Are you being pressed right now? Times exist in our lives, in which the pressures and struggles of life seem to come crashing down on us all at once. While a lot of times we can navigate life with a few issues cropping up, here or there, we will periodically come across the avalanche of “all at once.” These times are perfect for us to truly test our strength, and see where our real convictions sit. Most of us believe that we carry the foundational truths well enough to react the way Christ wants us to, but until we are immersed in real life, we can definitely believe the illusion that we are responding the way we are supposed to. Right now, I'm learning a lot about faith, promises, prayer and the Lord. I'm not going to get into details about my life, but needless to say, a… read more

Being accepted into the social group seems to have some type of biological inspiration behind it. We look at social acceptance, and recognize that it's extremely scary for a person to be cast out of the social group. Imagine, if you will, a tribe in the middle of the jungle. They're surrounded by all kinds of dangerous animals, plants and terrain. To walk out of the protection of the circle is to invite many different dangers to prey on you. So you cooperate with your small community, and everybody shares in the hunting, gathering of food, cooking, and building of homes, etc. One night, you say something that nobody in the tribe likes. They all look at you like you've got three heads. The chief leans in and asks you to repeat what you just said. You, with some naivete,… read more

I spend a lot of time writing when I'm working on Self-Evident material. Most of you have probably already learned that a large amount of content produced by Self-Evident has been written in some way, shape, or form by yours truly. Producing content continues to be a passion of mine. I enjoy the research, I absolutely love to write, and I'm spiritually motivated. I want to go after all areas of society and culture. I want them for Christ, and if I get to use my skills and talents to help raise up disciples in these areas: then game on. But sometimes, you wonder whether you're actually making change with everything you're doing. There's a difference between throwing a bunch of paint at the wall, and using a roller to make a pristine new wall color. With the deluge of content… read more

How do you keep going? Honestly, this article isn't written from the mountain top, looking down with the wise vision of 20/20. I'm writing from within the trenches. There are times where the feelings can begin to overwhelm, pushing you to wonder why it matters, what it's worth, or why keep going. Points exist on the journey within which you sit in the mud on the side of the road, wondering whether to bother standing back up. The emotions boil through you, the reminders come to the surface, and that voice you thought went away comes roaring back, gloating, “I told you so. You can't make it. This will never get better.” Times exist in life which will test your perseverance and your strength, courage and faith. Those times can be major, or they can be the soft little cuts that… read more

You may notice that unlike most articles posted on Self-Evident's website, this article is a direct result of a Podcast episode. I thought writing this would be useful for people who may want to look back on the topic, do some research, and spend a little more time with the information. We pray that this Discipline Series that we're doing on the Podcast would benefit you greatly. Our goal is to help disciple you in every area of your life, be it government, social, or faith. If there is another area of discipline that you'd like us to cover, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at: selfevidentministriespodcast@gmail.com (yes. Seriously. It was the best I could do with what wasn't taken.) We hope this article blesses you! Fasting A deeply misunderstood discipline… read more