There’s a Part of Us That Doesn’t Want to Change Scripture (ESV)“You stiff-necked people… you always resist the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 7:51 We’ve spent a lot of time talking about formation as something we want. But if we’re going to be honest, there are parts of us that don’t want it at all. We…
Unbelief Can Sound Very Christian Scripture (ESV)“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” — Hebrews 3:12 Unbelief is easy to picture as someone rejecting God outright. Hebrews makes the issue more uncomfortable because the warning is aimed at people…
Restlessness Makes You Move Before You Need To Scripture (ESV)“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” — Lamentations 3:26 I don’t like waiting when I think something should be moving. Most leaders don’t. When things slow down, we start wondering what needs fixed, who needs called, or what…
What Happens When You Might Lose It? “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” — 1 John 5:21 Idolatry sounds like something from another world until something important gets threatened. That’s when you start finding out what has been carrying more weight than you realized. Success can do that. So can reputation, money, a relationship, or…
When Capability Becomes the Problem Scripture (ESV) “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” — 2 Corinthians 3:5 One of the strange things about self-reliance is that it can grow out of something good. You become capable. People trust you. You’ve been…
When Fear Starts Making the Decision Scripture (ESV) “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 Fear is part of being human. I don’t think the goal is to become the kind of person who never feels it. That sounds spiritual, but it…
Yieldedness Is Daily Surrender Scripture (ESV) “Not my will, but yours, be done.” — Luke 22:42 Yieldedness returns here as daily surrender, where your will keeps meeting God’s will. Not as an idea. Not as a phrase we say because it sounds spiritual. As an actual confrontation inside the life. Yieldedness is what happens when…
Examination Is Not Beating Yourself Up Scripture (ESV) “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” — Psalm 139:23 Examination can go sideways fast. Some people avoid it completely because they don’t want to see what’s there. Others turn it into self-attack and call that spiritual maturity. Neither one…
Perseverance Is Practice After Resistance Shows Up Scripture (ESV) “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial…” — James 1:12 Perseverance has to be more than a nice word on a wall. It gets real when resistance shows up. Not always massive resistance. Sometimes it’s just the quiet pushback inside you when the practice…
Walking Is Where It Gets Real Scripture (ESV) “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” — Galatians 5:16 Walking doesn’t sound impressive. That’s probably the point. Paul doesn’t say sprint by the Spirit. He doesn’t say perform by the Spirit. He doesn’t say have one powerful moment by…
