Gospel of Matthew | Craig T. Owens

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Jesus Is Our King

December 25, 2025 — 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.

When we talk about the Baby in the manger, there is often an aspect that we overlook, although it’s included in many of our Christmas carols—

born is the King of Israel
come and worship Christ, the newborn King
hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King
joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King

I think many of us bristle a bit at the idea of any king—especially someone claiming absolute authority as King of kings—because of our unpleasant experiences, or perhaps the stories we have heard from history. Lord Acton was right when he said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Every monarch throughout history has established their kingdom by the strength of their sword: “Do things my way, or else!” Lord Acton went on to correctly add, “Despotic power is always accompanied by corruption of morality.”

The kings of Isaiah’s day in Israel were nothing but evil, and the kings of Judah were becoming more and more ungodly with each successive generation. What about during the time Jesus was to be born? Luke 2:1 tells of Caesar Augustus. Augustus was born Octavian and he came to power after Julius Caesar was assassinated and after fighting against Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. Augustus claimed to restore the republic, but he really kept all the power to himself.

Matthew tells us of King Herod the Great and his despicable family tree (Matthew 2:1-3, 16).

This is why we tend to distrust those who claim authority over us and demand from us our allegiance to them. So when Isaiah begins to tell of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 9:2-5) it sounds like a warlord wielding His powerful sword.

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

But recall that the first time time Isaiah uses the Hebrew word shalom (peace) is in the titles of this King. Isaiah calls Him a Child and then gives Him such unexpected titles (Isaiah 9:6)!

Isaiah says “the government will be on His shoulders.” The word misra (government) is only used twice in the Old Testament, here in vv. 6-7. The root word sara is also only used twice, and both times are related to Jacob the trickster being transformed into Israel, the one in whom there is no deception. This tells us that the Messiah is going to take the burden on Himself—He flips the Kingdom upside! Instead of all of us serving Him, He comes to serve us!

This is why it’s called His government and peace and establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness!

This King of absolute power—the One Who is also called Mighty God—could overwhelm us with His unquestioned, unrivaled, and unapproachable power, but He came to be our King who makes peace.

Our King is the most awesome power in the universe, but He is approachable because He is humble (Philippians 2:6-8; Isaiah 53:1-5; Matthew 11:29; Matthew 21:5).

This is exactly what the angel foretold to Mary (Luke 1:26-33), and this is what Mary grasped, as she relates it to us in her Magnificat. Listen as she expresses praise for both our King’s power and His gentleness (vv. 46-55).

Our King came to draw His sword not against us but against the enemy that kept us enslaved and separated from God (Isaiah 9:2-5; Colossians 2:13-15; Revelation 1:18).

In Isaiah 9:6 we read that the government will be on His shoulders. This is Jesus carrying the burden. This word for “shoulders” in the OT is almost always associated with the words “burden” or “yoke.”

We were born with the yoke of sin burdening us (Hebrews 2:15). Jesus took that on His shoulders when He took an old rugged Cross on His shoulders. Now He invites us to give our burden and our yoke to Him (Matthew 11:28-30).

Our King says, “Come to Me”—He is approachable because He was born as a Baby in Bethlehem. Our King says, “I will give you rest” because He is our conquering King who broke the yoke of sin for us. This is what Christmas should remind us!

If you’ve missed any of the previous messages in our series looking at the titles and roles of the Messiah, you can check them all out here.

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Don’t Cross The Line

December 3, 2025 — 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.

The apostle Paul writes something pretty straightforward: “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). What might not seem so straightforward for us is this: What exactly is anxiety?

The root word for anxious simply means to care for something or to care about something. Paul uses this word in a positive sense earlier in this letter when he praises Timothy for his concern for the wellbeing of the saints (2:19-22). In another letter, Paul told the Corinthians he had a deep concern for their spiritual growth (2 Corinthians 11:28) and that he desired for them to care in a similar way for their fellow saints (1 Corinthians 12:25). All of these instances use the same Greek word.

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

The problem is when care crosses the line to become worry.

A clear example of this is seen in the activities of Martha. She cared deeply about providing for the needs of Jesus, wanting to provide appropriate hospitality for Him, but her focal point switched from Jesus to food (Luke 10:38-42). Luke tells how Martha crossed the line from concern to anxiety by stating that “Martha was distracted by all the preparations.” Jesus redirected her to the one thing that “is better,” which was a devotion to Him.

Care can turn to worry in the simplest of areas.

Being careful about my physical health—food, clothing, shelter—is a legitimate concern, but Jesus warns about these things becoming a focal point and causing me to cross the line from concern to worry (Matthew 6:25-34). Wanting to answer well those who criticize my Christian faith is a noble concern, but obsessing over my word choices crosses the line (Matthew 10:19). Desiring to please my wife is perfectly natural and even commendable, but putting her on a pedestal crosses the line into worry (1 Corinthians 7:32-34).

The crucial discipline to keep me from crossing the line from concern to worry and anxiety is to keep the right focal point. I am not my own provider; God is (James 1:17; Matthew 6:8; Luke 11:11-13).

So in the same verse that Paul tells us “do not be anxious about anything” he also tells us to pray about everything. Peter says essentially the same thing this way, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). God cares about me and the things I care about more than I do. He wants me to focus on Him, not on the things I care about, because He can provide for me perfectly. His provision keeps me from worrying about anything.

**Don’t worry about anything; pray about everything.**

That is my safeguard against crossing the line from legitimate concern to anxiety-causing worry.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, 2 Corinthians, anxiety, Book of James, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Matthew, Philippians, prayer, worry. 1 Comment »

Jesus Is Wonderful Counselor

December 1, 2025 — 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.

Jesus made His first appearance as a fully human Man in a stable in Bethlehem. But His Advent—or appearing—had been anticipated for a long time before that.

In fact, one of the darkest chapters in human history takes place shortly after human history began. Mankind sinned and was separated from God because of that sin. The initial separation foretold an eternal separation (Genesis 3:22), but God shines His light of hope in this darkest hour, foretelling the Advent of our rescue (3:15).

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

Seven hundred years before Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, the setting is still dark and getting darker. Sin is running rampant, God’s people are groping in darkness, and enemies are pressing in from every side.

Out of the darkness, God speaks (Isaiah 8:5-10), giving us a glimpse of the Messiah’s glory. Notice the hope-filled words Immanuel (v. 8) and God with us (v. 10). This darkness is the inevitable result of not gazing on God’s glory (vv. 21-22), and yet there appears another glorious promise in a single word: Nevertheless (9:1-7).

We get a glimpse of Immanuel’s glory in the titles that will describe our Messiah. Let’s look first at Wonderful Counselor.

Wonder can have two definitions:

Something so extraordinary that it is hard for our finite human minds to comprehend—Exodus 15:11; Isaiah 25:1 NLT.
God’s awesome deeds: His works that leave us in absolute awe of His greatness—Jeremiah 32:17 AMPC.

Counselor is someone who gives counsel; not just any counsel, but perfect counsel because He is omniscient (knows it all) and omnipotent (can do it all)—Isaiah 14:26-27; Psalm 139:1-6; Psalm 32:8.

Job got a glimpse of this Awesome Counselor too in Job 42:1-6.

Our First Testament friends only got a glimpse of the Messiah’s glory, but we have the glory revealed to us—Hebrews 1:1-3a; Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:5, 14, 18.

We have His wonderful counsel revealed to us too—Luke 5:20-26; John 7:37-46.

And we look forward to seeing His glory undimmed at His Second Advent—John 1:47-51; Mark 14:61-62.

As we live now between the Advents, we have the joyful privilege and responsibility to proclaim this glory to those still living in darkness—Matthew 28:18; Acts 4:30.

See how the saints proclaimed Christ’s glory, relying on His wonderful counsel in Acts 4:13, 20, 31; 5:12; 6:8, 10; 8:6-8. This is how we are to live too (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

As you live between the Advents, I pray that the glory of our Wonderful Counselor will become more real to you and that it will shine out of every word you speak and everything you do!

Check out the other posts in this series Jesus Is… here.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Advent, Book of Acts, Calvary Assembly of God, Emmanuel, Exodus, First Advent, Genesis, Gospel of John, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Immanuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, prophecy, Psalm 139, Second Advent, sermon, video. 1 Comment »

Avoiding Foolish Controversies

November 3, 2025 — 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.

Jude calls Christians to contend for the faith without contention and without compromise. Instead, we are to loving serve Jesus by engaging with others mercifully, peacefully, and lovingly. This means we have to contend without quarreling.

But that’s easier said than done because people love to pick fights, and we hate to lose an argument.

Look at the ministry of Jesus. His adversaries couldn’t get around the perfect logic that He used based on Scripture, so they came up with all sorts of controversies in the hope of tripping Him up and silencing Him. They posed seemingly unanswerable dilemmas like: In heaven, which one of the seven brothers will be married to the woman they all married on earth? Should we pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay the temple tax? What’s the greatest commandment of all? They tried to get Him to take the bait about religious traditions, laws concerning the Sabbath, and the punishment for a woman caught in adultery.

Jesus never got fluster or frustrated—He never took the bait to quarrel with them, but He simply stood unwaveringly and lovingly on God’s Word. But once again, that’s easier said than done!

King Solomon pointed out the difficulty of this in Proverbs 26:4-5. Do we answer a fool or not? Yes, but we answer wisely not foolishly.

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

I believe Jude would agree with Solomon, Jesus, Paul, and Peter, but then he uses three examples that could spark a controversy:

the fate of fallen angels (Jude 6)
Michael and the devil arguing over the body of Moses (v. 9)
Enoch prophesying (v. 14)

But notice that how Jude uses these examples by not addressing any more than what we already know from Scripture. In this way, Jude keeps this from becoming a foolish, quarrelsome controversy (v. 10).

Notice the consistent instruction of the Bible on how to handle critics:

Michael the archangel: The Lord rebuke you! (also 2 Peter 2:11)
Jesus: Away from Me! (Matthew 4:10) and Get behind Me! (Mark 8:33)
James: Submit to God and then resist the devil (James 4:7)
Peter: speak gently, respectfully, and with a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16)
Paul: warn people without becoming quarrelsome (2 Timothy 2:14, 16, 23-25)

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus addresses two events that could have become quite controversial, but Jesus defused the controversy by simply saying, “No matter what, everyone needs to have their sins forgiven by God.” Paul continued this singleminded focus on Jesus. I love how the Amplified Bible captures his words in 1 Corinthians 2:2. And then Paul encourages his friend Timothy to operate the same way (1 Timothy 1:15-17).

Don’t let foolish controversies sidetrack you from the faith entrusted to us, but take everything back to Jesus as He is revealed in the Scripture.

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series called Earnestly Contending, 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. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, angels, apologetic, argue, Book of James, Calvary Assembly of God, controversy, devil, Enoch, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Jude, Moses, proverbs, sermon, video. 1 Comment »

7 Images Of The Church

October 28, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word. (Ephesians 5:25-26)

Dr. Henry Halley points to seven images the Bible portrays of how Jesus interacts with His saints.

“1. The Shepherd and the sheep emphasizes both the warm leadership and protection of Christ and the helplessness and dependency of believers (John 10:1-18).

2. The vine and the branches points out the necessity for Christians to depend on Christ’s sustaining strength for growth (John 15:1-8).

3. Christ as high priest and the church as a kingdom of priests stress the joyful worship, fellowship, and service which the church can render to God through Christ (Hebrews 5:1-10; 7:1; 8:6; 1 Peter 2:5-9).

4. The cornerstone and building stones (Matthew 21:42) accents the foundational value of Christ to everything the church is and does, as well as Christ’s value to the unity of believers. Love is to be the mortar which solidly holds the living stones together (1 Corinthians 3:9; 13:1-13; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5).

5. The head and many-membered body, the church, is a vibrant organism, not merely an organization; it draws its vitality and direction from Christ, the Head, and each believer has a unique and necessary place in its growth (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27; Ephesians 4:4).

6. The last Adam and new creation presents Christ as the initiator of a new creation of believers as Adam was of the old creation (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

7. The bridegroom and bride beautifully emphasizes the intimate fellowship and co-ownership existing between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-33; Revelation 19:7-8; 21:9).”

You can read all of the Bible verses listed in this post by clicking here.

Training For The Fight

October 13, 2025 — 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 challenged all of us to ask the Holy Spirit to check our attitude to ensure we indeed have the attitude of a secure servant. This is especially true when we remember that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle and that Jude writes this letter to us to encourage us to “contend for the faith.”

When Jesus told His parable about the sower, here’s what He said about the seed that fell on the hard path (Mark 4:15 AMPC). Jesus said the forces of evil want to try to bring down the Kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12).

(All the Scriptures I use in this post may be viewed here.)

Are we willing to engage in this intense battle? Will we strive with the forces of darkness for the sake of seeing lost people saved? God told Isaiah that it was so easy to give in—to throw our hands up (Isaiah 64:5-7). Paul extolled a Christian brother named Epaphras for his willingness to wrestle in prayer for the saints (Colossians 4:12).

Indeed wrestling for the saints is what Jude had in mind.

I like the phrase “contend for the faith” in the Message paraphrase: “Fight with everything you have in you.”

The Greek word Jude uses here is the only time it’s used in the New Testament. It means:

To enter a contest—1 Corinthians 9:24-26
Contend with adversaries—Colossians 4:12; Ephesians 6:12
Struggle through difficulties—Colossians 1:28-29
Endeavor with strenuous zeal to obtain victory—1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7

The root word is agonizimai which sounds a lot like our English word “agonize.” This is an all-in mentality. Sitting on the sidelines, casually interacting, dabbling in it every once in a while won’t lead to victory.

The stakes are too high, our enemy is cunning and desperate, so nothing less than agonizing training that will not quit no-matter-what will do!

What exactly are we training to do?

Too many view salvation as just saved from Hell. That’s part of it, but not all of it. We’re also saved to display the glory of God. The first part is accepting Jesus as Savior; the second part is accepting Jesus as Lord. The salvation we share is not either-or, but it is both-and: Jesus is both our Savior and Lord.

We need to strive to obtain the fullness of Christ’s nature in us. People should be able to see and feel a difference in our lives without us even opening our mouths. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach always; if necessary, use words.” To that end, he offered this prayer—

“Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace, that

where there is hatred, I may bring love;

where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;

where there is discord, I may bring harmony;

where there is error, I may bring truth;

where there is doubt, I may bring faith;

where there is despair, I may bring hope;

where there are shadows, I may bring light;

where there is sadness, I may bring joy.”

Will you be all-in?

Will you wrestle in prayer?

Will you let go of earthly things so you can cling to Jesus?

Will you display His light through your life?

Will you be ready to use words, if necessary?

Let’s make sure we are ready to contend for the faith the right way!

P.S. Speaking of prayer, my new book Amen Indeed is a prayer guide for pastors. Please consider giving a copy of this book to your pastor!

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series Earnestly Contend, 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. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Calvary Assembly of God, Colossians, Epaphras, Ephesians, Francis of Assisi, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Jude, quote, sermon, spiritual warfare, video. 2 Comments »

Point Out What’s Right

October 9, 2025 — 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.

Christians need to be known more for what is good than for what is bad. Jesus hasn’t called us to point out what’s bad, but to point out how good Jesus is.

The parable that I reference in this video is found in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

You can watch the full sermon from which this clip came by clicking here.

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Gospel of Matthew, parable, sermon, testimony, video, witnessing. Leave a Comment »

The Servant Stands Strong

October 6, 2025 — 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.

The second-to-last book of the New Testament is a short letter to the Church in which Jude felt urged by the Holy Spirit to challenge Christians to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Does contend mean Christians are supposed to be combative about sharing their faith? We can learn a lot from the way Jude opens this letter.

First, let’s look at who wrote this book.

The names of the brothers of Jesus are listed twice (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55), and Jude is either the youngest or second youngest of these male siblings. He was a part of the family delegation that went to bring Jesus home because they thought He was out of His mind (Mark 3:21, 31). Later on, Jude would also mockingly taunt Jesus (John 7:5).

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

James is the oldest brother after Jesus. When Paul writes that Jesus appeared to James after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7), it’s possible that it means Jesus appeared to all of his brothers, because Paul also mentions that the brothers of Jesus had become evangelists (9:5). It’s not surprising that Jude calls himself a brother of James, but it is quite shocking that he calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ.

In fact, he calls Jesus:

our only Sovereign and Lord (v. 4)
the One who gives us eternal life (v. 21)
the only One who is our entrance into Heaven (vv. 24- 25)

We need to adopt this servant’s mindset as we interact with others.

Second, let’s notice who Jude’s audience is.

Jude writes to people who are called, sanctified, preserved (NKJV).

called = invited to the banquet
sanctified = hagiazo = holy ones or saints
preserved / kept = carefully attended to

Finally, let’s consider how Jude expects saints to be living each day.

Jude says in verse 2 that we are to live…

mercifully = not wanting people to get the punishment they deserve
peacefully = having our soul so secure that we fear nothing from God
lovingly = agape love like Jesus (John 3:16, 13:1) and like us (13:35, 15:9)

And all of these things are to be in abundance—ever multiplying!

After all of this, we are now in a place to consider how to live contending for the faith (v. 3).

We are servants of Jesus, called to His banquet, set apart and preserved for His glory; we are intimately aware of His mercy, peace, and love, which we want others to know for themselves.

Before we learn how to contend, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to check our attitude to ensure we indeed have the attitude of a secure servant.

Follow along with all of the sermons in this series called Earnestly Contend.

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, attitude, Calvary Assembly of God, Gospel of John, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Jude, sermon, servanthood, video. 3 Comments »

Community Involvement

September 29, 2025 — 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.

The letters we’ve looked at so far—B, A, S, and I—are bringing about greater fruitfulness and joy-fullness in our lives, which is then enhancing our personal testimony. So the B, A, S, and I all lead up to the C—community involvement.

One of the first things we need to consider about our community is our role—both what the Bible says is and isn’t our area of concern. Jesus helps us with a parable about wheat and weed and its explanation a few verses later (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).

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

From Jesus we learn that the world was created good—that’s what God said at each day of Creation. Since the fall of man, satan has sown his evil seeds alongside Christ’s good seeds.

Our responsibility isn’t about pointing out what’s wrong in the world
It isn’t about rooting out the evil in the world
It isn’t about judging the evil or even the evildoers in the world
Our responsibility is to proclaim how good our God is
Our responsibility is to bear as much God-honoring fruit as we can
Our responsibility is to embody biblical principles and proclaim the benefits of God’s Kingdom to others

The apostle Paul helps us see our role in our community with his payer in Ephesians 1:17-20. Paul desires that we know…

The hope to which God has called us. A rock-solid, irrevocable, eternal hope!
The riches of His inheritance in His saints. The treasure is in us. We get to be God’s blessing to those around us.
God’s incomparably great power for us. We’re never lacking anything because His power is for us—God Himself is for us!

When our eyes are opened to this, we can see better how to live in our communities. God has placed us and equipped us to proclaim His glorious Gospel in our Personal Mission Field. The PMF includes places like our:

Family—John 1:35-42
Friend group—John 1:43-46
Neighborhood—Colossians 1:3-8
Workplace—Ephesians 6:5-9

How do we do this?

We talk about the daily interactions you have with Jesus—make it clear that He is a real Person with Whom you have a relationship.
We live out our biblical worldview.
We stay in fellowship with out saints so that we are sharpened and prepared to give an answer for the reason for the hope we have.
We continually monitor our conversation and attitude to make sure they are Christ-like.

Let us saints be known for what we’re for more than for what we’re against!

Instead of railing on the evil, proclaim the favor of God, proclaim the soul-satisfying joy of a relationship with Jesus, and proclaim the advantages of the Holy Spirit’s continual counsel.

If you’ve missed any of the previous messages in our series B.A.S.I.C. Christianity, 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. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, Christianity, Colossians, community involvement, Ephesians, evangelism, family, friend, Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, Great Commission, Holy Spirit, parable, sermon, video. 2 Comments »

The Enemy Within

September 17, 2025 — 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.

Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans, for I see violence and conflict in the city. Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city… (Psalm 55:9-14 NLT)

David sees violence and conflict, but he is quick to conclude that the enemy is not “out there” but “in here.” Notice the phrases “in the city” and “within the city.”

This is why Jesus tells us to deal with the plank in our own eye first (the things in here), and then I can see clearly to address what may be out there (see Matthew 7:1-5). He also tells us to pay attention to the clear indicators that something is wrong “in here” in Matthew 15:18-20.

Yes, we should address false gods and evil practices. But G.K. Chesterton warns us to make sure we are addressing the right things—

“Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils; by making men afraid of war or alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice.”

God-fearing leaders must always address their own areas of corruption as the first and highest priority. It’s only after this heart-check that we can truly lead people away from things which are holding them back from fully following God.

Holy Spirit, if I feel the need to point my finger at what’s wrong “out there,” may I first yield to Your finger pointing out what’s wrong “in here” in my own heart. Once I have recognized, confessed, and corrected what’s wrong in me, equip me to be a lovingly-strong and empathetic guide to help others around me.

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