Proverbs 31 Ministires

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.  At Proverbs 31 Ministries, our goal is to help you know the Truth of God’s Word by shedding light on things that might be a little unclear … even things like the Advent season. While Advent is not a biblical command, it is an activity we can choose to participate in to turn our hearts from the hustle and bustle as we focus on biblical truths.   In this episode, you’ll hear from Proverbs 31 Ministries' director of theology, Joel Muddamalle. You will… Discover what Advent is, what it isn’t and how it can help align your heart with God’s Word as we celebrate Christmas and Jesus’ second coming. Stop rushing through the holiday season and refocus your mind on adoration for Jesus through patien

Do you ever find it hard to let God work on your behalf? Are you tempted to trust in your own strength rather than let God work things out for you?   As believers, we have the most incredible opportunity to put our full trust and confidence in our heavenly Father. But, so often, we get caught in the trap of thinking “Surely I’m not the right person to do this” or “There’s too much against me for this to actually work out.” Today on The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Lynn Cowell will help us understand what it means to develop unshakable confidence built on Christ.   With today’s episode, you will… Grow your confidence in God as you hear references to stories in Scripture that show how He moved through others who trusted Him to do the impossible. Identify and address the fears that keep you stuck, and learn what practical steps to take to walk in your calling with confidence. Renew your passion to do what only you’ve been called to do, knowing it’s more important to please God than others. Related Resources

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 so

“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 s

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 believ

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

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 y

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