http://www.identitynetwork.net Today we live in a fast-paced society that seems to be placing more and more demands on us with each passing year. People are hurrying everywhere, and they're often rude and short-tempered. Many people are experiencing financial stress, marital stress and the stress of raising children. There's often mental and physical stress on the job caused by overwork. Many times this type of lifestyle causes health problems—adding even more stress. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=302032&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 You don't have to suffer and sacrifice simply because you messed up. Your chest tightens. Nervousness develops in the pit of your stomach. You know better, so how could you do such a thing? Then fear kicks in. You fear you can't talk to God like before; you fear you're not clean enough to be in His presence—not after what you've done. These symptoms of guilt and shame are almost as old as time itself. Adam and Eve instantly felt shame after the Original Sin. They tried to hide from God. Peter denied Jesus three times and then wept bitterly. After betraying Jesus, Judas took his own life. Not much has changed, has it? Thousands of years later, guilt and shame remain as crippling as ever. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=302033&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 In a dream the other night, I was shown a choice between pursuing a deeper connection through Holy Spirit, versus retreating to what feels safe and familiar. Age-old mindsets are pulling some back to tried and true methods of church life in hopes of avoiding disappointment. And yet, the choice we make will not only determine our unity, but our ability to perceive truth. In the dream I was sitting in an outdoor mall café talking to a woman about spiritual things. She was well dressed and came from a conservative background and was very interested in the things I was sharing. Her husband came up, dressed in a suit and tie, and she began to share of our conversation. He seemed interested, as well, and I decided to invite them to church. They were eager for the invitation and asked where I attended. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301781&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 We've all looked at our family trees or our past mistakes and wondered: Is this just who I am now? Is this story already written? It's easy to feel trapped by the momentum of old habits, generational patterns, or the choices of those who came before us. But if today's sermon reminded us of anything, it's this: We serve a God who specializes in the turnaround. What the enemy seeks to finalize, God has the absolute authority to reverse. To fully understand the magnitude of this truth, we have to look at a powerful moment in the Old Testament where history, legacy, and a supernatural miracle collided on a single sundial. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301782&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 Recently, I was reading through my dream journal from a couple of years ago. One night I dreamed I walked into my room and felt a gentle breeze coming through the window. When I looked up, I saw the window was open about an inch and the shades were slightly parted. I immediately understood that this was a prophetic dream. The open window was symbolic of an intruder attempting to break in- not a natural break in, but a spiritual one. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301783&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 One of the most overlooked promises is found in Isaiah 48:17: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." Most people read this verse and immediately think about money, provision, or financial increase. While God's blessing certainly includes those things, the promise reveals something much greater. God is not promising simply to give you more. He is promising to develop you into someone capable of carrying more. This is the great distinction between provision and inheritance. Provision meets a need for today. Inheritance prepares someone to possess, multiply, and govern what has been entrusted to them. Anyone can receive a gift. Sons and daughters are trained to carry an inheritance. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301784&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 For most of my life I thought I understood the story of Job. I had been handed the version most of us inherit. A righteous man appears to become a pawn in a wager between God and the accuser. He loses everything in a single afternoon. His wealth, his servants, his children, his health. Then three friends arrive and sit with him in silence before taking turns insisting that somewhere, hidden in the folds of his life, there must be a secret sin. Surely a just God would not let a man suffer unless he had earned it. Job protests his innocence. He holds his ground through speech after speech. In the final scene he receives back double what he lost, and we close the book satisfied that he passed the test and collected his reward. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301743&view=post&blogid=2093 Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 "It is the spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak unto you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Jesus said there is spirit life in the spoken word. That's why it is important for us to confess what God has already said about us in His Word. Words carry spiritual forces. Words can transmit fear or words can transmit faith. They transmit images after their kind to others. God's Word transmits the image God wants you to have. The devil's words transmit the image he wants you to have. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301622&view=post&blogid=2093 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 Early this morning, in my time with Jesus, I was thinking back on some of the changing seasons Steve and I have gone through in our marriage. There was the season we lived in Africa for almost two years, the season when we enjoyed a very stable pastoral ministry, and the season when we transitioned out of pastoral ministry and into the world of missions. There have been seasons where we traveled internationally and seasons where we've done more ministry here in the States. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301630&view=post&blogid=2093 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 The people of God were never meant to be a people of stagnation, but a people of movement. Stagnation breeds decay. When the Holy Spirit shows up, we call it a move of the Spirit. God is ever at work, drawing His people into His movements, into His procession. He is a King and whenever He moves there is a Procession. Every procession has order, protocol, and qualification. All are invited, but not all may enter. Those who seek to usurp the King's glory cannot remain. Perjurers and liars cannot ride with the King. The proud and arrogant cannot walk in His company. The sexually perverse cannot enter His holy procession toward the Throne. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301631&view=post&blogid=2093 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 Romans 8:31 contains a powerful rhetorical question and I encourage you to memorize it. Unfortunately, there are still some believers today wondering, "Is God really for me?" Well, my friend, the Word of God does NOT say "maybe God is for us" or "hopefully, God is for us." It simply says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Indeed, when God is for you, what opposition can succeed against you? When God Himself fights for you, defends you and vindicates you, what adversity or adversary can stand against you? There are none! Hallelujah! http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301314&view=post&blogid=2093 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 I know this is the right thing to do, and I want to do it. I just can't make myself do it! In fact, I fall back into doing the wrong thing!!! (Romans 7:15) Most of us have been taught that transformation is an information problem. Learn the right principles, apply the right rules. Study the right theology. Hear the right sermon. Think better thoughts, add a little discipline if you have to. Fix the argument and the behavior will follow. It won't, and it doesn't. Not because the information is wrong — but because information doesn't reach the place where your life is actually governed.  http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301315&view=post&blogid=2093 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 Every morning, I wake up, make my coffee, and settle into my favorite chair, often without interacting with anyone else in my family. I spend time with the Lord and think through the day ahead. I'm ready to shine as a beacon of love, patience, and sacrificial service. But then I encounter other people. Often my resolve crumbles under the weight of my own sin, and I struggle to love people as God commands. Too often, there's a disconnect between my vertical relationship with Christ and my horizontal relationships with my husband, kids, and friends. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301262&view=post&blogid=2093 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 This Word is for those who have allowed themselves to be hindered and distracted from their highest calling. This is a day of Restoration. Can you imagine having a life that is carefree, full of joy, and full of the ambition to do The Father's Will? Well, that is the type of life that is promised to you if you would only cast all your cares upon The LORD and stand on the many promises given to you in His Word. Many are carrying their cares and are overloaded and overwhelmed, because they are trying to take control when they should be giving all control to The Master of their life. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301267&view=post&blogid=2093 Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 When we suffer, it can be hard to look around at the blessings that some Christians enjoy and wonder what happened with our lives. Social media does not help, as it gives us front-row seats to the blessings of hundreds of people we know (and millions of people we don't know). While even the average person in relatively pleasant circumstances can struggle in this way, the experience is greatly compounded for those enduring comprehensive and/or chronic suffering. It's one thing to envy the prosperity of the wicked. Asaph describes his own experience of that in Psalm 73, and the psalm is instructive for believers who envy the blessings of unbelievers. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301140&view=post&blogid=2093 Tue, 7 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 I have an old blue hoodie that should have been thrown away years ago. It has, in fact, seen better days. I bought it because I liked the color. That's it. There wasn't some deep, emotional connection. I wasn't trying to make a fashion statement. I simply saw the color, thought, "Yep, that'll work," and took it home. What I didn't know was that it would become one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I've worn. Apparently, somewhere during the manufacturing process, angels, grandmothers, and clouds all signed off on the fabric. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301141&view=post&blogid=2093 Tue, 7 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 One of the greatest misunderstandings in the Christian life is the assumption that God's promises depend entirely upon our effort. Yet God consistently reveals a different pattern. The Father gives, His children receive, and together they establish His purposes in the earth. Jesus declared, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." That single statement reveals the entire dynamic of Kingdom living. Grace gives. Faith possesses. Partnership governs. Everything begins with the goodness of God. The Kingdom is not earned. It is not purchased by perfect behavior or exceptional spirituality. It is an inheritance. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301121&view=post&blogid=2093 Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 We can tell so much about a woman's faith by the way she handles pain. Not when life is easy or when everything is going her way, but in those moments when her heart is aching, when disappointment has settled in, and when life feels unfair and unkind. It is in those sacred and stretching seasons that our faith is truly revealed. In 1 Samuel 1, we are introduced to a woman named Hannah. Her story is both tender and deeply relatable. Hannah longed for a child, yet year after year her womb remained empty. This was not a quiet or private sorrow, but one that was magnified by the presence of another in her life who continually provoked her and reminded her of what she did not have. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301029&view=post&blogid=2093 Thu, 2 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 You were handpicked and handcrafted as a beautiful reflection of your Creator. Do you know what you call something like that? A masterpiece. That's what God calls it, too. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 We all know what a masterpiece is. It's a creator's prized piece, his or her most valuable work. Artists are blessed if they have a single masterpiece. Few throughout history are fortunate enough to have had more. Beethoven is one of them. So is Vincent van Gogh. So is Michelangelo. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301037&view=post&blogid=2093 Thu, 2 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 When you think about prayer what comes to mind? Has prayer been a struggle for you or are you eager to pray each day? Do you wonder if your prayers really matter or do you believe that God uses your prayers to accomplish His plans and purposes? Are you eager to grow in your prayer life or are you content to remain where you are? Prayer is a gift from God. Therefore, believers should delight in talking to God the Father through the Son by the power of the Spirit. It's good, then, that the Bible teaches us how to pray. Some chapters in the Bible record for us the prayers of God's people. Daniel 9 is one of them. Through Daniel's prayer we especially learn that God is merciful to those who confess their sins and seek Him. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=301004&view=post&blogid=2093 Wed, 1 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 The phrase, "The Dark Night of the Soul," has been around for over 500 years. It represents a deep season of suffering and confusion when we feel abandoned by God, but the ultimate purpose of the 'dark night' is to deepen our spiritual union with Him. Theologian R.C. Sproul, in an article, wrote that this darkness is something that "the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, 'The Weeping Prophet'." He clarifies, "This is no ordinary fit of depression, but it is a depression that is linked to a crisis of faith, a crisis that comes when one senses the absence of God or gives rise to a feeling of abandonment by Him." http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=300986&view=post&blogid=2093 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400 There is a kind of safety most of us have been chasing our entire lives without ever naming it. It is the safety of the arranged world. The safety of a healthy bank account, a stable relationship, a secure job, a locked front door, a clear diagnosis, and a peaceful country. The safety that comes when the circumstances around you finally line up in a way that lets your nervous system exhale. We spend decades trying to build this kind of safety. We work hard. We plan carefully. We mitigate risk. We accumulate enough of the right things so that the outside world will finally give us permission to feel okay inside. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=300870&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400 The dark night of the soul. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, "The Weeping Prophet." It was the malady that so afflicted Martin Luther that his melancholy threatened to destroy him. This is no ordinary fit of depression, but it is a depression that is linked to a crisis of faith, a crisis that comes when one senses the absence of God or gives rise to a feeling of abandonment by Him. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=300843&view=post&blogid=2093 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400 God loves it when we ask for His help. Did you know that God is interested in every single detail of your life and that He loves to hear from you? For years, I felt like I was bothering God with my prayers or, when I did pray, I was certain I wasn't doing it the right way. However, God never meant for prayer to be complicated. God desires for us to view prayer as a simple conversation with Him. It's asking Him to meet our needs or someone else's. It's praising Him and thanking Him. It's talking to Him about everything and anything that matters to us. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=300844&view=post&blogid=2093 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400 There are Religious Spirits still alive and well in the Church that are doing everything possible to shut down our relationship with the Third Person of the Trinity. And for those who feel a longing in their spirit for deeper fellowship with the Lord, it is only through the Holy Spirit that relationship with Christ can happen. And this isn't about seeking gifts or manifestations. The Holy Spirit is a Person. Not an "it," a manifestation, a gift giver, or a power source. He is fully God – equal with the Father and the Son. And the Holy Spirit longs for fellowship with us in the same measure. http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-?articleid=300684&view=post&blogid=2093 Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400