Keep The Faith

Opening There are moments when the words of Yeshua open the soul like morning light. His teaching about vines, branches, pruning, and fire is one of those moments. It is simple on the surface, yet it carries a depth that speaks directly to the way God works within us. When the Branches Burn: What Yeshua Meant by the Fire Yeshua’s teaching in John 15 gives us a picture of the Vineyard Keeper at work: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it may bear more fruit.” “If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.” This is not a lesson in agriculture. It is a revelation of how God tends the human heart. Pruning Is Preparation, Not Punishment Gardeners prune healthy branches so they can produce more fruit. Yeshua uses this image to show how God removes what drains us, trims what distrac...

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...

Rethinking Hell: Why Grief and Sorrow May Be the Real Fire For years, I believed hell was a place of physical torment. But through Scripture, study, and personal experience, I’ve come to see something different. I believe hell is the deep grief and sorrow we feel when Father God lifts the veil and we finally see the truth about ourselves. Grief as Fire When I saw the ugliness inside myself, the grief was overwhelming—like being consumed. Scripture describes grief and sorrow with words like anguish, torment, woe, and heartbreak. These same words are used in descriptions of hell. Even Jesus is called “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” ( Isaiah 53:3 ) The Worm That Never Dies When grief eats at a person, we sometimes say they are “eaten up inside.” Scripture says, “where their worm never dies.” This imagery aligns with internal anguish, not external torture. Everlasting Judgment Many things in Scripture are called “everlasting,” yet clearly did not...

In the Unity Series, I’ve been rethinking long-held beliefs about judgment, restoration, and what we call “hell.” This reflection looks at hell not as an eternal torture chamber, but as the painful truth of who we are without God. Rethinking Hell: Shame, Revelation, and the Unchanged Heart I’ve been thinking again about the traditional belief in hell. In its simplest form, that belief says this: if a person has not accepted Jesus as Savior and made Him Lord of their life before death, they will go to a place of never-ending torment—a place they can never leave. Before I go on, I want to be clear: I do believe Jesus is the Messiah. He died for the sins of the whole world— the good, the bad, and the ugly. Through His work, God can keep us. I have asked Jesus to be Lord of my life, but not because I fear a place called hell. In fact, I don’t believe hell is a “place” in the way many imagine. At the same time, I ...

God’s Day of Judgment and Mercy I feel that God’s Day of Judgment is close, and in a strange way, I consider that day to be a good thing. Not because judgment is pleasant, but because on that day every one of us will finally see the truth about ourselves—our real condition, our real need, and our real worth. Without God, we are worthy to be thrown away like refuse, as if heaven had a great garbage dump. But that is only half the picture. The other half is God’s great compassion and His tender mercies. This is how I see it. When that day comes, you and I will see the kind of punishment we believe we deserve—annihilation, being beaten, or even being hung on a cross. But Jesus has already taken that punishment. He took it for me, for you, for all. He stepped into our place and bore the weight of our sin. This is why the Bible says that every knee will bow: because when we see what He has done, our hearts will overflow with adoration for Father God a...