Kingdom Fire

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His Name. “They will be Mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “In the day when I make up My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see…

DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD (THIS AGE), [FASHIONED AFTER AND ADAPTED TO ITS EXTERNAL, SUPERFICIAL CUSTOMS], BUT BE TRANSFORMED (CHANGED) BY THE [ENTIRE] RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND [BY ITS NEW IDEALS AND ITS NEW ATTITUDE], SO THAT YOU MAY PROVE [FOR YOURSELVES] WHAT IS THE GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD, EVEN THE THING WHICH IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT [IN HIS SIGHT FOR YOU].…

We Have the Answer—We Just Don’t Like It

In New Testament times, the nation of Israel was occupied by the Roman government. This fact is most relevant because it shaped the way the Jews at that point in history understood their own identity, their own spirituality, and the government of God. The understanding of “kingdom,” therefore, and of a king and what a king does, largely came from their understanding of the Roman government. The…

What “Skyrim” Can Teach Us About Idolatry

Jonah 3:3-5 Jonah obeyed the Word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city – a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (Related Bible references:…

Wait, WHO Took Money From a Cult Leader?

God also reveals much to us about the precept of sowing and reaping in this section of Haggai. The parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15) is often used in connection with evangelism. There’s nothing wrong with understanding this interpretation, but we can also see something else in its contents: where we sow matters. Scattering seeds here, there, and everywhere, without…

The secondary message in Malachi, aside from repentance, is hope for the righteous. The promise of every judgment is the hope of purification, which will bring us, once and for all, exactly where we need to be in Him. Malachi ends with the promise of obedience, the result of the fruits of righteous labor. Many believe righteousness is a waste in this life, with no purpose, result, or reward. No…

This post was originally posted in Sanctuary’s Discord and has been updated for this blog. In my experience, “grace” is one of those words that’s often thrown around as something we need to show to ourselves and to others, but we’re not always taught how to show it—or even what it is. Scripture tells us that grace is what saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9) and justifies us (Romans 3:24), and that God…

They are blessed [or Blessed are those…; and so through v. 10] who realize their spiritual poverty [are the poor in spirit], for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them [is theirs]. (Matthew 5:3) • DAILY READING: ISAIAH 66:1-3 Humility is one of the most beautiful facets of the Christian faith. In humility, we recognize who we are, that in ourselves we can do nothing, but with God, we can do…

A lot has changed since I shared this post on Tumblr and Sanctuary’s Discord. At the time of writing (March 13, 2023), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had been tracking 399 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. By the end of that year, that number jumped to 510. There were even more anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the following years—533 bills in 2024 and 616 bills in 2025. As of January 30,…