Spiritual Crisis

 

Recently I came across a video where a preacher’s wife, standing before the entire congregation of the church, happily introduced their church’s own prominent bible-teaching member as her husband’s new wife. This woman, who proudly announced that they were living a polygamous lifestyle, referred to her husband’s “second wife” as her “sister in marriage”.

My immediate thought was, “What is this madness?” Some of you may have seen the video.

Days later, because I’d watched that video, my feed was filled with videos of persons who were reacting to it, as I scrolled past, one in particular captured my curiosity so, I opened it and the person was talking about this so-called pastor’s myriad misdeeds. It made me wonder just how many people are out here posing as men and women of God. Then I recalled this verse,

The time has come for judgment to begin, and God's own people are the first to be judged. – 1 Peter 4:17 (GNT)

God’s own people, His household, His children, all of us who claim to belong to Him are judged first.

As I pondered, Jesus’ parable about the tares growing among the wheat came to mind. Have you noticed that Jesus never identified who falls into which category?

Some of us may believe that tares don’t dress in clerical collars and stoles or hold leadership roles in church or teach bible study and Sunday School, but when harvest time comes, the tares will certainly be separated from the wheat.

When James’ brother Jude wrote his letter, it was to warn about the infiltration of religious heretics and immoral people into the Christian community. He wrote that some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches (Jude 4 NLT).

From what we see happening today, this is a spiritual crisis that has perpetuated over thousands of years. All too often we hear of scandals within the church involving those from whom we are supposed to receive spiritual guidance.

These leaders stand at pulpits denouncing the lifestyles of others while being secretly engaged in appalling behaviour. The very basis of Christianity is in jeopardy now as it was in Jude’s day.

In his letter, Jude warns against those who pretend to be pious but are rotten to their core, writing that they follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. He describes them as shepherds who feed only themselves, clouds without rain, trees without fruit, wild waves of the sea and wandering stars.

Jude used imagery that was vivid and intense because the spiritual crisis was real, just as real as it is these days. He understood and we must understand that the corruption has the potential of contamination; what starts at the head will inevitably filter down into the body.

Jude’s letter should be a reminder to all of us that God’s judgment and punishment for ungodliness isn’t confined to Old Testament times. Yes, we are living in the dispensation of grace, however, there are still consequences to sinful behaviour.

So, do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant (Galatians 6:7 GNT).

Beloved, if you are claiming Christianity then you can’t simply behave any how you choose; James 4:17 (NLT) is a reminder that it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

You can avoid becoming entangled in the spiritual crisis that seems endemic in the church by first understanding that it is the greatest honour to belong to God, then you must recognize that persevering in this spiritual life can never be sustained by your efforts, it’s possible only by dependence on God, building upon your faith, being prayerful in the power of the Spirit and exercising authentic love – the love of God.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (Jude 24-25 NLT)

Keep looking to God, who is able to keep you from falling.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Spiritual Crisis” © 2026 November 3, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still Good

 

When God began to create…the first day…the second day…the third day…the fourth day…the fifth day…

Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness”…So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them…God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good…the sixth day.

Do you believe that everything God had made is still good?

Do you believe that nowadays when God sees the made-in our-image-according-to-our-likeness humans, that indeed, it was very good is still valid?

It may be hard to believe, but even today, with the mess that we humans have made of the dominion that we were given, God considers everything that He made as still good.

You may be wondering, “How can He?”, it’s because of this…

Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. – Psalm 119:89 (NLT)

And this, Isaiah 40:8 (AMP) says that the word of our God stands forever.

And this, God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie…has He spoken and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19 AMPC)

And this, Mark 10:18 (GNT), No one is good except God alone.

God’s word is eternal; it stands firm, it stands forever, it is unchangeable and because God is intrinsically good, He is good for His word.

So, on the days of creation, when God declared that the light was good, and the earth and seas were good, and the plants and fruit-bearing trees were good, and the sun, moon and stars were good, and every kind of animal was good, and after He completed His best creation yet, and declared that everything was indeed very good, His word was fixed in heaven forever.

All that God does is good and all that He has done is still good, therefore the chaos, disorder, wickedness, distortion and sin prevailing throughout the world since Creation is no fault of His but is the result of the fall from His image and likeness which gave rise to the moral decay of what God originally created good.

God’s love for what and who He created has never wavered. Even after the humans in the Garden flouted His instructions, God demonstrated His innate goodness by immediately effecting His plan to restore all of humankind, culminating in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus, His beloved Son.

Beloved, every action God has implemented throughout the centuries is evidence that He sees His Creation as still good and when He looks at you, He sees the sacrifice of His Son and the image of who you truly are, in Him.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Still Good” © 2026 November 2, 2026

 

 

 

 

“Splanchnizomai”

 

“Splanchnizomai”; what a word. It’s an ancient Greek word which in English expresses “compassion”.

This word can be found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; let’s look at a few instances from Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew 9:36 (NIV)

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 15:32 (NIV)

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

Matthew 18:27 (NASB)

And the master of that slave felt compassion, and he released him and forgave him the debt.

Matthew 20:34 (NASB)

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries defines compassion as,

a strong feeling of sympathy for people or animals who are suffering and a desire to help them

But “splanchnizomai” is deeper than that. As you know, our English words seldom convey what the original Greek words truly express – the depth of the words is lost in translation.

“Splanchnizomai” comes from the word “splanxna”, the inward parts of the body – the heart, the lungs, the liver and the kidneys; who knows, for good measure, the spleen might also be included. In other words, this is something that is felt deep within.

When in Matthew we read that Jesus was moved with compassion, it’s much more intense than emotional empathy, it’s a visceral, gut-wrenching pain. His was not a fleeting sense of pity but a real physical reaction, felt in His internal organs, to both the physical and social suffering of two blind beggars.

“Splanchnizomai” is compassion that demands action. Jesus always had that type of compassion; compassion that moved Him to provide for the hungry, the sick, the outcast, the marginalized, the needy, the weak and the weary.  

Beloved, Jesus had compassion not just for people’s spiritual well-being but for their physical well-being too (see Matthew 15:32 above). You and I are called to have this same compassion for others. Compassion that is “splanchnizomai” – felt so deeply that it pains internally.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Splanchnizomai” © 2026 November 1, 2026

The Call

 

In the Gospel of Mark chapter 1, verse 20 (ESV), we read,

And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

What could have compelled four fishermen, Andrew, Simon, James and John, the first called (see v 16-19), to leave their livelihoods to follow a complete stranger?

Receiving the call from Jesus was no ordinary call; it was the call that caused them, without hesitation, to walk away from the life they knew and follow Him.

You see, the call is less of an invitation and more of a summons in which divine authority is imbedded.

The call is not determined by race, ethnicity, gender, social standing or financial status. For years, these fishermen were portrayed as poor, but they were men of means who ran their own businesses. For that matter, we see in Luke 5:7-10 that James and John worked together with Simon.

Notice that Mark 1:20 lets us know that Zebedee was not only the owner of a boat, but he had employees. We aren’t told the number of employees or the size of the boat, but it’s fair to deduce that to accommodate father, sons and servants, this was not a rowboat.

Having already been well-established, must have made their decision to answer “yes” to the call into the unknown, seem like lunacy. At that time, they, unlike us now, hadn’t a clue about this new way of life to which they were called. They were headed blind in a direction away from loved ones, possessions and the lives they’d built.

Beloved, even today, the call demands the same response. The call of Jesus is a call to act immediately, one way or the other (see Mark 10:17-27). We can choose to follow, or we can resist, however, we are strongly advised in Hebrews 3:15 (ERV), If you hear God’s voice today, don’t be stubborn. The Kingdom is not waiting on you.

The call came and the fishermen responded without delay; what about you?

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Call” © 2026 October 31, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Hearing

Yesterday a trailer truck driving behind me made a sound, it wasn’t an unfamiliar sound since I’ve heard those trucks make that sound before, but this time I did not hear the sound with my ears, but I felt the sound inside my entire torso. It was an unusual sensation that I truly cannot describe, and it frightened me.

That experience reminded me of a verse that only appears in some bibles. For reasons unknown to me, in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 7, verse 16 in several versions, is completely omitted where verse 15 is immediately followed by verse 17. However, verse 16 can be found in the Amplified Classic edition of the Bible, which bears the footnote: Many manuscripts do not contain this verse.

If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening [and let him perceive and comprehend by hearing].

Whether this verse was once there and removed or added later and by whom is a pointless debate, the fact is, it reinforces our need to hear, not with our physical ears but in a place that is deep inside us. This is a call to hear and listen in our souls.

Every day we are bombarded by noise – external and internal. God is speaking but we’re so distracted by the noise that we neither hear nor listen. We need to develop the ability to hear properly.

When, in Mark 9:7, we read that God said, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”, it is a clear indication of the importance of listening, not superficially but hearing with spiritual intention.

Yesterday, I did not simply hear a sound, my “hearing” came as a reverberation felt at the level of my soul. Throughout Jesus’ teaching, when He implores us to truly hear, I believe it is similar or even more intense than what I experienced.

Hearing with our physical ears, is not equated to hearing the spiritual. So that, not everyone who hears, is hearing. Hearing is not a physical act but a spiritual decision. How we understand the Truth depends on the disposition of our souls.

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:” – Mark 7:14 (ESV)

Jesus had just confronted the religious leaders and was now drawing the people to Himself. This was no ordinary call; it was a call for them to turn away from empty religious teachings, traditions and rituals to Truth which necessitates hearing from a different space within because to grasp Truth requires deeper comprehension.

Beloved, this topic is so extensive, too much to cover in one blog post. This is just a nibble to encourage you to go in search of the whole meal.

Keep in mind that Jesus’ call to hearing is not just auditory but is a call to awaken your spiritual understanding.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Hearing” © 2026 October 30, 2026

Discernment

 

When I was a child, our Christmas tree did not appear until Christmas day; on the night of Christmas Eve, the house would be bare of any hint of Christmas as I was shuttled off to bed but on Christmas morning, I would wake up to an assault on my senses. The smell of ham baking and of cakes already baked, and the aroma of the living pine tree; the flurry of colourful decorations that adorned the tree together with the prettiest of drapes on every window were a thrill for my eyes and under the tree, a mountain of gifts patiently waiting to be torn open. Happiness.

My mother, I thought, must be superhuman. How did she do all this in a single night?

Then, I became an adult with my own home. For the first few years, I tried to keep up the tradition but coming home late from work and with two young children, my question remained – how did my mother do it? Nostalgic about his own childhood, my husband, who relished the excitement of the Christmas Eve rush, was sorely disappointed that we could not maintain that tradition. That Christmas we were about to do something brand-new.

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 (MSG)

This is what God says,
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?

We are always hard-pressed to let go of traditions. We become so nostalgic about what we used to do or how things used to be – we keep going over old history. Nothing is wrong with reminiscing but clinging to the past can blind us to the new thing that God is doing in our lives.

To be blind to what God is doing refers more to the lack of spiritual discernment than to the physical lack of sight. If we are living in our past, we can never be attentive to what is happening around us in the present.

God wants us to be alert and to be present – He is the God of now, after all, God never introduced Himself as “I WAS” or I WILL BE”, but “I AM”. He knows our past and is aware of our future, but He is in our present.

Beloved, even now God is calling you into the present, so that you may be able to discern His brand-new move in your life. He does not want you to miss out on experiencing the true Source of spiritual power. God knows the dangers of being overly fixated on what has passed.

Keep in mind that even if you don’t see the new thing that God is doing, that doesn’t mean that something isn’t happening, for He is the God who creates new things out of nothing (ref. Romans 4:17).

The same God who did something brand-new in Isaiah’s day is the same God who is doing something brand-new in your life today.

Pray for discernment – vision to see spiritually.

 

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Discernment” © 2026 October 30, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Remember Lot’s wife

 

“On that day someone who is on the roof of a house must not go down into the house to get any belongings; in the same way anyone who is out in the field must not go back to the house. Remember Lot's wife!” – Luke 17:31-32 (GNT)

Jesus was talking to His disciples. He had just responded to some Pharisees who had asked Him about the coming of the Kingdom of God. To them, Jesus said,

The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you. – Luke 17:20-21 (GNT)

Then, Jesus turned to His disciples to explain further, and it was in this explanation that He cautioned, Remember Lot’s wife.

Notice that immediately before that, Jesus had warned the disciples to not go back. What did Lot’s wife do? She neither went down nor went back, however, she looked back.

Lot’s wife looked back to where she had once been.

Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62 (GNT)

Let’s say you’re in an awful relationship; you’ve prayed endlessly for a way to escape. God answers your prayer, spectacularly. He gives you a final instruction, “Do not look back.”

But you have your doubts, not that you don’t believe it’s God’s doing but still, you’re conflicted, double-minded (see James 1:7-8). You’re walking away but there’s a painful yearning for what was.

Like Lot’s wife, you haven’t truly detached yourself from Sodom. She paid the consequences which were dire and if you’re not careful, you will too. Lot’s wife physically walked away but her heart was still tied to Sodom and so, she suffered the fate of the Sodomites as if she had remained in the city.

Remember Lot’s wife.

This was just a simple example but there’s so much more to “looking back” when it comes to our Christian walk. The Christian walk is a forward journey; it is a path of progression that demands total commitment to the direction we have chosen to take. Looking back to whatever we have left behind reveals a divided heart.

If your heart is not in it then you’re not prepared to plow ahead. The capacity required for Kingdom living involves dedication to Jesus. Attachment to the past prevents us from advancing in this spiritual life. That’s the spiritual reality.

Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is within you that’s because the Kingdom of God is not confined to any physical place.

When God said to Jeremiah, “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33 GNT), it demonstrated that the Kingdom of God is not external but an internal manifestation in the hearts of those who surrender their lives to Him.

Jesus was then and is now the living manifestation of the Kingdom within us.

Too many of us are looking back. Stop trying to go back to the life you left behind.

Beloved, clinging to what was prevents you from embracing what is. It’s difficult but you must walk away from anything that’s detrimental to your spiritual life.

You must Remember Lot’s wife and don’t be salty, instead take time to honestly examine your heart. Are you yearning for whatever or whoever God has removed from your life? Are you looking back to the past longingly?

It’s time to throw off the fetters of the past, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13 AMP).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Remember Lot’s wife” © 2026 October 28, 2026