Copyright https://www.christianity.com 2025, Christianity.com Mon, 27 Jan 2025 02:19:02 -0500 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/6-gospel-truths-about-self-awareness.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/6-gospel-truths-about-self-awareness.html John C. Driver https://www.christianity.com/author/john-c-driver/ Self-awareness is a vital yet often misunderstood aspect of Christian growth. It doesn’t have to be about self-obsession but rather about seeing ourselves rightly to bring our full selves to the only One who can redeem what’s lost and broken. Self-awareness is not self-healing—quite the opposite, actually. Here are seven gospel truths that reveal the importance of knowing ourselves.1. Self-Awareness Is Not Self-CenterednessI am a third-generation pastor. Growing up in church circles, the idea of "knowing yourself" seemed suspicious, perhaps even heretical. It felt like a subject best avoided, hidden behind layers of language, much of it from Scripture itself, about how "self" was the root of all problems and self-centeredness only continues to run more rampant with each subsequent generation. The whole topic was labeled as dangerous territory. Self-awareness sounded like self-idolatry. And to be clear, that’s what it can become when not properly approached in a gospel context. But over time, I came to see that, unknowingly, that perspective did not employ a holistic approach to Scripture. Self-awareness, or to use another term, self-realization, doesn’t have to be synonymous with self-centeredness. In fact, true self-awareness is the opposite of self-centeredness. Knowing yourself in light of the gospel enables you to continually elevate Christ to His rightful place at the center of your life. Without it, we remain blind to those areas where we, rather than Christ, still occupy the highest seat—a seat we’re unaware we’re warming. Many Christians today either intoxicate themselves with self-centeredness or avoid knowing themselves altogether, terrified of what they might find. But we don’t have to cram self-awareness into a narrow box. Approaching it rightly—yes, biblically—can actually get us out of our own boxes, ways that dominate our thoughts and behaviors. Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Laurenz Kleinheider Fri, 24 Jan 2025 16:20:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/are-you-taking-yourself-too-seriously.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/are-you-taking-yourself-too-seriously.html Mike Leake https://www.christianity.com/author/mike-leake/ Are you taking yourself too seriously? It’s easy to get caught up in perfectionism, defensiveness, and the need for recognition—but what if there’s a better way? Discover how letting go, embracing humility, and finding joy in Jesus can lead to a life filled with freedom, laughter, and deeper connections. Wed, 22 Jan 2025 13:15:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/5-ways-the-red-dye-no-3-ban-reminds-christians-to-treat-our-bodies-as-gods-temple.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/5-ways-the-red-dye-no-3-ban-reminds-christians-to-treat-our-bodies-as-gods-temple.html Elizabeth Delaney https://www.christianity.com/author/elizabeth-delaney/ One of the greatest blessings anyone can receive from God is a healthy body that allows them to experience an excellent quality of life. Being able to get out and enjoy spending time with friends and family, seeing the beauty of God’s creation, and engaging in favorite hobbies or social activities are often taken for granted. Typically, it isn’t until we get sick that we often realize that blessing. The Red Dye No. 3 Ban is a reminder of the importance of being a bit savvy about what goes into the foods we eat, taking time to read labels, and making healthy food choices.Red Dye No. 3 is also referred to as FD&C Red No. 3, Red Dye 3, and erythrosine. The dye is made from petroleum and is used to give various foods a bright, cherry-red color, according to Consumer Reports. The dye is also used in some medications and has been used by both food manufacturers and medical companies, according to Forbes. Since its bright color makes it stand out, it’s believed that it enhances the visual appeal of products in the eyes of consumers. The dye causes cancer in lab rats, and the FDA has known this for about three decades. However, because the amount fed to lab rats is significantly higher (comparatively) than what would be fed to humans, there were challenges in banning it, even though it has been banned in Europe for several decades, according to Euro News. The FDA has finally decided to ban Red Dye No. 3 under The Delaney Clause, enacted in 1960 as part of the Color Additives Amendment to the FD&C Act. The clause prohibits the use of any food or color additive found to cause cancer in either rats or humans and has a zero tolerance. The ban gives food manufacturers until Jan. 15, 2027 to come up with a substitute, and drug manufacturers have until the following year, according to NBC News.Photo Credit: ©Canva Pro  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/4-conversations-you-need-to-have-before-your-christian-college-student-goes-back-to-campus.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/4-conversations-you-need-to-have-before-your-christian-college-student-goes-back-to-campus.html Cantice Greene https://www.christianity.com/author/cantice-greene/ The holidays bring with them so much family time. For many of us, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Easter and other holidays have become times you look forward to reconnecting with a son or daughter on break from college. As the break draws near, you may be growing both excited and anxious. Excited because you remember your own college experience—the fun, the friends, the fraternizing—and anxious because you’re hoping your child will avoid making the epic mistakes that nearly derailed your post-college goals. If you’ve kept up with the culture wars related to Christians in college, then you’re probably wondering whether your son or daughter will come back home with altered faith or as someone you have nothing in common with anymore. The truth is that Christian students in college tend to take a break from practicing Christianity. Less than 1.5 percent of college students are actively involved in campus ministry, and seven out of ten youths raised in church leave the church during the college-age years between eighteen and twenty-two. So your anxiousness is not unfounded, but you can do something with all that mental energy. Pray. Pray and do a few other things. Consider implementing these four DEEP conversation strategies aimed to keep your family from becoming part of the statistic of college student church drift. While I don’t pretend to have all the answers, I’ll share strategies that helped me feel more confident about our decision to send our Christian child back to a secular campus.1. Don’t Lose ContactOne of the greatest benefits of the current hyper-connected age is that communication lines are not what they were when we went to college years ago. You can now be connected to your child 24 hours a day by text and social media. I don’t recommend helicoptering this way! I also don’t agree that allowing your child to go off to college has to mean not seeing him for the next several months. Don’t lose contact. You can FaceTime, share videos, share reels, go live on social media, and more. If you’re not already connected to your child in these ways, now is your chance to advance more deeply into their world of interconnectedness. Here's the bad news: being connected to your child in these ways can be both a blessing and a curse. You’re going to see things you probably don’t want to see—not necessarily because your child is a party animal, but just because your child truly lives in a different dimension from you. If you’re like me, you think you’re pretty cool (for an old person), but you’re light years away from an eighteen or twenty-year-old. They talk differently, they think differently, and choose differently. That’s why being connected to your child means you’re going to see stuff you don’t agree with or like, but you’re going to need to keep those opinions to yourself. This does not include reserving your words when it comes to things that are non-negotiable convictions or truth. Concerning the truths of God, you can follow Moses’ great example of leadership. When he was presenting laws and judgments to the children of Israel in the wilderness, he reminded them in Deuteronomy chapter 4, verses 9-10, “Only take heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself…and teach them to your children and grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb when the Lord said to me ‘Gather the people to me and I will let them hear my words that they will learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and that they may teach their children’” (NKJV). If you see your child drifting away from the Lord, you’ll want to ponder, pray about, and ask God for an opportunity to talk with your child about it. Now that you’re connected, you’ll have several ways to initiate that talk. This D.E.E.P. conversation will set you up for what’s coming next. Photo Credit: © Getty Images/XiXinXing Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/ohio-states-faith-in-christ-fueled-national-championship-victory-players-say.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/ohio-states-faith-in-christ-fueled-national-championship-victory-players-say.html Michael Foust https://www.christianity.com/author/michael-foust/ Ohio State captured its first national championship in a decade, defeating Notre Dame 34-23 in the inaugural 12-team playoff finale, with faith as a central theme both on and off the field. Players and coaches credited their shared faith in God as a unifying force that shaped the team's chemistry, culminating in a victory celebrated as much for its spiritual impact as its athletic achievement. Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:30:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/infant-baptism-in-the-bible.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/infant-baptism-in-the-bible.html Clarence L. Haynes Jr. https://www.christianity.com/author/clarence-l-haynes-jr/ The act of baptism symbolizes our old sinful nature being buried with Christ and our being raised a new creation. Baptism is a physical representation of what happens during salvation and the spiritual transformation that occurs within our hearts. Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/should-christians-confess-sin-11598510.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/should-christians-confess-sin-11598510.html J. Carl Laney Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/are-christians-arrogant.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/are-christians-arrogant.html Israel Wayne Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/church/church-life/loving-others.html https://www.christianity.com/church/church-life/loving-others.html Trillia Newbell https://www.christianity.com/author/trillia-newbell/ Our love for each other has great implications. Jesus says that “by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Why is it so hard, then, for us to love the way God calls us? Wed, 22 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/five-simple-steps-to-discover-god’s-plans-for-you-11649747.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/five-simple-steps-to-discover-god%E2%80%99s-plans-for-you-11649747.html Rebecca Barlow Jordan Tue, 21 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-01-27T02:19:02-05:00