There are three basic reasons you might do something you know someone wants done. 1. Authority structure. You know your boss wants you to finish writing up a report. So you do it. 2. Honor, love, or serving others. My…
Self-Righteousness = Fear of Being Wrong
There are two types of people I’ve met who are terrified of doing something wrong. First, those who know the repercussions of their mistake and don’t want to face the consequences. Second, those with an undercover or overt sense of…
Are We Scared of Sin?
I couldn’t quite decide how to start this post, so I’ll do it with a question: What is your response when blatant sin crosses your path? I’m not talking about the powers of evil here, just obvious sin. Are you…
8 Ways to Spot (and Recover From) Self-Dislike or Self-Hatred in Christians
As Christians, we have the opportunity to be the most identity-certain people in the world. We are sons and daughters of God (1 John 3:1, John 1:12, Hosea 1:10, Galatians 4:5, etc.), and so we have an anchor and an…
4 Heart Choices that Drive Away Fear and Offence
The other day, I was tempted to be offended. I don’t remember what it was even about. Offense is so easy to pick up because 1) it’s simple to be offended by any type of perceived (or real) injustice, and…
8 Ways to Not Choose Fear
As Christians, far too many of us allow ourselves to be controlled by fear. Our own fears dictate the way that we live our lives, the way we worship God, the way we run our churches, and the way we…
Overcoming Self-Righteousness
The last couple of weeks, I’ve been talking about overcoming common fears that plague many people (specifically the Fear of Men and the Fear of Failure). The more I’ve thought about these topics, and the more I’ve considered other fears…
Overcoming the Fear of Failure
I don’t know about you, but I hate failing. There’s something so final about it, even if I know I’ll just get up and keep going (what else is there to do besides give up?) Fear of failure is rooted…
Practical Ways to Overcome Fear of Men
Fear in general is rooted in perceived lack. “I’m worried that if I don’t work hard enough, I’ll lose my job, and my family won’t have anything to eat.” “What if the right people don’t get into office? I could…
Unafraid of Those Who Would Destroy Us
This morning, I was reading the second half of Matthew 10 (which is a gem of a passage). One of the verses that stood out to me is a well-known metaphor: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet…