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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 16 on Build Your Bible Habit. This chapter opens with the reality that God knows why we do what we do. Sometimes we’re not even completely clear or even honest about our motives, so God uses His Word to shine the light on any dark areas that need to change. God not only knows our motives, but He knows the best direction for our lives.

By this point, you are well on your way to building your Bible habit. Beware of the human nature tendency to want to quit. Things of value always require effort. You can help yourself by scheduling your Bible habit like an unbreakable appointment. Some like to have Bible and breakfast, while others like their Bible with bedtime. Regardless of when or where, keep this habit up and you’ll notice improvements in your decisions and a deepening of your relationship with God.

Proverbs 16:3 is a great reminder that all plans are worthy of prayer. It says this: "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." God can be trusted with our plans, and He knows which direction will lead to the best outcome for our lives. You are building a life-changing Bible habit!

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The man in the sky club who asked me what I did for a living was so excited it was suspicious. I thought that maybe he wanted to hear more about the Bible. It turned out that he wanted a debate. I’m not into debates. I’d rather engage with a willing participant in a respectful dialogue than get into a lengthy dispute with someone who feels like they’ve finally found their sparring partner for the day. And when it’s a complete stranger, I really can’t inspire myself to quarrel. Why argue with someone I don’t know when I could do that with people I do know? Haha! But seriously, this was a gospel opportunity, as long as I didn’t mess it up by becoming argumentative.

People are so confrontational today, and they feel emboldened because it’s popular to be against things that are good and for things that are destructive. It didn’t take long for this stranger to identify himself as a proud unbeliever, which made me politely and carefully respond to him while gradually ending the conversation. I concluded with a string of Bible verses quoted from memory. His face changed as I quoted Scripture, and I knew that the Bible was doing what I could not do. There is a spirit in every human, and while it can’t be reached by arguments, it can be penetrated by the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

There are reasons why unbelievers don’t understand believers, and we make the division worse when we get into arguments just to score points. Let’s consider just a few reasons why there is this communication gap, considering our own roles and making sure that we’re not becoming repellant or annoyingly self-assertive. 

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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 15 on Build Your Bible Habit. Have you ever said something that got you into trouble, when you knew you should have kept your mouth shut? Many of us have been there, but we can learn how to do better the next time. Chapter 15 opens with verses about the tongue, and continues with more instructions for navigating the daily issues of life. Proverbs 15 is an excellent directional chapter.

You’ve reached the halfway point in building your Bible habit. By applying what we’re learning from these chapters, we're equipping ourselves to walk in wisdom. So many issues of life are related to a simple lack of wisdom, but when we know better, we can do better. Take a little extra time to select a verse of the day, applying it as often as possible. For example, Proverbs 15:1 tells us that "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." The next time you’re tempted to answer someone in a harsh tone, pause and edit your words. By employing the soft answer, you’re putting your learning into action while avoiding unnecessary drama. Building a Bible habit makes us wiser.

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Welcome to Teachback Tuesday, where we feature the most popular episodes from the previous season. The topic of friendship is frequently misunderstood. If we’re looking at the relationship from the “what’s in it for me” perspective, we're missing the point that friendship is meant to benefit both sides. 

Friendships can be a blessing or they may become a steady stream of draining drama. People come into friendships with the baggage of their backgrounds, and we show up with ours as well. Learning how to be the kind of friend that makes life better is a "work of heart." Ready for a review on how to be an “iron sharpeneth iron” friend? Gather with your sister friends and make this a small-group study. You'll discover practical ways to be more consistent in your friendships.

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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 14 on Build Your Bible Habit. This chapter covers the wise, the foolish, the scorner, the backslider, the angry person and more! Once again, God has given us instructions on the right and wrong ways to live. It’s like being served a meal where there are things that we really like mixed with things that we’d rather not eat, even though they’re very good for us. We need both for balance. This chapter is a life buffet.

To build a Bible habit, we need to make a commitment that’s firm. We can’t be on and off about it. God has provided us with an abundant life through His Word. How many With as many Bibles as the average person owns, we could at least commit to reading one of them consistently. Make your Bible study an unbreakable appointment. Try pairing it with something else, like Bible and breakfast. Just commit and stay committed. As it says in Proverbs 14:27, "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." There is more value to building a Bible habit than we can imagine. It is so worth it!

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Little is Much When Many Give!

I can’t remember where I was when a young woman told me that she was "slap wore out," but it was somewhere in the south. It cracked me up because I’ve never heard that phrase before. I’m still learning how to speak southern. What does this have to do with today’s episode? Everything, because after over 30 flight segments in a few hectic months of conference travel, this teacher is slap wore out. Today’s episode will be more like a freelance coffee date with a sister.

Have you ever been so tired that you were afraid to drive your car? Or have you ever been so bone weary that you fell asleep fully dressed? Or maybe you’ve been so exhausted that you totally forgot about an important appointment and didn’t even realize it until someone told you? I am right there with you.

I was so overbooked a while ago that I forgot to disarm the security system on my way out the door. I accidentally tripped the alarm, but still got into my car and drove away. I didn’t even hear the 60 second warning chime because I shut the door behind me so quicky, the beep-beep of the warning didn’t register! It wasn’t until the security company called me to ask if everything was alright that I realized that I had created a false alarm.

When we’re worn out, we can activate lots of alarms.

Are you slap-wore out? This episode will share three things from Scripture that are points to ponder for the weary. Maybe you should listen while lying down. I'm only sort of kidding. Listen to this during break time.

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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 13 on Build Your Bible Habit. This chapter is full of contrasts that can be summed up in a sentence: Live this way, not that way. This is an “everyday problems and solutions” chapter. We’ll read what happens when a person has a big mouth (Prov. 13:3). That’s an everyday problem. We’ll be warned about how pride causes friction (Prov. 13:10). That’s another everyday problem. We’ll even be reminded that the friends we choose are influential at any age (Prov. 13:20). 

Building a Bible habit does require some effort. Consider this quote by author Richard Taylor (not a relative that I know of, but an excellent writer). He said this: “Emotions may not immediately obey the will, but actions must.” In other words, don’t wait until you feel like doing what is right. Do it and let the feelings catch up with your actions later. As we read Provers 13:19, "The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil." Building your Bible habit will prove to be one of your most valuable accomplishments, and it will be sweet to your soul.

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Welcome to TEACHBACK TUESDAY, featuring the most popular episodes from the previous season. This week’s episode, “Are We Anything Like Judas?” requires some soul-searching. We don’t like to think of ourselves as being deceptive, two-faced, or disloyal, but these undesirable character traits are possible in any human.

Did you know that we all come equipped with excellent OPI vision? OPI stands for "Other People’s Issues," and OPI vision means that we can easily spot OTHER PEOPLE’S ISSUES. This happens when we’re looking at someone else's life and magnifying their flaws while throwing a cover over our own. There was someone like that in the Bible, and his name was Judas.

In this Teachback Tuesday episode from April of Season One, we’ll be challenged to examine ourselves for Judas-like behaviors. Are we anything like Judas? Listen in for the traits that give us the answers. In reality, anyone could be like Judas.

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Have you ever tried to solve a problem and ended up making matters worse? That’s what happens when we try to operate in our own wisdom without doing things God’s way. He has a way, but it’s not usually what we would choose. God sees things differently than we see them. We have distorted vision. His vision is perfect.

If you’ve ever heard me teach at a conference, you know that I’m a huge fan of reading a Proverb a day. It’s just so life-changing! God wants to teach us how to live in this moment in history. We are here by design and on purpose. The problems we face are just part of the script of life in a fallen world.

Proverbs chapter four is great for learning how to solve problems. God left us with instructions that apply to anything that comes up in this life, because life is really just a rotation. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us so: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

We don’t have new problems. We have old problems in new wrapping paper. This episode covers four ways that we can prepare our hearts and minds to become more effective at problem solving.

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BONUS BIBLE SERIES: Welcome to Proverbs chapter 11 on Build Your Bible Habit. Chapter 11 could be summed up in one word: integrity. According to Webster’s dictionary, integrity includes moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. You’ll also notice stark contrasts in this chapter between those who walk with God and those who don’t.

Building your Bible habit through daily Proverbs will increase the soundness of your heart and mind. We are anxious and agitated when we’re spiritually starved, but by reading and studying God’s Word, we’re feeding our souls, which is one of the most important forms of health care. As it says it Proverbs 11:3, "The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them." Don’t try to live the Christian life without the Bible.

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