Now, I know we’re in the Christmas season, and I really don’t mean to sound like a Scrooge, but someone might be asking, “What’s with all the joy?” Why does the reign of the coming Son bring so much joy?

Your sin is not your identity! It’s not who you are! The generational cycles you inherited is not what shapes your identity any more; Christ is! And in Him you are royalty of the highest order.

It’s important for us to recognize that names in the Bible carry meaning that describes a person’s character and identity. So by asking Jacob what his name was, this Person, who Jacob sees as an angel, was actually asking him what he thinks his character and identity is.

You see, God knows the back story to Jacob’s lying. He knew that Jacob had inherited what had become a generational cycle of lying and was leading him to retrace his story in order to break the cycle.

What is God doing when His intervention into your personal crisis looks like hurt and not help?

You know, if you really pay attention to how Jesus lived on the earth and what He taught about the way of His Kingdom, then there really is something to be said about living in a Jesus-styled, biblical minimalism.

Jesus is only pointing out these activities to paint the picture of how people will be going about the mundane routine of their normal lives with hearts that are completely indifferent to Jesus and His coming Kingdom. For them it will be completely unexpected.

We are living life in between His already, not yet Kingdom. So for those of us who long for the return of our King’s physical presence, what does He have to say to us about life just before His Kingdom fully comes?

God is holding back and keeping in check the unrestrained forces of evil on the earth to a larger degree than we think!

What is God doing in the midst of this rising turmoil in our world?

Now I can already hear you saying, “So, if God doesn’t want us being paralyzed with fearful thinking, then why would He call us to fear Him?” Well, you see, the fear of God is not equivalent to being afraid of God.

You see, the problem with conspiracy theories, especially when promoted by Christians, is that they undermine trust in the authentic fulfillment of God’s prophetic word. You can only “cry wolf” but so many times before you loose all credibility!

How should we, as believers in Jesus Christ, respond to Conspiracy Theories? Well, I’m so glad God is not silent on this subject in Scripture.

My friend, you are a human being, not a human doing! And focusing on your overall wellbeing, mind and body, is not selfish.

In light of God’s abundant mercy towards us, how do we best position ourselves to be given to Him in complete worship? Let’s find out together in this week’s blog series called “Spiritual Self-Care.” Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

This is Part 3 of our blog series “The Shift”. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. “Jesus did not call us to be a monument or a museum. No. What Jesus began was a movement. And now, He’s calling His movement to shift…”

Here’s Part 2 in our blog series called “The Shift”. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. “God is not the author of evil. The complexity of what God is dealing with is that His character of love inherently means He truly gives…”