Faithful Writers

Google Nano Banana You got saved. You repented. You prayed. You tried with everything in you. So why are you still fighting the same addiction your dad had? Why do you rage exactly like your mom did? Why does this pattern feel like it was waiting for you before you even made your first mistake? Here’s what nobody tells new Christians: Some battles you’re fighting weren’t yours to begin with. They were handed down. And if you keep treating inherited patterns like personal failures, you’ll spend years exhausting yourself with the wrong strategy. The Question That Haunts Struggling Believers “What’s wrong with me? I’m saved. I’m trying. Why can’t I stop?” You’ve deleted the apps. You’ve gotten accountability partners. You’ve confessed the same sin to the same people dozens of times. You’ve cried out to God, wondering if He even hears you anymore. And still, the pattern persists. Sometimes it even feels stronger after you get saved than it did before. That’s when the shame spiral starts: “Maybe I’m not really saved. Maybe God can’t use me. Maybe I’m uniquely broken." But what if the problem isn’t your salvation, your effort, or your brokenness? What if the problem is that you’re fighting a generational battle with personal weapons? The Biblical Reality Most Churches Don’t Teach Here’s what made everything click for me: Exodus 20:5 says God visits “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.” Read that again. The iniquity (sin) of the FATHERS visits the CHILDREN. For multiple generations. This isn’t about God punishing kids for their parents’ sins. It’s about spiritual patterns that get passed down through families. When someone in your family line opens a door to sin, it creates access. That access can be inherited. Your grandfather’s alcoholism? He gave destructive patterns a foothold. Your mother’s rage? She reinforced that access. Now you? You’re dealing with the consequences of doors you didn’t even open. That’s not your fault. But it is your fight. Why This Hits Different Than Regular Sin Personal sin feels manageable. You made a choice, you face consequences, you repent, you move forward. But generational patterns feel disproportionate. Like you’re not just fighting your mistakes — you’re fighting something older, deeper, and stronger than your personal involvement would explain. That’s because you are. When I finally understood this, everything shifted. Not because the battle ended (it didn’t), but because I finally knew WHAT I was fighting, which meant I could learn HOW to fight it. The Two Types of Doors You Need to Close This is the revelation: Not all sin patterns have the same source. Personal Doors: Sins YOU committed. Choices YOU made. Access YOU gave through your own actions. Started after you personally engaged You can trace it to specific choices The intensity matches your involvement Generational Doors: Patterns passed through your bloodline. Access the enemy gained through your ancestors’ choices. Existed before your involvement Other family members battle the same thing The intensity is way stronger than your actual involvement Different source = different strategy. You can’t repent for sins you didn’t commit. If your grandfather opened the door to alcoholism, that wasn’t your sin. But that door still affects you. That’s where this gets practical. How to Identify Which Doors Are Open Ask yourself three questions about each pattern you’re battling: 1. Does anyone in my family struggle with this? Think parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles. It might not be identical — alcoholism, drug addiction, and porn addiction are all expressions of the same root (addiction). Rage, control, and verbal abuse all stem from anger issues. 2. When did this pattern start? Was it there BEFORE you personally engaged? Did you feel the pull before you ever acted on it? Can’t remember a time when this wasn’t a struggle? 3. Is the intensity disproportionate? Does the pull feel STRONGER than your actual involvement? You only engaged a few times, but the compulsion is massive? Willpower fails no matter how hard you try? If you answered yes to these questions, you’re likely dealing with a generational component. The Prayers That Actually Close Doors For Personal Doors (sins you committed): Be specific. Name the sin. Own it completely. Repent (which means turn away, not just feel sorry). Receive God’s forgiveness. Then declare the door closed by the authority of Jesus Christ. No magic formula needed. Just honest confession, genuine repentance, and faith in Christ’s blood to cleanse. For Generational Doors (family patterns): This requires renunciation, not just repentance. You’re revoking the enemy’s access through your family line. You’re declaring that the cycle ends with you. Identify the family pattern. Acknowledge you didn’t open that door, but you’re affected by it. Renounce it (legal term meaning you revoke the agreement). Call on Galatians 3:13: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse.” Declare the generational door closed by Jesus’ blood. Here’s the key: Most patterns need BOTH prayers. Your family opened the generational door. Then you engaged personally. Now you have two doors open. Close your personal door through repentance. Close the generational door through renunciation. That’s the one-two punch that brings breakthrough. The Hard Truth About Family Matthew 10:36 : “A man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” Jesus said this. He was preparing you for a painful reality: The people you love most might become obstacles to your freedom. Not because they’re evil. But because your freedom exposes their bondage. Your change disrupts the family system. The enemy uses family dynamics as weapons. You might notice: Family members who mock your faith Relatives who tempt you back into old patterns Loved ones who enable through “concern” Gatherings that consistently trigger the pattern This isn’t about hating your family. It’s about recognizing that spiritual warfare often happens closest to home. Sometimes loving your family means stepping back. Not forever. Not with hatred. But for a season — so you can step UP into freedom. You can honor your parents while maintaining boundaries. You can love your siblings while protecting your breakthrough. Distance isn’t rejection — it’s a warfare strategy. What to Expect After You Pray Immediately: You might feel lighter. You might feel resistance. You might feel nothing. All of that is normal. Over days/weeks/3–6 months: The pull weakens (not gone, but less intense even if just by a noticeable bit). The pattern has less power. Temptation comes, but doesn’t control you like before. Be patient with yourself. Long-term: The pattern becomes manageable. Your bounce-back time gets faster. You’re walking in increasing freedom (not perfection, but progress). Important reality check: Closing the door doesn’t mean instant victory. It means you’ve removed the enemy’s legal access. Now you fight from authority and not oppression. The Part Nobody Wants to Hear This isn’t one prayer and done. Closing generational doors is a spiritual discipline you maintain. The enemy will test that door. He’ll try to get you to reopen it through agreement, sin, or doubt. So you keep reinforcing: When intrusive thoughts hit: “That door is closed. You have no access here.” When temptation feels generational: Pray for renunciation again. Reinforce the boundary. When family dynamics trigger the pattern: Declare your freedom. “The cycle ends with me.” Some battles require daily declaration. Others weekly. Some you pray once and never deal with again. The door stays closed as long as you don’t reopen it. And even if you slip back — even if you fall into agreement — you have the authority to close it again. Grace upon grace upon grace. Why This Matters for Your Future You’re not just fighting for yourself. You’re fighting for your kids. Your grandkids. Generations that haven’t been born yet. When you break the cycle, you don’t just free yourself. You free your entire family line going forward. Your children won’t inherit this pattern. Your grandchildren won’t battle what you battled. The dysfunction stops with you. That’s not just a personal victory. That’s generational transformation. The Romans 8:28 Reminder “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” All things. Even the pattern you’re battling. Even your family’s sins. Even the tears and falls and exhaustion. God’s using ALL of it for your breakthrough. You’re about to be the cycle breaker in your family line. The pattern ends with you. But you have to understand the source before you can fight the battle. You have to know whether it’s personal or generational. And you have to pray accordingly. This isn’t magic. This isn’t a formula that guarantees instant freedom. This is Biblical warfare based on understanding where the battle actually is. Your grandfather opened doors he didn’t know how to close. Your parents fought battles they didn’t understand. Now you have the knowledge they didn’t have. Use it. Fight with authority. Close those doors. Break the cycle. And watch God redeem generations through your obedience. What family patterns have you noticed in your own life? Have you ever considered that some struggles might be inherited rather than just personal choices? PS. If you’d like a more detailed guide on breaking generational sin patterns, I created a full breakdown on notion, access it here . © Ashneil

Pixabay and Canva Pro The safest way to avoid being transformed by Jesus is to keep him in the manger. Small. Quiet. Manageable. A baby. Peaceful. Contained. But the names given to Him in Scripture make that impossible.The Scripture won’t cooperate with that version. Maybe you already know (or don’t) the Christmas story doesn’t introduce Jesus. It reveals him . And it does so by the names it reveals. Names Are Never Just Names In the ancient world, names weren’t nicknames or placeholders. They were declarations. A name told you who someone was, what authority they carried, and what they were sent to do. To know a name was to understand that person’s calling. So when Scripture keeps piling names onto Jesus, it’s not being poetic. It’s being precise. Each name pulls back another layer. Christmas isn’t God saying, “Here’s a baby.” It’s God saying, “Here’s who’s been with you all along.” We Call Him Jesus — And Miss How Powerful That Is “Jesus” comes from Yeshua . It means “The Lord saves.” That’s not a hopeful wish. It’s a job description. The angel doesn’t say, “Name him Jesus because he’s sweet.”Instead, “Name him Jesus because he will save his people.” Not advise them. Not inspire them. Save them. Every time we say the name Jesus, we’re saying the problem is real — and so is the rescue. We Say “Christ” Like It’s a Last Name Christ isn’t a surname. It’s a title. It means “ The Anointed One.” In Israel, prophets were anointed. Priests were anointed. Kings were anointed. Jesus is all three — at once. He speaks truth. He absorbs sacrifice. He reigns. Before anyone rocked him to sleep, heaven had already crowned him. Emmanuel Was Not a Sentimental Idea Emmanuel means “God with us.” Not God watching .Not God sending instructions . But, God with us God who knew hunger, being tired, misunderstood, tempted, full of joy and also grieving. Christmas isn’t about God visiting humanity for a weekend.It ’s about God moving in. If Emmanuel is true, then God knows your fear from the inside — not as an observer, but as a participant. Prince of Peace Doesn’t Mean “Everything Is Fine” We hear Prince of Peace and think quiet, calm, and peaceful. That’s not what peace means in Scripture. Peace — shalom — means wholeness . Broken things put back together. Jesus doesn’t promise a trouble-free life. He promises God’s presence inside the trouble. That’s not decorative peace. That’s miracle-working peace. Savior and Redeemer Here’s the reality: a Savior rescues what can’t rescue itself. A redeemer — in Hebrew — is someone who buys back a family member from bondage. Redemption isn’t God tolerating you.It ’s God claiming you. The Real Lamb of God A lamb doesn’t conquer by force. It submits. That’s the scandal. Think about this for a moment: Jesus doesn’t overpower evil. He absorbs it. And somehow — against all instinct — that’s how it loses. If that doesn’t mess with our definitions of power, we’re not paying attention. The Light of The World Light exposes. It reveals. It disrupts darkness by existing. Jesus doesn’t just make life warmer. He makes it clearer. That’s good news — unless you prefer shadows, and I don’t think you do. Not really. Christmas Was Never Meant to Be Small The problem isn’t that we celebrate the baby. It’s that we stop there. The manger isn’t the point. It’s the doorway. This child is Savior, Redeemer, Light, Advocate, and King. He’s the same yesterday, today (right now at this moment in the circumstances of your life), and Forever. And every year, the story invites us to let him be as big as his names say he is. The Bottom Line Christmas doesn’t ask us to admire a baby.It asks us to reckon with a Savior. The names given to Jesus don’t exist to decorate the season or soften the story. They confront us with who actually showed up. Savior means we needed rescuing. Redeemer means we were in bondage. Prince of Peace means our lives are fractured. Light of the World means there is real darkness. Lamb of God means salvation costs something. If we reduce Christmas to sentiment, we avoid the implications. But if we take the names seriously, they offer our response. You don’t casually sing about a King. You don’t politely nod at a Redeemer. You don’t remain unchanged after meeting Emmanuel — God with YOU. The Christmas story isn’t meant to make us feel war m. It ’s meant to make us honest, humble, and vulnerable. It’s meant to point to the full scope of abundant life. Because if Jesus truly is who his names declare him to be, then Christmas isn’t something we observe once a year. It’s something we choose, daily. © Gary L Ellis Other stories you may want to read: Christmas Didn’t Belong To The Religious What happens when God speaks a language religion doesn’t approve The Christmas Story Challenges Nationalism Why the birth of Jesus refuses to stay inside borders, flags, or slogans

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, especially in light of the numerous excellent articles about shifting our mindset. There’s one mindset, in particular, I want to call attention to. On the surface, there’s technically nothing wrong with this layout. But, alas, we are human, and humans love to apply “value” where God did not. Let’s look at Genesis 2:21–22 “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” Then let’s walk back to Genesis 1:26 for a second. “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Emphasis on that they part. Men and women were created equal and given shared dominion over the earth. Ever wonder why a rib? Of all the bones in the body, he picked the rib. The rib is on the side. God didn’t take a bone from Adam’s foot; He purposely pulled the bone from his side. That symbolizes partnership and unity, not a hierarchy to be trampled on. Here is my point of view, perspective, mindset, or whatever you’d like to call it on this situation that I want to share. As a mother, I can tell you from experience, this is also a good way to look at this. There is such joy in giggling and conspiring with your child to pull off a surprise for their father, grandparents, or best friend, and they see and understand more than you will ever realize. You will share moments with them when they come up gently next to you and support you, usually in secret. A child’s hug when times are tough is all it takes to hold onto hope. I think parents would be left speechless at all the little things that go unseen that their children do in the effort to help their parent(s). No one was ever placed under another in the way humanity has interpreted and abused. Humanity built that chart of hierarchy and fed it to the world for so long that it’s gone beyond damaging families and Christianity; it’s fractured them. Turn on the news, and you’ll see the proof. There was never a bone taken out of Adam’s foot. It’s time to change the mindset and rewrite the chart the way God intended it. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash Every December, two great Christmas traditions return like clockwork. The first is the nativity scene, complete with its fresh straw, smiling donkeys, three politely kneeling kings, and Mary looking suspiciously serene for someone who has just given birth without pain relief. The second tradition is the annual round of newspaper headlines, TV documentaries, and Medium articles announcing, with tremendous seriousness, that everything you think you know about Christmas is wrong. “Jesus wasn’t born in a stable.”“The wise men weren’t kings.”“Mary didn’t ride a donkey.” I think they expect the nation to drop everything in shock at these revelations. The worst bit? Every year, people begin tying themselves in knots trying to defend or debunk these details, often with a level of scientific precision Luke was never aiming for. I find myself thinking the same thing: It really doesn’t matter. Not in the way we might fear. Because the Christmas story was never meant to be a forensic report. It’s theology told through history, not history dressed up as theology . The Gospel writers weren’t trying to satisfy twenty-first-century sceptics; they were trying to proclaim that God had stepped into the world, and that news changes everything , donkey or no donkey. So, just for a bit of seasonal fun, here are ten things we often assume are true about the nativity… but probably aren’t, and, crucially, why none of them weaken the story even slightly. 1. Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem This is the most beloved non-detail in the entire Bible. The Gospels never mention a donkey. Not one. Mary and Joseph most likely just walked. I know, that’s not nearly as romantic, and donkeys are cute, and all that, but it is practical. Why this doesn’t matter: Luke isn’t interested in modes of transport. His story is about faithfulness, courage, and unrelenting trust in God’s unfolding plan, whether on foot or four legs. 2. Jesus was born the moment they arrived: the dramatic “no room at the inn” rush Again, this is the nativity-play version. Luke simply says, “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.” “While they were there” could mean days, even weeks. Sadly, there was probably no frantic doorstep emergency with Mary doubled over while Joseph begged someone for a bed. Why this doesn’t matter: The point is not speed but incarnation . God arrives in the ordinary rhythms of life, not in a last-minute dramatic dash. 3. The birth happened in a wooden stable Sorry, I know it sounds rustically charming, but there’s really no stable mentioned at all. Most likely, they were staying in a family home, where the animals were brought into the lower room at night. The manger was simply a feeding trough close at hand. Why this doesn’t matter: The humility of the scene is unchanged. If anything, it makes the story even more human. God was born not in loneliness but in the midst of a crowded household. 4. The “inn” was like a first-century Travelodge What reinforces this is that the word Luke uses, kataluma , means “guest room,” not “hotel.” A family home, not a commercial business. Why this doesn’t matter: Once again, the point of the message is hospitality , not rejection . Jesus is born not because the world shut its doors, but because life was already full and overflowing. 5. The star hovered over the stable like a spotlight Matthew’s star is symbolic as well as astronomical, the kind of celestial sign ancient readers associated with kingship, destiny, and divine action. Some people get caught up trying to prove it was Halley’s Comet. But hovering over the stable? That’s a stretch. The wise men didn’t follow a celestial sat-nav; they followed prophecy and meaning. Why this doesn’t matter: Matthew isn’t giving a lesson in astrophysics. He’s announcing that heaven rejoices when God comes close. It’s symbolism, and beautiful at that. 6. The shepherds and wise men arrived together Christmas cards have lied to us for generations. Luke has shepherds. Matthew has Magi. Spoiler: they never meet, although if they did, I’d imagine it would be awkward. Oh, and the Magi probably arrived months, possibly even years, later. Yes, that does make Jesus a toddler. Yes, he probably bolted off as they walked in, as toddlers do. Why this doesn't matter: Each Gospel writer is emphasising something different: Luke highlights the poor and overlooked. Matthew highlights the outsiders and seekers. Together they reveal the wideness of God’s welcome. 7. There were three wise men Matthew never says three. We simply assume it because of the three gifts. Fair enough, but I’m fairly sure one wise man could hold more than one present. Why this doesn’t matter: The number isn’t the point. Their worship is. These strangers recognise what many locals fail to see: that God is doing something world-changing in that… room (not stable, remember) . 8. The wise men were kings That’s later Christian tradition. In the text, they’re Magi, which means they are astrologers, scholars and star-readers. Why this doesn’t matter: Matthew includes them because his audience would recognise echoes of Israel’s Scriptur es: nations streaming to the light, offering gifts to God’s chosen king. Crucially, he’s telling us who Jesus is , not writing a Wikipedia biography of the Magi. They are a side-plot, a brilliant one, but still a side-plot. Can you tell I was once a king in the school nativity play?! 9. Jesus was born on 25 December This trump card is brought out every December, as if it should reduce the faithful to pre-Christmas wrecks and force them to ditch their nativity sets. Clearly, it’s highly unlikely. To start with, shepherds don’t tend sheep outdoors at night in the coldest months. Early Christians may have chosen the date deliberately or symbolically to mark hope in darkness, or perhaps to supplant a pagan holiday. Why this doesn’t matter: The meaning of Christmas has never depended on the calendar. The point is that Christ is born and light breaks into the world. 10. The first Christmas was peaceful and silent We’ve all sung Silent Night enough times to imagine childbirth was a serene, candle-lit affair. It annoys me more than it should, as a father of three. In reality: noise, sweat, panic, relief — the whole earthy reality of bringing a baby into the world. Why this doesn’t matter: It might be the most glorious detail of all. God enters our world not clean and neat, but messy and embodied — just like the rest of us. So, Why Do Matthew and Luke Tell the Story This Way? This is where things get properly interesting. The differences between the Gospel accounts aren’t mistakes; they’re emphases . Each writer has a theological agenda, not in a manipulative sense, but in a pastoral sense. Luke’s purpose Luke writes for outsiders: people on the margins, Gentiles, those unsure if they belong. So he places the story among the humble, the poor, the unspectacular. His Jesus is good news for the lowly. His birth narrative echoes Mary’s song: “He has lifted up the humble.” Matthew’s purpose Matthew writes for a community wrestling with identity, Scripture, and fulfilment. His Jesus is the long-promised Messiah, the new Moses, the new David. So, he includes the Magi, the star, the royal symbolism, and the echoes of prophecy. Two perspectives, one truth God has come into the world. God is doing something new. God is drawing people in, the shepherd boy and the scholar, the faithful Jew and the foreign traveller. Neither writer is trying to satisfy modern scientific scrutiny nor write a textbook. They are preaching, proclaiming, and revealing. Why Debunking These Myths Doesn’t Weaken the Story, It Strengthens It This is the part people often overlook. Some Christians panic when the details are questioned, as if the whole thing might collapse like my wonky Christmas tree. Others become obsessed with proving that every detail must be historically perfect, as though the incarnation depends on winning a debate on BBC Radio 4. But the Gospel writers were not aiming for laboratory precision. They were telling a theological truth: God has stepped into human history. God has become vulnerable. God has drawn near. And that truth stands whether: Mary walked or rode Jesus was born in a stable or a downstairs family room The Magi came in three or thirty The date was December or April The incarnation is not fragile. It doesn’t fall apart when we ask questions. In fact, it becomes clearer, deeper, and more astonishing. Because when you strip away the traditions we’ve added, the donkeys, the shining stars and the tidy stable, what you’re left with is a story more grounded than any Christmas card: A teenage mother. A labouring couple far from home. A crowded house. A feeding trough. Ordinary people, ordinary chaos, extraordinary grace. God choosing the weakness of the world as the place to begin again. That, in the end, is the real miracle, one that no amount of myth-busting can diminish. If this reflection stirred something in you, I write daily pieces like this in my Sacred & Secular newsletter at www.sacredandsecular.co.uk — a quiet space for slowing down, listening, and paying attention to the God who still speaks. © Paul Ian Clarke Article first published in Sacred & Secular in Medium.

By guest writer Daniel Larimer . I frequently hear people say the rapture is “Imminent” and there is nothing left to be fulfilled before hand. And yet there is a prophecy which most people do not acknowledge, and often entirely dismiss, including most Rapture seeking Christians. Consider this Prophecy: … He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there. — Deuteronomy 30:3 I contend that this gathering is related to what Paul said in 2 Thes 2: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him…” Now most people will say that this was fulfilled in 1948 and the founding of the modern state of Israel; however, this ignores a major prior conditional part of the prophecy that must be fulfilled from the prior verse. When all these things come upon you… and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today, then… Deuteronomy 30:2 There are two things that have not happened: The Jews have not sought to Obey Everything with all their heart and soul. 77% of the population of Israel does not believe in God of Bible. Most Jews live outside of Israel The other tribes have not returned to Israel Furthermore, those whom he doesn’t gather will receive the curse set out in Deuteronomy and that curse has not taken place yet which suggests the gathering has not occurred yet. Then the LORD your God will put all these curses upon your enemies who hate you and persecute you. — Deuteronomy 30:7 This curse is the Tribulation. And the next generation, your children who rise up after you … will see the afflictions of that land … the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt … like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah … And all nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land?’ Then they will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD … therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled … and he uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day. — Deut 29:22–28 Or as Jesus’ said, “It will be as in the Days of Lot”. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot — they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all — so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. — Luke 17:28–30 Since this curse has not happened yet, the regathering of all people , from all nations who “ return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today ” is unlikely to have occurred 77 years ago. Consider who currently makes up Israel: Screenshot from author Now 73.4% Jewish is a broad brush that includes secular “Jews” who aren’t even religious and likely don’t even believe God exists. Here is the breakdown of the Jews: Screenshot from author Of this group, the Karaite Jews (0.5% of population) are Jews who only follow the Old Testament, the rest of the Jews are the descendants of the Pharisees who put the Talmud above Scripture . The Jews were scattered to the nations in a large part because of this Pharisee sect and this sect has not repented or changed its ways. If you take the 1.8% of Christians, here is their breakdown: Screenshot from author Here we see that most of the Christians in Israel follow the Pope over Scripture and that only 0.3% of the population are Jews that have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Therefore, the vast majority of people who Believe in Messiah and desire to obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am given them that day , are still outside the land of Israel (maybe 1–2 million people). I believe that this regathering occurs in the Rapture just before the Sudden Destruction as in the Day’s of Lot. The question everyone must ask, are you part of the people who have returned to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything Moses gave us that day? or are you part of those who persecute and mock those who have returned to the LORD and seek to obey His voice and everything Moses gave us? I believe this prophecy has been being fulfilled from basically no known followers at the start of 70th Jubilee cycle (~1975) to millions of adherents today. This is the number one fastest growing religious movement and it is developing spontaneously and independently all over the world without any central hierarchy. If this is the fulfillment, make sure you are on the right side because The Day of the LORD is at hand! Watch this Post with Commentary on YouTube © Daniel Larimer

By guest author Pastor Rich Bittermen The bell tower threw a long shadow across the quad.Flyers flapped on a corkboard…movie nights, climate rallies, and three printed rainbows promising “safe space, no shame.” A freshman in a hoodie stood there for a moment, thumbing through his phone. A headline blinked up from his screen: “1 in 5 Gen Z now identify as LGBT.” He didn’t flinch. He just shouldered his backpack, tucked the leather Bible deeper inside, and kept walking. A New Normal That Isn’t According to Gallup, 7.2% of all U.S. adults identify as LGBT . But among Gen Z, those born after 1997, that number has surged to 19.7% . Almost one in five. Not claimed in passing, but embraced, published, and pressed into every layer of public life. These are not secret sins or silent struggles. These are banners now, waved from classrooms, streaming platforms, and TikTok timelines. What once whispered from shadows now demands celebration in the streets. But the Word of God has not moved. It sits where it always has, solid and unblinking, like a stone in a river while the current rushes past in protest. So we must speak. Not with outrage, not with distance, but with urgency and tears. Behind Every Number, a Name A young man once sat across from me in the quiet of the church office. He stared at his coffee but never drank it. The Styrofoam cup trembled slightly in his hand. “Pastor,” he said, “do you think I’m ruined?” That’s what this conversation is really about. Not Gallup charts. It’s about souls. Souls who wonder if the gospel is big enough to reach them. Souls who are being catechized by a rainbow-washed world that says: “This is who you are. This is your truth. This is love.” We must be clear: not every person who feels this temptation commits this sin. And not every person who struggles in silence has been discipled in truth. But everyone, everyone, needs a gospel strong enough to save, and a church willing to sit with them long enough to show them Jesus. Temptation Is Not Identity Let’s make this unmistakably clear: Temptation is not identity. Inclination is not destiny. To feel a pull is not to be condemned.To practice the act is to disobey God. The Bible defines sin not by what we feel, but by what we do. Homosexuality, like adultery or drunkenness or greed, is a behavior that God condemns…not a personality trait, not a quirk of biology. Some are more inclined to it, yes. Just as others are more inclined to rage or addiction. But no one is born bound to sin. The gospel breaks every chain. The World Redefines; God Restores A culture that removes sex from covenant and morality has nowhere left to stand. Once sexual desire becomes a consumer product, no more meaningful than choosing carrots over Brussels sprouts, then marriage collapses, families fracture, and civilization forgets how to blush. Rome fell that way. So did Babylon. So, quietly, are we. When God’s design for sexuality is abandoned, what replaces it is not freedom but confusion. Not joy, but a restless ache that success and slogans cannot touch. The Ache Behind the Applause You’ll hear it said that the LGBT community is vibrant and strong. That they’ve found their place. That they’ve claimed their pride. But I have seen too many behind closed doors, long after the parade has ended, to believe it. They carry the ache of being misunderstood. The shame of wanting what they know to be wrong. The fear of growing old and being alone . What looks like celebration is often a cry for belonging. What sounds like confidence is often the soundtrack to an identity that will not hold. Romans 1 tells us plainly that when men and women trade God’s design for their own passions, there is judgment, but not just judgment in the future. The judgment begins now, in the form of confusion, futility, and the darkening of the heart. They are not just sinning.They have been sinned against. Such Were Some of You And yet this is not the end of the story. Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality… will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you.But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”-1 Corinthians 6:9–11 Some of them had been practicing homosexuals. Others had been caught in adultery, drunkenness, covetousness. Paul doesn’t separate them into levels. He simply points to the blood of Jesus and says: Washed. Sanctified. Justified. That is what the gospel does.It doesn’t sweep your past under a rug.It scrubs it clean.It doesn’t leave you nameless.It gives you sonship. That young man in my office? He’s not ruined. He’s redeemed. Friendship Is Not Fornication One of the great lies of our age is the confusion between intimacy and impurity. The world cannot imagine two men being close without being lovers. It cannot picture two women walking through sorrow and joy without assuming sin. But the Bible gives us David and Jonathan, a friendship so deep, so loyal, so bonded, that David would later write: “Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.” -2 Samuel 1:26 Not a hint of sin. Just God-given friendship.We must recover that category in the church. Deep, holy, covenant friendships that fight loneliness without fueling lust. Real companionship that welcomes a third person into the fold instead of shutting the door to protect hidden sin. When two walk together in Christ, and a third comes bearing the same heart-they are welcomed. That is friendship.When a third comes and is resented, resisted, and feared-lust may be lurking. Repentance Means Quit The message of Christ is not tolerance. It is transformation. The call is not to manage our sin. The call is to kill it. “Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.”-Isaiah 1:16–17 Repentance means quit . Quit now. Quit forever. Not by might. Not by therapy. But by the Spirit of the Living God. Do you feel powerless? Good. So did the man with the withered hand. Jesus said, “Stretch it out.” And when the command came, the power came with it. So it is with every sin. The moment you decide to obey, Christ supplies the strength. Avoid the places. Cancel the subscriptions. Confess to someone in the church who will hold you up with truth and love. Step into the light and let the light burn clean. For Parents Who Are Afraid To the mother reading this with tears…To the father who’s too broken to speak…You are not alone. Your child may be caught in this storm, but God is not blind and He is not finished. Do not compromise. But do not stop praying . Do not cut off the phone calls. Be the one who always answers. Be the one who keeps a chair at the table. Truth and love are not opposites. In Christ, they are inseparable. For the One Still Struggling If you feel the pull of same-sex attraction and wonder if there is a place for you in Christ- The answer is yes. If you have committed the act and wonder if grace can still reach you-The answer is yes.If you have fought the same temptation a thousand times and failed again-Come to Christ. He knows temptation. He felt it. He did not yield. And now He gives mercy to the tempted. “We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.” -Hebrews 4:15 He knows the exact shape of your ache.He knows what your tears taste like.And He’s not ashamed to call you His. A Call to the Church Do not flinch. Do not soften what Scripture has made clear . Do not smirk when others weep. Do not grow distant from those who struggle. The harvest is full of strugglers. The pews are not pure. We are all people being saved from something. This is not the hour for moral pride. It is the hour for gospel courage. Eternity Is Not a Theory One in five Gen Z now identify as LGBT. But behind that number is a soul. And that soul will live forever. The rainbow will fade. The slogans will age. But the Word of God will still be open. And the blood of Christ will still be enough. So we preach. We counsel. We cry. We repent. And we welcome. Because we were washed. Because we were sanctified. Because we were justified. And now we walk together toward the throne. © Pastor Rich Bitterman Originally published at https://richbitterman.com on September 3, 2025.

I don’t normally write holiday-themed articles, but I have a particular fascination with the Magi, and since it’s me, this won’t be “ normal.”  😉 Who Were the Magi? Let’s start with some basic definitions. Magi :  Of foreign origin (Rab-Mag); a Magian, i.e. Oriental scientist; by implication, a magician — sorcerer, wise man.  ( Rab-mag :  Chief Magi, Chief of the Magi, or Chief Officer) This word, Magi, immediately sparks my curiosity. Why in the world would Matthew write about them in conjunction with Christ when that word generally translates to “magician,” which seems contradictory to Biblical warnings against sorcery? That question pulled me into this rabbit hole because, in my experience, the Bible never includes details without a purpose. Were the Magi Believers? I won’t pretend to know every detail of these specific Magi’s beliefs, but Scripture gives us strong clues about their emotional state that is relevant to understanding them. “have come to worship him.”  (v. 2) “They were overjoyed.”  (v. 10) “They bowed down and worshiped him.”  (v. 11) God warned them in a dream, and they obeyed. (v. 12) Some argue that they only recognized a significant child but not the Messiah, or they were simply curious. But in these few verses, we can see a distinct emotional response happening: worship, rejoicing, prostration, and discernment.  Nothing about their story is a passive reaction to a mere child, which is why I believe these Magi were genuine believers. What Did They Know and When? The Magi would have known about the details of the prophecy through either Micah’s  or   Daniel’s  prophecy, or both. We will never know 100% which source or sources were used, but we know they knew. Here is the timeline: Daniel’s prophecy → 500-ish years before Christ Micah’s prophecy → 700-ish years before Christ That’s an extraordinarily long time for a different culture to preserve, hold onto, and wait for another culture's prophecy to show up. This shows me: Belief and faith Generational transmission of that belief And awareness of a coming king outside of Jewish circles We often think that knowledge of God was localized in and around a small area at the time, but here we see that this is not the case. We will never know for sure who and how far this may have spread. Persian empires were powerhouses, including the Parthian Empire, which is the era these Magi are from. Persians were also unusual in how they treated conquered races: they did not squash their culture or religious practices (think Esther and Mordecai). This makes it entirely plausible that prophecies or religious knowledge of God traveled farther than we often assume, especially since they traded with everyone from China to India. I’m claiming it was a major spread of any kind, but it may have been just enough of a sprinkling that helped things along years later. Dr. Kaveh Farrokh Where Did the Magi Come From? We actually have a decent ballpark idea of where they came from for two reasons. (the second one is the cincher) First, we are told: “from the east,”  and that starts to make sense when you know that Daniel was in Babylon when he had his vision, which was later conquered by Persia while he was still there, and he stayed. A general history to help Now, I’m not lumping these particular Magi who came to see Christ in with ALL  the other Magi and their practices of the time. They stand apart simply by what they did. But we do need some general context about the group as a whole. Many (probably a majority)  did mess around with what we know are occult practices, such as talking to the dead, cursing people, or predicting the future. None of that is disputed historically. But we also know they were well-known and respected for their intelligence. They were an esteemed priestly caste who studied math, philosophy, science, astronomy, teaching, and medicine. And they served as royal advisors and were heavily involved in politics. The Cincher Reason number 2 of how we can tell where they were from the Parthian Empire. Because Herod freaked out. By this point in history, the Magi were an extremely powerful priest ly caste. One o f their literal jobs was appointing or removing kings; that’s how influential they were. So when they showed up at Herod’s door, asking, “ Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? ”  Herod panicked. He didn’t know whether they were there to threaten his already thin claim to the throne or start a war, and the fact that they were looking for Christ was a problem because of the authority they carried. Their search for and acknowledgment of a king was a direct threat to his throne. Also, they would not have shown up with just three people and a couple of pack camels. Persians, especially high-ranking ones, did not  know the meaning of traveling light or in small numbers. The threat to Herod would have been palpable in the air to an already mean ruler; that’s why he reacted as violently as he did and had all those male children slaughtered. “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” Matt 2:16 The Significance of Their Visit Now we come to the part that I personally feel is so significant in this whole situation. When the Magi found Christ, (child, not baby)  they bowed and worshiped Him. They recognized His kingship and publicly acknowledged it among a Gentile group. God didn’t need  anyone to legitimize Jesus, but He allowed it to happen. This is why Matthew includes the story: their visit wasn’t incidental. Their presence demonstrates: Gentile recognition before Jewish acceptance Fulfillment of ancient prophecies Christ’s kingship was acknowledged by the powerful of the earth God was already weaving Gentile nations into Christ’s mission Their gifts weren’t random either. The gold alone supported the family’s flight to Egypt. All told, their story reminds me that God’s work is far-reaching, intricate, and deliberately timed. Why This Matters While none of this is essential to our salvation, understanding the historical and cultural context deepens appreciation for Scripture. These seemingly small narrative threads reveal the complexity of God’s plan. The Magi weren’t some random filler detail. Their appearance signaled a turning point: Gentiles from a powerful foreign priesthood recognized Jesus’ kingship long before His own people did. Exploring these details feels like embarking on a historical adventure with God as my tutor, discovering how He has woven layers into His story that we often overlook. A Final Note Just as parables contain multiple layers of meaning, this account does too. I’ve only addressed a few of the many insights that can be drawn from the Magi’s appearance in Matthew. For another great perspective, check out The Little Scandal Hidden in the Christmas Story by James W. Miller. Also check out this article by Richoka   The significance of the direction “East” in the Scriptures © Jane Isley

Photo by Inbal Malca on Unsplash If you were inventing a Messiah story for Jewish readers in the first century, there is one group of people you would absolutely not include as the first outsiders to recognize Him — Zoroastrian astrologers. And yet, there they are. Not shepherds from a rival tribe, not philosophers from Athens, not priests from Egypt. Magi — Persian mystics, sky-watchers, religious foreigners whose theological DNA came from the ancient teachings of Zoroaster. If the Christmas story were propaganda, this would be its weakest plot point. Which is exactly why it’s probably its strongest evidence of authenticity. Who Were the Magi, Really? The word magi comes from the Persian religious class tied to Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic faiths. By the time of Jesus’ birth, Zoroastrianism had shaped the spiritual imagination of the entire Persian Empire, which, not incidentally, once ruled over Israel. These were not “three dudes on camels.” That idea comes later. Matthew never gives a number. He gives a category: a priestly order of astronomer-theologians who were trained to read the heavens as revelation. And this detail matters: the Magi were not Jewish, not Christian, and not trying to fulfill Israel’s Messianic expectations. Yet somehow, they saw something in the sky that told them a king had been born among the Jews . That should make us pause. Why This Detail Is So Theologically Inconvenient Let’s say you were inventing a Jewish Messiah story, tacking on a divine narrative about your hero, Jesus of Nazareth, who was just a moral teacher and a martyr, but whom you wanted to glorify. The clean version would look like this: • Jewish prophecies • Jewish signs • Jewish witnesses • Jewish recognition Instead, Matthew ruins the safe narrative. The religious insiders in Jerusalem are confused. Herod is terrified. The priests know the scriptures but don’t move. The only people who actually travel toward the Christ are pagan sky-watchers. That is not how myths are engineered. That is how memory works. Awkward details survive when invention would have edited them out. Zoroastrianism and Christianity: Unsettling Parallels Here’s where things get even stranger. Zoroastrian theology, long before Christianity, already believed in: One supreme Creator God A real spiritual enemy (evil as personal, not just abstract) A coming world-renewing savior figure Who is born to a woman in an unusual way A final judgment A resurrection of the dead The restoration of the world through fire and light Sound familiar? When the Magi saw a king’s birth inscribed in the heavens, they were not interpreting the sky randomly. They were interpreting it through a theological framework that already expected history to be rescued, not merely repeated. Christianity didn’t borrow its theology from Zoroastrianism, but it did arrive into a world already primed for it. Which raises the question, “ What if God had been preaching to the nations long before the nations knew His name?” The Most Offensive Kind of Grace There’s another problem the Magi create for clean religious storytelling: They worship correctly without converting first. No circumcision No ritual cleansing No Torah vows No temple sacrifice. They simply arrive, kneel, and give gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for someone who will die. They understand His identity better than the people with the scriptures. That’s not flattering to religion. It’s devastating. Why This Detail Shouldn’t Exist If Christianity Were Invented Fake religious stories tidy things up. They make heroes pure, and they make enemies obvious. White and black hats and so forth. They make recognition come from the right people. The Magi ruin all of that. They come from the wrong nation and practice the wrong religion. They read the wrong book and use forbidden methodology (astrology!). But still arrive at the right Christ. Which leaves us with an uncomfortable possibility: this story was not designed to flatter Israel. It was designed to tell the truth. Even when the truth made the home team look bad. The Quiet Christmas Claim We Miss The Magi contribute something radical into the Christmas story. God was not silent outside Israel. Revelation was not limited to one language. Christ was not only awaited by prophets, but by stars, meaning nature itself. Foreigners got it right first. If you were inventing this story, you would never write it this way . Which is why, against all tidy religious instincts, I think someone simply reported what had happened. © James W. Miller First published in Catharsis Chronicles on Medium.

Photo by Chaozzy Lin on Unsplash Introduction I don’t usually watch “R-rated” movies, but I made an exception to watch this one because I was intrigued by its plot of rebellion, revenge, and justice. If you plan to watch this movie, you will need to use VidAngel (a streaming service linked to other platforms like Netflix that allows you to filter content) to block profanity and be aware that there is quite a bit of violence, especially at the end. Let’s examine how this movie parallels today’s social and political issues. Background This movie was released in 2006. The first scene shows an audience of townspeople staring at a man about to be hanged on the gallows. It turns out he is Guy Fawkes , a co-conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot who was caught trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London on November 5th, 1605. I learned about the Gunpowder Plot after watching the movie because I wanted to understand the historical context it was based on. It was a conspiracy led by English Roman Catholics who tried to assassinate King James I and restore Catholic rule in England. The failure of the plot is still celebrated today with bonfires and fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night. “V” is a masked vigilante whose own quest for vengeance against the oppressive “Norsefire” regime was inspired by the Gunpowder Plot, which was an attempt to bring down a tyrannical government. Just as Guy Fawkes became a symbol of defiance against oppression, “V” represents the oppressed masses and their suffering under the current government’s harsh rule. He was tortured at Larkhill, a concentration camp where people were experimented on in a secret program to create a weaponized virus. He escaped when a fire destroyed the premises, disfiguring him permanently, and instilling in him a broiling vendetta to bring down the government that experimented on him. A Foreshadowing of Christian Persecution Today This movie powerfully depicts what happens when a society abandons truth, rejects God’s authority, and replaces moral conviction with state-controlled ideology. Many believers see in the film a symbolic warning about how persecution can grow in a culture based on Humanism that drifts away from biblical foundations. The totalitarian regime “Norsefire” attempted to shape every aspect of its citizens’ lives, their thoughts, speech, morality, and identity. In Scripture, any authority that seeks to replace God ultimately becomes oppressive (see Daniel 3; Acts 5:29). Some Christians see a parallel in today’s governments. When governments or institutions claim the right to redefine morality, biblical conviction becomes countercultural, unpopular, unwelcome, even hated. People who spoke the truth were mocked, censored, or imprisoned. Jesus warned His followers that the world would reject truth and hate those who bear witness to it (John 15:18–20). For many believers, the movie echoes the growing cultural pressure to remain silent about biblical teachings on sin, righteousness, and salvation. The government redefined morality to fit its cultural ideology. They determined what was “acceptable” and punished anything that contradicted their narrative. They maintained power by weaponizing fear, fear of disease, terrorism, social instability, and “the other.” The state manufactured crises and then positioned itself as the sole source of safety. (Doesn’t this sound familiar?) Isaiah 5:20 warns of a time when people will call evil good and good evil. Moral disagreement turned into moral condemnation in this film. This should be a wake-up call to Christians not to let fear rule them (2 Timothy 1:7) nor let it suppress their faith. The film’s central question, which remains deeply relevant today, is: How much freedom are citizens willing to trade for the promise of safety? Religious conviction was targeted, and religious groups were quietly removed, marginalized, or criminalized. This reflects a spiritual truth: wherever Christ’s lordship is rejected, hostility toward His people tends to follow (2 Timothy 3:12). While full persecution varies by country, the film reminds believers that spiritual opposition often begins not with violence but with subtle exclusion. Tactics of Control In the film, the media was manipulated and controlled through the government’s propaganda network, “The BTN”. Stories were rewritten to suppress dissent, and citizens received information designed to distract or deceive. In today’s culture, the struggle over truth has intensified, especially with the Humanist battle cry, “Truth is Relative.” The government used surveillance technology to track individuals and collect data to stave off dissent. These tactics parallel current technologies, which continue to erode individual privacy. Today’s digital systems provide unprecedented data about individuals: location tracking, biometric databases, predictive policing algorithms, and AI-driven monitoring. Governments and corporations alike possess capabilities that far exceed what the film imagined in 2006. The film contains an element of romance in the character of Evey, a young woman rescued by “V” from thugs at the beginning of the movie. She learns through her relationship with “V” that apathy and fear enable tyranny. She sees ordinary citizens tolerating government abuse because they feel that resistance would be dangerous or futile. Conclusion Nearly two decades later, the film’s themes feel uncomfortably familiar. In this film, we see how fear is used to maintain government control, and the question of trading security for freedom is posed. V for Vendetta doesn’t predict the future, but it reflects a biblical pattern: when truth is suppressed, when power replaces God, and when fear governs a culture, persecution is never far behind. This film inspires me to stand firm, speak truth in love, and remain faithful to the Gospel, even in a world that may grow increasingly hostile to it. © Debra Hodges

There’s a moment most of us know too well. Your chest feels tight. Your mind is foggy. You’re juggling responsibilities, relationships, finances, deadlines, emotions — trying to run your life like a neat little spreadsheet — and suddenly everything sloshes over the rim like an overfilled cup. Now that’s “overwhelmed.” And I’ve been there more than once. And the overflow never sends a polite permission to come to your house. When life piles higher than your capacity It’s tempting to assume the solution is to stretch yourself thinner, work harder, hustle longer, squeeze in one more hour, one more mental calculation, one more attempt to hold it all together. You try to widen your grip. You even tell yourself that feeling overwhelmed is a sign of a lack of faith. You imagine that God expects you to hold all the pieces somehow perfectly as you’re doing your best to juggle 15 things at once. But here’s the thing: Scripture doesn’t paint God as a drill sergeant handing out burdens. When life spills over, He steps in as the One who holds what you can’t. The overflow isn’t ours to manage. He hears our cries beneath the chaos David prayed this: “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You, as my heart grows faint. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:1–2 David wasn’t writing from an organized office with his to-do list knocked out. He was worn. Overflooded. Faint-hearted. He said, “Lead me to the Rock higher than I.” Why? Because when you’re drowning, you need something solid to stand on.Something stronger than your feelings.Something taller than your problems. God doesn’t tell David, “Well, just do better. Try harder. Get more disciplined.” Instead…He lifts. He carries. He becomes the stable ground under shaking legs and wobbling feet. When your heart is faint, God is not sizing you up — He’s holding you up. He steps into the stress and confusion as the Rock that rises above the waters. The God who strengthens the depleted Isaiah didn’t say God strengthens the already strong. He said this instead: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:29–31 Weary. Weak. Bone-tired. Soul-exhausted. When you’re overwhelmed, don’t assume God is disappointed. He is actually leaning toward you. Because He specializes in people at the end of their own ropes. The promise isn’t, “If you hustle enough, you’ll feel strong again.”The promise is, “If you hope in Him, He renews.”He replants. He restores. He lifts enough weight off your shoulders that you can breathe again. Let’s be honest: sometimes being overwhelmed isn’t a failure. It’s evidence that life is too heavy to carry alone — and that God never asked you to. When Peter began to sink Remember the story of Peter stepping out of the boat? (Matthew 14:22–33) Bold. Confident. He took real steps on actual water. And then…He felt the wind on his face. He saw the waves that looked like mountains. He realized how fragile his own courage was. And he started to slip under the water. “Lord, save me!” And what was Jesus’ response? He immediately reached out His hand and caught him. Immediately. Not after a lecture. Not with an eye roll. Not with a disappointed look. Just a compassionate hand.Strong. Present. Steady enough to hold a sinking man. Peter didn’t cough out a perfect prayer. He didn’t list out five strategies or try to figure out floating techniques. He simply called for help, swallowed some seawater, and stretched out his hand. And Jesus met him right there in his panic. Please hear me. God isn’t waiting for us to prove how durable and wise we are. He’s waiting for you to reach out, even if your arm is trembling with fear. Overflow isn’t failure We treat being overwhelmed as if it’s a character flaw: “ If I really trusted God, I wouldn’t feel this way.” “ If I were strong enough, I’d juggle all this just fine.” But sometimes the overflow is an invitation. A holy interruption. A reminder that your capacity isn’t limitless — and was never supposed to be. God made humans, not machines. There’s a reason Scripture talks about the Shepherd who carries, the Father who shelters, the Rock who holds. Because He knew life would exceed your emotional bandwidth. There are weeks you cannot organize your way out of. There are days when grief piles up faster than you can process. There are seasons where responsibilities multiply while your inner capacity shrinks. And in those moments, His answer is not shame — it’s support. When the cup spills, He catches it. When your strength dips, He supplies His. When your faith wobbles, He steadies our steps. We don’t have to manage the overflow. We hand it over to Him. In fact, He actually doesn’t say “hand them over,” He says cast your cares on Me. Cast is a much more aggressive word. The problem is that sometimes, in the handing over, we hold on to part of the burden, thinking it’s our responsibility to fix. If we play a part, He will show that to us. He is our helper. Our wise partner. He knows what we can and can’t do. Stop trying to reinforce yourself We often patch our cracks with hurry and self-talk: “ I just need to think more positively.” “ I’ll push harder tomorrow.” “I’ll figure this thing out.” But God never once said , “Pull yourself together.” He said, “Come to Me.” He said, “Cast your cares.” He said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, “ His strength finds its fullest, most complete expression where you’ve run out of yours.” In God’s Kingdom, our weakness is not a liability Let Him Steady You If you’re overwhelmed today, here’s the permission you might need: You don’t have to sort it all. You don’t have to stand taller than the storm. You don’t have to prove you’re enough. You turn your face toward the One who already is more than enough. Your prayer doesn’t need to be fancy. Just, “Lord, help.” That simple cry pulled Peter out of the water. It can pull you out of what’s drowning you, too. Let God be the Rock higher than your circumstances. Let Him renew what’s depleted. Let Him catch the overflow you cannot hold. And when the waters rise, remember this: the One who saved Peter from the waves has not forgotten how to rescue people who feel like they’re sinking. The overflow is safe in His hands. And so are you. © Gary L Ellis