Faith Unlocked

  Have you ever watched a movie, read a book, or scrolled through your feed and felt torn? On one hand, there’s creativity, strength, and brilliance on display. On the other hand, you sense ideas that don’t align with God’s truth. How do we, as followers of Christ, learn from what we see without being shaped by it? This tension is not new. In fact, Daniel and his friends faced the very same challenge in Babylon . Daniel’s Story: Learning Without Losing Himself When Daniel was taken into Babylon, he and his friends were enrolled in a crash course in “the language and literature of the Babylonians ” (Daniel 1:4). This was more than school—it was immersion into a worldview steeped in pagan gods , magic , astrology , and philosophies far from the God of Israel . But here’s the key: Daniel mastered their knowledge without being mastered by their spirit. Scripture tells us, “God gave them knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning” ( Daniel 1:17 ). Daniel was t...

  For 38 long years, the man at the pool of Bethesda lay stuck at his transition gate (John 5:1–15). Every day he came close to healing, yet he never crossed over. He didn’t know he needed to believe in Jesus—he didn’t even know who Jesus was. Still, he kept showing up. He kept trying. He held on to the hope that one day his change would come. And when Jesus finally came, all it took was a word—and his season shifted in an instant. Then there’s Peter. He walked on water—a miracle in itself—until his gaze drifted from Jesus to the raging waves. Understandably distracted by the violent storm, Peter began to sink. Yet even his failure teaches us something: when the wind howls and the sea roars, the safest place to fix your eyes is still on Jesus. The transition gate is the place between the promise and its fulfillment. It’s often long, uncomfortable, and full of tests. The enemy loves to attack you there—through weariness, delay, fear, and distraction. That gate is where your faith i...