Rediscovering Faith

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Conclude this week's journey of untangling from approval with this liberating episode about God's permanent acceptance. Based on Psalm 27:10, we learn that in Christ, we are forever accepted by God. After addressing fickle praise, serving two masters, overcoming fear, and faithfulness in rejection, today we discover the foundation that makes freedom from approval-seeking possible: God's unchanging acceptance of us in Christ.

When Even Parents Forsake: David says "my father and my mother have forsaken me." This is the deepest kind of rejection—parents are supposed to be your most reliable source of acceptance, supposed to be there when everyone else leaves. But David is saying: even if they forsake me, even if the people who should accept me reject me, the Lord will take me in. 

The Lord Will Take Me In: Here's David's confidence: "the Lord will take me in." When everyone else rejects you, God accepts you. 

Acceptance in Christ: In Christ, God's acceptance of you isn't just possible—it's guaranteed, permanent, unchanging. 

Living From Acceptance, Not For It: This is the shift: from living for acceptance to living from acceptance. Living for acceptance means you're constantly striving, performing, anxious, exhausted—trying to earn what you don't have. Living from acceptance means you're secure, free, obedient, at peace—resting in what you already have in Christ. One is slavery. The other is freedom.

Your Untangle Moment: Read and meditate on Mark 14-15 as a way to focus on the cross of Christ for Good Friday.

Perfect for anyone performing for approval, anxious about acceptance, or learning that God's acceptance in Christ is permanent and sets you free from approval-seeking.

Scripture Focus: Psalm 27:10 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Approval

Discover the freedom of living from God's permanent acceptance instead of striving for human approval you can never fully earn.

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Discover how to remain faithful when facing rejection in this powerful episode about Jesus' example. Based on Isaiah 50:6-7, we learn that in the midst of intense rejection from people, Jesus remained faithful. This faithfulness was rooted deeply in Jesus' recognition that the Father will help Him, even if others don't see it. Continuing to untangle from approval, today we address how to endure rejection without fighting back in anger or retreating in shame.

What You'll Learn:

• How Jesus remained faithful in the midst of intense rejection
• What Isaiah 50:6-7 reveals about extreme rejection and humiliation
• The two temptations we face when experiencing rejection
• Why "the Lord God helps me" changes everything
• What it means to "set your face like a flint”

The Intensity of Rejection: Isaiah describes violent, personal rejection: "I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting." This is beating, beard-pulling (a sign of ultimate disrespect), spitting (public humiliation and disgrace). This isn't just disapproval—this is active, hostile rejection. And this is exactly what Jesus experienced.

The Temptation in Rejection: When you experience rejection, there are two strong temptations. First: to fight back, defend yourself, prove them wrong, make them see that they're the problem, not you. Second: to internalize it, believe the rejection defines you, retreat in shame, give up. Both of these are self-protective responses rooted in needing human approval to feel secure. But Jesus did neither. 

The Lord God Helps Me: Here's the key: "But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced." Notice "therefore"—because the Lord helps me, I have not been disgraced. The rejection was real, the humiliation was real, but it didn't define Him, didn't disgrace Him. Why? Because God was helping Him.

Set My Face Like Flint: Isaiah says "therefore I have set my face like a flint." Flint is hard, unyielding, unmovable. This isn't stubborn defiance—it's unwavering faithfulness. Jesus set His face toward the Father's will and didn't turn away, no matter how intense the rejection.

Rooted in the Father's Help: Jesus' faithfulness in rejection was rooted in His relationship with the Father. He wasn't drawing strength from people's approval or sustained by their validation. He was sustained by the Father's help. That's why He could endure their rejection—because His security wasn't in them. It was in God. That's the shift we need to make. When your security is in God's help—not people's approval—you can remain faithful even when they reject you.

Your Untangle Moment: Meditate on Isaiah 50:6-7 for at least 10 minutes today.

Perfect for anyone experiencing rejection for their faith, tempted to compromise to avoid disapproval, or learning that God's help sustains you when people reject you.

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 50:6-7 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Approval

Learn to remain faithful in the midst of rejection by trusting that God helps you, even when others don't see it.

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Discover what drives approval-seeking in this convicting episode about fear of people's opinions. Based on John 12:42-43, we learn that as is the case with many of the entanglements we have discussed over the last few weeks, fear pushes us into all kinds of tangles. In order for us to serve God wholeheartedly, we will eventually have to overcome fear. Continuing to untangle from approval, today we address the fear that keeps us silent, hiding, and compromising.

What You'll Learn:

• Why fear is the engine driving approval-seeking
• What it means to believe without confessing
• The cost of being "put out" and why it creates fear
• Why loving human glory more than God's keeps us tangled
• A practical untangle moment to choose courage over fear

Belief Without Confession: John says "many even of the authorities believed in him, but... they did not confess it." They believed, but they didn't confess. Belief is internal—what you hold in your heart. Confession is external—what you declare publicly. Fear kept them from moving from belief to confession.

The Fear of Being Put Out: John specifies the fear: "for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue." Being put out of the synagogue was serious—social exclusion, religious isolation, loss of community, loss of standing. In that culture, the synagogue was central to everything: your identity, community, social network, business connections. To be put out was to lose everything. 

Loving Human Glory More Than God's: John diagnoses the root: "They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." This is the heart of approval-seeking—you love human glory (human approval, applause, validation) more than God's. Not because you don't care about God or don't believe, but because human approval feels more immediate, more tangible, more necessary.

Fear as the Engine of Approval-Seeking: You don't just want approval because it feels good—you want it because you're afraid of what will happen without it. You're afraid of rejection, exclusion, criticism, losing your place, your status, your security. 

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one specific fear of people's opinions that's keeping you tangled, then practice untangling by taking one courageous step despite the fear.

Perfect for anyone controlled by fear of others' opinions, silent when they should speak, or learning that overcoming fear is essential to serving God wholeheartedly.

Scripture Focus: John 12:42-43 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Approval

Learn to overcome fear of people's opinions and choose to love God's glory more than human glory.

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Discover the incompatibility of serving God and seeking human approval in this convicting episode about choosing your master. Based on Galatians 1:10, we learn that we can't serve God and approval from people—it is incompatible. Paul is showing us in this passage another application of Jesus's teaching that we cannot serve two masters. Continuing to untangle from approval, today we address the reality that trying to please people disqualifies us from being servants of Christ.

What You'll Learn:

• Why serving God and seeking human approval are incompatible
• What Paul's diagnostic questions reveal about who you're serving
• What people-pleasing looks like in practical terms
• How Jesus's two masters principle applies to approval-seeking
• Why we try to serve both and why it doesn't work
• A practical untangle moment to choose obedience over approval

Seeking Approval or Seeking God: Paul asks two diagnostic questions: "Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?" These questions force a choice—it's one or the other, not both. When you're making a decision, whose approval are you seeking? When you're choosing how to live, who are you trying to please? If the answer is people, then you're not serving God. You might believe in God, might go to church, but you're not serving Him. 

The Two Masters Principle: Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." This isn't about literal hatred—it's about priority. You can't give full devotion to both. One will always take priority. 

Why We Try to Serve Both: We want to be faithful to God and liked by people. We want obedience and approval. We think we can have both. But when those two things conflict—and they will—we have to choose. 

The Freedom of Serving One Master: When you stop trying to please everyone and just serve God, you're actually more free. When you're trying to serve two masters, you're constantly torn, anxious, second-guessing, exhausted from trying to keep everyone happy. But when you choose to serve God alone, the decision is clear: "What does God want? That's what I'll do. Even if people don't like it." You're not controlled by their opinions anymore. You're free to obey.

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one specific decision or area where you're trying to please people instead of God, then practice untangling by choosing obedience to God even if it means losing approval.

Perfect for anyone compromising obedience for approval, paralyzed by fear of what others think, or learning that you can't serve both God and human opinion.

Scripture Focus: Galatians 1:10 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Approval

Learn to be a servant of Christ instead of a people-pleaser and discover the freedom of serving one master.

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Begin a new week of untangling from approval with this sobering episode about the fickleness of human praise. Based on Psalm 118:25-29, we learn that much like Jesus who heard the crowds proclaiming the words of this psalm at the Triumphal Entry, we can hear praise from people one day and the very next be their enemy. Rather than being grounded in people's approval of us, we must be rooted in the love of God.

What You'll Learn:

• Why people's approval is unstable and God's love is steadfast
• What happened between Palm Sunday and Good Friday
• Why we crave approval and how it tangles us
• The difference between being rooted in God's love versus grounded in human praise
• How Jesus remained secure despite shifting public opinion
• A practical untangle moment to shift your foundation from approval to God's love

The Triumphal Entry: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy. The crowds went wild—laid down palm branches and cloaks, shouted "Hosanna!" (meaning "save us now!"). They quoted Psalm 118: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" They celebrated Him as the Messiah, the King, the one who would deliver them. The approval was overwhelming. The praise was loud. Jesus was the hero of the moment. And then the week unfolded. And everything changed.

From Hosanna to Crucify: By Friday, those same crowds—or at least many of the same people—were shouting "Crucify him!" What changed? Jesus didn't meet their expectations. They wanted a political Messiah who would overthrow Rome. He came as a suffering servant who would die for their sins. When He didn't give them what they wanted, their approval turned to anger. Their praise turned to condemnation. This is what people's approval does—it's conditional, based on whether you meet expectations. And when you don't, it disappears.

The Tangle of Approval-Seeking: When you live for people's approval, you give them control over your peace, identity, and worth. When they approve, you feel good. When they don't, you feel terrible. Your emotional state is determined by their opinion, which can change at any moment. You make decisions based on what will earn their approval instead of what God is calling you to do. You compromise, perform, exhaust yourself trying to keep everyone happy. And even when you get their approval, it's never enough because you know it could disappear tomorrow. You're constantly anxious, constantly working, constantly seeking. It's a tangle that keeps you stuck, insecure, and enslaved to opinions that shift like sand.

God's Steadfast Love: The psalm says "His steadfast love endures forever." Steadfast—unchanging, unwavering. Not based on your performance. Not dependent on whether you meet expectations. Not conditional on your success or failure. God's love for you is constant. It doesn't shift from Sunday to Friday. It doesn't turn from praise to condemnation based on whether you disappoint Him. His love is the foundation that doesn't move, the approval that doesn't change, the security that doesn't depend on anything you do.

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one area where you're living for people's approval, then practice untangling by shifting your foundation from their praise to God's love. 

Perfect for anyone living for others' validation, anxious about what people think, or learning to be rooted in God's steadfast love instead of fickle human approval.

Scripture Focus: Psalm 118:25-29 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Approval

Discover how to be rooted in God's steadfast love instead of building your identity on approval that comes and goes.

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What if the very way you’ve been thinking is the thing keeping you stuck?

In this final episode of Week 5 in the Untangle series, we confront one of the most subtle barriers to experiencing real, lasting transformation: self-preservation. Drawing inspiration from a thought-provoking quote often attributed to Albert Einstein, this episode explores the idea that we cannot solve our problems—or step into new life—using the same mindset that created them.

Anchored in Isaiah 43:18–19, we unpack God’s powerful promise: “I am doing a new thing… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Throughout Scripture, gardens represent blessing, while wilderness represents dryness, testing, and even judgment. And yet, God declares that He brings life precisely in those barren places.

So why do we so often miss it?

This episode challenges us with a critical question: Are we truly ready to perceive the new thing God is doing—or are we clinging to old patterns, expectations, and demands that keep us stuck in the wilderness?

You’ll be guided through:

•  Why old patterns of self-preservation can’t produce resurrection life 
•  How your current struggles may be tied to past ways of thinking 
•  The importance of belief in recognizing God at work 
•  What it means to release your demands and surrender control 
•  A practical “Untangle Moment” to help you identify, surrender, and step into something new 

If you’ve been feeling stuck in a dry season—relationally, spiritually, or emotionally—this episode is an invitation to let go of what was and open your eyes to what God is doing right now.

It’s time to trade the wilderness for the river.

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Untangle - Week 5, Episode 4: "New Life Begins Now"

Discover why new life in Christ is present tense, not future, in this liberating episode about stepping into freedom today. Based on Romans 6:4, we learn that when we untangle from self-preservation, the new life we receive from Christ is not something we need to wait for—it begins as soon as we trust. Continuing this week's journey of untangling from self-preservation, today we address the dangerous belief that new life is someday instead of now.

What You'll Learn:

• Why new life begins now, not someday
• What baptism represents: buried and raised with Christ
• The difference between old life (self-preservation) and new life (surrender)
• Why we delay new life
• What changes when you realize new life is available today
• A practical untangle moment to step into newness now instead of waiting

Baptism: Buried and Raised: Baptism is a picture of death and resurrection. You go under the water—buried with Christ in His death. You come up out of the water—raised with Christ to new life. It's a symbol of what's happened spiritually.

Walking in Newness of Life: Paul says "we too might walk in newness of life." Walk—that's present tense, active, ongoing. Newness of life isn't a one-time event; it's a way of living, a daily walk, a pattern of behavior that's different from the old life.

The Power of "Now": When you realize new life is now, not someday, everything changes. You stop waiting—you stop delaying obedience until circumstances are perfect and step into new patterns today. You stop making excuses: "I can't be generous yet," "I can't be vulnerable yet," "I can't take that risk yet." Yes, you can. You've been raised with Christ. You stop living like the old you—the old you is dead, buried with Christ. You don't have to keep living in those patterns just because they're familiar. You start walking in freedom—the freedom to let go, to surrender, to trust God instead of protecting yourself.

Stepping Into New Life: Giving generously even when you don't feel financially secure—because you're trusting God, not hoarding for self-preservation. Being vulnerable even when you're afraid of being hurt—because you're walking in new patterns, not old patterns of self-protection. Taking a faith-risk even when you can't see the outcome—because you've been raised to walk in newness of life, not to play it safe. Choosing surrender over self-preservation. Not someday. Today.

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one area where you're waiting for "someday" new life instead of stepping into it now, then practice untangling by taking one concrete step into newness today. 

Perfect for anyone waiting for circumstances to change before living differently, stuck in old patterns while believing in new life, or learning that new life in Christ is present reality, not future hope.

Scripture Focus: Romans 6:4 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Self-Preservation

Discover how to step into the new life Christ has already given you today instead of waiting for someday.

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Discover how God's presence is the antidote to fear-driven self-preservation in this comforting episode. Based on Psalm 23:4, we learn that in our times of great fear, God promises to meet us even there. Continuing this week's journey of untangling from self-preservation, today we address the fear underneath so much of our protective behavior and how God's presence changes everything.

What You'll Learn:

• Why God's presence is the antidote to fear, not the removal of valleys
• What "the valley of the shadow of death" means beyond physical death
• How David could say "I will fear no evil" while walking through danger
• The difference between God's presence and our self-protection
• Why God doesn't promise to remove valleys but to walk with us through them
• A practical untangle moment to identify fear and practice God's presence

The Valley of the Shadow: "The valley of the shadow of death" isn't just about physical death—it's about any valley where death casts a shadow, where you feel the threat of loss, pain, suffering, failure. 

I Will Fear No Evil: David makes a bold claim: "I will fear no evil." This doesn't mean he doesn't feel afraid—it means fear doesn't control him, doesn't dictate his choices, doesn't drive him into self-preservation. How can he say this? 

Your Rod and Your Staff: The rod and staff are shepherd's tools. The rod is for protection—defending the sheep from predators. The staff is for guidance—gently directing the sheep on the right path. David is saying: God, You protect me. You guide me. And that's enough. 

Self-Preservation Driven by Fear: We default to self-preservation instead of trusting God's presence because fear is powerful. When we're afraid, our instinct is to protect ourselves. 

God's Presence Versus Our Protection: Self-preservation says: "I have to protect myself from the valley. I have to avoid the shadow. I have to make sure nothing bad happens." Trust in God's presence says: "The valley is real. The shadow is real. But God is with me in it. And His presence is enough." 

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one specific fear that's driving your self-preservation, then practice untangling by acknowledging God's presence with you in that valley. 

Perfect for anyone paralyzed by fear, protecting themselves from valleys, avoiding risk or vulnerability, or learning that God's presence is the antidote to fear-driven self-preservation.

Scripture Focus: Psalm 23:4 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Self-Preservation

Discover how God's presence enables you to walk through valleys instead of protecting yourself from them.

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Discover how eternal perspective makes surrender sustainable in this essential episode about daily renewal. Based on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, we learn that keeping an eternal perspective on our self-denial is critical to be able to untangle from self-preservation well. Continuing this week's journey of untangling from self-preservation, today we address what happens when we lose sight of the eternal and focus only on the temporal cost.

What You'll Learn:

• Why eternal perspective enables sustainable surrender
• The contrast between outwardly wasting away and inwardly being renewed
• How Paul could call persecution and suffering "light momentary affliction"
• What "eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" means
• Why looking to the unseen rather than the seen changes everything
• A practical untangle moment to shift from temporal to eternal perspective

Outwardly Wasting Away, Inwardly Renewed: Paul starts with this contrast: "Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." Two things happening simultaneously. Outwardly: decline, loss, weakness, aging, suffering. But inwardly: renewal, growth, strengthening, transformation. 

Light Momentary Affliction: Then Paul says something that sounds absurd: "This light momentary affliction." Paul is talking about persecution, beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, constant danger—and he calls it light and momentary. How can he say that? Because of his perspective.

Eternal Weight of Glory: Paul says this light momentary affliction is "preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Beyond all comparison—the glory God is preparing is so massive, so weighty, so magnificent that you can't even compare it to the suffering. This is why perspective matters. 

Looking to the Unseen: Paul concludes: "We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." This is the key: Where are you looking? 

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one area where self-denial feels unbearable because you're focused on what you're losing now, then practice untangling by shifting to an eternal perspective. 

Perfect for anyone exhausted from sacrifice, regretting surrender, focused on temporal cost, or learning that eternal perspective makes self-denial sustainable.

Scripture Focus: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Self-Preservation

Learn to shift from temporal to eternal perspective and discover how daily renewal enables sustainable surrender.

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Begin a new week of untangling from self-preservation with this foundational episode about how life multiplies through surrender. Based on John 12:24-26, we learn that life multiplies to others when we are willing to let go. Starting this week's journey of addressing self-preservation—the instinct to protect ourselves, our comfort, our resources, our reputation at all costs—today we discover that real life comes through surrender, not protection.

What You'll Learn:

• Why life multiplies through surrender, not self-preservation
• What Jesus' grain of wheat illustration teaches about fruitfulness
• What self-preservation looks like in practical terms
• The hidden cost of protecting yourself at all costs
• A practical untangle moment to surrender what you're gripping

The Grain of Wheat: Jesus uses a simple farming illustration: a grain of wheat. If you want to keep the grain safe, you protect it, store it, keep it from being buried, exposed, or broken down. And it stays exactly as it is—one grain, alone, unfruitful. But if you're willing to let it fall into the ground, if you're willing to let it die—to be buried, broken down, lose its original form—something amazing happens. It multiplies. 

Losing Your Life to Keep It: Jesus applies this principle to our lives: "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." 

The Abundance of Surrender: Surrender brings multiplication—when you give generously, God multiplies your resources. When you invest your time in others, your life becomes richer. When you take risks in faith, God produces fruit you could never manufacture on your own. Surrender brings impact—when you stop protecting yourself and start serving others, your life matters. You make a difference. You bear fruit. 

Following Jesus: Jesus says "If anyone serves me, he must follow me." This is the call—follow Jesus. And where did Jesus go? To the cross. To surrender. To laying down His life. He didn't preserve Himself. He didn't protect Himself. He surrendered. And through that surrender, salvation came. Life multiplied. The whole world was changed. Jesus is saying: if you want to serve Me, you have to follow Me. You have to be willing to surrender, not just preserve.

Your Untangle Moment: Identify one area where you're holding tightly to self-preservation, then practice untangling by surrendering it and trusting God with the outcome. 

Perfect for anyone holding tightly to resources, time, comfort, or control, afraid of loss or vulnerability, or learning that true life comes through surrender, not self-preservation.

Scripture Focus: John 12:24-26 Series: Untangle Week Theme: Untangle from Self-Preservation

Discover how life multiplies through surrender and learn to let go of self-preservation that keeps you small and unfruitful.