Understanding addiction through the underworld metaphor
In the underworld, when anyone joins a gang and becomes an active member in its questionable or criminal activities, such joining is often a path [...]
The inner weak link in our battle against temptation
As long as our mind remains unpersuaded about the dangers of temptation, we remain unprotected from it. We are all engaged in a war with [...]
The oldest lie in existence
The oldest lie in existence is the idea that we can become God. We are constantly targeted by lies, some spread intentionally by those who [...]
How the craving for pleasure decreases our capacity to enjoy that very pleasure
How the craving for pleasure decreases our capacity to enjoy that very pleasure We live in a culture where pleasure is promised to us from [...]
Why running from our past doesn’t work
Running from our past doesn’t take us to a better future; it just makes our future a rerun of our past. We all carry scars [...]
How bhakti is much more than worship of some being
Devotion is not just about worshiping some being; it is about finding our own small story within the larger story that is the divine plan [...]
How devotion simultaneously fulfills our deep needs for belonging and participation
Devotion fulfills our twin needs of universal belonging and personal participation in a reality bigger than ourselves. As social creatures, we naturally desire interaction, but [...]
Avoiding arrogance and diffidence in dealing with temptation
To believe that no wave of temptation will ever sweep us away is arrogance. To believe that we will inevitably be swept away by temptation [...]
How delusions of omnipotence become increasingly dangerous
Entertaining feelings of omnipotence is harmful. Believing in such feelings is worse. Surrounding ourselves with people who believe in our feelings of omnipotence is the [...]
How the divine and the demoniac have opposite conceptions of courage
The demoniac consider standing up to God to be courage, while the divine understand standing up for God to be courage. No one likes to [...]
How our deadlines can work in harmony with God’s timelines
Let our deadlines not blind us to God’s timelines; let them be guidelines that enable us to play our part better rather than to take [...]
How to stop wasting our pain
God will never waste our pain—provided we don’t waste it by feeling sorry for ourselves or feeling angry with God. Pain is one of life’s [...]
How God can use dead ends
What seems to be a dead end for us can simply be, for God, a means to show us that without him, we are dead—and [...]
Why exhaust ourselves by believing in our worries when we can energize ourselves by believing in God’s promises?
When we encounter challenging situations, our minds tend to focus on all the ways things might go wrong. This constant worrying can drain us, filling [...]
Developing Resilience by Changing Our Driving Question
We all need to develop resilience because life is hard—it will knock us down sooner or later. Resilience is largely determined by what goes on [...]
Is God concerned about the things that concern us?
God is indeed concerned about the things that concern us, even when our concerns seem mundane or trivial in a larger spiritual context. During our [...]
What kind of traveling companion is God?
God is not a reluctant or indifferent companion; he is a diligent and transcendent companion. Whenever we travel with someone, we seek to know what [...]
How faith and surrender can empower us to face challenges
Faith enables us to realize that God is on our side, while surrender enables us to put ourselves on God’s side. When we practice bhakti [...]
Focus on our Lord not on our demons
Stop comparing ourselves with our demons; start comparing our demons with our Lord. We all have some self-defeating desires and drives within us, often referred [...]
How we can know peace even in a world that knows no peace
Know that God is working behind the scenes for our good, even when what is happening on the stage doesn't seem to be good. A [...]
The dynamics of the human-divine partnership
Our business is to do what is possible; God's business is to do what, to us, seems impossible. Stop taking over God's business, and stop [...]