We count the hours until we can eat again, carefully plan what we'll avoid, and endure the physical discomfort that comes with denying our appetite. While abstaining from food is part of biblical fasting, it's far from the whole picture.
Fasting goes beyond giving up food—it also requires guarding what we allow into our heart and mind. True consecration won't happen while we continue feeding our spirit with things that pollute it.
It all began when I became more intentional about seeking the Lord and spending quality time with him. As I spent more time with him, he began to impress on my heart that he wanted me to wake up early to seek his face. He awakened in me a deep longing to fellowship with him before sunrise.
David expressed that same longing when he wrote, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You..." (Psalm 63:1).
My life hasn't been the same ever since. I’ve become the better version of myself before sunrise. Why? Because I've already spent the first waking moments of my day in the presence of the Lord. The rest of my day feels different. It's not that life suddenly becomes perfect or trouble disappears. It's that my heart is already firmly planted in him before the storms of the day arrive.
There is a school every believer must attend.
It doesn't have a physical campus. There are no entrance exams or tuition fees. Yet the lessons taught there have the power to transform your life forever.
It's a school unlike any other—a school that trains those who are serious about their walk with Christ. It's the school of the Holy Spirit.
Before Jesus returned to the Father, he promised that the Holy Spirit would come to teach his followers and lead them into truth: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit... He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:26)
God never intended for his children to navigate life alone. He gave us the Holy Spirit to teach us, correct us, guide us, and transform us into the likeness of Christ. Every believer is invited to become a student in his classroom.
Our eyes are gates to our soul and spirit. Every single thing you let through them walks straight into your mind, your heart, your spirit—and it doesn't just pass through and leave. It settles in.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:22: "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light." That means what we continually look at has an impact on us. The things we consume through our eyes influence our thoughts and eventually affect our actions.
Over time, routine can become a chore, and you don't want your relationship with God to become just another item on a checklist. No one enjoys chores, and no one wants to feel like a chore.
God deserves more than your routine time. He desires your heart.
He'll never force you to spend time with him. You have to want to. Not out of obligation, but out of love. Not because it's part of a schedule, but because his presence has become something you can't do without.
Just as breathing is a natural part of life, spending time with God should become a natural part of who you are. A place you return to because you want to be with him, not simply because your routine says so.
Well, guess what? Knowing God isn't reserved for pastors, theologians, or people who have been Christians for decades. Knowing God is an open invitation—one that God extends to every single person on this earth. He wants to be known. He wants to speak to us, guide us, and reveal his heart to us.
David put it this way: "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). A few verses later, he adds, "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed" (v. 16). Long before you were born, God already knew you and had his hand on your life.
Jesus was judged unfairly. He was misunderstood, even by those closest to him. Throughout much of his earthly ministry, people failed to recognize who he truly was. His motives were questioned, his words were twisted, and his actions were criticized.
It took me a while to get away from performing for God in prayer and simply talking to him.
For a long time I felt like I had to pray a certain way. I thought I couldn't say certain things. I felt like I had to use big words and sound spiritual. But I noticed that whenever I approached prayer that way, my mind would quickly become clouded and start to wander.
My lips were talking, but my heart was somewhere else. I wasn't being genuine; I was putting on a show for God.
Because of that, prophecy isn't something to dismiss or brush off lightly. God still speaks today, and he can absolutely use prophetic words to encourage, strengthen, warn, direct, and confirm his will for our lives.
Don't be discouraged or negatively affected by their reaction. It's part of the process.
But salvation doesn't come through church attendance, or family background, or Christian culture.
Salvation is a free gift from God, one that can't be earned. Jesus offered us the gift of salvation through his sacrifice on the cross, and we receive this gift when we repent of our sins, accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and build a personal relationship with him.
In other words, JESUS is the only way to heaven.
Salvation.
It's a word we use often, yet many people—even Christians—don't fully understand what it means. If you stopped ten Christians in the parking lot and asked them to explain it in plain English, you'd probably get ten different answers—and a lot of awkward pauses.
So let's actually talk about it. What does a promise made over 2,000 years ago have to do with your life today?
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. - 1 Corinthians 13:1–2
Why do we so often assume that the most gifted people in the church are also the most spiritually mature?
The truth is, gifting and spiritual maturity are not the same thing. Stay with me for a moment—let me explain.
Before you took your first breath, He had a purpose for your life. God actually says this himself in Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." You are one of a kind, uniquely created by God for something that only you can do.
You're not an afterthought or a mistake. You were chosen to be here. You were chosen to make a difference in this world—to be a light in dark places and a voice of hope in a world that often feels hopeless. You were created to show God's love and kindness to the people around you.
Becoming God's vessel is really about becoming the person he's calling you to be, not just doing what he asks of you. That means handing over your plans, your desires, your five-year plan, your comfort zone—all of it—and letting him shape your character instead of clinging to your own.
Paul tells Timothy that if we cleanse ourselves, we'll be "a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master's use, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21). That's the goal. Not perfect; just cleaned out, available, and ready when God needs us.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
We all have comfort zones—places where we feel safe, secure, and in control. They're the spaces we naturally gravitate towards because they feel familiar. Most of us would gladly camp out there all the time if we could. I know I would.
But what happens when God calls us beyond what's comfortable for us? What if he asks you to do something that feels intimidating—something that makes you feel shy, inadequate, or unqualified? (Been there, done that😰)
