Tag Archives: The Key of Shadows

TAKE UP YOUR SHIELD

WHEN ARROWS FLY…

“We all want something to believe in.

And when skies are fair, it’s easy to look up at the light warming our faces and feel secure.

But when storm clouds rumble and harsh winds sting, it’s amazing how shaken we can feel.

When the destination we searched for our entire lives fails to appear after following the guide who should have led us there.

When authorities bring criminal charges against the friend we trusted the most.

When a messenger tells us our children have perished…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2023/04/26/take-up-your-shield

OUR SECRET SUCCESS

THAT SETS US FREE…

“Success.

Such an appealing concept–on the surface.

But the more life we experience, the more success can feel like an unreachable bar that taunts us.

Even on a less personal level, the persistence of national tragedies and international crises can make every foundation of security appear to be crumbling around us.

Yet diving deeper into God’s word can reveal a better way forward for all of us…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2023/04/08/your-secret-sucess

FEAST WELL

WHEN TIMES ARE LEAN…

“February was a busy month, but not necessarily one of plenty.

Bills and time demands have piled up.

On one hand, there have been several occasions for celebration, from the courageous leaders of black and women’s history to the warmth of Valentine’s Day to the revivals sweeping across the nation’s colleges.

But if your schedule has been anything like mine, it can be hard to lift your head up to heavenly virtues when your nose stays fastened to the grindstone.

And all too often, that’s exactly where the enemy will set his trap. When circumstances swirl around us that seem to bring nothing but “no’s” and “not enough’s,” he will stealthily nudge us into a limitation-shaped outlook I’ll call “deprivation mentality…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2023/03/10/feast-well

FEAR NOT

WHEN WORRY HITS…

“My daughter Katie just received her fifth college acceptance from the University of the South, the most prestigious school she’s been admitted to so far.

Every parent probably has a story of a door opening for their child that made them proud, but Katie’s story is a little different than most.

At the age of four, after an otherwise healthy childhood, Katie had her first epileptic seizure. Then another one. Then they began hitting her in clusters that her little body just couldn’t keep up with.

And they wouldn’t stop…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2023/02/01/fear-not

TRAIN FOR YOUR DESTINY

WHEN A NEW YEAR DAWNS…

“New year, new me.

Sounds great on the surface.

But sometimes the weight of past disappointments can offset the hopeful impact built on the thin foundation of a single calendar date. Especially those of us who had our hopes up in New Year 2020.

But what if you had a hope built on the firmest foundation imaginable?”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2023/01/02/train-for-your-destiny

A SPIRIT OF GIVING

WHEN YOU’RE STRETCHED THIN…

“The holidays come with a special set of pressures.

Demands, obligations, and expectations swirl around us like no other time of year. Not to mention the potential for hurt feelings and conflict lurking around the corner of every close relationship.

And when our nerves inevitably get frayed, it’s easy to get down on ourselves for not having the kind of spirit we are supposed to.

But the key to navigating this hectic time of year is forged from the same source of every other guideline for life’s many challenges: the firm foundation of faith that the only Christmas gift who matters has already given us…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2023/01/02/a-spirit-of-giving

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

WHEN THE BATTLE FINDS US…

“Halloween is a holiday that evokes mixed reactions from Christians.

Some welcome it with open arms as a harmless celebration for the young and young-at-heart. Others are repulsed by the darker supernatural elements associated with it.

While it may not be productive to debate the correct approach to Halloween, the holiday can present Christians an opportunity to contemplate the best way to confront the darkness we face in life, so we can understand how God is calling us to combat it.

Like Halloween, topics relating to the forces of evil draw a great deal of debate among Christians. In the introduction to one of his most popular and controversial works, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, C.S. Lewis puts it this way:

‘There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.’…”
Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/10/30/deliver-us-from-evil

LIFT YOUR LAMPSTAND

WHEN THE BUSHEL FEELS SAFER…

“Some of us don’t love the spotlight. And we’ve all been through seasons we don’t want displayed before the world.
 
Seasons that send you reeling as the hits just keep coming. Seasons that make you look “less than” in the eyes of the world. Seasons that raise more questions than answers.

These are the seasons when the glare of light can sting our eyes and leave us ducking for cover. These are the seasons when we want to run from the lampstand straight into the nearest bushel we can find.
 
But that is exactly what the enemy wants us to do…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/10/08/lift-your-lampstand

REST. REENGAGE. REPEAT.

WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF STEAM…

“To more than a few of us, the Labor Day holiday can’t come soon enough.  
 
More than a few of us are all too familiar with the feeling that—instead of running our own lives—our lives are running us. A never-ending cycle of demands we can never quite stay on top of, leaving us out of breath and out of solutions. 

But whether life’s pressures keep us on the front lines, or relegate us to the sidelines, it is important to understand where our true source of direction, guidance, and ultimate victory will come from…”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/09/01/rest-reengage-repeat

WISDOM’S CHILDREN

WHEN THE QUESTIONS ARE HARD…

“As July wanes into August, thoughts of education are waxing into focus for many families. The anticipation of preschool, primary, secondary, and college classes for the cherished future we seek to bestow upon our children.

But in this season of sending children off in search of knowledge, perhaps the more valuable question is should we also send them—and ourselves—in search of wisdom?”

Continue reading: https://cainspirations.blog/2022/07/25/wisdoms-children