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While Never Fun, We Need the Storms
There are moments in life when the storm feels unbearable. When it knocks us down, leaves us broken, and makes us wonder if we’ll ever rise again. But sometimes, we need the storm, not because we enjoy the suffering, but because it opens doors we never could have imagined. It takes us places we never thought we’d go and allows us to reach people we never could have reached before.
I think about Paul in Lystra. He was preaching the Gospel, doing what God had called him to do, and for that, he was stoned. Not just beaten or imprisoned, but stoned to the point that the people thought he was dead. They dragged his body outside the city and left him there, assuming it was over. And in any normal situation, it would have been. But God wasn’t finished.
Paul got up. Bruised, battered, but not broken. And instead of running in the opposite direction, instead of saying, “I’m never going back there again,” he returned. First, he left for a time, but later, he came back. And when he did, he strengthened the believers there. What the enemy meant to destroy him, God used to build something greater.
It makes me wonder, how often do we face trials, only to assume that’s the end of the story? How often do we suffer and decide we never want to go back to that place, that relationship, that calling? But what if God is saying, “Not yet. I’m not done. What the enemy meant for evil, I will use for good.”
Paul didn’t go back as the same man. He went back with experience. With scars. But also with a testimony that couldn’t be denied. The people who had tried to kill him now saw that not even death could stop the message he carried. And because of that, the number of believers grew.
Maybe you’re in a storm right now. Maybe you’ve been through one so painful that you never want to return to where it happened. But what if your return isn’t about reliving the pain but about showing others what God can do? What if your scars are the testimony someone else needs to see to believe that God is still in the business of redemption?
The storm isn’t the end. The suffering isn’t the final chapter. Sometimes, we need the storm to take us places we wouldn’t have gone on our own. Sometimes, the very thing meant to destroy us is what God will use to bring life to others.
So, if God is calling you back, back to the place of pain, back to the people who rejected you, back to the situation that almost broke you, don’t be afraid. You’re not going back the same. You’re going back stronger. You’re going back as a testimony. And through you, God will reach those who never would have believed before.
What the enemy meant for evil, God will always use for good.
4 min read
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Hospital For The Broken
Church Should Be a Hospital, Not a Masquerade. Somewhere along the way, we started treating church like a performance rather than a place of healing. We started dressing up our brokenness instead of bringing it to Jesus. We got really good at saying “I’m fine” when we’re not. We convinced ourselves that if we’re struggling, we need to push it down, put on a smile, and pretend everything is okay. But that is not church. That is not what Jesus intended.
Church is supposed to be a hospital for the sick, not a museum for the self-righteous. The moment we turn the sanctuary into a stage for perfection, we have lost the very heart of the gospel.
Jesus said in Matthew 9:12-13, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
So why do we act like we have to be whole before we can walk through the doors?
What If We Were Honest?
Imagine if, instead of brushing past people with shallow greetings, we actually asked, “How are you really?” And imagine if we allowed space for the truth to be spoken.
What if someone walked into church and said:
“I’m addicted, and I don’t know how to stop.”
“I’m battling depression, and I don’t feel God anymore.”
“My marriage is falling apart, and I don’t know what to do.”
“I don’t know if I even believe in Jesus anymore.”
Would we love them? Would we walk with them? Or would we look away, too uncomfortable to deal with their reality?
Jesus met people in their mess. He sat with the outcasts, touched the lepers, and dined with sinners. He didn’t wait for people to clean up their act before offering them grace. So why do we?
Stop Checking the Church Box
For too many of us, church has become a ritual. We show up on Sundays, sing the songs, hear the sermon, and leave unchanged. We check “church” off our list like we’re fulfilling an obligation.
But let me tell you something: You didn’t “see” Jesus just because you sat in a pew.
If you walk out of church and your heart is still hardened, you didn’t meet Jesus.
If you treat worship like a concert instead of surrender, you didn’t meet Jesus.
If you ignore the person sitting next to you who is clearly hurting, you didn’t meet Jesus.
Jesus is not impressed with attendance records. He’s after transformation. He’s after authenticity.
Ask People Their Story
One of the most dangerous things we can do is assume someone is okay just because they look okay. You don’t know the battles people are fighting. You don’t know what it took for someone to walk through those church doors.
Before you write someone off, ask them, “What’s your story?”
That addict you judged? Maybe he’s been clean for a week, and this is the first time he’s had hope in years.
That single mom you whispered about? Maybe she left an abusive relationship, and church is the only safe place she knows.
That person who seems distant? Maybe they’ve been crying out to God, wondering if He even hears them anymore.Don’t send someone to hell because you were too busy pretending to be holy.
Be the Church, Not a Social Club
If church isn’t a place where people can be real, then what is it? A social club? A gathering of people who have perfected their masks? That is not the church of Jesus Christ.
The early church in Acts was a place where believers “shared everything they had” (Acts 2:44-45). They confessed their sins. They carried each other’s burdens. They did life together.
Somewhere along the way, we lost that. We traded community for comfort. We traded vulnerability for appearances.
But real healing requires real honesty.
So let’s be different. Let’s be a church where the broken don’t have to hide. Let’s be a church where people can say, “I’m not okay”, and know they won’t be met with shame but with grace.
Because that’s exactly what Jesus would do.
4 min read
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Healing Begins When Lies End
Healing Starts with Truth. It’s no surprise that people aren’t healing when they’re holding on to a false narrative that was handed to them. You can’t heal from what you don’t understand, and you can’t move forward when you’re standing on a foundation built on lies. Healing requires truth, even when that truth is painful.
Many people spend years, even decades, believing something that was never meant to serve them, whether it’s a lie about their worth, their past, or their potential. They were told who they are, what they can be, and how they should think, and they accepted it without question. But how can you heal when the version of reality you were given is distorted? How can you move forward when you don’t even know the full weight of what you’re carrying?
The truth is uncomfortable. It forces you to see things for what they really are, not what you wish they were. And yes, it will hurt. It will shake you, break you, and maybe even make you feel like you’re worse off than before. But that pain is the beginning of something real. It’s the start of actual healing, not the illusion of it.
Healing isn’t just about getting over something; it’s about facing it, understanding it, and rebuilding with honesty. It means tearing down the lies, unlearning the conditioning, and choosing to see things as they are, even when it’s not what you want to see. You can’t fix what you refuse to acknowledge.
So if you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself: what false stories have I been carrying? What version of reality have I been living that isn’t really mine? Healing starts when you stop running from the truth. It starts when you stop numbing yourself with distractions and finally confront what’s real.
Yes, it will hurt. But pain isn’t the enemy, lies are. And the moment you start embracing the truth, no matter how difficult, is the moment you open the door to real healing.
4 min read
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God Over Religion
I’ve come to a place in my life where I want everything to do with God, but nothing to do with the Church of God. I don’t need a specific religion to define my faith, and I don’t need a building to tell me what I already know deep in my soul.
I believe in God. I seek Him. I want a real connection with Him. But what I don’t want is to be part of a place that hides the truth, a system that picks and chooses what to believe, a body that refuses to acknowledge anything that doesn’t fit within its own controlled narrative.
I’ve seen too much, questioned too much, and felt too much to pretend that the church always gets it right. Too often, it doesn’t. Too often, it silences instead of listens. It shames instead of loves. It protects what is convenient and ignores what is uncomfortable. And I refuse to be a part of something that puts its own image above the actual truth.
My faith is not about religion. It’s not about traditions. It’s not about following a set of rules created by people who think they’ve figured out God. My faith is about God Himself. It’s about the relationship I have with Him, the way He moves in my life, and the truth He reveals to me, not the truth someone else tells me I have to accept.
I don’t need a church to find God. I don’t need a title to have faith. And I don’t need approval to seek what I know is real. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about religion, it’s about Him.
That doesn’t mean I’ll never step foot in a church or find value in gathering with others who seek Him. Because I will go to church. But it does mean that my faith isn’t dependent on a building, a denomination, or a specific way of doing things. My relationship with God is not confined to Sunday mornings or dictated by traditions passed down without question. I refuse to let my spirituality be shaped by human expectations rather than divine truth. My faith is built on something far deeper, something unshakable, personal, and real.
4 min read
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Small Thinking
Years ago, a prophecy was spoken over my life, one that I didn’t fully understand at the time.
“You think too small.”
I remember hearing those words and brushing them off. I didn’t see it. I thought I had dreams, I thought I had vision, I thought I was believing for big things. But looking back, I realize now that my mindset was limited. I was believing within the confines of what I thought was possible, what I thought I could handle, what made sense within my comfort zone.
But here’s the thing about prophecy: it doesn’t expire. It lingers. It waits. It follows you until the time is right.
And now, I can feel the winds shifting. Something is stirring deep within me. For the first time in my life, I am thinking big. But here’s the difference, this is not about me. This is not about my success, my comfort, or my ambitions.
This is about Jesus. Always Jesus.
I don’t want to dream bigger just so I can have more. I want to dream bigger so His name can be glorified. So His kingdom can expand. So His will can be done.
I refuse to live a life of small prayers when I serve a limitless God. I refuse to let fear, doubt, or insecurity keep me from walking in the fullness of what He has planned. I refuse to keep my hands closed when He is calling me to open them, to give more, to love deeper, to surrender fully.
So here I am, stepping out, believing for the impossible, walking boldly into the unknown. Because if I am going to think big, it will be for Him. If I am going to dream, it will be for His glory. If I am going to live, it will be for Jesus.
No more small thinking. No more safe prayers. No more limiting God to what I think is possible.
The winds are shifting. And I am ready.
4 min read
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Savior but not Lord
Most People Want an Easy Faith, But That’s Not What Jesus Offers. They want salvation without sacrifice. They want heaven without holiness. They want Jesus as their Savior, but they don’t want Him as their Lord.
This is the tragedy of modern Christianity: many want the benefits of Christ without the cost of discipleship. They love the idea of being saved from hell, but they don’t want to submit to the One who saves. They want a Jesus who forgives, but not a Jesus who commands.
But Jesus never offered a comfortable, casual faith. He made it clear: following Him comes with a cost.
A Faith Without Cost Is Not True Faith
Too many people believe in a watered-down gospel, one that tells them they can live however they want as long as they “believe” in Jesus. But faith without obedience is dead (James 2:17). Jesus Himself asked,
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)
Calling Jesus Lord means He rules over your life. But many people don’t want that. They want the title of Christian, but they don’t want the lifestyle of a disciple.
People Want Salvation Without Sacrifice
Many want the assurance of salvation, but they don’t want the surrender that comes with it. But Jesus made it clear:
“Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38)
The cross is not a decoration, it’s a symbol of death to self. If you follow Jesus, you must be willing to sacrifice:
Your desires
Your plans
Your comfort
Your sinful lifestyle
But most people don’t want that. They want grace without change. They want to keep their sin and still claim salvation. But Jesus never offered that option.
People Want Heaven Without Holiness
Many say, “I believe in Jesus,” but they live no differently than the world. They ignore Hebrews 12:14:
“Without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
Holiness means being set apart. It means you don’t talk like the world, think like the world, or act like the world. It means you don’t compromise with sin. But too many people want to fit in with the world and still expect to enter heaven.
But Jesus was clear:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
The way is hard because it requires holiness. It requires obedience. And most people are not willing to live that way.
People Want Jesus as Savior, But Not as Lord
Many love to talk about how Jesus forgives. But few want to talk about how Jesus commands. But Jesus doesn’t just say, “Come as you are.” He says, “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)
Salvation is free, but following Jesus costs everything. That’s why He said:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
That means you don’t get to pick and choose which parts of Jesus you want. If He is your Savior, He must also be your Lord.
True Faith Requires Full Surrender
The reason the road to eternal life is narrow is that few are willing to fully surrender. Many claim Christ with their mouths, but deny Him with their lives. But Jesus said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
True faith requires:
Repentance (turning from sin)
Obedience (following God’s commands)
Holiness (living set apart)
Sacrifice (denying yourself)
Anything less is not true Christianity.
Will You Take the Narrow Road?
Most people will not pay the price. They will settle for a comfortable, compromised Christianity that costs them nothing. But Jesus is worth it. The cost of following Him is nothing compared to the cost of rejecting Him.
So ask yourself today:
Do I truly follow Jesus, or do I just claim His name?
Do I live in obedience, or do I just expect forgiveness?
Do I desire holiness, or do I just want heaven?
Jesus wants all of you. Not just your words, but your life. The question is: Will you give it to Him?
4 min read
