Still Breathing? Still Useful!

July 20, 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. 

Think about this: How do your favorite books end? How about the ending of your favorite movies? 

I love listening to old-time radio shows, and I can quote the endings because they are all identical. 

In the Bible, how do the epistles end? Most end with the author passing along his greetings, speaking a doxology like, “The Lord be with you,” or even a simple “Amen.” 

Now listen to the last two verses of the Book of James: My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins (5:19-20). 

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

That’s not really an ending, is it? 

James is a general epistle—not written to a particular congregation—so it was intended to be read to saints everywhere. The same is true for the Gospels: 

  • Matthew: Jesus commissions His followers to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and then He promises, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). 
  • Mark: “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere” (Mark 16:20). 
  • Luke-Acts: “And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:53); they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and more saints went out preaching (Acts 2); Paul “proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31). 
  • John: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). The implication, I believe, is that we are to do this as well—“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). 

So James writes instructions to the saints in this same posture of an ongoing work. He writes his epistle as a cycle—

  • He ends with”brothers and sisters” (Greek: adelphos in 5:19-20), and starts with adelphos (1:2), 
  • He ends with a call to prayer (5:13-15), and opens with a call to prayer (1:5-7). 
  • He ends with a call to patience in trouble (5:7-11), and he begins teaching saints about trials (1:2-4). 
  • He ends with encouragement of how maturing saints can triumph over difficult situations (5:16), and he opens with the word of encouragement that our difficult situations serve to mature us (1:12). 
  • In between these bookends is fabulous counsel for daily living: Dealing with temptation, learning from the Word, watching our words, letting our day deeds reflect our faith, growing in wisdom, and seizing each day for God’s glory. 

 There is no finish line for me while God still has me on earth. If I’m still here, He’s still working on me so that He can work through me. We start our Christian journey justified—a one-time event where we’ve been made just as if we had never sinned. We end out journey when we are glorified—a one-time event when we arrive in Heaven. But along the journey we are being sanctified—an going process (that I like to call saint-ification) the whole time we’re on earth. 

Throughout this sanctification process, we are continually growing. See Psalm 92:12-14—

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. 

If you’re still breathing, you should still be…

  • …maturing through trials 
  • …bearing increasingly more fruit 
  • …useful for the Kingdom 
  • …invaluable to the Body of Christ 

So take a deep breath. 

If you’re still breathing, God still has a plan for you. Don’t worry about the finish line (God will take care of that), but keep learning, growing, and serving all the way to the end. 

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Resting In Our King

July 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. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

Throughout history, no one is ever seen approaching a king like it’s no big deal. Even those who are confident in themselves, still are seen reassuring themselves before they venture into the king’s throne room. 

Last week we talked about the King’s royal robes that allow us to enter into His presence. We see that in civic government too (Esther 4:1-2). Mordecai urges Queen Esther to approach King Xerxes to intercede for the Jewish people. She is clothed appropriately (2:12, 15-17) but even she knows that’s not enough (4:11). 

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

We who are clothed in the royal robes of Jesus can approach God’s throne confidently—Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). 

Our next Royal Psalm is Psalm 95. This psalm is both an invitation and a warning. 

Invitation: Come (3x)…

  • …with joyful shouts because He is “the Rock of our salvation” (v. 1; c.f. Hebrews 10:22). 
  • …with thanksgiving because of His greatness (vv. 2-5; c.f. Hebrews 12:28) 
  • …with worship because He is our God (vv. 6-7a; Matthew 2:2, 11) 

Remember this psalm is both an invitation and a warning. The warning is the danger of refusing to approach the King. We see a hint of this warning in Hebrews 12:28-29. 

Have you noticed that I have been referencing the Book of Hebrews quite frequently? That’s because the writer of Hebrews links back to this Royal Psalm in a way no other biblical author does. Check out how this psalm ends (Psalm 95:7-11).  

The writer of Hebrews quotes this royal psalm (Hebrews 3:7-11), and then shares a Spirit-inspired commentary or application in verses 12-19. 

Note the words unbelieving and unbelief (vv. 12, 19). These are the same Greek word which means faithlessness. This faithless attitude blocks miracles (Matthew 13:58), which can result in a hardening of our heart (Mark 16:14). Finally, this hardness of heart can keep us from resting in our King (vv. 12, 19); the word disobeyed in v. 18 means refusing to let yourself be persuaded. 

Now notice the Therefore…be careful in Hebrews 4:1-7.  The unbelief now moves to disobedience (vv. 6, 11), which is really better defined as obstinacy. In verses 8-11, the word Sabbath-rest is unique in all of Scripture. It’s the place of perfect contentment, undiluted and uninterrupted for all of eternity! But in order to enter this Sabbath-rest, we have to cease from our own way of doing things (see Matthew 11:28-30). 

Look at how Hebrews 4 concludes: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (v. 16). 

Verses 1-8 quote the Scripture of God’s promised rest, culminating in the Sabbath-rest in v. 9. 

Verses 10-11 tell us to learn from the Scriptures the “example of disobedience” so that we don’t repeat it. Verse 12 tells us God’s Word exposes all our faithlessness, disobedience, and obstinacy that may even be hidden from our sight, but know that everything is uncovered and laid bear before our King of kings (v. 13). 

Notice the therefore (v. 14) and the then (v. 16). My flesh would have me run and hide when my sin is revealed, but here we see that the conviction of the Spirit through the exposing Word should prompt us to run to the throne of grace with confidence (vv. 14-16). 

Confident of what? Receiving mercy and finding grace. 

Where is the source of this confidence? Our great High Priest Jesus—our conquering King—has opened the way for us to come to a throne of grace instead of a throne of wrath! 

We come joyfully, thankfully, and worshipfully. We come not because of our deeds, but yoked to our King. 

In Esther 5:1-2 we see Esther adorned to enter the king’s presence, unsure if she would be accepted. But we don’t have to adorn ourselves. Instead, we are clothed in the righteous, royal robe of Jesus which makes God pleased so that He extends His scepter of Sabbath-rest (Hebrews 4:16)! 

May we all desire to enter into this place of Sabbath-rest! 

If you’ve missed any of the other royal psalms which we have already explored, you can find them all by clicking here. 

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Stop Talking About Other People

July 8, 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.  

Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. (James 4:11) 

There are three Greek words that dominate this verse.

First, there is katalaleo. This word appears five times in the whole New Testament, with three of those used in this verse alone!

This verse in the NIV uses the words “slander” and “speaks against.” Other translations render these same words:

  • criticize (NLT) 
  • accuse (AMPC) 
  • malign (AMPC) 
  • speak evil (NKJV) 
  • bad mouth (MSG) 

Literally translated katalaleo means “to talk down.” The word is only used in this verse and in 1 Peter 2:12 and 3:16, where worldlings are speaking against Christians. Paul uses the root word once in Romans 1:30, also to describe evil people as “backbiters.” 

This word is never used in a complementary way, whether talking about those calling themselves Christians or not. 

The second word is adelphos. This word is translated “brothers and sisters” three times in just this one verse. How sad that James has to put “slander” alongside “saints” when writing to the church! 

The third word is krinos or krino. This word for judge or judgment is used four times in this single verse. It means to sit in an elevated or authoritative position to make rulings or determinations about others. 

James says if we judge people, we are really judging the law; thereby, we judge the “only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy” (v. 12). 

His most convicting words are probably this: “When you judge the law, you are not keeping it.” 

The Bible has much to say to those who talk about others, and none of it is good. 

Talking about others…

(1) …Breaks the Mosaic law. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16). 

(2) …Violates the Golden Rule. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12). 

(3) …Doesn’t honor the Great Commandment. One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31). 

(4) …Subjects me to judgment. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1-2). 

(5) …Makes me a lawbreaker. If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For He who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker (James 2:8-11). 

The bottom line:

🛑 STOP TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE!! 🛑

You may also want to check out a couple of related posts:

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Our Confidently Humble King

June 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. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

The psalmists of the Bible foresaw the coming of the King of kings, especially in the example they had in their King David. The Royal Psalms are the ones that look at the up-close example of David as a means of better seeing King Jesus. 

I think our idea about our leaders can be summed up in this observation from Queen Victoria who said of William Gladstone, “When I am with him I feel I am with one of the most important leaders in the world.” On the other hand, of Benjamin Disraeli she said, he “makes me feel as if I am one of the most important people in the world.” We want strong, confident leaders that can lead us, but we also want humble leaders that care for us. We want leader who are for us. 

This was the leadership of King David—

[God] chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens, from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:70-72) 

Do you see the confident humility in this description? David remained a shepherd with a heart of integrity (humility) and skillful hands (confidence). 

There is a power in these three words: God chose me. The “God chose” part gives me the confidence to lead because of God’s empowerment, but the fact that He “chose me” reminds me to be humbly grateful that He would use me! 

David shows this humility and this confidence in Psalm 86, which is labeled as, “A prayer of David.” 

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

Notice David’s humble reliance on God in prayer—answer me for I am poor and needy … Your servant who trusts in You … have mercy … I lift up my soul … hear my prayer … I will call to You … there is none like You (vv. 1-8). 

I want you to also see how God-saturated this prayer is. All but three of the verses in this 17-verse psalm mention God by name: 

  • “LORD” in all caps is YHWH or Jehovah—vv. 1, 6, 11, 17 
  • “God” is Elohim = the Triune God—vv. 2, 10, 12, 14 
  • “Lord” is Adonai = the publicly-used name for YHWH—vv. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15 

What exactly is David praying for? It’s not for wisdom. It’s not for success in battle. It’s not for healing. I believe David’s desire is for all the kingdoms of earth to know the King of kings. 

Look at the middle verse: All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, Lord; they will bring glory to Your name. For You are great and do marvelous deeds; You alone are God (v. 9). 

Because of David’s humble prayer in vv. 1-8, we now see a confidence in his lifestyle—I will walk in Your truth … I may fear Your name … I will praise You … I will glorify Your name … grant strength to Your servant … for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me (vv. 10-17). 

David is confident of his sins being forgiven (v. 5), of others coming to know this merciful King (v. 15), so that all nations will glorify God together (v. 9). 

Remember that these royal psalms are to point us through David to Jesus. 

The Old Testament prophecies tell us about Jesus: There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him (Isaiah 53:2 NLT). Indeed, Jesus came to earth in confident humility—

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage, rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:6-7) 

David’s prayer begins this way in the NLT: Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer. 

Jesus bent down to serve those He loved—He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him (John 13:4-5). 

He also stooped to the most undignified form of execution (Matthew 26:39; Philippians 2:8). 

The well-known Christmas carol The First Noel says, “Then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord, Who hath made heaven and earth of naught, and with His blood mankind hath bought.” 

Jesus said it this way: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

As a result Jesus is exalted (Philippians 2:9-11) and all nations can serve Him (Revelation 5:9, 7:9), just as David prayed and believed (Psalm 86:9). 

We need to live with the same confident humility that God chose me—In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). Like David, we make prayer to our King unceasingly for all people to see the glory of Jesus, and for our confidently humbled lives to help point the way for them—

Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. (Philippians 2:14-15) 

Let us use the pattern of this Royal Psalm to help us pray and live in a way that helps others see the King of kings for themselves! 

If you would like to check out the other Royal Psalms we have already unpacked, please click here. 

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Power To Defeat Temptation

June 1, 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 first temptation of mankind was to doubt the God was good and that He was trustworthy. That’s why satan tempted Adam and Eve by saying they could become “like God.” Every Christian faces temptation, and one of the biggest is still satan’s same strategy: to try to get us to handle things on our own. 

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is to help us realize that we cannot rely on ourselves, but we must rely totally on His power. 

David Wilkerson said, “This is an ongoing problem with many Christians. We look to the Holy Spirit as some kind of booster shot to empower or energize our human will. We expect Him to build up our supply of grit and determination, so we can stand up to temptation the next time it comes. We cry, ‘Make me strong, Lord! Give me an iron will, so I can withstand all sin.’ But God knows this would only make our flesh stronger, enabling it to boast.”  

Overcoming temptation is not about willpower but Spirit-power. Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 12:9.  

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

Being tempted to sin is not a sign that God has abandoned me or that I am living apart from Him. Jesus was perfect and yet we are told He was tempted in every way (Hebrews 4:15). So we can easily determine that temptation is not a sin because Jesus was tempted (Luke 4:3-13). This story is told in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew 4:1-10; Mark 1:13). 

Look at what preceded this temptation: Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-12; Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-2). The Spirit was the One Who led Jesus into the wilderness specifically to face temptation. 

Temptation comes the the Latin word meaning “to stretch.” Oswald Chambers noted, “Every temptation of satan is perfectly wise. The wisest, shrewdest, subtlest things are said by satan, and they are accepted by everybody as the acme of human philosophy; but when the Spirit of God is at work in a man, instantly the hollow mockery at the heart of what satan is trying to do, is seen. When we understand the inwardness of the temptation we see how satan’s strategy is turned into confusion by the Spirit of God.” 

Temptation is not a sin, but a stretching. It is a call for us to give up our willpower and trust the Spirit’s power. 

When Jesus came to earth, He gave up His rightful prerogatives as God. The stretching test here was this: Would He continue to rely on the Spirit’s power or would He try to reclaim the power He surrendered? 

It’s the same question for us when we are tempted: Will we take matters into our own hands, or will we leave ourselves in the Spirit’s hands? In one paragraph, James tells us both the blessing of overcoming temptation and where temptations originate—

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:12-15) 

The Spirit shows us the way to have the mind of Christ in overcoming temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

Just before Jesus was tempted, we see the help that is promised to all of us through the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:15-16). 

There are some things we will learn about ourselves in a time of temptation that we cannot learn in any other way. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is about empowerment, but it is really the power to submit—full and unconditional surrender to the only One who can bring me safely through (Hebrews 4:15; 5:7-9; 2:17-18). 

As we talked about last week, the Spirit of Truth gives us the mind of Christ (John 16:13, 15; 1 Corinthians 2:16). 

We, just like Jesus, can be victorious over these temptations by doing what Jesus did. (1) He was fully submitted to His Heavenly Father, (2) He was sensitive to go where the Holy Spirit led Him, and (3) He uncovered the shrewd and subtle arguments of satan by using the Word of God. 

Instead of saying, “I gave in to temptation,” we can say, “I gave in to the Holy Spirit, Who helped me defeat temptation!” 

Check out all of the other messages in our series We Are: Pentecostal 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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Links & Quotes

March 7, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Is it possible for you to accurately judge whether or not you are being honest with yourself? Probably not. You need something or someone else to help you see yourself clearly.

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 Christian optimism is based on the fact that we do not fit in to the world. … That is what makes life at once so splendid and so strange. We are in the wrong world. When I thought that was the right town, it bored me; when I knew it was wrong, I was happy. So the false optimism, the modern happiness, tires us because it tells us we fit into this world. The true happiness is that we don’t fit. We come from somewhere else.” —G.K. Chesterton 

“It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society.” —C.S. Lewis 

Del Tarr’s life “embodied a simple conviction: to preach Christ well, one must first listen and learn well.” Tarr was a missionary and a linguist. His legacy is empowering for all Christians, not just those missionaries who minister in other countries. 

The ICR reports, “According to the online Smithsonian magazine, ‘The calls and songs of some species in these groups [parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds] appear to have even more in common with human language, such as conveying information intentionally and using simple forms of some of the elements of human language such as phonology, semantics and syntax.’” There are numerous corroborating studies that tell of the complex language of birds that never could have developed by chance, but were designed by an all-wise Creator. 

“In Biblical times, farmers would put olives in the trough of a stone olive press, and then roll the large, heavy circular stone over them. The enormous weight of the stone crushed the olives, allowing the oil inside to pour out through a spout cut into the stone. The first pass of the heavy stone produced the most precious, pure drops of olive oil. This oil was extremely expensive and was used to anoint kings. In Hebrew, this sort of olive press is called a ‘gat shemanim’ (גתשמנים pronounced ‘geth-sem-uh-nim’), which we translate in English as ‘gethsemane.’ Sound familiar?” —Dave Adamson [see Mark 14:32-36] 

“To overcome the world takes faith and faith comes when we hear the Word quickened by the Holy Spirit. Be faithful in prayer and reading your Bible. It sounds like a Sunday school answer, but it is quite literally the application for every verse in the Bible.” —YouVersion reading plan Uncommen: Holy Connection 

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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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The Influence Of Jesus

February 18, 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. 

Leadership is influence. 

Influence doesn’t try to get a following, but people naturally follow a leader who quietly, consistently, and effectively shows up for them. 

Jesus saw the needs of people and was moved by compassion to relieve their distress. Peter said He simply went around doing good (Acts 10:38). He gave value to the overlooked, He touched the so-called untouchable, He embraced the rejected. 

Jesus said, “I didn’t come to be served but to serve and to give My life away” (Mark 10:45).

This commentary from the folks at He Gets Us is spot-on:

   So often our idea of leadership is about asserting dominance and wielding authority; Jesus on the other hand revealed a radically different approach to greatness. 

   Jesus chose a path that seemed almost counterintuitive, especially to many of those around Him. He showed that true influence doesn’t come from throwing your weight around or flexing your authority—it comes from genuine empathy, authentic care, and intentionally seeing people and going toward them. 

   Instead of building a platform or demanding attention, Jesus moved quietly through communities, transforming lives through genuine relationships. 

   He didn’t network with the powerful or chase prestigious connections. 

   He sat with the overlooked. 

   He listened to the ignored. 

   He gave dignity to those society had dismissed. 

   Jesus’ approach to influence and greatness wasn’t about commanding rooms or dominating conversations—it was about creating spaces where others felt seen, heard, and valued, demonstrating great love in those moments. 

   When He had opportunities to grasp power, He chose instead to empower others. 

   His visible leadership wasn’t built on titles or positions, but on authentic relationships He cultivated and the lives He transformed through His genuine care and concern. (‘What is Greatness?’)

True influence loves and serves others like Jesus does. Don’t try to grab the top spot, but grab a towel and serve others. 

I would also humbly recommend that you check out my book Shepherd Leadership, where I explore the leadership of Jesus in greater depth.

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

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Prayer Changes My Maturity

January 26, 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. 

Prayer can unleash God’s miracles. Sometimes the most visible miracles are the changes that are seen in us—our attitude, our expectation, our focus, and our maturity.  

Maturity is not stuffy and stodgy. Those folks actually become quite childish when others around them don’t “act right,” according to their standards. The most mature people are the most childlike. 

Do you want proof for that last statement? The most mature Person to ever live on earth was Jesus, and He loved being around kids and having children around Him (Mark 10:13-14). 

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

His teaching examples were frequently quite simple—farmers, birds, flowers, trees, and even going to the bathroom!. He knew their songs (Luke 7:31-32), and many of His interactions with the overly-mature religious leaders were quite playful and childlike (Mark 11:27-33). 

Jesus wants us to come to our Father like children (Mark 10:15-16). “Like a little child” means childlike, which is the exact opposite of childish. Those who think they are too mature for such simplistic things are actually the ones who are childish. 

Jesus uses the Father-child relationship over and over to teach us about praying to a Father who is desirous of giving us the best things (Matthew 6:7-9; Luke 12:32). 

One of the Psalms of Ascent written by David strikes this childlike note (Psalm 131). Verse 1 describes the childishness he’s giving up, and verse 2 describes the childlikeness he is taking on: 

  • “my heart is not proud”—not focused on me (v. 1a) 
  • “my eyes are not haughty”—overly grown up (v. 1b) 
  • “I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp” (v. 1c NLT) 
  • instead I am stilled, quieted, trustingly at peace (v. 2) 
  • and then David calls all of us to this same childlikeness (v. 3) 

Jesus taught about persistent prayer in Luke 18:1-8 and then used a scenario from the temple to illustrate His point (Luke 18:9-17), contrasting the childish pseudo-maturity of the overly-religious man and the childlike maturity the childlike man. And then, as directed by the Holy Spirit, Luke includes the same exchange Mark used about Jesus taking up children in His arms to bless them.  

Childlike is loving dependent; childish is fiercely independent. 

Childlike is trusting someone wise; childish always knows best. 

Childlike is imaginative; childish is realistic. 

Childlike is persistent; childish is whining. 

I love the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem called The Children’s Hour. As you read through this, imagine our Heavenly Father as Longfellow and yourself as his three daughters. 

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,
That is known as the Children’s Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O’er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away! —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We mature by trading childishness for childlikeness. We mature best by coming to God our Father in prayer as a child comes to his father. 

Let prayer change your maturity! 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series on how prayer changes us, 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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Prayer Changes My Expectation

January 12, 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. 

Heartfelt prayer is never a meaningless exercise. Without exception, something is changed with every single prayer we offer to God. Last week, we talked about how prayer changes our attitude. 

Here’s an important question: What do you expect is going to happen when you pray? Or maybe we should ask the question the opposite way: What do you expect is going to happen when you don’t pray? The writer of Hebrews talks about our expectation in coming to God (Hebrews 11:6). 

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

Recall that last week that we used the word “attitude” as a pilot understands it; that is, the direction of the nose of the plane takes the rest of the plane and all its passengers up or down. The same thing is true of our expectation in prayer: it also impacts those around us. 

There was a father that comes to Jesus with a heavy burden on his heart: his demonically-afflicted son (Mark 9:14-18). The man came in a posture of prayer (Matthew 17:14-15) only after he had first gone to the followers of Jesus, but they could not heal this boy. 

Why? I don’t think they expected that they could ask for God’s power to be released. How sad! Look at what they had already experienced: 

  • the miraculous feeding of the 4000 (Mark 8) 
  • a deaf and mute man healed (Mark 7) 
  • Jesus walking on the water and feeding 5000 people (Mark 6) 
  • Jairus’ daughter raised to life (Mark 5) 
  • And probably most shocking of all, they themselves had been used by God to heal people—“They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them” (Mark 6:12-13). 

Jesus calls His disciples an “unbelieving generation” (9:19). Some translations use the word “faithless” (like the NKJV and NLT). The Greek word here is a- (without) + -pistos (faith) = apistos. Literally translated it means without trust in God. 

Bu I think maybe Jesus was really saying, “O unexpecting generation!” 

Their lack of expectation negatively impacted the praying father. He originally came in faith for healing, but now he says to Jesus, “If You can” (Mark 9:20-22). 

Jesus calls on this father to banish the “if” (vv. 23-24). At the word of Jesus, the father’s expectation changes, he believes for a miracle, and the miracle happens (vv. 25-27)! 

The disciples wanted to know how to banish the “if” from their hearts, and Jesus gives them an interesting answer in vv. 28-29. He tells them to pray. We are supposed to pray in faith, but that faith comes as we pray (Matthew 17:19-21). Other New Testament writers bring this out as well: James tells us the prayer offered in faith is effective (James 5:15), and Paul tells us to be faithful—or faith-filled—in our praying (Romans 12:12). 

Does this sound circular? It is a beautifully circular thing! 

Abdu Murray said, “Hope is a positive expectation of a desired future event. Faith is trusting in the One who promised to make that event happen.” 

It was the word of Jesus that raised the expectation of the father, that gave him the spark of faith (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 10:17). Then he used that faith to raise his expectation of a miracle from God. 

Go back to the biblical record or even your own personal history to see what God has already done. Let the word of Jesus ignite your expectations—let that word raise your expectations!—and then cling to His word as you pray in faith. 

Faith fuels your prayer, and prayer fuels your faith. So we need to remain on the lookout for opportunities to pray for ourselves and others (Colossians 4:2). 

Let me return to the opening question: What do you expect is going to happen when you pray? If your expectation is too low, start by praying, “God, forgive us of expectations of You that are too low!” Be humbly bold enough to admit, “I do believe, but help my unbelief.” Then when you hear the word of faith, expect the miracle through that faith. The longer you pray, the more you need to include a prayer for your own faith to remain expectant. 

The God who gives you faith wants to reward that faith. Let prayer raise your expectations as you continually banish the “if”! 

If you have missed any of the other messages in our series Prayer Changes Things, you can find them all 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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