“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Strip away all the factors at play on that fateful day when Adam and Eve fell, and you come to a fundamental question: What went wrong? Satan is wicked with a capital W, and his devices are too powerful for us to resist on our own. But what about Adam and Eve? Weren’t they perfect? Didn’t they commune with God daily? Yes, but perhaps we’re not asking the right questions. Satan’s temptation of Eve was well thought out. No doubt, he, being the expert devil that he is, listened carefully to their conversations, formulating a way of attack. Then, at the right moment he injected his poisonous challenge against God’s authority. Satan twisted God’s words to get Adam and Eve to question the ownership of the garden. Why simply tend the garden when you could own a piece of it? Satan put into their minds that stewardship wasn’t enough. The devil held out to them one of our greatest weaknesses—the deception of ownership. When Eve took the fruit and gave it to Adam, it wasn’t hers to take or his to receive. They stole what didn’t belong to them. God will not judge us based on what we own but rather on our stewardship of what He has loaned us. Satan loves it when we think the money in our pockets is ours. He snickers when we believe what we drive, where we live, or the ministry we’re engaged in is ours to own. The truth is, we are simply stewards of what God has entrusted to our care. Dear saint, be wise, so that one day you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” – Pastor Jack

What does growth/healing look like to you?

The Great Connection If you’ve ever been to a vineyard, you know they are not only beautiful, but also fascinating. Imagine rows and rows of grape-bearing vines, rooted on rolling hills—its produce harvested and distributed as table grapes, grape juice, wine, raisins, jellies, jams, and more. Jesus often used real-life examples to explain spiritual truths and, in John 15, vineyards were at the center of His analogy… “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ In the surrounding passages, Jesus makes it clear that He, the Son, is the vine; His Father, God, is the gardener; and we, His people, are the branches—thriving or dying depending on our connection to the source. You could also think about it this way: Your phone won’t continue to function if it’s not charged. But when it’s plugged into a charger, which is connected to the much more powerful source of electricity, your device can continue to function as its creator intended. In contrast, a vine (or phone) that’s cut off from its source cannot continue to make fruit (or send texts). It cannot sustain life because it’s severed from that which gives life. And the same is true for us. If we want to live lives that point to, glorify, and magnify God—we must stay connected to Him. How do we stay connected? Jesus says that we remain in His love when we obey His commandments, just as He obeys His Father’s commandments and remains in His Father’s love (see John 15:9-10). It’s not about a legalistic submission, but trusting the One who loves to give us life. He is our greatest connection. So right now, consider how God might be calling you to draw closer to Him. What steps will you take this week in order to stay connected to Him?

Transformation Do you want to be new? All around the world, humans long for change. We long to throw off old habits and ways of thinking if they aren’t serving us anymore. Thousands of self-help books, podcasts, articles, and all kinds of media exist for this very reason. We want to change! And yet, it can feel impossible. Paul, one of Jesus’ disciples, shares this powerful truth in Romans 12:2 (NIV): Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Transformed by the renewing of our minds. What does this mean? Transformation is a massive change. It’s thorough. Complete. A total difference. Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, transformation brings an end to the old and a beginning to the new. Paul is showing us that transformation isn’t work we do from the outside in. Transformation happens from the inside out. It begins with our mind. And for our minds to change, we need Truth to grab hold of. God’s Word is this Truth. “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NIV “... Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 NIV God’s Word guides us when we are lost, strengthens us when we are weary, challenges us when we are compromising, and encourages us when we are overwhelmed. God’s Word changes everything. And this very moment, you hold God’s Word in your hand. Transformation is in your grasp. Read the Bible closely, dig into its verses, wrestle with its teachings, and treasure what you discover about the love and grace of God. The best place to bring your desire for newness is to God and His Word. God’s Word renews our minds. Transformation begins here.

A New Beginning New. What a beautiful word. Fresh. Something never discovered before. A beginning. Is this what you are looking for? To be made new? Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” The prophet Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah about 700 years before the coming of Jesus. This passage was written to the Hebrews held in captivity in Babylon, desperate to be set free. They were in physical captivity. They were also in spiritual captivity. Sin—the mistakes and wrongs that are the source of separation between man and God—was reigning over the hearts of man with no one to conquer it. But a way out was coming. The last part of the passage says: “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” For a people lost in sin and separated from God, there was no way out on their own. But God made a way by sending His Son, Jesus, as the perfect sacrifice and victorious conqueror of the sin man could not overcome alone. New. He came to make all things new. Jesus is the way in the wilderness. He is the stream in the wasteland. He is the way when there is no way. When you feel broken over your sin, trapped in addictions you can’t escape, overwhelmed by temptation, or frustrated by failure, you don’t need to try harder. You need to be made new. You need a way out. You need Him. Today, you can be made new by Jesus. You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to try to cleanse yourself of your sin. Your transformation can begin today—and it begins with Jesus.