Charles Spurgeon | Craig T. Owens

November 2026
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Say So

November 2, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.

The apostle Paul makes an interesting point with a little play on words—two words, to be specific: peace and God. Check out Philippians 4:4-8. Paul says, “the peace of God” (Greek: eirene Theos) and “the God of peace” (Theos eirene). Surrounding these titles are reminders to be grateful. Throughout Scripture we see this link between our gratitude to the God of peace, and the peace of God which guards our hearts.

(You can read all of the Bible verses mentioned in this post by clicking here.)

A natural byproduct of the peace of God is contentment. But contentment can also be our undoing, if we aren’t careful to use it the right way.

Watch out for contentment that becomes complacency—taking our blessings for granted. If we do this, complacency leads to forgetfulness. And as soon as anything is not going right, our forgetfulness produces anxiety.

Charles Spurgeon said, “When we have much of God’s providential mercies, it often happens that we have but little of God’s grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without Heaven.”

The wrong things to feel contented about:

My possessions
Absence of enemies or troubles
Things going my way

Psalm 107 is a history lesson for us. Notice a repeated pattern for Israel that is still operational today.

give thanks (v. 1) → complacency which leads to hunger (v. 5) → calling to God for deliverance (v. 6)
give thanks (vv. 8-9) → rebellion which leads to trouble (vv. 11-12) → calling to God for salvation (vv. 13-14)
give thanks (v. 15) → foolishness which leads to rebellion (v. 17) → calling to God for help (vv. 19-20)
give thanks (v. 21) → drunkenness which leads to being at their wits’ end (v. 27) → calling to God for deliverance (v. 28)

Finally, in v. 31 we have a “give thanks” that doesn’t proceed to complacency and trouble. If contentment fuels expressed gratitude, that keeps not just eirene Theos on our minds, but also Theos eirene. This keeps us watchful for God (v. 43): In this verse “heed” means to keep a close watch, and “consider” means to have increased discernment and insight. This restarts the right contentment cycle.

The right things to feel contented about:

Not my possessions, but God possessing me—Psalm 131:1-2
Not the absence of troubles, but not being troubled by troubles—Proverbs 19:23
Not things going my way, but things going God’s way—Job 1:21-22; Philippians 4:11-13; Deuteronomy 8:3 AMPC

When our thoughts about God begin to fade, so does our gratitude to God. When our gratitude to God begins to fade, so does our reliance on Him.

The strategy for how we keep our thoughts on God is embedded throughout Psalm 107: We must use our mouth to recount His blessings—exalt and praise (v. 32), tell (v. 22), say so (v. 2).

You need to hear your “say so” in your own ears to energize your faith (science backs this up). The enemy needs to hear your “say so” to defeat him (Revelation 12:10-11). Others around you need to hear your “say so” to encourage them (Philippians 4:9).

My challenge to you: At the end of everyday, write down one thing you are grateful for. Try to find a unique thing each day. Then put a box next to that thing. The next day, find someone to whom you can “say so”—to tell them, “I’m so grateful for _______.”

Let’s be known as the “say so” people, constantly telling, exalting, and praising the every-day blessings that God showers on us.

Check out the other messages in this series called The Peace in Gratitude here.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, Charles Spurgeon, complacent, Deuteronomy, gratitude, job, peace, Philippians, proverbs, Psalm, quote, sermon, thankfulness, thanksgiving, video. 2 Comments »

Links & Quotes

October 31, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

2 Peter 1:3 tells us that the divine power of Jesus has given us everything we need to live a God-honoring life. Jesus did the work so that we could do the work! Without His work, we are unable to do anything for ourselves.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“A rule of thumb for organizing your work strategy: Work where you are strongest 80% of the time, work where you are learning 15% of the time, work where you are weak 5% of the time.” —John Maxwell

“A July 2026 study of immune cells found that cell function depends not only on genes and proteins, but also on how those parts are linked.” Check out new findings that continue to point to the genius of our Creator God!

Then looking at how our blood vessels grow is another astounding discovery of the mind-blowing engineering of God’s design. “For a new blood vessel to grow in a useful direction, several steps must stay coordinated. The cell must detect force, pass that signal inward, change its activity, and remodel nearby tissue. At the same time, the growing vessel must keep its structure and function. The study shows these linked steps working together as one controlled response.” All of these intricacies point to an all-wise Creator!

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the first printed version of the Bible in English: the Tyndale Bible. Here is a remarkable historical account of William Tyndale and what the British Library called “the most important printed book in the English language.”

“Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.” —Augustine

“The Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) in Los Angeles and the African-American pastor of the Azusa Street Mission, William Seymour, have become iconic symbols of the Pentecostal movement. However, historians and participants in the revival point to a lesser-known Baptist pastor and graduate of Spurgeon’s College, Joseph Smale, who helped prepare Los Angeles for the revival.” Read more about Pastor Smale and the revival he ushered in.

“Pilate hoped Jesus would defend Himself. Justice could be served and the whole matter put to rest if only the accused would speak, if only He would answer Pilate’s questions and, you know, help him a little bit. But the just outcome Jesus was seeking in silence before Pilate was of a much higher order than what the governor had in mind. And He knew that, for divine justice to be served in His situation, all human injustice must have its way.” —T.M. Moore

“I do not perceive that John says, ‘Blessed are they that understand this Book,’ for, surely, they would be very few. I do not doubt that there are portions of Scripture which are not meant to be understood as yet—things concerning the future which are wrapped up in a phraseology which will be plain enough when that future arrives, but which for the present are not intended so much to gratify our curiosity as to stimulate our watchfulness. To keep us constantly on the look out, is the main object of every revelation concerning the future.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Revelation 1:3

Cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace uses three “chapter ones” from Scripture to make the case that Jesus really is God. And then check out this video where Wallace explains how we can trust the veracity of accounts of the virgin birth of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels.

Links & Quotes

October 10, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Instead of trying to get out of the difficult place quickly, try to learn what you can get out of the difficult place.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

Fight The New Drug shares, “Young people don’t have to go looking for harmful content online anymore—it can find them through social media, gaming platforms, algorithms, or even someone they trust. And sometimes, what begins as an ordinary online interaction can escalate into something much more serious.”

“God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.” —C.S. Lewis, in A Grief Observed

“Temptation feeds on curiosity. It tells me what I don’t have and what I should have by giving me comparisons. … Sin is so shortsighted. It only lives in the moment. It never bothers to ask if it’s worth it. Sin doesn’t think that far ahead. It makes you think only as far as forgiveness. Sin says, ‘Go ahead, God will forgive you,’ but it leaves out some very important facts: You can be forgiven and still pay the consequences of breaking trust, losing your marriage, and even devastating your children. You can be forgiven of sin, but not free of the consequences.” —Tim Dilena, in Chapter by Chapter on 2 Samuel 11

Wow, is this a powerful and important message for anyone struggling with temptation. Succinctly put: we never sin alone. In this post, T.M. Moore writes, “The first step along the way of escape is to remember that we never sin alone. We might think we can ‘get away’ with some little secret sin, but we are part of a community of the faithful; we are members of the Body of Christ. If I introduce infection to one of my fingers, or poison to my tongue, sooner or later my whole body is going to feel the consequences. It’s the same thing with sin. Any time we rebel against the Lord we plant a seed of disobedience and corruption in our own souls. Like dandelions, the seeds of rebellion can waft through all our thoughts, feelings, priorities, words, and deeds and take root in ways we cannot predict, and may not be able to control. Sooner or later, someone will feel the impact of our sinfulness, whether by some sin of commission or omission on our part.”

“The nearer your communion with Christ is, the more will you be permitted to know of Him. Our perceptions of Christ, if they are true, will be spiritual; and in proportion as our spiritual life is in a right condition, shall we be able to know more and more of Him.” —Charles Spurgeon

John Piper writes, “All of you have been wronged at one time or another. Most of you, probably, have been wronged seriously by someone who has never apologized or done anything sufficient to make it right.” Then he shares the encouraging truth in this posts: Justice will be done.

Links & Quotes

October 3, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Here’s a good piece of advice for first-time vision-casters: Be prepared for a quiet initial response. Greg and I discuss this in a full length podcast AND in our book Business by the Book—What the Bible says about a CEO’s vision-casting.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

T.M. Moore wrote, “The apostle Paul promised that, whenever we are faced with temptation, God will provide a way of escape, so that we can bear up and grow through temptation into greater maturity in the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are practicing self-control when we search for that way of escape and direct our steps toward it: ‘I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I made haste, I did not delay to keep Your commandments’ (Psalm 119:59, 60).” Read more about the necessity of self-control in this post.

“Character doesn’t make you a leader; it protects you as a leader.” —John Maxwell

“Hard words are an evidence of the weakness of the cause which they are used to support. Hard arguments softly put, are the really effective weapons, but it takes some of us a long time to learn this; and generally, in our younger days, we wear away our own strength by the violence with which we use it.” —Charles Spurgeon

One of the leaders in my school shared this: “Numerous researchers have studied the use of wait time by teachers. Pausing for just 3-5 seconds after a question has been shown to produce higher-level thinking and answering. This is true both of classroom questioning and individual conversation. Slow down during conversation today and see what happens!” Previously, I shared an important lesson I learned about slowing down.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Business by the Book, character, Charles Spurgeon, gentleness, John Maxwell, quotes, self-control, T.M. Moore, video, vision casting. Leave a Comment »

Proving My Claims

September 30, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)

If I claim…
…I have fellowship with Jesus
…I know the truth
…I am done with sinning
…I live in the light

Then I must think, speak, and act like Jesus.

To prove my claims I must show that…
…I know the Truth and live in it
…I quickly confess and repent of sin
…I know His commands and obey them
…I know His love and I love others

There is no better proof for my claims than Christlikeness!

As Charles Spurgeon said,

“When we try to be, in every respect, what God’s Word tells us we ought to be, then may we know that we are in God; but if we walk carelessly, if we take no account of our actions, but do, after a random fashion, whatever comes into our foolish hearts, then have we no evidence at all that we are in God.”

The proof of our claims is self-evident. John uses the phrase “this is how we know” 8 times in this letter, and he uses the word “know” another 35 times!

It’s not enough for me to verbally make the claims, but people should hear the words of Jesus in my mouth, see His compassion in my actions, and know His love fills my heart and informs my mind.

I’ll say it again: There is no better proof for my claims than Christlikeness. I know it, everyone who sees or hears me knows it, and, most importantly, Jesus knows it.

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. (1 John 3:18-19 NLT)

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Christlike, Christianity, faith in action, lifestyle, biblical truth, Charles Spurgeon, evidence, proof, 1 John, quote. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

September 26, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Psalm 99 lists four different ways saints come to worship before God’s throne. The Old English spelling is “worthship” because God is worth all of the praise we can lift to Him—especially when we think about the sins He has forgiven 🙌🏻

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“True love hates that which is unlovely. It is inevitable that a man, who is full of love, should feel intense indignation against that which is contrary to love. Hence the apostle says, ‘If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.’” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 John 4:18-20

Christians aren’t supposed to be “lone rangers” but in community with other saints. T.M. Moore wrote, “Our Christian friends can be a very helpful resource for improving our conversational skills, if we will take the time to talk about spiritual things. As iron sharpens iron, we may expect that, by engaging often in conversations with other believers, over matters of the highest moment, our conversational skills will improve steadily over time. We might even have some fun.”

The social conditions that led up to the Prayer Revival of 1857, in many ways, mirror those in America today. Check out a short history lesson about spiritual revivals.

“And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying. To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

A young man in the middle school where I serve asked to read a copy of my book When Sheep Bite. Nearly every day on his lunch break, Nick would come into talk with me about what he read, and share some insights he had gleaned. He wrote the most sincere and straightforward endorsement that I have ever received.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 John, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, church, church history, community, forgiveness, God's love, hate, Mere Christianity, quotes, revival, saints, T.M. Moore, video, When Sheep Bite, worship. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quote

September 19, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

You are the most effective evangelist in the areas where you already operate everyday. You can tell the story of Jesus better to your family members, coworkers, and friends than an outside can. Keep shining brightly for Jesus!

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“They think that if you ask them to forgive someone who has cheated or bullied them you are trying to make out that there was really no cheating or no bullying. But if that were so, there would be nothing to forgive. They keep on replying, ‘But I tell you the man broke a most solemn promise.’ Exactly: that is precisely what you have to forgive. (This doesn’t mean that you must necessarily believe his next promise. It does mean that you must make every effort to kill every taste of resentment in your own heart—every wish to humiliate or hurt him or to pay him out.) The difference between this situation and the one in which you are asking God’s forgiveness is this. In our own case we accept excuses too easily; in other people’s we do not accept them easily enough.” —C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory

T.M. Moore tells us, “Conversations can build relationships; thus, Christians should be actively involved in seeking to start and maintain conversations with many people, especially those we encounter each week…. But the Christian conversationalist does not engage others merely for the sake of conversation, as though conversation were an end in itself.”

“Information never fights fear. Revelation does.” —Tim Dilena

“Saints find themselves at home in the next life, not in this one.” —J. Stephen Lang

“Do not imagine that there is any love to your souls in the heart of the preacher who preaches smooth things, and who flatters you with his ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. No, the highest, deepest, most heaven-inspired love is that which searches and tries the heart that there should be any deception there.” —Charles Spurgeon

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, conversation, eternity, evangelism, fear, forgiveness, pastors, quotes, saints, T.M. Moore, Tim Dilena, video. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

September 12, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Keep putting in the effort. If someone in your organization doesn’t see your work ethic and your leadership capacity, someone outside your organization will. Your hard work will be rewarded!

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered. … Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion. A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age.” —C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory

“O child of God, as thou wouldst fear to drink poison, as thou wouldst flee from a serpent, dread sin!” —Charles Spurgeon

“We pray in Jesus’ Name not just by ending our prayer with that default phrase, but by making sure our requests line up with what He teaches and what will glorify both Jesus and His Father. When we pray this way, we can know that Jesus will do what we have asked, and He will do it by His Spirit at work within us.” —T.M. Moore

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, effort, Holy Spirit, philosophy, prayer, quotes, sin, T.M. Moore, video, work ethic. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

September 5, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

The terms used in the New Testament for followers of Jesus aren’t typically the same terms we use today. As Christians, we need to ask ourselves, “Is my life showing the biblical definition of what it means to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior?”

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“The trouble is that what we call ‘asking God’s forgiveness’ very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some ‘extenuating circumstances.’ We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don’t cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses.” —C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory

“There is a place for anger. Without it, we would become passive against injustice. Anger helps us turn away from accepting blame that does not belong to us. It allows us to gain needed emotional distance from the one who hurt us. But anger requires safeguards. In this psalm, David had two: (1) He told his anger to God. … (2) He let God handle the execution of anger.” —Dr. George O. Wood, in A Psalm in my Heart

T.M. Moore speaks to the church in this post called Equipped For Good Works. A couple of comments that especially caught my attention: “A local church grows as it increases in the likeness of Jesus Christ” and “Churches grow as individual church members grow in zeal for good works, and do good to others at every opportunity, beginning within the household of faith.”

“I believe that the prophesies in the Revelation, and in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel are very much of this character, and that, while it is quite right to watch for and expect the coming of the Lord, we shall spend our time more profitably in preaching the doctrines of the gospel than in meditating upon the mysterious prophecies of the Word. They will be understood when they are fulfilled, but we do not think they will be fully understood before that time.” —Charles Spurgeon

The name of God is an important topic. Dr. Kaspars Ozolins writes, “What, then, is the actual name of Israel’s God? In biblical Hebrew it is represented by a sequence of four consonants, the famous tetragrammaton: YHWH. This name occurs a total of 6,828 times in the Old Testament.” Learn more about this name in this post.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the printing of the Tyndale Bible. This is an important event in Christian and world history. Check out this short overview of how this Bible came to be, and its impact that is still being felt today.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anger, biblical history, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, Christianity, church, end times, forgiveness, George O. Wood, good works, prophecy, quotes, T.M. Moore, video, William Tyndale, Yahweh. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

August 15, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Jesus is still telling His story, and He wants to tell it through your life! See John 21:25, 14:12 and check out this encouraging sermon.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 a.m. for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.” —Timothy Keller

Abdu Murray addressed an audience about what it means to be human, and how modern culture has “began to under-spiritualize and over-psychologize what it meant to be human.” I found his history lesson and applications to be quite fascination.

T.M. Moore is presenting a series of posts about the use of our time. “The only time we ever have is the present moment, supplied as an act of free grace by the eternal God and His Word. He has a purpose for the time He gives us: to know Him, enjoy His Presence and blessings, do His work, express His glory, and spread His grace in every moment of our everyday Christian lives. … Time is precious. We can make better use of it than we do.”

“Remember that you can never be really whole till you are holy, for holiness is spiritual sanity; it is the curing of the mind and heart from the disease which sin brought upon them.” —Charles Spurgeon

“What we call ‘being in love’ is a glorious state, and, in several ways, good for us. It helps to make us generous and courageous, it opens our eyes not only to the beauty of the beloved but to all beauty, and it subordinates (especially at first) our merely animal sexuality; in that sense, love is the great conqueror of lust.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

“A man is about as big as the things that make him angry.” —Winston Churchill