Take Heart Ministries

People were amazed at the teaching of Jesus. It wasn’t just that He had command of His material. The people had heard other teachers who were scholars but Jesus’s teaching was different. His hearers recognized that He wasn’t like other scribes. “They were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority and not as the scribes”(Mark 1:21-28) The authority of Jesus belonged t...

This is not how most of the world pictures Jesus but this is how Mark introduced His ministry. “Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” We often view Jesus as He healed, delivered and even raised the dead. He taught and fed 5000. He walked on water. Little children were welcome in His presence, as were the worst of sinners. John the Baptizer was the preacher who called for repentan...

Letting go is not easy. A parent may stand just out of reach in a swimming pool and say “You can do this. Turn loose of the side and come to me. I have you and you won’t sink.” It is a simple illustration but we must learn that life is best lived when we trust God and turn loose. This last message, in our series of podcasts dealing with courage, takes us to this biblical promise. It naturally brea...

“For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but it is the wisdom and power of God to us who are saved”. Jesus embraced the cross. He did not run from it, but taking all of our sin upon Himself, He sacrificed His life as payment in our place. He calls for us to “take up our cross and follow Him.” Why does it take courage to embrace the cross? Because of the reaction of...

Good leaders are influenced by good people. That is a biblical truth that needs to be replicated in our world. Josiah was eight years old when he became king in Jerusalem. When he was 26 years old, he instituted a refurbishment of the temple and took necessary steps to put Judah on the right path. The book of law was found in the clutter of the temple, read and acted upon. The Passover was restore...

In the Bible’s list of good kings that honored the Lord, Hezekiah, King of Judah, stands out. There was revival in the land under Hezekiah. He made right, a number of wrongs that had been incorporated into daily life. Isaiah was a constant witness to Hezekiah. He had the ear of the King. In his old age, he cried out to God and God extended his life. A longer life is not necessarily a better life....

The focus of this text is on a great man, Naaman, who had leprosy. There is another great man who is important in the story. Elisha was a mighty prophet of the Lord. But there is a little slave girl mentioned and we don’t even know her name. She, however, is a hidden hero and is a key part of this Old Testament story with New Testament implications. She was an Israelite slave who waited on Naaman’...

Do you know the story of Rahab? She hung a “scarlet cord” from her window on the wall of Jericho. Her past was not good. Someone called her “the shady lady from Jericho”, but her life was changed the day that she confessed faith in the God of Israel. Rahab became an example of how God can change the future. She is a Gentile woman who winds up being mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. S...

Mankind’s first act of disobedience centered around a lie told by the serpent. “Thou shalt not surely die.” We read the Bible and understand that while we started out in a garden, we moved into a graveyard. We believe that Jesus will return to catch away believers, resurrect the dead and put an end to dying. Until that day we will experience life in the presence of a shadow. Jesus came to give us...

David faced his giant but you will too! Your giant may not be 9 feet 9 inches tall. It may not come at you with a spear and a roar. You may not see your giant coming at all, but suddenly there he stands. Giants can cause the strongest to be afraid. You may find your giant in a classroom or a hospital room. You may discover your giant in your past or in your future. Suddenly, there is a giant. Foll...

Few people and leaders have been forced to face change to the degree that Joshua and the children of Israel faced change. They had waited for forty years to get into the land that God had promised them, and now they stood on the edge. Moses had died and Joshua was their leader. They had wandered but now they would settle down. Even the the landscape around them would be different. Added to all of...

The apostle Paul asked the believers of Ephesus to pray for him. Ephesians 6:19. He had experienced all of the warfare mentioned in this larger passage he had written. And now he simply adds “And for me…” Every pastor needs the prayers of his people more than any other means of support. He needs all kinds of support but especially prayer support. In the ministry it is the same today. Few people un...

You may be familiar with the song “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” It was written in 1858 and, in particular, was a hymn reminding people to stand up for Jesus and against slavery. It was considered a spiritual battle that could only be won through prayer. We are involved in a battle for the cause of Christ that demands each piece of gospel armor. It is prayer that holds it all together. Paul wraps...

The prophet Amos foretold a time of famine in the land. It would not be a famine of bread or water “but of hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11 It is possible to have a powerful weapon at your disposal and never put it to good use. A sword was not designed to be left in a scabbard and the Bible was not designed to rest on a bookshelf. This podcast is about how we are to hear the word of God....

God has given us everything we need in our battle against the wicked one. We don’t win this kind of battle through using our intellect or reason. Politics can’t give us a victory that changes lives. But the word of God can. We need to read it, study it, apply it and take it up as our weapon. It is so trustworthy that even Jesus, when tempted by the devil, said “It is written.” The greatest book ev...

As a teenager I was told, “Use your head for something other than a hat rack!” In other words, “Think!” We often have thinking problems. That is especially true when we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Our salvation protects out thought processes. I often find myself praying “Lord, help me think like a Christian should think.” The reason I pray that way is that I often don’t. I need help controll...

The next defense against the attacks of the devil is a good shield composed of faith. The Apostle Paul said “Take up your shield!” Burning arrows can come anytime from unexpected sources. But a shield made out of faith, will overcome the attack of the wicked one. This podcast deals with the necessary ingredient of faith. Faith keeps the believer in the fight and gives assurance that the battle bel...

Horatio Spafford wrote one of the most peace filled songs ever written out of a very broken heart. “It is Well” was written by a broken hearted father who had lost his children in the North Atlantic when their ship sank. Tho Satan should buffet, tho trials should come Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And has shed His own blood for my soul. Those words,...

There is battle that is raging for control of your heart. The enemy will attack you with lies because he is a liar. Discouragement and depression may afflict you. Without the covering of God’s breastplate of righteousness we hear the enemy say things like: “Do you really think God can forgive you for that?” “If you were really a Christian you wouldn’t have those thoughts.” “If you really loved Jes...

When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he began by questioning God. “Yeah hath God said?” Either God didn’t say what you thought you heard or He really didn’t mean it. Go ahead Eve and just taste it. Our enemy, the devil, still works that way. Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. Lying began with Satan. We hear the voices and believe the accusations that are purely li...

We sometimes feel overwhelmed by the struggles we see around us. It is impossible to avoid conflict because we see it everywhere we turn. This podcast deals with four very clear arenas of conflict. Understand that there is always a story behind the story. There are other battlefields but these four stand out. Governmental Congregational Marital Personal This only scratches the surface, but Jesus p...

Jesus left us with a promise. “I will build my church.” Two thousand years later, the promise is still in effect. He led His disciples to the northern most part of Israel to get some rest and to teach a lesson. Surveying the paganism of Caesarea Philippi, He asked “Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?” That question led Peter to say, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God!” It must hav...

We all find ourselves in the middle of conflict of heart and soul that we cannot see. We sense it. We know it. If it were a physical battle, we would seek help. We would figure something out. But it is not primarily physical in nature. The Apostle Paul closed his letter to the church at Ephesus with both warning and encouragement. They were warned that spiritual warfare was real. Living in Ephesus...

The rugged old cross is our hope for all eternity. It is not the cross itself, that can save us from our sin. Our hope is in the one who died there. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. I hope you will give serious consideration to what happened there. That event and the Resurrection stands the center of Christianity. In the cross of Christ we glory! The Cross is an Instrument of Death. The Cross...

The Apostle Paul gives clear instructions for what we should put in our minds. “Think on these things.” Truth be told, we allow clutter to fill our brains very much like it fills our closets. God is calling us to a Repentant Mind Renewed Mind Readied Mind Restful Mind All of this fits together into a file called “The Mind of Christ.” Put the things in there that fit there. Clean the things out tha...