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"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14 This Christmas, it is time to hit the pause button. Not on joy, not on celebration, but on all the noise that tries to replace the reason we are celebrating in the first place. Christmas is not about the jokes, the gifts, the shopping lists, or whether everything turned out the way you hoped. It is about Jesus. It is His birthday. And the response of heaven was clear and unmistakable: Glory to God in the highest.
Every year as Christmas approaches, I like to write about the incredible story of Jesus' birth and the parallel of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine the overwhelming emotions Mary must have felt as she cradled Jesus in her arms, knowing that He was the long-awaited Messiah, God incarnate. He wasn't just a human being with divine qualities; He was God, embodying both divine nature and human nature simultaneously.
There is a very small member in our body that boasts great things, yet it is an uncontrolled evil. Why is this small member so important, and why can it be considered evil? Man can tame every creature on the earth but cannot tame or control the tongue. It is full of poison. We can bless others by what we say, or we can curse others by what we say. We actually speak death or life out of our own mouths.
There's a subtle danger in faith that doesn't get talked about enough: the moment when defending Christ causes us to stop reflecting Christ. Most of us don't set out to do this. In fact, it often begins with good intentions. A desire to honor Jesus. A frustration with how casually His name is used. A concern that truth is being compromised or ignored. But somewhere along the way, something shifts.
Why is self-devaluation such an epidemic? Every human being is born with innate core needs to be loved, valued, and to experience healthy, trusted relationship. However, because we do not live in a perfect world and this often is not our felt reality, as children we develop beliefs and behaviors in an attempt to meet these unmet core needs. We will do whatever it takes for us to feel loved, valued, and accepted.
Words are wonderful when they are used in a good way. They can encourage, edify, and give confidence to the hearer. A right word spoken at the right time can actually be life-changing (Proverbs 15:23). But words can also keep us from experiencing God's plans for our lives. Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) says, "The tongue has the power of life and death…." Words are containers for power, and we need to choose them carefully.
Everyone wants to progress. Everyone wants to grow, to expand, to increase. It's human nature to desire advancement—but Kingdom nature demands response. Growth is not automatic; it's activated. Increase isn't achieved by ambition—it's unlocked through obedience. When God draws your attention to something, He is giving you a stepping stone—a path forward into destiny, maturity, and impact. What He reveals is not for your curiosity but for your calling. Every revelation is a divine invitation: Will you respond?
Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Matthew 4:10 When negative thoughts come your way, you must not give them time to take root in your heart. That correlates with the wise saying that you can't stop birds from flying over your head, but you can surely stop them from building a nest on your head. We can't stop the enemy from attacking our minds, but we can surely defend ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).
In a recent dream, I found myself walking through deep terrain with some young assistants. It was a road less traveled and required strength and agility to traverse the steeper portions of the journey. But even though the journey should have been physically and mentally challenging, I was able to do it without hesitation.
There's something about the word home that stirs the deepest places of the heart. For many, it brings images of warmth, rest, and belonging. For others, it brings a quiet ache, longing for something they've never fully experienced. But Christmas whispers a truth we all need to hear: Your true home has never been a place…it has always been His will. When the angel visited Mary on an ordinary day in Nazareth, her entire world shifted. She was young, inexperienced, and surely not expecting a divine interruption.
