Faithful Writers

A little about how I got into writing. This should be hilarious. I can write, but an "about me"or a "bio," naw.......my brain goes right out the window in spectacular form. 😅 I am the creator of Faithful Writers, and I’ll explain in a minute or two how that happened. But if I jumped straight into that, I’d miss a lot of important parts of my journey that got me here. My background actually starts in art, web design, and computers. For many years, art was my exclusive focus. I spent all that time writing artist statements, but I didn’t realize I loved writing itself until later. The realization came while I was taking bookkeeping and accounting classes… and God said, “Nope, not today.” I started those classes because I wanted to do something beyond my full-time role as a caregiver for a family member. I’m on call 24/7, never knowing what the day will bring. And art had long been my outlet for stress, and loneliness during the tougher years. That’s when writing started to really take hold, just didn't realize it. One night, in a moment of frustration and banging my head on a wall when studying accounting terms, I took it to God. I asked Him what He wanted me to do because I felt so lost. Two things happened at once "Write for me" was whispered in my mind, just as my husband yells from the other room something along the lines of maybe you should start focusing on your writing because you really love it. 💡 And there it was, just like that. The perfect moment; clarity, excitement, peace, joy, hope, acceptance, happiness, you name it, I felt it and it's felt right ever since and I've never looked back, doubted or regretted pursuing this full-ish time. Now how I came to create this publication. I write in a very wide varieties of styles and cover multiple topics related to my faith, the Bible, and my life experiences, which means I never fit a specific "niche," the same can be said for my art though to. ​ After one email to many after submitting my work, I finally just got tired of having to constantly alter my work for other people and publications or watch an editor strip away my voice and natural wack-a-do flair. I wanted freedom to write authentically, in whatever style I chose, to keep my pieces as short as I wanted, and not have a publisher tell me I needed to change a whole bunch of stuff to ultimately be what they wanted me to write about. That kinda sucks the thunder out of a person, you know what I mean? ​​​ So here I am, creating my own niche in this world and offering that to other Christian writers who want to share their inspired writings in a publication that holds to Biblical teachings. I adhere to a strict rule: I will not change a writer's voice. While there are guidelines, I do my best to make publishing easy, fun, and as uncomplicated as possible. ​ Have fun reading, and learning, and bookmark this site, articles are regularly uploaded. If you're looking for something specific, click here to do some searching, we have every topic under the sun here. Medium Facebook Email

~This piece has been shared here to invite reflection on identity, faith, and what it truly means to follow God, not as a version of yourself you think He wants, but as the person He already knows.~ I’ve always known who I am in Christ. Or at least, that’s what I believed. I grew up in a Christian home where faith wasn’t something you chose, it was something you lived. Sunday mornings were filled with gospel music, and everything about my life was shaped by what it meant to follow God. For a long time, I never questioned it. I didn’t stop to ask who I might be outside of that identity. My choices, my values, even my desires were all filtered through what I believed God wanted from me. But recently, I started to wonder. Is it possible to have an identity apart from my faith? Can I still know God and also discover who I am beyond what I’ve been taught? Is there a part of me that I’ve never explored because I’ve always been trying to be who I thought I should be? These are uncomfortable questions to sit with. Because there have been moments where following God felt like losing parts of myself. I was taught to decrease so that He could increase. But somewhere along the way, it started to feel like I was disappearing completely. What I felt, what I wanted, what I was naturally drawn to, it all seemed secondary. The focus was always on becoming someone better, someone more pleasing to God. And the result? I lost confidence in who I was. I found myself constantly trying to become someone else, someone I thought God would approve of while quietly disconnecting from who I actually was. So I started asking a different question. Not whether I could have an identity separate from God, but whether I had misunderstood what it meant to walk with Him. Because the more I reflected, the more I began to see something I hadn’t noticed before. That following God was never meant to erase me. It was meant to involve me. Not a filtered version of myself or a perfected version. But the real, unedited version of who I am. My personality. My interests. My thoughts. My struggles. All of it. What if my identity isn’t something I have to set aside to follow God but something I bring with me as I walk with Him? That changed the way I began to see everything. Instead of trying to abandon parts of myself, I’m learning to bring them before Him. The things I enjoy. The way I think. Even the areas where I feel uncertain or not “good enough.” Because if God created me, then who I am isn’t separate from Him. It’s where He begins His work. Following God isn’t about pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s not about hiding your struggles or forcing yourself into a version of holiness that feels distant and unnatural. It’s a process, a transformation that happens over time, not by removing who you are, but by shaping it. There are days when I slip back into old thinking, where I feel like I need to fix myself first before I can come to God. Days when I question whether I’m doing enough or becoming enough. But I’m starting to understand that growth doesn’t begin with pretending. It begins with honesty. With coming before God as I am and trusting that He knows what to do with every part of me. The strengths, the doubts and the things I’m still figuring out. I don’t have to separate myself from God to discover who I am. And I don’t have to lose myself to follow Him. If anything, it’s in walking with Him that I begin to understand myself more clearly. Not as someone I’m trying to become, but as someone He has already known all along. © 2026 Sabina Kumi. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God.

“Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3 Originally, I wrote this article just for fun. Then, in conversation, someone asked a serious question: “What does this mean? Why does Genesis say this, yet people still lived past 120 years?” That got me thinking harder about this passage, so I dug and ignored my opinion. First and a big foremost. My original opinion was way off. Even I knew I didn’t quite understand it, hence why I said “I have my own thoughts” in the first place. Behold my excerpts below: “but I have my own thoughts on the matter.” “Only God knows everyone’s age; there is no way in the world we could possibly know the oldest people still alive, what their ages are, and when they passed.” “What if the last person to live to 120 years old passes, and that’s the time God will come back?” Kind of embarrassing, but we’ll move on. Let’s look at my boring Canva image and read verses 1–6. Canva —Genesis 6:1–6 Now, I’m going to show only what the Bible is saying and nothing more. Also, for the sake of my sanity, I am not touching the Nephilim thing. Context is key. I took that section out of context and inserted a wild theory, but now let’s put it back into context, and what do we see? This was not a statement about mankind's lifespan being limited. This is a statement from God Himself about the situation happening on Earth. Some bad stuff was going down, God saw it and started setting a plan in motion. The topic of lifespans for humanity is actually not found in the flood story at all, and we are very aware that people lived way beyond 120 years. That right there should have clued me into the “more” going on here. This “outlier” verse isn’t an outlier after all. It’s to do with this situation. In fact, it is perfectly placed right in the middle of what’s going on. Apparent Contradiction? At the start of this passage, we see God talking about this situation that is unfolding before His eyes, and He is not pleased one bit. And we know God doesn’t contradict Himself, so now the question becomes: What does this really mean? Different translations render it as: NASB: “nevertheless his days shall be” NIV: “their days will be” ASV: “yet shall his days be” (If you caught it, sweet, if not….neither did I, so don’t feel bad.) This was a judgment. Now things are making a bit more sense, but I do know this question will pop into heads. If there was judgment, how was that fair if there were no prophets, preachers, etc to speak God’s truth? Meet Methuselah. The son of none other than Enoch, the man who walked with God, and the Father of Lamech (the good one) and grandfather of Noah. In the 2nd Testament, we learn a few key things about these gentlemen. (btw, this is an example of why the 1st Testament is still very relevant) “Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness” 2 Peter 2:5 “And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied” Jude 1:14 Then Lamech made a prophecy about his son Noah when he was born: “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” Genesis 5:29 Judgement was declared, they were warned, and Grace was given. They had 120 years of God’s grace to get their crap sorted out, and we all know how that went. So, that 120-year judgment wasn’t directly tied to the amount of time Noah had to build the ark because we don’t actually know when he started. God didn’t go to Noah and say, "You have exactly 120 years to build the ark.” God first declared the judgment, then went to Noah, so Noah knew the timeline to be done by. If you open your Bible and go to Genesis 6:13, read that, then go back to verse 6. Go back and forth a few times, and you’ll notice something neat. It’s very similar to Genesis 1 and 2, both saying the same thing just in different ways. One from God’s view (cosmic), the other from Noah’s. (personal) From the moment God declared 120 years, it was the beginning of His countdown to worldwide judgment. Something to think about. There was a clear, definitive time and date stamp on this judgment, with people preaching this. God gave a grace period. And they didn’t listen. Maybe it is for the best that we don’t know the time and date stamp for us now. Because getting as close to that line as possible and being a willful sinner, then “repenting” will get you absolutely nowhere. Side Note: This whole article should show if you are not sure, state it as an opinion, thought, or possibly, or just say you're not sure, let’s find out. I openly stated “my own thoughts” and “what if” because I was honest. But then when I was presented with the question, I went back into to Bible, dug around, and found the answer. I did not double down and create my own doctrine, which very well could have led people way off course. There is absolutely nothing wrong with learning or re-learning something and admitting it. (definitely a big ole’ revision from the original) © Jane Isley

Introduction Most religions teach that people should live good, moral lives. One of the biggest differences between them and Christianity is in how and why one becomes good. Another huge difference between other faiths and Christianity lies in who their leaders are and what became of them. In this article, we’ll look at what makes the Christian faith so unique and why it deserves a second look if you’ve previously rejected it. Background No other religious leader has ever said what Jesus Christ said, nor has any other religious leader ever done what Jesus Christ did. For example, in the Gospel of John, Jesus declared seven “I am” statements about Himself. These statements revealed His identity as equal to Yahweh, the eternal God (who declared to Moses in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM”), and clarified His mission to redeem mankind. 1. “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) Jesus says that people’s souls need nourishment, and He would provide it forever to those who believe in Him. 2. “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) Jesus exposes sin, reveals truth, and guides people out of spiritual darkness into the light of holiness and salvation. 3. “I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:7) This statement means that Jesus is the only entrance into the Kingdom of God. 4. “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11) Jesus describes Himself as the protector, leader, and atoning sacrifice for the people who believe in and follow Him. 5. “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) This statement means that Jesus has the power over life and death. He gives eternal life and the assurance of resurrection to all who believe in Him. 6. “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus says He is the exclusive path to God, and salvation is found in Him only (and He has the credentials to back up His statement). He is the truth that reveals the way to be reconciled to God. 7. “I am the true vine.” (John 15:5) Jesus says that since He is the source of all spiritual growth and fruitfulness, believers must abide (remain) in Him to live productive, godly lives. In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argued that the claims Jesus made about Himself leave no room for honoring Him merely as a good moral teacher. In essence, he was asking everyone the same question Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 6:15). A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. Human teachers and prophets don’t rise from the dead. The resurrection forces us to consider the implications of that fact on our lives. If Jesus is God, then His resurrection becomes His credentials, confirming His divine authority and claim on our lives. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:14, NIV) How and why does one become good? Christianity teaches that mankind is evil at heart because of sin. Sin has corrupted every human heart because every single person who has ever lived on earth has rebelled against God, the creator of the universe, and rejected His authority. The prophet Jeremiah hit the nail on the head when he spoke about the wicked heart of mankind. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV). The following Scriptures also emphasize the innate sinfulness of mankind. There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10, NIV).All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NIV). The Bible says that true goodness can’t be obtained by human effort, but only through the transformation that occurs when we accept God’s grace through Jesus Christ. This truth levels the playing field for everyone. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV). Because of Jesus’ resurrection, people who believe in and accept Him as Lord of their lives receive new hearts and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live righteously. This is what it means to be “born again." Contrasting the world’s religions Christianity is the only religion whose founder, Jesus Christ, came back to life after He was cruelly tortured, nailed to a Roman cross, and died after tremendous suffering. [1] His literal appearance was verified by His Apostles, and over 500 others (1 Corinthians 15:6). The empty tomb proves that He conquered sin and death and offers eternal life to all who believe in Him (Romans 10:9). No other religion offers a Savior who is goodness itself who loves His followers enough to die for their sins and impart His righteousness to them. Ancient extra-biblical texts, such as those of Josephus (a Jewish historian; see Antiquities of the Jews) and Tacitus (a Roman historian and politician; see the Annals and Histories), verify the historicity of the Gospel accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Archaeological discoveries provide evidence of people and places in the New Testament, such as Pontius Pilate (the Pilate Stone), Caiaphas, the high priest (the Caiaphas Ossuary), and the Pools of Bethesda and Siloam. Other key evidence includes the Rylands Papyri (P52) (the earliest Gospel of John fragment) and a 1st-century fishing boat (the Jesus Boat), which confirm details of Jesus’ life and the Roman era. Confucianism is an ancient Chinese moral philosophy that emphasizes moral virtue and social harmony. It relies on the innate goodness of people and their efforts, and it doesn’t address humanity’s sin, nor does it offer salvation. [2] Buddhism teaches that goodness comes from following the Eightfold Path to overcome desire and ignorance, and guide followers toward right speech and right action. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment in order to escape the endless cycle of karma and suffering. Buddhism sees goodness as a means of freeing the self and doesn’t see the need for a relationship with a personal God. To them, sin isn’t a transgression against a divine authority; instead, it causes negative karma. Hinduism is a pantheistic (many gods) religion that holds that goodness is a duty and that one’s actions affect karma, which follows a natural cause-and-effect pattern. They believe that doing good deeds will lead to a better reincarnation in the next life. Salvation is achieved by self-effort, resulting in liberation from the cycle of rebirth, rather than by obtaining the gift of grace from a loving Creator. In Islam, one is good only by obeying Allah’s commands as revealed in their holy book, the Qur’an. Proponents of this religion believe that on Judgment Day, their good deeds will be weighed against their bad deeds. Their salvation or punishment depends on whether their good deeds outweigh their evil deeds. This is works-based salvation, completely opposite to the Christian concept of grace by faith through Christ. Followers of Judaism are monotheists (believers in one God) who are still waiting for their Messiah to come. They don’t believe Jesus was the Son of God. They view Him as a rabbi who lived in the first century. Groups that deny the Trinity and the deity of Christ include the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. These religions started in the 1800s and departed significantly from Biblical Christianity. [3] They are distinct movements with different founders and doctrines. Due to their deviation from orthodox doctrines, they are labeled “cults” by mainstream Christianity and sociologists. Conclusion This article attempted to show good reasons and concrete evidence for why Christianity is the one true faith. When people say, “all roads lead to heaven,” they’re forgetting the huge differences between the world’s religions that result in mutually exclusive claims. Truth by nature is exclusive. Truth demonstrates the law of non-contradiction, a fundamental principle of logic stating that contradictory propositions cannot both be true in the same sense. Truth is established by its source, Jesus Christ, not by popularity or cultural acceptance. Only Christianity reveals the one true God, personified as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Other religions show humanity’s search for God. Christianity shows God’s search for humanity. Its unique claim is that Jesus conquered death. He invites all people to come to Him and find rest for their souls. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, NIV) © Debra Hodges References: 1. The Women Find the Empty Tomb, TableTalk Magazine (2023) 2. Confucianism — What is it? — Compelling Truth. (n.d.). CompellingTruth.org. https://www.compellingtruth.org/Confucianism.html 3. The Cult of Personality | Tabletalk. (2025, July 11). Tabletalk. https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2005/10/cult-personality/

I’m currently working my way through a couple of books, and some online research, and a thought popped into my head, related to what I’m currently reading. The Root of the Problem I do this; we all do this. When we see a conflict, fight, disagreement, discord, etc., we are looking for the reason(s). I can look at an issue and list all sorts of reasons that either led to it or contributed to it, which causes it to be one giant, entangled snowball. The example I will be using for this article is technology in the classroom, since it is the least likely to cause a public outcry. Consistent use of technology and reliance on technology in schools has taken a massive hit on our students. This isn’t a post covid rant either; this trend has been going on for quite some time, but really ramped up in recent years. A 2025 article from ABC News uses the title “US students’ reading and math scores at historic lows: ‘Devastating trend’” to sum it up in a nutshell. The Reasons That Get Blamed If you read about the drop in reading, writing, and math skills, you will run into a lot of different reasons that are blamed. Technology is the leading contender, both what students use and work with in the class itself, as well as cell phones being allowed in schools. Other reasons that have been blamed over the years are things like a lack of money in districts, one-parent homes, unmotivated students, bad teachers, good study habits not being taught, mental health, and chronic absenteeism, just to name a few. But I find this next article's title to be the most telling and will ultimately go right to the point I am about to make, and that point isn’t just about education either. It just happens to be the safest example I can use. “Test scores are down, but experts don’t know exactly why.” I Know Why People are so busy chasing reasons that ignore miss the cause. Sin The example reasons I listed are not root causes; they are the fruit, and the fruit will never change until the root cause is addressed. The experts keep trying to treat the fruit. But nobody wants to face the root. “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” Matthew 12:33 © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine. ko-fi

I know you’ve asked yourself that question more times than you’ll ever admit. In the mirror, after a loss, when someone overlooked you again, when you gave your all, and it still wasn’t enough. It’s a question that haunts achievers and dreamers alike…”Am I enough?” Enough to be loved? Enough to be chosen? Enough to be celebrated? We dress it up with confidence, drown it out with distractions, or bury it beneath work, but it keeps resurfacing. Every time we scroll through someone else’s highlight reel, success suddenly seems to be slow, and we begin to feel unseen. The harsh reality is that that question isn’t innocent. It’s a thief!! It steals your joy, your peace, and your ability to see your own worth. It makes you chase validation that was never meant to define you. The Silent Standard That’s Draining You Our world constantly measures worth in terms of followers, beauty, and wins. You could have ten compliments and still obsess over the one person who didn’t clap. You could be doing better than you were last year and still feel like you’re losing. Why? Because comparison doesn’t let you rest, it keeps saying, “Do more, be more, prove more.” But no matter how much you achieve, it will always shift the finish line, and it’s like running on a treadmill that never stops until you’re breathless, empty, and wondering why joy feels so far away. You Were Never Supposed to Earn "Enoughness" Somewhere along the way, we learned to treat worth like a reward… "If I succeed, I’m enough." "If they love me back, I’m enough." "If everything goes right, I’m enough." But being enough was never something to achieve; it was something to accept. Scripture says: “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” ~Psalm 139:14 You were designed in divine confidence. You are already God’s masterpiece and not a mistake that needs constant fixing, but a creation that’s unfolding beautifully in time. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…” ~Ephesians 2:10 You don’t need to prove your value to people who only see fragments of your story. Your worth was settled long before anyone had an opinion. You are enough, not because the world says so, but because you were created with intention. Your existence is proof that you were meant to carry light in this world, even if you’re still learning how to shine it. The Moment You Stop Chasing Freedom begins when you stop chasing “enough” and start embracing who you already are. It’s not about pretending everything’s fine; it’s about deciding that your worth isn’t up for debate. You start to walk differently when you stop performing for approval. You start to breathe again when you realize that you’re not behind, you’re becoming. Growth takes time, healing takes time, too, but when we speak of identity? That’s settled. You are already enough. Not a work in progress, trying to qualify, but a soul unfolding into its fullness. A Reminder for Every Time You Forget When the doubt creeps in, remember this: You are not the sum of your likes, your losses, or your lapses. Those don’t do you for a single second You are a story still being written, and so no single moment defines you. You were never meant to be totally perfect; you just need to be present. So today, I need you to stop asking if you’re enough. Start asking if you’re being true. Because when you live from truth, “enough” stops being a question and starts being who you are. If this spoke to you, take a moment today to pause and breathe. You don’t have to earn your worth. You already are enough. Drop a thought in the comments and tell me one truth you’re choosing to believe about yourself again. Take This With You Stop letting the lie of “not enough” run your life. That’s the devil. Stand up and reclaim your voice. You owe it to yourself and to the One who made you to live like you already are what you’ve been chasing. © Favour

Why should you care about a story written two thousand years ago about a man named Lazarus? Because whether we like it or not, every one of us lives with the same quiet reality in the background. Death. Most of the time, we don’t think about it. We stay busy, make plans, and assume life will continue unfolding in predictable ways. But every so often, something interrupts that illusion. A phone call, a headline, a loss that feels too close. And we’re reminded how fragile everything really is. And when that happens, questions surface that are difficult to ignore. Why does death feel so wrong? Why does it hit so deeply, even when we know it’s inevitable? And if God exists, why doesn’t He step in? John 11 brings us into one of the most well-known stories in the Bible, the raising of Lazarus. But when you slow down and sit with it, the story is not just impressive. It’s unsettling. Jesus hears that His close friend Lazarus is sick. This isn’t a distant acquaintance. This is someone He loves. The expectation feels obvious. He will go immediately and heal him. But instead, the text tells us that Jesus stays where He is for two more days. That delay changes everything. It means that while Jesus waits, Mary and Martha are watching their brother get worse. They are hoping, praying, and likely wondering why help hasn’t come. Two days doesn’t sound like much until you’re the one living inside of it. By the time Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus has been dead for four days. This is no longer a situation that can be reversed. It feels final in the way that only death can feel final. And so the question emerges, both in the text and in our own lives. if Jesus had the power to heal, why didn’t He prevent this? That question has never really gone away. It shows up in hospital rooms, at funerals, and in the quiet spaces where life doesn’t unfold the way we hoped it would. Most of us, in one way or another, have encountered its weight. Sometimes it’s deeply personal. The loss of someone who mattered to you in a way that words can’t fully capture. Other times it’s more distant but still unsettling. I remember hearing about Kobe Bryant’s death and feeling a kind of disbelief. For many of us, he seemed larger than life, almost immune to the fragility that defines the rest of us. And yet, even he wasn’t. Death has a way of leveling everything. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, how young you are, or how much you’ve planned ahead. When it comes, it almost always feels like it came too soon. In response, we try to cope in different ways. Some attempt to outrun it by maximizing life, filling every moment with experience and activity. Others try to control it, investing in health, longevity, and the hope that we might delay the inevitable long enough to feel secure. But beneath all of it is the same quiet acknowledgment. We know we cannot ultimately win. This is what makes Jesus’ delay in John 11 so difficult to understand. He had the power to prevent Lazarus’ death, and yet He chose not to act immediately. When He finally speaks, He says something that feels almost disorienting, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” At first glance, that can sound cold. It seems to suggest that something more is happening than simply resolving the immediate pain. At the very least, the story invites us to hold onto two realities at the same time. First, hardship is not evidence of God’s absence. Second, there are moments when God is doing something deeper than we can see in the moment, even when it doesn’t align with what we would have chosen. Still, that raises an uncomfortable question. Does that mean God is distant, orchestrating events from afar? Right in the middle of that tension, we are given one of the shortest and most profound verses in the Bible, “Jesus wept.” These two words carry more weight than we often realize. Jesus already knows what He is about to do. He knows Lazarus will be raised. He knows this story will not end in tragedy. And yet, when He stands in the presence of grief, He does not rush past it. He enters into it. He weeps with Mary and Martha. He allows Himself to feel the weight of their loss. This moment reveals something essential about the nature of God. He is not detached from human suffering, nor is He indifferent to our pain. He is fully present within it. Before He changes the situation, He acknowledges it. Before He resolves the grief, He shares in it. This reframes how we understand His delay. Whatever God is doing, it is not disconnected from love. Jesus is not a distant observer or a calculating strategist. He is present, compassionate, and deeply moved by the pain of the people He loves. Then the story shifts. Jesus approaches the tomb. The grief is still there, the confusion still lingering. The stone is in place, and death still feels final. And in that moment, Jesus says something that would sound almost unbelievable if it weren’t about to be proven, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This is not simply a claim about what He can do, but about who He is. He asks for the stone to be moved. There is hesitation, understandable resistance, but eventually it is done. Then, in the stillness that follows, Jesus calls out, “Lazarus, come out.” What happens next is almost beyond comprehension. Lazarus walks out of the tomb, still wrapped in burial cloths, but alive. The shock of that moment must have been overwhelming. Grief collides with disbelief, fear with joy. Death, which had seemed final just moments before, is suddenly undone. But this miracle is not just about Lazarus. It points beyond itself. It is the final and most significant sign in the Gospel of John, and it sets in motion the events that will lead to Jesus’ own death. From that moment on, opposition against Him becomes decisive. In giving life to Lazarus, Jesus is moving toward His own death. This reveals a deeper layer to the story. Jesus gives life, knowing it will cost Him everything. And even then, Lazarus’ life is temporary. He will die again one day. This miracle is not the final answer to death, but a sign pointing to something greater. When Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” He is speaking of more than physical life. He is pointing to a life that death cannot ultimately overcome. The raising of Lazarus is a preview of that reality, a glimpse of the greater resurrection to come. Without God, death is simply the end. It is the natural conclusion of life, the closing of the story. And yet, that is not how we experience it. We grieve deeply, we resist instinctively, and we sense that something about it is not right. The Christian story affirms that instinct. It tells us that death is not merely natural. It is an enemy. And more than that, it tells us that this enemy has been defeated. This is why Christian hope feels different. It does not deny grief or pretend that loss does not hurt. Jesus Himself wept, and so we are free to do the same. But it also refuses to accept death as the final word. For those who trust in Jesus, death is not the end of the story. It is not meaningless, and it is not permanent. At the center of this passage, Jesus asks Martha a question that extends beyond the moment and into our own lives, “Do you believe this?” It is not simply a theological question, but a deeply personal one. Do we believe that death does not have the final say? Do we believe that Jesus is who He claims to be? And if we do, what would it look like to actually live as if that were true? Because if this is true, then it reshapes more than just how we think about death. It reshapes how we live. It changes what we value, what we fear, and what we hold onto. And it forces us to consider a deeper question. Not just what happens when we die, but what we are living for while we are still here. © David Jun

A Scriptural, Historical, and Observational Perspective You’ve Probably Never Considered I’m not a flat‑earther, but I do hold a belief that’s just as unconventional in today’s world: I think Earth sits at the center of our solar system. Yes, I know how unhinged that sounds. For thousands of years, people assumed the heavens revolved around us. That wasn’t due to a lack of intelligence, it was simply what they observed daily, what they lived under, and what Scripture consistently portrays. There’s also a passage in Scripture that has stayed lodged in my head: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon… and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped." Josh. 10:12–14 And that’s where the rabbit hole begins. If you’re still with me, settle in. This topic deserves at least a glance, especially if you follow it all the way to the final point. And I’m not alone in considering an Earth‑centered model, several historical systems were built on this very idea. Keeping It Real I am not an astronomer, scientist or used to writing this complex of a topic, I pulled all my notes, research, and sources from over the years and have been getting help from Copilot to even begin to try and keep this from being a bad scrambled egg. I personally believe in an Earth‑centered solar system, and this makes logical sense to me because of what we actually see going on in the sky at night, the heavens move around us, not the other way around. As a child, without any prompting, I always believed this based on what I saw at night and read in the Bible. These models (image below) take our observations literally and align more naturally with Scripture’s Earth‑based perspective, the way the world looks from the viewpoint of someone actually standing on it. I think Scripture is far more literal than we tend to give it credit for, and this also helps explain a few other very important things in Scripture that most people never think about. The Three Historical Models Here are the three frameworks that treat Earth as the central reference point, and show I’m far from the first person to think this way: Neo‑Tychonian Model: A modern reinterpretation where Earth is treated as the stationary frame, and the motions of the heavens are understood relative to it. Tychonian Model: Earth remains fixed at the center; the Sun orbits Earth; the planets orbit the Sun. Ptolemaic Model: Earth sits motionless at the center while the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars move in complex circular paths around it. The Shifting Sun Now we’re going to rabbit‑hole into some Scripture and history, and I’m going to begin unwrapping a concept about satan that I doubt many people have ever considered. What pushed me to finally write this was an article by Paul Ian Clarke, "The Line in Genesis Most People Read Too Quickly." He points out something almost everyone skims past in Genesis 1:16, the quiet understatement of “he made the stars also.” Clarke explains that in the ancient world, the sun, moon, planets, and stars weren’t just objects; they were treated as divine powers. Entire cultures named them, feared them, and worshipped them. Yet Genesis refuses to play along. It doesn’t even call the sun and moon by name, just “the greater light” and “the lesser light,” stripping them of status. And the stars, which many believe control fate, are mentioned casually. The understatement is intentional. Genesis demotes the heavens on purpose, placing them firmly inside creation, not above it. And now I want to take that idea a step further. In Genesis 1, God creates the heavens and the Earth first, not the sun or moon. Light itself comes before they do. Then in Genesis 2, the focus remains on Earth and the heavens, with almost no attention given to the sun, moon, or stars again. There’s a reason for that. By the time the Torah was written, people everywhere were already looking to the sky for guidance instead of to God. God‘s Focal Point Was Us Genesis makes something very clear. God’s focus was on Earth and on us. Scripture gives far more detail about the formation of land, life, and humanity than it does about the sun, moon, or stars. In fact, compared to the attention given to Earth, the heavens receive almost nothing, and the planets aren’t mentioned at all. Scripture repeatedly warns Israel not to be drawn into the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, the very things their neighbors treated as divine. “And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars… do not be enticed into bowing down to them.” Deut. 4:19 “contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky,” Deut. 17:3 “[…] I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place… those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host…” Zeph. 1:4–5 These weren’t small warnings. They were direct confrontations against a world obsessed with celestial powers. Genesis intentionally keeps the heavens in the background because God was establishing a different center, not the sun, not the stars, but Earth, and the people He placed on it. History Meets The Deceiver Both the Ptolemaic and Tychonic models dominated for centuries, but everything began to shift in the 1500s and 1600s, one of the most volatile periods in human history. Religion, politics, philosophy, and culture were all being torn apart and rebuilt. And when the world is crumbling, people become vulnerable to new ideas, new authorities, and new “truths.” For more than a thousand years, the Ptolemaic model went virtually unchallenged. Then, in 1543, right in the middle of the Protestant Reformation, the first major attacks appeared. The Renaissance was also reshaping the intellectual world, elevating human reason, mathematics, and classical philosophy. The heavens were no longer viewed through Scripture but through geometry and speculation. That shift opened the door for alternative cosmologies, including the Tychonic system, which still kept Earth fixed at the center while accounting for new observations. Then came the Scientific Revolution. Truth was no longer defined by Scripture but by what could be measured, predicted, and mathematically modeled. At the same time, Europe was tearing itself apart in the Thirty Years’ War, a conflict so devastating that by the end, people were desperate for stability. Religious authority was collapsing. Intellectual authority was rising. And into that vacuum stepped a new worldview that felt orderly and predictable. By the late 1600s, the Enlightenment was gaining momentum. Reason became the highest authority. Faith was pushed to the side. God was no longer seen as actively governing the world; He became a distant idea. New astronomical discoveries added fuel to the shift, not because they disproved an Earth‑centered system, which they didn’t, but because they destabilized the old framework and made heliocentrism one of several possibilities. In other words, the world didn’t simply “discover” heliocentrism. It was primed for it. The groundwork had already been laid by upheaval, conflict, and a cultural drift away from God. And when a society is spiritually disoriented, satan doesn’t need to invent new tricks. He only needs to redirect human attention toward anything that isn’t God. The Century That Lost Its Center All of that had to be utterly mind-blowing to live through. Just reading all the mass upheaval going on around the world, all around the same time, affecting people’s long-held beliefs, makes me wonder some things. I don’t believe satan chooses some random eras to stir chaos. He started in the garden and never stopped. And because he cannot see the future, he floods the world with distractions, distortions, and half‑truths, letting humanity do what it does best: elevate anything and everything except God. So no, I don’t think the shift to a sun‑centered solar system was a coincidence. The world was primed for it; it was spiritually exhausted, intellectually prideful, self-centered, and eager for a worldview that felt predictable, self‑contained, and more redefinable. And today, we’re still seeing the fallout. More than half of the world’s national flags contain a sun, moon, or star. Entire industries revolve around the heavens. In 2024 alone, the United States spent over $55 billion on space‑related activity. And while that number climbs, another industry is booming alongside it: astrology. It’s now a $3‑billion‑a‑year online market in the U.S. alone, and projected to triple. The scale of it shows how deeply this fixation runs and how deeply the diversion has unfocused and blinded people. The same ancient temptation, dressed up in new language and fancy schmancy technology. Old Temptation in a New Form From the earliest pages of Scripture, God warned His people not to let their hearts drift toward the sun, moon, or stars. Over and over, Israel was cautioned not to be captivated by the heavens or drawn into the worship of what God created (Deut. 4:19). The prophets even rebuked those who turned their backs on the temple and bowed toward the rising sun (Ezek. 8:15–17). It was idolatry then, and it hasn’t changed. When I look at our world today, I don’t see coincidence. I see the same pattern resurfacing, the same seeds the enemy has been sowing since Eden. Satan doesn’t need new strategies; he only needs to keep our attention fixed upward in all the wrong ways. A tiny shift away from Scripture is all he requires, a sliver of misalignment that grows over time. At the end of the day, it doesn’t bother me if someone thinks I’m unhinged for believing the solar system is centered on Earth. I’m not campaigning for converts. I’m simply asking people to consider the possibility. Because if this perspective is even partly true, then it exposes just how deep and far‑reaching the enemy’s influence has been from the beginning of human history to now. And that realization should sober anyone. © Jane Isley Want more content like this? Check out more articles in Exploring Scripture. If this piece gave you something to think about, consider supporting my work. Every contribution helps Faithful Writers keep researching, writing, and exploring Scripture with common sense and honesty. For the full list of sources, citations, and research notes behind this article, you can view the complete documentation here. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

People are always on the hunt for the next big secret and exciting insight, anything that promises to unlock some hidden cosmic truth or gives them an edge up in their spiritual life. This can show up in many ways, from books claiming to be “new revelations,” old texts presented as supplements to the Bible, social media posts with prophetic messages, new doctrines, emerging religious sects, or secret rituals promising special favor. But this pull toward these other sources reflects a deficiency in the heart, not a problem with the Bible itself. Secret Desires “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14–15 Desire > Temptation > Sin > Spiritual Death. Grand stories of cosmic battles, golden plates, secret teachings, and lost revelations create a sense of excitement. They make the person feel like they have discovered something special and exclusive. These often satisfy a deeper desire for distinction and knowledge, giving the thrill of “I know what others don’t.” But this impulse is not from God; it comes from the flesh, and satan capitalizes on it. People like to attach their sense of worth to what makes them different from others. Flirting with a belief system slightly or completely outside of the Bible allows a person to feel unique without openly rejecting Christianity. They think they can still claim loyalty to Scripture while quietly shifting their focus elsewhere to something that “expands upon” or “explains more.” These deviations create an illusion that one can pick and choose spiritual truths while still claiming faith in God, even when those choices contradict His Word. The Power of Mythic Imagination Human beings are story-driven. Dramatic imagery, mystical symbolism, and cosmic narratives naturally capture attention. Many writings, doctrines, and teachings lean heavily into this kind of advertising. Scripture does not lack depth or richness in this. Rather, it reveals a weakness in human obedience and shows that the battle for the knowledge of good and evil is still as powerful and relevant today as it was in the garden. The mind can easily be drawn toward spectacle even when the substance is shallow. In other words, the sensational often overshadows the truthful. Avoiding Moral Confrontation Another factor is the avoidance of moral confrontation. The Bible speaks plainly about sin, judgment, repentance, and obedience. It directs the reader to focus inward, to ask difficult questions about the state of their heart. Any material or teaching elevated to the level of the Bible, above it, or used to “complete” or “complement” it, despite not holding up to Scripture, diverts attention from the personal responsibility to confront the flesh and instead emphasizes speculative topics. The focus moves from “What does God require of me?” to “What hidden knowledge might exist that I don’t know about?” And now, curiosity has replaced conviction. Humans instinctively associate restriction with importance. If something is rumored to have been hidden and now revealed, people assume it must contain some powerful truth. Ironically, this skepticism is often applied very selectively. Scripture is intensely scrutinized, while questionable or historically disputed material or teachings are accepted with far less criticism. The Ongoing Pull of Forbidden Knowledge People often treat what happened in the garden as a one-and-done deal, as if satan’s work just stopped with Adam and Eve. But Scripture makes this clear: he has never stopped. We need to recognize this crucial truth, and that it is happening to this day because missing it leaves a person open to desire, and desire is all he needs to get in to distort, distract, and draw us away from what God. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11 People, come on, we are not warned continually throughout Scripture for no reason. Satan has refined his tactics for every age of humanity, shaping desires, stirring curiosity, and exploiting weaknesses. Recognizing that this is an ongoing battle helps you to remain watchful and discerning. Ground yourself in Scripture rather than deceptive knowledge that tempts the flesh and distracts from God’s truth. © Jane Isley

All of us walk into college carrying some version of the same quiet hope: that we’ll find something worth it. Maybe for you, that “something” is success — a career that validates your effort and intelligence. Maybe it’s relationships — deep friendships, a sense of belonging, or even love. Maybe it’s freedom — the chance to finally define your own life on your own terms. Or maybe, if you’re honest, you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking for — you just know you want it to matter. I came into college like that too. I had my own ideas of what would make life meaningful. But somewhere along the way — almost by accident — I stumbled upon something I didn’t expect. Something I didn’t even know I was looking for. And over time, I came to believe it was the most valuable thing I could ever find. Jesus once described this kind of discovery with a short, almost easy-to-miss story: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44) At first glance, it’s simple. A man finds treasure, recognizes its value, and gives up everything to obtain it. But the deeper you think about it, the more it begins to reflect something true about how we all live — and what we’re actually searching for. Found by Accident The man in Jesus’ story wasn’t out hunting for treasure. He wasn’t on some carefully planned expedition. He simply stumbled upon it. That’s not unusual, especially in the ancient world. Before banks existed, people would bury valuables to protect them during war or crisis. Over time, those treasures were forgotten — hidden beneath ordinary ground, waiting for someone to discover them. Even today, stories like that still happen. In 2015, a woman named Bobbie Oskarson was walking through a state park in Arkansas when she picked up what looked like an unusual rock. It turned out to be an 8.52-carat diamond worth nearly a million dollars. She wasn’t searching for treasure. She was just walking. And yet, she found something incredibly valuable. That’s what encountering the gospel can feel like. For many people, it’s not something they were actively pursuing. They weren’t necessarily searching for God. But somewhere — in a conversation, a community, a moment of reflection — they come across something that feels different. Something weighty. Something real. It’s like finding treasure for free. Hidden in Plain Sight But here’s the twist: when Bobbie first picked up that diamond, it didn’t look like a diamond. It looked like dirt. That’s often how real treasure appears at first — hidden, unimpressive, easy to overlook. Meanwhile, the things that look most appealing on the surface are often the least valuable. History is full of examples of this confusion. In 1872, two con artists staged what became known as the “Great Diamond Hoax.” They scattered cheap stones across a field and convinced investors it was filled with diamonds. People poured in money, eager to claim their share of the supposed treasure. But over time, the truth came out: it was all fake. The tragedy wasn’t just that they were deceived. It’s that they invested everything into something worthless. That same dynamic plays out in our lives more often than we’d like to admit. The world is full of what you might call “false advertising.” It tells us that fulfillment can be found in achievement, status, pleasure, or recognition. It invites us to “sell all” for things that promise meaning — but can’t ultimately deliver it. Sometimes, we don’t realize the mistake until much later. I once heard a story about a little girl who found what she thought was an ancient arrowhead in her backyard. She was ecstatic. She spent thirty minutes carefully washing and polishing it — only to realize, with a cry of frustration, that it was just a rock. Thirty minutes, polishing something worthless. But if we’re honest, many of us spend not minutes, but years — sometimes decades — doing the same thing. We polish our resumes, our careers, our image, our portfolios. We invest enormous time and energy into things we assume are valuable, only to discover later that they can’t carry the weight of our expectations. As the actor Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” The problem isn’t that these things are bad. It’s that they’re not ultimate. They can’t give us what we most deeply need. And if we’re not careful — if we don’t learn to see clearly — we may spend our lives chasing what looks like treasure, only to end up with something far less. Learning to See True Treasure So how do you tell the difference? Jesus’ story suggests that it comes down to having the right kind of vision — to recognize what is truly valuable, even when it’s hidden. When the man in the field finds the treasure, he knows immediately what it’s worth. That recognition changes everything. His priorities shift. His decisions follow. In my own life, discovering the gospel felt like that. At first, I only had a vague sense that it mattered. But over time, as I began to understand it more deeply, I started to see just how valuable it really was. It wasn’t just a set of beliefs or a religious framework. It was something that spoke directly to the core needs of my life. It gave me identity. In a world that constantly pressures us to define ourselves by performance — grades, achievements, appearance, success — the gospel offers something radically different. It says your worth is not something you earn; it’s something you’re given. It’s secure, not fragile. It doesn’t fluctuate with success or failure. It gave me belonging. Not just surface-level connections, but deep, lasting relationships rooted in something more than shared interests or convenience. Friendships that endure through different seasons of life. A sense of being known and accepted, not for what I can offer, but for who I am. It gave me purpose. A clear understanding of why I’m here and what my life is for. Not just to build something for myself, but to love others, to invest in what lasts, to be part of something that has eternal significance. The more I saw these things, the more it became obvious: this was treasure. The Logic of “Selling All” That’s why the man in Jesus’ story does something that, at first glance, seems extreme. He sells everything. Not reluctantly. Not out of obligation. But “in his joy.” Because once you truly see the value of something, the decision becomes simple. If you knew, with certainty, that one path was infinitely better than all others, it wouldn’t feel like a sacrifice to choose it. It would feel like wisdom. Think about it this way: if you could go back in time and invest in something you knew would multiply in value beyond imagination, you wouldn’t hesitate. You’d rearrange everything to take advantage of that opportunity. That’s the logic of the kingdom of heaven. It’s not about losing your life — it’s about exchanging it for something far greater. As missionary Jim Elliot once put it, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” An Invitation in the Middle of College So let me come back to where we started. What are you hoping to find in college? Because whether you realize it or not, you are making bets every day. With your time. Your energy. Your attention. Your decisions. You’re investing your life into something. The question isn’t whether you’re searching for treasure. The question is whether you’ll recognize it when you find it. College will offer you countless things that present themselves as “the thing” — the thing worth chasing, the thing worth sacrificing for, the thing that will finally make your life meaningful. Some of those things will be good. But not all of them are treasure. So here’s the invitation: take the time to explore, to question, to investigate. Don’t just accept what you’re told is valuable — examine it. Test it. Ask whether it can actually deliver what it promises. And consider the possibility that the most valuable thing you could find might not look impressive at first glance. That it might be hidden. That it might require you to look deeper. Because if it’s real — if it truly is treasure — then it would be foolish not to go all in. The Treasure Turns Out to Be You There’s one more layer to Jesus’ story that’s easy to miss. Most people read it and assume we are the ones finding the treasure — and that God is the treasure we discover. But what if the roles are reversed? What if the treasure is actually you? The broader story of the Bible tells of a God who created people not out of necessity, but out of love. And even after humanity turned away — choosing independence over relationship — God didn’t walk away. Instead, He pursued. He gave everything. The apostle Paul describes it this way: “Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). In other words, God “sold all” to find you. Not because you were easy to find. Not because you were obviously valuable. But because, in His eyes, you were worth it. And that changes everything. Because now the question isn’t just whether you will recognize the treasure. It’s whether you will respond to the One who already sees you as one. What Will You Do With What You Find? At the end of the day, all of us are building our lives around something. We are all, in a sense, high-stakes gamblers — placing bets with our time, our priorities, our futures. And those bets will shape the outcome of our lives. So if there really is a treasure — a sure thing, something of infinite value — then the most rational, most logical, most life-giving response would be to go all in. Not out of pressure. But out of joy. Because you’ve finally found something worth it. © David Jun