Strengthen what remains.
Have you ever had one of those moments where you wondered, “Why am I not getting this?”
You’re trying. You’re praying. You may even be serving others faithfully. But nothing seems to move. Nothing changes. And quietly, underneath it all, frustration begins to grow.
The disciples had a day like that.
A desperate father brought his suffering son to them—a boy tormented by seizures and deeply oppressed spiritually. The disciples tried to help, but nothing happened. They could not drive the demon out. (Matthew 17:14–20)
Then Jesus stepped into the situation, and His response feels surprisingly strong:
“You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?”
Those words carry weight. Jesus wasn’t just addressing the crowd. He was confronting a deeper issue—spiritual dullness, dependence on self, and a lack of real faith.
The disciples had likely seen miracles before. They had watched Jesus heal, deliver, and re
...Be Still … and Be Active
One of the great challenges of our day is learning how to truly be still before the Lord.
Most of us live with constant noise, movement, pressure, and distraction. We are accustomed to striving, reacting, producing, and pushing forward. Because of that, stillness can feel unfamiliar—even uncomfortable at first.
But the good news is this: we can learn.
We can learn to quiet ourselves before God.
We can learn to receive His presence.
We can learn to rest our souls.
(And if this is difficult for you, that is okay. Last week’s article offered several practices that may help.)
Yet as we grow in stillness, another challenge can quietly emerge.
Sometimes people discover such peace, healing, and comfort in God’s presence that they unintentionally become passive in their faith. They begin enjoying being with God—but slowly stop moving with God.
No one intends for this to happen. In fact, it often grows out of something wonderful: finally learning to stop striving and receive from the Lord....
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