Faithful Writers

I am Praise, by name and a Christian content writer with a passion for sharing God's truth through words that inspire, uplift, and lead others closer to Christ.  My interest for writing was birthed upon my little experiences as a Christian and lessons GOD is teaching me. I would say, "I didn't choose writing. Writing chose me. Writing is the Will of my Father in Heaven for me to do, and I'm glad and thankful that I could respond to His call and desire." I love studying the Scripture, creating faith-based contents, encouraging others to live boldly and also learning from their walk with God. Anya P.C. Publisher of Frontier Writers on Medium

In part 1 and part 2 , we have studied how words can be aligned with the content of our hearts. Good or evil. For blessing or cursing. For life or death. And here we are: the fig tree dilemma The Gospels of the evangelists contain multiple stories showing Jesus proactively using his words for a purpose. The most classic (and shocking) story is that of Jesus cursing the fig tree: “ The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. (…) In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” Mark 11:12–20 This story with the fig tree ends “ the next day ”. In the meantime, Jesus enters the temple courtyard and chases the money changers with a whip of cords (another shocking story about Jesus), Mark 11:15–17. Both stories are often seen as interconnected, both condemning the political and religious establishment of the day. The curse of the fig tree is usually seen as a metaphor. Please, no selfish use of God’s creational power (of our words) And here we arrive at the point of this short essay. Jesus' creative words indeed did unleash a power to curse the fig tree, but that action was part of a larger and broader picture, like overturning the tables of the money changers. Still in the same chapter, we find what could be Jesus’s own explanation for both his provocative actions : “ Have faith in God ,” Jesus answered. “ Truly, I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22–24 Where does the Word of Faith movement get it wrong (notwithstanding that there are indeed good things in the movement)? This verse in the Bible should not be seen as a stand-alone that we can use no matter the context and the intention. I am well aware how much this verse has been weaponized by the Word of Faith (charismatic) theology. We were told to speak our “mountain” into the sea (aka get healed, get a job, get married … get your soccer team to win,… get your favorite political candidate elected). Gemini 2.5 flash When what we prayed for didn’t happen, we were left to feel guilty, like our faith was not big enough. When it did happen, we took it automatically as a good thing (huh?). After some time and some marriages ended in divorce. Some bad politicians were elected? It looked like we had to go back to our Bibles and do some serious reading. The power unleashed by our words has to fit the broader, general context that God has set up and made us known to be His will . Here in Mark chapter 11, a condemnation of the religious and political elite who were about to kill Jesus, which realized when in 70 AD the Jerusalem temple was destroyed. Words creating an alternate reality? The Word of Faith movement bases all their theology on telling the mountain to throw itself into the sea and not doubting that it shall happen. Without the broader context of God’s specific will in a specific situation and the awareness of our final accountability before Him, believers influenced by Word of Faith really do believe that they have a mandate to influence reality with their words, provided their faith is strong enough. At this stage, Biblical faith is replaced by wishful thinking relabeled “faith.” The most extreme version of “influencing reality” is to be found in the dominion theology. Christians have a mandate to influence all spheres of society and government in order to advocate for a specifically “Christian” agenda. Last but not least, people living in an alternate reality are easy prey to religious or political radicalization; they will be more prone to believe pathological liars (abusive partners, greedy pastors, evil politicians) or lies. For instance, believing your loved one will soon be healed when death is at the corner and all your non-Charismatic family members are aware, but you aren’t, because you live in denial. Christ’s words as a foundation Many Christians who have seen the deep damage of wishful thinking (ordering the mountain to jump into the sea) tend to respond by deconstructing Christianity. However, Jesus calls us to deconstruct lies and replace lies with truths, not lies with other lies. Jesus' words are the truths we can start building upon. Our words need to be aligned with our hearts and our hearts with the will of God (His words ). “ Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. ” Jesus calls us to return to the general context of His will, that is, to “listen to His words” for a particular situation. We are not called to build an alternate reality based on our will. That would be building a house on the sand. I am pretty sure that this house can be beautiful and even look very Christian, but it needs to be based on the Words of God to stand strong; looking Christian is not enough . As a matter of fact, we to will be held accountable for our words, that creating energy that was entrusted to us. “ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken” Matthew 12:36 Indeed, we are still the coolest creatures, being able to speak words. When we align with God’s will, we can be called His coworkers. We can speak His words to our neighbors. We can bless them, our family, our city, our country, our brothers and sisters all over the world. “ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” Matthew 12:50 Then, shall we pray that His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 © Caliméro77

Issachar Koen is a Christian Zionist who writes nonfiction books and articles to inspire and educate the Kingdom as we approach the end of this age. He is a Senior National Representative with Bridges for Peace and a contributing author to "Faithful Writers," "Biblical Christian Worldview," Israel365, and Medium.  He teaches online courses on Torah and the Jewish roots of Christianity and creates content for the Your Torah Study YouTube channel. Issachar also leads tours throughout Israel. According to Deuteronomy 20, a priest is anointed for war. He is a husband, father, grandfather, and an avid motorcycle rider who believes the church should prepare to endure rather than escape. I.M. Koen Israel365News Biblical Christian Worldview

Why I’m a “Lite Brite” unsplash.com “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬ I’ve always thought about being a light for Christ as a well-defined, bright, holier-than-thou looking light. I’m not sure where exactly I came up with that idea, perhaps as a small child attending an occasional VBS , but the truth remains. I always see a bright, white, or yellow light! Which is amazing, and I wish I could say that my light for Christ was that refined, that dazzling that you are blinded and left struggling to see anything after beholding that type of beauty, but I am afraid, my friends, that is simply not me. No. Instead, it’s more like move over, Lisa Frank! I’m a “treasures in darkness” kind of gal. A bed flooded with tears, type Psalmist, and way too acquainted with suffering. But perhaps that’s why the Holy Spirit has revealed to me exactly what type of light I am. I’m more of a disco ball, or better yet, a “Lite Brite” because it is the gut-wrenching stab of each pain, grief, and horror-filled peg I’ve experienced that causes my light to show so colorfully through those particular breaks. Wild ride though, because my entire life, I’ve just wanted to be a normal, run-of-the-mill light. I’d even settle for dim, but the more the Lord rubs the tarnish off of what he’s been up to, the more I can clearly see. I was created to emit many different colored lights. I wouldn’t not have chosen to light myself up this way. I did not intend yo twinkle like a well lit Christmas tree, man-handled by small children and sticky pine, but approaching fifty, it’s pretty clear. The Lord wants to use this little “Lite Brite” to shine, and I guess since I can not undue the large amounts of trauma, stress, pokes, and prods it’s gotten me to see straight, it’s best I now just plug in and allow his glory to flow. Man. The price tag on Rhema. 😮‍💨 Yet I am determined. We are indeed his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to simply walk in the good works he’s prepared for us so long ago. So I’m learning. I’m transforming. And I’m allowing Christ to further refine me so that I may be used as he’s like me to be used, not as some type of plea deal to get him to approve of my flow. Yes. Jesus is a marvel. He assuredly works ALL things together for our good, but ouch, hallelujah, I hope there are enough holes that I can now simply radiate the Lord as He is because, wowzers, this process has hurt! However, this is my final thought: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬-‭24‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬ Shine on, my friends! We are LOVED. 🍋 © Freshly Squeezed Chronicles

unsplash.com The Forrest Franks Miracle By guest writer, Sierra Loew — The music industry is currently undergoing a significant surge in Christian music. Now more than ever, Christian artists are setting new records and landing on the Billboard Hot 100, an accomplishment that is extremely difficult to achieve.  Christian music is making waves, especially amongst Gen Z. One of the most famous Christian artists right now is Forrest Frank, whose song “ Your Way’s Better ” is going viral on TikTok from a dance created to complement the song.  This song and dance is causing all generations to break out dancing across the globe, including countries in Africa and even in Japan. It’s safe to say that God is using Forrest’s music to spread His glory, and while Forrest’s music is bringing more eyes to God, so is his back.  Yup. You read that correctly. Three weeks ago, Forrest had fractured his L3 and L4 vertebrae in a skateboarding accident in his front yard. His home’s ring camera caught the accident on camera, and he became bedridden. Over the next two weeks, he tracked and posted his journey with his back on social media and ended up writing two songs, “God’s Got My Back” (linked below) and “Lemonade”; His song “Lemonade” debuted as №1 on iTunes’ Top 100 Song chart.  Some say that it was amazing that Forrest was even able to create these amazing songs from his bed at home, but God wasn’t done. A few days after Forrest released “Lemonade”, he woke up from bed and went into his kitchen and said good morning to his son, picking him up without any pain. He wasn’t even wearing his back brace.  Immediately, Forrest started recording and explained in the recording that he wasn’t having any pain or wearing his brace. So he and his wife, Grace, head to urgent care for an X-ray, only to find out that he was completely healed .  In two weeks, God had not only used Forrest’s situation to release two trending songs that are reaching millions, but he also healed  Forrest’s back, and  it all got captured on camera!  This is simply jaw-dropping, and it shows that God will always use our situations to glorify Him! So when we are going through tough situations, just remember that God is sovereign over every season and loves us. He is going to make lemonade out of our lemons. If ya’ll are curious about this, Forrest has posted a bunch of content on his Instagram over the last couple of weeks, but here is the link to his video explaining everything.  It is truly spine-tingling. © Sierra Loew

Jesus wasn’t in the business of making people feel like dirt I recently heard the words of today’s title: “If People Hate Jesus Because of Us… Well, That’s on Us” What If the Problem Ain’t Jesus — It’s Us? Let’s get down to brass tacks right here and now. If somebody hates Jesus because of how we act, talk, or treat people — that’s on us. That’s a big ol’ red flag 🚩we better stop and take a hard look at. I mean, what’s a big reason Jesus came to us? He came to heal, not to hurt. And yet somehow, we’ve managed to turn following Him into something that leaves people limping away. Thing is, Jesus wasn’t in the business of making folks feel like dirt. He didn’t roll His eyes at the ones who were messed up. He didn’t make the lepers or the tax guys or the prostitutes feel like trash. He ate with them. Hung out with them like they were family. Meanwhile, a lot of us are out here acting like Jesus needs us to be His security team, like we’re guarding the door to heaven with clipboards and checklists. Are We Defending Jesus or Just Being Loud? Look, there was a time I’m afraid I was that guy. All self-righteous with my Bible verse loaded like a dart. Thought I was defending the faith, but really, I was just coming off like a holy know-it-all. Didn’t even realize it until years later. Looking back now, I think — shoot, maybe I wasn’t drawing people to Jesus at all. Maybe I was pushing ’em off the porch before they even knocked on the door. Jesus never said, “Y’all go defend me online like I’m in witness protection.” He just said, “Follow me.” That’s it. Follow me. He didn’t need a hype man or a bodyguard. He needed people who lived in such a way that others saw something different — not louder, not meaner, not smug. Different. Since When Did Being “Right” Mean Being Like Jesus? Somewhere along the way, we got the wires crossed. We started thinking being “right” was the same thing as being like Jesus. That ain’t the same thing. Not by a long shot. You can be the loudest guy in the room and still be dead wrong where it counts. You can quote chapter and verse and still not give a rip about people. (Now that’s more than sad!) You ever win an argument but lost a friend? That’s the church, a lot of times. We win the “truth war” — we think — but folks leave with bruises, not blessings. What Bible Are We Actually Showing People? You know that saying, “You might be the only Bible someone ever reads?" Well, holy cow — if that’s true, what translation are we putting out there? The Angry Condescending Version? The Holier-Than-Thou Study Guide? If how we live makes folks wanna run from Jesus instead of toward Him, then buddy, we screwed up — BIG TIME. I’ve met people who light up a room — funny, kind, generous — and they’ll say, “I like Jesus. It’s His fan club I can’t stand.” And I can’t even blame ’em. We talk about grace and then slap conditions on it. We preach love, then act like you gotta pass a pop quiz and wear the right outfit to get a seat at the table. Are We Making People Curious… or Just Tired? Jesus went after the religious folks the hardest. You know, the ones who made the rules but forgot the people. But somehow, we’ve turned ourselves into the very thing He flipped tables over. And people are leaving — not because they met Jesus and hated Him — but because they met us, and we acted nothing like Him. Folks are tired of fake smiles and passive-aggressive prayers. They want real. They want honest. They want someone who doesn’t flinch when they say, “I’m struggling,” or “I don’t know what I believe anymore.” What Fruit Are We Really Growing? You remember the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That’s what’s supposed to be growing off our branches. Not sarcasm, smugness, or spiritual superiority. If what’s hanging off our branches looks nothing like love or kindness, then maybe it’s time to grab some holy shears and start trimming. We keep thinking the world’s problem is sin, but sometimes the world’s real problem is that the folks who claim to follow Jesus act nothing like Him. What If Jesus Needs to Fix Us First? Listen — I’m not trying to guilt-trip anybody. Lord knows we’ve all said dumb stuff and hurt folks without meaning to. But maybe the fix isn’t trying harder to prove we’re right. Maybe the fix is letting Jesus soften our hearts again. Maybe it’s shutting our mouths more and opening our ears. Maybe it’s saying, “I’m sorry,” and meaning it when someone says church hurt them. Because if someone ends up hating Jesus because of the way we treated them… that ain’t their burden to carry. That’s ours. And we need to start owning it. © Gary L Ellis

I’m an entrepreneur, systems thinker, and writer who found Christ through the wreckage of my own ambitious plans. My journey hasn’t been the typical “business success to ministry” story. I’ve traveled to over 20 countries, launched multiple ventures (if you can call them that), experienced both wins and spectacular failures, and learned that sometimes God uses our disappointments to redirect us toward our actual calling. I grew up as a pastor’s kid but spent years wrestling with doubt and spiritual questions. In 2019, I had an undeniable encounter with God’s power that shattered my agnostic tendencies. But I didn’t truly surrender my life to Christ until 2023, when I met my wife. She’s been the grounding force that taught me patience in a world where I naturally want to rush everything. What I write about: The intersection of faith, psychology, and human behavior. My content serves anyone trying to make faith work in the real world. My mission: I want to fund Kingdom projects that serve vulnerable populations, but I’m still building toward that goal. In the meantime, I write for people caught between knowing God’s promises and experiencing His power - because I know exactly how that feels. My Core belief: Your spiritual struggles aren’t disqualifying you from God’s love…they’re often the exact preparation He’s using to make you effective for His purposes. Favourite verse? Romans 8:28. When I’m not writing or building businesses, you’ll find me in prayer, reading Scripture, playing with my kids or discussing big picture vision with my wife (who keeps me from chasing too many shiny objects at once). Ashneil Facebook

James Miller is a pastor, professor, writer, and coffee roaster living in the LA area. His books include Hardwired and It's Like This, and he has taught at Fuller Theological Seminary, Hawaii Theological Seminary, and Horizon University. He is the pastor of Real Life Church of LA. James Miller Real Life Church

unsplas h Once an apatheist, he was redeemed later in life and now walks as a New Testament saint, without being “Torahfied.” He holds no formal theological qualifications, but he put it's beautifully " by the Grace of God, I had been taught to read by the time primary school was finished. Again by the Grace of God, I had graduated from University before they became factories of social manipulation. " His professional life was spent in risk-based engineering design, an unforgiving environment that demanded clarity, precision, and critical thinking. Today, he applies those same principles to the study of Scripture. And his greatest take away: "God can tolerate rigorous Engineering scrutiny." Brad Banardict

unsplash.com She had spent months slowly counting down the days till she would have to say goodbye. Slowly counting down the memories, moments, and time left until the time arrived. Even though there had been 39 weeks, 273 days, 6,570 hours, and 394,200 minutes for her to prepare, she still hadn’t been prepared to feel such a loss. As she stood still in a room so empty that it made her breathing echo, the young woman held back her tears as she noted the strange yellow stain on the ceiling and then the cracked drywall that was causing dust to fall onto the creaky floorboards.  Gently, her fingers glided across the smooth white wall that was closer to gray, stained from the lives that had lived in this home before her. They fell to her side as her blue eyes met the bay window, the feature of the house that made her want to claim the place as her own.  The room had claimed so many late nights- working on projects, laughing with long-distance friends, movie nights, and late-night chats. This was the room where she read, learned, and prayed to God.  This was the room where she began to explore what their relationship looked like — where she could let her walls down and let Him see who she really was. After a long while, she opened the creaky door that would never stay shut. Teary-eyed, she stood in the door frame which led into the rose red and tan colored living room, soaking in the nice furniture that was her roommate’s. In that moment, another little piece of her cracked as she had always hoped that she’d get to say goodbye to this little run-down apartment with her roommate.  For a moment longer, the brunette soaked in the school like ceiling tiles and how the paint was chipping off the walls. Her mind wandered back to all the late nights with her friends watching movies, the Mario Party nights with her roommate, and the long Bible studies that the two had.  How thankful she was in that moment that God had blessed her with such a beautifully fun roommate that she got to talk about Jesus with. How many long laughs that the two had in the strangely small living space that she would dearly miss. The empty room then got filled with her friend’s presence with a soft creak of the oak floorboards, and her blue eyes met her friend’s green ones. It was time. Time to say goodbye. Silently, the two moved towards the kitchen, the dark brown walls, the green counters, and the very crooked floor filled her sight as she looked around.  The kitchen that held so many Jesus jam sessions and dance parties with her roommate. So many conversations and tears where the two had talked about their dreams, futures, and curiosities about where God would take them.  It was the room where she had made many new friends through filming a mayo commercial. The young woman would dearly miss how the floor was so loud that it could wake someone up. She stood there for a few moments before asking her friend if the two of them could go and pray over the five rooms that made up the house.  The two started with the bathroom, then moved to the living room, her roommate’s bedroom, and then her room. They took their time as she prayed to God about whatever was on her heart, part of her was trying to avoid the inevitable. Sooner or later, the two had made their way back into the large kitchen where she spoke her final prayer that she would ever pray in that house.  As she finished praying, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes for the last fifteen minutes began to fall, knowing that her time in that house was up. Her hands trembled as she struggled to get the key that was used to unlock the front door off its chain. The more she struggled, the more the tears fell because she knew she was saying goodbye to the house that had become a home in the last three years.  And while the curly-haired woman knew that a house was just walls and windows, she felt like she was saying goodbye to the memories that had made that house a home.  It was the house where she had come to Christ, where she had made so many new friends, and gotten to experience so many things that morphed her into the woman she now was. It wasn’t the walls that she was going to miss; it was the people, moments, and relationships that had developed because God had placed her in that house.  That house was a small glimpse of the season of life that she had gone through, which was now coming to a close. With a sunken heart, she set the house key onto the green countertop and made her way to the front door.  With the softest click, she closed the door to her home one last time. © Sierra Loew; UW Stout 2025 Graduate