“If we are perpetually expending, we will hit a wall of depletion, and we will be the worst version of ourselves,” says Cary Schmidt, the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Cary is the author of Steady Strength: Reversing Ministry’s Dangerous Drift Toward Depletion. He discusses several key permissions given to us by the Gospel that lead to a more reasonably paced life: permission to be weak and the permission to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, he explains, is the good news that transcends all the bad news in our lives, and this gives us durability and a source of strength and a renewed identity. Cary points troubled or anxious Christians toward cultivating a calm and balanced inner state based on Christ’s truth by fostering nourishing and healthy environments, good lifestyle choices, and solid relationships.

There is hope for us because God is a God of justice! Bruce Strom is the founder and CEO of Administer Justice and the author of Gospel Justice and Persevering Power: Encouragement for When You’re Oppressed by Life. What should we do when the brokenness and injustice of our world feel overwhelming? Bruce reminds us that we can shift the focus away from our own fear by focusing on what others need. How can we serve others? Let’s reach out to help a neighbor in need during this holiday season. Bruce discusses the importance of true balance in our own lives, so that we can pour from a full cup rather than an empty one. Being out of balance can make you depressed and anxious, and it can sideline you. We were created with infinite value and purpose!

It’s time to go from being a victim to being a victor in Jesus Christ! This is the message Dr. Greg Patten, the director of Greg Patten Ministries, has been delivering for decades. Greg is also the host of a radio and podcast program called Hello, World! For many years, he has helped Christians and non-Christians escape the bonds of demonic attacks. Unfortunately, Greg says that many Christian pastors today don’t know anything about how to address this issue or how to help people who are suffering from the pain and torment of demonic oppression or possession. But Greg is hopeful. He reminds Christians that they are to be soldiers of the cross, not wimpy quitters. Satan is the father of lies, and he uses fear as one of his greatest tools to stop Christians in their tracks. Remember, greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Are you living your life as a spirit? What does that even mean? Prolific author and deliverance minister, Paul Renfroe, explains that humans are spiritual beings. It’s easy to forget that element of ourselves, but often, when undergoing spiritual attacks, that gritty reality comes to the forefront of our lives. Paul encourages Christians to regularly “inspect” their expectations in life, because it is those manmade expectations that can often steer us in the wrong direction. Submit your expectations to Jesus! He also urges believers to encourage each other and to come together in community and have continual fellowship in the Holy Spirit. “Spirit gives birth to spirit,” Jesus told Nicodemus, and Paul helps you understand your spirit birth and function as a spirit.

Do you have a pressing question that you need answered? Shea Houdmann has the answer. In fact, he’s got thousands of them! Shea is the founder and CEO of Got Questions Ministries, one of the most frequently visited Christian websites in the world, with an average of 16 million page views every month. He talks about one of the site’s most popular questions: can Christians be demonically oppressed or possessed? Based on Scripture, Shea doesn’t believe a Christian can be possessed (1 John 4:4), but that doesn’t mean that Christ followers can’t open themselves up to spiritual attacks if they are partaking in activities that invite demonic oppression, like fortune telling, viewing disturbing horror movies, lying, stealing, etc. “The Holy Spirit indwells all believers, so it is inconsistent with Scripture to assume that true Christians can be possessed by any demonic spirit,” Shea explains.

Demonic oppression and possession are terms Christians may use frequently, but probably don’t fully understand. Joshua Lewis is the president and host of The Remnant Radio, and he is well-versed in the subject of deliverance from demonic attacks. He explains that anyone, even Christians, can leave the door open to demonic ambushes if they engage in any sinful activity. The Bible warns us to abstain from sins that will give the Devil a foothold, or a “space” in our lives (Ephesians 4:26-30). Joshua reminds us that we don’t have to spend our time wondering what mysterious sin we may have committed that opened the door to the demonic realm, but ask Jesus, and He will reveal it to you. Generational sin could also be a reason for demonic attack. Stand firm against the Devil’s attacks, repent, and give your life to Christ.

“The sins we struggle with the most are the ones we’re most prone to judge in others,” says Micah E. Davis, the pastor of teaching and vision at The Sanctuary, in Indianapolis, Indiana. It’s easier to refuse to forgive those who have offended us, and it’s also easier to avoid asking for forgiveness when we have offended others! There’s humility and embarrassment in asking for forgiveness, and there is mercy and charity involved in giving it out. Sometimes, we don’t feel like extending that kind of love to those who have hurt us, but we should, because Christ has forgiven us. What we first received from Christ, we can then extend to others, Micah reminds us. Jesus was betrayed by so many of his friends and followers preceding his crucifixion, and yet, He forgave them. We have lost the art of communal confession and Christian accountability, and it’s time the body of Christ returns to it.

In a culture where taking responsibility for your actions is often seen as a weakness, learning to forgive others can seem counterintuitive. Micah E. Davis is the pastor of teaching and vision at The Sanctuary, and he knows a great deal about forgiveness personally. After surviving a turbulent period in his childhood where he was failed by multiple father figures, he learned the meaning of true forgiveness - forgiveness that comes from a Christ-centered heart. Why isn’t forgiveness easy? Why doesn’t it feel natural? Because it’s costly, Micah says. It costs the offender and the offended something, to both give and receive it. Yet, most of us fail to realize that in withholding forgiveness, we miss out on receiving the relief that we need so badly from the Lord.

Phylis Mantelli was raised in a violent and abusive home with a mother who didn’t know how to show love or kindness. With so much trauma and pain in her past, Phylis felt lost for many years and dealt with her hurtful past in unhealthy ways - but God wasn’t finished with her story! Today, Phylis is an author and speaker, and she recounts her story of surviving her mother’s abusive behavior as a child and later, as an adult, breaking through the pain of that abuse and trauma to become a daughter who forgave her mom and recognized that God loved them both. She talks about the “body, mind, and spirit” connection in spiritual and mental health, and details the 16-year journey that led her to not only forgive her mother but also love her.

Forgiveness is a tricky and often deeply painful road to navigate, but luckily, we are not alone in shouldering this seemingly heavy burden. Pastor Chris Brauns of Red Brick Church and author of Unpacking Forgiveness is well-versed in the subject of Gospel-centered forgiveness, which differs significantly from the secular and therapeutic approaches to it. He says that so many wounded people are on a “mental gerbil wheel” because old hurts and bitterness continuously haunt them, yet they don’t know how to move forward and truly embrace forgiveness. Come to Christ first, and He will give you rest. Learning to forgive others is a daily discipline that all Christians should practice. God is a God of justice, and He will fight for you in His perfect timing.

Forgiveness isn’t between you and another person - it’s about wisdom versus folly. Brad Hambrick shares thoughtful insight into the freeing power of forgiveness. Brad is the pastor of counseling at The Summit Church, and he explains the difference between true forgiveness and bitterness. He also talks about the occasional need to draw healthy boundaries with those who continue to perpetrate hurt upon our lives. All of us are equally sinful, Brad reminds us, but not all of our sin is equally destructive. Scripture calls us into community with other believers, and sometimes we need their help to step into a place where we can truly forgive. Importantly, Brad points out that true forgiveness promises never to use someone’s transgressions against them in the future.

Sometimes the process of forgiving others can make it feel like God has lost patience with us. We may feel like He has “switched teams,” or that He has more time for others than He does for us - but this is a lie! Forgiveness is central to the Christian message, says Brad Hambrick, the pastor of counseling at The Summit Church. He talks about the definition of forgiveness: canceling a debt. Forgiveness is telling someone, “Christ died for what you did, and that’s enough for me.” That doesn’t mean you have to excuse any hurtful action against you, but it does give you the freedom to let go of the pain and give it to the Lord. Brad also shares practical steps you can take when you are caught in a cycle of repetitive hurts inflicted by someone close to you. Forgiveness is ultimately a process that takes time and effort.

Is it possible to forgive even the worst offender? This is a concept that is easy to discuss but difficult to put into practice. Forgiveness is something that Inez Heller Jones writes about in her book, They Call Me Blessed! An Empty Nester’s Inspirational, True Story of Prayer, Faith, and Endurance. Although Inez has passed away, her daughter Carolyn Jones discusses the impact her mother’s story has had on many marriages - a story of love, adultery, pain, grief, and ultimately, God’s gracious mercy and love. Carolyn’s mother completely put her faith in God’s Word, and only then was she able to weather the major storm in her life. Inez’s testimony is a beautiful reminder of the love and strength God gives His children when they are faithful to Him. Inez chose to forgive and the ending to this story is nothing short of miraculous!

Forgiveness is a science. Don’t believe it? Just ask Robert Enright, a professor in Forgiveness Science. Robert talks about the scientific effects of forgiveness. It has healing power, and it is mutually beneficial to everyone involved, both for those who have hurt others and especially those who have been hurt. In Robert’s book, Forgiveness is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope, he shares how forgiveness challenges you to stand up and see the humanity in each other and see the other person as God sees them. It’s a heroic act. Forgiveness is also a moral virtue, which means that it deals with acting well toward others. Forgiveness is the erasure of negative emotions and replacing that negativity with a positive way of thinking about the person who hurt you, without excusing what they did.

In the years after the COVID pandemic, the world has been exposed to more startling truths than ever before, particularly when it comes to the credibility of the allopathic medical community. Dr. Carrie Madej is an osteopath and researcher who gained notoriety in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 era by asking common-sense questions about what was unfolding. She focuses on achieving a healthy balance of body, mind, and spirit by embracing godly discernment. Carrie emphasizes the growing surveillance network that elites are expanding across the world, and how this network may interact with rapidly developing nanotechnology. She also points out the dangers of using even the most basic modern tech devices like wireless earphones. How do these seemingly harmless tools hurt us? And how can we protect ourselves from being tracked and traced?

The world around us may be teeming with an unseen enemy: nanobots. Dr. Ana Maria Mihalcea is the president of AM Medical LLC and the author of several books about transhumanism and its sinister agenda. She discusses the scientific side of what nanotechnology is capable of, and how transhumanistic globalists are seeking to bring to life the concept of fusing mankind with machines. Dr. Mihalcea describes the “self-assembling” nanotechnologies that she has seen in blood samples from individuals across the nation, suggesting that there are multiple sources of contamination and exposure to this microscopic technology. Dr. Mihalcea points to chemtrails, childhood vaccines, dental anesthesia, shedding, contaminated water and domestic meat as potential sources of this tiny tech that wreaks havoc on the body.

Will nanotechnology be the gateway to establishing the Mark of the Beast? Pastor Bob Thiel thinks it might be, although it can be hard to tell, since technology is evolving so rapidly! Nanobots are tiny robots that are shrunk down to a molecular size, and can be placed into the body to potentially treat illness or even, in theory, collect data. Many elitists hope that nanotechnology will pave the way toward extending the human lifespan or even achieving a form of digital immortality. One thing is clear: nanotechnology has both good potential and evil, depending on who is wielding it. Thanks to the supercharged development of artificial intelligence, nanotechnology will likely become more advanced than ever before, and will more than likely play a major role in the End Times.

Nanotechnology is a hot-button topic these days, but its role in the current and upcoming End Times may end up being bigger than we realize. Lane Hamm is a freelance news reporter whose eyes were opened to some inconvenient truths about the lies of our culture during the chaos of the 2020 COVID pandemic. He discusses his research into the technology of nanobots and what spurred his interest in learning more about them. What are they? What is their purpose? Are they really found inside our bodies, and if so, can they cause harm? Lane describes these tiny digital organisms as neurological interfaces that engage in cellular communication and relay data to nano routers and systems. He also suggests that nanotech may be used in the End Times to bring about the Mark of the Beast prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

Art is the last bastion of free speech, says Victor-Hugo Vaca II, an artist and the founder of the Modern Art Music Movement. He has dedicated his life to shedding light on the darkness, and he currently lives near the border of Russia, between warzones and hotspots of global conflict. Victor-Hugo is passionate about bringing truth to the light in order to combat globalist deception, and he uses his art as a form of reporting, painting the news, and utilizing his platform to help save humanity. Victor-Hugo says America is the last country standing in the way of the one-world government’s arrival. He also talks about why the former Pope partook in a strange and eerie “portal” ritual at the Vatican in 2024. “It’s all symbolism,” Victor-Hugo says. “They’re trying to get people to change their perception.” He describes this era as the “Age of Deception” and the “Age of the Apocalypse.”

When it comes to our lives on Earth, there is the physical world that we can tangibly experience through our senses - and also, an unseen realm that lies just out of reach. It is this spiritual realm that fascinates Joel Blackford, the pastor of Beth Hesed Sabbath Fellowship. He discusses the three phases of the Fall, which started with an angelic rebellion against God, and eventually resulted in Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Ultimately, this sin yielded the third stage of the Fall: the cohabitation of fallen angels with human women, which created a race known as the Nephilim. Joel dives into the spiritual battles raging on Earth now and the battles we can expect in the future as the end times get more intense. He also discusses the possibility of supernatural portals and the role they will play in the Last Days.