A Father’s Day Message 2025

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Wayne Davies

To all the dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

Have a great day with your family!

I want to offer you some timely advice that can provide the direction you need to teach your children and grandchildren well and lead them on the path of Christ-exalting discipleship.

 

Have you ever wondered, “What are the most important things I can teach my children?” The Bible is a big book. When it comes to passing on God’s truth to the next generation, where do I start?

I have listened to two sermons by John MacArthur that answer those questions quite well. These teaching sessions are part of a series entitled “Creating Shade for Your Children.” MacArthur takes you through the book of Proverbs and summarizes ten critical truths that we need to share with our kids.

Here are the 10 biblical principles our children need to learn from us:

1. Fear your God
2. Guard your mind
3. Obey your parents
4. Select your companions
5. Control your desires
6. Enjoy your spouse
7. Watch your words
8. Pursue your work
9. Manage your money
10. Love your neighbor

Did you notice something obvious here? These 10 truths aren’t just for kids, are they? This is what anyone of any age needs to focus on. Amen?

Certainly, if we are going to immerse our children in these teachings, we must have a thorough understanding of them ourselves.

So I urge you to take time to read or listen to this material. It could change the lives of both you and your children.

Creating Shade for Your Children, by John MacArthur. These sermons are available for free in print, audio, and video formats here –

www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-481/creating-shade-for-your-children-part-3

www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-482/creating-shade-for-your-children-part-4

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31 Reasons to NOT Follow Your Heart

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Wayne Davies

“Follow your heart.”

Ever heard that? I have.

Jon Bloom of DesiringGod.org has written a book entitled Don’t Follow Your Heart that explains why this is bad advice. Really bad.

“Follow your heart” is a creed embraced by countless people. It’s a statement of faith in one of the great pop-cultural myths of our day — a gospel proclaimed in many of our stories, movies, and songs. It can sound so simple, beautiful, and liberating. It’s tempting to believe.

Until you consider that your heart has sociopathic tendencies. Our hearts were never designed to be followed, but to be led. Our hearts were never meant to be gods in whom we believe, but to believe in God.

This book contains 31 meditations for recalibrating your heart. It is a collection of helps for common heart problems. Because your biggest problems in life are heart problems.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9

“Your heart will not save you. You need to be saved from your heart.”
— Jon Bloom, author, Don’t Follow Your Heart

This book is available for free in PDF, Mobi, and ePub formats here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/books/don-t-follow-your-heart

Enjoy!

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The Most Hated Christian Belief

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Wayne Davies

When Jesus was here on earth, relatively few people loved Him.

In fact, many hated Him.

So many people hated Jesus that He made this statement on the night He was betrayed by Judas:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
John 15:18

The world hated Jesus. That’s quite an indictment!

It begs the question, “Why?”

The most loving person to ever live on earth was hated so much that He was nailed to a cross as a criminal.

But why?

Jesus answered that question when he said that the world “hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” (John 7:7)

Jesus loved people so much that He told them the truth about their depraved condition. He was honest with people about their sins; He didn’t gloss over or ignore them. He didn’t sweep our transgressions under the carpet. He called sin a sin. He even called people “evil” when complimenting them.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children . . .”
(Matthew 7:11).

And when people are confronted with their sin, they don’t like it.

We prefer to think we’re doing OK, even though God tells us just the opposite in the Bible, dozens of times.

Why else would Paul write this to the Roman believers:
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment.”
Romans 12:3

We are wired to say, “I’m OK, and you’re OK.” That sounds a lot better than “I’m bad to the bone, and so are you.”

Solomon got it right: “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6 KJV)

Jesus sets the example here. He told Nicodemus that “the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19) – and this man was a highly respected religious leader; even Jesus called him “the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10).

If we are going to tell people the truth of the gospel, we must “be like Jesus” and tell them the bad news of the gospel first — namely, that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

And when we do that, we, like Jesus, can expect to be hated. The world hated Jesus because He told them about their sin. We should expect the world to hate us for the same reason.

We can also expect some people to understand the truth of their corruption. But they will likely be few and far between, for most self-righteous sinners prefer to cling to their self-righteousness — all the way to Judgment Day.

But because Jesus is building His church, when the good news of the gospel is preached with an appropriate explanation of the bad news of sin and its devastating consequences, the Spirit of Christ can then convict the world “concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (per John 16:8). Only then can sinners repent of their sin, trust Christ for the salvation only He can provide, and receive forgiveness of their iniquities.

Then, when one sinner repents, we get to rejoice with the angels in heaven, per Luke 15:7.

May God empower us to be faithful in sharing the gospel with every person. For free resources on how to do that, check out THIS BLOG POST.

And may we “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3).

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The Woman Who Taught Me How to Study the Bible

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Wayne Davies

This post is a tribute to Kay Arthur, co-founder of Precept Ministries.

She died last week at the age of 91.

This is a woman used powerfully by God to teach God’s Word for decades to millions.

As Melissa Kruger writes . . .

 

“The extent of her influence is difficult to quantify. She wrote more than 100 books and Bible studies, with more than 10 million in print. She has inductive studies on all 66 books of the Bible, and her Bible studies are taught in 90 languages in 190 countries. For more than 20 years, her radio and TV program Precepts for Life reached more than 75 million households every day in more than 30 countries. It’s overwhelming to consider the number of people who learned how to study their Bibles inductively because of her years of faithful teaching and writing.”
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/kay-arthur-taught-study-bible/

Because of Kay Arthur, I am one of those people “who learned how to study their Bibles inductively.”

And so I am thanking God today for this woman and the way God enabled her to help so many people dig deep into the priceless treasures of Scripture.

Here are a few of the Precept Ministry resources that I have not just read, but joyfully devoured, over the past 20 years:

How to Study Your Bible
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXED9XM/
I have a stack of books about “how to” study God’s Word. But this is the only one I’ve read at least three times. It’s the one that got me started in inductive Bible study. By far, it’s my favorite book on the topic.

That I May Know Him (Philippians / Colossians)
https://www.amazon.com/That-May-Know-Him-Philippians/dp/0736908099/
Precept Ministries offers several “levels” of Bible study guides. This book is part of “The New Inductive Study Series” and is a wonderful study, even though it’s not as in-depth as the other levels. It takes you through Philippians in 5 weeks and Colossians in 8 weeks. For a free PDF download of Week 1 in the Philippians study, CLICK HERE.

Mark: The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man
https://shop.precept.org/collections/mark/products/mark-bible-studies
This book is part of the “Precept Upon Precept” series, the most in-depth study (level 5) offered by Precept Ministries. You’ll spend about 5 hours each week on a lesson. For a free PDF download of Lesson 1, CLICK HERE.

Lastly, here’s an article Kay Arthur wrote at age 88 when she was “learning to live with Parkinson’s disease.” Read this article to discover how she answered the question, “How am I to handle this difficult diagnosis?” You’ll also learn about the struggles she faced as a 29-year-old, divorced mother of two young boys, and what God did for her to find joy in Him and His Word.
https://thecove.org/blog/kay-arthur-learning-to-love-the-bible/

Should you utilize any of Kay Arthur’s Bible study guides and books, I pray you’ll benefit as much as I have.

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The Promises of Prayer

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Wayne Davies

The Bible is filled with God’s promises. And there are many promises in Scripture related to prayer.

Precept Ministries has released a new book entitled The Promises of Prayer:
(A Collection on Prayer, Volume Two).

 

They are offering a free download of the first two lessons (see below for details).

I highly recommend anything published by Precept Ministries. I’ve used their Bible studies over the years and have benefited greatly from them. They teach the “inductive Bible study” method, which I also give two thumbs up. It’s my favorite way to study the Bible.

If you’re new to inductive Bible study, this would be a great way to learn about it.

This is also a wonderful opportunity to dive deeper into one of Scripture’s major themes: God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises through prayer.

From the Table of Contents, here are the 20 lessons included:

Lesson 1: Introduction
Lesson 2: Our Promise-Keeping God  – 2 Chronicles 6
Lesson 3: I Have Heard Your Prayer – 2 Chronicles 7
Lesson 4: Our Part to Play – 2 Chronicles 7
Lesson 5: Prayer at a Glance – 2 Chronicles 6–7
Lesson 6: Ask, Seek, Knock – Matthew 7
Lesson 7: Our Giving God – Matthew 7
Lesson 8: Confidence in Prayer – 1 John 5
Lesson 9: According to His Will – 1 John 5
Lesson 10 Prayer at a Glance – Matthew 7; 1 John 5
Lesson 11: Ask in My Name – John 14
Lesson 12: The Promised Holy Spirit – John 14
Lesson 13: Life in the Spirit – Romans 8
Lesson 14: The Spirit Intercedes – Romans 8
Lesson 15: Prayer at a Glance – John 14; Romans 8
Lesson 16: I Will Send Him to You – John 16
Lesson 17: Fullness of Joy – John 16
Lesson 18: The Father Loves You – John 16
Lesson 19: Peace in Jesus – John 16
Lesson 20: Prayer at a Glance – John 16

Lessons 1 and 2 of this 20-lesson study are available as a free PDF download:
CLICK HERE to get your copy.

Enjoy!

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The Prayer of a Godly Mother

Posted on May 11, 2025 by Wayne Davies

What does a godly mother look like?

She’s a woman of prayer and a woman who knows God.

Hannah is such a mother.

She is one of my favorite people in the Bible. You can read about her in 1 Samuel 1-2. She wanted a child so much but was barren and therefore distraught. She cried out to God to give her a son, and when He answered her prayer, Hannah kept her promise to “give him to the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11).

So Hannah brought her young son Samuel to the tabernacle at Shiloh, “so that he may appear in the presence of the LORD and dwell there forever” (1 Samuel 1:23). Then we get to read this prayer of a godly mother – please take time to read it now and learn how to pray a God-focused prayer of praise.

1  “My heart exults in the Lord;
my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.

2 “There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.

9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
(1 Samuel 2:1-10)

This is one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. It is filled with much truth about God, for both His attributes and His actions are on display: from His holiness, knowledge, and sovereignty to His salvation, provision, protection, and judgment. Indeed, this prayer reveals the heart of a woman who knew her God well.

May Hannah’s prayer teach us much about God, and may we strive to know Him and exult in Him all the days of our lives.

And for a deeper dive into the life of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2, you can read and/or listen to this teaching:

How to Be a Godly Mother, a sermon by John MacArthur, is available for free in audio (MP3) and PDF formats here:
https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1279/how-to-be-a-godly-mother

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How to Overcome the Fear of Death (The Hope-Filled Promise of Hebrews 2:14-15)

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Wayne Davies

What is your greatest fear?

  • Heights?
  • Public speaking?
  • An IRS audit?

 

One survey of middle-class people produced these answers: spiders (29%), flying (21%), small spaces (19%), dentists (14%), needles (10%) and blood (4%).

Another survey – of grade school children in a major U.S. city – produced this response: the #1 fear was getting shot.

How about you? What is your greatest fear? Are you more like the first group of people, or the second?

The fear of death, while not mentioned at all in the first survey, may be the fear that we are most afraid to even think about or talk about. Its absence above is evidence of that, is it not?

To complicate things, fear of death has multiple components. There is the fear of the manner of death (will it take years or a split second?), and then there’s the fear of what happens to us immediately after death. Where do we go? What will the next life be like? These questions have been plaguing humanity for centuries.

The Bible has much to say about death and our fear of death. And it certainly has much to say about life after death.

If you are filled with anxiety about death and its uncertain consequences, I hope you’ll find much comfort in what I’m about to say: the Bible provides an antidote to the fear of death, and that cure is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who said, “I am the resurrection and I am the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:28-29).

Isn’t this an incredible, breathtaking promise? For the person who believes in Jesus, we will experience physical death (“he dies”), but we have the certainty of living with Jesus forever (“will never die”). For the Christian, death is the end of physical life on earth and the beginning of everlasting life in heaven.

For the believer in Jesus, physical death is therefore not to be feared, because it opens the doorway to eternal bliss in the presence of King Jesus.

I love the way the writer of Hebrews explains it: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Jesus) shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Apart from the grace of God, the fear of death is normal. If you fear death, you are experiencing one of the most common human emotions. But you may be so afraid to die that you are living in slavery to that fear.

Does the above passage describe you?  Are you a slave to your fear of death?

If so, these verses are you for you! They are filled with hope because they point you to the One who can set you free from that fear. Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, has the power to abolish your slavery to the fear of death.

Please note the key phrase in Hebrews 2:14-15 – Jesus can both destroy the devil and free you from slavery by his death. When Jesus died on the cross, he died for a very specific reason – to absorb God’s wrath against your sin and thereby pay the penalty for your sin that you deserve to pay.

We have all broken God’s law. Take a look at Exodus 20:1-17 and read through the 10 Commandments to remind yourself of the many ways you’ve sinned against a holy God.  Keep in mind that Jesus said anger can be just as much a sin as murder and therefore deserving of the same judgment in hell (Matthew 5:21-22). Likewise, mental adultery (lust) is just as much a sin as physical adultery (Matthew 5:27-30) and also worthy of the same punishment in hell.

Perhaps you’ve heard this before – “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Please consider the incredible, life-changing, hope-filled meaning of these five words. It is the key to unlocking the door to peace with God, for once you have repented (turned away from your sin) and trusted Jesus as the only One who can save you from the penalty of sin, your anxiety over death will be removed and the promise of Jesus that you “will never die” becomes yours forever.

One final comment:

Jesus said “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:29). What does that mean? For a deeper dive into the meaning of this incredible promise, download a free copy of this book by clicking on the link below:

A Self-Portrait of Christ:
A Seven Week Bible Study on The I AM Statements of Jesus
by Wayne Davies and Heather Erdmann
https://payhip.com/b/gS6Il

 

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How to Memorize One Bible Verse

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Wayne Davies


Here’s a great way to memorize one Bible verse.

It’s called the “7-Day Scripture Memory Challenge.”

I tried it in April and loved it.

I’m doing it again in May.

You register with the Navigators at http://navgift.org/together and they send you a daily text message for 7 days with simple and effective ways to memorize a Scripture verse.

NOTE: Navigators is a reputable Christian ministry. They’ve been around a long time. You can trust them with your contact info.

For April, the verse was Hebrews 11:6 —

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him.” (NIV)

Here’s the text message I received on April 1:

“Studies have shown that writing something by hand improves your brain’s ability to remember something, and that writing in color increases retention even longer. So here’s your first challenge:
Write out Hebrews 11:6 several times on note cards or sticky notes. Write in different colors, or choose keywords and write those in a different color than the rest of the verse. This also helps because now you can place your cards where you will see them throughout the day – at the kitchen sink, in your bathroom mirror, and more!”

This is one practical way to memorize a verse – write it out by hand. I did that a few times for the next several days, and it certainly helped.

The memory verse for May is Isaiah 41:10. You can use any translation that you like. I’ll be using the NIV again:

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The next 7-Day Scripture Memory Challenge will be in July. We’ll be memorizing Romans 12:2. To sign up,  click this link by July 8th.

Why not join me and many others in memorizing one wonderful Bible verse?

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

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An Easter Message 2025

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Wayne Davies

Happy Resurrection Day!

My favorite Easter passage was written about 1,000 years before the resurrection of Christ.

 

 

Psalm 16:8-11 was penned by King David centuries before Jesus was raised from the dead.

How do we know that these verses are about Jesus?

The Apostle Peter told us so.

On the day of Pentecost (some 50 days after Christ’s death and resurrection), Peter makes this pronouncement:

“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him . . .” (Acts 2:23-25)

What did David say about Jesus? Peter then quotes Psalm 16:8-11 –

“I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”
Acts 2:25-28

A few verses later, Peter repeats his claim that David “foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ” (Acts 2:31-32).

What can we conclude from Peter’s quotation of Psalm 16?

Simply this . . .

The words of David became the words of Jesus.

And if you are a true believer in Jesus, the words of David and Jesus become your words, too!

You and I can pray this prayer as an expression of our hope in God’s promise to raise us from the dead. Just as God raised Jesus, He will raise us.

God will not abandon us to hell, nor will He let us see corruption.

Indeed, because we are “in Christ” and have been “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3), God has made known to us the paths of life, and one day He will make us full of gladness in His presence.

Rejoice and be glad!

Christ is alive. And so are we, for our souls have already been “raised with Christ” (Colossians 3:1).

When He returns, our bodies will be raised as well. I look forward to that day.

How about you?

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Following Christ to the Cross

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Wayne Davies

The week before Easter I like to read the Gospel accounts of the last week of Christ’s life on earth.

You can see how I do that here . . .

What the Bible Says about Jesus’ Last Week

This year I’m reading Mark’s account, chapters 11-16, a chapter each day. This is one way to walk with Christ all the way to the cross and the empty tomb.

Would you like to join me?

If you do this simple yet sanctifying Bible reading plan, let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below.

I am also reading J.C. Ryle’s commentary on Mark. He’s a gifted Bible teacher and offers many profound insights.

Here’s an excerpt from J.C. Ryle’s comments on Mark 11:1-11, the account of Christ’s “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday:

“He deliberately makes a public entry into Jerusalem at the head of His disciples. He voluntarily rides into the Holy City, surrounded by a vast multitude crying, ‘Hosanna!’ like King David returning to his palace in triumph (2 Samuel 19:40). All this too was done at a time when myriads of Jews were gathered out of every land to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. We may well believe that the Holy City rang with the tidings of our Lord’s arrival. It is probable there was not a house in Jerusalem in which the entry of the prophet of Nazareth was not known and talked of that night.

“These things should always be remembered in reading this portion of our Lord’s history. It is not for nothing that this entry into Jerusalem is four times related in the New Testament. It is evident that it is a scene in the earthly life of Jesus which Christians are intended to study with special attention . . .

“Let us observe, in the first place, how public our Lord purposely made the last act of his life. He came to Jerusalem to die, and He desired that all Jerusalem should know it. When He taught the deep things of the Spirit, He often spoke to none but His apostles. When He delivered His parables, He often addressed none but a multitude of poor and ignorant Galileans. When He worked His miracles, He was generally at Capernaum or in the land of Zebulon and Naphtali. But when the time came that He should die, He made a public entry into Jerusalem. He drew the attention of rulers, priests, elders, scribes, Greeks, and Romans to Himself. He knew that the most wonderful event that has ever happened in the world was about to take place. The eternal Son of God was about to suffer in the place of sinful men as the great sacrifice for sin was about to be offered up, the great Passover Lamb about to be slain, and the great atonement for the world’s sin about to be made. He therefore ordered it so that His death was eminently a public death. He overruled things in such a way that the eyes of all Jerusalem were fixed upon Him, and when He died, He died before many witnesses.

“Let us see here one more proof of the unspeakable importance of the death of Christ . . . Never let us forget that the crowning fact in all we know of Jesus Christ is His death upon the cross.

“From that death flows all our hopes. Without that death, we would have nothing solid beneath our feet. May we prize that death more and more every year we live; and in all our thoughts about Christ, may we rejoice in nothing so much as the great fact that He died for us!”

Many “amens!” to that . . . And many thanks for reading this post.

J.C. Ryle’s commentary on Mark is free on Amazon in Kindle format. To your copy, go to Amazon.com and search on this title:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark 

 

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