When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People; A Book Review

 The book we’re closing February out with is a relationship book. Except, it’s about knowing when to walk away from toxic people. Recently, it seems to have resurged in popularity at my church. 

That book is…

“Your life’s calling is too important to let toxic people take it away. When to Walk Away draws from biblical and modern stories to equip you to handle toxic people in your life and live true to your God-given purpose. 

As Christians, we often feel the guilt and responsibility of meeting the needs of unhealthy people in our lives. Whether a sibling, parent, spouse, coworker, or friend, toxic people frequently seek to frustrate our life’s calling. While you’re seeking first God’s kingdom, they’re seeking first to distract your focus and delay your work. 

Instead of attempting the impossible task of mollifying toxic people, it’s time we dedicate our energy to the only worthwhile effort: completing the work God has given us by investing in reliable people. It’s only when we learn to say no to bad patterns that we can say yes to the good work God has planned for us. 

Drawing from years serving as a pastor, Gary Thomas (bestselling author of Sacred Marriage) looks at biblical examples from the lives of Jesus, Paul, and Nehemiah to give you insightful, biblical takeaways that you can apply right away. You’ll discover how to:

Learn the difference between difficult people and toxic people.

Find refuge in God when you feel under attack.

Discern when to walk away from a toxic situation

Keep a tender heart even in unhealthy relationships.

Grow your inner strength and invest in reliable people.

We can’t let others steal our joy or our mission. It’s time to strengthen our defense, learn to set healthy boundaries, and focus on our God-given purpose. It’s time to know When to Walk Away.”

Another book raised a bit of cognitive dissonance inside me when I read it in 2019. That was a year I was really struggling with burnout at times. 

Let’s get to the quotes. It’s a Kindle book, so I highlighted a lot. 

Who’s a toxic person?

“If someone is getting in the way of you becoming the person God created you to be or frustrating the work God has called you to do, for you that person is toxic.”

“The challenge is that there’s no one exhaustive definition of a toxic person. Certain traits are common: They are often ruled by selfishness and spite. They are usually draining instead of encouraging, and they use people instead of loving them. They are often seemingly addicted to self-righteous, rash judgments and thus frequently fight with people instead of enjoying and appreciating people. They may be jealous of healthy people’s peace, family, and friendships and spend much of their time and effort trying to bring people down to their level of misery rather than blessing others with joy and encouragement. They often want to control you, and it may feel as if they just want you to stop being you.”

What would Jesus do?

“Sometimes Jesus walked away from others who wanted more of him. On still other occasions, he retreated for his own refreshment and renewal or protection. The point is that Jesus didn’t let the needs, pleas, attacks, or unresponsiveness of others distract him from the mission given to him by his heavenly Father.”

“Here’s the principle that comes from that: Sometimes to follow in the footsteps of Jesus is to walk away from others or to let them walk away from us.”

“…the principle is clear: when truth is rejected, spend your time on those who will receive it instead of begging closed-hearted people to reconsider.”

“Jesus wasn’t moved by either standing ovations or jeering ridicule. He was truly Lord of his life. Neither should we allow the neediness of others or the toxicity of others to determine where, when, and how we spend our time. Neediness can be a subtle form of toxicity. Our spiritual radar goes way up when someone forcefully attacks us, but a passive-aggressive neediness can slip in unawares and steal our attention even more effectively than a full-frontal assault. If someone is trying to control you, that itself is toxic. Whether they use force or guilt, direct attack or unreasonable neediness (“You’re the only one who can help me, and you have to help me now”), it’s still all about control. Controlling someone (or letting yourself be controlled) is wrong.”

This is only 12% through the book. At the 49% mark, there’s this reminder:

“God is radically for people. He wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). As his followers, we also must be for everyone, even if we oppose what they’re doing. If we must live and work with toxic people, our call is to make sure their toxicity doesn’t become ours. We don’t treat them as they treat us. We don’t offer evil in exchange for evil. We love. We serve. We guard our hearts so that we are not poisoned by their bad example.”

Remember that the next time you post or scroll through social media.

I’ll close with this quote about why Christians are mean.

“Dallas Willard was once asked why Christians are so mean. He responded by saying that Christians tend to be mean to the degree that they value being right over being like Christ. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but we can make them that way when instead of receiving the words of Jesus and the writings of Paul as love letters from God to those who are chosen and loved, we use them as verbal weapons to wage war against people who don’t yet believe. I don’t want you to rush by that last sentence. God’s directives and “rules” in the New Testament aren’t intended to be verbal grenades that we lob at people who don’t believe. When someone doesn’t accept Jesus’ authority, we can’t expect them to listen to what the Bible teaches. When God has won over our hearts, we understand that his revealed words regarding appropriate behavior are birthed in love and ultimately given for our best interests. We won’t love God’s words until we first love God, so keep first things first. Taunting people even with the truth can become toxic in a controlling sort of way. It’s still taunting. Methods matter.”

The book deals with when others are toxic and when you’re unhealthy. 5 stars. Now I have to reread it. My reread pile is as big as my to-read pile.

Do We Look Like Jesus or the World?

 I look at my social media feeds and watch the hate and disinformation fly. I’ve heard someone say they follow Q of QaNon. That person claims to follow Jesus. 

You either follow Jesus exclusively or not at all. 

This gets to my next point in this overly-politicized time. Christians are making America an idol. It’s called Christian Nationalism.

The Church—born-again believers worldwide—are a separate nation called the Kingdom of God. We’re to be salt and light instead of just salty. 

Our mission is to get more people into that nation.

As I said in an earlier post, we’re not of this world. We’re just in it, passing through. 

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:15-17

Jesus in the Sermon of the Mount gives what some call the Constitution of the Church. Notice the keywords in Matthew 5:1-2:

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.”

Not the public, his followers. The Sermon on the Mount is for Christians.

You may say that everyone is just messing up, or it would be better to follow Jesus.

Amen to that. However, I don’t expect anyone who doesn’t follow Jesus to act like a Christian. I expect Christians to act like Christians. 

Here’s a quote from a book I’m reviewing on Friday.

“Dallas Willard was once asked why Christians are so mean. He responded by saying that Christians tend to be mean to the degree that they value being right over being like Christ. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but we can make them that way when instead of receiving the words of Jesus and the writings of Paul as love letters from God to those who are chosen and loved, we use them as verbal weapons to wage war against people who don’t yet believe. I don’t want you to rush by that last sentence. 

God’s directives and “rules” in the New Testament aren’t intended to be verbal grenades that we lob at people who don’t believe. When someone doesn’t accept Jesus’ authority, we can’t expect them to listen to what the Bible teaches. When God has won over our hearts, we understand that his revealed words regarding appropriate behavior are birthed in love and ultimately given for our best interests. We won’t love God’s words until we first love God, so keep first things first. Taunting people even with the truth can become toxic in a controlling sort of way. It’s still taunting. Methods matter.”

Don’t antagonize people purposely. It’s like Ellen Page changing their name to Elliot Page. That raised a stink. 

It doesn’t matter; call them by whatever they want to be called. The goal is to win people, not make a point. 

In the Corinthian Church, they had a guy having sex with his stepmom. They were okay with it. But they were condemning people outside the church for sin. Paul wasn’t happy. 

Why? Because while Christians are a work in progress, we still have a standard to reach. We won’t reach it until we die, but every decision is a step toward it or away. 

This guy was unrepentant, so Paul said kick him out. 

The guy repented. The Corinthians asked what to do now. In 2nd Corinthians 2, Paul said welcome him back and comfort him. Reconciliation is always the goal. 

Paul said this about the Church compared to the world: 

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

Worry less about the state of affairs in America and more about the state of affairs in the Church. Do we look like Jesus or the culture?

Because if we look like the culture, why would they bother to come to Jesus as we represent Him since they have what they want now?

Thriving in Love and Money; A Book Review

 My wife and I don’t have very many intense discussions. We rarely argue. Yet when we do, it’s the same topic.

Money.

I’m sure it’s the same for most. Enough so that Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn were asked to write this book we’ll look at today. I learned of it on the Love Like You Mean It cruise when they spoke. That book is…

“Over 90 percent of couples experience some level of tension around money. In fact, money issues are the number one stressor in relationships. So many books try to fix the surface problems, such as how to budget and what to prioritize when it comes to finances, but the issues go much deeper than just a simple spreadsheet.

How do men and women view money differently? What do most couples fight about? How can they get on the same page? What questions should men/women ask their significant others before marriage? There are emotional and spiritual components to finances that most couples ignore. How can you agree on a budget if you disagree with each other on the basic purpose of money?

Thriving in Love and Money is based on original research Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn have conducted to get to the heart of these issues. And just as they did with their bestselling books For Women Only and For Men Only, they will use this research to provide the answers and insights you need to break the tension and provide the unity you’re looking for. Let this book deepen your understanding of each other, leading to clear communication, peace as a couple, and better financial decision-making.”

I got the Kindle version, so there are 21 notes and 109 highlights. I’ll try to keep the quoting to a minimum. Let’s set the stage.

“When we have conflict around money, it’s not about the money. Otherwise, on financial issues, rich people would never fight! Instead, it’s about things under the surface that we don’t even realize are there. How money makes us feel. Insecurities and fears. How we process things—and how our spouse does.”

“Here’s the key: If you aren’t thriving in the “love” part of love and money, it will be difficult to come together enough to do the “money” part well.”

“The reason we’re trying to understand one another is not only to draw closer, but so we can: (1) build a financial cushion, and (2) talk and come together about money.”

You’ve probably heard that one person is typically the spender and the other is the saver in a relationship. It goes deeper than that. 

“One of the most basic but crucial secrets to thriving in love and money is to look for and honor the reason your spouse feels the way they do.”

There are stories in there that match what Casey and I do. One game-changer that successfully married couples do is, in the budget, they both have a set amount to spend. 

That’s their money to do what they want with. I call it our allowance or personal money. My wife Casey’s usually goes towards food. Mine is mostly comic books and regular books.  

When it’s out for the month, it’s out. Which is usually when the stress starts.

“Kyle and Shara’s solution was similar to ones we heard in multiple interviews with thriving couples. Couples who designate a pot of money that each spouse can spend however they like were much more likely to be happy in their marriage. More on that in the “what do we do about it” part of this chapter.”

“A common solution we heard is to give general freedom under a certain purchase amount, while agreeing to consult each other for purchases over that amount.”

One more quote, then I’ll go over an insight that I discussed with Casey. 

“Tip #1: Next time you’re at odds, assume there’s a reason and ask, “Is this a value thing?” Ask yourself: Is this something that matters to my spouse that I am just not seeing—or not valuing? Or maybe even, is there something here that matters to me that’s being triggered, that I might not be aware of? And more to the point: How can I understand my spouse without judging them—even if I don’t agree?”

According to their studies, men stress about providing, even if they have six-digit salaries. Women worry about keeping the family together and their relationships current.

Casey said “amen” to this.

For example, a frugal man would grill out while the wife would get takeout so they can spend time together. They’ll spend money to do it, which causes the circle of stress to continue.

In fact, women would deal with more financial stress if it meant her husband didn’t have to work as much or bring in less money.

Which is good since I have FOMO with my family. Quality time is my love language, after all, especially now that I have a son. 

If you’re arguing about money, it’s a sticky subject, or you just want to improve your marriage any way you can, get this book.

5 stars.

Why Bother Being Good?

 We know what we should do, but why bother? I bring you another exciting section from How (Not) To Be Secular on exclusive humanism’s restlessness. 

Warning: nerdy stuff ahead.

“The MMO (modern moral order) significantly ramps up our moral expectations; indeed, we’ve gone beyond the Smithian vision of self interest benefiting the whole. In a real sense, the MMO is a high calling to altruism and other-regard. However because of an inadequate appreciation for moral sources, modernity fixates on moral articulation-a fixation on more and more scrupulous codes of behavior that further and further delineate high moral expectations.”

PG 128

It reminds me of two things, one theological and the other political. There were two rules in the Garden of Eden: be fruitful and multiply, and don’t eat from that tree. Then there were 10 on Mt. Sinai that quickly became 613 over 40 years. Malachi got it to 3, and Jesus brought it down to 2.

Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. And naturally, with human nature, the man Jesus told that to tried to make it more complicated by asking who his neighbor was.

On the political side, we have the Constitution and the Bill of Rights regulating the government. The government has millions of pages regulating citizens. 

“What’s wrong with such code fixation? Well, on the one hand, there are all kinds of epistemological limitations: no code can anticipate every vagary of circumstance; no one can adequately know how to apply codes to new situations; we’re not sure what to do when codes conflict; etc.”

PG 128

We have a law, but why bother? The Apostle Paul speaks on his struggles with it in Romans 7:21-23: “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”

Continuing in the book…

“But there is a more radical critique of such code fixation that Taylor is really after: codes don’t make people care for their neighbor. In other words, codes are inadequate as moral sources precisely because they don’t touch on the dynamics of moral motivation. It was not a code or a rule that produced forgiveness in Nelson Mandela. This points up precisely what’s missing in modern moral philosophy: attention to motivation. 

“For clearly moving higher in the dimension of reconciliation and trust involves a kind of motivational conversion” (p. 707)-and no code can bring that about. So the “nomolatry” and “code fetishism” of modern liberal society are an inadequate source for morality.”

PG 128-129

Clearly, everyone should go back to church, right? 

“So we bump against the radical incompleteness of the MMO. Does that mean “religion” can sweep in and save the day? No, says Taylor. “Both sides have the virus” (p. 709). In other words, “We’re all to blame.”

The Jews had the law and kept walking away from it and God. They weren’t loyal. The Ten Commandments won’t do any good if you’re not motivated to follow them. 

Love my neighbor? He supports Trump; how could I do that? Or they voted for Biden. Or the modern unpardonable sin, they disagreed with me. 

To even be motivated requires not a carrot or a stick but a new heart. 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27

That’s the New Covenant when you put your believing loyalty in Jesus. You turn from your ways, ask forgiveness, and give your allegiance to Him. In turn, the Spirit of God starts to transform your heart and leads you. 

The closer you follow Jesus, the less likely you’ll wander too far. That’s where the motivation comes from—thankfulness for the one who rescued you.

For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women; A Book Review

 Okay, guys, I know men don’t tend to read, but this book is a companion to last week’s book, and it’s made for you. It says so in the title. 

If you want to understand your wife or girlfriend, read this book. And if you’re lazy, it even has a quick start guide to give you the Cliff Notes.

For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women

“Finally‒You “Can” Understand Her!

Women: Complicated and impossible to understand? Do you love and want to please the woman in your life, but just can’t seem to figure her out? That was before “For Men Only.” Now at your fingertips is the tool that will unlock the secret to her mysterious ways. Through hundreds of interviews and the results of a scientific national survey of women, this book demonstrates that women are actually not random and that they really can be systematized and “mapped.” In fact, much to men’s delight, this book shows that women are actually quite easy to understand and please‒as long as you know what it is they need. This simple map will guide you to loving your wife or girlfriend in the way she needs to be loved.

The bestselling author of “For Women Only” teams with her husband to offer men the key to unlocking women’s mysterious ways. Through Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn’s national scientific survey and hundreds of interviews, “For Men Only” reveals what you can do today to improve your relationship. And believe it or not, as Jeff assures men, “It’s not splitting the atom.”

Like before, we’ll look at what we understand and what it means in practice. 

1: Women need to feel loved, which means in practice that even in a great relationship, she needs to know that your “I do” means “I still do.” I suspect this is why Casey wants to renew our vows one day.

2: Women are emotional. In practice, they deal with multiple thoughts and emotions from past and present simultaneously, like an internet browser with 30 tabs open, and they can’t close any of them.

3: Women are impossible to figure out. Actually, the behavior that confuses you most is often signaling a need she is asking you to meet.

4: Women want security, in other words, financial security. It’s actually emotional security and closeness with you that she needs. She’ll deal with less money if it means more time with you. 

5: Women want you to listen, not to fix their problems. When she shares an emotional issue, her feelings and desire to be heard are much more important than the problem itself. 

6: Women don’t want sex much‒which means she doesn’t want me. In practice, physically, they tend to crave it less, but it isn’t related to her man’s desirability…usually. 

7: Women want to look attractive. Why? Because inside your smart, secure wife lives a little girl who deeply needs to know that you find her beautiful‒and that you only have eyes for her. 

8: Have you seen the meme where the woman and man are in bed with their backs turned towards each other? She’s looking over her shoulder at him, thinking, “I bet he’s thinking of _____________.”

He’s staring at the wall, thinking of something completely different. 

Apparently, our silence triggers our ladies. They can sense unspoken conflict and can jump to conclusions when we’re more withdrawn than usual. 

The women surveyed said it makes a difference when a guy sees the misunderstanding for what it is and reassures her. For example, “I’m not mad, don’t worry. Just concerned about work.”

That’s a freebie. It really is a good book. 5 stars and it did help me understand Casey better. 

Get it.

Jesus Isn’t For America

 The first week of January was crazy and enlightening. If anyone doubted the cult status of Trump, they didn’t after. Even leading evangelicals doubled down on support, and it reflects on Jesus. 

It’s bad enough that evangelical Christians are a voting block, even though they’re not all born-again Christians but cultural Christians. We all get painted with the same brush.

Then there is the idolatry that is Trump worship or nationalism taking over people’s lives. It made one friend state they were walking away from God because of these Christian leaders. 

It reminded me of Peter asking Jesus about John. 

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is it to you? You must follow me.” John 21:20-22

What is it to you? You must follow me.

Does that mean we say nothing? First, we have to remove the speck from our eye. If you’ve pre-judged any of the other sides and haven’t said anything about your side, don’t speak. 

In evaluating issues, I like what Peter Kreeft said about Jesus in politics. Jesus is the measuring rod, the center, and human agendas and parties are left or right of Him. He doesn’t conform to them; they must conform to Him. 

Jesus isn’t for America. He’s for the Kingdom of God.

Jesus isn’t a Democrat. He isn’t a Republican. 

Jesus is the King, the Lord of Lords. If you claim to follow Him, then the Sermon on the Mount is your Constitution. Take up your cross and follow Him. Don’t worry about the other’s not acting right. 

You do right. 

If we do that right, then we’ll be salt and light. Then the next time someone sees a Jesus 2020 flag at a riot, they won’t say, “I knew Christians were just like us.”

They’ll say that person isn’t representing Jesus. 

I’ll paraphrase what one of my pastors said the weekend after the riots from my notes and the notes of my friend Brian’s as well.

Don’t ever assume we have godly leaders. Corrupt systems shouldn’t be our hope. Spoiler alert, any system invented by man is corrupt or will be soon. 

Both sides reach for more power, and when the other side gets into power, they don’t give the power back. They reach for more. 

If we align ourselves with evil, it will become more and more attractive. If we compromise to get what we want, then that compromise will be stronger than the desire. And if the person or structure/system we compromise is evil, then we have given evil a foothold in our life. 

Jesus called out people’s sin and religious people’s sin. The prophets in the Old Testament made a job of it. 

They usually weren’t popular. The kings had their own prophets, and God had his. Isaiah was a prophet of the king and the King, until a bad king took the throne. Then Isaiah’s speaking truth got him sawed in half. 

John the Baptist challenged the immorality of King Herod and was beheaded. None of the Jewish religious leaders said a word. 

Why? Because it was the Herod Dynasty that put that particular bunch into power.

I’ll close with the personal application question we were asked. Where in my life have I remained silent because of the opportunities I gain by staying silent?

Where have you compromised?

For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men; A Book Review

 Since it’s February, I thought I would review some relationship books. Most of them will be by the same person, Shaunti Feldhahn, an analyst who does statistical surveys to crunch the numbers.

That makes my Type 5 heart proud. 

The first book is from a pair I got from a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember marriage conference. I shouldn’t have read it. I broke the rules.

It’s titled…

For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men

“In For Women Only, Evangelical Christian author, Shaunti Feldhahn reveals what every woman‒single or married‒needs to know. Based on rigorous research with thousands of men, Shaunti delivers one revelation after another, including:

– Why your respect means more to him than your love.

– How he feels deep inside about his role as provider.

– What it means for a man to be so visually “wired.”

– Why sex for him is primarily emotional, not physical.

– What he most wishes he could say to you.”

If you want to figure out your man, read this book. I read it because I wanted to see if Shaunti was a quack. 

It was eye-opening, putting to words what I’ve never been able to. 

I have the hard copy, so no notes besides what I type. I will tell you the eight revelations and what Shaunti says are women’s surface understanding and what that means in practice. 

1: “Men need respect.” In practice, the surveys found that men would rather feel unloved than inadequate and disrespected. 

2: “Men are insecure.” The survey said, “Despite their “in control” exterior, men often feel like impostors and are insecure that their inadequacies will be discovered.” True for me.

3: “Men avoid issues by checking out.” Actually, “Men address issues by first pulling away to process and think–so they can better talk about them later.”

4: “Men are providers.” In practice, the surveys found that even if you’re the breadwinner and live comfortably, men still feel the mental burden to provide. 

5: “Men want more sex.” Survey says…”Your sexual desire for your husband profoundly affects his sense of well-being and confidence in all areas of his life.”

6: “Men are visual.” It’s a fact that even happily-married-men struggle with being pulled toward live and recollected images of other women. They don’t go away, and they’ll just pop up in our mind’s eyes. 

7: “Men are unromantic.” We do want romance and enjoy it. We just hesitate because we doubt we can succeed. Who can live up to those romance novels?

8: “Men care about appearance.” I’m a little worried to type this quote…”You don’t need to be a size 3, but your man does need to see you making the effort to take care of yourself and he will take on significant cost or inconvenience to support you.”

Shaunti unpacks it and gives you application points to help your relationships. I give it 5 stars and recommend it. 

In my next review, we’re taking a look at the ladies in her other book, For Men Only.

Where Has The Magic Gone?

 A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post that mentioned a flat world. I’m not talking about literally, but spiritually. Our spiritual topography looks like Kansas since we’ve taken the magic out of it. 

We disenchant reflexively but hunger for the magic again. During Christmas, I told my six-month-old son about Santa. Then I took the magic out of it in the next sentence on pure reflex. 

Santa is based on a combination of stories and people. St. Nicholaus with a bit of Odin and some other tales. 

Why did I do that?

I don’t know. With our greater knowledge, we disregard any magic, or anything more. 

Not always, though. The desire for something more is out there and it gets people into trouble.

My wife likes the ghost hunter shows. I just read a book called Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts. In my journal, I wrote this the day I started it: “This book on demons and ghosts in the modern day is captivating and scary. Our world is disenchanted so it’s hard to imagine it, even for religious types. It’s woven through our worldview yet we don’t think about it. The “other.” The spiritual.

Seriously. Our theology is bullet points and boring.

• God made everything and man.
• Man messed up.
• Jesus died for our sins so we can go to Heaven. The end.

God created two worlds, the spiritual and the natural, an upper story mansion and a lower story thatch hut. There was a rebellion in the spiritual realm, which led to a rebellion here where the two worlds met in Eden’s Garden. 

Darkness spread across the land as evil men and evil spirits did what they wanted. Some evil spirits were so bad they were already tossed in the Abyss after taking human lovers and producing offspring. 

Then God appointed some of his higher ranking entities to oversee different nations. They became their gods, and the rebellion continued. 

When countries went to war, it was a battle of the gods. The spiritual is always tied to the natural in some way. 

As the offspring of the spirit beings and humans died, they became demons. 

Then came God the Son, incarnated as Jesus. God walked the earth and took on the powers of spiritual darkness. On the cross, he built the bridge between God and Man. 

It’s more than just getting sins forgiven and going to Heaven. It’s choosing the world or God’s kingdom. Anything that isn’t part of God’s kingdom is corrupted in some way. 

Jesus ascended, and the Holy Spirit came down to indwell the followers of Jesus, marking them for God and making them more like Jesus. 

What did Jesus do? Pushed back against evil and corruption as a force for good. It wasn’t even always glamorous. He cried with Mary, he fed people, made wine for a wedding, and befriended outcasts, a blend of the mundane and the miraculous.

He also brought back the dead, exorcised demons, and faced the original rebel from the Garden. He challenged religious leaders, kings, and the largest empire of the time. 

It didn’t end when the last Apostle died. Demons and other powers of darkness didn’t go on an extended vacation. 

As this story covered by a local news outlet that the book mentioned will confirm: https://katv.com/news/local/i-could-see-the-demons-an-exorcism-in-arkansas

People like to dabble in it or jump feet first into it. I’ve begun taking it more seriously when I see these accounts on my Facebook or covered by less sensationalist sources. 

If the Bible is true, then Christians have to stop seeing the world as spiritually flat and embrace the big story we’re involved in. Not just going on about your day, but involved in a cosmic war.