In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Heart"

Do You Apologize For Your Preaching?

By James Scott on Jun 27, 2025

It's the Holy Spirit's job to bring conviction, but do you try to soften the impact?

Tags: Holy Spirit, Preaching, Conviction, preaching

Is Your Church Stuck Or Just Small?

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 10, 2025

If your church is healthy, quit stressing about getting bigger. God may not be calling you to bigness.

Scripture: Acts 1:1-15

Tags: Healthy Church, effective, Small Church, Growth, Church Growth  (view more)  (view less)

Don't Kill Your Message!

By Carey Nieuwhof on Aug 11, 2025

What’s the difference between a sermon that flops and a sermon that people still buzz about years later?

Tags: Preaching, Lame, communicate, crash, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Is Your Preaching Missing This Key Component?

By Lance Witt on Jan 6, 2021

As a pastor I am embarrassed to admit this, but prayer has often been a struggle for me. And yet, it is crucial to our success in preaching.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

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When People Criticize Your Preaching

By Lance Witt on Jan 8, 2021

Gifted speakers and novices alike experience this unenjoyable aspect: people's criticism. In today's Pastor to Pastor, Lance Witt discusses a proper response from a biblical perspective.

Scripture: Proverbs 8:33

Tags:

Breathing New Life Into Your Preaching

By Lance Witt on Mar 24, 2023

Fresh is always better. Taking a breath of clean, fresh air is way better than inhaling polluted air. Eating fresh bread is way better than choking down a piece of dry, stale bread. And likewise, sermons that are fresh are way better than warmed over messages.

Scripture: Luke 10:31

Tags: Preaching, New life, preaching

Is Skipping Church Good For Your Soul?

By Charles Stone on Jun 15, 2023

Pastors must craft compelling, Spirit-led services if we are to entice the unchurched to attend and keep attending. What they experience at church must be worth the price of giving up their relaxing mornings at home.

Tags: Church, Preaching, skipping, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

Does Your Soul Have A Backbone?

By Lance Witt on Apr 25, 2021

Over the last few years my single most consistent prayer has been for spiritual courage. Being a coward comes quite naturally to me. I don’t like to fight. I don’t like rejection. I am definitely not a fan of pain. All of these are essential qualities of a coward.

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Does Your Soul Have A Backbone?

By Lance Witt on Aug 6, 2023

Over the last few years my single most consistent prayer has been for spiritual courage.

Tags: suffering, Courage, People pleasing, intimacy with Christ

Talk To God About Your Anxieties

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 21, 2022

Anxiety is a species of fear. It’s the paralyzing fear of “what if.” It’s the fear that something we dread might possibly come true

Scripture: Luke 14:33, Romans 8:35-39, John 16:33, Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 1:20, John 3:16, John 11:25-26, Matthew 28:18, John 15:12, Luke 12:22  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: worry, Worry, Prayer, Anxiety

Your Best Response To A Spiritual Attack

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 14, 2022

If you’re in the Kingdom, you’re in a battle.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:12

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, pressure, prayer warrior

How To Get Your Prayer To Work

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Mar 24, 2022

When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works!

Scripture: Matthew 6:10, Psalm 119:105, Mark 11:24, Hebrews 11:6, 1 John 5:14-15, Colossians 3:17, John 14:13, Matthew 6:5-6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith, God's Glory, Jesus Name, confidence in prayer

Moms, Your Secret Sacrifices Matter

By Shanna Mallon on May 5, 2021

Mothers, resist the temptation to believe that if you're sacrificing and serving and no one notices, what you're doing must not matter at all. It matters.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Tags: mother's day, Motherhood, eternal rewards, Serving in Secret

How To Keep Your Brain Sharp

By Charles Stone on Oct 29, 2023

The brain is a masterpiece of God’s creation. It grows rapidly from birth until the mid-twenties. Unfortunately, it’s downhill from there. Even though you can’t avoid getting older, you can take some simple steps to keep your brain sharp.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19

Tags: leadership, Aging, Health, pastoral leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

God’s Work In Your Depression

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 4, 2022

“Is this depression? I have almost no motivation for anything. I have been praying and I will keep praying for God to be my strength but how do you fight when you don’t feel like fighting?"

Scripture: Isaiah 43:2-3, Psalm 139:11-12

Tags: Fighting for Joy, Help for the Hurting, Emotions, Healing, endurance, Depression, Struggles, soul care  (view more)  (view less)