Wisdom for the Heart

Wisdom International
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  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

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.

  1. 6H AGO

    E.V. Hill & S. M. Lockridge

    Share a comment A clear spine runs through everything we talk about today: make Christ unmistakable. We share how two pastors—E. V. Hill and S. M. Lockridge—held fast to the gospel when culture pulled hard, and why their courage still instructs our pulpits, our neighborhoods, and our daily conversations. Their stories cut through labels and factions, not because they dodged hard issues, but because they put Jesus at the center and let everything else take its proper place. We start with EV Hill’s beginnings in Texas and his long pastorate in Los Angeles, where conviction outran credentials. He was loved by some, resisted by others, and shaped by Acts 4 boldness—recognized as a man who had been with Jesus. From praying at inaugurations to preaching an unblushing pro-life, six-day creation stance, he refused to let party lines define his pulpit. Then we dig into his “block captain” strategy, a simple but potent evangelism network that placed believers on nearly two thousand blocks so every neighbor could hear a kind, persistent invitation to meet Christ. From there we trace SM Lockridge’s journey from Texas to San Diego, his statewide leadership, and the enduring power of “That’s My King.” The sermon still spreads because it exalts Jesus without ornament or apology, marrying cadence to rich doctrine. We explore how that vision of Christ—majestic, merciful, reigning—creates believers who can withstand pressure and love their cities well. Along the way we name the three anchors that shaped both men: the gospel of Christ as the priority, the approval of Christ as the motive, and the glory of Christ as the fascination. If you’ve been longing for examples that stand taller than trends, this conversation offers a way forward: claim your address as an assignment, speak the name of Jesus with clarity and warmth, and cultivate awe until courage follows. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us where you’re placing your next “block captain” for the gospel. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    27 min

  2. 1D AGO

    Katharina Luther Part 2

    Share a comment Soup steaming on a wooden table. Laughter, arguments, and ink-stained notes flying between students and a weary reformer. At the center stands Katharina von Bora, running a 40-room refuge, balancing ledgers, and setting the stage for the conversations that would become Table Talk. We pull back the curtain on the unseen power of Katie’s table and how a marriage that started as a shock proposal turned into a living model that reshaped church, family, and vocation. We walk through Luther’s bold teaching that pastors could marry and that faithfulness at home reveals fitness to lead. Then we get honest about the mess: a decaying cloister, rancid straw, and two strong-willed people choosing commitment over compatibility. Katharina brings order and enterprise—whitewashing walls, buying cattle, managing property—while Luther embraces humility, even championing fathers who wash diapers as a witness of real Christianity. Together they embody a new vision of sacred calling, where the milkmaid, the mechanic, the teacher, and the parent each practice holy work. The story doesn’t dodge pain. Slander hounds Katharina from both Catholic and Protestant corners, yet she keeps serving, raising children, adopting kin, and welcoming refugees who crowd the halls. Meanwhile, the evening ritual becomes legendary: light supper, deep debate, and an open chair for Katie’s questions. Without her, there’s no supper; without supper, no sustained exchange; without exchange, no Table Talk. By handing her finances and authority, Luther models partnership; by claiming a voice at the table, Katharina reframes what a home can do. If you care about marriage, leadership, parenting, or the quiet labor that powers big ideas, this story will recalibrate your sense of what counts. Press play, share it with a friend who carries unseen weight at home, and leave a review to tell us which moment from Katie’s table stayed with you. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    25 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Katharina Luther Part 1

    Share a comment A single line from Romans shattered a lifetime of striving and set two lives on a collision course with history. We follow Martin Luther’s storm-tossed vow into the study where Romans 1:17 turned guilt into grace, then step through the convent doors with Katerina von Bora as smuggled sermons and a moonlit escape in fish barrels carried her toward a risky freedom. What begins as theology on parchment becomes a home under pressure—fields to manage, walls to whitewash, books to write, mouths to feed—and a marriage that made doctrine visible. We share how Luther’s embrace of sola fide and sola Scriptura reshaped his preaching and his world, and how Katerina’s courage, wit, and practical genius transformed the decaying Black Cloister into a humming household. Along the way, we unpack their unlikely courtship—complete with a declined suitor and a bold proposal—and why their union became a living rebuttal to compulsory celibacy and a blueprint for Christian family life. Their table talks, daily labors, and stubborn commitment argued that righteousness is received by faith and worked out in chores, budgets, hospitality, and forgiveness. Across these scenes, two durable principles emerge. First, marriage flourishes through commitment rather than compatibility; differences become the apprenticeship of love. Second, the aim is humility, not the chase for constant happiness; the home is a school where character grows in the friction of ordinary days. If you’re curious how big ideas like the Reformation change small things like bedsheets, brewing, and bedtime prayers, this story invites you into the rooms where belief becomes habit and hope finds a home. If this journey moved you, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a friend who loves history told through the lives that lived it. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    27 min

  4. 5D AGO

    William Cowper

    Share a comment What if the church’s most enduring hymns were penned in the grip of despair? We trace the life of William Cowper—bereaved son, bullied boy, failed barrister, relentless sufferer—and watch mercy thread through a story that could have ended many times. A Bible left open to Romans 3 meets him at St Albans. Tears, relief, and faith rise, but the darkness doesn’t vanish. Instead, grace teaches Cowper to walk with it, write through it, and hand the church language for seasons when the soul feels starless. We unpack five hard-won principles: frailty isn’t proof of God’s rejection; friends can’t erase battles but can share them; suffering may not end ministry but can enlarge it; creation can’t replace Scripture but can steady your mind; and faith won’t always remove pain, yet it will lead you through it. Along the way, John Newton steps in like a field guide—assigning visits, urging craft, and pairing Cowper’s 68 poems with his own 200 to create the Olney hymns. Out of breakdowns come lines like “God moves in a mysterious way,” and the blood-bought hope of “There Is a Fountain,” where guilt finally meets its match. This is a candid, compassionate conversation about mental health, Christian hope, and the strange arithmetic of providence. Expect biography with backbone, theology with pulse, and practical steps: serve someone, step outside, observe creation, seek counsel, cling to the gospel. If you’ve been told real faith never struggles, let Cowper’s voice free you to lament and still believe. Press play, share with a friend who needs gentleness and grit, and if this helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us which line you’ll carry into the week. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    27 min

  5. 6D AGO

    George Mueller

    Share a comment Start at ground level and life looks like a mess of ruts and detours. Step back, and a pattern begins to emerge. We trace that shift in perspective through Romans 8:28 and Psalm 84:11, then watch those promises take on flesh in the story of George Müller—thief turned pastor, skeptic turned intercessor—who opened his home and his heart to England’s most vulnerable children and proved that trust can build a movement. We walk through Müller’s unlikely beginnings, the prayer meeting that shattered his cynicism, and the convictions that reshaped his ministry: free pews, no government salary, and a refusal to solicit funds directly. Instead, he published clear, candid reports and prayed specifically. The result was both ordinary and astonishing: five orphan houses caring for thousands, Scripture and literature flowing across nations, and missionaries like Hudson Taylor strengthened by steady support. The famous morning with 300 empty plates and a simple prayer ends with a sleepless baker and a broken milk cart at the door—not as legend, but as lived reality. Beyond the headline moments, we wrestle with the deeper claim: no good thing does God withhold from those who walk uprightly. What if good sometimes looks like pruning, delay, or detours that only make sense from a higher view? Müller’s habit of placing a Bible in a young adult’s right hand and a coin in the left captured the principle—hold fast to the word, and God will keep enough in the other hand. Whether you lead a nonprofit, parent through uncertainty, or carry private grief, this conversation offers a grounded, history-tested path to trust that neither manipulates nor resigns itself to fate. If this story stirred your faith, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review telling us where you saw the “higher view” break into your week. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    27 min

  6. FEB 17

    Charles Spurgeon

    Share a comment A snowstorm, an absent pastor, and a layman’s ten-minute sermon changed the course of church history. We follow Charles Spurgeon from that unlikely conversion moment—“Look to Christ”—to a lifetime of preaching that filled halls, stirred headlines, and anchored bruised hearts. What emerges is not a tale of polish and pedigree, but of a teenager seized by grace who kept pointing a restless world to a simple, seismic center: Jesus. We share how Spurgeon’s early barn sermons swelled into crowds, how a skeptical London congregation became the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and how Susannah’s steady presence shaped the pulpit week after week. Along the way, we open the door to his study: the verse-hunting Saturdays, the sleep-sermon Susannah captured, the Monday edits that sent his words across oceans. We also linger on his pain—gout, rheumatism, long absences from the pulpit—and the engine behind his astonishing output. His answer to “two men’s work” wasn’t hustle; it was Colossians 1:29 dependence, a partnership with Christ’s energy that turned weakness into witness. Spurgeon’s courage didn’t stop at comfort. He confronted slavery, pushed back on infant sprinkling, and ultimately sounded the Downgrade alarm when doctrinal clarity began to blur. The cost was sharp—censure and cheers at his exit—but the warning still reads like today’s news: guard the gospel, prize Scripture, resist the slow leak of conviction. And yet for all the fire, his voice remains most healing when speaking to the crushed in spirit: pour out your heart before God, empty the vessel, and look where hope lives. Acceptance isn’t found in the rise and fall of your feelings but in the Beloved who holds you fast. If you need a clear center, a resilient joy, and a bracing reminder that ordinary faithfulness can move cities, you’re in the right place. Listen, share with a friend who could use courage, and if this story lifts your eyes, subscribe and leave a review so others can find their way to the same hope. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    27 min

  7. FEB 16

    John Newton

    Share a comment Storm, lashes, desertion, and a whispered prayer at the helm—John Newton’s life doesn’t just inspire hymns, it interrogates the heart. We follow his journey from a London boy taught Isaac Watts by a devoted mother to the “Great Blasphemer” hardened by cruelty at sea. A brutal court-martial and an ordeal on a West African island left him scarred and starving, only to be found by a rescue ship sent because a father would not stop searching. Then came the Greyhound’s storm, a first crack of repentance, and—after another fever—a clear-eyed conversion that named the cross as his own indictment and freedom. The story refuses simple lines. As a new believer, Newton still captained slave ships, documenting insurrections, suicides, and the commerce that church and state endorsed. His conscience burned until a sudden seizure ended his sailing and opened a decade of study: Scripture by lamplight, Greek and Hebrew self-taught, and the thunder of George Whitefield shaping his theology. In Olney, Newton pastored with candor and compassion, partnering with poet William Cowper to craft hymns for prayer meetings. From those Thursdays emerged lyrics anchored in 1 Chronicles 17—David’s astonishment before God—distilled into Amazing Grace, a testimony of unearned mercy and steady hope. London widened the circle. A young parliamentarian named William Wilberforce sought Newton in secret, not for policy talking points but for a way back to God. Newton shared the gospel and later lent his seafaring journals to abolition, turning lived darkness into legislative light. Near the end, blind and frail, he refused to fall silent: “I am a great sinner, and Jesus Christ is a great Savior.” That line, like his epitaph, frames a legacy bigger than a hymn: a witness that grace can confront complicity, comfort the broken, and convert even the fiercest rebel into a shepherd. Listen for the turning points, the tensions, and the mercy that writes new endings. If this story moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs courage today. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    27 min

  8. FEB 13

    Hudson Taylor

    Share a comment What if the moment that changes your life is a single line on a forgotten page? Hudson Taylor’s story begins with a teenage skeptic, a gospel tract, and one piercing phrase—“the finished work of Christ.” That realization doesn’t make life easier; it makes obedience possible. From that grounding, he learns to trust through delayed paychecks, slumside porridge meals, and a late-night choice to give away his last coin before any warm feeling arrives. We walk through the crucible that formed his resilience: the discipline of praising before relief, the courage to see cultural offense and remove it, and the humility to lose donor approval in exchange for real rapport on the street. His choice to adopt Chinese dress and customs wasn’t theater—it was neighbor-love that opened doors, even as grief, disease, and riots pushed back. Along the way, friendships with Spurgeon and Müller provide just-in-time fuel, while Taylor’s own words sharpen our practice: rude people accomplish little; responsibility rests with God when we obey. At the heart of this episode are five field-tested principles you can use today: improve the character of the work you already do, deepen piety with intentional effort, remove stones of stumbling if possible, oil the wheels where relationships stick, and supplement what is lacking instead of critiquing from the sidelines. We close by tracing the legacy—hundreds of outposts, schools, and a translation effort across 18 provinces—without losing sight of the source. The work that saves is finished, which frees us to attempt the tasks that look impossible, endure the ones that are difficult, and celebrate when, at last, they are done. If this story stirred your courage, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs resilience today, and leave a review with the one principle you’ll practice this week. _____ Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate: https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legacies Support the show

    26 min
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About

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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