Wisdom for the Heart

Wisdom International
Wisdom International
  • 4.8 (268)
  • Christianity
  • 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. 18h ago

    Learning the Art of Refusal Part 1 (Titus 3:9)

    Share a comment Some of the loudest fights in church life are not about clear sin or clear doctrine. They are about the debatable space where the Bible “barely nods,” where preferences harden into platforms, and where people start taking sides and taking shots. We want better for our churches and for our own souls, so we open Titus 3:8–9 and ask a simple question: what belongs on a Christian’s tray, and what should be refused on purpose? We talk about the difference between what is popular and what is profitable, and why Paul calls certain disputes worthless even when they feel spiritual. Along the way, we use two sticky pictures you will remember: buzzards and eagles may both soar, but they fix their eyes on very different things, and a buffet can leave you with a stomachache when you try to take it all. That is the spiritual art of refusal, turning away again and again from foolish controversies, endless speculation, and traditions of men treated as doctrine. We also get practical about church unity in a community filled with different backgrounds, denominations, and expectations. When secondary issues get elevated to the level of “God’s truth,” the mission suffers and the gospel gets crowded out by quarrels. If you want stronger discernment, healthier biblical interpretation, and a clearer focus on good deeds that serve people, press play. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs peace, and leave a review telling us: what distraction do you need to refuse this week? We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Learning the Art of Refusal Part 1 (Titus 3:9)

  2. 3d ago

    Bringing God to Life Part 2 (Titus 3:8)

    Share a comment “Engage in good deeds” sounds simple until you realize Paul repeats it like a drumbeat and then adds a surprising command: be careful about it. We dig into what that means and why it matters for everyday Christian living, not as performative niceness, but as the gospel made visible through action. The aim isn’t to trade doctrine for activism, it’s to let good doctrine become a life of application that benefits real people in practical ways.  We talk about the mindset shift from random acts of kindness to intentional, thoughtful service, and we break down a three-part formula that sticks: intentionality plus creativity plus initiative. That kind of person shows up early, stays late, takes the distasteful chore, and quietly makes life better for everyone around them. We also get uncomfortably practical about the local church: if any place should be overflowing with volunteers, generosity, and “ready for every good deed” energy, it’s the household of faith.  Then we widen the lens to culture and history. Christians have a track record of doing good works that are genuinely “profitable” for all people, including unbelievers, from caring for abandoned children to building early health care systems to staying with the sick during plagues. We close with stories that capture the goal: living faith so tangibly that someone looks you in the eye and asks, “Where can I get a heart like yours?” If this challenges you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review, then tell us what one good deed you’re going to start this week. We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Bringing God to Life Part 2 (Titus 3:8)

  3. 4d ago

    Bringing God to Life Part 1 (Titus 3:8)

    Share a comment A gorgeous church building. Onion-shaped turrets. A familiar lobby. Then the doors open and the sanctuary is stacked floor to ceiling with chicken coops. The official tour guide smiles and says, “God is not real. Chickens are real.” That one line captures the tension so many of us feel today: the pressures of life are concrete, immediate, and loud, while faith can get pushed into the background like it’s just an idea. We work through Titus 3:8 where Paul tells Titus to speak confidently, like a coach calling the play with no time left on the clock. We trace why the gospel is a “trustworthy statement” and revisit the core of grace: God’s kindness in Christ, salvation by faith rather than deeds, the cleansing and renewal of the Holy Spirit, and justification that cancels the charges against us. We also talk honestly about the temptation for pastors, teachers, and everyday Christians to avoid hard lines because culture feels hostile or because we want to please people. Then Paul’s focus sharpens: this is for “those who have believed God” and that belief is personal. God isn’t watching from a distance. He is near, knowable, and involved. And that personal reality leads to a public lifestyle that is “truly beneficial” to others. We dig into why Christians don’t do good deeds to earn heaven, but because grace changes what we want, and because visible kindness gets the world’s attention in a way religious talk often doesn’t. If you’ve been wondering how to communicate Christianity with courage and credibility, this will steady you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels the pressure of our moment, and leave a review with the good deed you’re choosing to lead with this week. We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Bringing God to Life Part 1 (Titus 3:8)

  4. 5d ago

    Ambushed by Goodness Part 2 (Titus 3:4–7)

    Share a comment Being “born again” can sound like religious slang until you slow down and ask what the Bible actually means by it. We take Titus 3 and trace three loaded words that reshape everything: regeneration, renewal, and justification. The claim is simple and disruptive: the Holy Spirit gives a full internal cleansing, Jesus Christ pays in full, and grace leaves us with nothing to boast about and everything to be grateful for. We also tackle a common point of confusion with real pastoral clarity: where does baptism fit? We talk about why the early church treats baptism as the normal next step of obedience, and why that still does not make baptism the mechanism of salvation. When you make any ritual a requirement for being saved, you quietly add a human contribution to a rescue that Scripture describes as God’s work from start to finish. Then we go deeper into what changes after the new birth. Regeneration is a moment, but renewal is a lifetime, including the daily battle to resist being pressed into the world’s mold and instead letting God reshape our minds through His Word. We close with a vivid picture of justification that feels like a courtroom scene: God doesn’t simply cut us a break, He credits us with Christ’s spotless record and promises us the hope of eternal life as heirs. If this helped you think more clearly about the gospel, subscribe, share it with a friend who has questions about being born again, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Ambushed by Goodness Part 2 (Titus 3:4–7)

  5. 6d ago

    Ambushed by Goodness Part 1 (Titus 3:4–7)

    Share a comment One surprise announcement can change everything: a stranger pays a debt you could never erase. We use that real story of six-figure student loans forgiven on the spot to open up a bigger reality the Bible calls grace. When Paul writes Titus 3:4-7, he describes people like us at our worst, then turns the entire sentence on one small word: “but.” What comes next is the heart of the gospel, the kindness of God appearing to save. We talk about what “kindness” and “love for mankind” actually mean, including the idea of divine philanthropy. Not the celebrity kind that writes a check, but the ultimate gift of self-giving love through the incarnation, Jesus coming near rather than pitying us from far away. Along the way we challenge the stubborn myth that salvation is God helping our best effort. Titus is blunt: he saves “not on the basis of deeds,” but “according to his mercy,” leaving no room for spiritual bragging and every reason for gratitude. Then we dig into what happens after rescue: “the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” We clarify why baptism is a powerful public sign but not the mechanism of salvation, and why the Spirit’s work is a deep internal cleansing, not a quick spot clean. If you want a clear, hopeful explanation of grace, mercy, salvation, regeneration, and the Holy Spirit’s transforming work, press play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review. What word in this conversation hit you hardest? We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Ambushed by Goodness Part 1 (Titus 3:4–7)

  6. Oct 26

    Remember! Part 2 (Titus 3:3–4)

    Share a comment “I want that shade… and that shade… and that shade.” We start with a line that sounds funny until it exposes something deadly serious: covetousness does not just tempt us, it trains us. The more we chase, the less we’re satisfied, and what feels like freedom turns into a quiet kind of bondage. We walk through why materialism and hedonism are not side issues but symptoms of a deeper problem of the heart, where desire becomes a master and contentment starts to feel impossible. From there, we zoom out to the culture around us. When a society loses a moral compass, it reaches for rules and bans while still struggling to answer the basic question: who gets to define right and wrong? Stories about academic cheating, shifting boundaries, and moral confusion point to a sobering reality: when we dismiss God’s authority, we don’t drift into neutrality. We drift into belligerence, and we end up tangled in contradictions we can’t solve with policy alone. Then we take the turn Titus 3 is famous for. Right after the list of what we were, we get one of the most hopeful words in Scripture: “But.” The kindness of God appears, not to discard us, but to save us. That rescue rewires how we see other people, kills pride, and replaces it with humility, compassion, and gratitude. We close with the unforgettable Eddie Rickenbacker story, a living picture of what it looks like to spend your life saying “thank you.” If this sparked conviction or hope, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one place you’ve noticed the pull of “never enough” in your own life? We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

  7. Oct 23

    Remember! Part 1 (Titus 3:3–4)

    Share a comment Kindness feels scarce right now, and it is tempting to answer sarcasm with sarcasm and insults with “just telling the truth.” We go to Titus 3 because Paul refuses to let believers drift into the mood of the age. He calls us to live as remarkable Christians in public and private: respectful toward authority, careful with our words, peaceable under pressure, and genuinely considerate toward all kinds of people. That is not weakness. It is gospel strength on display. Stephen Davey then shows where that kind of kindness actually comes from, and the answer is humbling. Paul points us back to our own story: “we also once were” foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved. We talk through what that means in plain terms, including foolishness as intentional bias against God, disobedience as belligerence toward any moral authority, deception as spiritual blindness, and bondage to “various lusts and pleasures” that can include fantasies, hedonism, and even materialism. The episode connects these ideas to modern life without losing the main point: grace changes the way we treat people because grace first changed us. If you are tired of angry Christianity or tired of your own reactions, this message offers a better path: remember the pit you were rescued from, and let gratitude reshape your tone, your habits, and your relationships. Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share this with a friend who needs steadiness, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you want to remember. We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Remember! Part 1 (Titus 3:3–4)

  8. Oct 22

    Living in the City of Man Part 2 (Titus 3:1–2)

    Share a comment Rome didn’t need another angry letter. It needed a different kind of person. We pick up in Titus 3 and ask what it looks like to represent the city of God while living in the city of man, especially when the surrounding culture feels morally upside down and authority feels frustrating. Stephen walks through why early Christians became known as “remarkable” people, not because they had power, but because their character refused to look like the status quo. We talk candidly about submission to government and where the line is drawn: we obey the law until the law demands we violate the Word of God. From there, the message turns painfully practical. What is my attitude toward parents, teachers, supervisors, pastors, local leaders, taxes, and even that red light when nobody else is on the road? The goal isn’t a polished image. It’s a heart that trusts God enough to live with integrity. Then Paul’s relationship commands land with force: be ready for every good deed, go the extra mile, malign no one, be peaceable, stay gentle under pressure, and show real consideration to all kinds of people without playing favorites. Along the way, we hear stories that make these commands feel concrete and costly, and we wrestle with how this kind of Christian living can rebuild credibility in a loud, dismissive age. If you’re sensing a nudge toward deeper Bible training or ministry, we also share a seminary opportunity and scholarship path. Subscribe for more biblical teaching, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find the show. We want to translate Stephen's through the Bible teaching series - The Wisdom Journey - into 10 new languages next year. Your support makes that possible. Make a tax deductible gift right now: https://www.wisdomonline.org/give Learn about our plans to reach the nations: https://www.wisdomonline.org/2050 Support the show

    Living in the City of Man Part 2 (Titus 3:1–2)
See All (576)

4.8
out of 5
268 Ratings

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.

Information

More From Wisdom International

You Might Also Like