Faithful Writers

pexels- Jametlene Reskp Whenever I heard the word ‘repent, ’ I used to get uncomfortable. I suppose I had this notion that people would scream at me to repent, or else I would go to hell. I also used to think that God was an angry God before I got saved. That may be how you view repentance and the Lord as well. However, consider this: repentance is more than just saying ‘sorry’. As I’ve continued on my walk with Jesus, I’ve learned that repentance is necessary and actually relieving to the soul. Repentance isn’t berating yourself for what you’ve done. It’s realizing that you are a broken human being in need of God’s love and mercy. It’s having the strength to lay all of your sins and burdens down at God’s feet. You might have heard this statement before: “ Come as you are, but don’t stay as you are.” That is precisely how our relationships are with Jesus. Jesus will never turn away from us and our sins, but as we grow with Him and repent, we must change. Repentance doesn’t mean simply saying “sorry God!” and moving on with your day. It means grieving over the sin you have been struggling with and being completely open to God about it. It means praying about it for however long you need. You must realize that the sin you have committed isn’t good for you, and more importantly, for God. Search for ‘repentance’ on Google, and the definition is literally sincere regret and remorse. You must truly regret your sin to repent. Sin isn’t a control mechanism for us; the things considered as sins are genuinely bad for us. They aren’t there for no reason, you know. I’ve struggled with this A LOT. There are times when I sin, and I try to ‘repent’, and then about an hour later, I’ll go back to the same old sin. God knows everything about us; He knows our innermost thoughts and feelings. We must pray to Him for pure hearts and pure intentions to repent. We cannot repeatedly abuse His grace. I read an excellent book called “Jesus Is…” by Judah Smith, in which he discusses how we need to take our relationship with Him seriously. Sinning is cheating on the Lord; it is devoting our time to Satan/worldly things rather than Heaven. The Lord has a jealous love for us. This isn’t meant to make us feel trapped; it’s meant to make us feel loved and protected. He knows that when we sin, we fall into lies, complete with meaninglessness. We must stay on the straight, narrow path with Jesus. That means we must seriously repent! So rather than just apologizing to God, we must change our ways and remember what He has done for us. Remembrance of Him keeps us from sinning. That way, when temptation arises, we will be reminded of God and how much better He is for us. Then, we will choose Him and His ways! As James 1 3–4 says, we must endure in faithfulness. If we have enough faith in Jesus, we can overcome temptation and sin. And if we don’t, we can pray to God for it (James 1 5–8). So, repentance isn’t necessary to make you feel worthless in God’s eyes. It actually makes you even more worthy in God’s eyes because you are showing humility and submission to Him. Next time we repent, brothers and sisters, let’s remember to move patiently through our apologies/regrets and truly change our ways. God bless you all. © Sienna Krieg

Photo by Joshua Hoehne  on Unsplash After I became saved in December of 1979, I tried to tithe or at least give some kind of offering. The problem was, I kept hearing different teachings on whether tithing was still required, so I was never fully sure I was doing it right, but I also never took the time to look into it for myself. Then I got married in September of 1981. My wife and I tithed, and sometimes we tithed if a pastor made a strong enough case for it. But for one reason or another, we always eventually stopped giving. It wasn’t until 1996 that everything changed, and God really started showing me the importance of tithing. My wife had been killed in a car accident, and my employer had laid me off. I was receiving $300 a week in unemployment at the time.  I felt convicted by God to give $30 a week to a ministry, so I did. Somehow, the money never ran out for my family. It just lasted and lasted, and there was no logical reason for how that happened. Eventually, I went back to work. My take-home pay was $500 a week. But again, I stopped giving altogether. Every Friday, I got paid, and by Monday, the money was gone.  I finally cried out to God, “What is going on?” I won’t lie, it took me a bit to see what He was trying to show me. I realized that the $30 I was giving before was a 10% tithe on my $300. So I started tithing again. Twice after learning this lesson, I convinced myself it was all just a coincidence and stopped tithing again.  Both times, everything in my life fell apart.  That’s when I finally, truly understood what He was telling me to do. That was 28 years ago, and I’ve faithfully tithed ever since. I do want to talk about something people often say, that a tithe has  to go to a church.  This is not true, and it’s not Biblical.  I give in many different ways, to many different people and places. I’ve given directly to people in need, to missionaries, to causes, to organizations, and to trustworthy Christian ministries. I even gave my tithe once to help someone buy new windows. My point is, God will direct you where your tithe needs to go, and He will bless that tithe when you give with a cheerful heart. Listen to His direction, not what people say or what a church tells you. He knows the needs of the world better than anyone on Earth. Another important thing is to be a good and wise steward when choosing where to give. These days, it’s easy to do research online before giving anywhere. When it’s laid on my heart to give to a specific cause or situation, I research those ministries or organizations to ensure they’re a good fit, and then I let God make the final decision. Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” If I were to reword this verse, I’d put it like this: “I will work things out for you.” Haggai 1:6 “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” © Neil Allen

Google Nano Banana “If God is real, why is there so much suffering?” “The Bible is full of contradictions.” “All religions are basically the same — why should Christianity be special?” You’ve heard these objections. Maybe you’ve asked them yourself. They sound intelligent, well-reasoned, like they’ve thoroughly dismantled Christianity. But here’s what I’ve discovered: Most objections to Christianity fall into two categories: Legitimate hard questions that deserve honest engagement. Surface-level arguments that sound profound but collapse when you actually think them through. The first category? Those are the questions that make faith deeper. Wrestling is part of the relationship with God. The second category? Those are the ones we need to talk about. Because too many people abandon Christianity over arguments that don’t actually hold up to scrutiny. Let me be clear: I’m not saying faith is easy or that all questions have neat answers. I’m saying some of the most popular objections to Christianity are built on misunderstandings, false premises, or logical fallacies. And if you’re going to reject Christianity, you should at least reject it for the right reasons. Objection 1: “If God Is Good, Why Is There Evil and Suffering?” This is the big one. The problem of evil. And honestly? It’s a legitimate question that deserves serious engagement. But here’s where the objection usually goes wrong: It assumes that a good God would create a world without the possibility of evil. Think about what that would actually require: Option A: God creates robots with no free will. You can’t choose to love. You can’t choose to do good. You’re programmed to be “perfect.” But is that actually good? Is forced love even love? Option B: God creates beings with free will. Which means they can choose love or hate. Good or evil. Selflessness or selfishness. And when people choose evil, suffering results. (Cough, Adam & Eve, cough ) The objection assumes Option A is better. But most people, when they think about it, don’t actually want to be robots. They value freedom, choice, and agency. So the real question isn’t “Why does evil exist?” The real question is “Can love exist without the possibility of its opposite?” What About Natural Evil? “Okay, but what about earthquakes? Cancer? Tsunamis? Those aren’t caused by human choice.” Fair point. Here’s where it gets complex: 1. We live in a fallen world. Christian theology teaches that sin didn’t just corrupt human hearts — it corrupted creation itself. (Romans 8:22: “The whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth until now” & Genesis 1:29–30 when animals started to eat each other, aka the food chain) 2. Natural disasters create opportunities for sacrificial love. When tragedy strikes, humans have the choice to respond with compassion, generosity, and courage. Evil becomes the context where the highest forms of good can emerge. 3. God doesn’t promise comfort — He promises presence. The Christian claim isn’t “believe in God and nothing bad will happen.” It’s “God is with you in the suffering.” Does this answer every question about suffering? No. Does it make it easier when you’re in the middle of a tragedy? Not really. But it does show that the objection “evil disproves God” is built on a false premise — that a good God must prevent all suffering. That’s not what Christianity claims. Objection 2: “The Bible Is Full of Contradictions” This one always gets thrown around. Usually by people who haven’t actually read the Bible. Here’s the reality: Most “contradictions” are either: Different perspectives on the same event (not contradictions, just different angles) Translation issues Cultural context that’s misunderstood Intentional literary devices that modern readers miss Example: “How many angels were at Jesus’ tomb?” Matthew mentions one angel. John mentions two. CONTRADICTION! Except… no. If John saw two angels and Matthew focused on the one who spoke, they’re both accurate. It’s like two witnesses to a car accident — one says “a red car ran the light,” the other says “two cars were in the intersection.” Not contradictory. Different focus. Example: “God is love vs. God commands genocide in the Old Testament” This is a legitimate hard question about God’s character and the Canaanite conquest passages. But here’s what’s not legitimate: acting like these passages are hiding in obscurity and Christians just ignore them. Christians have wrestled with these texts for thousands of years. There are serious theological frameworks for understanding them: The judgment-on-systemic-evil interpretation The ancient Near Eastern warfare hyperbole interpretation The progressive revelation framework You can look these up and disagree with these interpretations. But you can’t claim Christians are just ignoring the problem. Ultimately, who you want God to be vs who He actually is is what this question wrestles with. I have my reasons and my own explanation, but others may not agree. If you’re taking Christianity seriously, then it's a question that God will help you with understanding through prayer. The Real Test Here’s how to tell if something is actually a contradiction: Can both statements be true at the same time from different perspectives or contexts? “Jesus wept” and “Jesus is God” — Both true. God incarnate experienced human emotion. “Faith alone saves” and “Faith without works is dead” — Both true. Saving faith produces works. Works don’t produce salvation. “God is love” and “God is just” — Both true. Love without justice isn’t actually loving. Justice without love isn’t actually just. If you can’t reconcile two statements without assuming one is false, THAT’S a contradiction. Most “Bible contradictions” fail this test. They’re reconcilable with context, cultural understanding, or basic reading comprehension. Objection 3: “All Religions Are Basically the Same / Many Paths to God” This sounds inclusive and tolerant. It’s actually deeply insulting to every religion. Because it requires you to ignore what each religion actually teaches about itself. Buddhism: There is no personal God. Enlightenment comes through eliminating desire. Salvation is escape from the cycle of rebirth. Hinduism: Multiple gods exist. Salvation is reincarnation until you achieve moksha (liberation from the cycle). Islam: One God (Allah). Salvation through submission and following the Five Pillars. Jesus was a prophet, not God. Christianity: One God in three persons. Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Jesus is God incarnate. These aren’t different paths up the same mountain. They’re completely different mountains. You can’t say “all religions teach the same thing” without either: Being ignorant of what religions actually teach Deciding that what religions say about themselves doesn’t matter (which is condescending) The Coexist Problem The popular objection is: “Can’t we all just coexist? Why does Christianity have to claim it’s the only way?” First: Christians absolutely should treat people of other faiths with respect and love. Religious disagreement doesn’t require hostility. Second: Every religion makes exclusive truth claims. Buddhism claims Hinduism is wrong about God. Islam claims Christianity is wrong about Jesus. They all think the others are mistaken about fundamental reality. Christianity isn’t uniquely arrogant for claiming to be true. It’s doing what every coherent worldview does — making claims about reality and standing by them. Objection 4: “Science Has Disproven Christianity” This one’s interesting because it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what science actually does. Science answers “how” questions. Religion answers “why” questions. Science: How did the universe begin? (Big Bang, physical laws, cosmic evolution) Christianity: Why does the universe exist? (God created it for a purpose) These aren’t contradictory. They’re answering different questions. Evolution vs. Creation? The supposed conflict here is overblown by both sides. What science claims: Life on Earth has developed over billions of years through natural selection and genetic mutation. What Christianity actually claims: God created the universe and everything in it. These can both be true. Many Christians (including respected theologians and scientists) believe God used evolutionary processes as His method of creation. The Bible says God created — it doesn’t specify the mechanism. Now, Young Earth Creationists like myself disagree with this. That’s our right. But my interpretation of Genesis isn’t the only Christian interpretation, and it never has been…. and it won’t define whether you go to heaven or hell because of it (in my opinion). Miracles vs. Natural Law? “Science shows the universe operates by natural laws. Miracles violate natural laws. Therefore, miracles are impossible.” The problem: This assumes natural laws are prescriptive (what MUST happen) rather than descriptive (what USUALLY happens). If God exists and created natural laws, He can obviously work outside them. That’s what makes miracles miraculous — they’re exceptions, not the rule. The objection is actually circular reasoning: Miracles can’t happen Why? Because natural laws can’t be violated Why can’t they be violated? Because miracles can’t happen You’re free to not believe in miracles. But you can’t use science to disprove them — science can only describe regular patterns, not rule out exceptions. Plus, doctors witness miracle healings all the time, if you just look it up. Objection 5: “Christians Are Hypocrites” This is less an objection to Christianity and more an observation about Christians. And honestly? It’s often true. Christians are frequently hypocritical. But here’s what that doesn’t prove: That Christianity is false. If Christianity claimed “humans are basically good and following Jesus makes you perfect,” then Christian hypocrisy would disprove Christianity. But Christianity claims the opposite: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Christians being hypocritical doesn’t disprove Christianity. It confirms Christianity’s diagnosis of human nature — we’re all broken, including religious people. The question isn’t “Are Christians perfect? “The question is, 'Is Jesus who He claimed to be?” Judge Christianity by Christ, not by Christians. Evaluate the message, not just the messengers. (Though yes, Christians should absolutely strive to live consistently with what they profess. The hypocrisy criticism should make us better, not defensive.) Objection 6: “A Loving God Wouldn’t Send People to Hell” This objection makes sense emotionally. It’s hard to reconcile “God is love” with “eternal punishment.” But it’s based on several assumptions that might not be true: Assumption 1: Hell is God actively torturing people. Many theologians understand hell differently — as a separation from God that people choose . C.S. Lewis described it as “the doors of hell are locked from the inside.” If God is the source of all goodness, love, and joy, then complete separation from God IS hell. God doesn’t send people there — they choose it by rejecting Him. Assumption 2: Humans are basically good and don’t deserve judgment. Christianity teaches humans are made in God’s image (valuable) but also sinful (broken). If God is perfectly just, sin can’t just be ignored. There are real consequences. Assumption 3: A loving God wouldn’t allow anyone to reject Him forever. But love requires the possibility of rejection. If God forced everyone to be with Him, that wouldn’t be love — it would be coercion. Here’s the hard truth: If you believe people have genuine free will, then you have to allow for the possibility that people can use that freedom to reject God permanently. The Real Question The objection assumes God’s primary attribute is “niceness” — a cosmic grandfather who wants everyone comfortable. Christianity claims God’s primary attributes are love AND justice, AND holiness. A God who is only loving but not just would be a terrible God. A God who is only just but not loving would be a tyrant. The question isn’t “Would a nice God send people to hell?” The question is “What does a perfectly loving AND perfectly just God do with human rebellion?” Christianity’s answer: He takes the punishment Himself (the cross) and offers rescue to everyone (grace) . But He doesn’t force it on anyone (free will). The Objections That Actually Matter After all this, here are the questions that I think DO pose legitimate challenges to Christianity: Why this particular revelation? Why is Christianity true and not Islam or Buddhism? (This requires positive evidence for Christianity, not just debunking objections) How do we interpret difficult Old Testament passages? The Canaanite conquest, slavery regulations, etc., require serious engagement & not dismissal. What about people who have never heard the gospel? This is a theological puzzle Christians wrestle with and disagree about. How do we reconcile God’s sovereignty with human free will? This has been debated for 2,000 years, and Christians still don’t agree. Notice what these questions have in common: They’re hard, they require thought, and Christians who take them seriously don’t have neat answers. That’s different from the popular objections we covered, which sound smart but mostly reveal misunderstandings of what Christianity actually claims. So, What Now? If you’re going to reject Christianity, reject it because you’ve genuinely engaged with what it teaches and found it wanting. Don’t reject it because of arguments that dissolve under examination. Don’t reject it because of “contradictions” you haven’t actually researched. Don’t reject it because Christians are flawed (we are — that’s part of the point). Reject it, if you must, because you’ve considered the evidence and concluded Jesus wasn’t who He claimed to be. That’s the real question Christianity rises or falls on. Not whether Christians are perfect. Not whether every question has an easy answer. Not whether the faith is “scientific.” The question is: Did Jesus rise from the dead? If He did, everything else is secondary. If He didn’t, Christianity is false regardless of how many objections you can debunk. That’s where honest investigation should focus. Everything else is just a distraction. Which of these objections have you struggled with most? What questions about Christianity do you think ARE legitimately difficult? © Ashneil

“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 Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

I stare at the screen and let the words sink in. Probable carcinoma. Motionless, I try to grasp the meaning of those two words.   ‘Probable’.  Most likely.  Probably.  Chances are, I have cancer.  It’s not confirmed, but the balance is tilted in favor of the C-word. ‘Cancer’.  My first thought is Beth.  My dear friend Beth. We went to the Christian bookstore in Ashland and bought matching Bibles.  Months later, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.  When my firstborn came out, so did all of Beth’s hair.  She sat in my brand-new glider rocker, head wrapped in a scarf, rocking so furiously I feared my weeks-old daughter would get motion sickness.  In many ways, the treatment was worse than the cancer.  She died within a year of the initial diagnosis and has been with Jesus for 28 years. But I have never foreseen cancer to be part of my story.  It’s nothing I have considered. Cancer is not in my family.  The cancer gene missed us.  I try my best to check off the boxes of healthy living to avoid cancer.  We eat our fruits and veggies, organically when possible.  We buy our meat from local farmers instead of the grocery store, and make all of our meals from scratch with real ingredients.  We drink our delicious well water, void of chemicals.  I  refuse to heat anything in the microwave with plastic.  We walk four miles a day and sleep eight hours a night.    Despite what we do, cancer can rear its ugly head. My phone rings out my beautiful Mozart Sonata ringtone.  It’s my doctor.  I’m thankful I read MyChart before she called.  I am prepared and calm.  She confirms the words in the report are alarming, yet sends messages of peace.  ‘Probable’ does not mean cancer; it means we need further testing.  ‘Probable’ means biopsy. Within hours, they call and schedule a biopsy for the next day, Friday.  It’s alarming that they need to see me the next day.  When my knee hurt, it was six weeks before the doctor could schedule me, but with cancer, there is an urgency.   I sit with my coffee and rock in the same chair Beth sat in decades ago.  Is this it?  Will cancer be my demise?  I am surprisingly calm.   Lord Jesus, your will be done. I nod my head.  Yes, that is the right prayer. At age 56, I have lived a full life.  I had an idyllic childhood, with a mom and dad who stayed married, even through the hardest of hards.  I graduated from college and married my best friend.  The Lord blessed me with four of the most amazing people on the planet for children.  He allowed me the privilege of homeschooling them, even though it meant driving rusty old minivans. He protected us in so many ways.   Yes, Lord, your will be done. Twenty years ago, I learned my lesson.  I selfishly prayed a Hezekiah prayer. Sick for over four years, I prayed the Lord would spare my life until my youngest graduated from high school.  (2 Kings 20:1-11) Just let me live for my kiddos.  Don’t let them grow up without a mom.  They need me. And just as God granted Hezekiah’s request, extending his life for fifteen years, so God allowed me to live a ‘normal’ life through surgeries and medication.  After so many years of selfish pleas to the Lord for Him to do what I want, my heart is now somehow completely surrendered to what He wants.   What if a cancer diagnosis leads my kiddos into a deeper relationship with Him?  What if people praying for me trust Jesus even more?  What if cancer and treatment mold me and shape me to look like Jesus?  Why would I not want that?  And when I die, I’ll be with the Lord.  I do want that, more than anything.  But what about Hubby?  I am prepared to meet the Lord today, but that means loneliness and pain for my best friend.  I have often said the best way for us to die would be together, that way neither of us needs to grieve alone, which is probably worse than the pain of dying.  Heavenly Father, your will be done. A Friday biopsy means my flesh is sitting in a lab somewhere, preserved for a tech to look at after the weekend break.  Hubby and I sit on the couch, holding hands in silence, Nuka at our feet.  I don’t cry. I remain surprisingly optimistic, even bordering on happy.  My trust in God’s future plans for me prevails over any fear.  He is in control, and He loves me.  Why should I be afraid? I keep my phone, with the ringer turned on, next to the piano.  I wait.  Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday.  Friday, the call comes.  “As hoped for, the biopsy was benign.” “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) First published in Pursuing Perfection on Substack by © Tessa Lind,  tessalind.substack.com

Let me guess — you used to get excited about worship, but now the songs feel repetitive. Prayer used to feel meaningful, but now it’s just talking to the ceiling. Bible reading used to inspire you, but now it’s just words on a page. And somewhere in your head, a voice is whispering: “Real Christians don’t feel this way. You must be doing something wrong. God must be disappointed in you.” That voice is lying to you. The Lie That’s Destroying Christian Confidence Here’s the lie that’s been undermining believers for generations: “If you can’t feel God, you’re spiritually failing.” We’ve been conditioned to believe that authentic faith should always feel emotional, passionate, and spiritually “high.” When the feelings fade, we assume our faith is fading too. Churches accidentally reinforce this by celebrating the emotional testimonies. The person who “felt God’s presence” during worship. The one who “heard God’s voice clearly” during prayer. The believer who “gets excited every time they read Scripture.” Meanwhile, you’re sitting there wondering what’s wrong with you because church feels like going through the motions. But emotional connection and spiritual reality are two completely different things. What Spiritual Dryness Actually Indicates Spiritual dryness isn’t evidence of God’s displeasure. It’s often evidence of spiritual maturation. Think about human relationships. When you first start dating someone, everything feels electric. Your heart races when they text. You analyze every conversation. You feel butterflies constantly. But what happens in healthy long-term relationships? The constant emotional intensity fades. You stop getting butterflies every time you see them. Conversations become more practical and less emotionally charged. Does this mean the relationship is dying? Or does it mean the relationship is maturing from infatuation into something deeper? The same principle applies to your relationship with God. New believers often experience what theologians call “honeymoon faith” — everything feels fresh, emotional, and spiritually intense. But as faith matures, it transitions from feeling-dependent to trust-dependent. Spiritual dryness often signals that God is inviting you to love Him for who He is, not just for how He makes you feel. Biblical Evidence for Dry-Season Spirituality If emotional connection were required for authentic faith, most Biblical heroes would be disqualified. David wrote more psalms about feeling spiritually dry than spiritually high. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” isn’t exactly a feeling-based worship song. Job experienced months of spiritual dryness while remaining faithful. He couldn’t feel God’s presence, couldn’t understand God’s plan, couldn’t see any evidence of God’s goodness. Yet God called him blameless. Jesus experienced the ultimate spiritual dryness on the cross when He cried out about being forsaken. If the Son of God could experience spiritual disconnection without it being sin, you can too. Mother Teresa famously experienced decades of spiritual dryness while serving the poorest of the poor. Her private letters revealed that she often felt nothing during prayer and questioned God’s presence. Yet she continued serving faithfully. The pattern is clear: spiritual maturity often involves learning to trust God’s character when you can’t feel His presence. Why God Allows (and Even Orchestrates) Dry Seasons God doesn’t allow spiritual dryness because He’s absent. He allows it because He’s preparing something in you that can only develop in the desert. Dryness reveals what you’re actually worshiping. When the emotional highs fade, you discover whether you’re truly devoted to God or just addicted to spiritual feelings. Many people think they’re worshiping God when they’re actually worshiping the experience of worshiping God. Dryness develops spiritual discipline. When prayer feels good, it’s easy. When prayer feels empty, it requires character. Spiritual dryness forces you to choose obedience over feelings, which is exactly what mature faith looks like. Dryness deepens your understanding of grace. When you can’t “feel” spiritual, you’re forced to rely on what God says about you rather than what you feel about yourself. This is where grace stops being a concept and becomes a lifeline. Dryness prepares you to help others. The believers who can guide others through spiritual struggles are usually those who’ve walked through their own. Your dry season isn’t just about your spiritual development — it’s about preparing you to mentor others through theirs. The Difference Between Spiritual Dryness and Spiritual Apathy Not all spiritual disconnection is healthy maturation. There’s a difference between holy dryness and spiritual apathy. Spiritual dryness says: “I can’t feel God, but I choose to trust Him anyway.” Spiritual apathy says, “I can’t feel God, so I’m going to stop trying.” Spiritual dryness continues spiritual disciplines despite a lack of feeling. Spiritual apathy abandons spiritual disciplines because of a lack of feeling. Spiritual dryness seeks God in new ways. Spiritual apathy stops seeking God altogether. Spiritual dryness asks, “What is God teaching me through this?” Spiritual apathy asks, “What is God teaching me through this?” The key difference is heart posture. Dryness with surrender leads to deeper faith. Dryness with rebellion leads away from faith. How to Navigate Spiritual Dryness Wisely 1. Normalize the experience. Stop treating spiritual dryness like a spiritual emergency. Recognize it as a normal part of the faith journey that most mature believers experience multiple times. 2. Separate feelings from facts. Your feelings about God don’t determine God’s feelings about you. When you can’t feel His love, remind yourself of what He’s said about His love. Scripture doesn’t change based on your emotions. 3. Maintain spiritual disciplines without demanding emotional payoff. Continue praying, reading Scripture, and attending church — not because it feels good, but because these are the means God uses to shape you. Obedience isn’t dependent on inspiration. 4. Look for God in new places. Maybe He’s not speaking through your usual channels because He wants to expand your spiritual vocabulary. Try new forms of prayer, different Bible translations, worship through service, or find God in nature. 5. Serve others during your dry season. Often, the best cure for spiritual dryness is getting your focus off your own spiritual state and onto serving others. God frequently reveals Himself through acts of love more than acts of worship. 6. Get spiritual direction. Find a mature believer who’s walked through their own dry seasons and can help you discern what God might be doing. Sometimes an outside perspective can help you recognize God’s work that you’re too close to see. Your Spiritual Dryness Might Be God’s Invitation What if your spiritual dryness isn’t evidence that something is wrong with your faith, but evidence that something is right with your spiritual development? What if God is inviting you to discover that His love for you doesn’t depend on your ability to feel it? What if He’s teaching you to trust His character when you can’t sense His presence? What if He’s developing the kind of mature faith that can encourage others when they go through their own desert seasons? Your spiritual dryness isn’t disqualifying you from God’s love. It might be qualifying you for deeper ministry. Some of the most effective spiritual directors, counselors, and pastors are people who learned to find God in the desert. Their dry seasons became the source of their ability to guide others through spiritual wilderness. So stop apologizing for your spiritual dryness. Stop trying to manufacture feelings you don’t have. Stop comparing your internal spiritual state to other people’s external spiritual performances. Instead, ask God what He wants to teach you in this season. Ask Him to show you new ways to connect with Him. Ask Him to use this experience to prepare you for whatever He has next. Your spiritual dry season might just be the most spiritually productive season of your life. You just won’t feel it while it’s happening. What’s been your experience with spiritual dryness? Have you found ways to connect with God that don’t depend on emotional feelings? PS. If you want to dive deeper into the neuroscience behind why our brains confuse emotional connection with spiritual reality — and practical frameworks for navigating dry seasons — I explored that in detail here. © Ashneil

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash When life wounds you, it is easy to grow cold and guarded. Here is how to let God heal your heart so you can keep loving, forgiving, and shining with gentleness in a hard world. The Hardening Happens Slowly I have learned that nobody wakes up hardened. It happens little by little through disappointments, betrayals, and moments when kindness is met with mockery. You give your best, and it still gets misunderstood. You forgive, and it feels like it did not matter. You start building walls for protection, but before long, those walls become prisons. There was a time I thought withdrawing was wisdom. That being unbothered meant I was strong. But it was not strength, it was deep weariness. I had started believing that being gentle made me vulnerable. Yet deep down, I missed the version of me that still cared freely, that still believed the best in people. The Strength in Staying Tender God never called us to survive by becoming hard; He called us to overcome by staying loving. Jesus moved through rejection, betrayal, and misunderstanding, yet His heart never calcified. He wept, forgave, and loved people who would never love Him back. I am learning that softness is not weakness, but spiritual strength. It takes courage to keep your heart pure in a world that rewards coldness. Proverbs 4 verse 23 says, “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Guarding it does not mean closing it; it means keeping it clean, keeping it tender enough for God to still move through it. Grace for the Gentle When life tries to harden you, grace comes to soften you again. God restores what pain tries to steal: your compassion, your empathy, your willingness to see good, but it takes surrender. I had to admit that pretending I was fine was only making me colder. Healing began when I started bringing my heart back to the One who made it. Ask Him to make you tender again. To remind you how to feel, how to forgive, how to care without fear. Because grace does not just forgive our sins, it softens our souls. Stay Soft Anyway There will always be people who take advantage of your kindness. There will always be moments when love feels like loss, but stay soft anyway. Because hardness may protect you, but it also isolates you. God does His deepest work through open hearts. Keep choosing compassion over cynicism. Keep choosing forgiveness over resentment, and don’t stop choosing light over self-defense. That is how I am learning to stay soft in a hard world:  by remembering that love is not naive, it is divine. © Favour

Photo by Cristina Zaragoza on Unsplash Somewhere in the world, someone has their hand on a Bible at the ideal angle, thoughtfully-placed coffee cup next to them, sunlight casting light on the page as if God Himself directed the sunrise. Caption: #QuietTime #Blessed. If I’m being honest, we’ve all had that urge to share our faith on the internet. Not only live it, but produce it. Because if no one is seeing your prayer journal, did you even pray? The Performance Problem Faith is now content, thanks to social media. We curate holiness with the same energy people use for skincare routines. Bible studies look more like brand launches. Even testimonies get edited for pacing and background music. It’s as if God’s approval isn’t enough; we want the algorithm’s too. I once saw someone pause mid-prayer to check if their phone was recording. And I thought, maybe the Holy Spirit couldn’t descend until the lighting was fixed. But here’s the thing: the sacred has never depended on a camera. The Sermon on the Mount wasn’t live-streamed. Moses didn’t pause at the Red Sea for a group selfie. And last I checked, the psalms don’t end with “smash that like button.” Faith Without Filters Some prayers are whispered through tears. Some days, belief feels as shaky as your Wi-Fi signal. The quiet, hidden, unfiltered parts of faith are often the most real. God doesn’t need a hashtag. God needs you: tired, hopeful, doubting, grateful, human. The divine isn’t scrolling for proof of your devotion. The divine is already present when you show up, unseen. The Invitation So maybe holiness looks less like polished devotion and more like holding space for your kids’ questions, for your students’ wonder, for your own imperfect humanity. Faith that doesn’t need the feed is faith that frees you. No ring light required. Because the truth is, God doesn’t need your TikTok testimony. He’s not waiting on a trending baptism tutorial. He’s been showing up in whispers, in silences, and in the small, ordinary moments long before hashtags existed. And honestly, if you’re worried about going viral, remember this: the Gospel already did. © T he Blooming Educator

When God listens in, and when He moves on. Picture this: you and a friend are sitting at your local coffee shop, catching up on each other’s lives. Who would be secretly listening in on your conversation? Not the barista behind the counter. They are too busy. Not the businessperson furiously clicking away at their open laptop. Perhaps the nosy person at the table beside you is pretending not to, but furtively leaning your way. Photo by Hümâ H. Yardım on Unsplash But what about God? Is there a time when He would be clandestinely listening to your conversation? When would He hear a few of your words and leave? And when would He pull up a chair and intently take in what you are discussing? First, can God listen to our conversation? Of course. Here’s what David wrote: “Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?” Psalm 94:9 NIV The New Living Translation states it this way: “Is he deaf — the one who made your ears? Is he blind — the one who formed your eyes?” Why would God visit a coffee shop? There are 8.2 billion people on Earth today, and 38,000 coffee shops worldwide . Since I live in the US, there are over 22,800 Java joints for Him to pop into and listen to Table #4. There is only one reason for Him to visit yours and not bounce to the next. It’s not for the prayers. Yes, God hears your prayers. “Father God, please bless this half-caf skinny mochaccino to the nourishment of our bodies, Amen.” He loves our thanksgiving acknowledgements of His provision. But prayers come to Him. Three times in Revelation, John wrote that the prayers of the saints are offered as a sweet savor to God. (5:8, 8:3, and 8:4) When we pray, it’s like God just drove by a bakery or a barbecue restaurant. He loves the scent. “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:12 But I’m not talking about our prayers. What about our daily conversations? Would God listen to the casual chats between you and your Christian bro or faith-filled gal pal? Yes. The proof comes from the Hebrew scriptures. “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Mal 3:16 The King James version says they “spoke OFTEN to one another.” Not to God. To each other. And how does God respond? He pulls up a chair and listens. Yes, He hears your prayers. But He also listens to your conversations with other believers. If it’s grumbling and complaining, He moves on. He’ll bounce if it glorifies doubt, fear, hate, or deconstructionism. There is not much whining in the presence of a holy and mighty God. If your conversation brings Him glory, He will listen and take notes. He wants it written down for eternity. “In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Mal 3:15 NLT There is a heavenly scribe taking notes and recording the minutes from your meeting at a coffee shop. The Message Version puts it this way: “Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God’s name.” Who knew so much of the spiritual realm engaged in a group sitting in the corner booth, sharing a blueberry muffin, and talking about how God is showing up in their lives? God loves those gatherings. It’s why Jesus said: ”For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Mat 18:20 He doesn’t specify the location. He loves the gathering, the camaraderie, the fellowship, and the friendship. He starts taking notes if the conversation turns from politics and Netflix to Him. What Are Holy Words That Please God? You might think the next meet-up must look like a Pharisee convention. Nope. God delights when we dump the funk on our accountability partner. Our honesty and transparency about our lives will bust hypocrisy. The many scriptures about confessing secret sins to one another show how powerful a coffee shop meeting can be. What happens to the meeting notes? They are read back at the judgment. Most Christians fear the part about giving an account of every idle word at the judgment. (Mat 12:36) We’ve all been stupid with our mouths. But have you considered that every prayer at a meal, every “thank you” at narrowly avoiding a car accident, and every “God bless you” to a frazzled cashier will also be read back and rewarded? Books? Plural? Here’s where the “Book or Remembrance” will come into play. Most Christians know that when we devote our lives to Jesus, our names are written in “The Lamb’s Book of Life”. But that is not the only opened book. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Rev 20:12 Yes, dear friend, the “Book of Remembrance” is opened, and your reward is great because you met at a coffee shop and honored the One who created you. You might have thought it was just two friends catching up. But it was a powerful spiritual moment that affected your eternal destiny and reward. Here’s the rest of the story. The following two verses say: “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Mal 3: 17–18 NLT The NLT calls you His treasured possession. Other translations call you His “special treasure” and “jewels." Never underestimate the value of your chats. Many have entertained angels unaware. (Heb 13:2) And the God of the universe just might be smiling as He listens to your conversation. © I.M. Koen Stay tuned for part 2, “God and IKEA trains.” I’ll tell you how I learned this lesson. It wasn’t in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount . It was in a child’s bedroom in Denton, Texas. Thank you for reading this. May God reveal to you how precious you are to Him. And may you never forget how much you are loved. You sit protected and cherished among God’s special treasures. You are loved! -Issachar You might also enjoy reading: Jesus Wants to Make You Breakfast. Speaking These Four Words Can Kill You. What a Megachurch Can Learn from the Marines.

Nope, and the Book of Psalms proves it. I'll show you. A common argument I see for validating 1 Enoch is from Matthew 5:5 when Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Then in 1 Enoch 5:7, it reads, “But for the chosen, there will be light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth.” I’ll admit, this could be quite the convincing “evidence.” Except for this. Psalms 37:11 “ But the meek shall inherit the land, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” The Psalms were written before the Books of Enoch, it took about 1000 years but they were all still written before Jesus was born. Blue Letter Bible goes even further in giving an estimate for each section of Psalms and the probable timeline it was written in, with Psalms 37 being written during Babylonian Captivity. 539 B.C. Some of my favorite personal qualms I consider when evaluating the authority of the Books of Enoch are: We know they were written during the Intertestamental period and after. Numerous scriptural contradictions. (Some sources to check out: 1, 2, 3 , and 4 , ) This one I know may get some kickback on but…….Jesus and the apostles never validated any of the subject matter the Books of Enoch talk about. I say that because Enoch paints a very different, odd, and bizarre narrative. The books of Enoch are titled as such because they all are attributed to Enoch. This is called pseudepigrapha . It was not uncommon to do this to noteworthy or interesting people in the Bible. Enoch was quite noteworthy, he walked with God and God took him. (I don’t however think God took him to heaven, I know. Not a popular belief.) Genesis 5:22–24 and Hebrews 11:5 So who quoted who first? — Psalms came first. — Jesus quoted Psalms. — Enoch quoted Psalms. That is undeniable, and historically and scholarly proven. What about the book of Jude quoting Enoch. Jude 14 is often also used to bolster the claim that the Bible validates Enoch as inspired scripture. “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones” Let us look at a part of this verse a little closer. Biblehub.com First, Jude specifically said the name of Enoch, not the Book of Enoch , he never said he was quoting a phrase from an authoritative source. Using an outside source (no matter the source) does not make it an authoritative work or statement. Jesus quoted Caesar, but that didn’t make Caesars words authoritative. Second, Jude was fighting back against people who had renounced Christianity (the apostates), people who were using 1 Enoch. Jude was making a rather sassy and clever point by using the religious material that was familiar to them. That judgment would come to the ungodly and all false teachers. By using this to make his point, he was able to engage the Apostates directly and more effectively. I recommend reading the article “ Why Does the New Testament Cite Extrabiblical Sources? ” It is very informative on the topic of Jude and extra Biblical sources and talks about Paul doing the same thing as well. The issue now. Instead of this being about the Apostates and the point he was getting across to them, it has turned into him “validating” 1 Enoch as being somehow authoritative scripture. Again, Jude never stated it was authoritative, all the Books of Enoch invalidated themselves as authoritative all on their own, and if people want to go that far then they might as well go after Jesus and Paul too. No one denies that books exist, and no one denies that there is some truth contained in them, but that does not make them authoritative or inspired. The Books of Enoch were written by people who wanted to believe certain things because they didn’t like what they were hearing. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.” Deut 4:2 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them.” Rom16:17 Believe what you will, but ask yourself, why is there a need to put faith in these books that are proven to be unbiblical, inaccurate, and uninspired? © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.