Spiritual Warfare

“And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the Lord,“and I will be its glory within.” — Zechariah 2:5 Imagine your home surrounded not by a fence, a deadbolt, or a security system—but by God Himself. A wall of fire. Not a destructive flame, but a holy, purifying, impenetrable presence that guards what is sacred and welcomes His glory within. That’s exactly what God promised to His people in Zechariah 2:5. In this,…

With clammy hands, I gathered my reins and nudged my horse forward toward the starting gate. I had just witnessed another rider get crushed by her horse, whose misstep at 20+ miles per hour caused it to dive to the ground and roll on its back. It frantically got up, but its rider didn’t. A team of people carried her out in a stretcher and an ambulance took her to the nearest hospital. While the course was being reset, I was reminded that my love for barrel racing was…

A 2022 Gallup study shows a record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of "fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man." This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the…

I’m not quoting Yoda here. Disorientation is exactly what I’ve been experiencing as of late. The symptoms are many. From spraining my ankle in a quick turnaround ascent up the basement steps, to running over an 8-inch curb and subsequently driving that car into a cabinet in the garage. Then there’s just the fog of scattered thoughts as I replay the entire day and plan the next with random rewrites racing in my mind. My “to-do” list gets…

Sometimes good counselors or other wise guides help us discover subconscious motivators that drive how we act. For example, experiences of abuse can often lock us in shame or fear and drive us into destructive patterns of thought and behavior. It’s almost like the traumatic event invited an evil spirit into our interior world, one that continues to control us with things like fear, rage, self-loathing, or shame. These internal realities remain powerful until we face,…

God gives Adam some instructions on the care of creation and his role in the unfolding story. It's pretty basic, and very generous (see Gen. 2:16-17). But notice what God doesn't tell Adam. There is no warning or instruction over what is about to occur: the Temptation of Eve. This is just staggering. Notably missing from the dialogue between Adam and God is something like this: "Adam, one more thing. A week from Tuesday, about four in the afternoon, you and…

Satan calls God's intentions and character into question. Doubt is a common human experience, and giving our doubts and fears to God can be a great way to worship Him.Question: Imagine you were nearby in the garden, and you overheard this conversation. What would you say to the serpent and the woman? Have you heard the enemy say, "Did God really say...." about things in your own life? Did you doubt what God had spoken to you because you heard this doubtful?…

The Hebrew word khata’ is most commonly translated as “sin.” Khata’ means “to fail” or “to miss the goal,” and the word is not always about morality.In Judges 20:16, we learn that a slingshot expert who successfully nails the bullseye does not khata’, which means he does not fail or miss the target. Similarly, we read in Proverbs 19:2 that people who act hastily while traveling are likely to khata’—to miss…

All sorts of awful things can seem to issue from your heart — anger, lust, fear, petty jealousies. If you think it's you, a reflection of what's really going on in your heart, it will disable you. It could stop your journey dead in its tracks. What you've encountered is either the voice of your flesh or an attempt of the Enemy to distress you by throwing all sorts of thoughts your way and blaming you for it. You must proceed on this assumption: your…