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TAKE HEART: Daily Devotions to Deepen Your Faith
DAVID POWLISON
THE PRICE FOR THIS HARDCOVER VOLUME HAS BEEN REDUCED ONCE AGAIN!!!
It's easy to lose heart in a world where many things can and do go wrong. Life is difficult and there are struggles within and without, but we can take heart--the Lord is with us. He hears our cries for mercy. He knows our every need. He guides us, helps us, and strengthens us with his mighty right arm. Journey through a year with David Powlison, learning to take heart by meditating on his favorite Scripture passages, hymns, and biblical themes, exploring the ways God meets us with daily grace right where we live.
Drawn from David Powlison's many decades of writing, teaching, and speaking, Take Heart is a yearlong devotional journey into the process of biblical change, where truth becomes clearer and our ears hear and our eyes see what God tells us about himself.
Learn to go to God for the help you need and hold fast to the daily mercy and grace he offers. And be reminded the promises of God are true and that the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that no matter what you may be facing, you can live in real hope.
THREE SAMPLES
January 1
"As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" —Psalm 40:17
“Weakness” is a comprehensive description of our human condition. We are perishable. We are mortal. We face a multitude of afflictions in our lives. And we are sinful, bent from the heart toward pride, self-righteousness, fear of man, and a multitude of desires and fears that beset us. The mercies of God meet us in this comprehensive condition of weakness.
To admit weakness is so countercultural to people who want to say, “We are STRONG!” and “You can do it!” On the contrary, we are fundamentally weak. That weakness is a most unusual door into all the ways God enables us to be strong.
Being unafraid to be publicly weak was true of King David. The end of Psalm 40 has always resonated deeply with me. This psalm contains a great deal of fruitful ministry and joyful worship, yet David summarizes himself this way: “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.” David’s strength grew out of his comprehensive sense of weakness, and his confidence in God’s strength.
My deepest hope for you is that in both your personal life and your ministry to others, you would be unafraid to be publicly weak as the doorway to the strength of God himself.
January 2
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” —Matthew 6:33
God is very concerned that we seek him, his kingdom, and his righteousness. We are to pursue him and be oriented to him because we trust he’s going to take care of the other things.
What are you pursuing? What are you after? What are you obsessing about? The answers to those questions will correlate with what you’re worrying about, because if you’re pursuing with your whole heart the wrong things, you’re going to worry about them. Only God can be pursued wholeheartedly without worry or anxiety.
The biggest question cuts the deepest: What do you love? We’re simply turning the first Great Commandment on its head and letting it serve as a mirror into which we look. We’re called to love him with all that we are. What are you loving? Who are you loving? Are you loving pleasure, money, or control? Are you loving being liked? These questions cut deep, and your answers affect everything you feel and think, how you treat people, and the way you come into a conversation.
God speaks, and those who have ears to hear, hear that question. Which voices are you tuning into?
January 3
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. "—2 Corinthians 4:6
People change when the Holy Spirit brings the love of God to their hearts through the gospel. Whoever receives the Spirit of adoption as God’s child learns to cry out, “Abba, Father.” People change when they see that they are responsible for what they believe about God. People change when truth becomes clearer and brighter than previous life experience. We change when our ears hear and our eyes see what God tells us about himself (Psalm 103:10–13; Isaiah 49:13–16).
God is in the business of changing people’s minds; he is not hindered by distortions. He can reveal himself, “[shining] in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Life experience is not supreme; neither are the lies that people believe. God is supreme, and he alone trumps what we bring to the table.
Your life experiences do not have to dictate your view of reality. On the contrary; disappointing people and experiences can make you long to know the real King, Shepherd, Master, Savior, and God! Ask the Lord to make himself known to you today.
ENDORSEMENTS
“David Powlison’s heart was set afire listening to the promises of God in Scripture. In Take Heart we are invited to sit with David and discover what he learned through his own suffering and brokenness. His words are tender, the insights wise, and the impact for those who listen life-changing. Read and fall in love with the God who loves you!” -BOB KRAMER, College roommate and longtime best friend of David
“My friend, David Powlison, had deep and abiding trust in the love, presence, power, promises, and grace of his Lord. David was a master at mining the life-giving and life-changing wisdom of God’s Word. As a seasoned counselor, David had a deep understanding of the hearts of people. These things together make David a supremely qualified devotional guide. This devotional collection of David’s writings is a treasure. Get it and let your heart marinate in the gospel that sweetly flows from every page.” -PAUL DAVID TRIPP
““We now have in this long-awaited book the most pristine gems of wisdom from David Powlison, perhaps the most renowned and respected biblical counselor of our age. Over the years, I have thrived on David’s writings, and I’m so glad he is now speaking to a new generation of readers through Take Heart.” -JONI EARECKSON TADA
“What if you could wake up each morning, and after hearing from the Lord in his Word, have one of his beloved servants give you a morsel of wisdom to savor and to meditate on throughout the day? These short but wisdom-packed pages from the pen of David Powlison will edify and encourage you in your daily journey.” -JUSTIN TAYLOR
“The introduction from Nan is a gift in itself. Then you get to settle into David’s gentle and personal words about his personal God, each devotion being much more than mere education. Each one invites you to love God and respond to him.” -EDWARD WELCH
“What a great book! Even with all his learning, David approaches Scripture like a child. So you will too when you read Scripture through David’s eyes. The result of David’s insights is hope. You’ll get unstuck from your problems and look out at a wider world of God’s love!” -PAUL E. MILLER
“If I could have a few minutes of wise counsel every day from any man of my choosing, it would be David Powlison. Now, thanks to Take Heart: Daily Devotions to Deepen Your Faith, I can. So can you. We can still be helped, every day, by David’s profound insights into the endless grace of Christ.” -RAY ORTLUND
“I am so grateful for this collection and so thankful that it allows me to enjoy daily wisdom from a man who was a tremendous blessing to me and a great gift to the church. I look forward to reading it day by day and year after year.” -TIM CHALLIES
“Like Oswald Chambers, David Powlison died too young. But also like Chambers, his wife and others have captured his wisdom for the ages. Powlison had a rare mind and heart, and these devotions beautifully capture his humility, originality, and profundity. Read and enjoy.” -OS GUINNESS
“Though David Powlison is greatly missed, he has left behind a considerable legacy. These daily devotions are full of wisdom, encouragement, and realism. They cover every human topic from fear to dependency to doubt, without ever slouching into either sentimentality or moralism. Each of them is gospel-driven. I plan to start my day with them, and I hope you will too.” -WILLIAM EDGAR
“Oak trees of wisdom fill these acorn devotionals. David doesn’t write at you—you sense he is sitting with you. His warmth simply radiates. These pages are likely to be in print a long time.” -STEVE ESTES
THE AUTHOR
David Powlison, MDiv, PhD,(1949–2019) was a teacher, counselor, and the executive director of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He wrote many books and mini-books, including Speaking Truth in Love, Seeing with New Eyes, Good and Angry, Making All Things New, God's Grace in Your Suffering, Safe and Sound, and Take Heart. David was also the editor of The Journal of Biblical Counseling.
DDG DOA
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL 416 PAGE HARDCOVER VOLUME
 SGCB Price: $14.00 (list price $23.00)
Learn to go to God for the help you need and hold fast to the daily mercy and grace he offers.
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