If what you’re being taught isn’t moving you to be centered in Christ and living out love then it’s not God. Keep testing what you hear against what John teaches us in 1 John 4 and keep testing it. It’s ok to wonder and ask questions when it comes to building your spiritual life. Everything God does flows from love and that’s how you know it’s God. If that’s not what you’re experiencing then maybe it’s time to renovate your spiritual life and test your foundation against who God is and what Jesus lives out in scripture.

It’s none of my business what atheists teach their children, I know. And I have enough to do rearing my own five sons. But occasionally one will hear advice so bad it must be answered. In this case, the advice is for atheists to “lie” to their children about the existence of God.  In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal psychoanalyst Erica Komisar notes upward rates of anxiety and depression among children and adolescents and argues that much of this can be explained by the decline of religious observance. And she has the data to back up her claims—showing how belonging in a religious community lowers risks for mental illness. She further expresses alarm at the fact that the last twenty years have seen a 20 percent drop in attendance of religious services and that nearly half of under-thirty adults report no religious affiliation at all. This, she contends, makes for trouble.  “Nihilism is fertilizer for anxiety and depression, and being ‘realistic’ is over-rated,” she writes. “The belief in God—in a protective and guiding figure to rely on when times are tough is one of the best kinds of support for kids in an increasingly pessimistic world.”  On this much, we agree.  Komisar’s counsel goes awry, though, when she discloses her advice for parents on how to talk about death if they don’t believe in God or life after death: “Lie.” The alternative is to tell children that they will simply die and turn to dust, which is harmful for children’s ability to cope. Religion, on the other hand, will give children community, a sense of meaning, values of empathy and compassion, and will protect them from anxiety and depression. So even if there’s no God, no heaven, we should tell children there is.  This is terrible advice.  First of all, many people already follow this pattern. Religion as a means-to-an-end is endemic in American culture. Go to a funeral in the more religious areas of the country and listen to what people say, “She’s in a better place,” or “He’s not suffering anymore,” or “Aren’t you glad that Aunt Gladys is in heaven now with Jesus.” Many of these people do not give much thought at all in their daily lives to what God asks of them, or what it takes to inherit eternal life. This is simply what one says to give comfort to the grieving.  But the end-result of all of this is not psychological well-being, but a loss of integrity. How can a child trust a parent who intentionally lies about something as monumental as whether the universe is the creation of a loving Father or a random collection of particles whirling toward nothing? The end result of this is cynicism. In fact, I would argue that the secularization that the psychoanalyst and I would together lament is driven by just this sort of cultural means-to-an-end religion. If a generation believes that religion is just a substitute for something else—political power, national identity, social control, or even just shortcut parenting—they will not just abandon it, but resent it too.  Moreover, great damage is done to a person who says something they don’t believe in order to get the results that they want. This is moral injury, not effective cultivation of the next generation.  So what should atheists say to their children, to protect them from the sort of nihilism that leads to despair? Well, I doubt they will want to hear this from an evangelical Christian, but I will give my counsel here anyway. Question why your beliefs lead to nihilism and despair. Examine the sort of love that you have for your children, the reasons you want them to avoid depression and anxiety. Ask why the loss of a sense of a transcendent Father God has left so many with a sense of meaninglessness. And then follow those signposts where they lead. I believe they lead right to a transcendent Father God who created and holds all things together in the person of Jesus Christ.  Don’t lie to your children. If you don’t know what you believe yet, tell your children that. Yes, religion can give a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, a way out of the anxiety of our present age. But it can only do this, ultimately, if it is true. The Christian tradition has said this all along: “If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile” (1 Cor. 15:17).  Listen instead to the witnesses through the ages—including witnesses to an empty tomb—who point to the sort of reality that makes sense of joy and despair, of hope and of grief, of our sense of guilt and of our clamoring for forgiveness. It’s all there, and it’s good news.  That’s no lie.  www.russellmoore.com

I want to talk about the difference between resting to restore versus just resting, why rest alone is often not enough, and how to use a Neurocycle to effectively and sustainably restore your mind and brain. How many of you have ever binge-watched a Netflix show because you desperately needed a break, only to feel completely unrested the minute the binge ends? How many of you went on that weekend break or holiday, and came back feeling like you are still exhausted, even though you spent hours lying on that beach and going for long walks in beautiful scenery? If this sounds familiar, you are not alone! Indeed, finding ways to rest well can be incredibly challenging — it is a recurring challenge in my life. Although there is a ton of information out there (just look at how many social media posts are encouraging you to make self-care a routine part of your regimen!), so many people are still exhausted and burned out. It seems like almost every day I get a new article or research notification telling me how bad things are! So, what can we do? Is there hope? Although this may sound counterintuitive, rest has so much to do with the mind. Regardless of what technique we use or thing we do to rest, if we can’t manage what is going through our heads, it can backfire on us, leaving us feeling tired and downcast. To do this, I recommend doing a Neurocycle, the scientific mind-management process I have developed and researched over the past three decades and discuss in my upcoming book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess and in my latest clinical trials. These 5 steps can help you learn how to rest well—speaking from experience. Recently, I started using the Neurocycle daily to find out why I was still having frequent periods exhaustion and burn-out. I knew the main reason why I felt this way was because of the issues I was dealing with in my business and family—I knew the root cause and was analyzing this because I try to live a mind-managed lifestyle (I really do apply my own system in my life!). I also have an incredible relationship with my husband—we live and work well together. I do daily fasted workouts and hot yoga, I eat real food mindfully, I have daily infrared sauna sessions, and really do try to take care of my mind and body. But still I was not truly resting, and I kept saying “I am so exhausted”. I couldn’t seem to catch my “mental breath”, so I knew something else was going on as well, and that I needed to dig deeper to find the vein of that root in my life. So, starting on Jan 1st, for around 7 minutes a day, I went through the 5 steps of the Neurocycle (gather, reflect, write, recheck and active reach—see below) to find out why I was not feeling rested even though I was taking “breaks” and living a mind-managed lifestyle. This is what I did daily: Step 1: Gather In this step, I gathered awareness of the rest I had that day and my physical and emotional warning signals, behaviors and perspectives. Step 2: Reflect I then asked, answered and discussed why I am feeling the way I do, based on what I became aware of in step 1. Step 3: Write I then wrote my answers down to help me organize my thinking and gain more clarity into how I felt that day and why. To do this, I used a Metacog, a way of writing that is naturally and instinctively based on how we try to work out meaning from information. In this method, I focus on the essentials, which is usually around 15 to 35 percent of the information we are processing. For more on this, see my book Think, Learn, Succeed. Step 4: Recheck In this step, I did what I call a “mental autopsy”. I rechecked what I wrote on my Metacog, looking for patterns and triggers, and thought about why I felt the way I did and how I can do better. Step 5: Active Reach Lastly, I worked out an action for the day from my recheck, which would help me practice what I learnt about myself and my need to rest better that day. Today is day 34—I still have 29 days of practice left to establish this thought as a habit in this 63-day cycle. However, I was so excited at what I have discovered thus far, which is helping me enormously, that I wanted to share it with you in this podcast and blog. I noticed the obvious pretty quickly, which was that I still wasn’t taking sufficient time out, and had been swinging between a heavy workload, financial strain, and a family crisis. I addressed this through my active reaches daily by taking time alone in the sauna and having long, hot baths at night. However, I was still battling with exhaustion. So, what was going on here? What was I doing wrong? My “ah-ha” moment came around day 14 (two weeks in): I had learned how to build rest into my routine, but I still wasn’t fully restoring! So, for the next week, days 15-21, I embraced, processed and reconceptualized this realization using the 5 steps of the Neurocycle until I worked out how to rest to restore versus just rest. And this is what I want to share with you now: Let’s begin with the definition of restoration. Restoring is a transitive verb; it means to give back, to return, to put or bring back into existence and use…to renew. The opposite of restoration is to weaken, undermine, cripple, undo, depress, split or dull. Rest, on the other hand, is defined as ceasing of activity to relax and refresh, or to recover strength. I recognized that, by days 19-21, I was getting the rest bit right, but I had missed the restore element. I wasn’t watching what my chaotic mind was doing while I was resting! So, for example, when I binged watched Netflix in my infrared sauna or with my family, or went to an exercise class, or had fun with my family, I was resting physically, but not restoring. Deep down, I was still worrying about a family member, the work I had to do, how this person was going to react to that person and how could I prevent it and all these things! Instead of allowing my mind and brain to renew and return to baseline, thus bringing coherence back into my mind, I was weakening, undermining and undoing my rest, which was impacting me mentally and physically. After realizing this, I came up with four active reaches I have been doing daily to rest to restore: 1. Taking more thinker moments Research shows that we spend half to ¾ of our day in our minds and time-traveling through our thoughts and memories. How we do this can either help or harm our ability to rest well, which is why it is important that we take what I call “thinker moments” throughout the day. These are periods where we let our minds wander and daydream, which help us rest and restore because they give our brains the downtime they need to function optimally. When we let our minds wander, we internally reboot our thinking, giving our internal dialogue some quality “me time”. I have found that the best way to have a thinker moment is to close your eyes and allow your mind to release a free flow of thoughts creatively for 5 minutes. I find that having pen and paper at hand is useful during this process, so you can write down the thoughts that are flowing freely and their direction, as well as the thoughts you keep coming back to that are stealing your peace, which you can then work on in a separate Neurocycle. 2. Avoiding “milkshake” multi-tasking Multi-tasking is really not good for the brain. Even though we can do it, our minds aren’t good at this kind of scattered, jumpy thinking. It draws energy from our brain and creates something akin to a dust storm in our minds, which can affect our mental and physical health. When we multitask, we end up with what I call “milkshake thinking”, which is the opposite of mindfulness. Every rapid, incomplete, and low quality shift of thought makes a “milkshake” with our brain cells and neurochemicals, which is the opposite of how the brain is designed to function. When we consciously try to jump rapidly from one task to another, we essentially cloud our ability to concentrate and think deeply, which impacts our ability to do a task well, leading to unnecessary levels of anxiety and stress in our life. If you are anything like me, sometimes it is hard to resist the temptation to multi-task when resting. However, I realized that when I consciously made an effort not to multi-task (I did a Neurocycle on this too!), I really did feel more restored and renewed. 3. Making my rest periods about myself, not other people. I came to the realization that I need to make my rest periods about my rest, and stop letting other people pull on my energy reserves. Indeed, you can’t help someone or deal with them if they are on your mind all the time, because it will wear you down. I also realized that being around negative people resulted in poor restoration. I needed to balance my time with healthy people and healthy, happy conversations, and I needed to enforce my own boundaries. 4. Practicing self-regulation. I realized that I felt more restored if I prepared myself mentally before whatever rest activity I was going to do, and self-regulated my thinking during my periods of rest to make sure I appreciated every moment. I would ask myself questions like “what am I thinking of now?”, “Is this bringing me mental peace?” and “Can I solve it now? If yes, then solve it and move on, and if no, then set a later time to deal with it”. www.drleaf.com.

This compelling message reassures us that God’s goodness will pursue us relentlessly throughout our lives. Psalm 139 said He has every day formed in advance. It is His sovereignty and power that decides our future. Because He is a Good Shepherd, we need not fear death. We can truly be fearless. The Valley of the Shadow: Trusting God We need to trust in the Word of God. When I get ready to speak there are several questions I ask myself. The first is: 1. Am I depending on the H.S. power or my own cleverness. Is it all my illustrations, jokes. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and God is in me supernaturally. The Lord is my Shepherd-what is there to fear? The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead, we have the assurance that God is going to speak through me. You are scared of so many things. He wants to show us that He is our Shepherd. Picture of people with absolute confidence, absolute peace. I used to feel weird asking people to pray for me. Paul is asking for prayer for boldness. Paul when you look in the Book of Acts, constantly praying for the boldness. Acts 4:29, Lord, look upon their v.31 They prayed in this room so that we will not be scared. That’s not a popular message. When they prayed, something happened, the room shook. They spoke with boldness. Peter and John and the early believers prayed for that. When they saw the boldness of the early believers and were astonished. Are people astonished by your boldness? Some of us are very educated in Scripture. But I see people who know the Word but don’t speak up. Phil 1:27 Manner of life may be worthy. Copy that passage. When people see us fearless, they are going to believe. When we are united, striving side by side for the gospel. They see their courage. Clear sign. Secure in their Shepherd, go through the most difficult things in life. Experienced the real thing. No surprise that Satan would want to keep us quiet. Is there any reason why God would cause this room to shake? We want the spirit filling that God would use a human being and empower him with his spirit so that there will be life-change. God I thank you for prayer. Raise up an army in Ventura, love each other. Fighting for the Gospel, your Story, Jesus Christ, died, risen, ascended, Judge and dwelling with us forever. Because of the resurrection, death has lost its sting. Make us like that. Use your Word to purify us. Help us see the lies of the Enemy. Help us look to you, the Good Shepherd. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. 16:13 What are your favorite Kid’s Bible stories? David and Goliath, Jonah, Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Parting of the Red Sea, Fish and the Bread, Noah’s Ark-when he killed everyone. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, unscathed. Crucifixion, resurrection, empty tomb. Samson and the whole hair thing. I didn’t like that one. Think about all of those stories. Walk out of Sunday School, thinking, “My God can do anything!” I feel like our teaching changes as we grow up. Those were the kid stories. Now as we are more mature, we fail to preach them, because we find them silly and unbelievable. Really believe God sent fire from heaven. James 5:17. Elijah was a man just like us. (with a nature just like ours). Elijah was just a person. David, Daniel, they were all just people. Called down fire from heaven, but he prayed earnestly. As you get older, sometimes the very people who attend church are almost wanting to take away our faith. Encourage each other to love and good deeds. We may come believing God, and sometimes people squash that. Be careful of our words. I have this childlike faith, and you hear others diminish your faith. Encouraged-they gave “courage”…you are made to feel dumb. Talked when you first became a believer, you share of your faith freely. Pull you out of the world, protect you, the more you study, the less you know. You get more discouraged and more inadequate. I don’t know enough. I don’t have leadership gifts…like him. Elijah was a man just like me. If you don’t believe that verse, and you look at Bible characters and you put yourself on a different level than them. I’ve got to fight to believe that. Believing lies-they prayed earnestly and believed God. I’m no different than them. I’m better because of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Psalm 23 was so beautiful to me. I’ve never preached Psalm 23 in twenty years. When I was asked to teach it, memorized it for the first time in my life. It has raised by confidence level, the peace level. Sometimes we can exegete the beauty of this passage. Exegete Humpty Dumpty…What is Humpty Dumpty??? An egg? You never really thought about it. Here’s the part that bothered me. After he falls, the line that bugs me. All the king’s horses, how are the horses going to help? Doesn’t make any sense. Francis, it was kind of cute until you ruined it for me. Really flows, absolute peace and confidence in the Shepherd. What more do I want than that. God, YahWeh, He Himself restores my soul. He leads me to the right way. All for his name’s sake. Valley of the Shadow of Death is a realy place. Ravine and cliffs, predators and animals. There were even people who would hide and attack. What would it feel like that ? All of the eyes, predators, on you. If I walk there, can I not be afraid? I see that staff. No one is going to mess with me. He will prepare a table, he’ll give me a message. I don’t need the Shepherd, I know Jiu Jitsu…Goodness and mercy will follow me and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. Gotta be fearless. But people say “what if???” Then if that happens, God will come through again. You find comfort in that power. He’s the One that lets me breathe, will I collapse. Complete sovereignty over me? So grateful for that power. I’ll fear no evil. The very thing I used to fear is now my greatest security. Do you have that simple childlike faith? If Jesus really is your Shepherd, and you can picture God walking with you, wouldn’t you want to go to the Valley of the Shadow to see what He would do? What we try to do, set our lives up so we don’t have to face the dangerous, uncomfortable places. I am going to see the other side of the Shepherd. He’s created fear in us, but God calls you and you will let people talk you out of it. “Why would you do that? What responsible person would ever go there?” Sheeps not afraid. He’s excited. I lost that faith for awhile. I almost lost faith, after all of these years of taking me through these impossible situations. We can all look in the mirror and get depressed. I listened to people discourage. My mind was all that brilliant. He’s that stupid kid. That Asian kid, only has 3.8. Moses send Aaron. A-A-aron. Remember Moses said, “I can’t speak” and God said, “Who made your mouth?” God you screwed up. God you always have been there with me. I shouldn’t have this wonderful God-fearing family. God is assuring He is with Him. People always doubted God in my life. Started a church. People said, “No one comes because of you.” Take this little salary. If we live off of $36,000, God provides a frig. Story after story. People are dying overseas. Kids and future provision. Seek that God’s Kingdom is going to work. “Don’t do that.” Saw the need. Move in to an apartment. You should give $50,000 to the church. God did it. Things start happening. $100,000. Wanted you to give away a million dollars-He did it. “Crazy Love” made a million….We gave the royalties. People said, “That wasn’t smart. You shouldn’t give, save for emergencies.” You and your family are emergencies. Did you live by faith. God came through for me. Valley of the shadow, India, Thailand, you have the same Shepherd. God wants us to go back to our childlike faith. I could care less about the economy. My God is with me. So what I might get killed? Scary? Please don’t make me go to heaven!!! When we live where the sting of death is gone, I can walk through anywhere, I don’t fear anymore. Be careful with our words. We can make foolish mistakes. When you seek His Kingdom sake, you are leading me through this valley. You have been talked out of taking risks, serving. What if??? What if that happens? Whole point is God is with You. You will stand before God. We need to follow, take risks. Satan tries to attack. What would my faith be? The greatest times in my life, are when God is working. Look at how rich I am in Christ. What else do I want beside Jesus. Jesus needs to be your Treasure. You took me all through my life. I can’t wait to dwell in your House forever. My God can shuts the mouths of the lions. If He chooses to take you home, you’ll live with Him forever. Walk out and be fearless. The early believers, all the saints lived that way. Have faith in your forgiveness from God. Trust in the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As we read about this Shepherd, it’s wonderful and comforting.

Dear Roger and Brie, It seems like the world is falling apart. I’m scared. My friends and I talk about what is happening to the global economy and I just get more scared. My house is worth less now than when I bought it. I feel stuck. I couldn’t sell it now even if I wanted to. The overwhelming changes in our nation, the upheaval of governments in the Middle East, faltering economies...What do you think is going to happen? Is this the end? Is the Book of Revelation being fulfilled now? Will things ever return to normal? I know I am asking a lot of questions and you don’t have to answer them all but I would appreciate it if you’d share some thoughts on the current crises. Thank you, A Concerned Christian Dear Concerned Christian, This is Brie. I talked to my dad about the End Times constantly. He had a deep love for Revelation and the mysteries that God has given us to ponder. After the recent election, my head has been spinning with all of the changes in our nation. I won't take a political stance--that's not a role I will ever choose to fulfill. But I do feel very called to study what the Bible says about current events. I was doing some research in Dad's (Roger's) materials and found this "Ask Roger." He wrote it back in 2016, but it's just remarkable to see how much is relevant to where we are today. I hope you find it helpful--especially the practical actions to handle the world we live in. May God bless you with great wisdom and courage! Roger: Before I give you my thoughts, I am going to post a short few paragraphs from Paul Benware, from his book, : "Matthew 24:5-8 gives us some important clues so we can discern the approach of the end times, “For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” An increase in false messiahs, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disasters—these are signs of the end times. In this passage, though, we are given a warning: we are not to be deceived, because these events are only the beginning of birth pains; the end is still to come.Some interpreters point to every earthquake, every political upheaval, and every war with Israel as a sure sign that the end times are rapidly approaching. While the events may signal the approach of the last days, they are not necessarily indicators that the end times have arrived. The apostle Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasingly evil character of man and people who actively “resist the truth” (2 Timothy 3:1-9; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:3). Other possible signs would include a rebuilding of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, increased hostility towards Israel, and advances toward a one-world government. The most prominent sign of the end times, however, is the nation of Israel. In 1948, Israel was recognized as a sovereign state, essentially for the first time since A.D. 70. God promised Abraham that his posterity would have Canaan as “an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8), and Ezekiel prophesied a physical and spiritual resuscitation of Israel (Ezekiel chapter 37). Having Israel as a nation in its own land is important in light of end times prophecy because of Israel’s prominence in eschatology (Daniel 10:14; 11:41; Revelation 11:8). With these signs in mind, we can be wise and discerning in regard to the expectation of the end times. We should not, however, interpret any of these singular events as a clear indication of the soon arrival of the end times. God has given us enough information that we can be prepared, and that is what we are called to be."(Roger, with several current events updates from Brie) Now for my own thoughts as well: I never feel "hopeful" that things will ever return to normal. What is "normal" in this sinful world? Of course, I tend to be more of a pessimist than an optimist so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I am praying that circumstances will improve; but, our world's economic crisis and political upheaval have been mounting for a long time and there may not be enough that anyone can do to stop it this time. I hesitate to begin guessing what the outcome of all this might be. I am no expert—there are thousands of economists, politicians, presidents, world leaders, and media pundits who can answer your questions better than I—maybe. Frankly, all of them have such different ideas that I don’t trust any of them. We will just have to wait and see. No society or culture lasts forever. All eventually collapse—without exception. by Jared Diamond (Penguin Books; New York, New York; 2006) details five factors which lead to the collapse of societies. Only one factor is needed to destroy any particular society. Our United States—and many other nations—are currently experiencing all five. Let me share his five factors to give us a little perspective on the current crises. Diamond’s studies of collapsed cultures include: the Easter Islands, Henderson and Henderson Islands; the Anaszis of Arizona; the Mayans of Central America, the Vikings of Iceland; and the Norse of Greenland. The first collapse factor is environmental damage. These are damages that people inadvertently inflict on their environment. The people of Easter Island eventually cut down all of their trees. When the trees were gone the people were gone—most died of exposure and hunger. The lack of trees meant rampant erosion which carried away all the topsoil and agriculture was dramatically diminished. In our world today, insecticides, manufacturing waste products, overfishing, deforesting, the reduction in wet lands—just to mention a few—are beginning to have catastrophic results ranging from food crises in some areas to an increasing number of birth defects in others. The second collapse factor is climate change. The earth’s climate is not static. No matter what the media would have you believe, it never has been. Present-day Iran and Iraq once flowed with milk and honey. Crops, gardens and game proliferated in the days when that climate received much more rainfall than it does today. After all, that area was once called the “Fertile Crescent”. But, the climate changed and those areas are now bare deserts. The sun gets hotter and cooler over time. The wobbling of the earth’s axis results in Ice Ages like the one 14,000 years ago that carved out the Great Lakes and covered Europe all the way to Spain. Ice Ages occur on the average every 11,000 years. We are due for another. Today, refrigerator fluorocarbons and fossil fuels are bringing with them colossal environmental damage. The resulting global greenhouse is increasing temperatures which cannot be reversed. I see a day, far in the future, when our greenhouse will rival Venus’ greenhouse which has a surface temperature of 850 degrees Fahrenheit. The third collapse factor is hostile neighbors. Many societies can hold off the enemy for only so long. As collapse factors come into play, a society is often weakened to the point that they fall to the enemy. The Roman Empire lasted for centuries; but, eventually it succumbed to continued attacks by the barbarian hordes. Today, many hostile enemies of the USA are in the Middle East. Dictators, crazed terrorists, and Islamic extremists are dedicated to our destruction. At times they hold us hostage with their oil. At others, they deliberately attack our allies--consider the October 7 attack against Israel. We feel it is our responsibility to being peace and democracy to the region, so we spend billions of dollars on our military to fight and police in the Middle East. Military expenditures are sucking our economy dry--perhaps our government is now in a position to change that, and perhaps not. By the way, the rancorous relationships we now have with Mexico and Canada may soon create hostile neighbors on our southern and northern borders. The fourth collapse factor is decreased support by friendly neighbors. Every society has friends with whom they trade for the products they need. In return, they trade their own surpluses to furnish the products that their friend nations need. Sometimes enemies are friends—like the oil we trade for with our cash to the oil-rich Middle East. By the way, Middle Eastern oil reserves are projected to last only until 2040 at which point the Middle Eastern nations may well become irrelevant on the world political scene. Of course, their oil demise will have adverse affects for us. Another example of decreased support is our “friend” China who has been sucking us dry economically. Our trade deficit with them is enormous. We buy lots of their stuff; they buy very little of ours. Right now, our president is seeking to create tariffs to mitigate the deficit, but what happens with those changes remains to be seen. It is clear that these tariffs will not win friends, though they may help the U.S. economically in the long run. The fifth collapse factor is how a society responds to the other four factors. Most societies respond poorly leading to the dreaded collapse. However, some, like the Icelanders who denuded their forests, eroded away their farmlands and overgrazed their animals have turned their impending collapse around. By mutual planning and cooperation, they are recovering their lost natural resources. I often feel that no one knows what to do to stave off these factors in our society, much less how to fix them. For example, in one area, we are now in a vicious circle that to fix our economy, we need people to spend lavishly when they are trying to hoard every cent—thus leading us further down the road to collapse. What does this mean for all of us? I don’t know. Of course, no one knows, except our Creator. I am sure He is grieving for His world today just as He grieved in Genesis six over the sinfulness of mankind. I can think of many possible scenarios. Let me mention just a few. First, deep economic misery will likely be our future until the country stabilizes both domestically and internationally. This will probably take 10 to 15 years. Second, inflation may continue to make our money increasingly worthless. We have several tools to help control inflation, but our government may and may not bring them to bear. Third, on the other hand, runaway deflation might occur resulting in our assets become increasingly worthless. Deflation will have unbelievable negative consequences. We have no tools to control deflation. Watch which nations handle the various collapse factors well over the next several years. China is becoming the world power most predicted—but too much purchasing of our debt and too many political problems stymie a unified response to their issues (although in its favor, China has made South America its own for the taking with its multiple trade agreements there). India has surprised us all. From my perspective they may well be preparing best for the future world. The are responding to the current leveling of all nations as second and third world nations move up the scale and first world nations move down the scale of influence and stability. India, for example has a goal of educating all of its people while the US is becoming less and less literate every day. This places them in an enviable position for the future. My favorite scenario is for the Second Coming of Christ. I am ready for the Rapture! What are some of the spiritual implications for today? I can think of several. First of all, practice good biblical economics. God has not left us in the dark about the Biblical principles that He recommends. First, we give our tithes and offerings of 10%+ to the Kingdom (usually through our local church). Second, we pay taxes to the government. Third, we make more money than we spend. Fourth, we stay out of debt for depreciating items. Finally, we lay aside about 10% to 20% of our income for future needs (like for a refrigerator or car or college for the children or retirement). Second of all, pray for mercy for our nation and world. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, God revealed that He is behind the disasters overcoming the nation of Israel. He also revealed His plan for overcoming the disasters: "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Third of all, watch the signs unveiled in the Book of Revelation and pray for the return of Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth. These signs include—among many others—an increasing global temperature; the destruction of seafood in the oceans; an attempt at a worldwide government to deal with the crises of the End Times; a double invasion of “Rosh from the North” (Russia?) and a horde of “200 million soldiers” from the East into the Middle East; Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon; and finally, a nuclear holocaust in Israel. By the way, God has promised a crown for all of us who “love and look forward to the second coming of Christ.” Finally of all, make a difference in the world. People are more ready to look to Christ and the gospel than ever. The internet has covered the world so that all can hear the Gospel. Even in the most primitive areas, we are seeing miracles and revival. CRU, (Originally named Campus Crusade for Christ), reported that across Africa, Christian women are trained to carry projectors, generators, fuel, and the “Jesus Films” as they walk all over their country in order to evangelize. According to Tom Terry from the Jesus Film Project, Campus Crusade (CRU) recorded 767 million views of the Jesus Film in 2023 and 208 million television broadcasts around the world in 2024. Times of crisis like persecution, tsunamis, disease and financial loss mean times of opportunity to advance the Kingdom! Well, Concerned Christian, everyone is wondering about this subject so I am glad you asked your question. Please feel free to search Preach It, Teach It for more details and information about the End Times. Love, Roger (and Brie)

Most people pray. Many of those don’t even consider themselves Christians. In a recent survey, 61% of Americans said they pray.   If your prayers were recorded and played back to you, what would they sound like? How do you refer to God when you pray? Do you have ruts in your prayer life? What do you pray for most? 76% of Americans said their prayers focus on loved ones in crisis. What don’t you pray for?   What if I were to tell you that you could be coached in prayer by the Apostle Paul. If you’re like me, you’d pay a pretty penny to go to that seminar!   I’ve got great news. The New Testament is saturated with Paul’s prayers. By my count, there are 39 prayers of Paul in his letters (it’s a bit hard to count because Paul is so near prayer that he dips in and out of speaking to God frequently throughout his letters).   Paul’s prayers First, I want to share those prayers with you. Then, I want to reflect on some things we can learn from how Paul prays.   8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. Rom. 1:8-10   Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. Rom. 10:1   5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 15:5-6   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Rom. 15:13   30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Rom. 15:30-33   4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 1:4-9   The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 1 Cor. 16:23   3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 2 Cor. 1:3-7   14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Cor. 2:14-16   12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Cor. 9:12-15   7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 2 Cor. 13:7-9   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Gal. 6:18   3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, Eph. 1:3-5   15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Eph. 1:15-23   14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:14-21   19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Eph. 6:19-21   3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:3-6   9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Phil. 1:9-11   The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Phil. 4:23   3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:2-14   2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Col. 4:2-4   2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 1:2-3   13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! 1 Thess. 2:13-16   9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 1 Thess. 3:9-13   23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thess. 5:23-24   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 1 Thess. 5:28   3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 2 Thess. 1:3-5   11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess. 1:11-12   16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thess. 2:16-17   2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 Thess. 3:2-5   Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thess. 3:16   I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 1 Tim. 1:12   1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 1 Tim. 2:1-3   3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Tim. 1:3-7   16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. 2 Tim. 1:16-18   The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. 2 Tim. 4:22   All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Tit. 3:15   4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Philemon 4-7   The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philemon 25     What we can learn from Paul Those are humbling prayers to read, aren’t they? What can we learn from them? 1. Thank God for others Paul consistently thanks God for the people he writes to, expressing gratitude for their faith, love, and partnership in the gospel. To the church at Ephesus, he prays, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:16). 2. Pray for spiritual growth Paul frequently prays that believers would mature in their understanding of God and live in a manner worthy of Christ. Listen to his prayer for the saints of Colossae, “We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col. 1:9) 3. Pray for strength in trials Rather than praying for suffering to end, Paul typically prays that believers will endure hardship with joy and perseverance. For the church at Thessalonica, Paul prays, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). 4. Pray for deeper knowledge of God Paul longs that believers would know God more intimately, and believes that we will be transformed as we know him more deeply. He prays for those at Ephesus, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Eph. 1:17). 5. Pray for unity and love among believers Paul prays for churches to be united in love and to reflect Christ’s humility and service to one another. For the church in Rome, Paul prays, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus” (Rom. 15:5). 6. Pray for boldness in proclaiming Gospel Paul asks for prayers that he and others would be bold in preaching the gospel, even in suffering. He asks the church at Colossae to pray for him, “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ” (Col. 4:3). 7. Pray for the glory to God above all else Paul’s prayers are ultimately centered on God’s glory rather than personal comfort or success. Paul lifts his eyes to God and prays, “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:21). If Paul was sitting alongside us, praying with us and coaching us, he would probably offer these five encouragements: Pray beyond physical needs. Ask for spiritual growth, wisdom, and endurance. Make God’s glory the goal of prayer. Seek his will rather than just our own desires. Pray for the Church. Lift up fellow believers, not just personal concerns. Pray for mission. Ask for boldness in sharing the gospel. Be consistent in thanksgiving. Gratitude should shape every prayer.

(Brie): It has been just over a year now since my beloved father, Dr. Roger Barrier, went to be with the Lord. My friends and readers, grief is hard. It’s long. It’s heartbreaking. But you and I don’t have to walk this journey alone. In dealing with his passing and the immense grief that comes with that, I wanted to share a conversation with you. What you will find in this article are the questions I ask in my grief, and the answers I’ve found as I dove into some of my dad’s teaching about grief and comfort. I love that it’s biblically sound, practical, and effective. I hope his words help you as much as they helped me! (Roger): Far too often, we say the wrong things at funerals. No matter how well-meaning, people don’t really help the family deal with grief. I’ve heard explanations about why God let the deceased person die so young; encouragement that they would eventually get over the pain; advice on how to handle life without their loved one being around; promises that this must be God’s will … and some even say things like, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Then, they’d ask the family, “You love God, don’t you?” The family would respond, “Of course, we do.” Then, the friend would say something like, “Well then, God promises that everything will work out good.” But as the family gazes into the casket, things don’t seem so good after all. (Brie): Where do we start when we love someone who is experiencing grief? (Roger): Every culture and family deals with grieving differently. Some of us come from families/cultures where sadness was a sign of weakness. You weren’t allowed to be depressed. The expectation was that you would stuff it and move on. Others scream and wail, but there was very little hope in God. Those who are grieving often feel numb, frozen in time. The way to break through the grief façade of someone who is hurting is with months of intensive comforting. When Job sat in utter pain and devastation, his friends sat in silence with him for days before they uttered a word. If you read Job, you know that Job would have been better off if they had kept quiet! Consider these biblical examples of effective comforting: Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Paul wrote: “Praise be to the God of all comfort who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort others with the very same comfort with which you have comforted us” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Paul also taught, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; and mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Grief is always healed through mourning and comfort. Notice that this requires two people—one to mourn and one to comfort. (Brie): What can we say and not say to really comfort those who are dealing with grief? (Roger): Unfortunately, since few Christians know how properly to comfort others, their friends and loved ones continue living in hurt and pain. The proper response to the emotionally hurt and distressed is to listen to them mourn and then to comfort them. Notice these things we often say that Jesus NEVER said. Blessed are they who mourn: For they shall be told, “Don’t keep crying. Have faith.” For they shall receive a sermon. “Heaven is better anyway.” For they shall be given reasons why it was time for him to die. For they shall be told how to get past the grief. For they shall be told, “That is not nearly as bad as what happened to me.” For they shall be told, “Stop worrying, you’ll be fine.” For they shall be told, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” Instead, comfort focuses on emotional, feeling words. It’s speaking heart-to-heart and life-to-life. For example, say: “I know that your heart is aching over your husband’s death, I am so sorry for what you’re experiencing.” “It grieves me deeply that you are in such pain. Life is just not supposed to be this way. I am so sorry.” “It hurts you deeply that he is gone. Don’t feel like you have to be in a hurry. You have a lot of grieving in front of you. We are here to grieve with you.” “I hurt for you because I love you. I’m so sorry that you’re going through such a hard time.” (Brie): How can we be effective, compassionate comforters? (Brie):Dad, I remember you listening to me first, every time I was hurting. Honestly, sometimes I wanted you to be mad with me! But then, you started to comfort me in my pain, and the anger began to melt away. That’s where healing really happens. (Roger): I learned a great deal from practicing this list from Charles Swindoll. It’s great advice for comforters: Comforters care enough to come uninvited. Comforters listen carefully so they can minister to the emotions and not react to the words. Comforters openly express the depths of their feelings. Comforters are not turned off by distasteful sights. Comforters understand, so they say very little. In fifty years of ministry, I also learned three major, concrete ways to help. I think these apply to everyone who is dealing with grief—no matter how long it’s been since the loss happened. It takes a great deal of time to heal, and we often give up far too soon. First, offer practical help. Preparing food, washing clothes, cleaning the house or running errands are just a few of the practical ways of showing you care. Keep in contact. Call, text or email often. Remain available in the weeks and months to come, as well. Remember that your grieving family members or friends may reach out to you later rather than sooner. Be aware of holidays and anniversaries. Special occasions like holidays and anniversaries can be the most difficult of all—even years after a loved one has passed away. These events emphasize the absence of the person who has died. Instead of avoiding those memories, this may be the time to share them. (Brie):Dad, I remember you teaching that even when a loved one goes to heaven, he or she is able to see what’s happening in the present world. I know their focus is completely on Jesus and praising Him, but I loved that you said we could ask God to share our love with those we miss so much. Every day, during my prayer time, I ask God to tell you that I love you and miss you. It helps; so does consistently focusing on my favorite memories with you. I know that I will see you again in heaven. But for now, I will reach out for comfort from Mom, my husband, Brad, and other family members and friends. I’m so glad we were never meant to mourn alone!

Matthew 10:16-31 Why Does God Allow Persecution? New and obscure ideas started spreading more quickly in the world when the printing press was created in 1439. Before this invention books were hand copied, usually by monks in a monastery, which meant a church was fortunate if they had one copy of the Bible per congregation and it was chained to the altar so no one would steal it. At this time, the majority of Europe was considered illiterate. The Bible was first printed in 1455 and the privilege of reading God’s word drove many common folk to learn to read. The printing press was both a blessing and a source of animosity much like our experience with the internet today. Print technology made it easier for the average person to own a copy of God’s word, but the rise of the printed word, also allowed ideas to compete. Sadly, religious opposition and suppression between differing Christian groups became common. For example: the Puritans weren’t just seeking the freedom to worship as they pleased, they were fleeing imprisonment and severe persecution. England saw the rise of separatists, which is the name they gave to groups like the Puritans, as a threat to the crown. It is important we recognize the cultural biases in our lives that can compete with Jesus’ words when we study the Bible. Americans will be forever blessed because her Founding Fathers valued religious liberty and human rights. But, how do we interpret passages in the Bible which not only teach about persecution, but seem to promise persecution? We might even question why God allows persecution because it doesn’t make sense to our reasoning? So, before we go farther we must admit this natural discomfort with the subject of persecution.    With that background let’s look at Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 10:16-31. Sheep Among Wolves  16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. 17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts and flog you in their synagogues. 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household! 26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper proclaim on the housetops. 28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. CSB To fully understand why Jesus is promising a coming persecution in this passage we have to admit something that might be hard to face. It is difficult for us to grasp the eternal worth God places on earthly persecution. Persecution is valuable because it cultivates a shrewdness and an innocence in us. (Matthew 10:16-17) When we are mistreated by anyone it is normal to want vengeance and forgiveness can be hard to find. But Jesus is calling us to a better way. When someone hates Jesus and consequently us, God is calling us to bear Jesus’ image to that person (Matthew 10:25). The First Nations Version, translates Matthew 10:16 this way, “Look and listen! I am sending you out like sheep into a pack of wolves, so be as crafty as snakes, but as harmless and gentle as doves.” The CSB chooses the words “shrewd” and “innocent” to describe what God is cultivating in our hearts through persecution. Other translations use “wisdom” instead of shrewdness or craftiness to translate the word before serpents. Shrewd and innocent might initially feel counter intuitive. It is Christ-like to offer gentleness to others especially when we don’t feel secure. When I think of this tension between wisdom and harmlessness, shrewdness and innocence, I picture Corrie Ten Boom who bravely hid Jews in her home from the Nazis. Godly shrewdness does not mean we are deceitful or mean, but we might want to be silent at times. Remember, snakes are very quiet creatures and only make their presence known when they need too. Persecution will cultivate a balance in us between a growing shrewdness and a growing innocence. There is a big difference between God causing persecution and God knowing it will happen. The Bible teaches us that God is love, it is his very nature to love. So, when trying to bear persecution’s fruit, it is important to remember God is never the author of evil, but he is also never thwarted by evil. All his ways are good and no one can snatch us out of God’s hand (Romans 8:37-39). Persecution is valuable because it creates evangelistic opportunities. (Matthew 10:18-23) God sees the big picture and he desires for us to testify to those who are seeking our lives. He wants us to exhibit a Holy Boldness as he gives us the very words to speak to our accusers (Matt. 10:19-20). In Ephesians 6:12 Paul teaches us that our enemy is not flesh and blood. If we don’t know who our true enemy is we will engage in the wrong conflict. God does not want us to perceive our persecutors as our foes. He wants us to practice mercy and understand that persecution opens many doors of evangelism that won’t open any other way. We see this divine appointment to witness clearly in the lives of the early disciples. Peter was taken before the Sanhedrin for preaching about Jesus (Acts 4:8-10), Paul was taken before provincial governors for the same reason (Acts 26:28-31). Persecution spreads the gospel like no other method.  Jesus warns us that persecution might come from within our own families. Many of you have experienced this. Following Christ has caused your family to disown you or even harm you. This is the caution Jesus is giving here. Persecution may come from those people we love the most. Persecution is valuable because it teaches us to fear God, not man. (Matthew 10:24-31) Persecution will purify the believer and teach us to put our hope in God. God does not want us to get the eternal and the temporal mixed up. Men can take our lives, but only God determines where we spend eternity. Persecution can be overt or covert. Overt is apparent and visible. Covert is hidden and concealed. Most of the persecution in the free world is covert, but it is still persecution. Deceived people with impure motives and deeply wounded hearts still cast spells seeking to exercise some control and find empowerment over their lives. The word occult means hidden. None the less, Christians are not called to go on a witch hunt and try to figure out who might be casting spells and giving ground to our enemy the devil (Matthew 10:26). All we have to do is look at Christian history to see that witch hunts have never been blessed by God. Instead, we know from the scriptures that God values personal choice (Matt 23:37). Throughout time God has never forced his love on anyone. It is not really love if we do not have a choice to trust God or not. To properly respond to any persecution whether seen or unseen we must again remember Paul’s teaching from Ephesians 6:12 that our enemy is not flesh and blood. We need to submit to God (James 4:7) and remember to pray for those who seek our demise. The prayer Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) is still one of the most strategic prayers a Christian can pray. Forgiveness is a Christ-like attitude that has helped generations of believers survive the high cost of persecution. God is always working for eternity. When we recognize the value of persecution we begin to see the worth God places on each of our lives. Even the very hairs on our head are numbered. Three times in this passage Jesus says, “Do not be afraid,” in verses 26, 28, and 31. Why this strong admonition? Fear will be normal, but fear will not be helpful. Trusting God is what brings us peace. With the Holy Spirit’s mighty power within us we have no reason to fear persecution. Instead, we should consider it an honor when we are treated just like Jesus (Acts 5:40-41). Persecution is valuable because it cultivates a shrewdness and an innocence in us, it creates evangelistic opportunities, and it teaches us to fear God, not man. Why is it hard for us to value the fruit born from spiritual persecution? How can we change our attitude about persecutors? We can agree with God that his word is true even if we don’t always understand it. We can agree that what Jesus says about eternity is more important than what joy or sorrow we experience in time. The promise of persecution does not mean we can’t struggle to establish religious liberties or human rights. Once I had the privilege of traveling to Rome’s ancient coliseum, where so many Christians gave up their lives. I remember being overwhelmed by God’s holiness in that place. Without these Christians brave devotion to God I would have never heard about Jesus. I know that when these believers were martyred they were not thinking of me, but God was. He was thinking of you too. He saw through time and knew how he was going to gloriously advance his kingdom. Listen to these words from Revelation 12:11 which speaks to how we are to overcome the evil one in this world. They overcame him     by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.  NIV This is how the early church was established and it will be how the end time church will win.

God is alive and active and so is the enemy who is bent on pushing back against God’s ways, his best and his people. The Scriptures call us to engage the reality of the spiritual battle we navigate - to stay alert and stand firm in our faith. The tactics of the devil are many, but in this series we’ll examine a few ways he tries to detour you away from God. Tonight we examine the truth that distractions dilute our devotion. We’re to turn down the distractions and turn up our devotion in following after Jesus in this chaotic world. SERMON NOTES: Jesus on a number of occasions discusses the reality of the devil, as an enemy of God, one who speaks lies as his native tongue and is against God’s work in this world. So YES, if we’re going to be followers of Jesus; we must take his claim to be true - that the enemy exists. The Scriptures are full of truths regarding this spiritual battle we are in. 1 John 3:8 "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." 1 Peter 5:8-9 "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." Quote: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors…” ― C. S. Lewis RECOMMENDED BOOKS: The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis Live No Lies, John Mark Comer Victory Over Darkness, Neil T Anderson Don't Give The Enemy A Seat At Your Table, Louie Giglio 1 John 4:4 CSB You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. Tactics the devil uses: Distracting with words: The devil uses lies to plant seeds of fear and doubt, condemnation… Distracting with actions: The devil uses bold tactics like pornography, abuse, addictions, violence, and immorality. Distracting with social media: The devil uses social media to divert our attention away from God — or to stir the comparison trap, which can lead to discontentment and insecurity. Distracting emotional whirlwind: The devil stirs us up internally - —emotional turmoil / we lack emotional regulation - we feel overwhelmed. And we can become paralyzed Distracting with past wounds: The devil can use past wounds to distract and keep them stuck in unhealed and unhealthy cycles of destruction. Distracting concerns that WOO US: entertainment, hobbies, politics, ambitions, causes — and they can get more of our devotion then God Distracting with idols: The devil can use idols in people's lives to distract them. Idols are anything that we put in an elevated status above God Distracting with even good desires: The devil can use good desires, like the desire to be married; to become financial stable - to distract people and pull them off mission. We can become consumed by a pursuit & want and we stop pursuing the one thing that Jesus called us to focus on most. Himself & the Kingdom of God -- see Matthew 6:33 Truth: Focus is a giant challenge in our culture! The Anxious Generation book, by Jonathan Haidt Quote from sociologist Sherry Turkle: “Because of our phones, we are forever elsewhere. We’re never fully present.” We live in a busy and full society - so avoiding all distraction is impossible. But the dangerous kind of distraction - is the shifting of our attention from something of greater importance to something of lesser importance. The Scriptures refer to this as idolatry. Luke 10:41-42 CSB The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many thingsbut one thing is necessary. , Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” In our busyness, we must CONSIDER OUR DISTRACTIONS? Are we seeking God, the Greater, or settling for the lesser things…? Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. My heart’s deepest attention would be upon the ONE who deserves my deepest devotion “Distractions dilute devotion” Do you need to do a “time audit?” (Looking at where your time goes in a daily/weekly basis) (think radio dial) TURN DOWN DISTRACTIONS (What might you need to DISENGAGE from) (volume down) TURN UP DEVOTION (What might you need to Engage in more) (volume up) SERENITY PRAYER God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. “Distractions dilute devotion” We want to become people who in our following of Jesus; are turning down our distractions and turning up our devotion to Him. James 4:7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 1 Peter 5:8-9: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.

Do you see what is going on around you and feel overwhelmed? This is what author Lysa Terkeurst has to say: Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” 2 Chronicles 20:3 (NIV) “Do you ever look around at all that is happening in our world today, or even within the realm of your own personal life, and feel fear grip your heart? I think it’s a feeling we have all faced at some point in our lives. We crave safety and certainty and simplicity as we raise our families, serve God and live out our Christian beliefs in both private and public. But so many things feel threatening to those desires. How do we navigate both our fears and our faith? How do trust God when everything around us in the world today leaves us feeling quite alarmed? One of my favorite kings to study over the last few years has been King Jehoshaphat. Although his story is only found in tucked away parts of Scripture, what I really love is how we can clearly see his absolute resolve to trust in the Lord. King Jehoshaphat is mentioned in both 1 & 2 Kings, but there’s also a unique story about this faithful king of Judah in 2 Chronicles 17–20. King Jehoshaphat was connected in alliance through marriage to the wicked King Ahab since his son married Ahab’s daughter. They ruled around the same time. We may question his decision to be connected to a wicked king like Ahab through marriage, but Scripture teaches us that Jehoshaphat was a good king who walked in the ways of David his father. Rather than seeking false gods, Jehoshaphat sought after the Lord; therefore, God was with him (17:4). Of course, this doesn’t mean that Jehoshaphat never faced fear-inducing situations. In 2 Chronicles 20 we find that three countries have banded together, forming a massive army to attack Jehoshaphat’s much smaller country of Judah. If ever there were a time for a king to feel alarmed, this would have been it. But Jehoshaphat didn’t fall apart. I am both inspired and challenged by how he chose to react to his overwhelming circumstances: “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” (2 Chronicles 20:3) Do you see how King Jehoshaphat’s name is bookended in two realities: alarmed and resolved? He had both the feelings of alarm that are a natural human response to his threatening situation and a supernatural resolve to inquire of the Lord. The resolve was a predetermined pattern built over time that emerged as naturally as the feelings of alarm rose within him. I want this for my life. I want my resolve to inquire of the Lord to be my first response, not my last resort when feelings of alarm arise with threatening situations. But to be honest with you, I think I still need some work in this area. When I get caught off guard, stunned by threatening circumstances in the world, or unexpectedly wounded by a hurtful statement, I can literally feel my body being overrun with a flood of emotions. Based on conversations with different friends of mine with different personalities, it seems like each of us has a go-to feeling that rises up and wants to take over in threatening situations: anger that wants to come out swinging, fear that wants to shrink back and disappear, confusion that wants to talk it out and restore peace quickly, just to name a few. Though seeking the Lord doesn’t always come naturally as my first response, it is the only way to infuse supernatural strength into my resolve. The more I turn to the Lord in daily struggles, the more natural it is to return to Him in times of unexpected trouble. Does this mean I’ll never wrestle with feelings of fear? Of course not. But I’m learning that while we can sometimes feel afraid, we don’t have to live afraid. We can be alarmed and resolved at the very same time. We can let our declaration mirror Jehoshaphat’s words to God in 2 Chronicles 20:12b, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Dear Lord, thank You for reminding me that fear doesn’t have to pull me away from trusting in You. Fear can actually be the catalyst to me choosing to trust You more than ever. Today I’m choosing to fix my eyes and my hope on You. The God who is for me, with me, and loves me without end. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” https://lysaterkeurst.com/. Original post here.

One of the most important things we do every day is make decisions. Some are small, like what we’re going to eat for breakfast, and others are life-changing—decisions about our marriage, career, faith, or family. But regardless of the size, every decision we make has an impact on our lives. That’s why I want to talk to you about being intentional in your decision-making. Are you making decisions that align with God’s will? Or are you reacting to the circumstances and pressures around you? Let me share eight key principles I’ve learned over the years that can help you make better, wiser decisions, and learn from the pain that often accompanies bad choices. 1. Be proactive, not reactive. Too often, we get caught up in the moment and make choices based on our immediate emotions or the pressure we’re feeling. I’ve been there, and I’m sure you have too. But the problem with reacting is that we often end up regretting those choices later on. Be proactive in your decision-making, not reactive. Instead, take a step back. Pause. Pray. Take the time to think through your decisions before you act. When you’re proactive, you’re making decisions with purpose, not just responding to your circumstances. And that can make all the difference in your life. 2. Pray and seek God’s guidance. Before you make any decision—especially the big ones—ask God for His guidance. This is foundational. God cares about every detail of your life, and He wants to guide you in your choices. Through prayer, we invite God into the process and ask Him for the wisdom we need. In James 1:5, we’re reminded, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (NIV). So, don’t rush. Take your decisions to God and trust Him to lead you. He knows what’s best for your life, even when you don’t have all the answers. And when you wait on Him, He’ll give you the peace and clarity you need to make the right choice. 3. Every decision has consequences. One of the things I’ve shared time and time again is that every decision—whether big or small—has consequences. We don’t always think about that in the moment, but it’s true. When you make a decision, it sets off a chain of events. Sometimes those consequences are good, and sometimes they’re not what we expected. Before making a decision, ask yourself: What are the potential consequences here? How will this choice affect my relationships, my walk with God, or my future? Understanding the impact of your decisions will help you make better, more intentional choices. And remember, not making a decision is a decision too. Sometimes avoiding a choice can have consequences of its own. Don’t waste the lessons that pain can teach you. 4. Learn from pain. We don’t like pain, but it’s one of the most powerful teachers in life. Whether it’s physical, emotional, or spiritual pain, it has a way of getting our attention like nothing else. Pain often comes as a result of our poor decisions, but God can use it to teach us, shape us, and bring us closer to Him. So, when you find yourself in a season of pain, ask God, “What do You want me to learn from this?” Don’t waste the lessons that pain can teach you. It’s often through those tough moments that we experience the greatest growth and transformation. God doesn’t let our pain go to waste—He uses it to refine us and help us make better choices moving forward. 5. Indecision is also a decision. Have you ever felt paralyzed by a decision? Maybe you’re afraid of making the wrong choice, so you just don’t make one at all. I’ve seen this happen so many times. When you avoid making a choice, the situation doesn’t just go away—it continues to unfold, often in ways you didn’t intend. Instead of getting stuck in indecision, take small steps forward. Pray. Get counsel. Gather the information you need. Trust God to guide you. Then, make the best decision you can with the information you have. It doesn’t have to be perfect—God can work with imperfect decisions when we’re trusting Him. 6. Test your decisions. Before you make a big, life-altering decision, I encourage you to test it. What I mean by that is sometimes we need to take small steps to see how a decision might play out before making a full commitment. For example, if you’re thinking about moving to a new city or changing careers, consider ways to explore that option first—visit the city, talk to people in the field, or try a part-time role before diving in completely. Testing your decisions allows you to explore the reality of what you’re considering without rushing into something you’re unsure of. It helps you gain clarity and peace of mind, ensuring that you’re making a well-thought-out choice. 7. Make decisions when you’re rested and clear. One of the worst times to make a big decision is when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or in the middle of a crisis. I’ve learned that when we’re in those states, our judgment can be clouded, and we often make decisions we later regret. If you’re going through a tough season, give yourself time to rest, pray, and regain clarity before making any big decisions. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (NIV). When we bring our burdens to Him, He gives us the rest we need to think clearly and make wise decisions. So, don’t rush—take the time to get centered in Him before moving forward. 8. Move from hurt, to hope, to healing. Maybe you’ve made some decisions in the past that have left you in a place of hurt. No matter how many bad choices you’ve made, God offers hope and healing. Through His grace, we can move from a place of hurt to a place of healing. It starts with confessing where we’ve gone wrong and asking God for forgiveness. God is faithful to forgive us and give us a fresh start. If you’re feeling stuck in the consequences of past decisions, know that there is hope in Christ. He can take your pain and turn it into something beautiful if you let Him. Never Too Late for Better Decisions No matter where you are today, God is with you. Making intentional decisions today can lead to a more fulfilling, Christ-centered life tomorrow. And remember, God’s grace is always available to help you learn from past mistakes and move forward in faith. www.theintentionnallife.com.