Life has issues, and the Bible has the answers.
Francie Taylor teaches the relevance of
Scripture to daily life through these brief
Bible application studies...
Welcome to Replay Wednesday! This episode, "How to Handle Discouragement" from Season One continues to be one of the most frequently-downloaded episodes. No surprise. Discouragement is a common experience, and it has a lot of causes.
Maybe you've lost a job and haven't been able to find another one yet. Or perhaps there's trouble in your family and it feels like the problems are multiplying. Or maybe there's something you have been longing for in your life and it hasn't come to pass, and you're wondering if it ever will?
Discouragement can make our spirits heavy, but this is a temporary condition, not a permanent address. Find a comfy chair and pause for these helpful insights designed to encourage. There is hope. Even when we lose our own.
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance." (Psalm 42:5)
Helpful tools here in the Shop at Keep the Heart:
Apply: Living What We Learn--Daily Devotional by Francie Taylor
Elegant Olive Petal Snap Flap Bible--Great for travel!
Encouragement for Young Women: A 30-Day Devotional for Teens by Charity Berkey & Team
What Do I Have to Lose: Losing My Way and Finding God's by Janice Wolfe
Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor
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9:00
Build Your Bible Habit-Proverbs Chapter 29
Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit, where you can listen to a chapter of Proverbs in about five minutes. This is a habit that pays in the currency of godly wisdom, which the Bible calls "the principal thing (Prov. 4:7).
If you've ever wondered why it seems like divisiveness is increasing, there is an answer to that question in Proverbs 29:27: "An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked."
When a person is living in godliness, they will be very unappealing to those who choose to do the opposite. What can we do about this gap? Look for people who want to know if there is more to life than a bunch of people arguing and slapping labels on each other. Engage in a sincere and caring conversation about why you believe what you believe, and always be ready to share your faith.
Not everyone is antagonistic. Some are still seeking.
Helpful tools here in the Shop at Keep the Heart:
Apply: Living What We Learn--Daily Devotional by Francie Taylor
Elegant Olive Petal Snap Flap Bible--Great for travel!
Encouragement for Young Women: A 30-Day Devotional for Teens by Charity Berkey & Team
What Do I Have to Lose: Losing My Way and Finding God's by Janice Wolfe
Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor
Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram
Like Keep the Heart on Facebook
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5:00
The Proud Heart-ICU Bible Study
Prideful thoughts sound like these:
Who do they think they are?
She/he thinks her/his way is the only way to do things.
Why do they get praised for doing the same work that I do?
I should get recognition for this.
I'm not bragging, but...
Welcome to a Bible Study segment from the series, ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions. This week's episode is a study of "The Proud Heart." This is a 25-minute episode, since it is the entire lesson from ICU.
We do not need lessons on how to be prideful. It comes naturally. In this episode, we'll look at a poster child for the prideful heart: King Nebuchadnezzar. He thought way too highly of himself, but aren't there times when we're doing the same thing?
If you're planning to teach a Bible study group, get the Leader Guide which includes teaching notes. The Leader Guide is also appropriate for solo study. The participants in your group would each need a Participant Guide, which includes interactive blanks to fill in, along with space for study notes.
Get your group together and play this episode. You'll complete this lesson in less than 30 minutes. You'll confidently teach the other lessons on your own. Bible study groups are a great way to form lasting bonds of friendship around the Word of God!
The episode ends with a BONUS SEGMENT of tips for leading your next Bible study group.
"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." (Proverbs 13:10)
START YOUR BIBLE STUDY GROUPS WITH THESE TOOLS!
ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--Heart Conditions Leader Guide
ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--Heart Conditions Participant Guide
ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--New Testament Leader Guide
ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--New Testament Participant Guide
ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--Old Testament Leader Guide
ICU: In Christ Unconditionally--Old Testament Participant Guide
Apply: Living What We Learn--Daily Devotional by Francie Taylor
Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram
Like Keep the Heart on Facebook
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25:00
Build Your Bible Habit-Proverbs Chapter 15
Welcome back to Build Your Bible Habit! This week, Proverbs 15 opens the chapter with a lesson on the "soft answer." We need this lesson. When people speak to us harshly, it's human nature to want to respond the same way. Our carnal nature is not interested in godliness. It is human to have a classic case of "how dare they speak to me like that."
When we tell someone off and imagine that it will settle things, instead this wrong move heats up the conversation until both sides are angry. God wants to help us fix this tendency. The solution? Learn the art of the soft answer. Godliness is rewarding to the soul, building humility and temperance.
Here's a great verse for the week:
"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)
Those sharp words you were tempted to use? Soften them.
Helpful tools here in the Shop at Keep the Heart:
Apply: Living What We Learn--Daily Devotional by Francie Taylor
Elegant Olive Petal Snap Flap Bible--Great for travel!
Encouragement for Young Women: A 30-Day Devotional for Teens by Charity Berkey & Team
What Do I Have to Lose: Losing My Way and Finding God's by Janice Wolfe
Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor
Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram
Like Keep the Heart on Facebook
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4:00
Season 5 Intro-Better is the End of a Thing
When I had a heart procedure done a few years ago, I was told that I would be feeling great afterwards. This was not my experience! Instead, shortly after going home I was taken right back to the ER with overwhelming pains that were shooting through my body. The heart procedure had damaged some nerves at the point of entry for the surgery. These nerves went crazy and sent lightning bolts of pain through my body for a few days. Once the pain resolved, I actually did feel much better than I had felt before going into the procedure.
The end was better than the beginning, but I had to be patient and walk through some pain before getting to that "better" part.
In this Season 5 Intro episode, I'm sharing my theme verse with you, explaining the blessing of how this simple habit helps. If you don't have an annual theme verse, pick one today. Watch how God uses that verse, often in ways that bring both "growing pains" and joy!
My theme verse for 2025: Ecclesiastes 7:8
"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."
Helpful tools here in the Shop at Keep the Heart:
Apply: Living What We Learn--Daily Devotional by Francie Taylor
Far Above Rubies: A 31-Day Devotional by Melissa Hedrick
Encouragement for Young Women: A 30-Day Devotional for Teens by Charity Berkey & Team
What Do I Have to Lose: Losing My Way and Finding God's by Janice Wolfe
Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor
Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram
Like Keep the Heart on Facebook
Life has issues, and the Bible has the answers.
Francie Taylor teaches the relevance of
Scripture to daily life through these brief
Bible application studies.
Ireland