Proverbs 31 Ministires

A new year can bring a lot of anticipation and excitement. But it can also be a reminder of some things we aren't super proud of ...Maybe you're looking back at this last year a little disappointed. That habit you wanted to kick is still there or the relationship you wanted to better is not fixed. It can be easy to struggle with the lack of progress we've made and even more difficult when we may be filled with regret. On this episode, our host Kaley Olson is on the other side of the mic for a conversation that will help us look at how to move past our past mistakes. She will give us three lessons from the book of Deuteronomy on how to approach our mistakes and what the gift of God's grace and forgiveness offers us so we can move forward with purpose today.Related Resources: Download our free First 5 mobile app and study Deuteronomy with us, starting January 9! Grab a copy of our study guide Make It Count: Move Past Your Past and Live With Purpose Today, A Study of the Book of Deuteronomy. Connect with Kale

Boundaries can feel like a touchy topic.How do we love others without losing the best of who we are? Lysa TerKeurst has wrestled with how to do boundaries well, and she understands the tension they cause in relationships. That's why she wrote her new book Good Boundaries and Goodbyes. This episode comes from a live Q&A with Lysa where she answered the six most-asked questions she gets about boundaries. Both practical and personal, Lysa addresses how to set boundaries when you struggle with people-pleasing; what to do when it feels unchristian or unforgiving to tell someone "no"; and how to process disappointment from other people, especially around the holidays. We can't wait for you to dive in with us!Related Resources:Is it unloving or selfish to set a boundary? Are boundaries even Christlike? Process questions like these alongside a community of women who also want to make progress with their relationships during the next Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study: Good Boundaries and Goodbyes by Lysa T

Money can be an uncomfortable topic. But what if God has something better in store for the way you look at your finances?Financial coaches Bob and Linda Lotich understand the tension that comes with money and know what it's like to have a complicated relationship with it. On this episode, they teach us the three financial mistakes we are likely making and how to overcome them so we can experience God's best in our financial lives. With its biblical teaching and practical application, you won't want to miss this episode!Related Resources:  Make sure you grab a copy of Bob's book Simple Money, Rich Life! Stay connected with Bob and Linda on Instagram @seedtime.   For the moments you need wisdom to know what to do next but just aren't sure who to listen to, Proverbs 31 Ministries meets you with biblical Truth and encouragement. Will you help us continue to provide free biblical resources to you and other women like you by donating today? Give now!  Click here to read the transcript for this episode.

What do you do when the "Christian" solutions for anxiety seem to stop working?What happens when we try to put a Bible verse over what we are feeling but it doesn't change how we actually feel? Taylor Joy Murray — author, COMPEL Writers Training member and our new friend — is all too familiar with these questions. On this episode, she shares her own struggles with anxiety and how God has met her in it. With practical ideas for how to navigate those feelings, this episode is great to send to a friend who needs encouragement.Related Resources: Pursue your writing dreams like Taylor did by joining COMPEL Writers Training!  Get Taylor’s new book, Stop Saying I’m Fine: Finding Stillness When Anxiety Screams.  Click here to read the transcript for this episode.

Have you heard about our new series on Therapy & Theology? "Let's Stop Avoiding This Conversation: 6 Topics Women Have Big Questions About" is here! Join Lysa TerKeurst; her licensed professional counselor, Jim Cress; and Proverbs 31 Ministries' Director of Theological Research, Dr. Joel Muddamalle, for a conversation about therapy and theology and why it doesn't help anyone when a woman is not walking in her God-given identity. This is the first episode of a series. For the next five episodes, subscribe to the Therapy & Theology show!Related Resources:  Want more wisdom as you navigate hard relationship dynamics? Find practical next steps, powerful scriptures and timely guidance on how to set realistic, healthy boundaries in Lysa TerKeurst's new book, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes. In the pages of this book, Lysa's personal counselor, Jim Cress, also provides therapeutic insight surrounding the topic of boundaries, helping you confidently apply what you read. Order here. Ready to take a personal next

What is Advent?Depending on your church background, you might participate in Advent every year or you might stay away from it because it seems like a mysterious, age-old tradition that’s reserved for only certain denominations. You might even associate Advent with a candy calendar you see displayed in stores close to the holiday season.In this episode, Proverbs 31 Ministries' Director of Theological Research, Dr. Joel Muddamalle, will teach us about Advent and how it can help us refocus our minds on adoration for Jesus instead of rushing through the holiday season.Related Resources: Recognize the ways Jesus fulfilled God's promises in the Old Testament so you can remember how He will keep His promises to you today — grab your copy of our Advent study guide: Pointing to the Promise. Connect with Joel on Instagram @muddamalle.  It's that time of year again ... Our Christmas Collection is here! Whatever the people you love are facing, we hope these gifts will remind them of Truth that only comes from God's Word

What comes to your mind when you think about the Holy Spirit?Depending on your background, maybe the Holy Spirit feels ambiguous or confusing. Or maybe you feel uncertain about this third Person of the Trinity. On this episode, our friend Max Lucado, bestselling author, teaches us about the role of the Holy Spirit. Learn about the purpose and power of the Holy Spirit and what that means practically for the struggles you are facing today.Related Resources: Our next Online Bible Study is with Max Lucado! Stop carrying the weight of doing it all on your own and learn the surprising benefits of asking for help with our four-week study of Help Is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit, starting November 14. Click here to sign up today and click here to purchase your copy of the book.  Has The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast helped you grow in your faith or gain fresh, biblical perspective? Tell us about it by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. When you review and rate the podcast,

Do you think of yourself as a creative?Often we are quick to dismiss ourselves as creatives — giving that description to people who write, paint or sing. But what if creativity is different than you think it is?In this episode, our new friend and author Rachel Marie Kang teaches us what creativity is, why it matters to us and how we can can be stewards of the gifts God has uniquely given us. Discover the ways your Creator has made you to be like Him so you can see how to make things in this world better.Related Resources: Rachel's new book, Let There Be Art: The Pleasure and Purpose of Releasing the Creativity within You, is now available! Click here to order now. Subscribe to our devotions and get weekday encouragement from writers like Rachel sent straight to your inbox for FREE! Subscribe to the Podcast Insider newsletter and get updates on what’s coming soon on both this podcast and the Therapy & Theology podcast. Each newsletter includes a thought to consider from an episode you heard that month a

Boundaries should help us avoid extremes and live closer to the kind of love God intended for relationships.After struggling with boundaries for years, Lysa TerKeurst wondered if they really worked or were even biblical. But what she discovered after countless hours of in-depth counseling and theological research is that healthy boundaries aren’t just a good idea — they’re God’s idea. In her new book, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, she shows us what good boundaries are supposed to look like, how to place them on ourselves instead of trying to change other people, and how to find healthier ways to have hard conversations around needed boundaries.This episode is taken from the introduction of Lysa's newest book: Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of You Are.Related Resources:- What if all the emotional energy spent on saying "yes" to everyone else, walking on eggshells around people we love and trying to manage delicate relational dynamics is bankrupting us of our capacity for li

Prayer is the place we can entrust our deepest needs and hurts, fears and anxieties, longings and disappointments, and most especially our questions, to God.But sometimes it's hard to know where to start. On this episode, Bible teacher Wendy Blight teaches us what prayer is and how to practice it. Learn how prayer allows us to know God and love Him more. Our friend Wendy even walks us through how to hear God through prayer and shares practical tips for cultivating a deeper prayer life today. You won't want to miss this episode. Make sure to share it with a friend!Related Resources For a limited time, get our newest devotional, Clear Mind, Peaceful Heart: Prayers and Devotions for Sleeping Well in a World Full of Worry, free with a donation of your choice to Proverbs 31 Ministries. Our staff loves the opportunity to pray for you. Head over to our Prayer Wall and let us know how we can be praying for you in this season. Click here to read the transcript for this episode.

What would change about your life if you knew your purpose?Often, we don't live the way we were made to live. But God created us with a purpose. When we know what God, our Creator, made us for, we can experience a fuller, more purposeful life. On this episode of the podcast, our new friend Lauren McAfee, ministry coordinator at Hobby Lobby, will help you understand your God-given identity and how it affects your relationships so you can live in the power of your purpose today.Related Resources: Join Lauren for the Lumina Women’s event at Museum of the Bible on November 3-4, 2022. Lumina is a new one-day women’s event at Museum of the Bible, designed to help women thrive in the power of God’s Word. Visit luminawomen.org to learn more. Connect with Lauren at her website at https://www.laurenamcafee.com/ or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/laurenamcafee/. Trade the lies whispered by the enemy for the truth of what God’s Word says about you — download our free resource "Truths for When You Question Who Y

Is it unloving, selfish or unchristian to draw boundaries? Sometimes the whole process can feel unkind or even like we’re violating Bible verses on how to treat others. But what if we’ve simply misunderstood God’s original intent in giving us this relational gift?Lysa TerKeurst has wrestled with these hesitations. But she’s uncovered common misconceptions about boundaries and learned that boundaries are one of the most powerful, God-honoring tools we can use to protect our relationships.In this teaching, Lysa walks through the first mention of boundaries in the Bible, three crucial words we need to embrace in order to understand God’s intent for boundaries and more. Grab a pen and paper — you’ll want to take notes on this one!Related Resources:- What if all the emotional energy spent on saying "yes" to everyone else, walking on eggshells around people we love and trying to manage delicate relational dynamics is bankrupting us of our capacity for living in obedience to who God has asked us to be? If you're rea

After the last few years, we are looking for relief.But in the rush to get our lives back to what they used to be, we are settling for temporary relief instead of lasting restoration. What if there's a better way to live? A way that doesn't just squeeze God into our busy lives ... a way where we can find the true rest we need. On this episode, author John Eldredge walks us through practical ways we can be intentional to cultivate a life with God so we can be resilient to whatever comes our way.Related Resources:- Sign up for our Online Bible Study of Get Your Life Back starting on September 19!  - Grab a copy of Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge.- Check out John's new book, Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times.- We want to connect with our podcast listeners each month! Sign up to be a Podcast Insider, and each month you'll receive bonus content, journal prompts and more.- Click here to view the transcript for this episode. 

When we walk through seasons of waiting or uncertainty, it's tempting to look at the past through rose-colored glasses. We choose to only remember the good parts and forget the bad.But when we do that, it robs us of the opportunity to see how God is providing for us in the present, even if it's not predictable or what we'd prefer. On today's podcast, our friend and Director of Marketing at Proverbs 31, Madi Vincent, uses the Book of Numbers to show us what to do when we are wrestling in the waiting. Related Resources: Download our free First 5 mobile app and study Numbers with us, starting August 29! Grab a copy of our study guide, Numbers: How To Wrestle Well When You’re Worn Out In the Waiting.  Connect with Madi on Instagram here! We want to hear from you! If you’ve got a moment, click here to ask us anything or tell us what topics you want to know more about. Click here to view the transcript.

Our desire to please God can so easily turn into us trying to perform.But how do we know when we've slipped into striving? On this episode of the podcast, our new friend and author, Kaitlin Garrison, teaches us the difference between the true gospel of grace and the false gospel of grit. Overcome the cycle of shame from not being good enough by discovering the sweet relief that comes from our righteousness being found in Christ alone.Related Resources:- Order Kaitlin's new book, Sweet Relief: How the Gospel Frees Us from a Life of Striving, today!- Connect with Kaitlin on Instagram @kaitlinngarrison- We created COMPEL Writers Training just for YOU! Stay accountable to practice your writing skills, and know you are not alone through our online community. Registration for COMPEL is only open for a limited time, so don't wait. Click here to join today!Click here to view the transcript.

It's easy to seek certainty when life feels unpredictable and out of control. But what if uncertainty leads us closer to God?  On today's episode, our dear friend, Proverbs 31 writer and author, Amy Carroll challenges us to embrace uncertainty because we learn how to better trust and seek God. Through her "clarity principle," she walks us through a three-step Bible study technique when we're seeking answers in the middle of uncertain seasons. This principle is one you'll want to save for later, so grab a pen and paper to take notes! Related Resources:- Subscribe to receive free Encouragement for Today weekday devotions in your inbox. - Make sure you get a copy of Amy's newest Bible study, Esther: Seeing Our Invisible God in an Uncertain World, co-author Lynn Cowell. - Connect with Amy on Instagram @amydohmcarrollClick here to download the transcript for this episode.

Let's admit it, most of us are pretty easily distracted. If we're breathing, there are thousands of things a day vying for our attention daily.  But how do we do this? Today on the podcast our friend and author, Bob Goff walks through how to live more intentional lives. When we stop focusing on what everyone else is doing, we can stop being distracted from what God is doing. With scriptural insight and practical advice, together we'll learn to orient our lives and hold on to hope when everything feels overwhelming.Related Resources: Start living a less-distracted, more joy-filled and love-oriented life with Bob's new study, Undistracted Study Guide plus Streaming Video: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy Connect with Bob on his website bobgoff.com. Has the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast helped you grow in your faith or gain fresh biblical perspective? Tell us about it by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. When you review and rate the podcast, it helps us reach even more people with biblical Truth. C

When life feels overwhelming or anxiety creeps in, our first response isn't always to turn to God's Word.  But Scripture has the Truth for whatever we are facing. On today's episode, author and singer-songwriter Ellie Holcomb shares the life-changing power of memorizing Scripture and how it inspires all her music. God's Word is living and active; something we can treasure. Learn easy steps to start memorizing Scripture, and how it helps discern the difference between lies and the Truth. Plus, it wouldn't be an episode with Ellie if she didn't sing and pray over us too. So grab your headphones or play in the car and join us!Related Resources: Join our next free Online Bible Study, Fighting Words: 100 Days of Speaking Truth into the Darkness with Ellie Holcomb starting Monday May 31. Overcome feeling lost in your anxious thoughts by joining a community that will remind you of what’s true in the middle of what feels loud in your own head. Click here to sign up for free today!   Follow Ellie on Instagram @ellieho

Have you ever struggled with a love-hate relationship with your body?  As women, the world has a lot to say about our bodies. But there's a big difference between having a Kingdom perspective of ourselves rather than a worldly one. And we need to be able to recognize what the enemy says v. what God says. Author, speaker and coach Jess Connolly joins us on the podcast today and shares her personal journey to breaking free from the body shame. Friend, your value is not wrapped up in the world's definition of beauty, but in who you are in Christ. It's time to break free. Listen in!Related Resources: Make sure you grab a copy of Jess' book, Breaking Free from Body Shame and rename what the world has labeled as less-than. Want to go deeper? Get the Bible study that goes along with Breaking Free from Body Shame ,and become a change agent in partnering with God to bring revival to a generation of women. Big news ... Jess is speaking at She Speaks: The Best Kept Secrets for Content Creators July 14-16! Join her and

Does grace feel confusing sometimes?  Maybe it's a word you hear thrown around so often that it can lose its meaning. Or perhaps you struggle to understand what it means for you. Get ready to learn from our new friend Melissa Kruger, an author and the Director of Women's Initiatives for The Gospel Coalition. She will walk us through what grace is, and why it's the best news we could receive for whatever we are facing today. She also shows us how we can explain the goodness of grace to the kids in our lives.Related Resources: Make sure you get a copy of Melissa’s book, His Grace is Enough: How God Makes it Right When We’ve Got it Wrong to help you walk your kids through understanding grace. Connect with Melissa on Instagram at @melissabryankruger Join our “Proverbs 31 Mamas” Facebook group for a place to connect and find encouragement with other moms like you. If you are interested in learning more about a relationship with Jesus, click here. Click here to download the transcript for this episode.