Holding On To Help Others Hold On

April 22, 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.  

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus…” (Hebrews 3:1). 

The phrase “fix your thoughts” is one Greek word (katanoeo) which means a deep, attentive studying.

This isn’t merely a quick glance, but a sustained and deep study. Jesus used this word with the examples He gave of His Father’s provision for us—

Consider [katanoeo] the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! … Consider [katanoeo] how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Luke 12:24, 27). 

The writer of Hebrews says we need this deep studying for two reasons.

First, this deep and sustained look into the glory and supremacy of Jesus is the essential part of our hope and confidence in Him. “And we are His house if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (Hebrews 3:6). I want you to remember that phrase “hold firmly” (Greek: katecho) because we will come back to it in just a minute. 

It is very hard to hold firmly to anything if we only have a surface understanding of it. But when we gaze deeply at Jesus and live in awe of His majesty and strength and love, we cannot help but cling evermore firmly to Him! 

The second reason we need to fix our thoughts (katanoeo) on Jesus is to be able to help our fellow saints—our “holy brothers and sisters.” I asked you to remember that phrase “hold firmly” (katecho). Notice how it is linked together with “consider” (katanoeo) in these verses—

Let us hold unswervingly (katecho) to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider (katanoeo) how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:23-24) 

So the writer of Hebrews is telling us that when we are gazing intently at the majesty of Jesus, we discover more reasons to not only hold firmly to Him ourselves, but we also discover more reasons to encourage others to gaze at Him and hold Him firmly themselves. 

In his letter to the church, James uses katanoeo in the negative sense. In James 1:23-24, he says that those who only casually listen to and meditate on God’s Word—never looking into it deeply—will walk away unchanged.

I want to be changed every time I encounter the glory of God as revealed in the Word of God! 

Deep, sustained gazing stimulates more attentive meditating, which turns into more reasons to hold firmly. The more firmly I hold onto Jesus, the more the life of Jesus changes me. Then my ability to spur on other saints to their own gazing, abiding, and holding is increased exponentially. 

I am holding on to Jesus to help others hold on to Jesus too! 

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Maturing Or Declining?

April 13, 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. 

Last week I reminded you about the greeting in the early church. One saint would say to another, “He is risen!” and the other person would respond, “He is risen indeed!” 

That word “indeed” is important. In Greek, the word is ontōs—in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended or fictitious. Our English dictionary says something similar, but adds something I think is memorable: in fact; in reality; in truth—used for emphasis, to confirm and amplify a previous statement. 

The word ontōs is only used a few times in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah, God speaks to His people, calling them to return to Him. The people respond, “We will come to You. Indeed the world is deception; indeed You are our salvation” (see Jeremiah 3:22-23). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

In the New Testament, Paul said that if the law could have saved us, there would have been no reason for Jesus to die on a Cross and be resurrected back to life—Galatians 3:21-22. When He died for our sins, the Roman centurion overseeing His crucifixion recognized that Jesus was indeed the righteous Savior (Luke 23:47; Matthew 27:54). Jesus said of Himself that He came to give freedom indeed (John 8:36). 

When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we are indeed saved from the death penalty that our sins deserve. We are justified through our faith in our crucified and risen Savior. We are now free indeed to participate in the eternal life Jesus gave us! 

The Bible uses three pictures of the life we are now free to enjoy. Since we camped out in the Book of Ephesians last week, let’s return there to see these three pictures—

(1) The Building of the Lord—Ephesians 2:19-22 

We have to stay on the foundation of Jesus, if we want to build something lasting (Matthew 7:24, 26). This means we have to submit to sanctification process of the Holy Spirit (or as I like to say this word: “saint-ification”). When guests come over, you dust and vacuum. If you don’t clean again, dust will accumulate. Jesus isn’t a one-time or occasional Guest, but He wants to abide in us (Revelation 3:20). 

(2) The Body of Christ—Ephesians 4:3-6, 12-13, 16 

Look a the phrases “…make every effort … works of service … become mature….” These are all ongoing processes which we need for healthy growth (Hebrews 5:12-13). As our physical bodies age, we lose 3-5% of our body’s muscle mass every year unless we are actively working to add muscle. Body building requires (a) protein intake, (b) exercise, (c) rest and recovery—God’s Word applied and resting in the work of the Holy Spirit. 

(3) The Bride of Jesus—Ephesians 5:25-28, 33 

We don’t want to be like this out-of-touch husband, whose wife said to him on their 40th anniversary, “I remember on our wedding day how you told me you loved me. How come you never say that any more.” The husband replied: “If anything changed, I would have let you know.” We need to be continually falling in love with our Bridegroom! Listen to how Jesus addressed these saints at Ephesus. He tells them they have persevered through the difficult times (Revelation 2:1-3), yet they have forsaken the most important thing: their first love (v. 4). If we’ve done this, we need to remember, repent, and return to Jesus (v. 5). 

If we’re not maturing, we’re declining. 

If we are only going through the motions, where is the satisfaction? Where is the freedom indeed? 

Listen to these tough—but needed—words from John Piper: 

“The problem with the church today is not that there are too many people who are passionately in love with heaven. The problem is not that professing Christians are retreating from the world, spending half their days reading Scripture and the other half singing about their pleasures in God all the while indifferent to the needs of the world. The problem is that professing Christians are spending ten minutes reading Scripture and then half their day making money and the other half enjoying and repairing what they spend it on. It is not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love. It is worldly-mindedness that hinders love, even when it is disguised by a religious routine on the weekend.” 

Continuing to mature in our faith makes the Building more beautiful, the the Body healthier, and the Marriage more fulfilling! Let’s keep maturing so that we honor Jesus as our Savior and Lord. 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series, you can check them all out here. 

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What Does That Mean?

March 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. 

In one of my favorite movies—The Princess Bride—one character believe himself to be very smart. In fact, Vizzini considers Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates to be morons compared to his massive intelligence. But in one section of the movie he keeps using a singular word over and over again, until Inigo says to him, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means!” Sometimes I wonder if this is what people want to say to Christians! 

Every family has its own unique lexicon—words and phrases mean something to them that they don’t mean to others. Every industry has shorthand for its products and services. Every friend group has their own inside jokes. And we Christians are just as guilty. 

  • Sometimes instead of saying, “Yes” we say, “Amen.” 
  • Instead of calling someone, “Mr. or Mrs.” we call them, “Brother or Sister.” 
  • We soften some of our stronger language by saying, “I’m grieved in my spirit,” instead of saying more honestly, “I’m really ticked off!” 
  • And sometimes, to sound super-spiritual when we pray, we begin to speak in Old English. 

Is it any wonder that people outside of our church circles sometimes look at us like we’re a bit off? 

So what do we mean by calling ourselves “Christian”? This was not the preferred name for followers of Jesus in the early Church: 

  • Saints—60x (only 4x in Acts)
  • Believers—43x (26x in Acts) 
  • Disciples—24x (all in Acts) 
  • Christian—3x 

The word originates in Acts 11:19-26 (v. 19 references the persecution of 8:1). The Greek language follows the Roman pattern of adding “ian” to the name of a great leader whom others were following. King Agrippa used this word in Acts 26:28, showing us how it has gained traction. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Christ is not a proper name, nor is it the surname of Jesus. Christ means the anointed One. So it’s more correct for us to say, “Jesus the Christ” (as in John 1:41). 

So to be a Christian is to follow the Anointed One. To believe that He died to pay the penalty for our sins, and that He rose to life again to give us His eternal life. 

To be a Christian is to live like Jesus, or to live as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). 

To be a Christian is to continue to live like Jesus even in the face of opposition (1 Peter 4:12-16; 2:21-23; 3:13-17). 

Christians are being the Church when they are intentionally living in a way that makes Jesus known as the Christ—the One and Only Anointed One. 

Some excellent questions for Christians to ponder: 

  • What do you mean when you say, “I am a Christian”? 
  • Do others see and hear Jesus in what you do and say? 
  • Does your verbal confession and lifestyle confession compel others to come to Jesus? 

Let’s make sure our lives are the best definition of what the Bible says a Christian truly is! 

Check out all of the other messages in this series by clicking here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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What Kind Of Lover Are You?

March 25, 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. 

In Paul’s second letter to his friend Timothy, he has quite a bit to say about love—really about two kinds of love. 

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) 

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:13) 

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22) 

But as he nears the end of this letter, he warns Timothy about an entirely different kind of love. The word “love” appears six times in a span of just three verses, with four of those times being words that are unique in all of the New Testament. This is his warning about the last days—

     But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. (2 Timothy 3:1-4) 

In “the last days,” the negative characteristics of people will be driven by their misplaced love. They will be…

…lovers of themselves. This is a unique word in the New Testament meaning their only interest is self-interest. 

…lovers of money. These people are ambitious in their pursuit of more, more, more. They are covetous people. Luke uses this same word to describe some Pharisees “who loved money” (Luke 16:14). Literally translated, it means lovers of silver. 

…without love. People so self-focused on their pursuits that the needs of others around them scarcely enter their thoughts, even if those people are their own family members.  

…not lovers of the good. Another unique word that goes beyond simply lacking love, but being antagonistic toward people who are attempting to be loving and kind to others. 

…lovers of pleasure. This unique word means a friend of hedonism. Their pursuit is not just money, but anything that will scratch their itch. This mindset never considers whether their pursuit is healthy, worthwhile, or even injurious to others. 

…[not] lovers of God. This final unique word that Paul uses describes people who have decided to pursue anything except God. Or as the psalmist might say, there is no room for God in any of their thoughts (see Psalm 10:4). 

This is why Solomon told us to guard our heart, or to pay attention to what our heart longs for (Proverbs 4:23), and why Jesus told us to monitor our words that are revealing the pursuits that are truly in our heart (Matthew 12:34). 

Jesus identified the fulfillment of all the requirements of the law as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then loving our neighbor with the same care that we would love ourselves (see Luke 10:25-37). 

What kind of lover are you? 

Are you pursuing God or are you pursuing your own pleasure? 

You could gauge your love by asking these questions: 

  • What or whom do I think about the most? 
  • What do I talk about the most? 
  • What do I do more than anything else? 

We are, as Paul told Timothy, living in “the last days,” with the imminent return of Jesus. Honestly answering those three questions will help you know whether you will hear Jesus say, “Well done! Enter into your Master’s happiness” or, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” 

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The Essential Confession

March 16, 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. 

Last week we talked about biblical beliefs carrying more weight that non-biblical or extra-biblical beliefs. Christians must stand firm on God’s Word to give biblical meaning to everything we say and do, otherwise we lose the true meaning of essential terms like Church and Christian. That means there are words we need to let go, and there is the Word for which we must stand without wavering or backing down. 

Have you heard people make the “They say” claim? “Well, they say you said…,” “They say that Christians are…,” or “They say that Jesus said or did…” It’s always a good idea to get to the source of these statements. 

This is what Jesus did in Matthew 16:13-14. Jesus asked His followers about the “they say” claims they had heard, especially in light of what Jesus had already addressed in Matthew 11:18-19. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I use in this post by clicking here.) 

Matthew 16:15 is a great question to ask others: What do you think of Jesus? By asking this question and truly listening to the answer, you may just be able to uncover some non-biblical “they say” thinking that you can help correct. 

But this verse is also a great question for us to ask of ourselves! Why? Because there is a huge difference between a verbal confession and a lifestyle confession. Look at vv. 16-23 to see the difference between Peter’s verbal confession in verse 16 and his lifestyle confession in verse 22. 

John may have had this exchange in mind when he wrote 1 John 1:5-10. Notice John’s contrast between the verbal confession (“If we claim”) and our lifestyle confession. Listen: Demons can make a verbal confession (Luke 4:41) but they will be confined in Hell for eternity (Matthew 25:41). In the same way, religious people can make a verbal confession and walk out a completely opposite lifestyle confession (Matthew 7:21-23). 

A lifestyle confession can either amplify or cancel a verbal confession. 

Jesus loved Peter’s verbal confession, but then He gave us a lifestyle confession in Matthew 16:24-28. 

The essential confession is not just, “I believe You are the Christ the Son of the living God,” but also, “I will take up my cross and follow You!” 

We lose our life when we live for Jesus’ words (“I will build My Church”) and not living for “they say” words. As Brennan Manning sad, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” 

So let’s ask others, “What do you think of Jesus?” But let’s also ask ourselves that question. Let’s make sure that our verbal confession is being amplified by our lifestyle confession. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your vocabulary and your lifestyle. A great prayer for this is in Psalm 139:23-24. 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in our series “I Will Build My Church”, you can find them all here. 

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The Authority In Bowing

March 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. 

Recognition of the proper chain of command is drilled into every soldier, and knowing and following that chain of command is essential to success. In fact, it’s so important that violating this hierarchy could result in court martial and a dishonorable removal from military service. 

This is just as true in our service in the Lord’s army. 

Pastor Dan Chastain noted how similar the US Army’s Non-commissioned Officer (NCO) creed is to the way Roman centurion’s operated: “I will know my Soldiers and always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my Soldiers and I will never leave them uniformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.” 

The centurion we meet in Luke 7:2-10 cared for his servants and understood the chain of command. He recognized the supreme authority that Jesus had, even His authority over death and disease. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I mention in this post here.)  

Pastor Dan also noted that the backing for an NCO’s authority is fear. There is an understanding of the authority that officer has to both reward and punish. 

The Romans had perfected the torturous act of crucifixion. It struck fear into the hearts of their enemies. In Mark 15:15-38 we see just how well the Romans had developed this gruesome act to keep people living in fear of them. 

They knew just how much to flog their victims to demoralize them for maximum effect—just enough to take the fight out of them, but not too much that they died before being crucified.  

The death of Jesus, however, was probably not what the Roman kill squad expected. It was probably a bit of a letdown for them that Jesus died rather quickly because they were used to their enemies suffering for days. But they also knew they had to ensure that their victims were truly dead (see John 19:31-34). 

Governor Pontius Pilate was also surprised how quickly Joseph of Arimathea showed up to ask for the body of Jesus, so Pilate summoned the centurion who had been in charge of the crucifixions to verify that He was indeed dead (Mark 15:42-45). 

Did you notice that Pilate called “the centurion”? Who is this? He’s the one who oversaw the kill squad that had crucified Jesus and the two other criminals. 

This centurion was a professional soldier. He had obtained his rank by his military skill, his leadership capabilities, his bravery, and his rigidly following the chain of command. His climb through up the ranks would have had him saying over and over again, “Kyrios kaiser,” which means “Caesar is lord.” 

But notice that throughout the time that the Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes, hurled insults and Him, and thrust a spear into His side that this centurion remained silent. There was something about this Man that was different. 

When Jesus breathed His last breath, this soldier didn’t say, “Kyrios kaiser,” but something entirely different—“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely this Man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39). He changed from “Caesar is lord” to “Jesus is Lord”!  

Just like the Romans terrified their enemies, our enemy wants to do the same thing—to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10); to prowl and growl like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). 

We resist him not by our show or force against him, but by our show of submission to the King of kings (Philippians 2:10-11). The devil isn’t afraid of you, and you aren’t strong enough to defeat him (check out what happened in Acts 19:11-16). But satan has been defeated by our King, and when you bow to Christ’s authority, then he must flee from you (James 4:7). 

Our authority comes from bowing, from giving up our way of doing things, from not trying to figure out solutions on our own. When we bow to our King, we have victory! 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series on spiritual warfare, check them all out here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Links & Quotes

February 28, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

As we mature physically we pay more attention to our physical health. Why is that people who see themselves as spiritually mature think they can do the exact opposite by taking it easy? We must pay more attention, not less.

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 worldwide missions movement that was started by five college students while they were sheltering from a storm in a haystack. Appropriately enough, this is remembered as the haystack prayer meeting.

“Intangible falsehood, based upon no authority, is of all things the most difficult to fight.” —G.K. Chesterton 

“In his gospel, Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy to Adam. He then says Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by satan, the same spiritual being who tempted Adam thousands of years before. The apostle Paul makes the same comparison in Romans. Adam brought death into the world; Jesus brought life. In fact, Jesus came to save us because of what Adam did. When Paul is in Athens, he explains that all people are descended from one man. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he says marriage goes back to the first couple. And when Paul talks about roles in the church, He refers to the first temptation.” —From the ‘Is Genesis History?’ reading plan on YouVersion. Check out Luke 3:23-38, 4:1-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 19:4. 

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Delight In Your Duty

February 23, 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. 

If anyone is known for attentively doing their duty, it is the members of our military. Duty is drilled into them over and over and over. Civilians could learn a lesson from this. We tend to be reward-motivated, that is to say, if we feel some sort of reward for our effort, we may stick to our commitment. But duty-bound soldiers stick to their commitment regardless of how they feel or what the circumstances are. 

We need to be especially on guard against Christian duties that seem to be thankless, or else we may forget about doing them or do them only reluctantly. 

Some of you might be saying, “‘Christian’ and ‘duty’ doesn’t sound right in the same sentence. Isn’t everything we do for Jesus supposed to be delightful?” Paul said to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I use in this post by clicking here.)

And listen to these words from Jesus—

     Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? Won’t he rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:7-10) 

Why does the military drill the idea of duty into every soldier? Because doing your duty is indispensable to success in battle! 

In the New Testament, we meet three Roman soldiers who did their duty. Only one that we know of became a follower of Jesus, yet all three were pivotal for two key leaders in the early Church. These Roman soldiers were important because doing their duty helped Peter and Paul get where God had called them. 

Peter—Jesus called on Peter to be one of the foundational leaders of the Church (Matthew 16:18). But Peter never stepped fully into this role until a Roman centurion named Cornelius did his duty. 

In Acts 10:1-7 we meet Cornelius who followed the command of an angel without question, just as a dutiful soldier would. This dutiful act helped Peter understand what God was calling him to do (10:15-16, 22-28), and then helped him explain what the rest of the Church was supposed to do (11:18; 15:7-11). 

Paul—Lysias was the commander of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. He saved Paul from literally being torn limb-from-limb by an angry mob, and then he safely transported Paul to Caesarea to avoid the assassins who were laying in wait to ambush Paul (Acts 21-22). 

Then when Paul was being sent to stand trail before Emperor Nero, a centurion named Julius also went to extraordinary lengths to see that Paul made it safely to Rome (Acts 27). 

All three of these Roman soldiers were merely doing their duty—obey orders from their commanding officers—but their dutiful service allowed Peter and Paul to get to the places where God needed them to be. 

Earlier I asked if the Christian life was supposed to be delightful. It may not be delightful here, but doing our duty may be tough at times. Paul said he rejoiced in the difficulties (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

Truly, doing our duty here is noticed by our Commander and King. Allow me to paraphrase Matthew 25:21 for the reward that Jesus gives those saintly soldiers who do their duty—

Our Commander will reply, “Well done, good and dutiful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” 

Do your duty—for your sake, for the benefit of others, and for the glory of our King. 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series called The Lord’s Army, you can find them all here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Vital Leadership Self-Reflective Questions

January 29, 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. 

On the Leading From Alignment podcast, I was discussing my book When Sheep Bite which is about leadership pain. John Opalewski asked me to share some things leaders should consider when they get bit. 

Check out the full conversation I had with John Opalewski and Jim Wiegand. 

On a different podcast, I discussed in more detail the idea in Luke 2:52 about Jesus growing in favor with men. Check out The Pinnacle of a Leader’s Health. 

You can get more information on When Sheep Bite here. And also check out my book of prayer for pastors called Amen Indeed. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Strength To Pray

January 28, 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. 

In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul. (Psalm 138:3 NKJV)

Prayer requires stick-to-it-iveness, which means it takes strength to pray. 

Therefore, being physically or emotionally drained makes it challenging to be alert and attentive in prayer. When we’re tired, our thoughts often drift; it’s hard to stay focused. 

Sometimes one of the most helpful things you can do for your spiritual growth is to get a good night’s sleep (or take a nap). 

Jesus did this (Matthew 14:22-23). He was very aware of His physical and emotional levels. When He was tired, He took a nap; when He was drained from ministry, He got alone with His Heavenly Father for refreshing (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16). 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I mention here.) 

Jesus told His disciples to pray so they wouldn’t give in to temptation (Luke 22:40, 45-46). Prayer does strengthen us against the enemy’s attack, but physical and emotional stamina helps us too. 

Notice the full cycle—we need physical and emotional strength to pray persistently and consistently, and prayer enhances our physical and emotional reserves to help us pray. So do all three: 

  1. Pray 
  2. Take care of your body 
  3. Take care of your emotions 

Download the graphic → Strong prayer cycle

When all three components of your being—spirit, body, soul—are alert and healthy, you will find your prayer life fully engaged. If one area becomes depleted, listen to the always-practical counsel of the Holy Spirit. Pray, rest, talk to a friend or a counselor so you can return to the optimal position of strength. 

Yes, it takes strength to pray, but in prayer your strength is renewed. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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