Author Archives: LJones

Chapter 4 – The Insurgence of Doubt and Fear The devil’s workshop is furnished with doubt and fear.  These are the twin terrors he uses to torture our souls and slow our progress.  Normally, we keep these threats at bay, … Continue reading →

Chapter 3 – When Our Certainties Become Uncertain The spiritual delusions that form as a result of our trials cause us to question the things we thought we understood.  This doesn’t mean these things are no longer true, or that … Continue reading →

Chapter 2 – A Metaphor for Faith Painful events and ongoing trials can threaten the foundations of our faith.  We are only human, and the pathway to peace can include episodes of confusion and prolonged seasons of grief. When our … Continue reading →

Dear Morning Devotion Group – Yesterday’s entry completed our Pencil Faith series.  I am in the process of editing my blog entries into an 18 chapter book to be self-bound and given to those I meet with questions about trials.  … Continue reading →

During the season when our church family was recovering from the loss of its facility, we sojourned for three years without a permanent home.  This created immeasurable stress on our church staff since we often had to scramble at the … Continue reading →

We are made stronger as we admit our weaknesses and assume the role of clay jars, allowing God’s glory to be seen.  This presents another ironic twist in Satan’s strategy.  Not only do his attempts to defeat us drive us … Continue reading →

Once a friend of mine said, “Doesn’t the Bible say, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger?”  I’ll confess I had to look, and the answer is “no.”  Not only is the answer no, but the statement is attributed to … Continue reading →

If Satan thinks we are abnormal, he is right.  This is the nature of people with a growing faith.  They grow less normal with time.  Some might call it the “new normal”, but I think it is just our foolish … Continue reading →

How frustrated Satan must be when we circumvent normalcy.  He pushes against our certainties with fear and doubt, but the very forces he uses to break us are employed by God to make us stronger.  Without fear we would not … Continue reading →

Consider Daniel.  He established a friendship with King Darius and could have lived out his Babylonian captivity in relative ease.  When some of Darius’ royal leaders convinced the king to issue an edict effectively outlawing prayer to the Living God, … Continue reading →