Month: August 2025

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What We Get Wrong About Prayer

👉 Is prayer a formula? Do longer prayers mean more power? And what about unanswered prayers—does it mean God isn’t listening?

Let’s be honest.
Prayer has become a bit… confusing.

You hear some folks shouting with fire and thunder—like God is deaf.
Others are whispering solemn words with practiced poise—like they’re writing a King James sonnet.
Some talk like they’re giving God orders.
Others talk like He’s not even listening.

No wonder so many Christians are frustrated, disillusioned, and—let’s admit it—bored with prayer.

But here’s the question:
What did we get wrong?

đŸ§Ș Prayer Isn’t a Formula

You’ve heard it before:
“ACTS—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.”
It’s helpful, sure.
But God isn’t a vending machine you plug steps into and expect a soda can of blessings to drop out.

Jesus didn’t give His disciples a formula.
He gave them a framework.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven
”

He reminded them prayer was about relationship—not technique.

⏱ Longer ≠ Louder

Some people think, “If I just pray longer, maybe God will hear me.”
So they go on and on, repeating words, thinking quantity = power.

But Jesus said the opposite:

“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” – Matthew 6:7

God is not impressed by length.
He’s moved by faith.

It’s not about the length of your prayer—
It’s about the depth of your heart.

🙉 What About Unanswered Prayers?

Let’s be real.
This is where most people struggle.

You prayed with tears.
You fasted.
You believed.

And… nothing.

Did God not hear?
Did you not pray “well” enough?
Did you miss the right words?

Here’s truth:
Unanswered ≠ Unheard

“The Lord hears His people when they call to Him.” – Psalm 34:17

God isn’t a genie.
He’s a Father.

And sometimes, the best gift a father gives…
is the “No” or the “Not yet.”

Because while you see now,
God sees forever.

🧠 What We Get Wrong

Let’s call out the myths:

  • Myth: Powerful prayer must be loud or long.
    Truth: The most powerful prayer can be a whisper of surrender.
  • Myth: If God doesn’t answer, you’re doing something wrong.
    Truth: God’s silence is not always rejection. It could be redirection—or protection.
  • Myth: Prayer is about getting what you want.
    Truth: Prayer is about becoming who God wants.

💡 So, How Should We Really Pray?

  1. Pray like a child, not an employee.
    Don’t clock in with formality—just be honest.
    “Abba Father” means Daddy. Come as you are.
  2. Speak, then listen.
    Prayer is conversation, not monologue. Wait. Pause. Listen.
  3. Use Scripture.
    Pray God’s promises back to Him. Align your words with His will.
  4. Be persistent, but not manipulative.
    Jesus taught persistence (Luke 18), not pestering. Trust, don’t twist.
  5. Don’t fake it.
    God prefers a raw “God, I don’t know what to say
”
    over a polished “Thou art holy, and I beseech Thee
”

đŸ™đŸœ Final Thoughts

Prayer isn’t about performance.
It’s about presence.
It’s not an emergency line for only bad days—
It’s an open door to your Father, every day.

And no, you don’t have to impress Him.
You just have to come.

Because prayer doesn’t always change your situation.
But it always changes you.

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What We Get Wrong About Suffering

👉 If God is good, why does pain still exist? Does suffering mean you’re being punished—or could it be part of God’s plan?

Let’s just say it:
Suffering messes with your theology.

It’s easy to believe in God’s love when the bills are paid, the body’s healthy, and the prayers are getting yeses.
But what happens when the pain drags on?
When the diagnosis is bad?
When the waiting seems endless?

And the scariest part?

You’re doing everything right.
Praying. Serving. Obeying.
And still… the fire won’t let up.

What do you do with that?

đŸ”„ “God, I Thought You Loved Me
”

Let’s not sugarcoat it—suffering hurts.
And when it hits, it usually whispers one of two lies:

  1. “God is punishing you.”
  2. “God has abandoned you.”

But here’s what Scripture shows us:

  • Job was righteous—and still suffered.
  • Paul wrote most of the New Testament—from prison.
  • Jesus, God’s perfect Son—was “a man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3)

So if pain meant punishment
 God would owe Jesus an apology.

❌ Suffering Isn’t Always Because of Sin

We’ve inherited a sneaky prosperity mindset—even when we don’t preach it.
We think, “If I do right, good things should happen. If bad things happen, I must’ve failed.”

But the cross destroys that thinking.
Jesus did nothing wrong—and yet He was crucified.

God doesn’t only use blessing to speak.
Sometimes, He uses brokenness to shape us.

✅ Suffering Can Be Part of God’s Plan

Hear that again:
Not everything painful is outside God’s will.

Ask Joseph.
Sold into slavery, imprisoned unfairly, forgotten by men

Yet later he said,

“You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Ask Jesus.
He sweat blood in Gethsemane but said,

“Not my will, but Yours be done.”

Ask Paul.
He had a thorn in the flesh that God didn’t remove.
Why?

“So I wouldn’t become proud
 His strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Sometimes the thing you think is trying to kill you

Is the very thing God is using to form you.

🧠 What We Get Wrong

Let’s break it down:

  • Myth: Suffering = God is mad at me.
    Truth: Suffering ≠ absence of love. Sometimes it’s proof of God’s refining fire.
  • Myth: Pain means I’m outside God’s will.
    Truth: Pain may be the exact tool God is using to align you with His purpose.
  • Myth: Good Christians don’t struggle.
    Truth: Even the strongest believers weep, doubt, and wrestle.

💡 What Should You Do in Seasons of Suffering?

  1. Don’t fake it.
    God isn’t impressed by forced smiles. Bring your honest heart.
  2. Lament.
    Read the Psalms. Even David cried, complained, and questioned—but always came back to trust.
  3. Lean into community.
    You’re not meant to suffer in silence. Jesus had Gethsemane—but He also had friends close by.
  4. Let suffering shape—not shatter—you.
    The fire refines gold. The wilderness prepares warriors. Suffering is not your end—it’s a process.

đŸ™đŸœ Final Thoughts

Suffering doesn’t always make sense on this side of eternity.
But it isn’t meaningless.

Every tear you’ve cried,
Every night you’ve groaned,
Every prayer you’ve whispered through clenched teeth—

He sees it.
He holds it.
He will redeem it.

“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace
 will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
— 1 Peter 5:10

It might not look like victory right now

But hang on.
He’s working something deeper than you know.

And your scars?
They’re not just signs of pain.

They’re proof that something holy is being written in your story.

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What We Get Wrong About Success

👉 Does God measure success in wealth and status? Or is it something entirely different?

Let’s be honest.

We’ve baptized hustle culture.
Christianized ambition.
Turned platforms into pulpits.
And somewhere along the line, we began to believe that if we’re not trending, speaking, building, or earning six figures, maybe we’re not doing enough for God.

But can we pause?

What if success—real, kingdom success—looks a lot less like applause…
And more like obedience in obscurity?

đŸš« Success ≠ Stuff

Let’s get this out of the way:
God is not allergic to prosperity.
He is not intimidated by platforms.
He does bless people financially.

But if we think more money, more influence, more followers = more anointing

We’re walking straight into deception.

Jesus said,

“Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

Read that again. Slowly.

🎯 So What IS Success to God?

In one word?

Faithfulness.
Not fame.
Not numbers.
Not likes.
Not “impact metrics.”

Just faithfulness.

When Jesus told the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), the master didn’t say:

“Well done, good and high-achieving servant.”

He said:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

📉 Unseen ≠ Unsuccessful

In today’s world, we idolize visibility.
But some of the most powerful kingdom people never make it to the stage.

  • Anna the prophetess waited decades in the temple—praying.
  • Jeremiah preached for years and hardly anyone listened.
  • Jesus Himself spent 30 years in obscurity before 3 years of ministry.

God sees what we call small.
And He calls it eternal.

đŸ’Œ But What About Work, Business, and Career?

Great question.

You can be a CEO, a creative, a street cleaner, a stay-at-home parent, a politician, or a preacher

And still be wildly successful—if you are walking in what God assigned to you.

David was successful when he killed Goliath.
But he was also successful when he was watching sheep.

Because success is not about where you are.
It’s about Who sent you there.

đŸ€Ż What We Get Wrong (Checklist)

Let’s do a quick heart audit:

  • Do I measure success by how much I earn—or how much I obey?
  • Am I chasing calling—or clout?
  • If no one applauds me, will I still do it?
  • If God told me to leave a “big thing” for something “smaller,” would I?

If your answers are hard to swallow

That’s okay.
Success in God’s kingdom often feels upside down.

đŸ™đŸœ Here’s the Real Truth:

God is not impressed by your stats.
He’s moved by your surrender.

The widow with two coins? ✔
Mary of Bethany pouring her perfume in worship? ✔
Joseph, stuck in prison yet faithful in spirit? ✔

None of them were “goals” in the world’s eyes.
But in God’s books? Top-tier successful.

🧭 How to Measure Success in God’s Eyes:

  1. Are you where God asked you to be?
    Not where culture pushed you to go.
  2. Are you doing it with excellence and obedience?
    God doesn’t reward laziness—but He also doesn’t bless disobedience.
  3. Is your heart surrendered to Him—even if no one sees you?
  4. Do your priorities reflect eternity—or just comfort?

🗣 Final Thoughts

Success, in the world’s dictionary, is climbing up.
But in God’s kingdom?
It’s bowing low.

Don’t measure your worth by the size of your platform.
Measure it by the depth of your obedience.

Because at the end of the day, we’re not living for success stories

We’re living for Well done.

That’s the real win.

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What We Get Wrong About Faith

👉 Is faith just about believing hard enough? Can it force God’s hand? And what about doubt—is it always a sin?

Let’s talk, family.

Faith has become a buzzword.
We wear it on t-shirts.
We hashtag it in captions.
We throw it at problems like a magic wand:
“Just have faith!”

But let’s be real

Some of us have reduced faith to superstition—
Like if we close our eyes tight enough, clench our fists hard enough, and whisper “I believe” 12 times, God will show up on cue.

đŸ„Ž Is that faith—or manipulation?

📖 Faith Is Not a Force to Bend God’s Will

Let’s clear this up early:
Faith is not about making God do what we want.
It’s about trusting what He wants—even when we don’t understand it.

Hebrews 11 (a.k.a. the “Faith Hall of Fame”) mentions people who saw walls fall, lions shut up, the dead raised


But it also mentions those who:

  • Were tortured
  • Lived in caves
  • Were sawn in two 😳

Same faith.
Different outcome.

đŸ€” Faith ≠ Certainty.

Faith is not about having zero questions.
It’s about trusting God despite the questions.

Even John the Baptist—the one who baptized Jesus—had a moment of doubt in prison.
He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you really the One?” (Matthew 11:3)

And what did Jesus say?

Not “How dare he doubt.”
But:
“Among those born of women, no one is greater than John.”

💡 So no—doubt is not always sin.
But staying in unbelief without seeking truth? That’s where the problem lies.

đŸ§˜â€â™€ïž Faith Is Not Just Mental Grit

Sometimes we confuse stubborn optimism with biblical faith.

Faith is not just positive vibes.
It’s not “manifesting.”
It’s not “If I believe it enough, it will happen.”

Nope.

Real faith looks like:

  • Abraham waiting decades for a child—and still trusting.
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saying, “Even if God doesn’t deliver us, we still won’t bow.”
  • Jesus in Gethsemane saying, “Not my will, but Yours.”

đŸ™đŸœ So What Is Faith, Really?

Let’s strip it back to the core:

Faith is trusting God’s heart, even when you can’t trace His hand.

It’s not a magic ticket.
It’s not an emergency button.
It’s not a spiritual tantrum.

It’s surrender.

đŸ”„ What Faith Is NOT:

  • Faith is not denial of reality.
  • Faith is not manipulation of God.
  • Faith is not blind hope with no substance.

✅ What Faith IS:

  • Faith is confidence in God’s character.
  • Faith is obedience in uncertainty.
  • Faith is peace in chaos.

đŸš¶đŸŸâ€â™‚ïž How Do We Grow Real Faith?

  1. Feed your faith with God’s Word – (Romans 10:17)
    👉 Stop surviving on sermon snacks. Eat the Word daily.
  2. Question honestly—but pursue answers.
    👉 Don’t fake it. Dig deep.
  3. Surround yourself with real faith-walkers.
    👉 You’ll either walk with doubters
 or with Daniels.
  4. Obey even when it’s uncomfortable.
    👉 Faith is proven when it’s costly.

🗣 Final Words

Faith is not about getting the outcome you want.
It’s about becoming the kind of person who trusts God—regardless of the outcome.

Real faith walks into the fire

Not because it knows what will happen,
But because it knows Who will be there.

So no—faith isn’t about “believing hard enough.”
It’s about believing deep enough to surrender.
And trusting that God is still good—even if He says no.

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What We Get Wrong About Holiness

👉 Is holiness about avoiding sin or about becoming more like Jesus? And is it only for “special” Christians?

Holiness.

We hear the word and think


👀 Long skirts.
đŸ˜¶ Zero makeup.
đŸ“” No fun.
đŸŽŒ Hillsong on repeat.

Let’s be honest—holiness is one of the most misunderstood (and underloved) concepts in Christianity.
Some of us avoid the word altogether because we think it means becoming weird, boring, judgmental
 or just plain unreachable.

But what if holiness isn’t about what you avoid—

but who you become?

đŸ€” The Misconception: Holiness = Rulebook Christianity

Too often, holiness gets reduced to a checklist:

❌ Don’t drink.
❌ Don’t swear.
❌ Don’t wear ripped jeans.
❌ Don’t talk to unbelievers.
❌ Don’t even think about Netflix.

But here’s the twist:

You can avoid sin and still not be holy.
Holiness isn’t behavior modification—it’s heart transformation.

✹ So What Is Holiness?

Let’s strip it down to the core:

Holiness means being set apart.
Set apart from sin.
Set apart for God.

It’s not about self-righteousness.
It’s about Christ-likeness.

Holiness isn’t just about staying clean.
It’s about being consumed by a love that changes your appetites, affections, and ambitions.

It’s not just about what you don’t do.
It’s about who you are becoming.

đŸ™‹â€â™‚ïž Myth: Holiness is for “Special” Christians

Nope.

You don’t need a halo, a pulpit, or a platform to be holy.

“Be holy, for I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:16

That’s not a verse for elite clergy or monks in monasteries.
That’s for you.
Whether you’re a student, a mother, a marketer, or a mechanic.

Holiness isn’t about position—it’s about posture.
It’s about giving God your “yes” daily, even in the small, unseen places.

đŸ’„ Holiness Isn’t Legalism

Some people confuse holiness with legalism:

  • Legalism says: Earn God’s love by keeping rules.
  • Holiness says: You already have His love—now live like it’s true.

Holiness grows best in the soil of grace.
You don’t become holy by striving.
You become holy by staying close to Jesus.

“Abide in Me
 and you will bear much fruit.” – John 15:5

You can’t manufacture holiness.
But you can cooperate with God’s Spirit to walk in it.

đŸŒ± Holiness Is Progressive

Spoiler: You won’t become holy overnight.

God’s not after perfection in a day.
He’s after progression in devotion.

It’s about growing

little by little,
layer by layer,
with the Spirit as your guide and grace as your anchor.

đŸ”„ What We Get Wrong

  • Myth: Holiness means never messing up.
    Truth: Holiness means letting God set you apart and shape you when you do.
  • Myth: Holiness is outdated.
    Truth: Holiness is deeply relevant—because sin still destroys and God still sanctifies.
  • Myth: Holiness is for a few chosen ones.
    Truth: Holiness is the normal Christian life.

💬 Final Thoughts

You weren’t saved to blend in.
You were saved to stand out—by living a life that reflects Jesus.

Holiness isn’t about isolation.
It’s about imitation—mirroring the character of the One who called you.

And no, you don’t have to become a Bible-quoting, fun-crushing saint overnight.
Just become someone so soaked in God’s love that sin starts to lose its flavor.