“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). The older I get, the more I understand what it means to “pray for those who persecute you.” While on the cross, Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Such prayer should be more than reciting words; it should inspire us to seek to understand those who hurt us. Jesus recognized that His persecutors

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 What is the significance of the helmet of salvation? Everything around us in this world is to disrupt how we think about ourselves, others, and God, from social media to the news, or the movies or shows you watch. One possible reason for the connection between the helmet and salvation is to symbolize the importance of saturating our thoughts in the understanding of our salvat

Man’s sin brought death into the world, and with death came loss and grief. Loss and grief are deeply real experiences. If you want evidence of God’s existence, consider how foreign and unnatural loss feels to us. It disrupts us completely; you can’t sleep, you can’t eat. We were not designed to carry loss, and it affects us profoundly, even at a neurological level: Amygdala Overactivation: The amygdala, responsible for processing emotions, becomes highly active. This can int

“Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually. Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of