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Avoiding Evil Living in a world of evil is hard. In the Proverbs, Solomon gives wise words of direction and counsel to avoid being overcome by it. Chapter 14 is another encouraging section. We don’t know what kind of trials and temptations are next, but we can prepare. We won’t be perfect in how we handle these challenges, but we can persevere by the grace of God.  This episode highlights proverbs that teach us how to live in the world without being overcome by it. Read about this subject Scripture: Proverbs 14“The World Is Changing—Should We?”Listen to more on this subject America Through the Eyes of Isaiah, track 11

Families need guidance. Husbands and wives need encouragement and direction. Mothers and fathers need understanding and patience. Children need correction and teaching. Many of the problems in our country and throughout the world is due to a lack of sound instruction in the home. God created the home. He is the only one who can define it and assign roles to everyone in it. That is why our society desperately needs the teaching of the Bible.   Proverbs 13 has priceless truths that every family would do well to read and memorize—instructions about work, discipline, obedience and many other parts of home life according to God’s plan.  Read about this subject Scripture: Proverbs 13Family Culture; or, Conversations in the Domestic Circle at the Carlton House, by Alexander Campbell.Listen to more on this subject RENEW 2024 – “Understanding the Times”

One of the key points in this chapter is character. This determines where we go in life more than ability. Character shows in our work ethic. It shows in how we treat others. It is displayed in what we say and don’t say. In short, character is everything, and any level of success is nothing without it.  Character comes from within. The core of character is the heart, not words or deeds. Solomon said as much when he opened this book by saying that the fear of the Lord is where it all begins (Prov. 1:7). As he unfolds the meaning and application of that starting point throughout the book Proverbs, he gives us more wisdom than we can imagine for our daily walk with God. Read about this subject Scripture: Proverbs 12Gospel Advocate, January 2, 1930Listen to more on this subject  RENEW 2026 – “My Responsibility”, “Put On the Lord Jesus Christ”

One of the greatest challenges to Christians is controlling our tongue. It is so easy to say the wrong thing. We lose our temper and say something harsh. We grow impatient and become overly critical. We take good things and people who love us for granted and forget to say “Thank you.” Nobody says the right thing every time, but we can do better. On the positive side, our words can do much good if we use them like we should. We can encourage and comfort others. We can teach them the Word of God. We can sow the seeds of kindness and peace wherever we are. We can change an environment from bickering and resentment to one of good will and cooperation by saying the right words at the right time.  This is just one of the subjects in this focused study of ten Proverbs of Solomon from chapter 11. Read about this subject Scripture: Proverbs 11My Sister's Keeper, Chapter 11: “The Christian Woman’s Tongue”Listen to more on this subject  Bible Commentary, James, tracks 13 & 14

The book of Proverbs is one of the most practical books in the Bible. It deals with everyday life. It addresses people problems. It teaches us how to manage our emotions. It helps us become better husbands, wives, children, parents, neighbors, citizens, and employees. It teaches us how to look at our money and our things. It warns us about the dangers of alcohol and sex outside of marriage. It gives principles for the welfare of nations and their governments. All these good counsel from above is based on one simple fact that this book emphasizes from beginning to end: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7).  This episode begins with the words “The proverbs of Solomon” (Prov. 10:1). After you listen to just ten verses from this chapter, you’ll want to know more. And if you remember who wrote these short, wise sayings called Proverbs, you’ll learn even more from this truly unique book of the Bible. Read about this subject Scriptures: Proverbs 10:1 (Prov. 17:25; 17:21); 10:7; 10:12; 10:13; 10:19; 10:23; 10:24; 10:26; 10:27; 10:29“Proverbs to Live By”Listen to more on this subject  RENEW 2021 – “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”

Is your mind is crowded with too many cares? In this age of quick and easy information, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. On any given day we hear and see hundreds of words and images. The Word of God in our hearts can be “choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14). Is there a way to sort through all this data and see clearly? There is. In this episode, we will look at simple ways to clear our minds of clutter. These all come from the Bible. God made our minds, and He knows best how to train them with good habits of thinking. He tells us how to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). We can have clarity instead of confusion in a hectic world. Read about this subject Scriptures: Mark 1:35; Psalm 8:3-8; Psalm 119:105“Finding Peace During Life’s Worries”Listen to more on this subject  Bible Commentary, Philippians, Track 17

Nothing should be clearer. God created two genders: male and female. That is God’s original and permanent plan for mankind. The concept of male and female is not a human idea. It is a divine creation. It is not a biological accident or a stage in evolution. It is God’s design of mankind and His will for the human race. Pointing out the facts in nature and the Bible about gender is not uncaring. It is compassionate in the biblical sense of the word. This episode of Finding Truth in the Confusion calls us back to the basics on this needlessly controversial but persistent issue of our time. Read about this subject Scriptures: Genesis 1:27; Romans 1:26-27Right From the Beginning in a World of WrongListen to more on this subject  America Through the Eyes of Isaiah, “Reversing Good and Evil”

Is it true that “Everybody interprets the Bible differently, so no one can know what it means”? If we believe God wrote the Bible, that cannot be true. God would not give us a book to confuse us. Still, there are lingering questions about the interpretation of the Scriptures. Why do people interpret it differently and how can we ever know we have the right understanding of it? This episode of Finding Truth in the Confusion builds on the previous episodes in the series. If we can know God and Christ despite conflicting opinions about them, then we should not be discouraged when there are so many explanations of the Bible. Read about this subject Scriptures: Matthew 24:15; Eph. 3:3-4Ox in the DitchListen to more on this subject  Bible Interpretation—Beyond the Basics

Nothing should be clearer to mankind than the existence of God. Yet there are different answers to questions like “Is there a God?” and “Who is God?” If God exists, then why are there different interpretations of the world He created?  There is confusion over these questions. But that doesn’t mean there should be. Just because there are different opinions does not mean a person is unable to know which answer is right.  This episode of Finding Truth in the Confusion shows that the reason for misunderstandings about God—skepticism, atheism, deism, polytheism and other false philosophies—is not a lack of evidence. It is a failure of the heart. The passages of Scripture in this episode give clarity and comfort to Christians in a world of doubt and unbelief. Read about this subject Scriptures: Acts 14:11-16; Acts 17:16-34; Romans 1:18-32God at a DistanceListen to more on this subject  Bible Doctrine, "Is There a God?"

There are different opinions about every religious question. That doesn't mean all of them are right. It doesn't mean the evidence is inconclusive or unclear. It certainly doesn't mean that the proof and teaching God gives is lacking in clarity. But the fact is that God made mankind with free will. People choose what they want to believe. That is why there is so much religious division today. This episode introduces Finding Truth in the Confusion, a series on this perennially troubling issue. We began with a question whose answer is obvious to Christians but not accepted by all: Who is Jesus? We will learn that if people were divided over this issue when He was on the earth, it should be no surprise that there are different, conflicting answers today. Read about this subject Scripture: The Book of JohnJesus the Son of God Free CourseListen to more on this subject  Bible Doctrine, Jesus: “Who is Jesus?”

Islam is the largest religion on earth with roughly two billion followers. Some countries are mainly Muslims while others are a mixture of Muslims and other religions including Christians. But is Islam a religion or a political system?  In this interview with two preachers in Nigeria, we will hear from brothers in Christ who have firsthand experience with this movement. These Christians did not learn about Islam by watching videos. They know it because they have seen it in action. In this episode we will learn about their persecution and their fears, but we will also be amazed at their courage and perseverance.

This is Part One of a moving interview with two TBC graduate students from Nigeria who share the story of their conversion and how they became gospel preachers. Tom Ekpot and Joseph Azembah are seasoned ministers who reflect on lessons they have learned through the years. By the grace of God, their work continues to influence many souls throughout this great nation, where opportunities to spread the gospel abound.

It is easy to acquire a pessimistic, even cynical view of mankind as we age. Disappointments in others and in ourselves accumulate, leaving us with a despondent outlook. Read the words of almost anyone in history who lived into his sixties or seventies and you will notice this negative frame of mind.  It is true that the majority of people are lost in sin (I John 5:19). It is also true that evil tends to go from bad to worse (II Tim. 3:13). We understand this when we read about it happening in the Bible, and witnessing it ourselves makes this impression even deeper over time.  But there are times when groups of people, sometimes in surprising numbers, turn back to God. The Old Testament records periods in the history of Israel when this happened. We may be seeing such a revival in the hearts of many today. There is still much evil in the world, but there seems to be a surge of interest in spiritual matters, especially among young people. This trend is no landslide, but it has marks of being genuine. This episode explores how and why this may be happening before our eyes. Read about this subject Scripture: Jude 3; II Timothy 3:16-17“As For Us”Listen to more on this subject  RENEW 2021 “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”

It’s one of the best known stories in the Bible. There are countless drawings of it. Children learn it in Bible school. Christians of all ages love to read it and hear sermons about this challenge in Daniel’s life. Daniel had faced dangerous situations before, but being thrown into a den of lions was not something he expected. This is a story of faith and courage. It is also a story of what happens when God’s law and man’s law collide. But to Daniel the choice was clear. He had resolved to follow the law of God regardless of the consequences.  If Daniel could face this life-threatening crisis with faith, then Christians today can take courage and trust God in the face of trials that challenge our faith. Read about this subject Scripture: Daniel 6Church, State and Disease in Light of Scripture and Common SenseListen to more on this subject  Bible Commentary: Hebrews 11

The signs of doom were there, but this arrogant king didn’t see it coming. A large army was stationed outside the city walls waiting for the command to attack. But this king was oblivious. He throwing a party in his luxurious palace. His name was Belshazzar, the grandson of king Nebuchadnezzar. He inherited the throne from his father and was the most powerful man in the world. But the Babylonian Empire he was over was about to come to a halt. Another major change was about to happen in the book of Daniel. The old adage “the writing on the wall” comes from this story in Daniel 5. It is a warning against being prideful and forgetting the lessons of the past. It is also an encouraging story because Daniel once more had to adjust to changes in his world, and he does so without complaining or compromising.  Read about this subject Scripture: Daniel 5TBC Free Course: What Happened to AmericaListen to more on this subject  America Through the Eyes of Isaiah, Track #15 "God Rules Nations"