Naaman was an influential man and highly respected. He had made a name for himself—or so he thought—in spite of a shameful and debilitating disease. I can relate to Naaman in that way. I too was respected for my accomplishments. Many affirmed me for … [Read more...]

Making Surrender Your Last Resort Naaman was the commander of a large army. But even though he was a powerful soldier, he suffered from leprosy, a painful skin disease. Naaman traveled to receive healing from the prophet Elisha. Yet he balked at … [Read more...]

Every journey begins with a destination in mind. That destination determines how we plan for the trip. And with any good plan, we should anticipate the challenges we may face. Imagine you’re planning a hiking and camping trip in the mountains. While … [Read more...]

Deadly mindset #3 is a close cousin to the deadly mindset of blaming. I’m calling this mindset re-naming, but a more familiar word is rationalization. When we rationalize our behaviors, we acknowledge that we did them but then justify our actions … [Read more...]

There is a huge difference between shame and conviction. Conviction is when we are made to see our sin for what it is. Shame is when we are more consumed with our “badness” than our sin. It is simply another form of self-obsession, and that is the … [Read more...]