Almost everyone I talk to as a friend, a coach or a pastor make the false assumption that they are the only ones dealing with what they are dealing with.

It is a little, almost perfect lie designed by the enemy of your soul to keep you in shame, to keep you from talking about it, which always keeps you in bondage.

When it comes to ANTs, Automatic Negative Thoughts, it is important to express them to God in conversation, through a journal and to trusted others.

Once we start doing this we realize that, well, this is just an ANT common to man—which means it is an ANT that can caught and crushed.

When you can name an ANT, you can tame it.

You can talk back to it and replace it with something true.

In POD #70 I cover the 9 most common ANTs and give a Scripture as replacement thought. It is a powerful exercise and puts into practice the scripture about “Taking Every Thought Captive”.

It takes some work but it is the right kind of work that leads to life and life more abundantly.

If you’ve ever wondered “Why do I keep thinking like this?” — you’ll probably see yourself in this list.

The list is not to shame you — but to show you where to start talking back.

I have put a short list of the 9 most common ANTs below the image.

If you have not listened to The ANT Introduction, POD #69, then go back and do that before listening.

Enjoying the ANT Crushing Journey with You,

Les

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The 9 Most Common ANTs

* All-or-Nothing ANTEverything is black or white. If it’s not perfect, it’s a total failure.

* Always ANTYou use words like “always,” “never,” or “every time.” One bad moment becomes “this always happens.”

* Focusing on the Negative ANTYou overlook what went right and fixate on what went wrong.

* Fortune-Telling ANTYou predict the future and assume the worst — as if it’s already true.

* Mind-Reading ANTYou assume you know what other people are thinking — and it’s usually negative.

* Guilt-Beating ANTYou “should” and “must” yourself into shame and regret.

* Labeling ANTYou call yourself names based on one situation or mistake.

* Blaming ANTYou blame others for how you feel, giving away your power.

* Personalizing ANTYou make things about you when they’re not. You assume people’s actions or words are aimed at you.

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Talk Back to Your ANTs — And Take Back Your Mind

Your mind is a beautiful place, created by God and in His image.

But sometimes it gets crowded with thoughts that don’t belong there. Recently I was listening to several Dr. Daniel Amen Podcasts and he calls these thoughts ANTs — Automatic Negative Thoughts.

They sneak in, settle down, and multiply if you don’t deal with them.

I really like that! And, it gave me a creative image for the coaching I do that helps people “take every thought captive”.

I know I do this and I think you probably do also: One small thing goes wrong, and suddenly you’re replaying every mistake you’ve ever made. You’re predicting a doomed future or calling yourself names you’d never say to someone else.

These ANTs show up automatically — but whether they stay is up to you.

Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Your thoughts shape your life.

And Romans 12:2 reminds us, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

God knew your mind would need a regular rinse cycle. While sleep is the rinse cycle for our Brain (muscle), crushing ants is the rinse cycle for our Mind.

Negative thoughts often feel true, but feeling true isn’t the same as being true.

Most of the time they’re just mental gossip: “Nobody likes you.” “You’re not enough.” “This will fail.” But you can choose to talk back — and build a new trail in your mind, one thought at a time.

In POD #69 we explore what are ANTS, why we have to talk back to them, and how to kill them. It runs just over 8-minutes but it just might be the beginning of a new way of thinking for you!

And, stay tuned for POD #70, which comes out tomorrow (Thursday). In #70 I go over 9 of the most common ANTS and I guarantee that you will hear yourself in some of those!

Enjoying the ANT Killing Journey with You!

Les

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I like deep, complex things that are true, as well as applicable.

Many Christian conversations I stay away from because, well, they so often lead nowhere, as if two people have put their intellectual engines in Neutral and are stepping on the gas making a lot of noise and pollution but never moving forward.

Or worse! They put it into reverse and move backwards into more religious bondage rather than forward into more spiritual freedom and life.

I like to read scripture and meditate on it in order to simplify it—not to water it down but to make it Knowable and Applicable.

This scripture is so well known and so deep that a few minute video cannot do it justice—in fact, a life time of messages preached on it cannot do it justice!

In this video I focus on the importance of the sequence of this scripture. The idea that we must start with Jesus BEFORE we know The Truth and that BEFORE we can have The Life, we must know The Truth.

Order Matters.

Enjoying The Way, The Truth and The Life with you!

Les

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REFLECTION

What is one simple shift you can make this week to walk in The Way, be renewed by The Truth, and come alive in The Life?

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When I did the Train to Maintain Video (POD #65) I kept thinking of all the things I have heard people say that alerts me to the fact that they are not Training Spiritually.

In this video I share 10 very casual statements many Christians make that reveal they are not training to maintain…and why it is important to challenge yourself if you say them.

At the bottom of this article I put a Reflection Exercise you can do by yourself or with a friend.

Listen in and let me know if you are saying any of these statements.

Enjoying the Spiritual Training with you!

Les

PS: This is the second part of Train To Maintain (see POD #65 or SUB Article from this past Wednesday if you missed it).

Reflection Exercise

* Which of these 10 statements do I say most often?Be honest — which one hits closest to home?

* When did I start saying it?Was there a moment or season when my training slipped?

* What is this statement protecting me from doing?Is it keeping me comfortable? Lazy? Spiritually unchallenged?

* Who in my life hears me say this?How does my casual language shape my family’s or friends’ spiritual hunger?

* What would it look like to replace this statement with a declaration of growth?For example: “I don’t feel like reading my Bible” can be stated as: “I choose to feed my spirit today.”

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I recently heard a fitness coach say something that caught my attention: “You’ve got to train to maintain.”

He was talking about aging physically—how after a certain age, the goal isn’t to hit personal bests or break records anymore. The goal is to stay strong, stay flexible, stay mobile… to maintain what you’ve built and keep yourself useful for life.

But I immediately thought of the spiritual life.

Aging in faith is no different. You’ve got to train to maintain.

When we’re young in the faith—on fire, full of fresh revelation—it feels like growth just happens. Every worship service is an encounter. Every scripture feels alive. Every prayer seems to bear fruit.

But somewhere along the way, if we’re not intentional, we settle. We get comfortable. We live off of yesterday’s spiritual strength. And slowly, quietly, our agility in the Spirit diminishes. Our hearing dulls. Our responsiveness to the Spirit’s nudge fades.

Just like in the physical life, if you stop training spiritually, you start losing ground.

You start stumbling, grumbling and mumbling.

Paul told Timothy:

“Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things…” 1 Timothy 4:7–8 (NIV)

Notice that word—train.

Not attend.

Not dabble.

Not “go when you feel like it.”

Train.

Why? Because maintaining spiritual strength, agility, and adaptability—especially as we grow older—requires effort. It requires consistency. It requires learning new rhythms and adapting to new seasons.

If you want to remain sharp, flexible, and useful to God in your later years, you’ve got to train to maintain.

* Keep feeding on the Word.

* Keep practicing listening prayer.

* Keep moving in the gifts of the Spirit.

* Keep pursuing fresh encounters with Jesus.

* Keep surrounding yourself with people who stretch your faith.

Aging in the Spirit is not about coasting. It’s about cultivating. You may not sprint like you once did—but you can walk in a depth, a steadiness, and a richness that the young cannot yet know.

Train to maintain.

Enjoying and training on the journey with you, Les

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Ever feel like you’re carrying way too much weight on your own—spiritually, emotionally, relationally?

In this episode, I talk about what I learned watching a guy struggle on the bench press... and how having the right “spotter” in life can help us grow stronger, leaner, more powerful—without getting crushed under the load.

You were never meant to lift life alone.

Watch this 7.5 minute video—you’ll see what I mean.

Enjoying the journey with you,

Les

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Hello Friends.

Sometimes we don’t ask God because, well… we don’t think we need to.

It seems right.It feels wise.It lines up with our past experiences, our instincts, our friends’ insights, our heart.

And so, we move forward.

No prayer.No pause.No surrender.

But Proverbs 14:12 says something we need to hear:

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

It doesn’t say it feels wrong.

It says it seems right.

That’s the trap.

In this 6.5 minutes video I walk through the tension we all face—between our reasoning and God’s leading. And I ask some tough but needed questions:

* What if the path you’re on looks right… but isn't?

* What if success without surrender is still failure?

* What if we’re calling something “wise” that’s just familiar?

If this has stirred something up within you, please comment and share with someone else who’s in a decision making moment.

And, let’s push towards living a life that consistently leads us into life, and life more abundantly.

Enjoying the journey with you,

Les

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REFLECTION & ACTIVATION

REFLECT: Where in your life are you leaning on your own understanding instead of actively seeking God’s direction?

ACTIVATE: Take one thing that '“seems right” to you right now, Pause and ask God “Is this my way or Yours?” and then wait for an answer.

Hey friends,

This one might step on your toes a little—but I promise, it’s worth it.

There’s a lot of noise right now around the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE. Some people are cheering it on like it’s a long-overdue spring cleaning of the federal closet. Others are grieving the real people whose jobs and lives are being disrupted. The reactions are loud, emotional, and (not surprisingly) polarized.

But in all the shouting, something struck me...

We’re real quick to criticize how they’re spending money—but how closely are we looking at our own?

"The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down."(Proverbs21:20)

That’s what this week’s episode is about. It’s not a hot take on Washington. It’s a mirror—one I’m holding up to myself too. Because somewhere between blasting government bloat and defending public workers, I noticed something funny:

We know DOGE’s numbers better than we know our own.

We can tell you how much the government wants to save, but not how much we spent on Uber Eats last month. We’re fired up about cuts over there but numb to the small leaks right here—the ones draining our peace, our bank accounts, and maybe even our calling.

So let’s talk about that.

This 13-minute episode is about dollars, discipline, and doing better—not just as citizens, but as people called to steward what’s been given to us. It’s about taking the same passion we bring to political outrage and applying it to personal growth.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke 16:10)

Give it a listen. Share it with someone who’s been yelling at the news a lot lately and watch it twice if you’ve been the one doing the yelling! And maybe—just maybe—ask yourself: what would it look like to be as efficient with your life as you want the government to be with theirs?

See you in the episode.

Enjoying the journey with you,Les

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We’ve all said it. Or at least thought it.

“I’m just waiting on God’s perfect timing.”

And yes—there is such a thing. God does move in rhythms that are wiser, slower, and more sovereign than ours. But sometimes, if we’re honest, we use that beautiful phrase to cover up something not-so-beautiful underneath: fear. Avoidance. Delay.

This 5-minute POD is a gentle but needed call-out (Okay, as gentle as I get!).

Not a judgment—but a reflection. A moment to look deeper at the times when we’ve used God’s name to avoid doing our part. When “waiting on God” was really just avoiding the next faithful step. When spiritual language masked emotional fear. When trust became passivity.

In this video, I talk about spiritual bypassing—the habit of using Christian clichés to dodge responsibility, avoid discomfort, or delay obedience. And I walk through biblical stories of people who did wait on God—but didn’t sit still while they did.

This isn’t about forcing something before it’s time.

It’s about knowing the difference between waiting on God…

And hiding from life.

If you’re wrestling with a next step… or sitting in a season that feels like a holy pause… this episode might just be your nudge to stop hiding and start healing.

Tap the image above to listen now and remember, you can find me on iTunes and YouTube.

And as always, I’d love to hear what this stirs up in you.

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Let’s be honest… conspiracy theories aren’t just entertaining. They don’t just fill time or stir up outrage. They do something deeper—something most of us don’t even realize.

That is the conclusion I came to after doing some exploring as to why we love Conspiracy Theories. In doing some research into this I stumbled upon what I felt like was the #1 reasons we love them.

What is that something deeper?

They make us feel emotionally safe.

When life feels chaotic, knowing (or thinking we know) gives us a strange sense of control. Even when the theories are dark or disturbing, they offer something our hearts crave: order, hope, and a tribe to belong to.

But here’s the real question I’m asking in this episode:

Are we turning to theories when we should be turning to Jesus?

This conversation is more than cultural commentary—it’s a challenge to check our emotional anchors. Is your soul tied to headlines and hidden plots... or to The One who holds it all together?

Join me for an honest and scripture-filled look at what conspiracy thinking reveals about the human heart—and how Jesus offers something better.

And be sure to offer some feedback and/or ask for clarifications. You can leave a comment on this page for all to see…

Or you can message me privately…

Below the POD Image you will find the outline just in case you want to jump into my MAIN POINT at the 9:00 Minute mark.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Outline: Why We Love Conspiracy Theories

Here you go!

00:00 Introduction

02:45 Media Amplification & Echo Chambers

04:45 Real Conspiracies Have Been Proven True

09:00 MAIN POINT: Conspiracy Theories Helps Us Feel Safer to “KNOW”

13:20 #1—Conspiracy Theories often give us Hope

15:00 #2—CT’s Give us a Sense of Order and Control

18:00 #3—CT’s Give Us a Tribe

21:45 #4—CT’s are Pain Killers

25:15 Conclusion

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