Why I Started Prepared Heart
What does it mean to have a Prepared Heart?
By Tony Smith
Before embarking on any undertaking, we should have a prepared heart — a heart that is set up, established, arranged, fixed, and ready for the Master’s use. This heart is then rolled and wrapped in the Scriptures by seeking the Lord through His Word. This heart then seeks not only to be a hearer of the Word but a doer of it. Only now is the heart ready to teach others to do the same.
That’s the pattern: Prepare. Seek. Do. Teach.
It’s the pattern I’ve followed guiding men and youth through the Scriptures, and it’s the pattern that gave birth to Prepared Heart.
Who This is For
Prepared Heart exists for leaders, small-group facilitators, and anyone pursuing a faithful, transformative relationship with God through the study of His Word.
This publication helps leaders and individuals set their hearts upon the Lord through the diligent study of His Word. It is here to equip, encourage, and enrich what the Lord is already working in the hearts of your study groups as well as your own. In this arena you will find posts on methodology, inductive Bible study, and scriptural insights. You’ll also find practical applications drawn from my own experiences leading groups.
My Background
For eighteen years I have been leading men and youth Bible studies using various study methodologies. Praise the Lord! I have had wonderful teachers and counselors throughout these years. These men have guided me to and through the Scriptures to find the answers for effectively leading Bible studies and for all aspects of life.
Over the years, I’ve learned that any method that consistently drives believers back into the Scriptures—rather than replacing Scripture with another man’s book—is extremely valuable. In a later post, I’ll share why I believe inductive, book-by-book study best reflects the biblical pattern we see in Scripture itself.
Methodology
Reading and studying the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse is the surefire way any teacher can match Paul’s bold claim, “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). I couldn’t find resources that effectively guided believers through the Scriptures and gave the whole counsel of God. Therefore, I embarked on a journey to create comprehensive but accessible guides that walk believers through the inductive Bible study method — observation, interpretation, and application.
Over the years I have discovered several main pain points many confess, but here are three:
1. Leading a group feels overwhelming.
I want to facilitate meaningful discussion, but I don’t feel equipped to guide others confidently through Scripture.
2. I read the Bible, but I’m not sure I really understand it.
I want more than surface-level reading, but I don’t always know how to interpret Scripture faithfully or connect it to the rest of the Bible.
3. I’ve done studies before, but they didn’t really change me.
I’ve filled in blanks and answered questions, yet my faith still feels stagnant and unchanged.
While Exploring Ezra and Exploring Nehemiah are intended to do the heavy lifting, Prepared Heart will smooth the edges and help leaders and individuals gain the most from their time of diligent study through the Word of God. As Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Lord, he set a perfect example of beginning restoration. Restoration doesn’t begin with emotion or effort; it begins when God’s people return to His Word. (We are all under restoration as we are restored to a right relationship with God.)
It is my prayer that Prepared Heart combined with the Bible study guides will help equip leaders and individuals to be engrossed in the Word of God and discover “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” (Romans 11:33).