Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY! When "Self-Control Exercises" first aired back in Season One/March 2021, the timing was "accidentally on purpose." March is right about that time when many are abandoning their 3-month-old New Year's Resolutions. Now we're replaying it in December, when almost all temperance has been tossed out the car window while going through the drive-through to grab a jumbo meal after spending too much money shopping!

Temperance, AKA "self-control" is unnatural for us. We want what we want and fast. This impatience leads to indulgences that end up costing us in ways we don't want to pay. If you need to work on ruling over the toddler in your adult body, this episode has ideas to help you to gain victories.

God wants us to master temperance, and so He trains us through the everyday "pop quizzes" that he allows into our lives. This episode covers three self-control exercises we can practice to cultivate the vital fruit of temperance. 

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Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, your audio Proverbs series! Scientists disagree about how long it takes to build a good habit, with estimates ranging from 21 days to months! What that really means is this: they don't know the answer.

God knows this: If we continue to read and eventually study His Word, applying what we learn as we grow, we will be transformed and improved habits will follow. God's key tool of transformation is missing when we're not in His Word. You renew your mind through the renewing power of the Bible. If you are tired of making messes in your life and dealing with the cleanup, it's time for change. Building your Bible habit will help!

"For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6)

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NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "The Empty Chair and Other Firsts of Grief" is one that we replay every couple of years to make it easier to find in the podcast library. Every year, someone is going through the shock and disorientation of having a loved one pass away. Life on this side of Heaven is changed and our souls are marked by these losses in ways that words fail to describe.

If you or someone you know is going through their "firsts" after the passing of a loved one, we hope that this episode will help. 

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18)

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Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

NEW: Seaside Treasures Framed Shell Art

NEW: Hope Endures: A Biography of Faith by Jennifer Arrington

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in under five minutes. Reading along as you listen is also a great habit. The Word of God is instructional, and the book of Proverbs is practical enough to apply to everyday situations.

Here's an example: Suppose a friend comes to you and asks what you think of taking medication for depression. Do you just jump in and answer according to your personal opinion, or do you ask enough questions to understand the "why" behind the problem? When we attempt to help people solve surface issues rather than root problems, we are not helping. Proverbs 18: 13 is a great reminder verse, guiding us to ask more questions rather than just blurting out an opinion:

"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." (Proverbs 18:13) 

God makes life make sense.

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NEW: Hope Endures: A Biography of Faith by Jennifer Arrington

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we play the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode, "Food Won't Fix That Problem," was a chart-topper and I think I may know why. A lot of people struggle with unhealthy food habits, but they're not sure what to do about it.

Whether you are a stress eater or you are eating for other reasons unrelated to hunger or health, this episode will help you examine your habits. As mentioned when this podcast first aired, if we learn recognize the times when we’re eating for reasons other than hunger, we can make changes.

Let's explore three common reasons why we eat when we’re not hungry, and what we can do instead.

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Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

NEW: Seaside Treasures Framed Shell Art

NEW: Hope Endures: A Biography of Faith by Jennifer Arrington

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! The entire book of Proverbs can be read in a month, since it has 31 chapters. After three months, you will find that you are drawn to Bible reading, which leads to deeper Bible study. The practical applications found in Proverbs make it a very effective for inspiring spiritual growth.

Life is better when we live it God's way. Here's a verse for your week from Proverbs Chapter 4: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7)

You will never have too much wisdom. 

Books, Bible Studies, and more in the Shop at Keep the Heart

Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

NEW: Hope Endures: A Biography of Faith by Jennifer Arrington

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where you'll hear the most popular episodes from previous seasons. This week's episode deals with a common problem: the controlling person. The desire to control the outcomes and people in our lives is a very common temptation. It’s a flawed thread that runs throughout the fabric of our lives, making us tense and anxious. 

We can trick ourselves into believing that if we manipulate situations just right, things will turn out according to our desires. The problem with this plot is that we’re out of line. People with control issues also have major trust issues, and the lack of trust starts with God and then works its way down into other relationships.

This episode examines three signs of a controlling person, and follows with a few suggestions on ways to give up this draining habit.

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Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

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BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in less than five minutes. If you are new at this, expect to increase in wisdom and understanding of how to handle the "issues of life." If you've been reading along for a while, you've probably already noticed how God uses the practical teachings of Proverbs to guide and instruct us for daily living.

Here's a great verse reminding us that our motives matter: 

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. (Proverbs 21:2)

Books, Bible Studies, and more in the Shop at Keep the Heart

Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

NEW: Hope Endures: A Biography of Faith by Jennifer Arrington

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

NEW: The Counting Tree by Jennifer Arrington

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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Everyone gets a turn in the rotation of painful situations, but there are varying degrees of trouble, big and small. When we haven’t been through the fire, we may have a hard time understanding the painful burns of extreme loss.

When the trouble is not in our lives, it takes intentional effort to have compassion, empathy, and true concern. This episode considers three ways that God increases our compassion for others, with the goal of becoming better about caring about others.

"But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies." (Lamentations 3:32)

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Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

What Do I Have to Lose: A 50-Day Devotional (Book Two) by Janice Wolfe

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

Mentioned in the Episode: "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom

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Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a daily chapter of Proverbs in about five minutes. The seventh chapter of Proverbs is a hard one. If you've developed the habit of reading or listening to a daily Proverb, you already know what's coming: the chapter about "the strange woman." The word "strange" in this context refers to a prostitute or a harlot. It also carries the meaning "to commit adultery." The "strange woman" is immoral and enticing.

This chapter should be read slowly, and yet it may be painful reading. Have you ever wondered how the "strange woman" ended up on that path of humiliation and destruction? And what about the man who accepted the invitation? They were both selfish. Taking advantage of people to satisfy the flesh never ends well.

Here's how chapter seven closes:

"For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." (Proverbs 7:26-27) That's not a happy ending, it's a dark warning.

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Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor

FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions

What Do I Have to Lose: A 50-Day Devotional (Book Two) by Janice Wolfe

From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton

Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley

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