This recent post from Johnny Chang both convicted & inspired me. Please read and give the Holy Spirit space to reveal things to you… The Danger of Knowledge Without Surrender… 1 Corinthians 8:1 (KJV) "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." Wanting to grow with God is not the problem. Loving Scripture is not the problem. Learning truth is not the problem. The danger begins when knowledge replaces surrender. Many people today are not pursuing God. They are consuming Him. They treat spiritual content like dopamine. One sermon after another. One revelation after another. Always learning. But rarely or never yielding. Information feels like growth. But information without obedience becomes insulation. The Pharisees knew Scripture deeply. They memorized it. Taught it. Defended it. And yet they missed Jesus standing in front of them. Not because they lacked knowledge. But because knowledge became a shield against surrender. They rejected Jesus not because He contradicted Scripture, but because He threatened their control. Jesus challenged them to surrender, but they wanted power. They also rejected leadership. They did not want to be led. They wanted to curate. They positioned themselves as judges, not sheep. Experts, not disciples. And the same spirit is common today. Many Christians say they want God. But what they really want is stimulation. They consume teaching but resist correction. They quote truth but avoid submission. They talk about grace but refuse authority. God becomes an accessory. Added to life. Not submitted to. Knowledge without surrender creates pride disguised as discernment. It sounds like wisdom. But it produces independence, not intimacy. Different I’s! It makes people quick to critique. Slow to repent. Confident in opinion. Weak in obedience. Jesus never said, “Learn everything about Me.” He said, “Follow Me.” Following requires trust. And trust requires yielding control. The goal of Scripture is not mastery.

In the Kingdom and in the marketplace, your environment matters. Who you consistently sit around will either normalize complacency… or normalize excellence. When you get in rooms where: • Prayer is normal • Discipline is normal • Integrity is non-negotiable • Growth is expected • Excellence is stewardship — not ego You don’t have to be hyped. You’re sharpened. But here’s the question: Do you run to rooms like that… or from them? Because rooms like this expose you. They expose your gaps. They expose your inconsistencies. They expose the version of you that still wants comfort over calling. And most people don’t run toward exposure — they retreat to comfort. Faith & Marketplace isn’t a room for spectators. It’s a room for stewards. If you’re here, it’s because you’ve decided that average isn’t an option — not in your faith, not in your family, not in your business. 👇🏽 Reflect honestly: Are you building a sociology that supports your calling… or one that protects your comfort?

Let’s check in. Not the highlight reel. Not the polished version. The real version. 1️⃣ WIN: What’s one win from this week? (Big or small — progress is progress.) 2️⃣ WORK: What are you working on right now? • Personally • Professionally Growth doesn’t happen by accident. It happens on purpose. 3️⃣ WORSHIP: What has your worship/prayer life looked like this week? Consistent? Quiet? Distracted? Deep? No judgment. Just reflection.

Today I'm grateful for embracing and celebrating this new decade of my life instead of fearing it, freaking out about it or finding fault with who I am as I enter it.

Hey Faith and Marketplace! A few family friends, John and Isaac are going on a missions trip next month. It’s so awesome that they get to participate in God's Kingdom in this way and that they get to do this together... father and son! Here are links to their donation page if you're willing to help fund them. Neither of them get paid vacation time, so they'll be sacrificing a week of pay to go... so any part that you can contribute to send them on this mission will be very appreciated. John's donation page: https://fcsmnstry.io/87k/gPp9DBJ80r Isaac's donation page: https://fcsmnstry.io/87k/7HhPZ8BsCj