Podcast
Wisdom for the Heart
Hosted by Stephen Davey · EN
Stephen Davey will help you learn to know what the Bible says, understand what it means, and apply it to your life as he teaches verse-by-verse through books of the Bible. Stephen is the president of Wisdom International, which provides radio broadcasts, digital content, and print resources designed to make disciples of all nations and edify followers of Jesus Christ.
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Episodes
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The Battle Begins (Romans 7:14–17)
2d ago00:26:56Tap to summarizeShare a commentThe most confusing part of the Christian life can be the most universal: you love God’s law, you want to change, and yet you still find yourself pulled toward sin. We go straight into Romans 7 and face the tension Paul puts on the page, the good we want to do and the evil that still seems close at hand. If you’ve ever wondered whether real believers struggle this way, you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy. We work through the big interpretive question that shapes everything: who is Paul talking about? We walk through the major views and why they matter, from “Paul must mean someone else” to “this is an unbeliever” to the dangerous idea that Romans 7 is just an immature or carnal stage you eventually outgrow. Along the way, we clarify the difference between being free from sin’s penalty and power and still living with sin’s presence and possibility, which keeps temptation and failure on the daily calendar. Then we land on the uncomfortable encouragement: this conflict can describe a committed, growing believer. We talk about why the most mature Christians often sound the least impressed with themselves, why spiritual leaders still struggle, and why growth can look like increased sensitivity to sin rather than a polished image of victory. If you want a clear, honest, biblical framework for sanctification, indwelling sin, and the battle within, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels stuck, and leave a review with the line that challenged you most.Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The Five-fold Function of Law (Romans 7:7–13)
3d ago00:27:17Tap to summarizeShare a commentA simple “No” can light up something in us that we didn’t even know was there. Tell people not to feed the bears, and suddenly the bears look hungry. Put up a “stay off the grass” sign, and the lawn starts calling your name. We use that everyday tension to unpack Romans 7 and a hard truth: God’s law doesn’t create evil, but it does expose how deeply our hearts resist limits, and how quickly forbidden things can feel irresistible.We talk through Paul’s own story of being confident, moral, and deeply religious, only to be brought to zero when the commandment truly lands and he meets the Lawgiver. That moment doesn’t just reveal “mistakes,” it reveals a condition. From there we face the deception of sin head-on: the promises of satisfaction that never last, the illusion of safety, the myth of secrecy, the rewriting of shame, and the false security that says grace means nothing really matters. If you’ve ever thought, “It’ll be different for me,” this will hit close to home.We also make the case that the law is holy, righteous, and good because it reveals God’s character, but it cannot heal what it diagnoses. The law works like an X-ray, not a cure, pushing us away from self-righteousness and toward redemption at Calvary rather than confidence at Sinai. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest “forbidden fruit” temptation you’ve seen play out in real life.Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The Master’s Men (Pt. 3) (Luke 6:15b-16)
4d ago00:27:14Tap to summarizeShare a commentSome of the most important disciples in the New Testament are the ones we barely notice. We wrap up our walk through Luke 6 by slowing down for the “last four” names on the list, and the result is both comforting and confronting. If you’ve ever felt ordinary, overlooked, or unsure your life is making a difference, this conversation reframes what spiritual impact actually means.We talk about James the son of Alpheus, sometimes called James the Less, a man with almost no recorded moments and yet a full calling from Christ. From there we dig into Simon the Zealot and the shocking reality that Jesus put a political firebrand side by side with a former tax collector, turning clashing backgrounds into a living picture of church unity. We also explore Judas the son of James, known as Thaddeus, whose tender question in John’s Gospel highlights how Jesus reveals himself personally, one heart at a time.Then we deal honestly with Judas Iscariot: trusted, involved, and indistinguishable to the group, yet ultimately a traitor. It’s a sobering reminder that exposure to truth is not the same as belief. We close with Matthias, why the apostolic office is unique, and a vivid illustration of the gospel as music played through ordinary instruments in the hands of the Maestro. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review. What part of the disciples’ story hits closest to home for you?Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The Master’s Men Part 2b (Luke 6:14b-15a)
1w ago00:26:27Tap to summarizeShare a commentIf you have ever looked at your own faith and thought, “I have failed too many times to be useful,” we want to challenge that assumption. The thread running through these disciples is not their polish, their confidence, or their spiritual pedigree. It is the steady reality that Jesus chooses people who disappoint Him and then shows them, over and over, that He will not fail them. We spend time with Philip, the practical “facts and figures” disciple, and watch Jesus put a spotlight on his instincts during the feeding of the 5,000. When the math says “impossible,” Jesus invites Philip to see that faith is not built on what we can calculate, budget, or control. A child’s simple lunch becomes the perfect illustration of God’s pattern: He does not need impressive offerings, just an available heart that will place what it has into His hands. Then we meet Nathanael Bartholomew, who has no hidden agenda but does have a blunt prejudice about Nazareth until Jesus reveals divine knowledge and wins his immediate confession. We also touch Matthew’s calling as a despised tax collector, a clear reminder that Jesus does not call qualified people; He qualifies the people He calls. Finally, we rethink Thomas, not only as the skeptic but as the first to say he is willing to die with Jesus, a picture of love that stays even when optimism is gone. If this encouraged you, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who feels disqualified, and leave a review so more listeners can find the conversation. What part of your story have you assumed God cannot use?Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The Master’s Men Part 2a (Luke 6:14b-15a)
1w ago00:26:02Tap to summarizeShare a commentTwo brothers hear a town reject Jesus and instantly reach for the flames. James and John actually suggest calling down fire from heaven, as if spiritual leadership is best done with threats and force. If that sounds extreme, it’s also uncomfortably relatable: when we feel dismissed, we want control, payback, and proof that we’re right. We walk through Luke’s portrait of the disciples and the surprising logic behind Jesus’ choices. He doesn’t pick people because he needs them, because they look impressive, or because they already know enough. He picks ordinary men because they’re willing to be taught and because he intends to make them into something new. James and John leave security and connections, then wrestle with pride, privilege, and the hunger to be seen. Over time, the “sons of thunder” are reshaped into perseverance, courage, and love, with James becoming the first martyr and John living long enough to be known not for anger but as the apostle of love. Then we shift to Philip, the disciple who lives in the spreadsheet. When Jesus asks how to feed thousands, Philip can only see the math and the limits. The feeding of the five thousand becomes a targeted lesson: God isn’t waiting for impressive resources or perfect confidence, but for availability and a simple offering placed into the hands of Christ. If you’ve been stuck in pros and cons, budgets, and worst-case scenarios, this one speaks your language. Listen, then subscribe for more Bible teaching and discipleship conversations, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s one “small offering” you can bring to Jesus right now?Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The Master’s Men Part 1 (Luke 6:12-16)
1w ago00:26:15Tap to summarizeShare a commentJesus builds a movement without grabbing the obvious power players. No rabbi to cite chapter and verse on command. No scribe to document the moment. No insider with the right family name. When we trace Luke 6, we’re confronted with a Messiah who skips the religious establishment and chooses “dust-covered” learners, men close enough to be marked by his footsteps.We talk through the ancient picture behind discipleship: following so closely behind a master that you wear the dust of your teacher. That image turns Christian discipleship into something concrete and personal, not a label or a hobby. Then Luke pauses on a detail that’s easy to rush past: Jesus spends the entire night in prayer before selecting the Twelve, described with language like a physician keeping an all-night bedside vigil. We unpack what that kind of prayer says about spiritual leadership, pressure, and Jesus’ ongoing intercession for people he already knows completely.From there, two truths sharpen the whole story: Jesus chooses these men not because he needs them, but because they need him, and not because of who they are, but because of who they will become. We look at the surprising mix of backgrounds and personalities, then zoom in on Peter’s slow transformation from unpredictable to steadfast, and Andrew’s quiet faithfulness as the one who keeps bringing people to Jesus. If you’ve ever wondered whether your flaws disqualify you, Luke 6 answers with hope and a next step.Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review with one line on what it means to “wear the dust” of Jesus.Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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Fruit and More Fruit (Romans 7:4–6)
1w ago00:27:21Tap to summarizeShare a commentTrying to become more loving, patient, or self-controlled by sheer effort is exhausting, and it usually collapses before you even get out of the driveway. We take a hard look at why that happens by returning to a simple but freeing claim: it is the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of us. Using Romans 7, we talk about being joined to the risen Christ so our lives can bear “fruit for God,” the kind of spiritual fruit that comes from relationship, not pressure.We walk through three big categories of fruit God grows in believers: the Savior’s character (righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ), sanctified conduct that makes holiness visible to the people around us, and the Spirit’s control that replaces “fruit for death” with “fruit unto life.” Then we turn to Galatians 5 to contrast the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, and we underline a key detail: it is one fruit with many expressions, like a cluster of grapes, not separate traits we master one at a time.Along the way, we use two surprising stories to make it stick. “Mad as a hatter” becomes a picture of how long-term exposure produces long-term effects, and Helen Keller’s bond with Anne Sullivan becomes a moving illustration of the closeness Jesus wants with us. If you want practical Christian spiritual growth, deeper sanctification, and a clearer understanding of abiding in Christ (John 15), press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The Offspring of Our Union (Romans 7:4)
2w ago00:27:01Tap to summarizeShare a commentDarkness has a way of making our deepest desires louder and our best sales pitches weaker. We start the conversation with a blunt claim: without the gospel there is no real light, no solid truth, no lasting life, and no dependable hope, only speculation and futility dressed up as confidence. That frame reshapes what we think we’re offering the world and what we’re actually calling people to when we talk about Jesus Christ.From there, we challenge a common habit in modern evangelism, treating Christianity like a personal upgrade: feel better, get your needs met, be happier. Drawing on Martin Lloyd-Jones and Paul’s words in Romans 7:4, we argue that union with Christ is not built on making the unbeliever the center. The purpose is startling and clarifying: we are joined to the risen Bridegroom so that we might bear fruit for God. We walk through what that fruit looks like in Christian discipleship: thankful speech, surrender that dies to self, spiritual maturity through discipline, sacrificial giving that invests in people, and saving truth that multiplies across the world.Then a real-life story drives it home: a hydroplane crash, a replacement van, a breakdown in Connecticut, and a chain of frustrations that turns into an unexpected gospel conversation with a man who thinks he has six months to live. It’s a practical reminder that providence often looks like interruption before it looks like meaning.If you care about the gospel, spiritual growth, and what “bearing fruit for God” actually means on an ordinary Tuesday, listen through to the closing questions. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the fruit you want to see grow next.Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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The New Marriage (Romans 7:1–4)
2w ago00:25:50Tap to summarizeShare a commentNames matter more than we like to admit. We start with a wedding moment where getting the groom’s name wrong freezes the whole room, then we follow that thread straight into the apostle Peter’s claim that salvation comes through one Name: Jesus Christ. That single point becomes a doorway into Romans 7 and the weighty question so many people feel but rarely say out loud: if God’s law is good, why does it feel like it always wins the case against us?We walk through Paul’s careful structure in Romans 7: a principle, an illustration, and an application. The principle is blunt and universally understood: law only has jurisdiction over the living. The illustration is surprisingly intimate: marriage as a binding covenant that lasts until death. From there we explore natural law and conscience, bringing in C.S. Lewis and everyday stories that show how quickly we reach for “right” and “wrong” even when we claim morality is relative. These connections make the episode especially relevant if you’re searching for Romans 7 explained, law and grace, Christian sanctification, or how the gospel actually frees a person.Then we land on Paul’s answer: the law doesn’t die, we do in Christ. By faith, we are made to die to the law through the body of Christ so we can belong to the One raised from the dead. We close with the hope-filled picture of the Bridegroom and the bride, the coming marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19, and the promise that this union is personal and permanent. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What line or image stayed with you most?Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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See Jonah Faint (Jonah 4:1–11)
2w ago00:26:19Tap to summarizeShare a commentJonah pulls off what every preacher dreams about: a city turns from violence and idolatry, leaders and citizens repent, and God relents from judgment. Then the prophet storms off angry. That twist is not a footnote, it is the point, because it exposes how someone can know all the right words about God’s grace and still hate the idea of grace landing on the “wrong” people.We walk through Jonah chapter 4 as God asks three piercing questions that still hit home today: Do you have a good reason to be angry? What do you care about most? Should I not have compassion on people who cannot tell their right hand from their left? Along the way we talk about misdirected perspective, mistaken priorities, and misguided passion, plus the strange little object lesson of the plant, the worm, and the scorching wind. It becomes a diagnostic for the heart: what makes us happy, what makes us mad, and what that reveals about our real loyalties.We also challenge the instinct to make celebrities out of servants. God keeps Jonah from becoming a saintly superstar and makes it clear the hero is always the Lord, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in mercy. The ending then lifts our eyes to Jesus as the greater Jonah: not waiting outside the city for judgment, but suffering outside the city to offer forgiveness. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us: which of God’s three questions landed on you most?Explore all of our Biblically Faithful Resources at https://www.wisdomonline.org Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/Support the show
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