Knowing God better really should help us to sleep more soundly. Don’t believe me? Ask King David. Psalm 3 begins with him describing a situation of appalling stress: “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!” (v 1). It’s so bad that the talk of the town is that “God willContinue reading “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep”
Author Archives: Intentional Faith
When You Doubt His Justice
In Night, the seminal autobiographical novel about his experience in Nazi concentration camps, writer Elie Wiesel says this: “Some of the men spoke of God: His mysterious ways, the sins of the Jewish people, and the redemption to come. As for me, I had ceased to pray. I concurred with Job! I was not denyingContinue reading “When You Doubt His Justice”
A Heart of Flesh
And I will give you a new heart . . . A heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 A “heart of flesh” is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination or to have allowed a wild desire to linger even for a moment is quite enough to make a heart ofContinue reading “A Heart of Flesh”
Carry Your Load
We pray that God will deliver us from our trials, but sometimes he does not. We pray that he will relieve us of our burdens, but sometimes they remain pressed hard against our shoulders. Why? J.R. Miller provides a helpful answer in this brief quote. Some think that whenever they have a little trouble, aContinue reading “Carry Your Load”
The Hardest Thing You Will Do
The ability to wield power is a gift from God. God commanded Adam and Eve to exercise power over the world He had created (Gen. 1:28–31). Yet because of human sinfulness, our exercise of power is corrupt. Instead of using power to shape the world in the way God would intend, we use it toContinue reading “The Hardest Thing You Will Do”
Why Can’t I Change?
Change can be one of the most stressful things in life, even when the change is desired. Resistance to change is natural to human nature. In fact, there is a saying in neuroscience that “neurons that fire together, wire together.” This means that the more we do something, the more it becomes not only habit,Continue reading “Why Can’t I Change?”
God Doesn’t Change. We Do!
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. Jonah 3:10 The Bible makes clear that God is unchanging. At the same time, the book of Jonah affirms that He canContinue reading “God Doesn’t Change. We Do!”
Back Off
There are certain times when it’s necessary to keep quiet, to relax, to back off. Intensity often leads to futility. Like the little boy who plants the seed and then nervously digs it up every day to see if it is growing. Waiting is as necessary as planting and fertilizing. When the fish aren’t biting,Continue reading “Back Off”
Unwanted Thoughts
Many Christians who deeply struggle with unwanted thoughts are prone to sensitive consciences, perfectionistic tendencies, and black-and-white thinking. They scrutinize themselves closely, examining each thought to see what they find. They develop a heightened awareness of their thoughts and what they imagine the thoughts mean about them. Their guilt, shame, and anxiety don’t dissipate withContinue reading “Unwanted Thoughts”
Even a Child Knows
A few days a week, our notoriously chaotic and tardy household experiences a mini miracle. Somehow, we make it downstairs in time to eat breakfast, and inevitably, my four-year-old daughter asks to listen to her favorite catechism songs. And before I’ve had one sip of coffee, it starts: kid voices, electronic synth background music, andContinue reading “Even a Child Knows”
Intentional Faith 