The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast

Why is it so enticing to choose lesser things over lasting things?   Do you ever pick up your phone or watch a mindless show without thinking anything of it, but end up wondering where the day went when you lay down at night? Sometimes even the things that are entertaining and good can leave us feeling empty, lesser and lacking. So, how do we set healthy boundaries and train our minds to choose what’s best over what seems right in the moment?  Today on The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, we’re tackling distractions head-on with our friends Amanda Bacon and Anne-Renee Gumley of The Masterpiece Mom. Amanda and Anne-Renee will give a teaching based on their latest book, Shiny Things: Mothering on Purpose in a World of Distractions (and we promise it isn’t just for moms).   In this episode of the podcast, you will…Identify the areas where you’re most distracted by “shiny things” and create a priority list that you’re determined to live out, not just write out. Stop being distracted by comparing your life to someone else’s as you start focusing on the assignment that only you can do.Grow your desire to have a strong relationship with the Lord in order to develop the persistence you need to stick to your “lasting” list instead of the “lesser” things in life. Related Resources:Learn more about how to choose lasting things over lesser things with Amanda and Anne-Renee’s book, Shiny Things. Purchase yours today from Proverbs 31 Ministries! Fill your social media feed with encouragement and uplifting content by following Proverbs 31 Ministries on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.Help us get The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast to even more listeners by leaving a review on iTunes! Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

“Can God be good even when life is not?” It’s a question we’ve been wrestling through together as a ministry since Lysa TerKeurst released her book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way.  Today on The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, we’re continuing the conversation on what to do when life doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would by giving you a sneak peek of the It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Online Bible Study Teaching Series recorded earlier this year. You’ll hear a conversation between our Online Bible Studies team and Pastor Craig Groeschel from Life.Church. Pastor Craig has also been through his own season of hardship and wrote about it in his latest book, Hope in the Dark.  When you listen to this episode, you will...Find comfort in a season or moment of doubt by realizing that God won’t look down on you when you doubt, but will give you what you need to continue pressing on.Discover that breakthrough happens when you invite someone you trust into your struggle, even though opening up is often scary or hard.Stop comparing your dark moment or season to someone else’s, and gain compassion for others regardless of the level of their struggle.Related Resources:Purchase the It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Teaching Series from Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies to hear more in-depth teaching and biblical wisdom from Lysa TerKeurst, Annie F. Downs and Angie Smith, plus two bonus episodes!Learn how to believe God is good even when life is not when you read Craig Groeschel’s book, Hope in the Dark. Click here to shop!Not sure what episodes of The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast to listen to next? Click here to easily see episodes categorized by topics!  Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

It’s easy to look back and think of all the things you’d do differently in your teenage years, isn’t it? Maybe there are some small things you’d change … you wouldn’t have worn so much makeup or pushed yourself to do better in math. Or perhaps the people you thought were your best friends led you to make decisions that now you’d do much differently.   As an adult, hindsight is 20/20. But what if we made the choice today to look back at the decisions we made and believe that although we can’t change them, God can use them?  In today’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, author and speaker Chrystal Evans Hurst shares a message titled, “3 Things I’d Tell My Teenage Self.” In this episode, you will…Realize that you are loved as you are, and you don’t have to clean up your mistakes to receive God’s love. Find comfort in knowing the very struggle you face today is developing in you the strength you need for tomorrow’s battle.Stop believing the lie that at some point you will “arrive” and start believing that your journey will always be a process that requires time and trust. Related Resources:Purchase Chrystal’s book for teenage girls called, “Show Up For Your Life” from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Every purchase you make from our online bookstore helps us fund ministry resources, just like this podcast!Subscribe to our Encouragement for Today devotions and receive relevant, biblical inspiration in your inbox every weekday.Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

Today is a very special day on The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast because … (drum roll please) we’re celebrating our first birthday!  Over the past year, we’ve released 31 episodes — how fitting for Proverbs 31, right? But there’s more to celebrate than just the number of episodes we released. With every episode, we reached hearts and homes around the globe (literally!) with biblical truth for any girl in any season. We’re so thankful for the way the Lord has used this podcast above and beyond what we could have imagined!  So to help us celebrate, we invited Proverbs 31 Ministries' President, Lysa TerKeurst, to the show because there’s just no one who can share God’s Word quite like Lysa. In today’s episode of the podcast, you’ll hear a teaching called “3 Things to Consider Before Making that Decision.” We’re so thankful for Lysa’s wisdom and expertise on decision-making.   In this episode, Lysa will teach you:The “daily-ness” of decisions can make them seem small, but over time, even small decisions add up and make an impact.When you look at the big picture of where you are and where you want to be, the path can seem complicated and scary! But the way you get there is one day at a time, through choosing wisely every day.Wisdom is earned through the combination of gaining knowledge, access to the Holy Spirit and living out what you know to be true. Related Resources:If the Lord has used The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast to help you in your walk with Him, please share it with us! Simply visit us on iTunes and leave a review. Leaving a review helps others discover the podcast, so thank you for helping us! Are you subscribed to The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast? Never miss an episode! We’ve made it easy for you because we’re available on iTunes and Spotify.Be sure to grab a copy of Lysa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes, and learn how to start making wiser decisions today.Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

Do you ever find yourself fighting the temptation to focus on what you don’t have instead of what you’ve already been given? When we are actively pursuing God’s calling on our lives, I think we’ve all been tempted to focus on what someone else has or is experiencing, and feel disqualified because of what we lack. It’s so easy to think, I’m not as talented, bold, smart or outgoing as she is. I can’t write, speak or lead. I don’t know how to do _______. I just can’t.  Sweet friend, we don’t know what your calling looks like, but we do know that we serve a God who’s still in charge and doesn’t leave everything up to us! Today on The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, you’ll hear a special message from Suzie Eller that will inspire you and empower you to trust God with your calling.   In this episode, Suzie will teach you…Being called out of your comfort zone and called into a new assignment is never easy, but it’s also never about you, and that's a good thing! Consistently coming before the Lord with what’s on your mind will help you know what you need to keep saying yes to, and what you may need to stop doing.Embracing God’s anointing on your life IS the confidence you need to step into the assignment He’s asked you to do!Related Resources:Do you feel called to write, speak or lead? It’s time to step into your assignment! At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we have an annual conference called She Speaks where we equip writers, speakers and leaders with the practical tools and biblical training they need to take the next right step in their calling. This year for the first time ever, you can join us online from the comfort of your home! Click here to check out our She Speaks livestream packages.Connect with Suzie Eller on her blog and through Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Encouragement for Today daily devotions.Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

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 the enemy. Identify common tactics of the enemy — confusion, doubt and fear — and how to train your eyes to look away from the opposition you see and focus on the opportunity in front of you.Claim your identity in Christ and speak Truth to combat the enemy’s lies while trusting God to go before you in every battle you face.Related Resources:Discover more about Opposition and Opportunity by doing our study in the First 5 app! All you need to do is download the FREE First 5 mobile app (available for Apple and Android devices) and go to the “Plans” section in the app. Just search for the title Opposition and Opportunity and start the study!Take your study of Opposition and Opportunity further by purchasing the accompanying Experience Guide, available at p31bookstore.com. All of our Experience Guides are designed to take you deeper into Scripture with questions to help you apply God’s Word to your life.Access more teachings just like the one you heard today through the First 5 app each weekend. Simply make sure you have the app downloaded, and there will be a fresh audio teaching each weekend available to help you apply what you’re learning during the week to your life!Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

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 find your place in a community of believers.Acknowledge the hurt you’re facing and find a way to forgive those who’ve hurt you through the lens of Scripture.Develop empathy for those who have been hurt by the church and discover ways you can reach out to help someone close to you take the next step toward healing. Related Resources:Stay rooted in God’s Word by giving Him the first five minutes of your day with our free First 5 mobile app! Download it today for your Apple or Android device.With Whitney Capps’ book, Sick of Me, you’ll take the next steps on your faith journey to look more like Jesus today than you did yesterday. Purchase your copy today from Proverbs 31 Ministries!Visit whitneycapps.com to download a free resource on how to walk through specific situations of church hurt and how to process the hurt you’re facing today.Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

“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 we want to ensure fasting is a private event between you and God, we do want to encourage you to anonymously share how we can pray for you on our prayer wall. At Proverbs 31 Ministries, our staff and volunteers pray over each prayer request submitted, and we would love to pray for you! Click here to visit our prayer wall.If you’re interested in learning more about spiritual foundations or knowing God, check out our free resource library! This is a great place to start if you’re looking to dig deeper into Scripture and want more insight on questions you have about your personal faith journey.Click here to download the transcript for this episode

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 conversation about unmet expectations.Your marriage is a message, and people are watching you preach!To read the transcript for this episode click here. Related ResourcesPurchase Karen Ehman’s book, Keep Showing Up: How to Stay Crazy In Love When Your Love Drives You Crazy from Proverbs 31 Ministries.Your life is crazy, but your Bible study doesn't have to be. Online Bible Studies is a place where you can dive deep into books by your favorite Christian authors alongside a community of women from right where you are. Check out our latest Online Bible Study now!

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 about God throughout the small things every day will help you raise up not only a good child, but a God-honoring adult. Related Resources:Sign up for our FREE Encouragement for Today devotions filled with daily, biblical encouragement to help you filter life through God’s Word.Purchase Am I Messing Up My Kids? by Lysa TerKeurst through Proverbs 31 Ministries. Full of practical ideas, short Bible studies and plenty of encouragement, this inspiring resource will help moms to realize that — with God’s wisdom and mercy — they can experience peace and satisfaction while raising their kids.