Keep The Faith

The Harmony of Heaven — Unity Series When we become One in the Kingdom, we are individually in harmony with each other.  Scripture John 17:20-23   NIV Jesus Prays for All Believers 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Reflection Unity Series The Harmony of Heaven When strings align, kingdoms shift. Harmony Is Not a Human Invention Before there was a first chord struck on earth, there was harmony in the nature of God Himself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — distinct in Person, unified in e...

After revisiting an older post I wrote years ago about the heart, I realized that God has been showing me even more about this subject. What began as a simple reflection has grown into a deeper understanding of why the Bible speaks of the heart so often and so directly. Instead of rewriting the old post, I felt led to create a new one—one that gathers both the original thoughts and the new insights Father God has been revealing. This Unity Series post continues that journey. It builds on what I once understood and adds the clarity, wonder, and awe that have come as I’ve looked again at Scripture, science, and the way God designed us. Sometimes revisiting something familiar opens a door to something brand new. The Mystery of the Heart — Unity Series Genesis 8:21 (NIV) “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart…” Deuteronomy 4:29 (NASB) “…you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:39 (NASB) “…ta...

Water Baptism and Communion: Are They “Magical,” or Misunderstood? Introduction This morning I’ve been thinking about two familiar practices in the church — water baptism and communion. They’ve been part of my life since childhood, yet I find myself wondering again what they truly mean and whether they play any role in becoming One with the Father. Today I want to look at Scripture and reflect on their purpose. Scripture “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11 “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19 Reflection I’ve been thinking about water baptism and the Eucharist — how they started, and whether there is anything “magical” in them. Many churches treat them as requirements, almost like spiritual checkpoints. But when I look at Scri...

Foundations of Unity — Why Satan Cannot Influence Those Who Abide in the Spirit Understanding the difference between human thoughts and Spirit-led thoughts—and why abiding in Yeshua protects us from the enemy’s influence. Seeing the Difference Between Human Thoughts and Spirit-Guided Thoughts There is a moment in Scripture that often troubles people: when Yeshua turns to Peter and says, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Peter loved Yeshua, meant well, and wanted to protect Him. Yet Yeshua rebuked him sharply. Why? Because Peter was speaking from human thoughts , not God’s thoughts . And before the Holy Spirit was given, human thoughts were vulnerable to the enemy’s influence. This distinction matters deeply for unity with Father God. It reveals why believers today—those who abide in Yeshua and walk in the Spirit—are protected in a way the disciples were not before Pentecost. Before the Spirit Was Given: Human Minds Were Unprotected When Peter rebuked Yeshua, the c...

Not every prayer spoken aloud is a prayer God honors. Scripture teaches that the heart, motives, and posture behind our prayers matter deeply. This reflection explores what the Bible says about the kinds of prayers God receives—and the kinds He does not. Prayers God Does Not Honor 1. Prayers from a proud or self-exalting heart Luke 18:11–14 — The Pharisee prayed publicly with pride, yet Jesus said his prayer was not accepted. Only the humble man was heard. 2. Prayers asking God to bless sin, violence, or injustice Isaiah 1:15 — “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes… your hands are full of blood.” God does not bless what contradicts His righteousness. 3. Prayers with selfish or fleshly motives James 4:3 — “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Motives matter. 4. Prayers from a heart refusing obedience Proverbs 28:9 — “If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, eve...

Returning to Our First Love Remembering our first love in Christ and learning to see others as God sees them. There are moments in life when the world’s noise grows so loud that it drowns out the quiet voice of our first love. When opinions, movements, and personalities rise to the center of our attention, it becomes easy to forget the One who called us, redeemed us, and taught us how to walk in love. I have heard many Christians speak with certainty about earthly leaders—as though God Himself had chosen them, endorsed them, or placed His seal upon them. But I often wonder: How do we know when something is truly from God? And how do we discern when something is simply from “the god of this world,” who is always eager to imitate, distract, and divide? Scripture gives us a simple test: If you love Him, obey His commandments. Love God. Love your neighbor. Do to others what you wish they would do to you. An...

God All in All : The Spirits Too This reflection pressed heavily on my heart early this morning. It came suddenly, connecting pieces from several older posts I’ve written over the years. I wanted to capture it while the thoughts were still fresh, because they form a picture of God’s final restoration that I had not seen quite this clearly before. Scripture “Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power… so that God may be all in all.” — 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28 Reflection Several of my past posts came to mind this morning, forming a picture of what it might mean for God to become all in all . I’ve often wondered whether this points to something far greater than we usually imagine — that even the fallen angels, even Satan himself, will ultimately be brought under God’s final authority in a way that restores peace to all creation. Not excused. Not justified. But fully subjected to Go...

As I look back on something I wrote in 2016, I’m seeing it with clearer eyes today. Not because the events have changed, but because I have. The Lord has been patient with me, steady with me, and protective in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. Reading my own words from ten years ago feels like opening a window into a younger version of myself — one who was trying to make sense of spiritual conflict, fear, and the weight of responsibility that comes with writing publicly about faith. In that old post, I wrote about the demonic activity I experienced in 1999 and how boldly — maybe naively — I declared that I intended to be “a thorn in Satan’s side.” I didn’t realize then that those words weren’t really mine. They were the Lord’s. The blog wasn’t mine either. It was His. I also wrote about the fear that followed — the sense that every time I tried to post something meaningful, something disruptive happened. The most frightening moments were when we temporarily lost...

Living Awake: Lessons from Luke 12 There are moments when Scripture doesn’t just speak — it gathers you, steadies you, and reminds you of what truly matters. Luke 12 is one of those chapters. When I revisited it after writing “ When Fear Stores What Faith Should Hold ,” I realized how much instruction, warning, comfort, and Kingdom perspective Yeshua packed into a single conversation. It is a chapter that calls us to live awake — spiritually honest, spiritually anchored, and spiritually ready. Scripture Luke 12 Reflection Luke 12 is a sweeping chapter — moving from warnings to encouragements, from parables to promises, from correction to comfort. Yeshua speaks plainly, directly, and lovingly. He exposes hypocrisy, confronts fear, dismantles greed, and calls His disciples into a life shaped by trust, readiness, and truth. As I read, I felt the weight of His words — not heavy in burden, but heavy in importance. These are teachings meant to shape the i...

When God Opens the Eyes of the Heart Sometimes God awakens the human heart suddenly, and sometimes gently. The stories of Jonah and Jesus washing the disciples’ feet reveal two sides of God’s mercy: a warning that shakes us awake, and a humility that softens us. Both are invitations to return to Him. The Sign of Jonah Luke 11:29 (NASB) “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.” The Greek word for “generation” is genea , which can also mean “age.” Jesus may be saying, “This age is a wicked age…” The word for “sign” means a miracle, a token, a wonder — something that awakens awe. Jonah’s message to Nineveh was short and simple: Jonah 3:4 (CEB) “Just forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!” The Hebrew word for “overthrown” is haphak — meaning to turn, to change, to be converted, to return. Jonah’s warning was not only about destruction....

Returning to the Question of God’s Protection Why this question keeps coming back — and what the Kingdom teaches us about it. I have been thinking again about God’s protection. I’ve seen His protection in my life in different ways — through storms, through circumstances, through timing. Maybe not so much in my health, but even in that I trust Him for whatever happens. And I know that I would not have this blog if I were totally healthy. My weakness opened the door for this ministry. But then I think about those who have died in sudden or freak accidents. From what I knew of them, they seemed to be good Christian people. So why did they die when I seem to be protected? Scripture shows the same tension. Some received full protection — Abraham and Sarah, Daniel, Elijah, people in the early church. Yet many of the apostles died terrible deaths. I’ve asked this question before, and here I am again. Why do I re...

Father God's Kingdom, or This World's Kingdom Father God's Kingdom, or This World's Kingdom Introduction There are moments when something small — a headline, a story, a memory — becomes a doorway into deeper truth. This morning was one of those moments. A simple news story stirred my heart and reminded me how often we walk too close to danger even when God lovingly warns us to stay away. Scripture Matthew 6:24 (NIV) “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Reflection I was on Facebook this morning and read about buffalo attacks in Yellowstone National Park. There are signs everywhere telling people to keep their distance, yet some still walk right up to these massive animals. It’s the same old story we know well: “Don’t touch th...

The Shepherd who restores every soul Why Clinging to This Life Keeps Us From the Life We Want Most of us hold tightly to the life we know. We cling to our routines, our habits, our ways of thinking, our sense of control. We call it “normal,” and we assume it’s the safest place to be. But if we’re honest, this life we protect so fiercely is the very life that keeps us tired, anxious, and searching for relief. We keep trying to escape the weight of this life while refusing to let go of the life that creates the weight. There’s a quiet truth we rarely stop long enough to see: The life we cling to is the life that hurts us. The life God offers is the life that heals us. But because we don’t talk much about the Kingdom, we don’t recognize the difference. We assume surrender means loss. We assume God’s rule means restriction. We assume the Kingdom will take something from us that we need to survive. Y...