Evangel Assembly of God - KS https://evangelwichita.org Tue, 05 May 2026 11:07:06 +0000 Tue, 05 May 2026 11:07:06 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com More Than We Can Do on Our Own https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/19/more-than-we-can-do-on-our-own Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:27:53 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/19/more-than-we-can-do-on-our-own

Powered: Why Trying Harder Is Not the Answer

There is a question worth sitting with for a moment: What are you running on?

Not physically. Not professionally. But spiritually — what is actually powering your life right now?

For many people who follow Jesus, the honest answer is uncomfortable. They are running on their own strength. They love God genuinely. They show up. They try. But underneath the effort, there is an exhaustion that never quite goes away. They are trying to manufacture patience in moments that demand it most. They are white-knuckling their way through temptation. They are pushing through relational strain, personal struggle, and daily pressure with gritted teeth and good intentions. And they wonder why it feels so hard.

Here is the thing. It is supposed to feel hard when you are trying to do it alone. Because you were never meant to.

The Problem With Painting Over the Stain

Imagine a building with a leaking roof. Water seeps through and stains the ceiling tiles brown. The obvious temptation is to grab a bucket of white paint and cover the stains. It works, for a while. But the next time it rains, the water bleeds right back through. The stain returns. The real problem was never the ceiling tile. The real problem was the leak above it, hidden from view, never addressed.

Religion can become that bucket of paint. We become remarkably skilled at covering what people can see while the deeper issue goes untouched. We develop better habits. We manage our image. We attend the right things and say the right words. But Jesus did not come to help us paint over our stains. He came to fix the source. He came to do something deep, something transformative, something that works from the inside out.

This is exactly how the apostle Paul describes salvation in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 5. He describes people who were spiritually dead, following the pull of their own desires, separated from God. And then he pivots on one of the most powerful words in Scripture: but. Because of his great love, because of his rich mercy, God made us alive in Christ. Not cleaned up. Not improved. Alive.

Christianity is not self-improvement. It is a new life entirely.

More Than Information — Empowerment

Paul knew something about the gap between knowing and experiencing. Before his dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, described in Acts chapter 9, Paul was not an irreligious man. He was deeply religious. He knew the scriptures. He understood theology. He followed the rules with extraordinary zeal. And yet, none of that knowledge had produced the life God intended for him. It took an encounter, a moment where everything he thought he knew collided with the living reality of Jesus, to begin his transformation.

When Paul arrived in Ephesus, recorded in Acts chapter 19, he met a group of disciples and asked them an immediate, striking question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Their answer was that they had not even heard there was a Holy Spirit. Paul recognized something. Their understanding was incomplete. Knowing about God and experiencing the power of God are two very different things.

This is a distinction that matters enormously today. It is entirely possible to attend a Spirit-filled church and not personally live a Spirit-empowered life. It is possible to believe in the Holy Spirit the way someone believes in a car engine — acknowledging it exists while exhausting yourself pushing the vehicle down the road by hand.

God does not only want to save you from something. He wants to empower you for something. He wants to empower you for Monday morning, for the conversation you are dreading, for the relationship that is straining, for the calling that feels too large, for the neighborhood and the workplace and the school where he has placed you as his light.

Acts chapter 1, verse 8 records Jesus telling his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. The power was never meant to produce impressive spiritual experiences for their own sake. The Holy Spirit always points people to Jesus. That is his purpose. That is his direction.

A Life, Not Just a Moment

Here is where it becomes deeply practical. A wedding ceremony is a profound and meaningful moment. But no one would consider it healthy to spend the next thirty years simply remembering the ceremony while neglecting the marriage itself. The ceremony is the beginning of a life together, not a memory to coast on.

An encounter with God works the same way. A moment of genuine spiritual experience is real and valuable. But the Holy Spirit does not want to give you just a moment. He wants to shape your life.

The book of Ephesians makes this unmistakably clear. The Holy Spirit does not make a brief appearance in Paul's letter. He is woven throughout it. He appears in the language of identity, of prayer, of unity, of holiness, of worship, of spiritual battle, of prayer itself. In Ephesians chapter 5, verse 18, Paul instructs believers not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit — and the verb tense in the original language carries the idea of being continuously, repeatedly filled. Not a one-time event. A continuous way of living.

The Holy Spirit wants to affect your identity. He wants to shape how you understand yourself and others. He wants to impact your relationships, your integrity, your calling, your capacity to stand when everything around you is pressing in.

What Are You Running On?

The invitation is simple, though not easy. Stop trying to live a supernatural life through natural strength. Admit what many already know from experience: it does not work. The fruit that God wants to grow in you — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — cannot be manufactured through effort. It is produced by the life of the Spirit within you, as you remain connected and yielded to him.

The commitment worth making is this: not merely to know about God, but to know him. Not merely to believe in his power, but to walk in it. Not merely to attend gatherings where the Spirit moves, but to carry that same Spirit into every ordinary moment of every ordinary day.

You were created to live powered. Not by your own strength, but by his.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/19/more-than-we-can-do-on-our-own#comments 0 Self-Control: Living Under the Spirit's Control https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/12/self-control-living-under-the-spirit-s-control Mon, 12 Oct 2026 14:16:00 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/12/self-control-living-under-the-spirit-s-control

Self-Control: The Guardrail That Protects Everything Else

There is a quiet irony buried in the final quality listed among the fruit of the Spirit. After weeks of reflecting on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness, we arrive at self-control — and it turns out that this last quality is not simply another virtue on the list. It is the guardrail that protects all the others.

Think about it this way. Love requires self-control when you have been hurt. Joy requires self-control when discouragement comes knocking. Peace requires self-control when anxiety rises. Patience requires self-control when frustration sets in. Kindness requires self-control when you are inconvenienced. Goodness requires self-control when compromise would be so much easier. Faithfulness requires self-control when you are tempted to quit. Gentleness requires self-control when you are provoked. Remove self-control from the picture, and every other quality becomes vulnerable.

But before we go any further, there is a critical misconception worth addressing. Self-control is not about white-knuckling your way through life on the strength of your own willpower. It is not a self-improvement project. It is not sheer discipline born from personal determination. At its core, self-control is about living under the control of the Holy Spirit. It is not self-discipline so much as it is Spirit-discipline.

The Culture We Are Swimming In

We live in a world that tells us to follow every impulse. Speak your truth. Do what feels right. Follow your heart. Express yourself freely. The cultural current runs hard against the idea of restraint, and it whispers constantly that any limitation placed on your desires is a threat to your freedom.

But Scripture offers something radically different — and ultimately far more liberating.
Consider the image of a river. A river is powerful, beautiful, and life-giving. But that power is useful precisely because the river stays within its banks. When a river overflows, its freedom becomes destruction. God's boundaries in our lives work the same way. They do not limit your life. They direct it. Self-control is not about restriction. It is about stepping into the life God has designed for you.

Self-Control Begins With Surrender

In Romans 8, the apostle Paul draws a sharp contrast between two ways of living — one governed by the flesh and one governed by the Spirit. He describes the mind governed by the flesh as hostile to God, incapable of pleasing Him. But then he pivots to something breathtaking: the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living inside every believer. That is not a small thing. That is the power available to every person who belongs to Christ.

The starting point for self-control, then, is not asking how strong your willpower is today. It is asking who is leading your life today. Every single day, you are surrendering to something — your appetite, your emotions, your fear, your anger, your ambition. The question is never whether you are under someone's control. The question is whose control you are under.

Jesus said in Luke 9 that anyone who wants to follow Him must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. That word daily is significant. Self-control is not one dramatic decision made once and then finished. It is thousands of daily decisions to surrender to Jesus Christ. Paul captured this in Galatians 2, describing a life where Christ lives within him rather than the old self — a life lived by faith in the Son of God who gave Himself completely.

Self-Control Guards the Heart

Proverbs 25:28 compares a person without self-control to a city whose walls have been broken down. The imagery is striking. A city without walls is not simply inconvenienced — it is defenseless. And notice what the proverb does not say. It does not say the enemy is overwhelmingly powerful. It says the walls are gone. The vulnerability is self-created.

Self-control protects marriages. It protects words spoken in anger. It guards finances, relationships, and witness. Most temptations do not begin with dramatic rebellion. They begin with one uncontrolled thought, one uncontrolled emotion, one uncontrolled moment of giving in to an impulse. How many broken relationships began with one sentence that should never have been spoken? How many regrets trace back to a single moment of unchecked desire?

James 1 reminds us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry — because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. Self-control is not about living in fear. It is about living wisely, and wisdom often sounds like a quiet voice saying wait, listen, respond later.

Self-Control Leads to Freedom

Here is where everything flips upside down from what culture tells us. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul uses the image of an athlete in strict training — not to earn approval, but to pursue a prize. He disciplines his body with purpose and intentionality. The athlete who trains rigorously does not become less free. They become free to perform at a level that undisciplined people never reach.

Discipline creates freedom. The musician who practices scales faithfully becomes free in performance. The pilot who follows procedures becomes free to fly safely. And the believer who yields daily to the Holy Spirit becomes free to live the life God designed — free from the tyranny of unchecked impulse, free from the exhaustion of being controlled by every passing emotion.

The person controlled by anger is not free. The person enslaved to greed is not free. The person driven by fear is not free. Real freedom is found under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

The Seed Inside the Fruit

Here is a beautiful truth worth sitting with. Inside every piece of fruit, there are seeds. Fruit is not designed simply to be admired. It nourishes, it blesses, and it carries within it the potential for more fruit. The Holy Spirit is not producing His fruit in your life just for your benefit. He is producing it so your life becomes a source of nourishment and blessing for the people around you.

The fruit growing in your life today may become the seed that transforms someone else's life tomorrow.

And the question that matters most is not how you can become more loving, more patient, or more self-controlled. The question is simpler and more profound than that: How can you abide more deeply in Jesus this week? Because healthy fruit always results from a healthy relationship with the vine. Always.

Branches do not produce fruit by straining. They produce fruit by remaining.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/12/self-control-living-under-the-spirit-s-control#comments 0 Gentleness: Strength Under Control https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/06/gentleness-strength-under-control Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:15:59 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/06/gentleness-strength-under-control

Gentleness: The Strength You Never Knew You Had

There is a quality that most people misunderstand so completely that they spend their entire lives either dismissing it or avoiding it altogether. That quality is gentleness. Mention the word in a room full of people and watch what happens. Some will picture a quiet, timid person who never speaks up. Others will think of someone who avoids conflict at all costs, who smiles politely and says nothing of consequence. The assumption is nearly universal: gentleness equals weakness.

But what if everything we thought we knew about gentleness was wrong?

The Most Misunderstood Quality in the Christian Life

The apostle Paul lists gentleness as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, where he describes the character qualities produced in believers who remain connected to Christ. And yet, of all the qualities on that list, gentleness may be the one most frequently misread, misapplied, and misrepresented.

Here is the definition that changes everything: gentleness is not the absence of strength. Gentleness is strength surrendered to God.

Think about a fully grown horse. An animal of that size carries enormous power. It could throw its rider at any moment. It could run wherever it pleased and nothing could stop it. And yet, a well-trained horse responds to the gentle pressure of the reins, following the guidance of someone far smaller and far less physically powerful. Has the horse become weak? Not at all. It has simply learned to bring its strength under control. That image is the biblical picture of gentleness. Power that has been submitted. Strength that has been surrendered.

Moses, Jesus, and the Strength of the Gentle

Consider Moses. Numbers 12:3 describes him as the most humble man on the face of the earth. And yet this is the same man who stood before Pharaoh and demanded the release of an entire nation. This is the man who led two million people through a wilderness, received the law of God on a mountain, and held a community together through decades of difficulty. Humble. Gentle. And extraordinarily strong.

Then consider Jesus. He overturned tables in the temple. He confronted religious hypocrisy without flinching. He faced the cross without retreating. And yet in Matthew 11:28-30, when he invites the weary and burdened to come to him, the words he chooses to describe himself are gentle and humble in heart. Of all the things he could have said about himself, he chose gentleness.

That is not a coincidence. It is a revelation.

Isaiah 42 paints a portrait of the coming Messiah that is startling in its tenderness. The passage describes someone who will not shout or raise his voice in the streets, who will not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick. Picture that for a moment. A reed that is already bent and damaged, most people would snap it and move on. A candle flame barely flickering, most people would blow it out and call it finished. But Jesus comes and restores the reed. He protects the flame until it burns brightly again. That is gentleness. It sees weakness and responds with restoration rather than rejection.

Truth and Grace Together

One of the most important things to understand about biblical gentleness is that it does not require us to choose between honesty and compassion. Many people operate under the assumption that we have only two options: we can be truthful, or we can be loving. Jesus refused that false choice entirely. John 1:14 describes him as full of grace and truth, not half of one and half of the other, but completely both at the same time.

Truth without gentleness can wound. Gentleness without truth can mislead. The Holy Spirit calls us to hold both together, to speak words that are simultaneously honest and healing. Galatians 6:1 captures this beautifully, instructing believers who live by the Spirit to restore someone caught in sin gently. The goal is never to win an argument or prove a point. The goal is restoration. That is how Jesus always dealt with people. Even when correction was necessary, redemption was the destination.

What Gentleness Looks Like in Real Life

Gentleness is not tested when life is peaceful. It is tested when someone criticizes you. It is tested when your child disobeys, when your spouse misunderstands you, when a coworker treats you unfairly, when you are exhausted and under pressure. Anyone can be gentle when circumstances are easy. The Holy Spirit produces gentleness precisely when life is difficult.

Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that a gentle answer turns away wrath. One harsh sentence can escalate a small disagreement into a major conflict in a matter of seconds. One impatient response, one sarcastic comment, one cutting remark, and suddenly the conversation has gone somewhere no one intended. But a gentle answer can interrupt that entire cycle before it begins.

James 1:19 offers a practical framework for this: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Before reacting, listen. Before answering, consider. Before speaking, ask whether your words will bring healing or harm. That is the Holy Spirit's work in us, reshaping not just what we say but how we say it.

Creating Safe Places

When gentleness becomes evident in our lives, something remarkable begins to happen. People stop feeling like they have to hide. Walls come down. Conversations become honest. Healing becomes possible. Philippians 4:5 instructs believers to let their gentleness be evident to all. The word evident matters. Gentleness is meant to be visible, recognizable, and felt by the people around us.

Every person we encounter this week carries something we cannot see. Some carry burdens no one else knows about. Some have been wounded by harsh words. Some have been crushed by criticism. Some are barely holding on. Strength may impress people, but gentleness changes them.

The fruit principle worth carrying into every interaction is simply this: gentleness is strength surrendered to God for the good of others. When we stay connected to Christ, the Holy Spirit does not remove our strength. He teaches us to use it for his glory and for the restoration of the people around us. And through our gentleness, the people in our lives begin to glimpse the heart of Christ himself.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/10/06/gentleness-strength-under-control#comments 0 Faithfulness: Steadfast in Every Season https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/29/faithfulness-steadfast-in-every-season Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:54:46 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/29/faithfulness-steadfast-in-every-season

The Quiet Power of Faithfulness

There is something the modern world rarely celebrates. It does not go viral. It does not trend. It does not produce highlight reels or overnight success stories. It is not loud, and it is rarely glamorous. But according to Scripture, it is one of the most powerful forces in the kingdom of God.

It is faithfulness.

We live in a culture obsessed with the spectacular. We celebrate breakthroughs, viral moments, and rapid transformations. We are drawn to the dramatic and the instant. But the kingdom of God operates on an entirely different economy. It is built not by those who shine brightest for a moment, but by those who simply keep showing up, day after ordinary day, long after the excitement has faded.

Faithfulness, as part of the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5, is not a personality trait you either have or do not have. It is not a self-improvement project. It is a quality of life produced by the Holy Spirit in those who remain connected to Jesus. And understanding it begins not with what we are called to do, but with who God is.

It Begins With God

Before God ever asks anything of us, he reveals himself. And one of the most consistent, sweeping themes across all of Scripture is this: God is faithful.

Lamentations 3 speaks of God's compassions being new every single morning, declaring that his faithfulness is great. Deuteronomy 7:9 describes God as the faithful God who keeps his covenant of love across generations. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden to the moment Peter denied knowing Jesus in a courtyard, the story of Scripture is filled with human failure met by divine faithfulness. People wavered. God never did.

Perhaps the most freeing truth in all of this is that God's faithfulness does not depend on our performance. It flows from his character. As 2 Timothy 2 reminds us, even when we are faithless, God remains faithful, because he cannot contradict who he is. His yes, his wait, and even his no all flow from the same source: his perfect wisdom and his unwavering love.

This means that every follower of Jesus, if they look back honestly over their life, can find moments where they could not see what God was doing, but can now recognize that he was faithful through all of it. Sometimes his greatest faithfulness is not giving us what we wanted. Sometimes it is quietly protecting us from what would have harmed us.

The Christian life never begins with our faithfulness. It begins with his.

It Is Built in the Ordinary

Here is where faithfulness becomes both challenging and beautiful. It is not built in the extraordinary. It is built in the ordinary.

1 Corinthians 4 reminds us that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. And faithfulness is proven not in dramatic moments, but in daily habits. Just as healthy teeth come from brushing every day rather than once in a lifetime, spiritual maturity comes from consistent, daily obedience rather than occasional bursts of devotion.

One of the most common lies believers tell themselves is this: when I get a bigger opportunity, I will become more faithful. But Scripture teaches the exact opposite. Luke 16 makes it plain that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. Faithfulness in small things is what prepares us for faithfulness in greater things.

Consider the patterns woven throughout Scripture. David tended sheep for years before he ever faced Goliath. Moses spent four decades in the wilderness before leading Israel out of Egypt. Joseph endured years in prison before rising to a palace. Even Jesus lived thirty largely hidden years before three years of public ministry. The pattern is unmistakable: God spends far more time preparing than promoting. He is far more concerned with who we are becoming than with what we are accomplishing.

This is why faithfulness looks like continuing to pray when prayer feels unanswered. It looks like serving when no one notices. It looks like showing up to worship even when the emotion is gone. It looks like choosing to forgive again, to love again, to obey again, in the most unremarkable moments of an unremarkable Tuesday.

Colossians 3 calls us to work at everything with all our heart, as working for the Lord. That changes everything. It means the ordinary becomes sacred. The behind-the-scenes becomes holy ground.

It Leaves a Legacy

Faithfulness is also, quietly and powerfully, one of the most enduring forces in the world. It leaves a legacy that outlasts any single moment of success or fame.

Matthew 25 captures something remarkable. When Jesus describes the moment of ultimate commendation, he does not celebrate talent, fame, or accomplishment. He celebrates faithfulness. "Well done, good and faithful servant." That is what heaven applauds. Not the spectacular, but the steady.

The greatest influences in most people's lives were not celebrities or famous figures. They were Sunday school teachers, grandmothers, youth leaders, and faithful pastors who quietly invested in others without any expectation of recognition. They planted seeds they would never see fully grow. They prayed prayers they would never see fully answered. And yet entire generations were shaped by their obedience.

Psalm 92 paints a picture of the righteous flourishing like a cedar of Lebanon, still bearing fruit even in old age, still proclaiming the goodness of God. That is the vision of a life marked by faithfulness. Not a flash, but a tree. Deep-rooted. Enduring. Fruitful across seasons.

Hebrews 12 calls us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. That perseverance is faithfulness in motion.

A Daily Choice

Faithfulness is not accidental. It is a choice made every single day. It is choosing daily obedience because God has been perfectly faithful to us.

So the question worth sitting with this week is not how to accomplish something impressive. The better question is simpler and far more powerful: Where is God calling me to be faithful today? In a marriage? In parenting? In prayer for someone you have nearly given up on? In serving quietly where no one will notice?

Fruit does not become mature in a moment. It becomes mature through faithful seasons. And the same God who has been faithful to you through every season of your life will faithfully produce this fruit in you as you remain connected to him.

That is enough. That is more than enough.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/29/faithfulness-steadfast-in-every-season#comments 0 Goodness: Choosing What is Right https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/22/goodness-choosing-what-is-right Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:18:44 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/22/goodness-choosing-what-is-right

Goodness Is Not What We Invented

The starting place for understanding goodness is recognizing where it comes from. Psalm 34:8 extends an invitation to taste and see that the Lord is good, promising blessing to those who take refuge in him. This is not a poetic metaphor. It is a declaration about the very nature of God. Goodness is not a human invention, a social construct, or a self-improvement strategy. Goodness flows from the character of God himself.

James 1:17 reinforces this truth, describing every good and perfect gift as descending from the Father of heavenly lights -- a God who does not shift or change like shadows. The implication is profound: goodness is not something God occasionally produces. It is who he is. He does not try to be good. He is good. He is good when he blesses. He is good when he disciplines. He is good when circumstances make sense and equally good when they do not. His goodness is not dependent on our understanding or our comfort.

Think of the sun. When it rises each morning, it does not deliberate about whether to give light. Light is simply what the sun does because light is its nature. In the same way, goodness flows from God because goodness is his nature. And here is the critical implication for those who follow Jesus: before we can ever hope to practice goodness, we must first know goodness. We must know him.

Goodness Always Acts

Once we understand that goodness originates in God, we can begin to grasp what it looks like when it flows through human lives. And the most important thing to understand is this: goodness is never passive.

Micah 6:8 does not tell us to believe the right things and leave it there. It calls us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. These are action words. Goodness is love with work boots on. It is not satisfied with good intentions. It asks the question, "What can I do?" and then it does it.

Consider the parable Jesus told in Luke 10:30-37, the story of the Good Samaritan. A man is beaten, robbed, and left half dead on a road. A priest passes by. A Levite passes by. Both may have felt something in that moment -- perhaps even compassion. But only one man crossed the road, bandaged the wounds, provided transportation, secured shelter, and covered the ongoing costs of recovery. Jesus was not subtle about his point. He told his listeners to go and do likewise.

Compassion without action changes nothing. The priest and the Levite may have had sympathetic feelings, but only the Samaritan had goodness. He saw a need and his love did something about it. That is the defining characteristic of biblical goodness: it moves. It crosses the road. It gets its hands dirty.

There is a useful distinction worth drawing here. Kindness notices the person who is struggling. Goodness rolls up its sleeves and helps. Kindness feels compassion. Goodness acts on it. Kindness sees the need. Goodness meets it. They work together, but goodness is what happens when kindness refuses to stay on the sidelines.

Goodness Shines in the Dark

We live in a world where selfishness is common and integrity is rare. People are genuinely surprised when someone returns extra change. We are startled when a person keeps a promise they made when no one was holding them to it. We are caught off guard when someone tells the truth at personal cost. This is the cultural backdrop against which the goodness of God shines most brilliantly.

Matthew 5:16 captures this perfectly, calling believers to let their light shine before others so that those watching might see their good deeds and glorify God in heaven. The goal is never personal recognition. The goal is that goodness becomes a spotlight pointing people toward Jesus. When your integrity is unquestionable, when your word can always be trusted, when you serve quietly and give generously and choose what is right when no one is watching -- people notice. And what they notice is not you. What they notice is the light of Christ shining through you.

A lighthouse does not argue with the storm. It simply shines. And in shining, it guides ships to safety. Goodness works the same way. We do not change the world by becoming louder. We change it by becoming brighter.

The Fruit Is Not for the Tree

Here is a beautiful and humbling truth about how fruit works: the apple tree does not eat its own apples. Fruit is never produced for the tree itself. It exists to nourish someone else, to refresh someone else, to produce life in someone else.

The same is true of the goodness the Holy Spirit produces in us. It is not for our benefit. It is so that someone else can experience the goodness of God through us. Every small act -- a meal delivered, a note written, a hospital visit made, a wallet returned, a driveway shoveled -- carries the potential to reach further than we will ever know. Heaven notices every single one.

So this week, rather than asking how to become a better person, consider asking a different question: Holy Spirit, who needs to experience your goodness through me this week?

Because goodness is love that chooses to act, even when no one else is watching.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/22/goodness-choosing-what-is-right#comments 0 Kindness: Love in Action https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/16/kindness-love-in-action Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:18:40 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/16/kindness-love-in-action

Kindness: The Love of God Made Visible

There is a story about a freshman in high school who noticed a fellow student struggling under the weight of an enormous stack of books on a Friday afternoon. Before he could think much about it, a group of older students came running, knocked the books from the boy's arms, and sent his glasses flying into the grass. The freshman jogged over, helped gather the books, handed back the glasses, and said simply, "Those guys are jerks. They really need to get lives."

That was it. A small moment. An unremarkable Friday afternoon.

Four years later, at their graduation ceremony, the boy with the glasses stood at the podium as class valedictorian. He told the crowd that he had planned to end his life that very weekend. He had cleaned out his locker so his mother would not have to do it later. The stack of books he was carrying represented everything he owned. And then someone stopped. Someone helped. Someone said a kind word. And everything changed.
A single act of kindness can change a life.

That truth deserves to be written somewhere permanent, somewhere we cannot ignore it. Because kindness is not a small thing, even when it looks like one.

What Kindness Actually Is

When we talk about the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23, we are not talking about nine separate gifts distributed among different believers. The passage uses the word "fruit" in the singular. These are not individual portions handed out like pieces of a pie. They are facets of one whole, all flowing from the same source, all reflecting the character of Christ.

Kindness, then, is not a personality type. It is not something some people are simply born with while others are not. It is the love of God, grown in us by the Holy Spirit, pressing outward into the world through our words and actions.
Put simply, kindness is love made visible.

It is not a feeling. It is not a private sentiment you hold warmly in your chest while passing someone in need. Kindness is something you say. Something you do. It is the moment when the love of God inside you escapes into the life of another person and makes a difference.

The Parable That Says It All

Jesus told a story in Luke 10 that has become one of the most recognized in all of human history. A man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Three people encounter him.

The robbers did not see the man at all. They saw only what he had.

The priest and the Levite saw the man. They likely even felt something. But they were busy. They had places to be. They crossed to the other side of the road and kept walking.
The Samaritan saw the man, felt compassion, and stopped.

Here is the distinction that cuts to the heart of the matter. The priest and the Levite asked, "What will happen to me if I stop?" The Samaritan asked, "What will happen to him if I do not?"

That shift in perspective is where kindness is born.

The Samaritan did not simply feel compassion. He acted on it. He bound the man's wounds, loaded him onto his own animal, took him to safety, and paid for his care. He took a risk. He paid a price. He put someone else first. And he did it without any record of his name being attached to the act. To this day, we do not know who he was.

The Kindness of God

Before we can talk about showing kindness, we have to recognize that we have already received it.

In Jeremiah 31:3, God declares that He has drawn His people with unfailing kindness. In Ephesians 2:7, the apostle Paul writes that God's incomparable grace is expressed through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. The entire story of salvation is a story of kindness. God saw our need. He felt compassion. And He acted. He did not simply observe humanity struggling from a distance and wish us well. He entered the story. He paid the price. He made a way.

That is the love we have received. And that is the love that is now meant to flow outward from us into the world around us.

Too Busy to Be Kind

Princeton Theological Seminary once conducted a study with seminary students. Some were assigned to give speeches about the Good Samaritan. Others were assigned different topics. Along the path to the building where they would speak, researchers placed a person in obvious distress, shabbily dressed and visibly sick.

The results were striking. It did not matter what topic the students had been assigned. What determined whether they stopped was not their beliefs about kindness but how much of a hurry they were in. Students who had been told they were late stopped for almost no one. Students who had time stopped far more often.

The conclusion was uncomfortable and clarifying. The greatest obstacle to kindness is not a lack of compassion. It is busyness. It is preoccupation with our own lives and schedules. We pass people every day who are carrying enormous weights, and we do not stop because we are in a hurry to get somewhere else.

What Kindness Requires

Kindness requires action. Until it is expressed in a word or a deed, it has not yet become kindness.

Kindness requires risk. The Samaritan did not pause to wonder whether the robbers were still nearby. He saw a need and moved toward it.

Kindness requires paying a price. That price is rarely money. More often it is time, attention, and effort.

Kindness requires putting others first. It means asking the Samaritan's question instead of the priest's.

And kindness requires releasing the need for recognition. The Good Samaritan's name was never recorded. The act was enough.

Paul's instruction to the church in Ephesians 4:32 is not a suggestion. It is a command. Be kind and compassionate to one another. Not when it is convenient. Not only to people we already like. To one another.

Think of the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean, one at a time, while someone tells him it cannot possibly make a difference. His answer is the answer kindness always gives. It made a difference to that one.

You will walk among hurting people this week. You will not be able to help all of them. But you will have moments when the Holy Spirit stirs something in you, when you see a need and feel the pull of compassion.

The only question is whether you will act.

Kindness is love made visible through intentional action. Let it be visible in you.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/16/kindness-love-in-action#comments 0 Patience: Learning to Live at God's Pace https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/08/patience-learning-to-live-at-god-s-pace Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:48:04 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/08/patience-learning-to-live-at-god-s-pace

The Fruit That Cannot Be Rushed: Learning the Forgotten Discipline of Patience

We live in a world that has declared war on waiting.

If a webpage takes more than a second to load, we assume something is broken. If a package does not arrive within two days, we are frustrated. We have air fryers instead of ovens, streaming instead of scheduled broadcasts, and instant messaging instead of handwritten letters. Artificial intelligence can answer complex questions before we finish typing them. Our entire culture has been engineered around a single, relentless expectation: everything should be available right now.

And then we bring that same expectation into our walk with God.

We pray for healing and expect it by morning. We believe for a breakthrough and grow restless when nothing shifts in a week. We ask for direction and quietly panic when the answer does not come on our preferred schedule. Without even realizing it, we begin to treat the God of the universe like a slow internet connection -- something to be frustrated with until it finally cooperates.

But what if the waiting is not the problem? What if the waiting is actually the point?

Patience Is Not Just Something God Does -- It Is Who He Is

In Exodus 34, when God chose to reveal his own character to Moses, he did not lead with his power or his sovereignty, though both are undeniably true. He revealed himself as compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger. He led with patience.

That is not a minor detail. For us, patience is something we try to manufacture in difficult moments. For God, patience is woven into the very fabric of who he is. It is not a strategy he employs. It is his nature.

And the evidence of that nature is scattered across the entire story of Scripture. Abraham waited decades for the son God had promised him. Joseph spent years in a pit and a prison before the dreams God gave him came to pass. David was anointed as king and then spent years running for his life before he ever sat on the throne. Israel waited centuries for the Messiah to arrive. Even Jesus spent thirty years in preparation for three years of public ministry.

God has never been in a hurry. Not because he is slow, but because he is purposeful.
We keep asking, "God, why is this taking so long?" And God keeps asking, "What am I producing in you while you wait?"

The Waiting Room Is Also a Classroom

The book of James opens with a striking and uncomfortable invitation: consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith produces perseverance, and perseverance produces maturity (James 1:2-4).

That is not the kind of verse we put on coffee mugs. But it contains one of the most important truths in the Christian life -- that God often develops patience through the very circumstances we are begging him to remove.

The delay you are enduring right now is not necessarily a sign that God has forgotten you. It may be the very environment he is using to grow something in you that cannot be grown any other way. Faith is not stretched when everything goes according to plan. Endurance is not built when prayers are answered immediately. Character is not forged in comfort.
When God says "not yet," that response reveals something important: whether our confidence is truly in God and his promises, or whether it is quietly resting in our own preferred timeline. Waiting exposes what we actually believe about God.

The invitation in those seasons is not simply to ask, "Lord, when will you change this?" but to turn the question around entirely and ask, "Lord, what are you trying to teach me while I wait?"

Patience Changes the Way We Treat People

Patience is not only about waiting on God. It is also about walking with people. Ephesians 4:2 calls believers to be completely humble and gentle, bearing with one another in love. That phrase -- bearing with one another -- assumes that people will sometimes be difficult to bear with.

People interrupt us. They disappoint us. They misunderstand us. They move at a pace that is entirely different from ours. And if we are honest, people are often harder to be patient with than circumstances are.

But consider Jesus and his disciples. They misunderstood him repeatedly. They argued about who was the greatest among them. They asked questions he had already answered. Peter, who declared he would never deny Jesus, denied him three times before sunrise. Yet after the resurrection, Jesus did not replace Peter. He restored him.

What if Jesus had been as impatient with his disciples as we sometimes are with the people around us? Where would Peter have ended up? Where would any of us be?

Patience, at its core, is love stretched over time. It is choosing to give people room to grow because we remember that God is still giving us room to grow. It is responding to the people in our lives with the same grace that God has shown us -- not because they have earned it, but because we have not earned it either.

Remain Connected to the Vine

In John 15:1, Jesus declares that he is the true vine and that his Father is the gardener. That single image carries an enormous amount of weight. A branch does not produce fruit by straining. It produces fruit by remaining connected to the vine.

Healthy fruit cannot be rushed. You cannot pull on a branch and make the fruit ripen faster. You cannot worry it into maturity. Fruit grows because it stays connected to the tree and because the seasons do their work around it.

The same is true in the spiritual life. The Holy Spirit is far more interested in growing deep roots than producing quick results. Deep roots produce lasting fruit. And some of God's greatest work happens beneath the surface, in hidden places, in quiet seasons, in the waiting that feels like nothing is happening at all.

So whatever you are waiting for today -- a healing, a restored relationship, a prodigal who has not yet come home, an open door that remains closed -- do not disconnect from the vine because the fruit is not visible yet.

Stay connected. Trust the Master Gardener. And leave the timing of the harvest to him.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/08/patience-learning-to-live-at-god-s-pace#comments 0 Peace: Resting in the Rule of Christ https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/01/peace-resting-in-the-rule-of-christ Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:44:00 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/01/peace-resting-in-the-rule-of-christ

Peace That Passes Understanding: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

We live in an anxious world. Finances, health, family struggles, political uncertainty, unexpected bills, dreaded phone calls — the list of things competing for our worry never seems to end. And somewhere along the way, stress has become a badge of honor. Busyness has become our default answer to "how are you doing?" Anxiety has quietly settled in as the new normal.

But what if there was a different way to live? Not a life that pretends problems do not exist, not a life immune to hardship, but a life marked by something steady and unshakeable underneath all the noise? What if real peace — the kind that does not evaporate when circumstances turn difficult — was actually available to you?

In John 14:27, Jesus makes a stunning promise to his followers. He tells them that he is leaving them his peace — not a peace the world gives, but his own peace — and because of that, their hearts do not need to be troubled or afraid. What makes those words even more remarkable is the context in which he spoke them. He knew betrayal was coming. He knew suffering was ahead. He knew the people closest to him would scatter. And yet, standing in the middle of all of that, he offered peace. His peace.

That is not a circumstantial peace. That is something far deeper.

It Starts With Peace With God

Before we can experience the peace of God, we have to understand what it means to have peace with God. These are two different things, and the order matters enormously.

Romans 5:1 describes it this way: because we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. The greatest conflict any of us will ever face is not financial, relational, or political. It is spiritual. Sin created a separation between us and God — a debt we had no way of paying on our own. But the cross changed everything. Jesus did not set up a payment plan. He paid the debt in full.

This means that peace with God is not based on how well you performed this week. It is not earned through religious effort or moral achievement. It is received through faith in what Jesus already accomplished. The war between you and God is over the moment you come to him through Christ. You no longer have to strive for acceptance. You live from acceptance.

Peace does not begin with a peaceful circumstance. It begins with a restored relationship.

Peace Grows Through Trust

Once that foundation is in place, peace is not a destination you arrive at once and stay forever. It grows. And it grows through trust.

Philippians 4:6-7 gives us one of the most practical instructions in all of Scripture. Rather than being anxious about anything, we are invited to bring everything — every situation, every fear, every unknown — to God through prayer and thanksgiving. And the promise that follows is extraordinary: a peace that surpasses all human understanding will stand guard over our hearts and minds.

Notice that peace comes after surrender. Not before. Not during the analysis of whether things will work out. After surrender.

Here is where many of us get stuck. We pray, we hand something over to God, and then we reach back and pick it right back up. We surrender our children to him in prayer and spend the next hour trying to solve all their problems ourselves. We give him our futures and then lie awake at night rehearsing every possible outcome. We hand over our fears and then carry them with us everywhere we go.

You cannot experience the peace of surrender while continuing to carry what you supposedly already surrendered.

In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples found themselves in a violent storm on the water, waves crashing over the boat, certain they were going to drown. Meanwhile, Jesus was asleep in the stern. When they woke him in a panic, he stood up, rebuked the wind, and spoke calm over the water. Then he turned to his disciples and asked why they were so afraid.
The storm never disturbed Jesus because the storm was never bigger than Jesus. The disciples believed peace would come when the storm stopped. Jesus was saying that peace was already present because he was there.

The same is true for us.

Peace Reveals Confidence in Christ

Biblical peace is not the absence of difficulty. It is the presence of God in the middle of difficulty. And when that kind of peace becomes visible in a person's life, people notice.

When everyone around you is panicking and you remain grounded, people notice. When a difficult diagnosis comes and your faith stays anchored, people notice. When your future is uncertain and you continue to worship, people notice. And they will ask you how. That question becomes an open door to point them toward the one who lives inside you.

Isaiah 26:3 captures it simply: God keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on him. The more our focus shifts toward Jesus, the less controlled we are by everything swirling around us.

This does not mean Christians never feel fear or grief. Peace is not denial. Peace is not pretending everything is fine when it is not. Peace is a settled confidence that even when we do not understand what God is doing, we still know who God is. It is the assurance that we do not have to know every turn in the road because we trust the one holding the wheel.

Carrying This With You

There is a truth worth holding onto this week: peace does not come from knowing what tomorrow holds. It comes from knowing the one who holds tomorrow.

The peace that the Holy Spirit wants to produce in your life is not manufactured by you. Your role is simply to stay connected — to remain rooted in your relationship with Christ. As that connection deepens, his peace begins to settle into your heart in a way that cannot be explained by your circumstances.

In a world desperate for calm, that kind of peace is one of the most powerful testimonies a person can carry.


]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/09/01/peace-resting-in-the-rule-of-christ#comments 0 Joy: The Strength https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/25/joy-the-strength Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:44:56 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/25/joy-the-strength

Joy That the World Cannot Touch

There is a kind of joy that most of us have never fully experienced. Not because it is rare or reserved for a select few, but because we have been looking for it in all the wrong places. We have been chasing happiness and calling it joy. We have been waiting for circumstances to improve, for the weekend to arrive, for the vacation to begin, for the difficult season to finally end. And when those things do not deliver what we hoped they would, we assume that joy is simply out of reach for us right now.

But what if joy was never meant to be found in any of those places? What if it has been available to you all along, not as something you manufacture through effort or optimism, but as something you receive through connection?

One Fruit, Many Expressions

The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Galatia, describes the fruit of the Spirit as a single, unified expression of a Spirit-produced life (Galatians 5:22-23). Not fruits, plural, but fruit. One life, shaped by the Holy Spirit, expressing itself in many beautiful ways. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not separate achievements to be unlocked one by one. They are the natural overflow of a life that remains connected to Jesus.

And just as love is the foundation of it all, joy is what rises from that foundation when a person truly begins to grasp how deeply and completely they are loved by God.

What Biblical Joy Actually Is

Joy is the settled confidence that no matter what is happening around you, God is with you, God is for you, and God is still at work.

Read that again slowly. It is worth sitting with.

This is not the joy that comes from a good day at work or a positive report from the doctor. This is not the smile you put on when someone asks how you are doing and you say "fine" because it is easier than explaining. Biblical joy is something far deeper than happiness, and understanding the difference between the two changes everything.
Happiness is a thermometer. It simply reflects the temperature of your circumstances. When things are going well, happiness rises. When things fall apart, happiness falls with them. Happiness depends on what happens.

Joy is a thermostat. It does not merely reflect the environment around it. It sets the temperature. Joy comes in and changes how you experience a circumstance because Christ is present in the middle of it. Joy depends on Jesus.
That distinction is not just a clever illustration. It is the difference between a life that is constantly at the mercy of external events and a life that carries something unshakeable on the inside.

Joy Begins in Presence

In John 15, Jesus makes a remarkable statement. He tells his disciples that he has spoken to them so that his joy may be in them, and that their joy may be complete (John 15:11). Notice the phrasing. He does not say he will give them a new kind of joy or teach them how to be more joyful. He says his joy will be in them.

This means that biblical joy is not something you produce. It is something you receive. And you receive it the same way you receive warmth when you move closer to a fire. You receive it by staying close to Jesus.

The more you abide in Christ, the more his joy fills your heart. The more you drift from him, the more that joy begins to leak out. This is not a complicated formula. It is simply the reality of how fruit grows. A branch does not strain and strive to produce. It stays connected to the vine, and fruit is the natural result.

Joy in the Middle of the Storm

Here is where this teaching becomes either deeply comforting or deeply challenging, depending on where you are today. Joy does not require the absence of suffering. In fact, some of the most powerful demonstrations of biblical joy in Scripture happened in the worst possible circumstances.

Paul wrote his famous instruction to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4) from a prison cell. He and Silas, beaten and placed in stocks in the inner cell of a jail (Acts 16:25), were found at midnight not weeping or complaining but singing hymns. No prison could imprison the joy of the Holy Spirit. The chains restricted their bodies. They could not restrict their worship.
Think of a plane ascending through a storm. The turbulence is real. The clouds are dark. The rain is hitting the windows. But every experienced pilot knows that if you can get through the clouds, the sun is still shining above the storm. Joy does not deny that the storm is real. Joy simply tells you that there is something greater above it.

This is also why Nehemiah could write that the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). He did not say joy is your reward. He said it is your strength. Joy gives endurance. Joy keeps you faithful. Joy keeps you trusting when everything around you is uncertain. When joy fades, discouragement moves in quickly. Complaining increases. Hope dims. Faith weakens. Your spiritual enemy knows this, which is why guarding your joy is not optional.

Where Did Your Joy Go?

It is worth asking yourself honestly. Was there a disappointment that knocked you off course? A loss, an unanswered prayer, an unexpected blow? Have you become so busy doing things for Jesus that you have not spent much time with Jesus? Has worry consumed your thoughts until you can barely remember what it felt like to rest in God's goodness?
The answer is never to try harder. The answer is always to come closer.

Joy is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of Christ in the middle of trouble. And when you stay connected to the vine, that joy becomes yours, not because your circumstances are perfect, but because your God is faithful, your Savior is risen, and the Holy Spirit is alive and working inside of you.

That is a joy the world cannot give. Which means it is also a joy the world cannot take away.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/25/joy-the-strength#comments 0 Love: The Foundation https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/17/love-the-foundation Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:12:06 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/17/love-the-foundation

The Foundation That Changes Everything: Understanding Love as the Root of a Spirit-Filled Life

There is a word we use constantly, casually, and often carelessly. We use it to describe our feelings about a spouse, a favorite meal, a sports team, and a close friend — sometimes in the same sentence. That word is love. And because we have stretched it so thin across so many ordinary things, we have nearly lost sight of what it actually means when the Bible uses it.

In Galatians 5:22-23, the apostle Paul describes what he calls the fruit of the Spirit — a single, unified fruit with nine distinct characteristics: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Notice that Paul does not say fruits, plural. He says fruit, singular. These are not nine separate goals to chase down or nine different virtues to master one at a time. They are nine beautiful expressions of one life — the life of Christ — being reproduced in a believer through the work of the Holy Spirit.

And love comes first. That is not an accident.

Love Is the Foundation, Not Just the First Item on the List

Think about building a house. No one starts with the roof. No one hangs the doors before pouring the foundation. Everything that goes up depends entirely on what is underneath. Love functions the same way in the life of a follower of Jesus. Joy is built on love. Peace grows out of love. Patience is love that refuses to give up. Kindness is love in action. Goodness is love choosing what is right. Faithfulness is love that keeps its promises. Gentleness is love expressed with humility. Self-control is love that says no to self in order to say yes to God and yes to others.

Remove love from the foundation and everything built on top of it becomes unstable. Joy without love becomes self-centered. Peace without love becomes indifference. Kindness without love becomes mere politeness. But when love is the root, everything else flourishes.

The reason love holds this foundational place is not arbitrary. The Bible makes a staggering claim in 1 John 4:8 — that God does not simply practice love or demonstrate love, but that God is love. Love is not something He does from time to time. It is who He is. Everything He does flows from that nature. He created because He loves. He pursues because He loves. He forgives because He loves. He disciplines because He loves. He sent His Son because He loves.

Love Begins With God, Not With Us

This is where so many people get stuck. They hear that they are supposed to love difficult people — the coworker who undermines them, the family member who wounded them, the neighbor who is impossible to get along with — and they try to manufacture that love through sheer willpower. It does not work. It cannot work. You cannot consistently give away what you have never received.

1 John 4:19 makes the order clear: we love because He first loved us. Christian love does not originate with us. It originates with God and flows through us. Before we ever sought Him, He came looking for us. Before we ever chose to follow Him, He pursued us. Romans 5:8 captures this beautifully, describing how God demonstrated His love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners — not after we cleaned ourselves up, not after we earned it, but while we were still far from Him.

Think of it like a candle. An unlit candle cannot light another candle. It has to first receive its flame from the source before it can pass that light to anything else. Trying to love people from an empty, unlit place is exactly as futile. We have to return to the source. We have to be convinced — deeply, personally convinced — that we are loved by God before we can love others with anything resembling the love He describes.

Love Looks Like Jesus

In John 13:34-35, Jesus gives His followers a new command: love one another as He has loved them. He does not leave the standard vague. He defines it by pointing to Himself. So the natural follow-up question becomes: how did Jesus love?

He loved sacrificially. He loved consistently. He loved those who disagreed with Him, those who failed Him, and those who betrayed Him. Consider the scene in the upper room the night before His crucifixion. No servant had come to wash the disciples' feet, and none of the disciples volunteered for the task. Then Jesus stood up, wrapped a towel around His waist, and knelt before each of them — including Judas, who had already decided to hand Him over. Jesus knew exactly who Judas was in that moment. He washed his feet anyway.
That is what love looks like. It costs something. It always does. If love never costs us anything, it is worth asking whether we are really loving at all.

The description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 reinforces this. Paul is not describing a feeling. He is describing actions — patient, kind, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, always protecting, always persevering. Real love moves toward someone else's good, even when it is inconvenient, even when it is undeserved, even when it is costly.

Love Is Our Most Powerful Witness

Jesus said in John 13:35 that the world would recognize His followers not by their buildings, their music, their theological knowledge, or their denominational affiliation — but by their love for one another. The early church in Acts 2 demonstrated this powerfully. They shared resources, welcomed strangers, served those in need, and ate together with sincere hearts. Their love made the gospel visible, and people were drawn to it daily.

The same remains true today. The people around us may never read a theology book. But they will notice how we treat others. They will see how we respond when we are wronged. They will observe whether our faith changes the way we show up in relationships. The fruit of the Spirit is not proven by loving people who are easy to love. It is revealed when Christ enables us to love the difficult ones.

One Practical Question to Carry Into the Week

What would change if you intentionally chose to love like Jesus everywhere you went this week? At home. At work. In traffic. In every conversation. What would it look like for someone to walk away from an interaction with you having experienced just a little more of the love of Jesus?

That is the invitation. Not to try harder. Not to manufacture something you do not have. But to remain connected to the source, to receive the love that God has freely given, and to let it overflow into the lives of everyone around you.

The fruit of the Spirit begins here. Everything else grows from this.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/17/love-the-foundation#comments 0 What Kind of Fruit Are You Producing? https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/11/what-kind-of-fruit-are-you-producing Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:39:51 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/11/what-kind-of-fruit-are-you-producing

What Kind of Fruit Is Your Life Producing?

There is something remarkably simple about walking through an orchard. Before you ever spot a sign, before you consult a guidebook, the tree tells you everything you need to know. Apples hang from apple trees. Peaches grow on peach trees. The fruit never lies about what kind of tree it is. It is the most honest thing in the orchard.

Jesus made the same observation about human lives. In Matthew 7:15-20, he told his followers that you can recognize people by their fruit, not by their reputation, not by their religious activity, but by what their lives are actually producing. Every single day, the people around us are tasting the fruit of our lives. Our families, our coworkers, our neighbors, our classmates, they may never open a Bible or walk through the doors of a church, but they encounter us. They hear our words. They watch how we react under pressure. They notice how we treat people when things are hard. And from all of that, they draw conclusions about what kind of tree we are.

Here is the sobering and clarifying truth: the question is never whether your life is producing fruit. It always is. The real question is what kind of fruit it is producing. Some lives produce bitterness, anger, fear, and selfishness. Others produce peace, kindness, joy, and love. The fruit is always there. The only variable is its quality.

Fruit Reveals the Root

This is where the conversation gets deeper, because fruit does not originate at the surface. It originates underground. Healthy roots produce healthy fruit. Diseased roots produce diseased fruit. The fruit is simply evidence of what is happening beneath the surface where no one else can see.

This is why so many attempts at personal change fall short. We focus on managing what is visible. We try to control our words, hide our reactions, and appear more patient or more kind. But God has never been interested in surface-level improvement. He is always after something deeper. He wants to go to the root. He wants to transform us from the inside out, because when something healthy is happening beneath the surface, real and lasting fruit will grow naturally as a result.

Fruit Grows Through Relationship

In John 15, Jesus offers one of the most vivid pictures in all of Scripture. He says he is the vine and his followers are the branches. The imagery is simple but profound. Branches do not manufacture life. They receive it. Their one responsibility is to stay connected to the vine. Life flows from the vine into the branch, and from that connection, fruit appears.

This reframes the entire conversation about spiritual growth. It is not about trying harder. It is about staying connected. Jesus repeats the word "remain" throughout that passage, and the repetition is intentional. Remain in me. Abide in me. Stay close. Keep drawing life from me. The branch that stays connected to the vine will bear fruit. The branch that disconnects will wither.

That said, remaining and abiding are not passive. They are active commitments. Staying connected to Jesus means showing up in daily prayer, engaging with Scripture regularly, gathering with other believers in worship, walking in obedience, and listening to the Holy Spirit. You will not remain in Jesus accidentally. You will remain in Jesus intentionally.

This is a critical distinction. Spiritual fruit is not the result of white-knuckling your way through better behavior. It is the natural overflow of a life that stays rooted in Jesus. When the connection is healthy, the fruit follows.

Fruit Reveals Christ

In Galatians 5:22-23, the apostle Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is worth noting that Paul does not say "fruits," plural. He says "fruit," singular. This is not a checklist of nine separate items to acquire. It is one fruit, one Spirit-produced life, expressed from many different angles. Think of a diamond with multiple facets, or light passing through a prism. Each quality is simply another expression of the same Spirit-filled life.

And when you ask who perfectly embodied every one of those qualities, the answer is Jesus. That means the fruit of the Spirit is not merely a list of admirable virtues. It is the character of Christ himself, reproduced in believers by the Holy Spirit. God's goal has never been simply to get people to heaven one day. His goal is that his followers look increasingly like Jesus every single day.

Children who spend years around their parents begin to sound like them, adopt their expressions, mirror their habits. Time spent together produces resemblance. The same principle applies to our walk with Jesus. The longer we spend with him, the more people should recognize him in us. Most people in our communities will never encounter Jesus physically, but they will encounter his followers. They will work beside them, live next to them, sit near them at events and restaurants. And they will form their impressions of Jesus by watching the people who claim to follow him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 describes this as a continual process, a transformation into the image of Christ with ever-increasing glory that comes from the Spirit. It is not instantaneous. Every season of obedience changes us. Every act of worship changes us. Every trial surrendered to God changes us. Little by little, the Holy Spirit is at work making us look more like Christ.

The One Question Worth Carrying

As you reflect on the fruit of the Spirit, resist the temptation to turn it into a checklist. Do not start by asking which fruit you are missing. Start with a more foundational question: How healthy is my connection to the vine?

Healthy fruit is the natural result of a healthy relationship with Jesus. That is where it all begins. Not with more effort, but with deeper abiding. Not with better behavior management, but with a stronger, more intentional connection to the one who produces the fruit in the first place.

Stay connected to the vine. The fruit will follow.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/11/what-kind-of-fruit-are-you-producing#comments 0 Summer of Praise https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/04/summer-of-praise Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:23:56 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/04/summer-of-praise

When God Turns Mourning Into Dancing: The Power of Praise Rooted in Faithfulness

There is something deeply human about praise. Nobody has to teach a child to express delight over something they love. Nobody has to coach a person into talking endlessly about a meal so good it becomes the centerpiece of every conversation at the table. Praise is simply what happens when something captures our heart. It overflows naturally, effortlessly, and often loudly.

But if praise comes so naturally to us, why does it sometimes feel so difficult to direct toward God, especially when life is hard?

The answer may lie in where we are looking.

The Praise That Costs Something

Psalm 30 is not the song of someone who has lived a sheltered, uncomplicated life. It is the testimony of a person who has known genuine suffering, devastating failure, and long seasons of uncertainty. It is praise that has been forged, not manufactured. And that is precisely what makes it so powerful.

The psalm opens with a declaration found in verse 1, where the writer describes being brought up from the realm of the dead, rescued from the pit. These are not poetic exaggerations. They are the words of someone who has stood at the edge of destruction and watched God intervene. The praise that follows is not the praise of someone who has never had a reason to doubt. It is the praise of someone who doubted, waited, wept, and then witnessed.

That distinction matters enormously.

Praise Is a Memory, Not Just a Feeling

One of the most striking things about Psalm 30 is that the praise it contains is deeply rooted in memory. The writer is not simply responding to an emotional high in the moment. He is looking back. He is recounting. He is rehearsing what God has done across the full span of a life.

Verse 11 captures this beautifully, describing how God turned wailing into dancing and replaced mourning with joy. Notice who receives the credit. Not time. Not personal resilience. Not favorable circumstances. The credit belongs entirely to God. He is the one who turned. He is the one who transformed. He is the one who changed the story.

This is why forgetfulness is one of the greatest enemies of praise. When we forget what God has done, we naturally begin to doubt what God can do. Fear moves in. Anxiety takes root. Complaints begin to grow. It is a pattern as old as Scripture itself, visible throughout the story of Israel wandering in the wilderness, forgetting miracle after miracle the moment the next difficulty arrived.

But when we remember, something shifts. Perspective changes. The current struggle does not disappear, but it is placed within a larger story, a story in which God has shown up before and has every reason to show up again.

Think about the moments in your own life that once felt unsurvivable. The seasons where you genuinely did not know how you would make it through. And yet here you are. Looking back, you can trace the hand of God in ways you could not see in the middle of it. That is the exercise Psalm 30 invites us into. Not denial of the pain, but remembrance of the faithfulness.

Praising Who God Is, Not Just What He Has Done

There is a maturity that eventually develops in a person of faith, a shift from praising God only for what he has done to praising him simply for who he is. Psalm 30, verse 4 points in this direction, calling God's people to praise his holy name and declaring that while his discipline may last for a moment, his favor lasts a lifetime.

God's character does not fluctuate with our circumstances. He does not become less holy when our health declines. He does not become less faithful when our prayers seem to go unanswered. He does not become less good when the storm intensifies. His nature is fixed, unchanging, and entirely independent of whatever season we find ourselves in.

This is the foundation on which genuine praise is built. Not on how life feels today, but on who God has always been and always will be. A lighthouse does not wait for calm weather to shine. It shines because shining is its nature, especially when the storm is at its worst. God's goodness operates the same way. The storm does not redefine him. He remains exactly who he is.

This means that praise is always available to us, even in our darkest moments, because it is anchored not to our circumstances but to his character.

The Greatest Reason to Praise

Psalm 30 speaks of physical deliverance, of being rescued from death and illness and despair. But there is a greater rescue that the psalm ultimately points toward. The language of being brought up from the pit, of weeping giving way to morning joy, of mourning transformed into dancing, all of it echoes something far larger than any single moment of deliverance in a single human life.

It points to a resurrection. It points to a grave that could not hold. It points to the moment when death itself was defeated, not just postponed.

Paul writes in Romans that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is the staggering reality at the center of the Christian faith. Our greatest debt was not financial or social. It was spiritual. And it was paid in full, not because we negotiated it or earned it, but because someone else absorbed it entirely.

If God never performed another miracle, the cross would still be enough. Because the cross settled the question of his love forever.

The Rhythm of a Redeemed Life

Psalm 30 ends with a declaration that praise will not be a Sunday morning habit but a forever commitment. Not just when life is easy. Not just when prayers are answered quickly. But forever, because the faithfulness of God does not expire.

This is the invitation the psalm extends to every person, regardless of what season they are walking through right now. Whether you are celebrating or grieving, dancing or weeping, full of faith or barely holding on, the testimony of Psalm 30 lifts your chin and asks you to look higher.

God has been faithful.

And when that truth takes root in your heart, silence becomes very difficult to maintain.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/08/04/summer-of-praise#comments 0 Psalm 51 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/28/psalm-51 Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:14:17 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/28/psalm-51

When God Restores What Shame Tries to Bury

There is a moment most of us know well. The words leave your mouth before you can stop them. The decision is made before wisdom catches up. The opportunity passes, and you stand there watching it go. In the silence that follows, shame moves in quickly, and it whispers the same thing it always does: you cannot come back from this.

That whisper is a lie. And Psalm 51 is the proof.

The Prayer Written in the Wreckage

Psalm 51 was not composed on a mountaintop of spiritual victory. It was written in the valley of personal failure. King David, the man described throughout Scripture as someone after God's own heart, wrote these words after some of the worst choices of his life. Adultery led to deception. Deception led to murder. One compromise opened the door to another, and before long, David was buried under the weight of what he had done.

What makes Psalm 51 extraordinary is not the depth of the failure. It is the honesty of the response.

David does not make excuses. He does not minimize what happened or redirect blame. He opens the psalm with a raw, undefended confession: he acknowledges his wrongdoing, names it plainly, and brings it directly before God. He writes that his sin is always before him, that it is against God that he has ultimately sinned. There is no spin. There is no carefully worded statement designed to protect his reputation. There is only honesty.

And that honesty is exactly where healing begins.

Confession Is Not Telling God Something He Does Not Know

One of the most important things to understand about confession is what it actually is. Confession does not inform God of something He has not already seen. He already knows every detail. Confession is the act of agreeing with God about what He already knows. It is the moment we stop defending the version of ourselves we present to the world and bring the real version before the One who made us.

God cannot heal the person we pretend to be. He heals the person we honestly bring to Him.

This is why David's prayer in Psalm 51 carries such weight. He is not performing repentance. He is living it. And the result is one of the most beautiful cries in all of Scripture: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

A Touch-Up or a New Creation

The Hebrew word David uses for "create" in verse 10 is the same word found in Genesis 1:1, where God creates the heavens and the earth. It is a word reserved for divine action. It describes bringing something into existence that was not there before.

David was not asking God for a spiritual polish or a minor adjustment. He was asking for a new creation. He understood that what he needed was not behavior modification but transformation from the inside out.

Think about what it takes to restore a masterpiece. A painting or a historic artifact covered in layers of grime, smoke damage, and years of neglect can look, to an untrained eye, like something beyond saving. But a skilled restorer does not see what the untrained eye sees. A restorer sees what the piece can become. Patiently, layer by layer, the restorer works until the original beauty begins to emerge again.

That is what God does with broken people. He does not discard them. He restores them. He does not simply forgive the past. He begins transforming the future.

What David Was Really Longing For

As powerful as Psalm 51 is, a careful reading reveals that David's prayer could not be fully answered by anything available to him in that moment. Animal sacrifices could cover sin, but they could not permanently remove it. No human being has the power to create a new heart. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament pointed forward to something greater, something that had not yet arrived.

Psalm 51 is ultimately a prayer of longing. It reaches beyond the temple, beyond the offerings, beyond the law. It reaches toward Jesus.

When John the Baptist stood at the Jordan River and saw Jesus approaching, he declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). David had asked to be cleansed with hyssop, a detail every Jewish reader would have immediately connected to the Passover, where hyssop was used to apply the blood of the lamb so that judgment would pass over God's people. Hundreds of years after David wrote those words, the final Lamb arrived.

The blood of animal sacrifices could only cover sin. The blood of Jesus removes it entirely.

Every cry in Psalm 51 finds its answer at the cross. David said wash me, and Jesus declared that sins like scarlet would become white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). David asked for a clean heart, and through the new covenant, God promised to give His people a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). David feared losing God's presence, and because of Jesus, believers are given the Holy Spirit who dwells within them permanently. David pleaded for the joy of salvation to be restored, and God answered through an empty tomb.

Restoration Is Not a Single Event

The apostle Paul captures the result of all of this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, where he describes anyone who is in Christ as a new creation, with the old having passed away and the new having come. This is the destination that Psalm 51 was always pointing toward.

But restoration, while it begins in a single moment of surrender, unfolds over a lifetime. Repentance is not merely a prayer prayed once. It is a daily turning, away from self and toward Christ, again and again. It is a lifestyle, not an event.

The prodigal son's father did not chase his son into the far country. But every day, that father watched the road. And the moment the son turned toward home, the father ran.

That is the God of Psalm 51. He is not waiting to condemn. He is watching the road, ready to run.

No sin is too dark. No failure is too far. No heart is too broken. The cross has the final word, and that word is restoration.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/28/psalm-51#comments 0 Psalm 118 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/21/psalm-118 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:32:50 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/21/psalm-118

Finding Strength for Today: The Daily Provision of God's Grace

Life has a way of piling up on us, doesn't it? The alarm sounds, and before our feet even hit the floor, our minds are already racing through the day's demands. Emails waiting to be answered, bills needing attention, responsibilities stacking up like dishes in the sink. Sometimes the weight of it all makes us wonder not "Can I handle my whole life?" but simply "Can I make it through today?"

This exhaustion—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—has become the soundtrack of modern living. We carry burdens that no one else knows about: worries about our children, concerns about health, financial pressures, relationship struggles, and questions about an uncertain future. We live in a culture that celebrates self-sufficiency and admires those who appear strong and independent. But eventually, life teaches us a humbling truth: there are burdens too heavy to carry alone.

The Foundation That Holds

Psalm 118 offers us a lifeline in these overwhelming moments. Before it ever mentions the famous verse about rejoicing in the day God has made, it establishes something crucial: "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone."

In ancient construction, the cornerstone was everything. It was the first stone laid, establishing the alignment of the entire structure. If the cornerstone was off, every wall would be crooked. It bore tremendous weight and united the walls, holding the entire building together. Builders would spend considerable time selecting the right stone because the stability of everything depended on it.

This cornerstone ultimately points us to Jesus Christ—the one rejected by men, crucified by Rome, dismissed by religious leaders, yet who became the foundation of salvation. Jesus himself quoted this very passage, declaring that what seemed like rejection was actually God's plan all along.

Here's the sobering reality: if you don't know where your foundation is, you'll discover it when life gets hard. When finances become uncertain, relationships strain, health declines, or dreams fall apart, you'll see what you've been building on. The good news? Jesus remains steady. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Everything else changes—jobs, relationships, culture, seasons—but Jesus does not change. That's why our strength must begin in him.


Daily Bread, Daily Strength

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

This beloved verse from Psalm 118:24 is often quoted during good seasons, printed on greeting cards and coffee mugs. But it's not a shallow platitude about having a nice day. It's a declaration of trust: This day belongs to God, and if God made this day, then he will provide what I need for this day.

Here's where many of us get exhausted: we try to solve tomorrow's problems today. We carry tomorrow's fears, tomorrow's conversations, tomorrow's decisions—and then wonder why we're tired. We were never designed to carry future burdens.

Jesus said it plainly: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). God gives strength in daily portions, just as he provided manna for the Israelites—enough for each day, teaching them dependence.

What if instead of asking "How will I survive this year?" we started asking "Lord, what do you want from me today?" Peace is often found when we stop living in imaginary futures and start trusting God in the present.

The Power of One Day

There's a remarkable story of a woman named Jean Bower who, beginning in 1958, planted daffodils on a hillside in Southern California. Over the years, she created a breathtaking display of nearly five acres—50,000 bulbs cascading down the mountainside in rivers of yellow, cream, orange, and white.

When visitors asked who planted all this beauty, the answer was stunning: one woman, one shovel, two hands, one bulb at a time.

Jean Bower never set out to plant 50,000 flowers. She simply planted the next one. And the next one. Through years of ordinary days, her daily faithfulness created something extraordinary.

This is often how spiritual growth works—not through one giant breakthrough, but through daily faithfulness. One prayer, one chapter, one act of obedience, one day of surrender to God. Don't underestimate what God can do through one ordinary day. Today's faithfulness becomes tomorrow's testimony.

The Choice to Praise

Psalm 118 concludes with a powerful declaration: "You are my God and I will praise you. You are my God and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His faithful love endures forever."

Notice the words "I will." Not "I feel like praising you" or "I'll praise you when things get better." Praise is a choice, a declaration of faith not based on feelings.

One of the greatest spiritual battles happens in our minds. Discouragement whispers "give up." Fear insists "things will never change." Anxiety reminds us that the worst can happen. But praise speaks over those voices, reminding us that God is still good, still faithful, still working—even when we cannot see it.

Remember Paul and Silas in prison? At midnight, with doors still locked and chains still attached, they began worshiping. They praised anyway, not because circumstances had changed, but because praise is rooted in God's character, not our situation. Before the prison doors opened, their hearts were already free.

Worship lifts our eyes from our circumstances to the God who is above our circumstances. Sometimes the greatest act of faith is simply saying, "God, I still trust you. I still believe. I still worship—not because everything is perfect, but because you are worthy."


Strength for This Day

Life is lived one day at a time. We can spend so much time worrying about tomorrow, trying to control the future, solving problems that haven't happened yet—and in the process, miss the grace God is providing today.

The same God who carried you yesterday is carrying you today. The same God who provided for you before is still providing now. The same God who has been faithful in every previous season will be faithful in this season.

Whatever you're facing, whatever burden you're carrying, whatever uncertainty lies ahead, hear this promise: This is the day the Lord has made. Because it's his day, his grace is available today. His strength is sufficient today. His presence is near today. His faithfulness is already waiting in every moment.

You don't need strength for next year. You need strength for today. You don't need tomorrow's grace. You need today's grace. You don't need to know every answer—you just need to know the One who holds the answers.

This is the day the Lord has made. Choose to rejoice. Choose to be glad in it. His strength is enough for today.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/21/psalm-118#comments 0 Psalm 34 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/13/psalm-34 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:09:31 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/13/psalm-34

Tasting God's Goodness: Finding Faith in the Rearview Mirror

Life has a peculiar way of only making sense when we look backward. In the moment, we're consumed by uncertainty, questioning delays, frustrated by closed doors, and overwhelmed by detours we never asked for. But years later, when we glance in the rearview mirror, something remarkable happens. We begin to see God's fingerprints everywhere. That closed door? It protected us. That painful delay? It prepared us. That hardship we thought would break us? It actually strengthened us for what lay ahead.

This is the testimony of Psalm 34, a prayer written by David after one of the strangest and most humiliating moments of his life. The mighty warrior who had killed Goliath found himself running for his life from King Saul. In desperation, David fled to Gath—of all places, Goliath's hometown. Immediately recognized as the giant-killer, David panicked and pretended to be insane, scratching at doors and letting saliva run down his beard until the king drove him away.

Not exactly his finest hour.

Yet when David reflects on this season, he doesn't dwell on his embarrassment or fear. Instead, he focuses on something else entirely: God's goodness. His testimony isn't "look how smart I was" or "look how I figured it out." His testimony is simply this: "God was good."

God's Goodness Is Greater Than Our Fears

"I sought the Lord and he answered me. He delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4)

Fear is universal. We all battle it in different forms—fear about finances, health, relationships, our children's futures, or simply fear of the unknown. Fear has a dangerous ability to shrink our perspective. When fear takes over, problems appear larger than they are. The unknown becomes overwhelming. Worst-case scenarios play on repeat in our minds.

Think about teaching a child to swim. You stand in the water, arms open, calling them to jump. They want to jump. They see you standing right there. They trust you. But they step forward, then step back. Forward, then back. Nothing about you has changed—you're still there, arms still open. The only thing standing between them and safety is their fear.

Eventually, they jump. You catch them. And they wonder why they were ever scared in the first place.

This is how fear works in our lives. It convinces us we're alone, that we're going under, that God isn't there. But when we look back, we discover His presence was there every step of the way.

The turning point for David wasn't that he solved his problem or became stronger. The turning point was that he sought the Lord. Notice what David doesn't say: "The Lord removed every obstacle." Instead, he says, "He delivered me from all my fears." The obstacles remained, but the fear lost its grip.

Sometimes God changes the situation. Sometimes God changes us in the situation. Often the greatest miracle isn't that the storm disappears—it's that fear loses its control over us.

God's Goodness Is Experienced, Not Just Studied

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8)

David doesn't say "read and see" or "analyze and see" or "debate and see." He says "taste and see." Why? Because some things cannot be fully understood from a distance. They must be experienced.

You could spend all day describing your favorite restaurant—the free appetizers, the perfect entrees, the desserts worth saving room for. But eventually, descriptions run out. Someone needs to go taste and see for themselves.

Faith works the same way. There comes a point where faith becomes deeply personal. It's no longer your parents' faith, your spouse's faith, or your church's faith. It's yours. It's your testimony, your experience, your story of tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.

One reason many believers struggle spiritually is that they've settled for secondhand faith. They know what God has done for others—their parents, their friends—but they've stopped expecting God to move in their own lives.

The invitation of Psalm 34 is to move into something deeper with God. To experience Him. To discover over time that God is faithful, not because someone told you, but because you've tasted it yourself.

God's Goodness Remains in the Middle of Trouble

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." (Psalm 34:18-19)

David doesn't pretend life is easy. He doesn't promise a trouble-free existence. In fact, he says the opposite: the righteous person may have many troubles. This sounds much more like real life, doesn't it?

The Christian life doesn't exempt us from grief, loss, disappointment, heartbreak, or suffering. Faith is not the absence of trouble. Faith is discovering God's presence in the middle of trouble.

One of the lies that suffering whispers is that God has left you. But David declares the opposite: when there's trouble, the Lord is close. Not distant. Not absent. Close.

Sometimes God's presence is most deeply experienced in seasons of brokenness. Why? Because brokenness strips away self-sufficiency. It teaches us dependence. It reminds us that our hope isn't in ourselves—it's in Him.

Many can testify that they've learned more about God's faithfulness in a valley than they ever learned on a mountaintop. The goodness of God isn't proven by the absence of pain; it's proven by His presence in the middle of pain.

Looking Back to Move Forward

David looked back over one of the most difficult seasons of his life and arrived at one conclusion: God was good then, God is good now, and God will still be good tomorrow.

This is an incredible testimony because David had every reason to become bitter. Yet he came through those experiences with deeper confidence in God. Why? Because he discovered something many believers eventually learn: you often recognize God's goodness most clearly in hindsight.

Perhaps you can tell a similar story. There was a season when you didn't know how you'd make it financially. A difficult diagnosis. A struggling marriage. Children far from God. Overwhelming anxiety. Unbearable grief. While you were in that season, you couldn't see the way out, the end, or what God was doing.

But now, years later, you realize God was faithful. Not because everything worked out the way you wanted—many things may have happened opposite to your desires. But you can see God was present every step of the way. He never left for a moment.

Sometimes the greatest testimony isn't that God removed every problem. Sometimes the greatest testimony is that God carried you through every problem.

The Ultimate Proof

If we ever question whether God is good, we need only look at the cross. The cross reminds us that God is good enough to pursue us, to forgive us, to rescue us, and to give His Son for us. His goodness is not determined by our circumstances—it's rooted in His character, and His character never changes.

So whether you're on a mountaintop or walking through a valley, the invitation remains the same: taste and see that the Lord is good. Not because life is always easy, not because every question is answered, not because every struggle immediately disappears, but because God is faithful.

When you experience that goodness for yourself, you'll discover what David discovered: the Lord really is good—yesterday, today, and forever.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/13/psalm-34#comments 0 Psalm 33 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/07/psalm-33 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:38:41 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/07/psalm-33

The Foundation of a Blessed Nation: Where True Joy Begins

What makes a nation truly blessed? Is it military might, economic prosperity, or political influence? As we reflect on our heritage and the freedoms we enjoy, it's worth pausing to consider a profound truth found in Psalm 33:12: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance."

This ancient wisdom speaks powerfully to our modern moment. While we rightfully celebrate the remarkable blessings we enjoy as Americans—our freedoms, our prosperity, our opportunities—the deeper question remains: What is the true source of a nation's blessing?

Beyond Wealth and Power

History is littered with empires that rose to spectacular heights only to crumble into dust. Kings have come and gone. Economic systems have flourished and failed. Political movements have swept across continents only to fade into memory. Yet through it all, one truth has remained constant: "The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the Lord's plans stand firm forever. His intentions can never be shaken" (Psalm 33:10-11).

This isn't a call to political passivity or cultural withdrawal. Rather, it's an invitation to build on the only foundation that cannot be shaken. The best-equipped army cannot save a king. Great strength isn't enough to save a warrior. Even the war horse, for all its power, cannot deliver victory on its own.

The psalmist makes this clear: "Don't count on the war horse to give you victory. For all its strength it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who fear him. Those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine" (Psalm 33:17-19).

A Personal Connection

Notice the language here—this isn't about a nation that merely mentions God or displays religious symbols. The blessing comes to "the nation whose God is the Lord." This speaks of a personal connection, a relationship marked by submission, trust, and obedience.

Blessing isn't attached to a flag or a founding document, however important those may be. It's attached to a people who make Jesus their Lord and Savior. It flows from hearts that genuinely trust in His holy name, from lives that consistently depend on His unfailing love.

Some nations boast in their chariots and horses, but the people of God boast in the name of the Lord. We don't ultimately trust in the stock market or our bank accounts. We don't place our hope in our career achievements or social standing. These may be wonderful gifts, but they make terrible saviors.

Where Blessing Begins

Here's the beautiful and challenging truth: blessed nations begin with blessed homes. The progression is clear—governments reflect culture, culture is shaped by families, families are led by parents and grandparents, and homes become strong when the Lord is at their center.

A nation's future is determined not primarily in the halls of power, but in the living rooms and dinner tables where faith is lived out daily. This is where the Word of God becomes more than Sunday morning knowledge—it becomes the foundation upon which everything else is built.

Homes don't naturally drift toward God. Culture never will. But when the people of God intentionally anchor themselves to His Word, when they read Scripture together and meditate on it, when they hide God's Word in their hearts, transformation happens. As Psalm 119 reminds us, God's Word is "a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

The Challenge Before Us

It's easy to become animated about cultural shifts that move society away from biblical values. We can point to Supreme Court decisions or educational policies that have removed prayer and Scripture from public spaces. And these are legitimate concerns.

But here's the harder question: What about our homes? What about our personal meditation on God's Word? In a free nation, no one is telling us what we can do within our own four walls. The question is whether we're seizing that freedom to build a foundation of faith for the next generation.

Children don't just want to learn about faith—they want to observe it. They want to see parents who become excited about what God is doing. They want to experience the Word of God coming alive in the lives of those they love most. Trust isn't merely taught; it's caught.

This means modeling faith more than demanding it. It means living with integrity, not religious appearance. It means being willing to apologize when we make mistakes, to forgive, to ask for repentance and receive it—because the gospel isn't an island to itself, but the very air we breathe in our homes.

Waiting with Joy

The psalm concludes with a powerful call: "We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him, our heart rejoices, for we trust in His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone" (Psalm 33:20-22).

This waiting isn't passive resignation. It's the eager anticipation of a child counting down the hours until celebration begins. It's the confident expectation that comes from knowing God is faithful, that He sees where we are, that He walks with us.

In a world of constant notifications and cultural bombardment, we can quickly forget yesterday's answered prayers because of today's pressing needs. That's why we must consistently recite what God has done, tell the next generation of His faithfulness, and anchor our hearts to the truth that He is good—all the time.

A Call to Action

We can't control the culture our children will inherit, but we can shape the convictions they carry into that culture. We can't guarantee the direction of the nation in the years ahead, but we can control the direction of our homes.

The call is clear: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Where Jesus is Lord, blessing and favor follow. Not because we're perfect, but because we're building on a foundation that cannot be shaken.

So let your heart rejoice today. Put your hope in the Lord. Trust in His holy name. And watch as the blessing that begins in your heart extends to your home, your community, and beyond.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. May we be the people who declare it, live it, and pass it on.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/07/07/psalm-33#comments 0 Pslam 13 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/30/pslam-13 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:24:54 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/30/pslam-13

When Faith Feels Like Wrestling: Finding Trust in the Silence

Have you ever felt like God forgot about you?

It's a question most believers are afraid to ask out loud. We think that if we're truly faithful, we shouldn't struggle with doubt. We shouldn't feel overwhelmed. We shouldn't lie awake at night with our minds racing, wondering where God is in the chaos.

But what if honest faith looks different than we think?

The Weight We Carry

Life has a way of accumulating weight. Imagine walking through your days with a backpack. At first, it's manageable—just a few rocks representing small disappointments, minor anxieties, unanswered questions. But then another rock gets added. And another. And another.

Disappointment. Grief. Financial pressure. Relationship strain. Health concerns. Unanswered prayers.

Before long, you're exhausted—not from one catastrophic event, but from the accumulated burden of carrying it all. And when someone cheerfully asks, "How are you doing?" you smile and say, "I'm fine," even though inside, everything feels like it's falling apart.

This is where Psalm 13 meets us—in the raw, unfiltered reality of human struggle.

The Psalm That Doesn't Pretend

Psalm 13 opens with words that might shock you: "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?"

Four times in just two verses, David asks the same agonizing question: "How long?" How long will you hide your face? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

This isn't a man having a bad day. This is someone who has been carrying pain for a while—persistent, exhausting, relentless pain. And remarkably, God allowed these words into Scripture. He didn't edit them out or sanitize David's emotions.

What does this tell us? That God is not threatened by our questions. He's not intimidated by our emotions. He's not offended by our honesty.

The truth and our feelings aren't always the same thing. David feels forgotten, but he is not forgotten. David feels abandoned, but he is not abandoned. David feels alone, but he is not alone.

And neither are you.

The Battle Inside

One of the most relatable lines in this psalm comes in verse 2: "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts?"

Some of the hardest battles we face aren't the circumstances around us—they're the battles inside our own minds. The scenarios that replay endlessly. The what-ifs that spiral out of control. The overthinking that leaves us mentally and emotionally exhausted from carrying burdens we were never meant to bear.

If you've experienced this, you're in good company. Elijah, Job, Jeremiah, David—all wrestled with overwhelming emotions. Scripture never suggests that mature believers are immune to emotional pain. What it does teach is that we need to bring that pain to God.

Faith isn't pretending you're okay. Faith is bringing your real condition before God.

From Pain to Prayer

Here's where Psalm 13 takes a crucial turn. David doesn't just vent his frustrations and walk away. He turns his pain into prayer.

In verses 3 and 4, David makes three simple requests: "Look on me. Answer me. Give light to my eyes."

Notice what he doesn't pray. He doesn't demand explanations. He doesn't ask God to reveal the next ten years. He simply asks for enough strength for today.

"Look on me"—God, see what I'm carrying.

"Answer me"—God, the silence has become painful.

"Give light to my eyes"—God, I'm exhausted and need renewal.

Prayer isn't the reward for having it all together. Prayer is where we bring the pieces when life is falling apart.

Presence Changes Perspective

Think about a child afraid of a thunderstorm. The storm is real. The thunder is loud. The lightning is frightening. But when a parent enters the room and sits beside the bed, speaking calmly, everything changes.

The storm is still raging—maybe even getting worse—but suddenly it's not overwhelming. Why? Because presence changes perspective.

The child isn't facing the storm alone anymore.

This is what David discovered. Even when God feels silent, He is still listening. Even when we can't see Him working, He is still present. Even in our pain, He is still near.

God often brings healing through multiple channels—prayer, time, community, wise counsel, medical help. None of these contradict faith. In fact, God regularly uses people and processes as part of the healing journey. That's why community with other believers matters so deeply.

The Power of One Word

At the beginning of verse 5, everything shifts with one word: "But."

"But I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me."

Here's what's remarkable: David's circumstances haven't changed. The enemy is still out there. The struggle is still real. The silence is still deafening.

But David changes his focus.

He's not pretending the pain has disappeared. He's choosing to remember something greater than his pain. He shifts from staring at the problem to remembering God's character.

Many of us think trust comes after God fixes everything. When the diagnosis changes, then I'll trust. When the relationship improves, then I'll trust. When the anxiety disappears, then I'll trust.

But that's not what we see here. Trust comes before the breakthrough. Trust comes before the answer. Trust comes before circumstances improve.

David chooses faith before he sees results.

Worship in the Waiting

By the end of the psalm, David is singing. Not because he suddenly understands everything. Not because all his prayers have been answered. Simply because he remembers who God is.

Worship isn't always a response to victory. Sometimes worship is a declaration of trust in the middle of a battle.

When we cannot trace God's hand, we can still trust His heart.

This is one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines we can develop—remembering. Remembering that God is good. Remembering that He is faithful. Remembering His character when emotions are telling us wild things.

You Are Not Alone

Psalm 13 ultimately points us toward Jesus, who also cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus understands grief, sorrow, anguish, abandonment, and suffering personally.

When we hurt, we are not suffering alone. We serve a Savior who understands human pain intimately.

So if you're carrying a silent battle today—anxiety, depression, grief, loneliness, exhaustion, disappointment—hear this clearly: You are not forgotten by God.

Even when He feels distant, He is still present. Even when heaven feels silent, He is still listening. Even in your pain, He is still working.

Faith isn't the absence of questions. Faith is bringing your questions to God. Faith isn't denying reality. Faith is choosing what reality will define you.

Sometimes faith looks like crying. Sometimes it looks like questions. Sometimes it's simply praying and waiting. And sometimes faith is choosing to trust God one more day, take one more step, in His unfailing love.

That may be enough for today. And tomorrow, you'll choose it again.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/30/pslam-13#comments 0 Psalm 103 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/23/psalm-103 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:37:25 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/23/psalm-103

The Father Who Sees, Knows, and Loves Us: A Reflection on Psalm 103

We live in a world full of constant noise, endless pressure, and distractions that tug on every corner of our hearts. It’s easy to forget who God is in the middle of that noise. It’s easy to forget how He feels about us, how He sees us, and how deeply He loves us.

Psalm 103 is an invitation to remember.

This ancient yet beautifully personal psalm pulls us back to the heart of the Father—a Father who forgives, who shows compassion, and who remains faithful from generation to generation. Whether you find yourself today in a season of joy, fear, waiting, victory, or doubt, Psalm 103 offers a truth your soul can anchor itself to.

Let’s explore three powerful reminders from this passage.

The Father Forgives

The psalm begins with a powerful call: “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2–3).

Forgiveness is the very first benefit the psalmist lists. Not success. Not achievement. Not performance. Forgiveness.

Why is that significant?

Because forgiveness is the doorway to relationship with God. Yet so many people spend their lives carrying shame God never asked them to carry. The enemy whispers that we've gone too far, messed up too badly, or failed too often.

But Psalm 103 gives us a different message entirely: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (verse 12).

God does not partially forgive. He completely removes guilt from those who turn to Him.

It’s amazing how we forget yesterday’s errands, last week’s tasks, or a conversation from this morning, yet we vividly replay mistakes God has already forgiven. We hold onto shame long after He has washed it away.

But God calls us to walk in the freedom He has already purchased. The cross wasn’t an act of reluctant forgiveness. It was an act of extravagant love.

You don’t have to be the one person who drags around what Jesus already paid for.

The Father Has Compassion

The heart of this psalm is captured beautifully in its key verse: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).

Compassion. Patience. Tenderness. Understanding.

Many people imagine God as distant, angry, or frustrated with them. Sadly, these views often reflect wounds from earthly fathers or broken authority figures. Without realizing it, we project these experiences onto God and begin to imagine Him standing over us with disappointment rather than delight.

But Psalm 103 paints a different picture: “For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (verse 14).

God understands our weakness. He knows our limitations. He knows our fears—and yet He draws near with compassion, not condemnation.

Consider a child learning to walk. They wobble, fall, try again, and fall again. No loving parent yells at their child for falling. Instead, they cheer them on, pick them up, hold their hands, and encourage them to keep going.

Yet many believers imagine God standing over them saying, “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep falling? Why can’t you get this right?”

But the heart of the Father is not to shame you—it’s to steady you.

God does not ignore sin. But He moves toward broken people, not away from them. His compassion isn’t based on your perfection; it’s rooted in His character.

Some people don’t simply need more information about God—they need healing from God. Psalm 103 invites each of us to experience that healing personally.

The Father Is Faithful

One of the deepest fears people carry is the fear of abandonment—of being forgotten, unwanted, or left behind. Earthly relationships can fail, and even the best relationships shift with time.

But Psalm 103 reminds us: “From everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him” (verse 17).

God's faithfulness has no expiration date. Seasons change. Emotions change. Life changes. But His character never changes.

You may feel strong today or weak. You may feel close to God or distant. But feelings do not define faithfulness—God’s nature does.

He is the rock, the refuge, the shelter, and foundation that never crumbles, never collapses, never gives way. Everything else we try to stand on—success, relationships, reputation, achievement—cannot carry the weight of our identity. Only God can.

The older we become, the more we realize the value of steady love. Flashy, temporary things lose their appeal. But faithfulness—real, unwavering faithfulness—becomes priceless.

That is the love God offers to His children.

Pointing to Jesus

Psalm 103 ultimately points us to Jesus, the fullest revelation of the Father’s heart. In Jesus we see compassion embodied. We see mercy lived out. We see faithfulness displayed in flesh and blood.

He healed the broken. Restored the failing. Welcomed the rejected. Forgave the sinner. In Jesus, we are shown exactly how God feels about us.

And that truth stands today: you are not abandoned. You are not forgotten. You are not beyond grace. The Father sees you, knows you, and invites you near—not because you earned it, but because that is who He is.

A Word for Fathers and Those Who Influence Others

Psalm 103 can be especially meaningful for fathers, grandfathers, father figures, and mentors. Many men carry quiet pressure to be perfect—successful enough, spiritual enough, patient enough, strong enough.

But children do not need perfect fathers. They need present ones. They need fathers who are faithful, humble, steady, growing, and willing to point their families toward Jesus.

Your influence matters far more than you know. Your prayers matter. Your example matters. Your words matter. And God’s grace is not just for salvation—it is for growth.

It is never too late to become the man God is calling you to be.

The Father’s Heart Today

Psalm 103 invites each of us into a deeper understanding of God’s love—one that is tender, forgiving, and unchanging. Whatever you carry today—shame, wounds, exhaustion, regret, or distance—your Heavenly Father invites you near.

He is not calling you with anger.

He is calling you with compassion.

He is calling you with mercy.

He is calling you with love.

May your soul remember today who He is. May you be drawn toward the Father who forgives, who has compassion, and who remains faithful from everlasting to everlasting.

And may you find rest in His unchanging heart.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/23/psalm-103#comments 0 Psalm 119 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/16/psalm-119 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:13:59 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/16/psalm-119

Finding Your Way: Why God's Word Still Matters in a World of Confusion

Have you ever approached a four-way stop when the traffic light is flashing red? If so, you know the chaos that ensues. Suddenly, everyone forgets how intersections work. People inch forward uncertainly, wave frantically at each other, honk their horns, and someone inevitably gets aggressive and just goes for it. The whole intersection becomes the Wild West.

Here's what's fascinating about that scenario: the rules didn't disappear. Most drivers know exactly what they're supposed to do at a four-way stop. They learned it in driver's ed and passed a test on it. Yet the moment the structure disappeared, confusion took over completely.

This is a perfect picture of where our culture stands today.

When Everyone Follows Their Own Truth

We're living in a moment where people no longer want guidance. They don't want truth. They don't want authority. The prevailing message is simple: do what feels right, live your own truth, follow your heart.

But here's the problem—when everyone follows their own truth, eventually there's a collision. Just like at that chaotic intersection.

Feelings make terrible foundations.

Don't misunderstand—your emotions were given to you by God. They're part of being human. But they were never meant to be the voice of truth in your life. They change constantly. Culture changes constantly. Popular opinion shifts daily. What's trending today will be forgotten tomorrow.

You need something stronger than emotion to hold your life together. You need truth.

A Lamp for Your Feet

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire Bible, with 176 verses. Nearly every single verse refers to Scripture using different terms—the law, testimonies, statutes, precepts, commands, judgments, word, ordinances, decrees. The entire psalm is a meditation on one central theme: the greatness and sufficiency of God's word.

Tucked within this extraordinary chapter are two verses that capture something essential:

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalm 119:105)

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103)

Notice something important here. The writer doesn't describe God's word as restrictive. He describes it as life-giving. He doesn't resent God's commands—he delights in them.

Why? Because the longer you walk with God, the more you realize His ways are better than your ways.

Protection, Not Prison

We've convinced ourselves that freedom means removing boundaries. We think that if we just eliminate all the rules, we'll finally be free. But real freedom is found in living the way God designed life to work.

Think about the rumble strips on the highway—those grooved sections on the edge of the road. When you're driving through a storm and visibility is poor, those rumble strips serve a critical purpose. They alert you when you're drifting too close to the edge. They help keep you alive.

No one drives down the highway on a sunny day, looks at those rumble strips and concrete barriers, and thinks, "These are ruining my freedom! I want to drive wherever I want!" That would be absurd. We're grateful they exist because we understand they protect us from destruction we don't always see coming.

That's exactly what God's word does. It's not chains meant to enslave you—it's guardrails meant to keep you alive.

God's laws aren't burdens designed to control you. They're boundaries designed to protect you from pain and destruction. The commandments that seem restrictive at first are actually revealing a path to life.

The Authority You Can Trust

One of the defining characteristics of our culture is resistance to authority. People don't want to be told what to do. They resist correction, resist boundaries, resist submission.

But here's the reality: everyone builds their life on some kind of authority. Some people build on emotions. Some on relationships. Some on politics or culture or their own experiences. But there's only one completely trustworthy foundation—the word of God.

The authority of Scripture is rooted in the character of God Himself. This isn't just ancient advice or philosophical wisdom or inspirational literature. This is the revealed heart and wisdom of God. And if God is good—and He is—then His word can be trusted.

One of the most dangerous spiritual conditions today is wanting the comfort of God without the correction of God. We love verses about peace, blessing, grace, and purpose. But we struggle with verses about surrender, holiness, obedience, and repentance.

Yet you cannot separate loving God from loving what God says. Jesus Himself said, "If you love me, you will keep my commands." Not because obedience earns salvation, but because obedience reveals trust.

Sweeter Than Honey

There's incredible depth in God's word. You can read the same passage at twenty years old and at forty years old and discover completely new meaning. You can read it in joy and in grief, in victory and in heartbreak, and somehow the Holy Spirit continues to reveal fresh insight each time.

Why? Because the Bible is alive. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, "The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword."

This isn't just information—it's spiritual nourishment. And the longer you walk with Jesus, the sweeter His words become.

Many people initially experience God's word as difficult. Obedience can feel hard. Forgiveness is hard. Purity is hard. Patience is hard. Surrender is hard. But eventually you realize God's commands were never punishment—they were protection.

Over time, what once felt restrictive becomes life-giving. The truths you once resisted become the truths you cling to in difficult days. You stop asking, "Why does God say no to this?" and start asking, "What pain was God trying to save me from?"

That's maturity. That's when you can genuinely say, like the psalmist, "Your words are sweeter than honey."

Just Enough Light for the Next Step

Most of us want clarity about our future. We want God to show us the entire plan—every outcome, every answer, every detail. But that's rarely how God works.

Instead of giving us a spotlight for the future, God gives us a lamp for our next step.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

Not a floodlight. Not stadium lights. A lamp. Just enough light for your next faithful step.

This can be frustrating because we want certainty. But God is building trust. Faith grows one step at a time.

If God revealed your entire future at once, it would overwhelm you. So He teaches you dependence on Him one day at a time. Spiritual maturity is learning to trust God without having every detail figured out.

For you, the next step might be to forgive someone. Maybe it's to stay faithful, remain pure, keep praying, keep trusting, stay planted, or stay surrendered. The word of God gives wisdom for that next step, even when you can't see the whole path.

An Invitation Back

Perhaps you're feeling spiritually exhausted right now—not because you've stopped loving God, but because you've been trying to navigate life disconnected from His voice. You're overwhelmed, confused, restless, anxious about the future.

Culture is loud. Fear is loud. Social media is loud. Opinions are loud. But the voice of God is different. It doesn't scream for your attention. It invites you closer.

Maybe you've been trying to survive spiritually on one verse a week or one church service a month, and your soul is starving. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Your soul was designed to be fed by the voice of God. No amount of success, entertainment, distraction, money, relationships, or achievement can fully satisfy that hunger inside you. Only God can fill it.

Today is an invitation back. Back to relationship with Him. Back to His word. Back to the stability, truth, and direction you've been craving.

Maybe you simply need to pray: God, give me a hunger for Your word again. Give me ears to hear Your voice again. Teach me to trust You again. Light my path again.

In a world of chaos and confusion, God's word still stands. It still gives truth. It still brings wisdom, clarity, direction, and stability.

It's a lamp for your feet. A light on your path. And it's sweeter than honey.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/16/psalm-119#comments 0 Psalm 46 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/10/psalm-46 Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:55:00 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/10/psalm-46

Finding Peace in the Storm: The Power of Being Still

Life has a way of spinning out of control when we least expect it. One phone call, one diagnosis, one financial crisis, one relationship fracture—and suddenly we find ourselves in the middle of a storm we never saw coming. The winds howl, the waves crash, and everything in us screams that we need to do something, fix something, control something.

But what if the most spiritual thing we could do in that moment isn't to strive harder, but to be still?

When Everything Shakes

Psalm 46 meets us right in the middle of chaos. It doesn't deny that trouble exists or pretend that life is always peaceful. Instead, it paints a vivid picture of absolute turmoil: the earth giving way, mountains falling into the heart of the sea, waters roaring and foaming, mountains quaking. This isn't background noise—this is catastrophic upheaval.

Yet right in the center of this psalm, God speaks a word that cuts through the chaos: "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46:10).

These words aren't soft background comfort. This is the sovereign King interrupting the chaos and reminding us that even when life is painful, even when everything feels out of control, He is still ruling and reigning.

God as Our Refuge

The psalm begins with a powerful declaration: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" (Psalm 46:1-2).

Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say God is our help if trouble comes, or once trouble passes, or after we figure it all out. He is an ever-present help in trouble. God is not waiting on the other side of your storm for you to navigate through it. He is with you in the middle of it.

The Hebrew word for "refuge" means to seek shelter, to flee for protection, to trust in and hide oneself safely. This isn't passive shelter—it paints a picture of someone running from danger, finding cover, and placing their confidence in the protector. God is the refuge we intentionally choose when life becomes unstable.

And He doesn't just give strength—He is our strength. This changes everything. If strength only comes from us, we will eventually run out. We hit that point emotionally, mentally, spiritually where the tank is empty. We smile publicly while inside we're exhausted. But we were never designed to carry life without God. He is not only sheltering us; He is strengthening us.

The River That Still Flows

In the middle of describing roaring seas and collapsing mountains, Psalm 46 makes a surprising shift: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall" (Psalm 46:4-5).

In ancient cities, rivers represented life, abundance, blessing, peace, and divine provision. Without water, cities died. The psalmist is saying there is a river flowing through the city of God—a river that represents His presence, His Spirit, His power flowing through His people.

This river symbolizes grace, wisdom, truth, peace, and renewal—everything the Holy Spirit brings into our lives. And here's what's amazing: in our relationship with Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit does not stop flowing. The problem is not God's supply. It's usually our connection to the supply.

We live in a loud world where everyone has an opinion and a platform. If we're not careful, we can spend more time connected to culture than connected to the presence of God. That's why stillness matters. Stillness creates space for the Holy Spirit to speak when we stop long enough to listen.

God doesn't shout over our chaos. He often waits until we quiet ourselves enough to hear Him. The river still flows, but if we're constantly distracted, striving, anxious, rushed, and overwhelmed, we miss what God is trying to pour into us.

When was the last time you sat before God with no agenda? No rushing. No scrolling. Just you and Him. No multitasking. Just silence, surrender, and listening. Powerful things happen when we learn to be still.

The Sovereign Ruler

Psalm 46 reminds us that God is not reacting to history—He rules over it. "Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire" (Psalm 46:8-9).

Nations rise and fall. Leaders come and go. Cultures shift. Storms rage. But God remains sovereign.

The phrase "be still" in Hebrew literally means to stop striving, let go, release, abandon, cease fighting, loosen your grip. This is not primarily about silence—it's about surrender.

This same idea appears when Jesus calms the storm in the New Testament. The disciples are panicking, fear has taken over, the winds and waves are raging. Jesus stands up and says, "Peace, be still." Instantly, creation obeys. Nature recognized what humanity often forgets: He is God.

A Different Perspective on the Storm

Psalm 46 doesn't minimize suffering. It's a psalm about earthquakes, collapsing mountains, roaring seas, raging nations, and wars. But then God speaks, reminding us that even when life is painful, He is still ruling and reigning. Maybe there's no earthly good in what happened, but God can still bring good through it.

The situation you're facing may not have changed yet. The diagnosis may still be there. The tension in your family might still be there. The uncertainty might remain. But here's what can change: your posture in the middle of that storm.

You can be still in the storm without being controlled by the storm. You can still feel the waves and the wind, but you no longer feel like you're going under. Why? Because instead of striving, you've decided to be still. Instead of gripping tighter, you're opening your hand and releasing control.

That situation that makes you think "I'm not going to make it" becomes a place where you can say, "God is my refuge. God is my strength. God is in control."

That's the shift Psalm 46 invites us into. Not a different storm, but a different perspective on the storm. Not a removed battle, but a revealed God who is with us in the middle of it.

The Greatest Act of Faith

The question isn't whether you're in a storm. The question is: Will you keep striving in the storm, or will you be still in the storm?

Sometimes the greatest act of faith is not fighting harder, but finally letting go and trusting. Saying, "God, You're my refuge. You're my river. You're my rescue."

Be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth.

When life gets wild and chaotic tomorrow, remember: you don't have to have it all figured out. You can release control because He is sovereign. You can find peace in the storm because the One who calms the storm is with you.

Be still.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/10/psalm-46#comments 0 Not My Problem https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/02/not-my-problem Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:39:28 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/02/not-my-problem

When "Not My Problem" Becomes Our Calling

We live in a world of carefully curated isolation. Our food arrives at our doorstep without human interaction. We drive alone in our cars, surrounded by other drivers equally alone in theirs. We scroll through problems on our phones that feel distant enough to ignore, yet close enough to disturb our peace. And when we encounter real people with real needs—whether broken down on the roadside or struggling in silence beside us—our default response has become tragically predictable: "Not my problem."

But what if the very things we dismiss as someone else's responsibility are actually divine appointments waiting for our response?

The Wedding That Changed Everything

In the village of Cana in Galilee, a wedding celebration was underway. Jesus attended with His mother and disciples—not as the guest of honor, but simply as a guest. When the wine ran out, creating what would have been a social catastrophe in first-century culture, Mary brought the problem to her son's attention.

His response? "Dear woman, that is not our problem. My time has not yet come."

Yet despite declaring it wasn't His problem, Jesus performed His first miracle. He transformed ordinary water into extraordinary wine, saving a family from disgrace, humiliation, and social ruin. He stepped into a situation that didn't directly affect Him, that wasn't His responsibility, that He could have easily walked away from.

The question is: why?

Beyond Surface-Level Seeing

esus didn't just see an empty wine jar. He saw the shame that would follow a family for years. He saw the weight of embarrassment that would crush a young couple's reputation. He saw beyond the immediate problem to the human cost of doing nothing.

This is where we often miss the mark. We see crowds, not individuals. We see statistics, not stories. We notice problems at face value without considering their deeper implications. That person sitting alone at lunch every day? We see loneliness, but we don't see the depression that's slowly consuming them. That coworker who seems irritable? We see attitude, but we don't see the marriage crisis keeping them awake at night.

Matthew 9:36 tells us: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless like sheep without a shepherd."

Compassion begins with truly seeing—looking beyond the surface to understand the weight people carry.

The Baggage We All Carry

Imagine two identical storage totes sitting side by side. From the outside, they look exactly the same. But lift them, and you'll discover one is empty while the other is packed full.

People are like those totes. We may look similar on the surface, but everyone carries something. One person carries anxiety about tomorrow. Another carries the weight of family crisis. Someone else struggles with financial pressure that keeps them up at night. The student who seems fine carries trouble at home that no one knows about.

When we dismiss people as "just people," we fail to recognize that everyone is carrying something. And the church—the hands and feet of Jesus—is called to help carry those burdens.

Galatians 6:2 makes this clear: "Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."

Not a suggestion. Not a nice idea. Obeying the law of Christ means stepping into the mess of other people's lives.

The Dangerous Comfort of Distance

The parable of the Good Samaritan exposes our tendency to avoid inconvenient compassion. A priest saw the wounded man and crossed to the other side of the road. A temple assistant did the same. These were religious leaders, people who should have been first responders to human need. Instead, they found reasons to keep their distance.

Maybe they were running late. Perhaps they didn't want to get blood on their clothes. Possibly they convinced themselves someone better equipped would come along. Whatever their reasoning, they chose distance over involvement.

We do the same thing. We cross the street to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. We close our office door when we see someone who might need something from us. We delay going to the store because we know someone we'd rather not see is there right now. We perfect the art of looking busy, looking away, looking anywhere but at the need right in front of us.

But then came the Samaritan—the outsider, the despised one, the person no one expected to help. He not only stopped but invested his time, his resources, and his future commitment to a stranger's wellbeing. He gave money with the promise of more if needed. He inconvenienced himself completely.

Luke 10:33-34 describes it: "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them."

The Samaritan represents what we're called to be—people who step into problems that aren't ours to solve, for people who may never be able to repay us.

Faith That Moves Beyond Words

James 2:15-17 delivers a sobering reality check: "Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Goodbye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well'—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."

We've become experts at spiritual-sounding avoidance. "I'll pray for you" often means "I acknowledge your problem but don't expect me to do anything about it." We've confused awareness with action, sympathy with sacrifice.

The truth is, most of us in the Western world have more than we need. We have closets full of clothes while people freeze. We have pantries stocked with food while neighbors go hungry. We have spare rooms while people sleep in cars. We have time we spend scrolling while people desperately need someone to listen.

The issue isn't always that we don't care. It's that we've convinced ourselves that caring is enough.

The Miracle of Showing Up

When disaster strikes, when crisis hits, when everything falls apart—who shows up matters. Not who sends a text. Not who leaves a voicemail. Who physically shows up.

There's power in presence that cannot be replicated through distance. When someone's world is burning down, they don't need your thoughts and prayers texted from across town. They need you there, standing with them in the ashes, helping them figure out what comes next.

Proverbs 3:27 commands: "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it's in your power to help them."

When it's in your power. That's the key phrase. Not when it's convenient. Not when you have nothing else going on. When you have the power to help, you have the responsibility to help.

From Observation to Action

Jesus didn't just notice the wine shortage at Cana and move on with His evening. He didn't just feel bad about the family's impending embarrassment. He acted. He stepped in. He used what He had to meet a need that wasn't His responsibility.

This is where compassion must move from observation to action. It's one thing to notice someone struggling. It's another thing entirely to interrupt your schedule, spend your resources, and invest your energy in their situation.

The Holy Spirit wasn't given to us so we could have powerful worship experiences within church walls. The Spirit empowers us to be effective witnesses outside those walls—in grocery stores, workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools. The Spirit gives us discernment to see needs others miss and courage to step into situations others avoid.

The Question That Changes Everything

So here's the question that demands an honest answer: What have you declared "not your problem"?

Is there someone at work you avoid because their situation is messy? Is there a neighbor you don't engage with because you know they're struggling and you don't want the responsibility? Is there a family member whose choices you disagree with, so you've created distance? Is there a need in your community that you've decided someone else should address?

Isaiah 6:8 records God asking: "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?"

The prophet's response was immediate: "Here I am. Send me."

Not "Send someone more qualified." Not "Send someone with more time." Not "Send someone who lives closer to the problem." Simply: Send me.

You Are Someone's Miracle

Right now, someone is praying for help. They're asking God to send someone who cares, someone who will notice, someone who will step in. And God is looking at you, saying, "I'm trying. I put you right there for this exact reason."

You are the answer to someone's prayer. You are the miracle they're waiting for. You are the hands and feet of Jesus to people who desperately need to experience His love in tangible form.

The people you encounter every single day will likely never attend a special event, hear a famous speaker, or experience a mountaintop spiritual moment. For many of them, you are it. You are their only contact with the church. You are their only glimpse of Jesus.

The question isn't whether God is working in your community. He is. The question is whether you'll join Him in that work or continue scrolling past it, driving past it, walking past it, declaring it someone else's responsibility.

Dallas Willard said it perfectly: "The first act of love is always the giving of attention."

Who needs your attention today? Whose burden could you help carry? Whose problem could become your opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ?

Stop waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect ministry, or the perfect situation. Start with what you see right now. Start with who God has already placed in your path. Start with the problem you've been dismissing as not yours to solve.

Because if we're honest, that's exactly what Jesus did at a wedding in Cana. And it changed everything.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/06/02/not-my-problem#comments 0 They Did Their Part: Now Its Time for Us to Do Ours https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/26/they-did-their-part-now-its-time-for-us-to-do-ours Tue, 26 May 2026 11:38:33 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/26/they-did-their-part-now-its-time-for-us-to-do-ours

They Did Their Part: Now It's Time for Us to Do Ours

On this Memorial Day weekend, which also happens to be Pentecost Sunday, we find ourselves at a unique intersection of remembrance and spiritual renewal. It's a moment to pause and consider a haunting question: What legacy are we leaving for the next generation?

The Warning of Moses

Before the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, Moses delivered a sobering message that echoes through the centuries. In Deuteronomy 4:9, he warned: "Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

Moses gave three clear instructions: Remember it. Live it. Teach it.

But did Israel listen? Just a few pages later in the book of Judges, we read a devastating statement: "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."

In one generation, the knowledge of God was lost.

How does this happen? How can a people who witnessed miracles, who saw God part waters and provide manna from heaven, fail to pass that faith to their children?

The Price of Freedom

Memorial Day reminds us that freedom comes at a cost. Soldiers throughout American history have given their lives so we could enjoy the liberties we often take for granted. They sacrificed so we could worship freely, speak openly, and live without tyranny.

But have we forgotten? Has Memorial Day become merely a long weekend for cookouts and trips to the lake rather than a solemn day of remembrance?

More importantly, what are we doing to preserve and pass on the freedoms they died to secure? Are we teaching the next generation the value of what was purchased with such precious blood?

They did their part. Now it's time for us to do ours.

The Pentecostal Heritage

This same principle applies to our spiritual heritage. Pentecost Sunday celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit recorded in Acts 2—the birthday of the church. After the disciples prayed, "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31).

The Holy Spirit wasn't given for personal comfort alone. It was given for power—power to be witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Consider the story of the Azusa Street Revival. In 1906, a humble holiness preacher named William J. Seymour arrived in Los Angeles to pastor a small church. When he preached about the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, the congregation locked him out.

Stranded in a new city, Seymour began holding Bible studies and prayer meetings in a house on Bonnie Bray Street. Soon, the Holy Spirit fell. People were filled with the Spirit, healed, and transformed. The crowds grew so large they moved to an abandoned Methodist church building on Azusa Street—a former livery stable with an orange crate for a pulpit and planks over nail kegs for pews.

For three and a half years, services ran continuously—three times a day, but really never stopping. People came from around the world. Miracles happened. Lives were changed. The Los Angeles Times reported on the "weird babble of tongues" but couldn't deny the miracles.

From that humble mission, disciples spread across America and around the globe, carrying the fire of Pentecost. Churches were planted. The Assemblies of God was formed in 1914. Generations have been blessed because those early believers did their part.

But will we do ours?

The Missionary Sacrifice

The cost of spreading the gospel has always been high. In 1924, Eric and Lucille Clyburn arrived in Upper Volta (modern-day Burkina Faso) as missionaries. Within two weeks, Eric contracted dysentery, then malaria. Within months, at age 29, he was dead, leaving behind a pregnant wife and a baby daughter.

On his missionary application, Eric had written: "I understand and have caught the vision of what it really means... And I am willing to lay down my life if necessary that souls might be won to Christ."

He did his part. Today, there is a strong Assembly of God church in Burkina Faso because of missionaries like the Clyburns.

In 1943, Oren and Florence Munger went to Nicaragua. Known as a prayer warrior, Oren would ride his mule into mountain villages, sharing the gospel and praying for revival. It came. But in 1945, at just 25 years old, Oren died of typhoid.

Before his death, he had written: "It is not in the great number of missionaries that evangelism of this world lies. It's in the intense glow with which the fire brands burn."

Oren Munger was one of God's firebrands. Revival came to Nicaragua because he did his part.

The Faithful Few

Not everyone is called to die as a martyr, but everyone is called to faithfulness. Think of the custodian who spent his retirement years mowing church grass and teaching Sunday school. The organist who played at every service and never stopped praying for her unsaved husband—who finally came to Christ before he died. The song leader who worked overtime at an aircraft factory but never missed a service.

These faithful servants didn't seek recognition. They simply did their part, creating a foundation for future generations to build upon.

The Question Before Us

So here we stand, beneficiaries of tremendous sacrifice—both physical and spiritual. The question haunts us: Will we do our part?

Will the next generation know the power of God the way we did? Will they experience the moving of the Holy Spirit? Will they see signs and wonders? Will Pentecost Sunday mean anything to them, or will there arise another generation that knows not the Lord?

We can't go back to Azusa Street. Those leaders are gone. But the same Holy Spirit that empowered them is here to help us. The ball is in our court.

Will our passion match theirs? Will our commitment equal theirs? Will our sacrifice honor theirs?

God hasn't changed. The same Holy Spirit is available today. He stands ready to pour out His power on anyone who is open, willing, and available.

In these last days, God is looking for willing vessels—people who will say, "Here am I. Use me." It doesn't matter if He calls you to ride a tractor and mow grass or to preach to thousands. What matters is faithfulness.

The Call to Action

Remember it. Don't forget what God has done—in history, in the church, in your own life.

Live it. Don't just remember the stories; live out the same faith, passion, and power.

Teach it. Make sure the next generation knows what you've seen and experienced. Share it with your children, your grandchildren, everyone in your sphere of influence.

The fires of Pentecost must burn brightly in our generation so we can hand them, still blazing, to the next.

They did their part. Now it's time for us to do ours.

Will you answer the call?
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/26/they-did-their-part-now-its-time-for-us-to-do-ours#comments 0 FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/18/from-darkness-into-light Mon, 18 May 2026 13:01:31 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/18/from-darkness-into-light

From Darkness Into Wonderful Light: Discovering Your True Identity

What defines you? Is it your career ambitions, your social status, your relationships, or perhaps your bank account? Many of us spend years building our identity on foundations that ultimately cannot bear the weight of our souls' deepest longings.

Consider a young person driven by three things: money, popularity, and romantic attention. Every decision, every relationship, every moment calibrated toward these goals. The future mapped out with precision—wealth, status, recognition. This was life's ultimate purpose. But then comes an unexpected encounter that changes everything.

The Moment Everything Shifts

Sometimes God breaks through our carefully constructed plans in the most unexpected ways. At a youth camp, amid skepticism and disinterest, a simple challenge pierces through years of indifference: "There is someone here that thinks God is not real, but you have never given him the opportunity to show you that he is indeed real."

What happens next defies explanation. A physical weight descends. Knees buckle. Tears flow without reason. And in that moment, the presence of God becomes more real than anything else in existence. Not through argument or persuasion, but through encounter—an indescribable love, peace, and assurance that something holy is happening.

This is how transformation often begins: not with answers to all our questions, but with an undeniable experience of divine reality.

The Challenge of New Identity

But knowing God is real and understanding what that means for our lives are two different things. The world doesn't suddenly become a fairy tale. Old friendships pull in familiar directions. Former priorities whisper their appeal. Friends question your changes, even tempting you back to old patterns.

The pressure is real: maintain who you were before, or embrace who you're becoming. It's in this tension that we discover what Scripture means when it declares in 1 Peter 2:9-10:

"For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God. For he called you out of the darkness and into his wonderful light. Once you had no identity as a people, now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy, now you have received God's mercy."

This is not merely poetic language. It's a declaration of fundamental transformation.

Created for Belonging

From the beginning, humanity was different. While God spoke stars and oceans into existence, when it came to creating people, He got personal. He breathed His own breath into dirt, crafting us in His image—the Imago Dei. Not in the image of mountains or animals or angels, but in the image of God Himself.

This wasn't accidental. It was intentional. We were designed to reflect an identity so special that God calls us His children—sons and daughters of the Most High King.

Before encountering Christ, we have no true belonging. We may accumulate possessions, achievements, and relationships, but we lack the fundamental belonging our souls were created for. We belong either to Christ or to nothing that ultimately satisfies.

The Inheritance of Adoption

Romans 8:17 reveals something remarkable: "Now, if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ."

In Roman culture, adoption was a profound legal ceremony. When a child was adopted, they received the full name of their new father. All previous debts were completely erased. The child gained full inheritance rights equal to biological children. And crucially, the adoption was irrevocable—it could never be undone.

This is the picture of our adoption into God's family. As His children, we receive:

  • Legal standing as sons and daughters
  • Intimate relationship—the ability to call God "Abba Father"
  • Family resemblance—being conformed to Christ's image
  • Protection and provision
  • Secure, permanent identity
  • Equal inheritance with Christ
  • Access to God's presence
  • Eternal life and glorified bodies
  • Present resources of strength, wisdom, and peace
  • Community within the family of believers
  • Purpose and meaningful kingdom work

What belongs to Jesus belongs to us. Not because we earned it, but because of His love, grace, and mercy.

Transformation: The Story of Saul

Consider a man who had everything—education, influence, conviction, drive. He was so certain of his mission that he dragged followers of Christ from their homes, threw them in prison, and even voted for their deaths. His name was Saul, and he was convinced he was righteous in his persecution.

Then, on an ordinary road during an ordinary mission, light from heaven struck him down. Blind and broken, he heard the voice of Jesus asking, "Why are you persecuting me?"

Everything Saul had built his identity on collapsed in an instant. The man who had terrorized Christians was led by the hand into Damascus, where another believer—who had every reason to fear him—called him "brother."

When scales fell from Saul's eyes, he became Paul. Not because he became soft or lost his fire, but because everything that had made him dangerous was now aimed in an entirely new direction. He became a new creation, transformed by adoption into God's family.

The Fall and the Restoration

In the Garden of Eden, humanity walked in perfect identity as God's children. No shame. No hiding. Complete intimacy with the Creator. But the fall changed everything. Sin introduced darkness. Shame replaced security. The unhindered access to God was lost.

Yet this is precisely why the good news is so good. Through Christ, what was lost is restored. The broken relationship is mended. The fractured identity is made whole. We become new creations—2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

The Call to Share

But here's the crucial question: Why does God restore us? Simply for our own benefit?

First Peter 2:9 provides the answer: "As a result, you can show others the goodness of God."

Our transformation isn't the end of the story—it's the beginning of a mission. We've been called out of darkness into wonderful light not just to enjoy the view, but to guide others into that same light.

The Great Commission isn't optional for some Christians while others focus on personal spirituality. Every child of God is called to make disciples, to show others God's goodness, to share the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone.

Where Are You Making Disciples?

This is the challenging question we must each answer: Where are you making disciples? How are you showing others the goodness of God?

Is it through hospitality and generosity? When did you last share your testimony? When did you last testify to what God is doing in your life? When did you last help someone discover their true identity in Christ?
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/18/from-darkness-into-light#comments 0 Mother's Day https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/11/mother-s-day Mon, 11 May 2026 14:20:48 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/11/mother-s-day

The Sacred Rhythm: Finding God in Work and Rest

In our fast-paced world where productivity is praised and busyness is worn like a badge of honor, we've lost sight of a fundamental truth woven into the very fabric of creation: God designed us for both meaningful work and restorative rest. This isn't a modern self-care concept—it's an ancient divine pattern established before sin ever entered the world.

Created in His Image to Work

The opening chapters of Genesis reveal something profound about our purpose. When God created the heavens and the earth, He worked. Each day brought new wonders—light, water, sky, earth, plants, sun, animals of the sea and air. And at the end of each creative act, God saw that it was good. That Hebrew word translated as "good" carries so much more weight than our English equivalent. It means pleasant, rich, agreeable to the senses, appropriate, bringing happiness. God's work brought Him joy.

Then came the pinnacle of creation: "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness." We didn't evolve by chance from primordial slime. We were intentionally crafted by a loving Creator with a specific purpose—to reflect His nature and glorify Him through our work.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 1:16 that "all things were created through him and for him." Our ultimate purpose is to bring glory to God. This transforms how we view every task, every responsibility, every calling.

Later, Paul writes in Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." That word "do" in the original language means "create." Whatever you create, do it for God's glory.

The Hidden Work That Matters

This perspective revolutionizes how we see work that goes unnoticed and unpaid. The mother changing diapers at 2 AM, sweeping floors for the third time today, cooking yet another meal—God sees. The restaurant worker cleaning tables, the janitor mopping floors, the behind-the-scenes servant no one thanks—God sees and cares deeply about your labor.

Your work matters because you're working for an audience of One. You're not just completing tasks; you're blessing others as an agent of God's goodness. Your workplace, your home, your sphere of influence—these are mission fields where God has strategically placed you to shine His light and demonstrate His love.

The Divine Pattern of Rest

After six days of creative work, Genesis 2:2-3 tells us something remarkable: "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

God doesn't get physically tired. So what does this rest mean? The Hebrew word is Shabbat—to cease, to stop from labor, to desist from exertion, to celebrate, to sit still. And notice—it's mentioned twice for emphasis. God worked, and God rested. This pattern isn't arbitrary; it's essential to our design.

Lessons from Slavery and Freedom

The Israelites in Egypt experienced the opposite of God's design—perpetual work without rest. Pharaoh's response to Moses' request for a three-day journey to worship God reveals the enemy's strategy: "Why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!" When they persisted, Pharaoh made their work even harder, demanding the same output with fewer resources.

Does this sound familiar? The relentless expectation that work never ends. For mothers, the house is cleaned only to become messy minutes later. Meals are prepared, eaten, and then it's time to cook again. Projects are completed only to reveal three more waiting. There's always more to do.

But God had the final word. After delivering His people from slavery, He instituted the Sabbath in Exodus 16. For six days, they gathered manna—just enough for each day. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much, and on the seventh day, they rested. No work. No gathering. Complete trust that God would provide.

This is the heart of Sabbath rest: remembering that God is our provider. When we stop working and rest, we declare that our security doesn't come from our effort but from His faithfulness. Like tithing with our finances, Sabbath is tithing with our time—trusting God with the whole while dedicating a portion specifically to Him.

Jesus and the Rhythm of Work and Rest

A beautiful story in Mark 6 illustrates this rhythm perfectly. Jesus sent His twelve disciples out with authority to heal and teach. They returned excited, eager to share all they'd done. But verse 31 captures Jesus' response: "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'"

Jesus noticed their exhaustion. He saw their need. And His solution wasn't just rest—it was rest with Him. "Come with me."

They got in a boat seeking solitude, but crowds ran ahead and met them on shore. When Jesus saw the people, He had compassion and taught them. Then He fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. Work and rest, intertwined with His presence.

Later that night, the disciples found themselves in a boat again, this time without Jesus, straining at the oars against fierce winds. They toiled in their own strength until Jesus came walking on the water. When He climbed into the boat with them, the wind died down.

The lesson? Without Jesus, even our rest becomes toil. Vacations without Him leave us empty. Time off without His presence doesn't restore our souls. True rest comes only when we invite Him into our quiet places.

Practicing the Sacred Rhythm

How do we live this out practically?

First, approach your daily work with gratitude. Thank God for the opportunity to serve, for the ability to work, for the family to clean up after, for the job that provides income. A servant's heart reflects God's heart.

Second, appreciate others' work. Notice the people serving you—at restaurants, stores, offices. Speak words of encouragement. Tip generously. Be the Christian who stands out not for entitlement but for kindness and gratitude.

Third, protect your rest. Designate a Sabbath day—whether Sunday or another day—and guard it fiercely. Don't check work emails. Don't engage in tasks that drain rather than restore. Instead, gather with God's people. Worship together. Share meals. Pray for one another. Let others encourage you and be encouraged by them.

Fourth, remember that rest isn't just about ceasing activity; it's about focusing on God. Take a nap if you need to. Enjoy a meal without cooking. But center it all on remembering God's goodness, His provision, His love for you.

The Invitation

God created you in His image to do good work for His glory. Your work matters—every bit of it. And God values both your work and your rest. He yearns to spend time with you, to delight in you, to restore your soul.

The rhythm of work and rest isn't about achieving balance through sheer willpower. It's about inviting Jesus into both. Work with Him to bless others. Rest with Him to remember whose you are and who sustains you.

In a world that demands constant productivity, choosing to rest is an act of faith. It declares that God is enough, that His provision is sufficient, that your worth isn't measured by your output.

So whether you're in a season of intense labor or desperate need for rest, hear Jesus' invitation: "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." He sees you. He knows your need. And He's waiting to meet you there.
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/11/mother-s-day#comments 0 ALL FOR JESUS https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/05/all-for-jesus Tue, 05 May 2026 11:07:06 +0000 https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/05/all-for-jesus

No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets: The Unfinished Mission

The number haunts with its weight: 1,583.

That's how many people groups across Asia Pacific remain so underserved by the gospel that most who speak these languages will never meet a Christian. These aren't just statistics on a missionary report—they represent millions of souls, thousands of villages, countless families who have never heard the name of Jesus whispered in their native tongue.

But there's hope in how that number changed from 1,584 to 1,583.

When the Gospel Reaches the Unreached

Deep in the rugged mountains of South Pentecost lives a tribe called the Northern Sah. They're known for a ceremony called Nung Al—an appeal to the Yam God involving 100-foot towers and men leaping with only vines tied around their ankles. On an island literally named Pentecost, a tribe remained unreached, their spiritual darkness a stark contrast to the name of their home.

The journey to plant the first church among them began in 2009 with exploratory treks through South Pentecost. Healthcare teams followed, ministering to 500 people across four villages. One patient was a man named Joseph, a village chief. Through repeated visits, disaster response, community outreach, and persistent gospel proclamation, seeds were planted.

In 2015, the first student from the Sah tribe enrolled in Bible training. His name was Gabby—the son of Chief Joseph.

The day the first church opened in the village of Haraplanbos was unforgettable. The building stood larger than the surrounding thatch huts, its steeply pitched roof towering above the village. Women bustled in and out, arranging flowers. Every bench was crammed to capacity, faces peered through windows, and clusters of people sat under trees beyond the open door.

During the altar call, a young man strode up the aisle with determined steps, stopping directly before the pulpit. As he stood sobbing in repentance, a shaft of light from the window above struck his face, making his tears glisten.

But the story didn't end with celebration.

Only two months after the church opened, the rest of the tribe gathered together and burned down both the church and the village, expelling the new believers from the tribe. Yet from that apparent defeat came victory. A neighboring tribe accepted them as refugees, and a new church launched at Londar.

Today there are 14 Assembly of God churches on South Pentecost and six Christian schools. Before Chief Joseph went to heaven, he reflected on the church's growth with these powerful words to his fellow chiefs: "You burned down our church, but everywhere the ashes fell, another church has sprung up. So you are welcome to burn down any of these churches that you would like."

From ashes, a movement was born.

The Vision That Drives It All

Revelation 5:9 paints the picture that should capture every believer's imagination: "And they sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"

This isn't just poetic imagery—it's God's unchangeable plan. Heaven's plan for the cosmic finale of all time is a splendorous, transcultural, multinational, omnilinguistic throng surrounding the throne of Jesus Christ, rejoicing that they have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

God does not have a plan B.

There is no second-best option that will suffice. It must be every tribe, every people, every language, and every nation. Any view of missions that is satisfied with anything short of representatives of all peoples everywhere being brought to faith in the Son of God falls tragically short of God's view of missions.

Have you ever heard someone sing worship in a language you don't understand and still felt goosebumps? That's the Holy Spirit inside you resonating with God's plan, saying, "Yes, that is what we're going for—everyone worshiping Jesus."

The Question That Demands an Answer

Paul asked in Romans 10: "How can they call on him in whom they've not believed? How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without a preacher? How can they preach unless they are sent?"

The logic is inescapable. Fulfilling the mission requires preachers to go. Going requires senders to send. It really is that simple.

As long as one human language has yet to be used to whisper the name of Jesus, as long as one nation remains unreached by the gospel, as long as one people, one tribe, or one kindred remains outside of the family of the redeemed—we have not done enough.

We have not sent enough. We have not given enough. We have not gone enough.

They Belong to Him

In John 17:6, Jesus prayed: "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me."

It sounds like a child saying, "But Daddy, you promised."

At some point in eternity past, the Father said, "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession." And the Son said, "I will take them."

The Father must have warned about the terrible price that would need to be paid. Isaiah 53 graphically describes the suffering Jesus would endure for our redemption. But it also describes his satisfaction: "After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied."

Jesus paid an awful price, but as he sees men and women being redeemed out of an ever-expanding group of peoples and tribes and languages, he is satisfied. It is worth it.

In a city called Banjarmasin, Indonesia—a city of over a million people without a single church—a small group of Indonesian believers met to discuss planting churches. They hadn't had communion in so long because they had no ordained minister. When offered the opportunity to share communion together, their gratitude was palpable.

As the prayer over the cup was spoken, one truth became crystal clear: "They are mine now. I have purchased them with my own blood. They belong to me."

Everything needed for the redemption of people from every language group around the entire world has already been met. Jesus Christ paid the price. It is now our job to go and claim for our King what he has purchased with his own blood.

The Legacy of No Regrets

William Borden was born into the wealthy Borden Milk family. As a boy, God called him to be a missionary. His father said it would be throwing his life away. In the flyleaf of his Bible, young William wrote two words: "No reserves."

Graduating from Yale University with numerous high-paying job opportunities arranged by his father, he turned them all down to pursue missions. He added two more words: "No retreats."

While dying from spinal meningitis in Egypt, en route to his chosen field in China, having never seen those he felt called to serve, he wrote his final two words: "No regrets."

Today his tombstone in Egypt is inscribed with six simple words: No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.

The Number Must Reach Zero

Revelation 5 assures us that the number will eventually count down to zero. Representatives from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation will stand before the throne. But it will count down to zero only as men and women give their lives so that those without access to the gospel get to hear the story of Jesus.

The question isn't whether God's plan will be accomplished—it will. The question is whether we'll be part of accomplishing it.

One more language needs to be used to worship the King. One more people group needs to hear. One more tribe needs a church planted among them. One more nation needs the gospel.

What if you were the one who changed 1,583 to 1,582?
]]> https://evangelwichita.org/blog/2026/05/05/all-for-jesus#comments 0