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 the enemy. Identify common tactics of the enemy — confusion, doubt and fear — and how to train your eyes to look away from the opposition you see and focus on the opportunity in front of you.Claim your identity in Christ and speak Truth to combat the enemy’s lies while trusting God to go before you in every battle you face.Related Resources:Discover more about Opposition and Opportunity by doing our study in the First 5 app! All you need to do is download the FREE First 5 mobile app (available for Apple and Android devices) and go to the “Plans” section in the app. Just search for the title Opposition and Opportunity and start the study!Take your study of Opposition and Opportunity further by purchasing the accompanying Experience Guide, available at p31bookstore.com. All of our Experience Guides are designed to take you deeper into Scripture with questions to help you apply God’s Word to your life.Access more teachings just like the one you heard today through the First 5 app each weekend. Simply make sure you have the app downloaded, and there will be a fresh audio teaching each weekend available to help you apply what you’re learning during the week to your life!Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

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 find your place in a community of believers.Acknowledge the hurt you’re facing and find a way to forgive those who’ve hurt you through the lens of Scripture.Develop empathy for those who have been hurt by the church and discover ways you can reach out to help someone close to you take the next step toward healing. Related Resources:Stay rooted in God’s Word by giving Him the first five minutes of your day with our free First 5 mobile app! Download it today for your Apple or Android device.With Whitney Capps’ book, Sick of Me, you’ll take the next steps on your faith journey to look more like Jesus today than you did yesterday. Purchase your copy today from Proverbs 31 Ministries!Visit whitneycapps.com to download a free resource on how to walk through specific situations of church hurt and how to process the hurt you’re facing today.Click here to download the transcript for this episode.

“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 we want to ensure fasting is a private event between you and God, we do want to encourage you to anonymously share how we can pray for you on our prayer wall. At Proverbs 31 Ministries, our staff and volunteers pray over each prayer request submitted, and we would love to pray for you! Click here to visit our prayer wall.If you’re interested in learning more about spiritual foundations or knowing God, check out our free resource library! This is a great place to start if you’re looking to dig deeper into Scripture and want more insight on questions you have about your personal faith journey.Click here to download the transcript for this episode

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 conversation about unmet expectations.Your marriage is a message, and people are watching you preach!To read the transcript for this episode click here. Related ResourcesPurchase Karen Ehman’s book, Keep Showing Up: How to Stay Crazy In Love When Your Love Drives You Crazy from Proverbs 31 Ministries.Your life is crazy, but your Bible study doesn't have to be. Online Bible Studies is a place where you can dive deep into books by your favorite Christian authors alongside a community of women from right where you are. Check out our latest Online Bible Study now!

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 about God throughout the small things every day will help you raise up not only a good child, but a God-honoring adult. Related Resources:Sign up for our FREE Encouragement for Today devotions filled with daily, biblical encouragement to help you filter life through God’s Word.Purchase Am I Messing Up My Kids? by Lysa TerKeurst through Proverbs 31 Ministries. Full of practical ideas, short Bible studies and plenty of encouragement, this inspiring resource will help moms to realize that — with God’s wisdom and mercy — they can experience peace and satisfaction while raising their kids. 

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 stay connected with God and apply His Word to every area of life.How to determine if, and when, you should seek wise counsel from a trusted friend by first going to the Lord for guidance first.Seeking wisdom and principles for life doesn’t have to start and stop with the book of Proverbs, but can be found starting with Genesis and ending with Revelation.To read the transcript for this episode click here.Related ResourcesFind a place to process what you’re learning each day as you discover how to apply godly wisdom to your everyday life. Study the book of Proverbs with us in our FREE First 5 mobile app! All you need to do is download the app on iTunes or Google Play to get started.Take your study of the book of Proverbs a little deeper by purchasing our Study Guide. Each Study Guide includes daily study questions and historical context to help you unpack Scripture. Purchase your copy today! 

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 episode click here.Related Resources:Purchase your copy of It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered today!Sign up for the FREE It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way Online Bible Study hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries and journey through the book with a solid community to support you. 

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.Related resources:Click here to listen to Lysa’s teaching titled, “The Birthplace of Disappointment.” Purchase your copy of Lysa’s latest book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way and learn what it means to find unexpected strength when life’s disappointments leave you shattered.Make a donation to Proverbs 31 Ministries today to help us continue to provide free resources (just like this podcast) for women around the world to connect with God’s Truth on a daily basis. 

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 transcript for this episode click here.Related Resources:Follow along with Nicki’s ministry and Fixer-Upper Farm journey on Instagram at @NickiKoziarz.Purchase Nicki’s book Why Her?: 6 Truths We Need to Hear When Measuring Up Leaves Us Falling Behind and learn practical steps you can take as you tackle comparison in your own life.Like what you’re hearing? Leave the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast a review on iTunes so other women will be exposed to the Truth of God’s Word! 

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 Resources:At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we offer professional and biblical training by industry experts for women who are called to write, speak and lead, through our She Speaks Conference and COMPEL Writers Training membership site. Click the links to learn more!

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 circumstances being made right. If your story isn’t turning out the way you thought it would, God will show you an even more glorious story that can be written.To read the transcript for this episode click here.Related Resources:It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst is available now wherever books are sold! Purchase your copy today at p31bookstore.com.Check out our exclusive It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way resources to use as a reminder of finding unexpected strength in your everyday life. 

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 to Revelation.Taking the crucial step to imagine yourself in the passage you read will help you connect to Scripture emotionally, just like you would in any other book!To read the transcript for this episode click here.Related Resources:Ready to start studying the Bible in a fresh way? Download our FREE First 5 mobile app and join us each weekday for a relevant, but challenging teaching on one chapter of the Bible at a time. Take your Bible study and personal application to the next level by purchasing one of our First 5 Study Guides. Each Study Guide is written by one of our First 5 writers or staff members and includes exclusive charts, maps and study questions to help you dig deeper into Scripture. 

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 ResourcesAt Proverbs 31 Ministries, we offer professional and biblical training by industry experts for women who are called to write, speak and lead, through our She Speaks Conference and COMPEL Writers Training membership site. Click the links to learn more!

When you read about Solomon’s life in 1 Kings 3:3 it says, “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.”   Except.  The word “except” means that Solomon’s affections weren’t fully placed on the Lord. Instead, some of his affections were placed on things of this world that were idols. In today’s episode, Lysa TerKeurst and friends dive deep into their own misplaced affections to help you understand that although today’s idols are different than Old Testament idols, the struggle is still the same.  You’ll discover…When our needs are met somewhere else other than within our relationship with the Lord, there are consequences.Waiting on the Lord to heal your wounds or provide for you in your time of need will be hard, but His timing and provision are better than any quick fix.You’re never too far from God to choose to give all of your affection to the Lord.To read the transcript for this episode, click here.Related Resources:Order Lysa TerKeurst’s book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, and receive the first three chapters immediately to get started reading today! Download the FREE First 5 app and start giving your first five minutes of each day to the Lord. Are these messages making an impact on your life? Leave us a review on iTunes and tell us about it! 

When you look for examples of worship in the Bible, you’ll find everything from songs sung in corporate worship to deep prayers uttered in the midst of hard circumstances. Today, most of us relate worship to attending church and singing songs together. But what if worship is something we can do every day in the seemingly insignificant moments of life?In today’s episode Meredith and Kaley talk with two special guests: Mack Brock, a worship leader and songwriter, and Joel Muddamalle, the Director of Theology at Proverbs 31 Ministries. You’ll hear both Mack and Joel’s perspective on worship and learn practical ways to worship in your day-to-day life.Through this conversation on worship, you’ll discover…Breakthrough happens when you bring all of who you are — your hurt, frustration, joy and celebration — to the One who stands above it all.You’ve been called and appointed to a specific assignment on this earth, and the way you live your life is a form of worship.God is in every moment, and every moment can be worshipful if you remember to point your attention back to Him.Related Resources:Download our free First 5 mobile app and spend the first moments of your day with God before the hustle of your to-do list begins. We also have study guides to help you dig a little deeper into God's Word. Purchase Mack Brock’s album, Greater Things, available now on all music platforms. Click here to view the transcript.

Have you had a recent disagreement in a relationship, which you can’t quite find the cause of? It might be because of your expectations! One of the quickest ways to frustrate and fracture a relationship is to try and hold someone accountable for expectations that are either unrealistic or uncommunicated. In today’s episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, Lysa TerKeurst shares practical ways to navigate the conversation on expectations that will help you and your spouse, friend, or even co-worker, have a better relationship. You’re going to want to take notes for this one as Lysa helps you...Determine the difference between realistic and unrealistic expectations, and how to make peace with those that aren’t realistic.Understand that putting off the conversation about any kind of unmet expectation will create a wedge between you and the other person. Make the choice to choose the relationship over the uncertainty of uncommunicated expectations today.Download the transcript for this episode here. Related Resources:Order Lysa TerKeurst’s book titled It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way!Connect with Lysa TerKeurst on Facebook and InstagramSign up for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ FREE Encouragement for Today daily devotions delivered straight to your inbox. Click here to view the transcript.

When you see the word “ministry,” it’s easy to think about people or organizations making big moves for God — feeding hungry children, rescuing those in slavery or speaking in front of thousands of people. But what’s so easy to overlook are life’s greatest ministry opportunities packaged in everyday moments.In today’s episode, speaker and author Whitney Capps shares her own personal struggle with turning ministry into “me-nistry” — making ministry and even your everyday routine all about “me.” Whatever your assignment is today, you’ll discover that every call is magnificent because it comes from the Magnificent One.You’ll learn…The mess you want to run from is the very ministry moment God wants you in right now.Anything you tie yourself to, besides God, will ultimately weigh you down.Being known by the famous and omniscient One is the only validation you’ll ever need.Related Resources:Are you a writer, speaker or leader? Click here to sign up for the interest list for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ She Speaks Conference.Download our First 5 mobile app to make the first five minutes of your morning count each day. Click here to download the transcript for today’s episode. 

What kind of woman is God calling you to be today? A woman everyone likes, or a woman who is obedient no matter the cost, and humble no matter what others may think? Oftentimes the steps of obedience God asks of you might not be popular with the “in” crowd. He might ask you to go out of your way to love someone completely unlovable or stand up for someone who isn’t popular. He might even ask you to not move forward when you could so easily take matters into your own hands.But what do you do when others are looking? You have to make the choice between doing what you know is right, or doing what makes you look good right now.In today’s episode of The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, you’ll hear Meredith Brock give a fresh, applicable message on how the Lord is changing her heart to be obedient no matter the cost. You’ll learn…The choice to be obedient to God will last far longer than the approval of others.The feeling of peace doesn’t always immediately follow the decision to be obedient.How to tell if there are some voices you’re giving too much authority to in your life, and that it’s okay to silence them.The struggle to be obedient doesn’t get easier with age and brings new challenges with every season.To read this episode’s transcript, click here.Related Resources:Follow Proverbs 31 Ministries on Facebook and Instagram.Receive encouragement every weekday by subscribing to the Encouragement for Today devotions.Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode!  

In Philippians 4:6, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything…” But in today’s world, it’s hard to hold true to that promise in God’s Word. We see violence, sickness, betrayal and evil in the world ... every day, multiple times a day. So how can we “not be anxious about anything”?In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast we’ll give you the answer: stay C.A.L.M.This week’s guest is Melissa Taylor, Director of Online Bible Studies at Proverbs 31 Ministries. She led a group of over 51,000 people through Max Lucado’s book Anxious for Nothing, and it’s one of our largest online Bible studies to date!Since then, Melissa has encountered her own battles and has continued to put the C.A.L.M. acronym, based on Philippians 4:4-8, to use in her everyday life. In today’s teaching you’ll discover...How to easily memorize the C.A.L.M. acronym and put it to use the next time anxiety starts to creep in.The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.You might not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your thoughts.To download the transcript for this episode, click here.Related Resources:Anxious for Nothing by Max LucadoNeed prayer? Visit the Proverbs 31 Ministries prayer wall!Sign up for the next Online Bible Study!

Have you ever read about the woman described in Proverbs 31:10-31 and thought to yourself, I will never live up to those standards? At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we have those same thoughts!If the “Proverbs 31 woman” were on social media today, she would probably be someone we all look to, but could never live up to. This woman does everything: wakes up early, makes her own clothes, owns property, doesn’t eat carbs (if you count the bread of idleness), takes care of her husband and kids and runs her household. No wonder some of us don’t flip to that chapter in the Bible!In this episode of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast, staff member Lauren Oquist dives deep into what it really means to be a Proverbs 31 woman. You’ll discover…You don’t have to be meet the qualifications listed in Proverbs 31:10-31 to a “Proverbs 31 woman.”Our standard for living should not be found in a person; it should be found in Jesus.Your genuine desire from the core of who you are to please Him is what makes you a Proverbs 31 woman.After all, Proverbs 31:10-31 is not a prescription for us to fulfill, but a testimony of how God is shaping us into His image.Download the transcript for episode 3 here, click here.Related Resources:Encouragement for Today devotions by Proverbs 31 Ministries Embraced by Lysa TerKeurstBecoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst