Faithful Writers

Braden Jarvis We were always meant to inherit the Earth. Genesis shows us this, Psalms remind us of this, and Jesus directly tells us this in Matthew.  It is a beautiful thing to know and one we need to pursue an understanding of. “God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good . There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.”  Genesis 1: 31 I’m of the personal opinion that when they translated “ very good ” in Genesis they did not do the original Hebrew word justice, they could have elaborated more and given people a more visually stimulating experience. Biblehub.com meod : “Very, exceedingly, much, greatly” towb :  “Good, pleasant, agreeable, beneficial, beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, fair, favor, fine, glad, goodly, graciously, joyful, kindly, loving, merry, pleasant, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, well-favored” Just look at the richness of the word towb they missed in translation.  It’s honestly, in my opinion, the main reason the beauty of the earth and its perfection before the fall is often overlooked and under-appreciated. We often don’t think about this next part, it’s a hint at what perfection was. We were formed by God’s hand, given the breath of life. His breath , and we became living beings connected to God most incredibly and intimately.  This is incredible because Adam and Eve were able to walk, talk, and see God.  “They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day , and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.”  Genesis 3:8 “walking in the garden in the cool of the day” Before the fall, before the moment that changed the course of God’s amazing plan and this world. He walked in the presence of Adam and Eve. Now that, ladies and gents, is utter perfection. Then everything changed. Sin entered and along with it, death and pain. Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden and blocked from the Tree of Life. He went into the Garden and searched for them, He knew what they had done, but they needed to confess what they had done. This is where we see the first repentance in the Bible as well as the first animal sacrifice in Genesis. Before the fall of man, everything was perfect, Genesis 3:8 gave us a glimpse of this wonderful fact. It shows us that God regularly walked in the Garden of Eden with His creation. New and transformed bodies free of imperfection. We will be renewed with heavenly bodies, and we will be ourselves. Not nameless, brainless orbs, which I’ve come to realize so many fear.  There is a strong emphasis on our physical bodies and that includes our brains. Our “mental selves” ( for lack of a better term ), who we are, and our uniqueness will be raised up with our new bodies.  How we’ll look, how exactly He plans to do this, I don’t know have a clue nor am I going to worry about it. Just remember, Adam and Eve were living, talking, thinking beings. Philippians 3:21  — speaks of transforming our bodies to His glory. 1 Cor 15:42–44  — speaks of perishable bodies raised imperishable, glorious and powerful. Romans 8:21–23  — speaks of the redemption of our bodies. Then we also get our new home, this Earth will be transformed into a brand new garden for us to live in. We’re also going to get a new heaven because of the war in Heaven when the Angels fell, but that’s a little off track.  If we choose God to the end, He will reward our faith and fight. 2 Cor 5:1–3  — speaks of an eternal house from God. Rev 21:1–4  — speaks of a New Earth and New Heaven. I do know this next part is hard for many people to understand. Why is God waiting? Peter sheds light on this often-asked question for us. “The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9 As frustrating as it can be at times for us at times, we should not be rushing God. Or wish to be with Him sooner than when our time here is done. No matter how painful or hard life gets, I want as many people there with me at God’s table. To rush Him or be impatient is to see others as less than or unworthy of God.  Our inheritance, promised to us, is what we are waiting for, fighting for, and what God is waiting as long as possible for. He does not want anyone to turn away from Him, He is giving everyone as long as possible. Only He knows when the time is up. Have you ever sat with God and wondered what it will be like, what He is giving us? It is profound and should overwhelm you. When I sit and think about this, I always end up with different questions and wonder about things. Here are a few of the questions that go through my mind.  What exactly does perfection feel like, will my skin even feel different from it? What will it feel like to not be in pain, what will that feel like for my daughter? (This makes me cry every time, knowing her pain will end.) Will we be vegetarians again?  I get that abstract thought from  Genesis 1:29–30  and  Revelation 21:1 . And if the answer ends up being yes, does this mean no more animals at all or do they get to hang with us? Will we get to have gardens, harvest our food, and have farms with cows? Will there be giant dinners where we all sit and enjoy each other and being in His presence? Do we actually need to eat? Will we get to have pets? ( I want at least 5 cats, 2 ferrets, a squirrel and a goat. ) What will it be like to know peace on all levels every single moment? Will I know my family and will we live as a family? These are just some things that go through my mind when I think about what is waiting for me.  What are some of the things you’ve wondered about? I would love to know what you’ve wondered. © 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. 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Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash I’ve volunteered with children and youth ministries for more than a decade, and in that time, I’ve been able to observe hundreds of parents through the eyes of their students. Something became glaringly obvious to me one evening when, during small group time, a student was unable to answer a very simple question — “Who is Jesus?” This was not a student who had walked through the church doors for the first time or was uncomfortable speaking in front of a small group. Rather, this student had grown up in the church, had parents who were highly involved in the church, and was one of the first ones on the list to attend every youth camp and activity offered. This was a student who had spent years at church, learning about Jesus, yet couldn’t manage to come up with a response to the most basic question about our Savior. That day, it became unquestioningly clear to me that it is not the responsibility of the church to disciple. Discipleship is on the parents. What is Church for? Don’t hear what I’m not saying. Attending a local church as a family and making sure our kids are plugged in to the body of believers is vital to our faith. At church, we fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, participate in corporate worship & teaching, and offer encouragement to one another. Church is the place we find people to do life with, to minister to, and to grow with. Without it, we’d become spiritually malnourished as believers. However, it is not the sole responsibility of the church to disciple our kids. Discipleship starts at home and includes going to church, but it is not only about going to church. Look at it this way — if a person attends church regularly, this is roughly what their weekly schedule might look like: Sunday School: 1 hour Sunday worship service: 1 hour Sunday night service: 1 hour Wednesday night service: 1 hour When you factor in time for other activities at church, such as worship, announcements, and socializing, there’s little teaching time left (maybe 20–30 minutes each time). A lot of churches don’t offer Sunday night services anymore, either, so there’s potentially another chunk of time missed. All things considered, we’re looking at an average of 80 minutes per week that students could be exposed to the word of God in a formal church setting. That’s just shy of an hour and a half at best . At worst, we’re talking less than an hour. This is why I say: the church is not designed to disciple our kids. At least, not on its own. Church is designed for us to meet together with a local body of believers for encouragement and Bible teaching. It equips and empowers us to go and make disciples, and that includes our kids. I don’t write this to shame anyone, but rather to offer a wake-up call or an encouraging nudge to all parents — we have to be teaching our children the Word of God at home. It simply isn’t optional. If we don’t teach them what Jesus said, the world will. And the world will get it wrong every time. We see that often. What does Scripture Say? Don’t take my word for it — I’m just a random person on the internet. What does the Word say about it? Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. — Deuteronomy 11:18–21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.— Ephesians 6:4 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. — Proverbs 22:6 Parents are responsible for training and teaching their children in the way of the Lord. It’s a weighty responsibility that we can’t take lightly. I look at my son often and think about the fact that if he chooses to get married and have a family someday, it means I’m currently shaping the habits, beliefs, and worldview of someone’s husband and father. Christian parents, we are not simply in the business of raising the next generation of adults. We are in the business of bringing up the next generation of disciples . © Stephanie M Thanks for reading! If any of this resonated with you, or you’d like to see more content like this, please consider subscribing so you’ll never miss out on a post. 🫶🏻

Google Nano Banana You weren’t too dumb to understand. They were too proud to explain. That question you asked in Sunday school that made everyone go silent? It wasn’t because you asked something wrong.It was because they didn’t know how to answer it. That time you raised your hand during the sermon and the pastor gave you that look? You weren’t being disruptive. You were being curious. And that made them uncomfortable. That moment when you said, “I don’t understand,” and someone told you to “just have faith”? You weren’t lacking faith.You were displaying it. Real faith asks real questions. But somewhere along the way, you started believing that your confusion was evidence of your stupidity instead of evidence of their poor teaching. You internalized the message that good Christians don’t ask hard questions, don’t admit confusion, and don’t challenge explanations that don’t make sense. You learned to nod along when you didn’t understand, smile when you disagreed, and stay quiet when you had doubts. That wasn’t spiritual maturity. That was intellectual abuse. The Lie That’s Keeping Christians Dumb Here’s the toxic teaching that’s been destroying Christian minds for generations: “If you have to ask questions about faith, you don’t have enough faith.” This spiritual gaslighting suggests that confusion is a character flaw rather than a cognitive process. It implies that people who need explanations are spiritually inferior to people who accept everything without question. Church culture reinforces this by celebrating blind acceptance and shaming intellectual curiosity. We applaud the person who says, “I don’t need to understand it, I just believe it.” We praise the believer who “trusts God even when it doesn’t make sense.” We celebrate the Christian who “has simple, childlike faith.” You see, there will be times where we will need that ‘childlike faith’, and that ‘trust when it doesn’t make sense’ type of faith. There’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s great to have, but not everyone is either like that or is at that stage in their walk with God. Meanwhile, we treat people who ask “why,” or “how,” or “what if” like they’re spiritual problems to be fixed rather than minds to be engaged. But here’s what we’ve forgotten: God created human intelligence and curiosity. Asking questions isn’t evidence of weak faith. It’s evidence of engaged faith. What Your Questions Actually Revealed About the Church When you asked questions that made church leaders uncomfortable, you weren’t exposing problems with Christianity. You were exposing problems with their version of Christianity. Your questions revealed that they had shallow theology. When someone responds to legitimate questions with “just have faith,” they’re usually protecting weak doctrine, not strong convictions. If their beliefs could survive examination, they wouldn’t be afraid of examination. Your questions revealed that they preferred control over understanding. Leaders who discourage questions often care more about compliance than comprehension. They want followers, not thinkers. Your questions revealed that they confused certainty with confidence. There’s a difference between being confident in God and being certain about every theological detail. Your questions threatened their need to appear like they had everything figured out. Your questions revealed that they were afraid of honest inquiry. Churches that shame questioners are usually churches with something to hide — whether that’s intellectual dishonesty, abusive leadership, or theological errors they can’t defend. Biblical Evidence That God Loves Questions If God hated questions, the Bible would be a very different book. Instead, Scripture is full of people asking God hard questions and God engaging with their inquiries. Abraham questioned God’s plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He literally negotiated with God, asking, “What if there are fifty righteous people? What about forty? What about ten?” God didn’t rebuke him for questioning. He answered every single question. Moses questioned God’s call on his life multiple times. “Who am I? What if they don’t believe me? What if I can’t speak well?” God didn’t tell Moses to “just have faith.” He addressed every concern with specific answers. David filled the Psalms with questions: “Why do the wicked prosper? How long will you be angry? Where are you when I need you?” God didn’t consider these complaints evidence of weak faith. He included them in Scripture. Job spent entire chapters questioning God’s justice, goodness, and purposes. When God finally responds, He doesn’t condemn Job for asking questions. He condemns Job’s friends for giving simplistic answers to complex problems. Thomas demanded evidence before believing in Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus didn’t shame him for needing proof. He provided exactly the evidence Thomas needed. From there, he became the disciple who traveled the furthest to deliver the gospel according to church tradition. The disciples constantly asked Jesus to explain His teachings. They said things like “We don’t understand this parable” and “What do you mean?” Jesus never told them they lacked faith. He explained things more clearly. Paul encouraged believers to “test everything” and “examine the Scriptures” to verify what they were being taught. He praised the Bereans specifically because they questioned his teaching instead of blindly accepting it. The pattern is clear: God engages with honest questions. He always has. Why Churches Are Afraid of Your Intelligence Questions expose poor leadership. When leaders can’t answer basic questions about what they’re teaching, it reveals that they might not understand it themselves. Your curiosity threatened their authority. Questions challenge tradition. Many church practices exist because “that’s how we’ve always done it,” not because they’re biblical or effective. Your questions forced them to defend traditions they’d never examined. Questions require actual study. Answering thoughtful questions requires doing homework. Some leaders would rather silence questioners than do the work of providing good answers. Questions create accountability. When you ask “Where does the Bible say that?” you’re holding teachers accountable to their source material. Some teachers prefer assumptions over accuracy. Questions democratize knowledge. When everyone is encouraged to ask questions and think critically, it’s harder for leaders to maintain knowledge monopolies or spiritual hierarchies. The Difference Between Faith and Gullibility Churches that discourage questions often confuse faith with gullibility, but they’re opposite qualities. Gullibility says: “I’ll believe anything you tell me without question.” Faith says: “I’ll believe this because I’ve examined it and found it trustworthy.” Gullibility is passive. It accepts information without processing it. Faith is active. It engages with truth and wrestles with implications. Gullibility fears examination. It avoids hard questions because it’s built on shaky foundations. Faith welcomes examination. It invites questions because it’s confident in its foundations. Gullibility creates weak believers. People who never question their beliefs can’t defend them when challenged. Faith creates strong believers. People who’ve worked through their questions have conviction that can withstand opposition. The church leaders who tried to make you feel stupid for asking questions were actually trying to turn you into a gullible follower instead of a faithful thinker. How Smart Faith Actually Works Smart faith asks good questions. It wants to understand what it believes and why it believes it. It’s not threatened by inquiry because truth can handle examination. Smart faith does homework. It studies Scripture, reads broadly, and engages with different perspectives. It’s not afraid of learning because it trusts that truth will emerge from honest investigation. Smart faith admits uncertainty. It ’s comfortable saying “I don’t know” about things that aren’t clear rather than pretending to have all the answers. Smart faith distinguishes between core truths and cultural preferences. It knows the difference between essential Christian beliefs and denominational traditions. Smart faith welcomes discussion. It enjoys theological conversations because it sees them as opportunities to grow and learn, not threats to defend against. What to Do With Your God-Given Intelligence Now Stop apologizing for being curious. Your questions aren’t character flaws. They’re evidence that God gave you a brain and expects you to use it. Find communities that welcome questions. Look for churches and Christian friends who see your curiosity as an asset, not a problem. Study for yourself. Don’t rely on other people’s theological opinions. Read Scripture, research history, and engage with different perspectives so you can form your own convictions. Ask better questions. Instead of just questioning everything, learn to ask productive questions that lead to understanding rather than just doubt. Help others feel safe to question. When you encounter Christians who are afraid to voice their doubts or confusion, create space for them to process honestly. Remember that your intelligence honors God. Using your mind to understand truth is an act of worship, not rebellion. The Church You Deserve You deserve a church that sees your questions as gifts, not threats. You deserve teachers who can explain what they believe and why they believe it. You deserve a community that values understanding over blind compliance. You deserve leaders who are secure enough to say “I don’t know” when they don’t know. You deserve a faith that can handle examination because it’s built on truth. The church that made you feel stupid was protecting its weakness, not God’s truth. The church that shamed your questions was revealing its insecurity, not your inadequacy. The church that preferred your silence to your curiosity was prioritizing control over growth. You weren’t the problem. Your questions weren’t the problem. A church culture that’s threatened by intelligence — that’s the problem. Your mind is not God’s enemy. It’s one of His greatest gifts to you. And any church that treats it as a threat isn’t worthy of the God they claim to serve. What questions were you discouraged from asking in church? How did that experience affect your relationship with faith and learning? © Ashneil

Google Nano Banana That promotion you didn’t get happened for a reason. The startup that crashed and burned served a purpose. The investment that went to zero had meaning. The career pivot that didn’t work out was part of a plan. I know that sounds like spiritual platitudes designed to make you feel better about disappointment. But it’s not. This is about recognizing that God’s navigation system works completely differently than ours — and sometimes what looks like Him failing to provide is actually Him providing exactly what we need. Just not what we wanted. The Prosperity Gospel Lie That’s Ruining Christian Entrepreneurs Here’s a lie that’s been destroying Christian business owners for decades: “If God blesses your business, it will always be successful.” This toxic theology suggests that financial failure is evidence of spiritual failure. It implies that God shows His love through profits and His displeasure through losses. It makes business success the measure of divine approval. Christian entrepreneurship culture has made this worse by treating every success story like a testimony and every failure like a spiritual problem. “God blessed my business, and we hit seven figures!” “I prayed and God opened doors to the perfect investor!” “Divine favor led to explosive growth!” Meanwhile, you’re sitting there wondering why God seems to be cursing your business with constant struggles, failed launches, and financial stress. I know; I’ve been there. But what if God’s blessing doesn’t always look like business success? What if His favor sometimes looks like business failure? What if your biggest professional disappointment was actually His greatest redirection? What Failure Actually Reveals About God’s Plans Failure strips away false identity. When your business succeeds, it’s easy to think you’re successful because you’re smart, talented, or spiritually mature. When it fails, you’re forced to confront the truth: your identity isn’t based on your achievement. Failure redirects misplaced energy. Sometimes God allows ventures to fail because you’re pouring your life into something that isn’t your actual calling. The failure isn’t punishment in the slightest. It’s a course correction. (Proverbs 19:21 Am I right?) Failure develops character that success can’t. Entrepreneurial success often inflates ego and creates entitlement. Entrepreneurial failure often develops humility and dependence on God. Failure creates empathy for other strugglers. The most effective business mentors are usually people who’ve experienced significant failures. Your losses become your qualification to help others navigate their struggles. Failure reveals what you really believe about God. When everything goes well, it’s easy to think you trust God when you’re actually trusting your circumstances. Failure forces you to discover whether your faith is real or just situational optimism. Biblical Evidence That God Uses Professional Disappointment If God only blessed businesses that succeeded, the Bible would be full of entrepreneurial or other success stories. Instead, Scripture shows us a different pattern. Moses spent 40 years as a failed fugitive in the desert before God called him to lead Israel. His career as an Egyptian prince had to completely die before his calling as a deliverer could emerge. David was anointed as king but spent years as a fugitive hiding in caves. His path to the throne went through the wilderness and not conventional leadership advancement. Paul was a successful religious leader before his conversion, but had to abandon that entire career to become an apostle. His professional expertise became irrelevant to his actual calling. (Philippians 3:7) Jesus was a carpenter before becoming a rabbi. His trade had to be set aside for His ministry. Even the Son of God didn’t pursue His ultimate calling through His initial profession. Joseph experienced multiple “career failures” — being sold into slavery, being falsely accused and imprisoned — before God positioned him to save nations. Every setback was actually a setup. The pattern is clear: God often uses professional disappointment to redirect people toward their actual purpose. Why God Sometimes Kills Dreams to Birth Callings There’s a difference between dreams and callings. Dreams are usually about what you want to achieve. Callings are usually about who you’re meant to serve. Dreams focus on success. Callings focus on significance. Dreams ask: “How can I build something impressive?”Callings ask: “How can I solve real problems for real people?” Dreams are often about proving yourself. Callings are often about losing yourself in service to others. Sometimes God has to kill your dreams to birth your calling. Your failed restaurant might have been preparation for a ministry feeding the homeless. Your collapsed consulting business might have been training for nonprofit work. Your startup that never scaled might have been an education for helping other entrepreneurs avoid your mistakes. Your career setback might have been a redirection toward work that serves God’s kingdom instead of just building your kingdom. The failure wasn’t God rejecting your dreams. It was God refining your dreams. How to Recognize Divine Redirection vs. Random Disappointment Not every business failure is divine redirection. Sometimes ventures fail because of bad decisions, poor market timing, or inadequate execution. But here are signs that your failure might be God’s redirection: The failure created unexpected opportunities. Doors closed in one area but opened in another. New connections emerged from the disappointment. Different paths became visible that weren’t apparent before. The failure developed the character you needed. You became more humble, more empathetic, more dependent on God, or more aware of your limitations. The experience grew you in ways success never could have. The failure revealed patterns you needed to see. You discovered that you were chasing the wrong things, serving the wrong motives, or building for the wrong reasons. The failure freed you from something that was controlling you. You realized you were enslaved to other people’s expectations, financial pressure, or ego needs that were preventing you from pursuing your actual calling. The failure connected you with people you’re meant to serve. Through the struggle, you met others facing similar challenges and discovered you have a heart to help them. What to Do When You’re in the Middle of Professional Disappointment Grieve the loss without denying the pain. God doesn’t expect you to be happy about failure. Acknowledge what the disappointment cost you and allow yourself to mourn those losses. Look for patterns, not just problems. Ask yourself: What themes keep emerging? What kinds of work energize you versus drain you? What problems do you find yourself naturally wanting to solve? Serve others while you’re figuring it out. Don’t wait until you have your calling figured out to start helping people. Often, your calling emerges through serving, not through planning. Pay attention to what breaks your heart. Your calling is often connected to problems that genuinely upset you. What injustices make you angry? What needs keep you awake at night? Connect with other people who’ve experienced similar redirections. If possible, find mentors who’ve navigated professional disappointment and emerged with greater purpose. Learn from their experience. Ask God to redeem your failure. Pray that He would use your disappointment to prepare you for something better than what you lost. Your Failure Might Be Your Qualification Here’s what I want you to consider: What if your biggest professional failure wasn’t evidence that you’re not cut out for business, but evidence that you’re cut out for something more important than business? What if your startup that crashed was actually preparation for a ministry that will impact lives? What if your career setback was actually positioning for work that serves eternal purposes? What if your financial loss was actually training for helping others navigate similar struggles? What if your business disappointment was actually a qualification for entrepreneurial ministry? The Christians who build the most meaningful enterprises are often those who’ve experienced the most meaningful failures. They understand that success without purpose is empty. They’ve learned that profit without impact is pointless. They know that building something that lasts requires building something that serves. Your failure taught you what success can’t teach you. It showed you that your identity isn’t your achievement. It revealed that your security isn’t your bank account. It demonstrated that your worth isn’t your net worth. Those are exactly the lessons someone needs to build something that matters. Maybe your biggest failure didn’t disqualify you from success. Maybe it qualified you for significance. Maybe God allowed your business to fail because He has a bigger business for you to build. Maybe He closed those doors because He has better doors to open. Maybe He took away what you wanted because He wants to give you what you actually need. Your failure might not be the end of your entrepreneurial story. It might be the beginning of your entrepreneurial calling. What professional disappointment are you still trying to make sense of? How might God be redirecting you through failure rather than punishing you with it? © Ashneil

Google Gemini AI Here’s a fact: Most of us love microwaves. Pop in leftovers, push a button, and in 90 seconds we’ve got dinner. Convenience is king in almost every corner of modern life. Except one. You can’t microwave spiritual maturity. You can’t “zap” your way into patience, hope, or deep trust in God. You can’t binge-watch a sermon series, highlight half your Bible in neon yellow, and expect to be transformed overnight. God’s Kingdom doesn’t work on fast food speed — it moves like a seed pushing through soil, sourdough rising on the counter, old wine aging in the dark. Or, one of my favorites: good Mexican Mole. And here’s the reality: the very slowness we resist is the gift that actually changes us. The Kingdom Moves at the Speed of Seed Jesus made this plain: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed” (Matthew 13:31). Not a firecracker, not a microwave burrito — a seed. Seeds don’t care about our timelines. They grow underground where nobody’s clapping for them. Roots deepen before shoots rise. Spiritual maturity grows the same way — slow, hidden, sometimes frustrating. But necessary. Paul told the Galatians, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Seeds in, fruit out. No shortcuts. Rachel Held Evans once wrote, “Faith isn’t about having all the right answers; it’s about staying in the story.” Seeds require staying. Waiting. Trusting the dark is not the end but the beginning. Why We Crave Shortcuts I get it. We live in an Amazon Prime culture. Two days? Try two hours. We expect sermons to “fix” us, devotionals to “inspire” us, and church programs to “grow” us instantly. But James, the brother of Jesus, didn’t say, “Count it all joy when you have a quick fix.” He said, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). Perseverance doesn’t come from microwave moments; it comes from crockpot seasons — the long, slow simmer of everyday faithfulness. Brian McLaren put it bluntly: “The great spiritual challenge is not to fast-forward through life’s struggles, but to stay awake in them long enough to be transformed.” Slow is Not Failure Some of us feel like we’re behind. We look at Instagram-perfect Christians and think, “Why am I not there yet?” But Jesus never said, “Follow me and you’ll arrive in three easy steps.” He said, “Take up your cross daily” (Luke 9:23). Daily isn’t glamorous. Daily doesn’t trend. Daily is dishes and prayers whispered on the drive to work. Daily is forgiving again, showing up again, choosing love again. And yet — daily is where roots sink deep. Barbara Brown Taylor wrote, “Wisdom is not acquired in a day, or even a decade. It ripens slowly, and only in the company of suffering and grace.” That’s not failure. That’s the holy slowness of a God who is not in a hurry but is endlessly faithful. When We Try to Rush the Process Ever eaten bread pulled out of the oven too soon? Doughy in the middle, disappointing. That’s what happens when we try to rush the Spirit’s work. We get half-baked faith — loud on the outside but hollow within. The psalmist knew the better way: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). Patience is not passive — it’s active trust. It’s saying, “God, you know the pace. You know the process. I’ll stay in the oven as long as it takes.” So How Do We Live This Out? Choose slowness on purpose. Put down the phone. Sit with Scripture like you would a friend. Don’t rush to “finish.” Trust the hidden work. Just because you don’t see fruit today doesn’t mean roots aren’t growing. Celebrate small faithfulness. Every prayer, every act of love, every choice to forgive — these are the slow bricks that build maturity. Richard Rohr said it best: “The most countercultural thing we can do is embrace the ordinary and let it transform us.” Final Thought Microwaves are great for leftovers. But if you want a feast, you need time, heat, and patience. The same goes for your soul. Spiritual maturity is a slow-cooked miracle, not a fast-food promise. The question isn’t, “How fast can I get there?” The real question is, “Am I willing to stay long enough for love to do its deep work in me?” © Gary L Ellis

As a believer, I’ve seen how guilt and shame can quietly chain people, even those who genuinely love God. Many keep trying to “do better,” yet find themselves caught in the same habits they wish they could leave behind. But the truth is this: victory over sin isn’t achieved by striving harder, it’s experienced by surrendering deeper, and so freedom doesn’t come from human willpower alone; it flows from understanding and walking in God’s grace. 1. Victory Begins with Identity The journey to overcoming sin starts with identity. You can’t live differently until you see yourself differently. Scripture teaches that when a person receives Christ, they become a new creation, meaning the old identity defined by sin no longer holds authority. Most people remain trapped not because God’s power isn’t real, but because their mindset hasn’t changed. They still think of themselves as who they used to be, not who they’ve become. The mind must be renewed before behavior can follow. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Understanding this truth shifts the focus from guilt to growth. When you start believing what God says about you, sin begins to lose its hold. 2. Depend on the Power of Grace Grace is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Christian life. It’s not a soft excuse for sin; it’s the supernatural strength to rise above it. The law tells us what’s wrong; grace gives us the power to do what’s right. You overcome temptation not by self-discipline alone, but by daily dependence on the Holy Spirit. Prayer, worship, and time in God’s Word are not religious rituals; they are vital channels through which His strength flows. When you begin each day saying, “Lord, I can’t do this without You,” you invite divine strength into human weakness. “Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14 This is what real freedom looks like: no longer fighting alone, but walking in constant partnership with God. 3. When You Fall, Run To God, Not Away From Himself Even mature believers stumble. The key is not in avoiding every fall, but in learning to return quickly to God. Condemnation keeps you running away while grace draws you back home. Every time you return, you reinforce truth over shame. You need you understand that confession and repentance are not signs of weakness; they’re steps toward restoration. God’s goal isn’t perfection but transformation, and that happens over time, in His presence. Victory over sin is not a single moment; it’s a lifestyle of surrender and renewal. The more you walk with God, the more your desires begin to shift. What once controlled you starts to lose its power under His love. So keep walking, keep growing, and keep trusting grace. The power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you, and that power is enough, more than enough! © Favour

Pexels If you flip through the Gospels, you’ll notice something Jesus never said: “Come back when you’ve got your act cleaned up.” He didn’t walk the shoreline of Galilee hunting for the holiest, most polished citizens. He went after fishermen who smelled of dead fish, tax collectors with sticky fingers, zealots with hot tempers, and women pushed to the margins. The truth is, Jesus never asked for perfect people — He picked messy ones on purpose. Jesus’ Track Record with Imperfect People When Jesus called Peter, James, and John, they were ordinary laborers. Nothing holy about cleaning nets all night (Luke 5:1–11). Matthew, the tax collector, was a social outcast and viewed as a sell-out to Rome (Matthew 9:9–13). Mary Magdalene carried deep wounds, and rumors trailed her name (Luke 8:2). If you were forming a movement to change the world, would you choose these people? Yet Jesus did. He built His kingdom out of cracked stones, not polished marble. As Paul later wrote, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise… the weak things… to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Messiness Is Not a Disqualification Some of us carry the quiet ache of believing we’ll never measure up. We think, if I could just be more faithful, more disciplined, more holy, then maybe God would use me. But Jesus flips that script. Nadia Bolz-Weber once said , “Never once did Jesus scan the room for the best example of holy living and send that person out to tell others about him. He always sent stumblers and sinners.” That’s the point: our messiness isn’t a barrier — it’s the very space where grace shines brightest. Why Did Jesus Do It This Way? Because perfection was never the requirement. Love was. When the Pharisees grumbled about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, He said plainly: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12). Brian Zahnd puts it like this: “Jesus doesn’t begin with the demand for perfection. He begins with the offer of mercy.” Jesus called broken people because broken people know they need help. They’re not pretending to have it all together. And when they encounter grace, it’s not theory — it’s lifeblood. What About Us? So where does that leave you and me? It means your doubts don’t disqualify you. Your anger doesn’t exclude you. Your rough edges don’t make you unusable. Think about Peter: he denied even knowing Jesus three times. Yet after the resurrection, Jesus didn’t discard him. He restored him (John 21:15–19). The story of the early church was carried on the back of a man who failed publicly. Rachel Held Evans once wrote, “The gospel doesn’t need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down walls and throwing open doors.” That’s the kind of community Jesus started with, and that’s the one we’re still invited into. The Power of Grace in the Mess Now hear me on this: Grace isn’t a ticket to stay stuck. It’s fuel to grow. But growth doesn’t erase the fact that Jesus loved us first, while we were still messy. Romans 5:8 reminds us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Notice Paul doesn’t say “after we cleaned up” or “once we proved ourselves.” Grace met us in the dirt. And grace still does. Living Like This Matters Here’s the challenge: if Jesus picked the messy ones, maybe we need to stop trying to curate our image of perfection and start telling the truth about who we are. Because honesty breeds connection. Vulnerability breeds compassion. And the world doesn’t need more perfect Christians — it needs more honest ones. Now, somebody might be saying, “But what about the verse that says, “Be perfect as I am perfect '?” I’m glad you asked. Let me explain: If you look at the verses right before Matthew 5:48, Jesus is talking about love for enemies. He says God makes the sun rise on both the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). Then He pushes His disciples beyond tribal, transactional love. So when He says, “Be perfect, as your Father is perfect,” He’s calling them to grow up into God’s kind of love — complete, impartial, generous love. Barbara Brown Taylor once said , “Jesus hung out with all the wrong people. So if you’re trying to avoid the wrong people, you’re going to miss him.” That’ll preach. Take This with You Jesus never asked for perfect people. He asked for willing people. He called the messy, the doubting, the overlooked, and the broken — and He still does. So the next time you catch yourself thinking, I’m not good enough for God to use me, remember this: your story is exactly the kind of story Jesus builds His kingdom on. Not the polished one. Not the Instagram-ready one. The real one. And that’s very good news. © Gary L Ellis

Just three words in English. “It is finished.” This wasn’t a defeat. It was a shout of victory. John records Jesus’ last cry in Greek: tetelestai. A single word, but one packed with such significance for all of us. So, what did that one word mean? In the marketplace, it meant: paid in full. Stamped across receipts when debts were cleared. In the military, it meant: mission accomplished. A soldier’s way of saying their assignment was done. In the temple, priests used it when a sacrifice was flawless. The lamb met every requirement. So when Jesus cried tetelestai, He was announcing: the debt is paid, the mission is complete, the sacrifice is perfect. How the Jewish Crowd Heard It Passover weekend. Jerusalem is packed with pilgrims. Lambs being led to the temple. Sacrifices prepared. The Jewish people lived under the rhythm of endless rituals. Every year, the lamb was slain. Every year, the blood flowed. Every year the cycle repeats. When Jesus shouted It is finished, He declared that the cycle had ended . One sacrifice, once for all. The Lamb of God had done what no lamb in Israel’s history could do — close the gap between God and humanity forever. How the Romans Heard It The Roman soldiers had their own take. To them, crucifixion was the empire’s exclamation mark: This man is finished. It was Rome’s way of saying, “Your story ends here. Don’t cross us.” So when Jesus cried out, they probably smirked. Another failed revolutionary, gasping his last. Rome thought it was silencing Him — when in fact, the cross was silencing every kind of death, itself. What Was Finished Let’s make it plain: Debt: Paid in full. No more IOUs hanging over humanity. Law: Fulfilled. Centuries of prophecy and ritual met their goal. Separation: Torn down. The temple curtain ripped top to bottom — access to God is wide open. Death’s Reign: Broken. The grave could not hold Him, and because of that, it can’t hold us either. Why It Matters for Us Fast-forward to today. Our world is full of things that never feel finished. The inbox refills. The bills stack up. The laundry multiplies. The work never seems done. But Jesus’ cry slices through the noise. It is finished means there is one thing that will never be undone: your acceptance before God. You don’t have to keep hustling to earn His love. You don’t have to carry shame like luggage you can’t set down. You don’t have to wonder if you’ve done enough — you haven’t, and you don’t need to. In a culture of exhaustion, It is finished is oxygen. It means the most important thing — the one thing that actually matters — is already settled. Hearing It Today The Jewish listener heard that there was now freedom from endless sacrifices. It was the triumph of love. And you? You can hear it as the end of striving, the canceling of debt, the freedom cry that still echoes two thousand years later. It is finished. Not as in “Jesus gave up.” But as in “Your chains are broken. Your debt is canceled. Your freedom is real.” Here’s a creative cover of “It Was Finished On the Cross” recorded during the 2021 lockdown. Check it out: © Gary L Ellis

Google Nano Banana “Forgive and forget.” You’ve heard this your entire Christian life. It sounds so spiritual, so mature, so… Christ-like. It’s also complete garbage. The idea that true forgiveness requires erasing painful memories has done more damage to believers than almost any other Christian cliché. It’s kept abuse victims trapped in toxic relationships. It’s prevented people from setting healthy boundaries. It’s made Christians feel guilty for having normal human reactions to being hurt. And worst of all, it’s not even Biblical. The Lie That’s Keeping Christians Trapped Here’s the lie that’s been destroying Christian relationships for generations: “If you really forgive someone, you’ll forget what they did.” This toxic teaching suggests that remembering someone’s harmful actions means you haven’t truly forgiven them. It implies that real forgiveness looks like spiritual amnesia — as if God expects you to develop selective memory loss about every offense. Churches reinforce this by celebrating testimonies where people claim to have “completely forgotten” what someone did to them. We applaud the wife who says she “doesn’t even remember” her husband’s affair. We praise the adult child who claims to have “totally forgotten” their parents’ abuse. But this isn’t spiritual maturity. It’s spiritual bypassing. And it’s keeping people trapped in cycles of harm because they think healthy boundaries are evidence of unforgiveness. What Forgiveness Actually Means (Spoiler: It’s Not Amnesia) Forgiveness is not forgetting. Forgiveness is choosing not to use someone’s wrongs against them. It’s the decision to release your right to revenge, not your right to remember. It’s giving up your claim to payback, not giving up your awareness of patterns. It’s choosing not to punish someone for their actions, not choosing to pretend their actions never happened. Biblical forgiveness is about what you do with the debt someone owes you, not what you do with the memory of how they created that debt. Think about it practically. If forgiveness required forgetting: Abuse survivors would need to develop amnesia to be spiritually mature Betrayed spouses would need to erase all memory of infidelity to truly forgive People would need to forget every hurt to avoid being “bitter” Wisdom learned from painful experiences would be considered unforgiveness This is insane. And it’s not what Scripture teaches. Biblical Evidence That God Doesn’t Expect Amnesia God Himself remembers sin even after forgiving it. When Scripture says God “remembers our sins no more,” it doesn’t mean He develops divine amnesia. It means He chooses not to hold our sins against us. God is omniscient — He can’t forget anything. But He can choose not to use our failures to condemn us. Jesus remembered His betrayal. After the resurrection, Jesus didn’t forget that Peter denied Him three times. Instead, He specifically addressed it by asking Peter three times if he loved Him. Jesus used the memory of Peter’s failure as an opportunity for restoration, not as ammunition for condemnation. Paul remembered his persecution. Paul never forgot that he had persecuted Christians before his conversion. He referenced it repeatedly in his letters. But instead of being consumed by guilt, he used the memory to fuel his ministry and demonstrate God’s grace. Joseph remembered his brothers’ betrayal. When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt, he didn’t pretend their betrayal never happened. He remembered it clearly and even tested them to see if they had changed. But he chose to use his position to save them rather than destroy them. The pattern is clear: Biblical characters remember wrongs but choose not to use those memories for revenge. Why Remembering Can Be Part of Healthy Forgiveness Remembering protects you from repeated harm. If someone has a pattern of breaking promises, remembering that pattern isn’t unforgiveness; it’s wisdom. You can forgive their past broken promises while also being realistic about future commitments. Remembering helps you set appropriate boundaries. If someone has violated your trust, remembering how they did it helps you know what safeguards to put in place. You can forgive the violation while also protecting yourself from future ones. Remembering prevents enabling. Sometimes “forgetting” someone’s harmful behavior actually enables them to continue hurting others. Remembering their actions while choosing not to seek revenge can motivate you to intervene in healthy ways. Remembering facilitates genuine healing. Trying to forget traumatic experiences just buries them and doesn’t actually heal. Real healing happens when you remember the hurt but remove its power to control your emotions and decisions. Remembering builds empathy for others. When you remember your own experiences of being hurt and forgiven, you develop compassion for others who are struggling with forgiveness. The Difference Between Remembering and Ruminating There’s a huge difference between healthy remembering and toxic ruminating. Healthy remembering says: “This person hurt me, and I choose not to seek revenge, but I will be wise in future interactions.” Toxic ruminating says: “This person hurt me, and I’m going to replay it constantly and make them pay.” Healthy remembering leads to wisdom and boundaries. Toxic ruminating leads to bitterness and vengeance. Healthy remembering protects future relationships. Toxic ruminating destroys current relationships. Healthy remembering processes pain and moves forward. Toxic ruminating rehearses pain and stays stuck. The goal isn’t to forget. The goal is to remember without being controlled by the memory. What Forgiveness Actually Looks Like in Real Life Forgiveness is choosing not to bring up past offenses in current arguments. You remember what happened, but you don’t weaponize it in future conflicts. Forgiveness is releasing the person from the debt they owe you. You stop demanding payment for the harm they caused, even though you remember the harm clearly. Forgiveness is choosing blessing over revenge. When you have the opportunity to hurt someone who hurt you, you choose to help them instead. Forgiveness is setting boundaries based on patterns, not punishment. You limit someone’s access to hurt you again, not because you want to punish them, but because you want to be wise. Forgiveness is grieving the loss without demanding restoration. You acknowledge that some things can’t be undone and some relationships can’t be repaired, but you choose acceptance over bitterness. How to Forgive Without Forgetting 1. Separate the person from their actions. You can forgive someone while still remembering what they did. The goal is to see them as a flawed human being worthy of grace, not as an enemy to be destroyed. 2. Grieve what was lost. Forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending nothing was damaged. Acknowledge what their actions cost you and allow yourself to mourn those losses. 3. Choose blessing over revenge. When you have opportunities to harm someone who hurt you, choose to help them instead. This is the heart of Christian forgiveness. 4. Set wise boundaries. Use your memory of their harmful patterns to make wise decisions about future interactions. This isn’t punishment, it’s protection. 5. Process the pain with safe people. Don’t try to heal from deep wounds alone. Find trusted friends, counselors, or pastors who can help you work through the hurt without falling into rumination. 6. Ask God to transform your memories. Pray that God would redeem your painful experiences by using them to help others or develop your character. When Someone Says You Haven’t “Really” Forgiven If someone tells you that remembering an offense means you haven’t truly forgiven it, here’s what you can say: “I’ve chosen not to seek revenge or hold this against you, but I’m going to be wise about how I interact with you in the future. That’s not unforgiveness, that’s the difference between grace and foolishness.” You don’t owe anyone spiritual amnesia. You don’t have to pretend harmful things never happened to prove you’re a good Christian. Real forgiveness is choosing grace despite full awareness of the offense, not because of ignorance about it. Your ability to remember someone’s harmful actions doesn’t disqualify your forgiveness. It might actually be evidence that your forgiveness is real and mature, because you’re choosing grace with full knowledge of what it cost you. Some of the most powerful forgiveness happens when people remember exactly what was done to them and choose love anyway. That’s not spiritual amnesia. That’s spiritual strength. Honestly, the best revenge you can have as a Christian is seeing your enemy get saved. Don’t pray for them to get what they deserve, pray that they get what YOU got in Christ. What’s your experience with the pressure to “forgive and forget”? Have you found ways to forgive while maintaining healthy boundaries? © Ashneil

Photo by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash There’s a buzzword hanging around the block, and it’s roaring with popularity. It’s edgy, enticing, and pulling people in by the droves . The problem? This one is dangerous. Before you dive in and start tearing things apart, let’s take a look at some of the snares you will encounter. Where did it come from? Faith deconstruction occurs when a person questions, reevaluates, and potentially relinquishes some or all of their beliefs. At face value, it seems harmless. Everyone should, at some point, evaluate their faith and be sure of what they believe. However, the danger lies in the motive behind why someone chooses to deconstruct. There are many reasons someone would choose to embrace deconstruction, but the three most common I’ve seen are: Past church hurt or religious trauma Lack of solid Bible teaching Getting caught up in a trend Let’s talk about the things you need to know before you decide if deconstruction is a path you want to tread. #1: Past Hurt or Religious Trauma Church hurt is real and heartbreaking. Our churches should be the safest place for believers and non-believers alike, but the unfortunate reality is that many times, church is where some of the deepest wounds are inflicted. Take Jesus, for example. He should have been most welcome in and around the religious community. After all, weren’t they looking forward to the coming Messiah? However, that’s often where he was most rejected. The Jews even went so far as to call him demon-possessed after he taught about how they could be freed from sin. And that was during his early ministry, before he’d stirred things up. The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?’ — John 8:48 Later, after he had continued preaching, teaching, and performing many miracles, one of his best friends turned him over to the authorities, and his own people asked for his crucifixion. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. — Luke 22:4–6 One of Jesus’ inner circle plotted, along with the leaders of the church, ways they could find him alone and capture him. That’s the ultimate church hurt. Jesus doesn’t want that for us. He doesn’t want us to be deeply wounded by those who call themselves his followers. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. — John 13:34–35 #2: Lack of Solid Bible Teaching This isn’t a new issue, but rather something that’s plagued the church since its start. Scripture warns us repeatedly about false teachers. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. — 2 Peter 2:1 Friend, I say this with all the loving kindness I can muster: If you are attending a church whose teaching isn’t aligned with Scripture, or only preaches stories about the Word instead of from the Word — RUN, don’t walk, to another one. Even Bible-believing, truth-seeking churches are bound to hurt people from time to time because we’re all human; however, in churches like the above, who don’t carefully handle the Word of God, it’s simply a matter of when you’ll be hurt. Not if. And that’s not what Jesus had in mind for his Bride, either. #3: Getting Caught up in a Trend Paul addresses this in his letter to the Roman church. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. — Romans 12:2 Fads come and go. We’ll see different movements become popular and fade away in our lifetime, but we should remain set apart from the world. As believers, we will never fit into whatever box society deems “normal.” This isn’t prideful, but a reflection of our purpose. If we are truly followers of Christ, we will always look different because the world constantly evolves while our God remains unchanged. He’s the same today as he was two thousand years ago, as he will be in another two thousand years (if Jesus hasn’t come for us by then). The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever. — Isaiah 40:8Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. — James 1:16–17 If we model our lives after the world, we will repeatedly find ourselves caught up in the next fad, both in lifestyle and theologically. When we seek to follow Christ, however, we are transformed in our thinking and our minds will be set on him, not what this world has to offer. Proceed with Caution As I promised at the beginning, I’m not going to talk you out of deconstruction. It could even be necessary if you come from a faith background practicing harmful theology. However, I urge you to evaluate your motive for exploring this path and prayerfully consider whether it’s wise. If you proceed, please make sure to do so with the guidance of your local pastor or a trusted, Bible-believing mentor. Thanks for reading! If any of this resonated with you, or you’d like to see more content like this, please consider subscribing so you’ll never miss out on a post. Press on! 🫶🏻 © Stephanie M Some other posts you might have missed: The #1 Note-Taking Tip that Transformed my Bible Study: And why we’re scared to try it You Want to Read Your Bible, but You Keep Getting Stuck; 3 Tips to Get Past Leviticus