When âIllusory Delightsâ Call Your Name
Sometimes we just want a little satisfaction, donât we? A touch of comfort, something that takes the edge off, a moment where we feel filled. But, the real question is: what actually meets us at the deeper level?
Paul hints at this in his letter to the Corinthians:
âYou say, âI have the right to do anything,â but not everything is beneficial. âI have the right to do anythingââbut not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.â (1 Corinthians 10:23â24)
Thereâs an even higher call woven through Scripture: to seek Godâs will and pursue it with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.
And yet, weâre often tempted to meet our own needs firstâand fast. We lean on our own strategies, or we look to others to fill the gaps. At first, that urge can feel almost noble or necessary. But Ignatius of Loyola, writing in the 15th century, named these moments for what they are: âillusory delights.â
Theyâre the offerings that shimmer just enough to catch...
When Life Feels Aimless
 Do you ever feel a little aimlessâlike youâre going through the motions, but the motions no longer mean much? Itâs easy for weeks to blur into months of treadmill living: lots of activity, not much direction. And ⌠wouldnât it be nice if our path was simply marked out for us?
Most of us long for wisdomâthe kind that blends knowledge, experience, discernment, and the ability to put it all into practice. We want to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it well. We want to be effective and grounded.
But how do we actually get wisdom?
Scripture tells us we begin by believing wisdom exists outside of ourselves. There is a reason, a design, a deeper logic woven into this world and into our lives. And that wisdom isnât hidden. Itâs found in relationship with God.
âThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.â âProverbs 9:10
Wisdom doesnât originate with us. It resides in God. He is its source and author.
Moses understood t...
Whatever You Do: Reclaim the Fullness of Your Spiritual Life
 If I asked you, âHow are you doing spiritually?â you might need a moment to think about it.
Youâd probably start mentally reviewing your Bible reading. Have I been consistent? Did I even open it this week? Do I remember anything I readâand did it make any difference in my life?
Then you might check in on your prayer life. Have I actually been talking to God, or just thinking about prayer? Have I lifted up my family, my work, my community? Have I interceded for anyone at all?
From there, you might evaluate your church involvementâattendance, serving, small group participation.
And after that quick internal survey, youâd likely give yourself some kind of grade⌠then adjust up or down depending on whether youâre wired as an optimist or a realist.
But hereâs the thing:
Your spiritual life is so much bigger than your religious activities. It touches every part of who you are and what you do.
Paul said it this way:
âWHATEVER you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the ...
Be Inspired, Not Discouraged
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When you see someone excellingâwhether in school, sports, relationships, work, self-discipline, or communicationâwhatâs your first reaction? Do you feel motivated to grow in that area, or do you feel left out, thinking, âWhy donât I have those abilities?â Or worse, âI could never do thatâ?
Hebrews 12 offers us encouragement for moments like this:
âSince we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, letâs throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.â (Hebrews 12:1)
The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11âpeople who trusted God against impossible oddsâare recorded not to make us feel small, but to inspire us. Their lives are meant to encourage us to step into the faith and purpose God has for us personally.
Unfortunately, itâs easy to fall into the trap of comparison. We look at someone elseâs success and either feel like failures or become prideful. As the apostle Paul reminds us, compar...
Seeing What God Is Saying
Some people live as if there is no God.
Some believe He exists but assume Heâs silent.
And others are doing everything they can to hear His voice more clearly.
But maybe the way to hear Him isnât through doing more.
Maybe itâs through quieting down and paying attention.
Our lives are noisy. Constant motion. Constant thought. Constant input. But when we slow our anxious energy and become still, something shifts. Suddenly, the world around us starts to speak. We begin to notice Godâs fingerprints everywhereâHis will, His beauty, His steady activity woven into ordinary life.
Psalm 19 says,
âThe heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth.â (Psalm 19:1â4)
Creation speaksâwithout saying a word.
The problem isnât that God has stopped speaking; itâs that weâve stopped ...
The Point and Power of Pausing
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When Life Turns Up the Pressure
What do you do when you feel the pressure closing in?
Do you double downâdetermined to push harder until things finally give way? Or do you pull backâhoping that if you wait it out, the heat will die down on its own? In other words, when stress hits, do you tend to fight or take flight?
We all have natural reactions to pressure. The key is knowing what yours isâand learning when it helps and when it hurts. Sometimes our first response fits the moment. But other times, itâs just instinct taking over, not wisdom leading the way.
The truth is, when pressure and quick reactions mix, things often go poorly.
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If youâre a fighter, remember that moving too fast can land you in trouble. Proverbs 19:2 says, âDesire without knowledge is not goodâhow much more will hasty feet miss the way!â In other words, rushing ahead can leave you with regretsâa commitment you canât keep, a word you canât take back, or a problem that just got bigger.
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If youâre a f...
The Heart of True Intimacy
 When people begin dating, they often feel a surge of inner angst: âWill I be accepted? Will my invitation be well received?â These questions reach deeper than romanceâthey touch our sense of identity, self-worth, and lovability. In response, weâre tempted to show only our best parts, carefully curating ourselves to be acceptableâmaybe even creating a false self in order to âcatchâ the other person.
The same temptation can creep into our relationship with God. If weâre not sure of His utterly unconditional love, we may try to hide the âunpresentableâ parts of ourselves or craft a âreligiousâ version of who we think we should be. But these paths are spiritually deadly. They keep us from experiencing the authentic, transforming love of God and leave us stuck in a shallow faith.
Yet Scripture is clear: God calls us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27). Real love means bringing every part of ourselvesânot just the polished or presentable partsâinto a full...
Reflection and Action: A Rhythm for Spiritual Growth
When was the last time you simply spent time with the Lordânot reading for information, not asking Him to do something, but just talking with Him, listening, and seeking His counsel for your life? Isnât that what it really means to seek Him? (Psalm 27:8; Psalm 105:4)
I am convinced that one of the greatest ways to grow in wisdom and in the counsel of the Lord is through reflection with Him. In those quiet moments, we become more aware of His presence, hear His voice more clearly, and grow in spiritual authority as we learn to obey what He shows us.
Someone once said, âAction without reflection is meaningless action.â In the same way, reflection with the Lordâanchored in His Wordâgives us divine perspective. As we consider our lives in His presence, the Holy Spirit teaches us (John 14:26). We begin to see ourselves more clearly and discover how to live practically in His Kingdom.
But hereâs the key: reflection is not about self-evaluation or âproducing a better versionâ of ourselves....
Redeemed for More: Godâs Call on Your Day
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Some mornings feel like they start on their own. Life rushes forward, and we scramble to jump on the moving escalator without tripping. But before we get swept along, itâs worth pausing to remember: the world we live in is broken. Since the very first sin, everything has borne its marksâalienation, sickness, death. The decay is everywhere.
Yet God, in His mercy, stepped in. Jesus gave His life as a ransom (Mark 10:45), redeeming us from spiritual slavery and rescuing us from that downward path. So donât just wake up and sprint into the day. Stop. Receive your redemption with gratitude. Lift your eyes to your eternal hope in Christ, and give thanks.
Redemption, however, is only the beginning. You have also been reconciled. The barrier of sin that once separated you from God has been torn down. No longer do you walk aloneâGod is with you, and in you. Spiritually united with Him, like a covenant marriage, youâve died to the exhausting burden of independent living. Your new life is li...
Pull Yourself Together!
Have you checked your email today? How about YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat? Every day, we are bombarded with ideas, perspectives, opportunities, and sales. This constant influx of information can leave us feeling intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually overloaded. Over time, it can even fragment our sense of self.
In an effort to cope, we often compartmentalize our lives. We may act one way politically or socially, another way in our work or family life, and yet another way in our spiritual communities. While some variation is natural, consistent compartmentalization can erode our identity and undermine deep relationships.
Have you ever been at a gathering with people from different spheres of your lifeâfamily, friends, colleagues, churchâand felt awkward? Some of this is normal. But the deeper question is: are you being true to yourself, or are you âplaying to the crowd,â presenting a different version of yourself in each setting?
Though compartme...
