecting a perfection from yourself or others that even God Himself doesn’t expect. Time spent showing up and bringing compassion to a friend is never wasted time. Being honest with yourself and your friends (rather than trying to cover up your imperfections) will strengthen the way you see yourself and your relationships. To read the transcript for this

When things don’t go the way we want and life doesn’t turn out the way we thought it should, it’s easy to wonder why. In Mark 14, Jesus prays “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Those words read well, but they’re hard to live out.   In this episode, Lysa TerKeurst will teach us what it really means to exchange our will for God’s will and builds off her last episode titled, “The Birthplace of Disappointment.” We already learned that the human heart was created in the context of the perfection of the Garden of Eden. Today, we’ll discover that there’s a physical reality we see, and at the same time, there’s the miraculous God is working.   You’ll learn… Because God is working in the midst of your hurt, you can trust that your hurt will someday be made right.  When God leads you to something hard, He will also lead you through something hard because He won’t leave you. Trading your will for God’s will isn’t a one-time decision; it’s a daily surrender. To read the transcript for this episode click here.Re

The hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul” was first published almost 150 years ago. Those words are often sung in church or hung on the walls in our homes ... but if we were really honest with ourselves, could we say they’re absolutely true?   Every day we get to decide what we let in our minds and what we keep out, how we spend our time, and what we give our attention to. In today’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, author and First 5 writer Nicki Koziarz tackles the topic of dealing with comparison and what we can do to be able to respond, “Yes ... my soul is well.”  In this episode you’ll learn… When you’re trying to please someone, the end goal will always be hard to reach.   Your human heart ultimately desires a relationship with God, and to fill that desire with lesser things will make your soul unwell.  The temptation to compare yourself to someone else on this side of eternity may never go away, but you can take practical steps to avoid falling into the temptation today! To read the transcrip

Have you ever set out to do something you knew you were supposed to do, only to find it wasn’t as easy as you thought it would be? Perhaps you think you’re not good enough, or that there’s no room for you because there’s someone else already doing what you feel led to do.   If you feel like your opportunities are shrinking, or if you’ve gotten a “sign” that you should quit because you’ve messed up too much for God to use you — this episode is for you. Glynnis Whitwer, Proverbs 31 Ministries' Executive Director of Communications, gives a message on the three things you need to know before you give up on your calling.   You will discover…  God isn’t in the business of dividing opportunities; He’s in the business of multiplying them. “Success” in God’s Kingdom is based on obedience, and “failure” is quitting before God tells you to quit. Your pain will be your biggest platform because it’s the place where you experienced God’s greatest power. To read the transcript for this episode click here.Related Resource

If you were to have a conversation with a friend right now, would you be able to say that everything in your life has turned out the way you expected it would? Probably not. Life happens, and even though your expectations might have been realistic, your reality lends you to wonder...   Why this? Why now? Why me?  So, where does disappointment come from? And why, as God’s children, do we wonder if our God really is a good God with good plans for our life?  In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Lysa TerKeurst gives a message on this hard topic based on her newest book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered.   Whether you’re in the middle of a disappointment, or fearing one is lurking right around the corner, you’ll discover… Trusting God with the outcome of your story is a crucial lesson to learn in order to navigate disappointments. When you keep your eyes on Him, your joy doesn’t have to depend on a person, place or circumstance

Have you ever sat down and opened your Bible, only to find you don’t really know where to start? Perhaps you read a chapter and then just move on, not knowing what would come next in actually studying the passage? Or, maybe there are passages in the Bible that are confusing, so you just keep go back to the same familiar ones?    What if there were just four simple steps to having a deep personal Bible study, every time?   In today’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, our Director of Theology, Joel Muddamalle, teaches four simple steps that will enable you to have a great personal Bible study. Using Mark 6 as a guide, Joel will help you dive deep into Scripture in a fresh, relevant way that you can apply to any passage in the Bible.   You’ll discover… You don’t have to be a theology expert to learn what God’s Word means; you just need to start with where you are! Identifying key themes, common elements, characters and locations in each passage you read will help you connect the dots from Genesis t

Whether you are a student, a wife, a mother or a caretaker of aging parents, we all want to fulfill that special calling God has placed on our lives. But how do you do that in the midst of running errands, caring for your loved ones and fulfilling the role your current season requires?   In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Lisa Allen answers that question by giving a practical teaching on making room for the assignment God has for you. You’ll discover... Making time for your connection to God results in a heart-posture that spills over into your role each day. Creating margin in your schedule by not living deadline-to-deadline, allows you to react to life’s surprises without becoming overwhelmed. Being fully present in a hands-on season of life (even if it means your calling starts to simmer) is okay because that season won’t last forever. God is equipping and developing your character in the midst of your season right now. To read the transcript for this episode, click here.Related Resour

When you read about Solomon’s life in 1 Kings 3:3 it says, “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.”   Except.  The word “except” means that Solomon’s affections weren’t fully placed on the Lord. Instead, some of his affections were placed on things of this world that were idols. In today’s episode, Lysa TerKeurst and friends dive deep into their own misplaced affections to help you understand that although today’s idols are different than Old Testament idols, the struggle is still the same.  You’ll discover… When our needs are met somewhere else other than within our relationship with the Lord, there are consequences. Waiting on the Lord to heal your wounds or provide for you in your time of need will be hard, but His timing and provision are better than any quick fix. You’re never too far from God to choose to give all of your affection to the Lord. To read the trans

When you look for examples of worship in the Bible, you’ll find everything from songs sung in corporate worship to deep prayers uttered in the midst of hard circumstances. Today, most of us relate worship to attending church and singing songs together. But what if worship is something we can do every day in the seemingly insignificant moments of life?In today’s episode Meredith and Kaley talk with two special guests: Mack Brock, a worship leader and songwriter, and Joel Muddamalle, the Director of Theology at Proverbs 31 Ministries. You’ll hear both Mack and Joel’s perspective on worship and learn practical ways to worship in your day-to-day life.Through this conversation on worship, you’ll discover… Breakthrough happens when you bring all of who you are — your hurt, frustration, joy and celebration — to the One who stands above it all. You’ve been called and appointed to a specific assignment on this earth, and the way you live your life is a form of worship. God is in every moment, and every moment can be w

Have you had a recent disagreement in a relationship, which you can’t quite find the cause of? It might be because of your expectations! One of the quickest ways to frustrate and fracture a relationship is to try and hold someone accountable for expectations that are either unrealistic or uncommunicated. In today’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Lysa TerKeurst shares practical ways to navigate the conversation on expectations that will help you and your spouse, friend, or even co-worker, have a better relationship. You’re going to want to take notes for this one as Lysa helps you... Determine the difference between realistic and unrealistic expectations, and how to make peace with those that aren’t realistic. Understand that putting off the conversation about any kind of unmet expectation will create a wedge between you and the other person.  Make the choice to choose the relationship over the uncertainty of uncommunicated expectations today. Download the transcript for this episode here. Rela

When you see the word “ministry,” it’s easy to think about people or organizations making big moves for God — feeding hungry children, rescuing those in slavery or speaking in front of thousands of people. But what’s so easy to overlook are life’s greatest ministry opportunities packaged in everyday moments.In today’s episode, speaker and author Whitney Capps shares her own personal struggle with turning ministry into “me-nistry” — making ministry and even your everyday routine all about “me.” Whatever your assignment is today, you’ll discover that every call is magnificent because it comes from the Magnificent One.You’ll learn… The mess you want to run from is the very ministry moment God wants you in right now. Anything you tie yourself to, besides God, will ultimately weigh you down. Being known by the famous and omniscient One is the only validation you’ll ever need. Related Resources: Are you a writer, speaker or leader? Click here to sign up for the interest list for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ She Speaks C

What kind of woman is God calling you to be today? A woman everyone likes, or a woman who is obedient no matter the cost, and humble no matter what others may think? Oftentimes the steps of obedience God asks of you might not be popular with the “in” crowd. He might ask you to go out of your way to love someone completely unlovable or stand up for someone who isn’t popular. He might even ask you to not move forward when you could so easily take matters into your own hands.But what do you do when others are looking? You have to make the choice between doing what you know is right, or doing what makes you look good right now.In today’s episode of The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, you’ll hear Meredith Brock give a fresh, applicable message on how the Lord is changing her heart to be obedient no matter the cost. You’ll learn… The choice to be obedient to God will last far longer than the approval of others. The feeling of peace doesn’t always immediately follow the decision to be obedient. How to tell if there

In Philippians 4:6, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything…” But in today’s world, it’s hard to hold true to that promise in God’s Word. We see violence, sickness, betrayal and evil in the world ... every day, multiple times a day. So how can we “not be anxious about anything”?In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast we’ll give you the answer: stay C.A.L.M.This week’s guest is Melissa Taylor, Director of Online Bible Studies at Proverbs 31 Ministries. She led a group of over 51,000 people through Max Lucado’s book Anxious for Nothing, and it’s one of our largest online Bible studies to date!Since then, Melissa has encountered her own battles and has continued to put the C.A.L.M. acronym, based on Philippians 4:4-8, to use in her everyday life. In today’s teaching you’ll discover... How to easily memorize the C.A.L.M. acronym and put it to use the next time anxiety starts to creep in. The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional. You might not be able to co

Have you ever read about the woman described in Proverbs 31:10-31 and thought to yourself, I will never live up to those standards? At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we have those same thoughts!If the “Proverbs 31 woman” were on social media today, she would probably be someone we all look to, but could never live up to. This woman does everything: wakes up early, makes her own clothes, owns property, doesn’t eat carbs (if you count the bread of idleness), takes care of her husband and kids and runs her household. No wonder some of us don’t flip to that chapter in the Bible!In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, staff member Lauren Oquist dives deep into what it really means to be a Proverbs 31 woman. You’ll discover… You don’t have to be meet the qualifications listed in Proverbs 31:10-31 to a “Proverbs 31 woman.” Our standard for living should not be found in a person; it should be found in Jesus. Your genuine desire from the core of who you are to please Him is what makes you a Proverbs 31 woman.