“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8 What did guidance look like back then? In David’s world, nobody was pulling out a phone for directions. You had shepherds guiding sheep through rough hills. Parents showing kids how to barter in the market. Kings giving counsel to their people. Guidance wasn’t a distant voice. It was personal, face-to-face. So when David writes this verse, the picture is of a God right there with you. That phrase about His “loving eye”? In Hebrew culture, to keep your eye on someone meant to care for them, to protect them. Like a parent at the playground, keeping watch, ready to step in if needed. That’s what David’s getting at. Why does this matter now? Fast forward to today. We’re swimming in advice, podcasts, books, TikTok hacks, but still lying awake at 3 a.m. wondering what direction to take. Career choices. Relationship messes. Faith questions that feel like a maze. Psalm 32:8 cuts through the noise. God doesn’t say, “Here’s a list, good luck.” He says, “I’ll teach you. I’ll guide you. I’ll keep my eye on you.” That’s not control, it’s care. What does it feel like? Think about learning to drive. You’re nervous, hands sweaty on the wheel. The instructor sits beside you, calm, steady, watchful. They don’t grab the wheel from you, but they guide. “Steady now, you’re okay, here’s the turn.” That’s the heart of this verse. God’s presence plus His wisdom. What if I’m standing at a crossroads? That’s when this verse really lands. Maybe you’re asking: Do I stay or do I leave? Do I mend this relationship or move on? Am I afraid to let go, or finally let God keep his promise and lead? The promise isn’t that we’ll get a billboard in the sky. The promise is that God doesn’t leave us guessing. He instructs. He teaches. He counsels. And He does it with His eye on us, in love. So what’s the takeaway? The same God who walked with David through caves and kingdoms is guiding you through workplaces, breakups, and everyday choices. You’re not fumbling alone. His presence is with you. Maybe the prayer today is as simple as this:“God, I don’t just need answers, I need You. Teach me. Guide me. Keep Your loving eye on me.” And peace starts right there. © Gary L Ellis (1944–2026)

Check these words out. Believe, Worship, Serve, Trust, Love, Pray, Fast, Patience, Obey, Rejoice, Give, Seek, Ask, Kneel, Read, Surrender, Follow, Honor, Humble, Knock, Reconcile, Wait, Repent, Test, Submit, Study, Declare, Guide, Respect, Protect, Lead, Tithe, Carry, Faith, Preach, Fear, Restore, Endure, Rest, Forgive, Teach, Heal, Anoint, Renew, Build, Baptize, Conform, Consecrate, Abide, Praise, ect…. See the pattern? God is the World Cup Champion when it came to creating a definitive, active, and dynamic vocabulary on how we are to be and what we need to do. Don’t think God doesn’t expect you to put in a little elbow grease here. Believing is not, and never has been, a passive “thing” that simply exists; it is, and always will be, a daily exercise of the mind, body, and soul. To be a faithful Christian, you must confront and embrace this reality. You’re in a long-term relationship that requires exercising every part of your being. It’s no different than a marriage or a friendship, where you have constant actions you are exercising and fulfilling to hold that relationship together, make it grow, and keep it strong. If you can do that for your best friend or spouse without blinking an eye, why can’t you do it for God? It’s kind of hard to claim you're a faithful and steadfast Christian without breaking out those grubby sweats and giving it a good workout. Here’s The Problem: America has become pudgy around the midsection, it’s become a country of ease, 2-day shipping, InstaCart, and fast food. This mentality has not just touched the doorsteps of churches but has fully engulfed many churches, which are now watering down Christianity into this passive title that people believe they can claim, go on with their day, and that's it. They don’t do any real work behind the scenes to earn it, so it stays soft and pudgy around the midsection. You want God? You want real faith? You want Him to take you seriously? Then you’re going to have to work for it. Holding the word Christian over your head like an award means absolutely nothing if you’re not strong enough in your faith to hold up against life’s many lies, storms, and trials. The Bible isn’t full of action words for no reason. © Jane Isley

Introduction Are you feeling exhausted, disgusted, burned out, jaded, and cynical? If you are, I don’t blame you. I feel it too, a slow, quiet erosion of hope fading away. Every day, we’re constantly bombarded with war, disaster, corruption, violence, economic anxiety, and social mistrust. This daily information overload creates emotional numbness and fuels the fight-or-flight response. We weren’t designed to bear these kinds of burdens, nor to absorb the suffering of the entire world. Background One of the biggest reasons for all this negativity is the erosion of trust. Suspicion has replaced curiosity because people have watched political figures break promises, corporations place profits over people, and the media sensationalize misfortune. After all this disappointment, it’s no wonder that people are skeptical and self-protective. Because their trust has been repeatedly violated, they begin to assume hidden motives behind everything, and hope feels naïve. They feel overwhelmed, lonely, and bored, even though there is more entertainment available than ever before. Being cynical does protect the heart, but it also isolates and prevents feelings of wonder, intimacy, and joy. The Antidote to Cynicism In 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, the Bible says that it’s God’s will for people to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks always, but that’s very hard to do when you’re struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. In this Scripture, God isn’t telling us to be happy about our circumstances or pretend that everything is fine; He’s calling us to place our faith and trust in Him because He’s always in control and always has our best interests at heart. He wants us to find security in our relationship to Him, in His eternal and unchanging love for us, not in our ever-changing circumstances. Has your Mother ever told you that you need a change of scene? That’s good advice, because maybe your heart does need a change of scene. If so, here are some facts to consider that may send a jolt of wonder through you and lift your spirits. The Path Back to Wonder Did you know that orchids can survive in harsh environments? They seem so fragile and delicate, yet they thrive by forming intricate relationships with fungi, insects, and trees. Did you know that every one of us is a walking miracle? The complexity of the human body is astounding! We’re made up of trillions of cells, and each one carries molecular machinery more complex than many modern factories. Bill Gates said in his book The Road Ahead that, “DNA is like a computer program, but far, far more advanced than any software ever created.” [1] We take the transparency of our eyes for granted, but it depends on exquisitely fine-tuned molecular design. Such precision is no accident. It points beyond mere chance to a Creator who created us with beauty and purpose. We truly are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14, BSB). Scripture reminds us that wonder grows as we walk in light and truth. When we turn away from sin, cynicism, and self-centeredness, we make room for joy to grow in our hearts. As we walk daily with God, we feel His presence and His love for us restores our sight. As we purify ourselves, we rebuild our hearts’ capacity to feel awe. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. (Proverbs 4:18, NIV) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — His eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen. (Romans 1:20, BSB) Conclusion Childlike wonder returns when we see God’s fingerprints in the ordinary, recognize His artistry and design in nature, and experience His mercy in the morning light of each new day. Wonder breaks the pattern of negativity and reawakens curiosity. Let it flow through you through nature, art, science, love, faith, music, and human kindness. God doesn’t expect us to escape reality; He wants us to see it as it truly is, His creation that He sustains daily by His divine power and love. Don’t give in to cynicism. Don’t believe that goodness is fake, change is impossible, and human relationships are pointless. Reconnect to what is real: honest communication, meaningful work, faith, service to others, and gratitude for ordinary moments. © 2026 Debra Hodges. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

I have never been asked why I believe in God before, and I’m kind of glad that I haven’t been asked this question because I wouldn’t have been able to answer in the moment. This question has really thrown me for a loop because once I became a born-again believer, I never continued to dig into the why. I was always focused on my walk with God and never really asked myself why I continue to believe in Him. Truthfully, I don’t think I will ever be able to fully articulate why I believe in God…at least not to the extent that I would like to. Something changes in you once you surrender your life to Christ; there’s a part of you that just desires Him. Now, I crave something other than myself, and I think the more I continue on this journey with Him, the more I will get to see and understand who He is. So, while it’s hard for me to put into words exactly why I believe in Him, here are some truths that He has shown me… Over the few short years that I’ve known the Lord, there’ve been a lot of doubts and questions that I’ve had, but He has repeatedly shown me two things: He created everything for a purpose, and He wants to and will provide for us. 1) The Lord created the world and us with a purpose. I look at the world around us and see the details that make it so beautiful. I see how everything functions together — how birds know how to migrate right before winter comes, how ecosystems and galaxies are so complex and somehow function perfectly. When I look at the world around me and notice all those details, I find it nearly impossible that it was all created by chance. There has to be something that created such intricate systems, and the Bible clearly explains that God created everything in the universe with such care and thought. The more I read His word and spend time with Him, the more I see His hand in the world around me. I see how He created each person on this earth so different from one another, and how beautiful and creative our creator is to create us distinctly unique. 2) He wants to and will provide for me. Over the years, I’ve come to know that God is a loving one. He loves all His children so much that He provides for their every need. I’ve had circumstances in my life since walking with the Lord where I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through. I remember one time in particular when I needed three hundred dollars within a few weeks, and I wasn’t sure how I would come up with the money. However, the Lord provided me with the exact amount I needed. Over the years, I’ve seen the Lord provide for friends, family, and myself through finances, emotional support, and physical support by providing others to help in those situations. There are many other reasons as to why I believe in God, but those are the two main reasons that I know how to articulate into words. Like any relationship that you have with someone, numerous details add up to why you trust, hope, love, and believe in that individual. For me, it’s the same with God. The more that I get to know Him and work on our relationship, the more He reveals about Himself to me. The more our relationship develops, the more I see Him in the world around me and how He is moving in my life. I can feel His presence when I’m going through tough situations, when I’m alone in my room praying, going for a walk in the park, and even when I’m having deep Christ-centered conversations with the ones I love. The more our relationship develops, the more I trust in Him and know that He is in my life. There’s just a steadiness in my life that I know is Him, and the way I know that it is Him is simply through spending time with Him. I think that’s the reason why it’s important to spend time with the Lord, because the more one spends time with Him, the more they can see that He is there walking beside them in life, and He will never leave them. © 2026 Sierra Loew

I am discussing a prevalent view among the church and held by to many Christians: the stupid belief that a spouse can’t divorce an abusive spouse. They got it all wrong, and I’m here to explain why. For years, I have come across comments, posts, stories, and personal experiences regarding this, and it still makes me sick to my stomach when I see it. Too many Christians are still out there in a relationship where their spouse is abusing them, the type doesn’t matter, because abuse, is abuse, is abuse. They finally get the courage to seek help, and what do I still see? Other Christians on their pedestals, throwing Bible verses at people about divorce ,  that they don’t even understand what they are quoting to begin with, and then finishing it up with, since they aren’t cheating, they can’t divorce the abusive spouse, because that’s a sin. "She needs to “hunker down, get the concealer ready, and pray harder” because she’s doing something wrong in the first place." That is a quote that was in the comment section from a woman. I primarily see this BS in Christian-based forums, with women being the majority abused AND the Bible verse throwers, believe it or not. But I have also witnessed it in person as well. In both cases, I would estimate a good 75% of the time, this or something similarly negative or unsupportive is directed at the victim in response. This is still so damn infuriating. How in the world can you say to someone, “hunker down” and “pray harder” when they are being beaten, or tell them to stay together for the sake of the children? I’ve been on the receiving end of that mentality, trust me, divorce and separation from the abusing parent would have been better. Now, I wholeheartedly believe in the sanctity of marriage, and I think that if you make the willing choice to be married, and crap hits the fan, you need to figure it out. Abuse Goes Beyond Normal Marital Issues I wanted to re-address this issue because it keeps coming up, and to offer a Biblical breakdown on this. So if you are a man or a woman in an abusive marriage and you’re getting the Bible thrown at you, you can confidently stand up for yourself with Scripture. Also, if anyone ever tells you to stay for any reason, you have my permission to walk away from those mouthpieces. So we’re going to look at a couple of things because the church is not always right. I started with a Google search of this question: “Is there a sexual component to an abuser’s behavior in a relationship?” Here is the consistent term that kept coming up: “Intimate relationship.” The two people involved in the situation have or have had a sexually intimate relationship. That is typically THE big power play for an abuser. That sexual aspect of the relationship is a gateway, so to speak. Because they had intimate relations together, there is an emotional vulnerability in women and men that these abusers use to their advantage, whether immediately or later on. Sexual Immorality Generally speaking, when we are reading Scripture and see the countless references and verses to sexual immorality, the first thing that pops up in our heads is sex outside marriage or same-sex relationships. However, that isn’t the only thing that it refers to. Sexual immorality refers to doing anything sexual that goes against God’s design (lust, adultery, prostitution, rape, sexual violence, and misconduct). Example: Pornography It’s not stated in the Bible not to watch it, do it, or condone it, but we know from Scripture not to. How? Because we applied Scripture, the same application of Scripture should be done in abusive situations as well, but it’s not. “ except for the cause of sexual immorality” Matthew 5:31–32 Domestic Abuse = Sexual Immorality Because it has a sexual component to it in the relationship. I would think anyone who clicked on this article out of curiosity and read it has had sex and knows the power it holds in a relationship. This is common sense, and if you have ever been in an abusive relationship, you know exactly what I am referring to. I haven’t even gotten to everything else Scripture teaches us about how we are to treat one another. Why all of a sudden does that go out the door in this situation? This is why we need to look at Scripture as a whole, not take one verse and further abuse victims of abuse with it. “But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.” 1 Corinthians 7:15 The abuser has abandoned their spouse in every way possible, and they don’t have to pack a bag and leave to do so. Their actions, their abuse, is abandonment and a break in the marriage vows. Here's A Twist To hate is to commit murder: 1 John 3:15 “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer,” Abuse is a form of attempted murder. I know, quite the leap there, going from talking about yes, you can divorce an abuser, to abuse being attempted murder. But let that sink in. In a way, yes, this could be a stretch; however, my stretch holds merit because abuse can and has led to victims (and their children) being murdered by their abuser. That fact alone stands on its own merit in showing the reality and severity of the abuser’s mind. At the very least, this all deserves an honest reevaluation of Scripture and your stance on believing divorce is not allowed in this situation. An abuser holds hatred toward their victim; they have hatred in their hearts, the “hardened heart” that Moses and Jesus acknowledged. There is a cycle of hatred and anger built up within the abuser. “The abusive man hates the woman for continuing to exist outside of him.” (1) To continually and intentionally hurt someone is literally the opposite of love. While the Scripture does not specifically talk about abusive relationships, and if we can divorce a spouse for abuse. It also doesn’t specifically talk about pornography either, but we use Scripture to know how to navigate that situation correctly. How Come That Can't Happen Here? Christians who hold to this mindset, think again, and watch your words. I want you to get comfortable somewhere, close your eyes, and then imagine yourself beaten, exhausted, depressed, anxious, sick, losing weight, crying, and constantly criticized. With your every move watched, documented, and questioned, not knowing when the next slap will come, not knowing when next you’ll be forced to have sex, be isolated, beaten, burned, or stabbed. Any person abusing anyone can no longer claim they are a Christian; they have turned away from God, and they will stay that way until they are truly repentant. The person they are hurting has been abandoned and should be protected at all costs. I want people to think about these next points when it comes to divorce, and those who still stand by not getting a divorce when a person is being abused, and their partner is unrepentant. You are more than welcome to use the comment section and justify to God and me why any of the below is allowed to happen to another human being. Physical Abuse: Persistent physical abuse violates the marriage vow to love and cherish and poses a threat to the spouse’s well-being. Verbal and Emotional Abuse: Continuous verbal cruelty and emotional manipulation can be equally destructive. Addictions: Unrepentant addictions to drugs, alcohol, or gambling that harm the family’s welfare. Sexual Immorality: Persistent engagement in pornography or other sexual sins. (marital rape as well) Threats of Harm: Verbal threats of physical harm or actual physical violence. (2) Abuse is beyond normal marital issues; abuse is damaging on levels you have no idea of unless you have been through it. Jesus did not say at any point that a person can be beaten, betrayed, broken, abandoned, or raped and take it; no, we are to love and protect. We also have the duty to hold the abuser accountable, the victim has the duty to protect themselves, and the duty to protect any children involved. “The goal is always reconciliation and restoration, but when a spouse remains unrepentant, divorce may become necessary to protect the innocent party.” (2) The source I just used proves my point on the ignorance out there still regarding the divorce of an abusive spouse. There are three comments; here's the third one. I’ve made my point clear. Anyone who disagrees, you know where my comment section is, and email is. Need help? If your church won’t help you, walk away; do not be discouraged by other people’s stupidity. Go to God and call this number 1–800–799–7233. This is the national domestic violence hotline. I am a very vocal person when it comes to abuse. I have suffered abuse at the hands of many in my lifetime. I write as a Christian and as a survivor of an abusive mother who watched her father be abused for 14 years by a “christian” wife. I write from personal experience. No person should ever be abused; we should never tolerate any such behavior, abuse is biblical grounds for divorce. © 2025 Jane Isley (Revised article from 12/24, first published in Never Stop Writing on Medium.com) Sources: (1) Lundy Bancroft; Ever Wonder Why Your Abusive Partner Hates You? (2) Wisdom International; Biblical Reasons for Divorce Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Relationships, Grief, & the Questions We Carry Will we remember our life on earth in heaven? It is one of the quietest and most personal questions a believer can carry, and this article does not flinch from it. Drawing from the often-overlooked depths of Psalm 88 and the words of Jesus about relationships in eternity, the writer wrestles openly with grief, marriage, and what it truly means to be with God forever. If you have ever lost someone and wondered what heaven will actually feel like, this one is worth reading slowly. Psalm 88:9-12 "God, you’re my last chance of the day. I spend the night on my knees before you. Put me on your salvation agenda; take notes on the trouble I’m in. I’ve had my fill of trouble; I’m camped on the edge of hell. I’m written off as a lost cause, one more statistic, a hopeless case. Abandoned as already dead, one more body in a stack of corpses, And not so much as a gravestone— I’m a black hole in oblivion. You’ve dropped me into a bottomless pit, sunk me in a pitch-black abyss. I’m battered senseless by your rage, relentlessly pounded by your waves of anger. You turned my friends against me, made me horrible to them. I’m caught in a maze and can’t find my way out, blinded by tears of pain and frustration. I call to you, God; all day I call. I wring my hands, I plead for help. Are the dead a live audience for your miracles? Do ghosts ever join the choirs that praise you? Does your love make any difference in a graveyard? Is your faithful presence noticed in the corridors of hell? Are your marvelous wonders ever seen in the dark, your righteous ways noticed in the Land of No Memory?" I have lost count of how many times the Psalms have expressed my feelings better than my own words ever could. I learned to pray by quoting the Psalms. I learned to be honest with God from what I read in the Psalms. I think I'm quite familiar with the Psalms, but I still find surprising verses. I've often thought about heaven. I'm not really curious about its appearance. I gather that it will look like a better, unsullied version of earth. Heaven is the blueprint of earth. The thing that I wonder about is relationships. What are relationships like in heaven? Here, on earth, we live in an "us - them" reality. We have different relationships with different people. Family and friends are closer to us than strangers. Often, life is turned into allies and enemies. We don't love everyone equally. I have a special relationship with my husband. I can't think that there will ever be a time when I won't love him, or view him as my husband. We share a special bond. Yet, Jesus said in heaven, relationships don't work the same way as on earth (Matthew 22:23-33). There are no marriages in heaven, except for Christ's marriage with His bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32; Revelation 19). How will it change in heaven? When my husband and I are in heaven together, how will we not have the same relationship we had on earth? How will we love everyone equally? The Bible tells us that there will be no pain or sorrow in heaven (Revelation 21:4), yet thinking that some of my loved ones won't be in heaven causes immense anguish. Will we not care about the lost in heaven? What will change so that we don't think of loved ones or marriage partners, parents, or children? Thoughts like these often occupy my mind, and more so since the death of my brother and daughter. Reading Psalm 88 causes me to think that we simply won't remember. "Are your marvelous wonders ever seen in the dark, your righteous ways noticed in the Land of No Memory?" What simpler way is there to forget pain if we don't remember the people or things that cause us pain? To me, it sounds like mercy. I know this contradicts so many stories I've heard of people reportedly having gone to heaven during near-death experiences. Was this what they actually encountered, or was it a product of their subconscious mind? I don't know. It does make sense to me that death is a place of no remembrance. Psalm 88 refers to the place of death, not heaven. I know this, but it doesn't stop me from wondering and questioning how things will be different in heaven. Have you thought about the changes in relationships in heaven? Will nothing else matter except being with God? Will we be so focused on His glory and greatness that we won’t think about anyone else? How can we forget the special bonds we had here on earth and will we treat loved ones like strangers? I know that we will know and recognize one another in heaven. Jesus spoke about Lazarus and the rich man recognizing one another. How will it work? It boggles my mind. © 2026 Rina Schultz. "Will we remember our life on earth in heaven is a question that may not be fully answered this side of eternity, but asking it honestly is itself an act of faith. If this article gave language to something you have been quietly carrying, share it with someone who is grieving or wondering the same thing. Some questions are better held together than alone." Still thinking about heaven? These two articles go deeper: 👉 Animals & Pets in Heaven? A Surprising Reflection on God's Heart and Creation If we wonder whether we will remember the people we loved, it is worth asking what God feels about all He created — including the creatures He made before us. 👉 The Surprising Truth About Heaven (Hint: It's Not Plato's Idea) Before we can ask what we will remember in heaven, it helps to make sure we understand what heaven actually is — and it may not be what you were taught. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

We all know Psalm 23, most by heart. It’s comforting, it's uplifting, and it’s encouraging, but sometimes the problem with knowing one so well is not knowing the others. Psalm 22 piqued my interest recently, specifically verses 9 & 10. “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” This led me to look more closely at Psalm 139 as well. It is too long to quote in full here, so I will pull out a few key phrases. You have searched me... You perceive my thoughts from afar... You are familiar with all my ways... Where can I flee from your presence? Even there your hand will guide me... For you created my inmost being... You knit me together in my mother’s womb... Your eyes saw my unformed body... What I see here is an active God, intimately involved in every stage of our lives, from before conception to our final breath. Psalm 22:9–10 and 139 together form one of the most detailed pictures of human life as known and held by God, so much so that even before the sperm meets the egg in the womb, we are already fully seen and known by Him. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” “from my mother’s womb” While a recent line of thinking argues that life begins only at the first breath after birth, referencing Adam and Eve and the breath of life by God in that discussion, it is worth realizing that their creation was unique and does not negate the role of a womb. Adam and Eve were formed fully as human beings without a womb because they were the first humans; there was no womb for them to come from. In that unique creation situation, 1) Eve was formed by God with a womb, and 2) Scripture emphasizes God’s direct involvement in forming their lives; He knit them together from dust and a rib. And more broadly, Psalm 22:9–10 and 139 continue to emphasize that same pattern for all of humanity. He sees, knows, and discerns even before we are visible to the naked eye or microscope. “Your eyes saw my unformed body…” “ from my mother’s womb…” And since we do not have a physical body yet at this point, that is our soul He is seeing. So where does our value start, then? Does it begin where God says it begins, or where human wishes and wants tries to place it? What the Bible says about life in the womb is not ambiguous ~ the question is whether we are willing to let it mean what it says." © 2026 Jane Isley.

What Scripture Says & How to Stay Anchored There are few words in Scripture that sound as sobering as apostasy. It’s not a term we use often, yet the Bible treats it with deep seriousness. Apostasy means a deliberate, intentional departure from the faith. It’s not a moment of doubt, not a season of spiritual dryness, not confusion or weakness. It is a willful turning away from truth once known, a rebellion of the heart that chooses deception over devotion. The warnings about apostasy are not meant to frighten believers but to anchor us. They remind us that truth is not fragile, that Christ is faithful, and that the Spirit is not silent. God’s people are not helpless in the face of deception. He equips us to stand firm, even when the world around us drifts. Reality of Apostasy Scripture tells us that a great falling away will precede the return of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:3). It will be a time when truth is rejected, when the man of lawlessness exalts himself, and when deception spreads like wildfire. The word “falling away” describes an active rebellion, not accidental, but intentional. Hebrews 6:4–6 gives a sobering picture of those who have tasted the goodness of God and yet turn away. It’s not that God refuses forgiveness; it’s that the human heart can become so hardened that repentance no longer seems desirable. Apostasy begins not with denial but with a slow, subtle drift, a movement away from truth until the heart no longer feels the pull of conviction. Nature of Deception The Bible repeatedly warns, Do not be deceived. Deception is the enemy’s oldest weapon. It questions God’s Word, elevates self as the authority, promises spirituality without repentance, redefines sin, disconnects believers from the church, and minimizes or replaces Christ. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:4–5 that many would come claiming His name, offering ideas that sound like Him but are not rooted in His Word. Paul cautioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 that sin cannot be redefined to fit culture. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, he reminded us that bad company corrupts good morals. Galatians 6:7 warns that we reap what we sow, and Ephesians 5:6 exposes empty words: spiritual talk without substance. The pattern continues: 2 Thessalonians 2:3–12 describes the great deception that comes when truth is rejected. 1 Timothy 4:1 warns of counterfeit spirituality and deceitful spirits. James 1:16 reminds us that trials do not mean God is untrustworthy, and 1 John 3:7 affirms that holiness still matters, that true faith transforms behavior. All deception has one thing in common: it replaces God’s truth with human reasoning. It whispers, “Did God really say?” and invites the heart to trust feelings over faith. It Begins in the Heart Before apostasy ever becomes visible, it begins quietly within. The heart grows vulnerable through hurt, pride, or betrayal. Hypocrisy wounds deeply, and disappointment can harden the spirit. Desire reshapes doctrine when lifestyle choices become more important than obedience. Confusion arises from spiritual noise and competing worldviews. Temptation, loneliness, and isolation pull believers away from community. Influence plays a powerful role. Friends, teachers, and social media voices can sway the heart. Even spiritual hunger, when misdirected, can lead to deception if it seeks meaning apart from Christ. The drift begins long before denial. That’s why Scripture calls us to guard our hearts, for from it flow the springs of life. Standing Firm God does not leave His people defenseless. He gives us anchors to hold us steady when the winds of deception blow. Anchor #1: Scripture — Truth is the antidote to deception. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth” (John 17:17). Steady reading strengthens the soul, and God’s Word anchors both mind and heart. Anchor #2: Discernment — Hebrews 5:14 teaches that discernment grows through practice, obedience, and testing everything by Scripture. It’s not automatic; it develops as we walk faithfully with God. Anchor #3: The Holy Spirit — John 16:13 reminds us that the Spirit guides into truth, convicts, protects, and illuminates Scripture. He is our internal compass, pointing us back to Christ when confusion clouds our way. Anchor #4: The Church — Ephesians 4:14–16 and Hebrews 10:25 show that community stabilizes and fellowship strengthens discernment. We are not meant to stand alone. The body of Christ helps us stay grounded and accountable. Anchor #5: The Gospel — The Gospel keeps Christ central. Every false teaching either replaces, reduces, or reimagines Christ. The cross must remain at the center of our faith, reminding us that salvation is by grace through faith alone. Standing firm is not complicated, but it requires consistency. Read one chapter of Scripture daily. Pray short, simple prayers throughout the day. Keep worship music playing to fill your heart with truth. Stay in fellowship and community. Ask questions when something sounds “off.” These small habits build spiritual strength and keep the heart anchored. Final Encouragement Apostasy is a real threat, but believers are not helpless. The truth of God is not fragile. Christ is not threatened. The Spirit is not silent. And God’s people are not alone. We stand firm because the Shepherd is faithful, and He will keep us. The same grace that saved us will sustain us. The same truth that called us will preserve us. The same Spirit that convicted us will guide us home. As Philippians 1:6 reminds us, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. So do not be deceived. Do not drift. Stand firm in the truth. The world may shake, but the Word of God stands forever. © 2026 Randy DeVaul, MA. "Apostasy in the Bible is not the final word for those who stay anchored in Christ, because the same God who warned us is the same God who keeps us." Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Breaking Free From the Trap of Enlightenment The Letter to the Ephesians is definitely one of my favorite writings of Paul. The people in Ephesus weren’t just regular people who heard the gospel. Acts 19 gives us an interesting background: these were people who had been practicing sorcery. Once they heard the gospel, they ended up burning their books worth 50,000 pieces of silver. That is roughly 137 years of daily labor for one person. In our current day, using a conservative $100 per day wage, that total would be worth $5 million. Paul was dealing with people who had spent their savings on books to help their craft. He didn’t waste any ink. He starts his letter in chapter 1, verse 3, by saying: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” ~Ephesians 1:3 Imagine the shift in perspective for those people. You spend a fortune trying to gain access to the divine, only to be told that the highest reality has already been opened to you, not in books, but in Christ. As someone who was unknowingly falling into the New Age movement, I relate to this deeply. I was meditating, reading all kinds of books, and trying different methods to unlock the spiritual realm. The trap of “enlightenment” is the belief that fulfillment is always just out of reach, one more book to buy, one more frequency to attain, one more mystery to uncover. The human instinct to chase spiritual knowledge is restless, but the gospel confronts that instinct by ending the chase. Paul’s message to the Ephesians carries a tone that directly confronts the pursuit of so-called “hidden” power. He is telling us that we don’t need to buy our way into a mystery that has already been revealed in a Person. As he writes in chapter 3:“…in reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit.” This brings an end to spiritual exhaustion. You don’t find Christ at the end of a long journey of enlightenment. Instead, he is revealed by the Spirit. The search ends not because you finally reached the goal, but because the Goal reached out to you. In chapter 3, Paul defines the “mystery” that had been hidden for ages. It was not an elite secret or a coded path to power. Through the gospel, those who are in Christ, regardless of background, are made fellow heirs. The restless search for “more” comes to an end when you grasp the fullness already given in Him. The good news is not that you have discovered a hidden key to the spiritual realm. The good news is that God has reconciled you to Himself through His own work. The books are burned when the gospel is truly heard, because the search for greater knowledge comes to an end. The greatest truth is what Paul declares at the beginning of the letter, that God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless before Him. Our standing before God is secure, not because of what we achieve, but because of who Christ is. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” ~ Ephesians 1:3–4 The shift here is subtle but massive. The “search” doesn’t actually end; it just changes direction. It stops being a horizontal chase for the next secret and becomes a vertical dive into the Person you already have. Paul describes this in chapter 3 saying:“… that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:17–19 This is a love that “surpasses knowledge.” You don’t master it like a textbook or buy it like a manual; you inhabit it like an ocean. The goal is no longer to acquire more hidden information, but to be filled with the fullness of the One who has already found you. You aren’t a traveler anymore, looking for a new destination. You are rooted in one place, growing deeper into a mystery that is as infinite as it is accessible. If you haven’t already, read the article “One Question That Finally Made the Gospel Click” to explore the Gospel more deeply. © 2026 Mikiyas. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

On May 8, 2026, the Trump administration released 162 declassified UAP files. Around the same time, several well-respected church leaders publicly said they attended private meetings with unnamed believers who claimed high-level security clearances in military and intelligence circles. The point: Something big dropped, some church leaders got a heads-up, and now everyone is scrambling. What Does Any of This Mean? It means satan is going to have an absolute heyday, and I knew it the moment I heard these files were going to be released. So as people start to ramp this up and spiral down, here is a number that should be keeping every church leader up at night. Only 6% of self-identified Christians hold a biblical worldview. That means 94% of people who call themselves Christian are caught with their pants down right now and about to enter a world of pure deception, riddled with fear and have absolutely no Biblical leg to stand on. We already lost the ability as a culture to define what a woman is, what a child in the womb is, or what our God given sexual design looks like. The church (as a whole) largely rolled over on every single one of those, laziness, silence, and Scripture twisted into a pretzel to validate whatever the culture demanded that week. You really think this stops here? You really think a UFO file drop is going to be handled any differently by a church that has spent years surrendering ground it was never supposed to give up? What Was The Real Intention? I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about these meetings and why they happened. I find them murky and ill-timed with everything else going on in the world. What I do notice is that every church leader I could find who was in one of these meetings has a significant social media platform. Was that intentional to manufacture fear? I do not know yet. I am not singling out any specific person here because there was a notable variety of religious leaders at these meetings, but if you have these platforms, if you have these congregations, if people look to you to understand the Word of God, why the scramble now? Why is this the moment the church decided to start “preparing” people? Shouldn’t that have been happening from day one? There should never have been a need for private meetings with church leaders if they were actually doing their job, and if I’m being really blunt, if they were following Scripture, they never would have attended these meetings at all. The 94% walking into this without a biblical foundation did not get there by accident. That lands squarely at the feet of church leadership that was more concerned with keeping their pockets lined and people comfortable than keeping them grounded in Scripture. Yes, this also lands on people to stand up and question things being fed to them and redevelop missing critical thinking skills, but a whole hell of a lot just fell hard on the shoulders of church leaders who are more concerned with being cozy. What Is Going To Happen 1) People are going to question God on every possible level, and why wouldn’t they? It’s not like only 94% of Christians barely know Scripture, let alone how many don't know how to find a book or chapter in it. 2) The normalization of “aliens,” aka demons, because that is what is actually happening here, and this is going to accelerate. This has been building for decades through Hollywood, television, books, gaming, and entertainment. Satan has been softening you up for this moment for a very long time. In the meantime, Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons is exactly the kind of grounding you need right now before you go any further down that rabbit hole. The problem is not that people will encounter this information. The problem is that they have been so thoroughly conditioned to find it fascinating instead of spiritually alarming that they will not even recognize what they are looking at. This is not normal, and it has never been normal. Slapping the word alien on it does not change what it is. 3) The worst thing that is going to happen out of all of this is that people are going to be deceived on a global scale. Scriptural Truth The Bible was never once silent on this topic. Ephesians 6:12 NIV: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Principalities and powers. Spiritual forces of evil. That is the biblical description of what is in those files. People just gave it a different name and a press release. 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10 NIV: “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.” "Signs and wonders that serve the lie." Read that again slowly. Do not miss any of this while you are busy panicking about “aliens.” And just so you know, an alien would probably be a lot nicer than a demon; confusing the two as different beings is a costly mistake. The Remnant I genuinely do not care what is in those files. I am not worried, and I am not losing any sleep over “aliens” because I know exactly what they are and who wins, and it is not them. What I care about is the staggering number of people who are going to be deceived by this because nobody built them a foundation to stand on. The Christian church failed. Not in a small way, but in a massive, generational, brutal, inexcusable way. This is no longer a nation filled with Christians; it is a nation with a remnant, the 6% left who read Scripture, and the rest are walking into this with their pants down. That is just horrifying to think about. Read your Bible, people. I get it, we are in an age where things have massively accumulated into people struggling to even think for themselves, let alone read or do math, and not to mention being pumped full of addictive additives daily with social media. But that excuse can only take you so far. You are fully capable of opening your eyes, asking questions, getting down and dirty, breaking a mental sweat, and reading Scripture. For the church leaders, I pray you get this one right. The deception is not coming. It is already here. © 2026 Jane Isley Sources: Perry Stone UFO Briefing Claims - Charisma Magazine Pentagon UAP Files Released May 8 2026 - USA Herald Religious Leaders Told Prepare Now - End Time Headlines Newsweek - Pastor Meeting and Eric Burlison Response American Worldview Inventory - Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University, conducted by Dr. George Barna Crosswalk - Survey Finds That Only 6% of Professing Christians Have a Biblical Worldview USA Herald - Multiple Pastors Claim U.S. Military Intelligence Officers Secretly Briefed Them To Prepare Their Congregations For UAP Disclosure Charisma - Viral Claims of Secret Government Briefing to Pastors Ignite Fierce UFO Disclosure Debate Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.