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Category: Religion

30 Days of Faith: Are We All Going To Hell? (Day 6)

So, I was listening to Cliffe Knecthle, a pastor and apologist speak on the question, “are we all going to Hell?” I have to admit, I wasn’t happy with his answer, which you can see here.

Don’t get me wrong, what he said was correct, however, I feel that it was also incomplete because while it answered the question, it didn’t give the full answer that a person seeking Christ would need to understand, (or even an existing believer who simply doesn’t know).

So this post today is to answer the question, are we all going to Hell, in a biblical way, and I hope it makes sense.

Warning: This is a topic that stirs a lot of emotions, so please read all the way through before rebutting. I promise you it will make sense by the time you finish,

So, the first thing you need to understand is that nobody goes to hell because of sin – we are all, **already** on our way to hell — I know. That’s a very bold statement.

Does you know John 3:16? – “for God so love the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life?“

Most people do. It’s probably the most common verse that kids memorize, but have you read versed 16 and 17?

They say, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes is not condemned, but he that does not believe is *condemned already** because he didn’t believe in the name of the only Begotten Son of God.“

You get that? We are condemned – already.

See, the path of condemnation was set long ago before any of us were born because sin entered the world and it infected every human being that was ever born and that will ever be born.

Put another way, we are not born into the land of the living on our way to the dying. We are born into the land of the dying on our way to the land of the living – eternity.

And the proof that we are in the land of the dying is that we will die. Nobody gets out of this life alive. We do not have forever in this life.

We will in the next, but not this one, and because of circumstances beyond any of us, all roads lead to Hell unless we choose to believe in the name of Jesus Christ.

Because sin entered the world, it corrupted our natural state, so we aren’t born good – we are born innocent.

But because we have a sin nature – that is, the inclination and proclivity to sin, our state of being is unacceptable for admittance into heaven.

Put another way, not all of us are as bad as we can be, but by default, all of us have been bad enough that we cannot be perfected in the eyes of God without help.

So, how do we become perfect? Where does the help come from that we need in order to be seen as righteous before God?

Enter, Jesus Christ.

The work that Jesus did on the earth did something amazing- it paid the eternal sin debt that was that was hanging over our heads.

Now, I won’t quote all of it, but if you read Romans 5: verses 12-19, it begins, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned“.

That was speaking of Adam and the sin in the garden. Notice that it says sin caused death, and death was passed to all man (mankind). So sin was inherited, like a genetic disease.

But when you continue to read, verse 19 says, “For as by one man’s disobedience (speaking of Adam) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.“

That’s speaking of Jesus Christ.

His life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, did something amazing – it paid the debt owed by mankind to God, and then it reconciled us to God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19, says “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.“

What Jesus did was free us from sin and death, so we can be reconciled to God. Sin drove a wedge between us and God.

And if you want to know why hell is eternal? It’s because God is eternal, and sin is an eternal crime against an eternal God, so the judgement must also be eternal.

The good news is Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.“

And the moment we accept Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit in us. For reference, Corinthians 12:13, Romans 8:9, and Ephesian 1:13-14.

And after we have received Christ, Jesus begins working in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we become more Christ-like.

In fact, He gives us a new identity – the bible calls believers saints, not sinners. Beloved and not enemies. Sons and daughters, not strangers.

So, to answer the question, does everyone go to hell if they aren’t saved? Yes. But it’s not because we’re bad or wicked or evil.

It’s because we’re already on our way to hell unless we accept Christ as our Lord and savior — which He offers as a free gift, by the way.

On more thing…

If you’re yet a believer in Christ and would like to know more, there’s a great resource you should check out where you can get to know all about Jesus, His work, and salvation.

Click here >>

September 24, 2025
30 Days of Faith: Don’t Worry. Be… Joyous? (Day 5)
I draft out my posts, when possible, days ahead of time, and I drafted out two – this one on worry and joy, and another on heavenly places last week., and another on know, I know! That’s not how the song goes. But here’s the thing – joy is far better than happy.

I know that’s easy to say, so I’ll show you. This is this post that I’m writing now, (notice the last modified date).

And this is the second one I mentioned. Similarly, look at the last modified date.

The last week has been very eventful. A lot has happened, good and bad, and I’m glad that I didn’t post these back then when I wanted to because God has an interesting sense of timing, and the context of what I would have written changed, because we’re all coming from a different perspective.

I was actually feeling guilty that I didn’t post, because for me this is day #14 of my 30 Days of Faith, and everyone else who was looking forward to the series is only now getting Day #5, but I believe now there was purpose in it.

Let’s talk about worry…

For a lot of people, they would be joyous if there wasn’t so much to worry about. Life has a way of creeping in and filling our spaces with sicknesses, financial obligations, adversarial people, tragedy, and all kinds of situations and circumstances that not only distract us, but demand and command our attention, and robs us of our focus.

And as soon as we think we’ve got a handle on things, there is sure to be something else, and there is always something else.

So, how do you stop worrying?

There was a very timely sermon from Tony Evans today that I want to share, but before I do I want to share two very important principles that will help you to not worry, but also empower you in a way that affects your whole life.

Principle 1: Worry Is A Sin.

I know that’s a strong statement to make but it really is. Over and over again in the bible we are warned to not worry because God will provide and keep His promises.

Matthew 6:25 tells us not to worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body. And then in verse 34 of that same chapter it says do not worry about tomorrow.

In Luke 12:24-28, we’re told to consider the ravens and the flowers, how they never have to toil and God provides.

Throughout the bible, the solution for worry is to trust God, and worrying shows that we don’t trust God to keep His promises, but more than that, it means that we were looking to someone or something else for our provision.

And when you look to anything else for provision, that is idolatry. So for me, worry is rooted in sin, and I repent of it.

Now, that leads to the second principle.

Principle 2: Who Is Your Source?

If you really understand this principle, it will change the direction of your future. Now that you know worry is a sin the next question is, how do you stop from worrying? Because as we said, life keeps coming and there’s always something else.

Here it is – Don’t just trust God to provide; Make God your only source.

Put God in a position to where He’s the first person you ask, and give Him the final say in everything you do. Make Him the highest and ultimate authority.

When you make God your only source for everything; when you structure your life so that God is over everything like finances, health, relationships, and everything else – everything and everyone else becomes a resource that God uses to fulfill His promises and provides.

Suddenly, your boss at work can’t hold your paycheck over your head because your job and your boss isn’t the source of your income. God is. He’s just using the job and your boss to provide.

When you’re sick, a diagnosis can’t be held over your head because the doctors and the hospital aren’t your source of health. God is. He’s just using the hospital and the doctors to provide.

Understand that when you put Jesus Christ as the first and last authority in your life, if the Father says yes, then the world can’t say no, because they do not have the final say. God does, and if you’re living in such a way that you’re in alignment with Christ, the Lord will provide.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are concerns that we will have, but those concerns will never escalate and become worries because you have a heavenly Father that always keeps His word. So believe Him, and live out that belief.

That is what we call faith – believing God. Or, as once was said by Tony Evans, “faith is acting as if it is so, even if it’s not so, in order that it might be so, simply because God said so“.

Stop worrying.

An Exercise To Help With Worry.

Now, it’s one thing to say worry is a sin, and it’s one thing to make God your source, but how do you actually deal with worry?

One thing about me people notice is that I don’t worry about anything, ever… at all, and the thing that helped me to stop were the two principles I just shared, and a simple exercise that I created for myself.

Basically, what I do is:
- I pray to make sure I’m confessed and repented so that my sin doesn’t interfere with the relationship between me and Jesus. Sin gets in the way of that relationship so I want to make sure there is no personal sin that I haven’t dealt with.
- I take out a piece of paper and I make a list of all of my problems; the troubles I’m facing, the challenges I have, and everything that is a concern., and then I make a list of my problems.
- Once I’ve made my initial list, I take each item on the list and I write down things I think I can do to solve it. I really think here and put some effort into it.
- Then, when I’m done with that, I pray over the list, asking God what He wants me to.
- Then I make a list for each item about what I can do. Then I pray over the list and ask God to show me what He wants me to do.
Sometimes the answer is on the list, sometimes it’s not, but whatever God says to do, I do, and if there is nothing I can do about it, I turn it over to Him, and I put it out of my mind. I trust God to take care of it.

That way, I’m never thinking about problems. I always have something to do and I’m always trusting God above all.

Now, the reason for me making a list and writing everything down is because one of my worry triggers was having too much in my head to think about. It was exhausting and many times left me more confused and frustrated than the problem itself.

Making the list was my way of getting the noise out of my head so I could focus and think clearly, and at the end of the exercise it brought me peace because there were no “what if” or “what about”-type thoughts remaining. So, spend some time brainstorming on that solutions step where you think about everything you can do.

The more time you spend there, the less of those kinds of thoughts you have.

Sermon Time

As I said, Tony Evans has a timely sermon this morning, and I was quite happy with it because it was on this topic, and honestly, that’s one of the reasons I knew that today was the right day to resume writing.
September 14, 2025
30 Days of Faith: The Company You Keep (Day 4)

So far in this series, I’ve talked a lot about how to put God first, the roles of the Holy Spirit, and abiding in Christ, but there’s something else that’s equally important – the company you keep.

There’s a saying, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with“. Many people have quoted it, (though I think Jim Rohn first said it), and it’s something that’s actually taught in circles like business, marketing, and self-improvement.

But did you know that it’s actually a biblical principle that’s echoed throughout the entire bible?

From the very first book, in Genesis 12:1, when God called Abram (Abraham) out from the land of his people to go to a new land to create a new people, to the last, all the way to Revelation 18:4 when John hears the call of heaven for God’s people to separate themselves from the world to save those people from being caught up in judgement, the Lord has always been particular about believers separating themselves from influence of the world.

God is always protective of His own and He teaches us to not only separate ourselves, but blesses us when we do.

Psalm 1:1 – “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.“

Proverbs 13:20 – “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.“

2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.‘”

Ephesians 5:11 – “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.“

There are at least a dozen verses from Old Testament to New that not only instruct us to separate from the world, but be weary of it, because there will be scoffers and mockers, and worse, people who deliberately try to subvert our faith by sowing dissention and subtle lies, trying to twist meanings.

For example:

Matthew 7:15 – “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’’ clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” This is Jesus’ most clear warning about the hidden dangers of letting such people in.

Matthew 16:6 – “Be careful… Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” This is warning about false teaching and it spreads subtly but pervasively.

Acts 20:29-30 Paul soberingly warns the church that “Savage wolves will come in among you… Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.“

If you read 2 Peter with me yesterday, then you will remember 2 Peter 2:1-2 “There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies … Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.“

So, why does God give us so many warnings?

The answer goes back to the quote at the very beginning – “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with“.

At it’s heart, the warning is about influence. The people you spend the most time with will influence how you think and behave. You’ll eventually adopt their attitudes and their behaviors. You’ll be desensitized to the things they tolerate and surround themselves with.

It’s why your parents probably warned you about hanging with the wrong crowd… and if you’re a parent, why you probably warn your kids about the same thing.

God is a Father, and when we became saved, we became His adopted kids, (Galatians 4:5, Romans 8:15), so He’s doing the same with us – warning us about influence.

He’s telling us to don’t be like them, don’t think like them, don’t act like them, don’t mix with them.

And he’s warning us to be on the lookout for those who are deliberately trying to lead us astray.

Today’s scripture is the book of Jude. It’s a short book but a powerful one in which Jude, (James’ brother – yes, that James, also Jesus’ half-brother), writes in Jude 1:4 “For certain men have crept in among you unawares (unnoticed) – ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.“

His point is that they look like us, and talk like us, and dance like us, and sing and pray like us. They dress like us too, and know the bible well.

But they are not of us and if we don’t surround ourselves with fellow believers, then the world will swallow us whole and snuff out our faith, even having us believing lies.

So pick your circle very carefully. I highly suggest you pick four people, because the first person you choose should be Jesus, and you just abide in Him as often as possible.

In fact, if you go to Jesus first, and give Him the final say in everything you do, your life would be 1,000% better than if you consulted Him last, or not at all.

September 4, 2025
30 Days of Faith: Living In The Shoebox (Day 3)

Today, I started the day late. Like, 2 hours late. I went to work where I was playing catch up all day, (still didn’t catch up), but I lost track of time and worked far later than expected.

That’s when it hit me that I didn’t have time to do everything. I had to work out, (I’m on a health journey), I had music lessons, (I’m learning guitar), I had Spanish lessons, (I’m learning a second language), I needed to water the garden, (no sprinklers so I have to do it by hand)…

And then? Ah! I didn’t set aside any extra time to spend with the Lord today. I didn’t read any today yet, I haven’t prayed as I should, and oh yeah! I still have to write a blog post.

I felt time slipping and it seemed like every time I looked at the clock it was like it was speeding up.

Welcome to life as a believer! lol. If anyone told you that all of your problems will go away, they lied.

In my faith walk I’ve found that life still happens, but you know what I’m not doing? I’m not stressing out, I’m not worrying, and I’m not anxious.

In fact, even though my day is hectic and I’ll be up late working and catching up, my day is actually easier because I’m not alone.

In yesterday’s post I talk about entering a relationship with God and I spent some time talking about the Holy Spirit, and His many roles.

I’ve found that my day goes by a lot easier because He’s with me, and I’m not stressing out about missing time with God because I’m always spending time with God.

A lot of believers tend to meet up with God on Sundays, or Wednesday nights, but the truth is that while those are great, it’s during the week that we need God the most.

A not-so-common term I learned years ago is shoebox living.

If you buy a new pair of shoes they come in a new box, right? Well, a lot of Christians tend to live out their faith like the pair of dress or designer shoes – they put it on and take it off for special occasions. They go to church on Sunday mornings, or the Wednesday night groups… maybe even the special church event on the odd day.

But in reality, we’re more like the shoebox. We have this new life inside of us and it’s shiny and new, but on the outside, we still have to live outside of church, and groups, and special events. We still have to get up and go to work, pay bills, put up with coworkers we don’t like – sit in traffic. Ugh!

So how do you live in the shoebox of life? It’s simple actually, and I’ve already hinted at it.

We’re supposed to abide in Christ. I’ll take the time to write these verses out.

John 15:4-5 – “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:7 – “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.“

1 John 2:28 – “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.“

1 John 4:13 – “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

Galatians 5:25 – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.“

To abide means that you continue in whatever it is; you keep doing it. You hang out there, you live there, you sit in it and you soak up the surrounding.

That’s how you’re supposed to live life as a believer.

What it means is, when you do go to church on Sundays, and Wednesdays, and the special meetings, it’s not to meet with Christ that week. You should already be with Him all week long.

Prayer, isn’t ritual. It’s meaningful, relational communication with God. So as you’re going about your day, you should be talking to God. Asking His opinion, seeking His input, meditating on the Word, giving Him praise, thanking Him…

In other words, you should be building a relationship with Him. And don’t be too surprised when you feel the Spirit moving and God starts working in your life.

Now, today’s scripture is 2 Peter.

When Peter wrote this letter, he knew he was going to die soon, and his main concern was that the church would forget the teachings of Jesus Christ and be led astray into false teachings.

He gave warnings about abiding in scripture and rejecting scripture, because even then, even while the disciples and apostles were still alive, there were those who were trying to discredit Paul, just because they didn’t like what he had to say, or couldn’t understand what he wrote.

If I were to pass on a lesson, it would be the same as I have been – stay in the Word. Abide in the Spirit.

Don’t let the only time you meet with God be like new shoes, but rather let it be like the shoebox.

September 3, 2025
30 Days of Faith: The Relationship For A Lifetime, And All Eternity (Day 2)
When I first became a believer in Christ, (1992), I didn’t think much about things like spiritual maturity, or walking in the Spirit, or living by faith. I didn’t know what any of those things were. Al I knew at that point was that I was saved and I was going to heaven when I died, and that I should try to live a moral life.

That entailed reading my bible, going to church, praying, and generally being nice to others.

Nobody ever sat me down and said, “Dexter, now that you’re saved this is how a believer is supposed to live“. Nobody explained who God was beyond He made me and loves me and sent His Son to die for me – bible stories.

Nobody explained to me that when I believed I was indwelled with the Holy Spirit and because of that, I’m going to start to feel guilty about my sins. Nobody ever explained how to respond to conviction by the Holy Spirit either.

But the thing that, looking back, I wished people taught me was how to build a relationship with God. That would have been helpful and would have saved me years and years of backsliding and being a prodigal.

Before I get into the scripture that I read today, (1 Peter by the way), I wanted to take this opportunity to teach you what was never taught to me – how to enter a relationship with God.

Because, it’s the most important relationship you’ll ever have, and as the title says, it’s THE relationship for a lifetime, and all eternity.

The first step, of course, is to actually become a believer. If you’re not and would like to know more about that, click here now (opens in a new window).

Created by Tony Evans, it will answer many of the questions you may have about Jesus, as well as lead you into prayer and become a Christian, and I hope you take the time to at least learn about the faith from people of faith.

That said, when you first accept Christ, something powerful happens. A lot of things happen actually, (which goes beyond the scope of this post), but there is one thing in particular that’s important.

That is, you receive the Holy Spirit inside you, in what the bible calls your “inner man”, (See Ephesians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 4:16, and Romans 7:22).

Receiving the Holy Spirit is a very big deal, and He brings a lot with Him into your life, including spiritual gifts. And, He has many roles which will become evident in future posts and in my book. For now though, here are three of the roles in your life as a believer.
1. He is our helper – John 14:16 says He will be with us forever, John 14:26 says He will teach us all things and bring to memory all that Jesus said, and John 15:26 says He will testify of Jesus.
2. He intercedes for us – Romans 8:26 says He helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us.
3. He empowers us -Repeatedly, the bible says that Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Luke 4:1, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and led. Luke 4:14, He returned in the power of Holy Spirit. In Acts 10:38 God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit.
  
  Over and over again, it’s made clear that the Holy Spirit empowers Jesus, and it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that He was able to live a sinless life and do miracles.
Now… what does any of this have to do with relationship with God?

It’s simple. When you first become a believer and receive the Holy Spirit, your entire relationship with God hinges on how you relate to and utilize the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit connects you to heaven and the heavenly kingdom, of which you are a citizen. Everything that the Holy Spirit did for Jesus Christ, He can do for you.

He translates your prayers, He brings peace, He empowers you, He comforts you, He teaches you, He guides you and leads you, and so much more. Your entire relationship with God is only possible because of the Holy Spirit, and as you just read, He will be with you forever.

So, if you want to have a meaningful relationship with God, you must learn to operate in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, view the would through the spiritual lens.

But here’s the kicker – the Holy Spirit only operates when you’re in alignment with Jesus.

Meaning, you can’t just carry on with your old life like before because you’re not just living for yourself anymore, and you’re not alone – you have the Holy Spirit with you and in you.

His job is to help you with everything you need from the kingdom.

For example, when the Lord talks to you, it’s often through the Holy Spirit, or when you’re reading the bible, the Holy Spirit turns the words you’re reading into the living word and makes it applicable to your situation, and so much more.

I could write a book just about the Holy Spirit. There’s so much to teach, and it’s one of those things that many believers never hear about.

So, in lieu of this blog post turning into a book, let me leave you with this.

The best thing you can do once you become saved is to consciously be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, especially as you pray and read the bible.

Now, you’re still praying to the Father, in Jesus’ name, but it’s through the Holy Spirit; He is the one that facilitates the entire relationship.

That said, today I read 1 Peter.

Peter, like a lot of believers had a kind of slow start in his faith walk, and he stumbled a time or two, once or twice quite spectacularly, but once he found his footing and came fully into faith? Man he became a rockstar for the kingdom of God.

If you’re interested in learning about the goodness of God, and how you should live to the fullest in Christ, Peter is the man you want to read. Those are some hard-earned lessons and great wisdom.
September 2, 2025
30 Days of Faith: Putting God First (Day 1)
In the recent weeks, spiritual maturity has been a recurring theme for me. It’s been part of sermons I’ve listened to, verses I’ve read, and a topic I’ve prayed about recently.

It’s been on my mind quite a bit, and I guess it’s because, even as I’m writing a layman’s book on discipleship, I’m not exactly happy with my own spiritual maturity.

For the past 7 years I’ve lived like a disciple and have made some incredible growth spiritually, to the point that many of my friends call me “advanced” in my faith. I guess they’re right in comparison, but there’s the thing.

I might be further along on my journey, but I’m no different than any of them. I still stumble from time to time, and I still face temptations like everyone else, and, to my shame, I’m not always successful in fleeing them.

In those times I have to pray, ask forgiveness, and repent too, and I know I’m maturing spiritually because the time between sins continue to increase. I go longer and longer without sinning, and my response time to sin, from when I sin and when I ask forgiveness and repent becomes shorter and shorter.

In fact, many of them are immediate.

And for most believers that’s enough, but it’s not for me. I want more of God and I want my faith to grow even more and more. If faith is like a mustard seed, then to me, I have a small sapling, and I want a tree that birds can nest in.

Right now I feel like I’m at a plateau and I’m just stuck. That’s what I’ve been dealing with lately in my faith walk, and what I’ve been praying about – and God answered me!

He said, “If faith comes by hearing the Word, how often are you listening?“

Of course, that’s Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

You know, sometimes God has a way of giving you, “duh” answers, meaning you should have already known, and I should have because that’s one of the scripture verses that was on my list to memorize.

Upon receiving that answer I knew exactly what I needed to do – spend more time in the word daily.

And, because everyone needs accountability, I decided to write a blog post every day for the month of September reflecting on the day’s time in prayer and reading, and share any insights I receive, (that I feel isn’t specifically for me).

I say that because after 7 years living as a disciple, one thing that I’ve learned is that not everything the Lord reveals to you is for the world. Sometimes it’s just for you and your situation.

That said, this is what I did on day 1 of my 30 days of faith journey.
1. I read the book of James. It’s not a really big book, but James 1 and 2 have frequently come up in sermons I’ve been listening to so it was on my list to read.
  
  Of course, when it comes to wanting to grow your faith, James is all about growing your faith and living in line with Jesus Christ. Chapter 1 is about the character of a person of faith that faith should produce results.
  
  Chapter 2 is about partiality, (treating others differently based on worldly criteria, and our works proving faith. Chapter 3 is about self control, especially of the tongue, and seeking and operating in wisdom.
  
  Chapter 4 is about the things we should avoid in this life as far as behavior. And Chapter 5 is about stewardship and how we manage the things that God entrusts to us.
  
  All in all, if you want to grow in faith, the book of James is one of the better books to teach you how to live out your faith, and it was a good start for me.
2. Praise. Once you get into the Word and it really gets down in you, don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming or singing. I found myself doing that and I thought that a good way for me to say focused on the Lord, (abide in Christ, according to Romans 8:1 and 2 Corinthians 5:17) was to just listen to Christian music.
  
  But not any Christian music. It had to be biblically sound and scripturally focused. It was on that journey that I found a group called Holy Groove, and their thing is singing scripture as if they were blues songs. At first I wasn’t sure, but after listening? I love it.
That was basically my 1st day. I’m writing this on the 2nd, but this was September 1st, 2025, but I’m writing this on the 2nd and backdating it. I’ll write another today at the end of the day.

I wish I had some big or insightful lesson to pass on, but the truth is simple – I’m doing this as a kind of challenge, but this is how we’re supposed to live every day.

We’re supposed to just hang out with God in His Word, pray, maybe sing some praises, and build a relationship with Him – and listen.

God’s not an ATM machine, you know? What’s the point of praying and asking if we don’t stick around and listen?

Anyway, I’ve shared the video from Holy Groove below. I hope you enjoy.

PS: Are you interested in taking the challenge too? Leave a comment below and let me know. Whether start on the 1st or the 21st, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you spend time with Him, and put Him first.
September 1, 2025
No. Jesus Was Not A Buddhist Monk

Every few years or so, a new article pops up around a BBC documentary claiming that Jesus was a Buddhist monk, and it’s starting to make the rounds again on social media.

I think it’s time I address the question.

Did you know, that you can download this article as PDF for free? If you gotta go, or would rather read it later, you can! It’s a great reference too!

Was Jesus A Buddhist Monk?

After watching the documentary, I have to admit that yes, it is intriguing, and a great exercise in thought. The BBC put in a lot of work to use similarities between what Jesus believed and what Buddhists believe, and even a bit of history between them to tie the narrative together, but it’s total nonsense.

People say it’s controversial, but it’s really not.

It’s only controversial to people who don’t know the truth of what they believe.

If we compare, Jesus vs Buddhism, the similarities, (for example, forgiveness), are all superficial at best.

When we get down to the meat of it, the fundamentals, what Jesus believed and what Buddhism teaches are incompatible.

In fact, Buddhism would have rejected Jesus, and Jesus rejected Buddhism on their core beliefs alone.

Here’s what I mean.

Jesus called himself God, (as part of the Triune God), that saves, but Buddhism is largely non-theistic in that no deity can “save” a person.

Buddhism also rejects the notion of a Creator that provides value for the world.

This means that Buddhism would have to categorically reject Jesus from even starting the path to becoming a monk, because not only did He identify Himself as God, but He identified as the Son of the Godhead who is the Creator and moral lawgiver for all of creation.

And just as Buddhism would have had to reject Jesus, Jesus would have rejected Buddhism.

Buddhism, while it is non-theistic in the saving role of God, it is a polytheistic faith.

On top of that, Buddhists believe that there is more than one path to enlightenment, which is actually an internal fight in Buddhism, because there are many forms of practice and they all disagree which one leads to Nirvana.

Jesus would have rejected Buddhism because polytheism is idolatry and if God brought judgement on His own people for that, why would He embrace it and become a monk of a belief system that makes Him to be a liar?

Answer. He wouldn’t.

Jesus would have also rejected Buddhism because He made it clear that there is only ONE way to salvation, and that was Him.

There are many biblical sources, but all of those points can be summed up in these verses.

John 14:6-7 – Jesus answered him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him”.

[This is actually one of the biggest differences between Christians and Buddhists.

They can’t make up their minds on how to reach Nirvana, but Christians, for our many disagreements all believe that there is only one way – Jesus.

We have freedom to work out our own salvation, but all roads lead to Jesus.]

Continuing on, Buddhism teaches enlightenment and reincarnation, which is fundamentally different from what Jesus believed and preached – salvation and redemption.

Even the destinations of heaven and Nirvana are different.

Nirvana is a state of desireless-ness, and heaven is a place; a destination where a person reaches their most fundamental desire, eternity with Jesus.

The fundamental beliefs of Jesus and Buddhism are consistently opposed to each other.

The very essence and nature of Jesus Christ and His claims can be summed up with three verses.

John 3: 16-18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.

The book of John is only one of many examples that highlights why Jesus could not be, and ultimately would not become a Buddhist monk.

We cannot just look at superficial similarities.

Finally, I’ll add this.

All religions are superficially similar, but fundamentally different.

When it comes to matters like creation, sin, heaven and hell, God, salvation, origin, and the very nature of human beings, (to name a few), we begin to see where things like the documentary is only relied on the superficial and completely ignored the fundamental.

People have been trying to discredit Jesus for thousands of years. Fake bibles, fake interpretations, fake accounts, fake teachers, fake doctrines, and more… They all failed.

The documentary is a modern version of the same old attempt at deception, and I wholly reject it as such.

It’s a lie. A well-crafted, thought-provoking and interesting lie.

Do not be deceived.

Did you know, that you can download this article as PDF for free? If you gotta go, or would rather read it later, you can! It’s a great reference too!

March 7, 2020