A weekly reflection on living for Jesus, from our team to your inbox
The relentless fight for your heart
‘Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.’ — 1 John 5:21
‘An idol is whatever you look at and say in your heart of hearts: ‘If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.’’ — Timothy Keller
Ever since I was around five years old, I’ve rushed from one interest to the next.
Sports, music, fitness, technology—over the years, I’ve given a lot of my time and money to these things, and in general, they’ve all brought me a lot of happiness.
But at times, they’ve become my idols. There have been points when these things have come to dominate my thoughts, desires and spending, so much so that my relationship with God has been compromised.
I’m sure you’ve experienced the same temptation.
Every day, so many things are fighting for our hearts. It’s a relentless struggle, because our hearts are the most important part of us. They define who we are and direct how we live. Proverbs 4:23 urges us: ‘Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.’
Whatever our hearts long for, we live for. Whatever they want, we worship.
Falling into idolatry
God made us out of His infinite love, and He made us to worship Him—to direct our desires towards Him and to spend our lives enjoying His presence and reigning over the world He gave us.
But when we gave in to the enemy’s tempting deception, our desires became misdirected. We became naturally inclined to worship the things God made instead of God Himself.
Our hearts became idolatrous.
Mercifully, despite all the destruction our idolatry had caused to our relationship with Him and His world, God didn’t give up on us. He promised to give us new hearts that would love Him and obey His Word (Ezekiel 36:26–27)—and He fulfilled this promise by sending His Son Jesus to free us from our sin and His Spirit to renew our hearts, so that we can truly worship Him.
The Spirit has begun a miraculous transformation in us. But His work is ongoing, and won’t be complete until Jesus returns. So, for now, we must fight against our old idolatrous nature and put it to death in the power of the Spirit (see Romans 8).
Fighting against idolatry
What makes idols so dangerous is how harmless they can seem. That’s because they are good things—gifts that God delights to give us—but they’re good things that we treat wrongly by looking to them as our ultimate sources of life instead of God.
Most of the time, they aren’t big or obvious. They can be as small as the six-inch screen in your hand, or as subtle as the hobby you spend all your free time pursuing, or as secretive as that thing you can’t stop thinking about buying, experiencing or achieving.
We can only recognise our idols by humbly asking the Holy Spirit to show them to us.
So, I’d encourage you to take some time and reflect on these three questions:
How much do I think about God compared with other things?
What am I spending most of my time and money on at the moment?
Am I prioritising my relationship with God above everything else in my life right now?
One of the best prayers to help us is David’s at the end of Psalm 139:
‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.’
Let’s commit to praying this daily, keeping in step with the Spirit, and staying away from anything that threatens to take God’s place in our hearts.
Love,
Theo
Reclaiming the joy of normality
‘So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ — 1 Corinthians 10:31
‘…too often we look for the Spirit in the extraordinary when God has promised to be present in the ordinary.’ — James K.A. Smith
When we’re younger, we spend much of our time chasing novelty:
New experiences.
New relationships.
New ideas.
New things.
Novelty isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it can fuel our curiosity, expand our knowledge and deepen our appreciation of God’s good world.
But, as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate the much more ordinary and unremarkable rhythms of normality:
Sipping morning coffee in the quiet before work.
Enjoying a slow lunchtime walk.
Laughing with friends around the kitchen table.
You see, most of our lives aren’t lived on the extraordinary mountaintops of novelty, but along the slow, winding, ordinary path of normality.
I’ve come to learn that God dwells as much in these ordinary moments—the daily liturgies of waking, working, eating, exercising, playing and resting—as He does in the extraordinary ones.
We simply need eyes to see and ears to hear.
Reclaiming the joy of the ordinary
How can we learn to see and enjoy God in the everyday, seemingly mundane moments of our lives?
We must remember why God created us, and why God saved us.
Consider these words from Paul: “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever!” (Romans 11:36).
You were made by Him.
You are held by Him.
You are intended for His glory.
And, in His great mercy, He redeemed you for Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Our lives—both now and for eternity—are a gift from Him, and they are all for His glory.
In view of this reality, our so-called ordinary lives take on an extraordinary meaning, purpose and value. It is for this reason that Paul says elsewhere: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
What would our lives look like if we slowed down and learnt to really see these everyday mercies as they really are: as gracious gifts from our good and loving Father, intended to bring glory to Him?
The meals we eat.
The wine we drink.
The ordinary rhythms of rising, our working, our resting, our playing.
Not only would we go through our days with a deeper awareness of God's presence, but we would see every moment as an opportunity to worship and glorify Him.
So, today, stop for a moment.
Receive 'normality' as a gift.
And, with Paul, give God the praise He deserves: “All glory to him forever!”
With love,
Mike
Power through powerlessness
‘I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.’ — Ephesians 1:19–20
‘The movement from power through strength to power through powerlessness is our call…’ — Henri Nouwen
I’ll be honest with you: since I became a Christian, I’ve often felt really weak.
Weak at fighting my sin.
Weak at loving people well.
Weak at sharing the gospel.
Weak in all sorts of ways.
When you’re constantly faced with your weaknesses, it’s easy to end up settling. To start believing that this is just the way things will always be.
I’ll always struggle with this specific sin.
I’ll never be able to love people the way God loves them.
This is just the way I am.
We can even start to believe that this is what God wants for us—to keep us humble, meek, and dependent on Him.
And there’s some truth in that. God wants to open our eyes to our need, to our powerlessness.
But He doesn’t call us to stay there.
As Jesus’ followers, we’re not just meant simply to believe the right things, struggle with the same sins our whole lives, and then die and finally go to somewhere better. We have been made and saved for so much more than that.
If you trust in Jesus, you are a new creation. You have been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit—the same power that filled Jesus throughout His life, sustained Him during His death, and raised him back to life.
And, because you are united to Jesus by faith, that same Spirit lives in you and fills you with power.
Power to be transformed from the inside out (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Power to kill our sin (Romans 8:13).
Power to live in freedom (Galatians 5:16).
Power to understand, obey and delight in what Jesus says (John 14:26).
Power to pray (Romans 8:26–27).
Power to see and serve those around us (Galatians 5:13–14).
Power to tell people the good news about Jesus (Acts 1:8).
Power to endure through our suffering (Romans 15:13).
Power to love radically (Romans 5:5).
Power to become like Jesus.
Unlike so many examples of power we see around us, this power isn’t selfish, greedy or violent. It doesn’t strive to build our own kingdoms at the expense of others.
This power is the kind that only God has and can give: power that enables us to live for Him and His everlasting Kingdom by carrying our crosses and dying to our old selves.
It’s the power both to recognise our powerlessness and to believe God when He says:
‘Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.’ — 2 Corinthians 12:9
I love how Henri Nouwen writes about this:
‘But insofar as we dare to be baptized in powerlessness, always moving toward the poor who do not have such power, we are plunged right into the heart of God’s endless mercy. We are free to reenter our world with the same divine power with which Jesus came, and we are able to walk in the valley of darkness and tears, unceasingly in communion with God…confidently standing under the cross of our life…It is this divine power that makes us saints—fearless—who can make all things new.’
Yes, we are weak—but God doesn’t want us to make our weakness our core identity, but rather to see it as the means by which He makes us strong.
As we keep humbly admitting our powerlessness and surrendering ourselves completely to Him, we find that we have all the power we need to live for Him and join Him in redeeming, restoring and reigning over the world.
And by living this way, our lives will amount to far more than we could ever have dreamed of. (Ephesians 3:20).
Friends, I’m praying with Paul that ‘…you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need...’ (Colossians 1:11).
Love,
Theo
You are what you scroll
‘Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.’ — Romans 12:2
‘Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral.’ — Melvin Kranzberg
Whether you like it or not, the device you are reading this email on is changing you.
Here’s the thing: your smartphone isn’t just a tool that you use. It’s a technology that’s forming you to be a certain kind of person.
And not just you—it’s changing the fabric of civilisation itself.
Sounds scary, right?
Before you decide to throw your smartphone in a ditch (or just delete this email), let’s unpack this a bit more—and then consider how we can engage faithfully and wisely with digital technology for God’s glory.
Your smartphone is changing you
All digital technology is designed with certain values—assumptions about what is good, what is desirable, what is efficient, what is profitable.
And the more we use this technology, the more we absorb those values ourselves.
That means that digital technology is never neutral, because it produces in us habits that form us to be a certain kind of person:
It forms the way we think: how we access, read, consume, analyse and evaluate information.
It forms the way we behave: how we live in, interact with and inhabit the world around us.
It forms the way we communicate: how we speak to, engage with and relate to others both online and in real life.
And, most of all, it forms our spiritual life: how attentive and open we are to God’s voice and the work of His Spirit within us.
If that all sounds a bit abstract, let’s consider a few examples:
Search engines are built for speed and efficiency—training us to skim, scan and switch our attention constantly.
Our social media feeds are built to ‘stop the scroll’ and keep us coming back for more—training us to value novelty, entertainment and outrage over nuance and deep understanding.
Our smartphones are built to keep us within constant reach and always accessible—training us to treat every interruption as urgent, fragmenting our attention and making us less present.
Yes—your smartphone is changing you. But does that mean it’s time to throw it away?
Maybe. But not necessarily.
Practising godly wisdom in a digital age
Christian wisdom isn’t just about asking, ‘Can I use this tool for good?’ Instead, we need to ask: ‘What kind of person is this tool making me?’
We need to consider whether our smartphones are helping or harming our growth in our knowledge, love and obedience to God.
We need to ask whether they are contributing to or hindering our formation into the people God wants us to be—people of peace, love, truth, justice and mercy who delight in His ways and live obediently for His Kingdom.
Digital technology is no less than a spiritual battleground—directing your attention, shaping your affections and forming your loves. We must submit instead to the directing, shaping and forming influence of God's Spirit—and fight in His power and strength.
So, today, if you find yourself addicted to your phone, distracted, anxious, distant from people and from God—bring it to Him.
Confess your struggles to the Lord. Ask for His grace in this crucial area. Work to establish healthy boundaries.
It might not mean throwing away your phone altogether—but you may have to take some radical, sacrificial steps to align yourself with God’s good will for your life.
I’m praying that all of us would learn to walk with wisdom and discernment in this crucial area of our discipleship. Let me know how you get on!
Love,
Mike
Are you feeling dehydrated?
“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” — John 4:14
“The Spirit is the divine empowering presence, without whom there is no real experience of life in Christ.” — Gordon Fee
Have you ever found yourself feeling lethargic, unable to focus, battling anxiety, and you have no idea why—until you suddenly realise that you haven’t drunk a single glass of water all day?
And as soon as you down a couple of glasses, you instantly feel 1,000% better?
Yeah, me too.
If our bodies need water every day, how much more our souls need to drink in the Holy Spirit through every moment of every day.
The Spirit gives life (Romans 8:11), fills us with power (Acts 1:8), teaches us the truth (John 16:13), prays for us in our weakness (Romans 8:26), pours God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5) and makes us flourish with all the aspects of God’s character (Galatians 5:22–23).
And yet, so often I forget to ask Him to fill me.
I so easily end up falling into the age-old trap of trying to live like Jesus in my own strength and wisdom, without relying on the Holy Spirit:
Hurtling out of the house in the mornings without spending time with Him in my Bible and in prayer.
Forgetting to ask Him to help me when I’m at work.
Scrolling on my phone during my spare moments instead of bringing myself into His presence.
Going through my days as if He wasn’t even there.
No wonder I can feel so spiritually dehydrated.
If you trust in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9)—that can never change. But what can is whether the Holy Spirit has all of you (Romans 12:1).
Every day, we are tempted to sin against God in our self-reliance and distraction—and so every day, we must surrender every part of ourselves to Him, and ask Him to fill us afresh.
We simply can’t live for Jesus without the Holy Spirit constantly filling us and flowing out of us in all we say and do. As a river ceases to be life-giving if its constant flow of water dries up, so we cease to be fruitful for Jesus without His Spirit influencing us—literally ‘flowing into’ us—every day.
So, how do we allow the Spirit to do this?
1. Ask
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13).
Every day, we need to recognise our need for the Holy Spirit, and humbly ask the Father to fill us afresh. When we wake up each morning, let’s make this our first prayer of the day: “Lord, fill me with your Spirit again today.”
2. Pray
‘Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere’ (Ephesians 6:18).
Prayer is the way we spend our lives with God. In this verse, Paul urges us to pray ‘in the Spirit’ all the time—and elsewhere, he tells us to ‘pray unceasingly’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Keep your conversation with the Holy Spirit open throughout your day: thank Him, worship Him, ask Him to help you.
We’re meant to not just live for Jesus, but with Him by His Spirit—and prayer is absolutely central to this.
3. Obey
‘Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives’ (Galatians 5:25).
While we can’t follow Jesus as the first disciples did when He lived on Earth, we follow His Spirit. That means immersing ourselves in God’s Word so that we can hear Him speak and know what He has called us to do, asking Him to give us the power we need to obey Him, and following His promptings to share Jesus with those around us.
Friends, let’s not allow our souls to become dehydrated.
Instead, let’s seek to be filled by the Holy Spirit and to follow His leading in every part of our lives.
Love,
Theo
The 7 habits of highly effective pray-ers
Devote yourselves to prayer…’ — Colossians 4:2
‘Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.’ — Oswald Chambers
A while ago, I started Stephen Covey’s classic book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’—hoping that, well, it would make me a more effective person.
If you haven’t read it, the book includes such wisdom as ‘be proactive’ and ‘begin with the end in mind’ and ‘think win–win.’
Well, I’m clearly not a very effective reader, because I barely got past chapter 2.
But it did get me thinking: what would my life look like if I wasn’t just seeking to be a highly effective person, but a highly effective pray-er?
What if I was like those fiery old Christians who devoted their lives to worship and intercession?
What if ‘being an effective person’ was never the point anyway?
Because I’ll wager that a praying life is much more valuable, in God’s eyes, than an effective life.
With that, here’s my attempt at 7 habits of highly effective pray-ers:
1. Let God’s voice be first: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
2. Begin with worship: ‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.’ (Psalm 100:4)
3. Make God's priorities your priorities: ‘Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.’ (Psalm 86:11)
4. Repent regularly: ‘But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.’ (1 John 1:9)
5. Practise gratitude over grumbling: ‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
6. Make prayer a constant conversation (not just a morning meeting): ‘Never stop praying.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
7. Intercede bigger than yourself: ‘I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.’ (1 Timothy 2:1)
I don’t just want to be an effective person. I want to be effective for God’s Kingdom—and that begins with prayer.
Have I missed anything? Let me know!
Love,
Mike
The calling God has given you
‘Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.’ — Ephesians 5:1
“There are very few who realise what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves entirely to His hands, and let themselves be formed by His grace.” — St Ignatius of Loyola
At this point in the year—when the darker evenings are already returning and you’re digging out your beloved knitwear—we can often find ourselves reflecting about our lives and what we’re doing with them.
‘Calling’ is the big word that we like to throw around a lot as Christians. What’s my calling? What does God want me to do with my life? What’s my thing?
There’s nothing wrong with asking these questions. God made us to have purpose, to draw deep meaning and satisfaction from our work in the world.
But the truth is, discovering our ‘calling’ can easily unravel into a confusing and even paralysing experience that locks our focus on ourselves and away from the truth.
Because, if you trust in Jesus, you already have your calling.
“This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” — John 6:29
“Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.” — Luke 6:40
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” — Matthew 28:19
Believe in Him. Become like Him. Bring others into His Kingdom.
That’s it. That’s why you’re alive. That’s what God wants you to give your life to.
Jesus has called us to follow Him. That means learning to love what He loves, hate what He hates, prioritise what He prioritises, see people how He sees to them, and suffer for the sake of others like He did.
And when you make becoming like Jesus your all-consuming goal, every other part of your life falls into its right place. Your time, your skills, your studies, your work, your relationships—everything will be directed towards living like Jesus, being transformed by His grace, and bringing Him glory wherever He has placed you.
Seek first His Kingdom, and let Him sort out the rest. Make Him your one necessary thing, and the joyful satisfaction you’ll gain will never be taken from you.
So, at the start of this new(ish) year, let’s commit to the calling that Jesus has given us:
To believe in Him.
To become like Him.
To bring others into His Kingdom.
I’m praying for you as we follow Jesus together this year.
Love,
Theo