September 24, 2025

Viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful!

The True

Of Breath and Sighing

“You’re sighing. What’s wrong?”

Have you ever been asked that by a friend or a loved one? Or maybe you have asked it of them? I have certainly both asked and been asked the question, and it should come as no surprise, as your very breath—and mine—is a physical manifestation (a fancy word for evidence) of the God who lives in us!

When God made man, we were but dirt at first. Genesis 2:7 describes how it was the very breath of God that animated that dirt: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).

The breath of God in you is the difference between you being an inanimate object and you being a living being!

One of my favorite illustrations of this—and it is very likely you are familiar with it—comes from Exodus 6, when God speaks to Moses as Yahweh. Many traditions, both Jewish and Christian—remove the vowels in a sign of reverence and write it YHWH. The pronunciation of YHWH mimics that of breathing, which gives significance to every breath you draw from birth to death!

While I find the traditions above fascinating, it is really just another example of mankind discovering another physical iteration of God’s Truth playing out in the intentional and purposeful fashion in which He designed us!

He created us for Himself (Is. 43:21a). So we are nothing unless His breath and life fills us. Once His breath fills us, our purpose is to praise Him (Is. 43:21b), and in fact “everything that has breath” is to “praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6)!

It is a beautiful reality. God’s breath is the essence of our life. Without it, we return to dust.

So why even bother with consideration of our sighing? Because even your sighing is known and noticed by God!

“All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you” (Ps. 38:9).

The very breath of God is what makes you an animated being, but your God is not distant from the reality that your breath is sometimes labored. Your God took on human form and experienced the most intense version of sighing when His very breath was squeezed from Him as He hung on the cross.

Your God knows what it is to sigh. He knows what it means to be troubled beyond words. He hears your groaning and even your sighing, and He understands.

So today, perhaps your breathing is strong and robust. Perhaps you are full of life and ready to meet the challenge of the day. If so, praise God for the animating breath in your lungs!

Or perhaps your breath is short and only present in the form of sighing. You don’t have words but merely groans and sighing. If so, praise God through your sighing, because He hears and knows those too!

Your God is not distant. He is the substance of your every breath, and the sustaining of your every sigh! He is YHWH!

U.S.

Love Your Enemies

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ was packed to the point of overflowing Sunday for a memorial service for Charlie Kirk. The service occurred a week-and-a-half after Kirk was assassinated on the campus of Utah Valley University and just days after his alleged killer appeared in court facing seven criminal charges, including aggravated murder and two counts of obstructing justice. Speakers at the service included both faith and political leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kirk’s wife, Erika, expressed forgiveness to her husband’s killer and reminded attendees that Jesus modeled forgiveness for those who crucified Him while still hanging on the cross.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Two weeks after this evil act, there remain so many reasons for hope. Erika Kirk’s reminder of love and forgiveness for her ultimate enemy is perhaps the most powerful. From where I sit, that type of forgiveness—especially so soon after her husband and the father of her children was taken from her—is only possible in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our family has had this conversation about loving our enemies countless times, and it is likely yours has as well. But this week, the conversation “took on flesh” as the evidence of the Almighty’s power was on display in Erika Kirk’s actions (Jn. 1:14).

It is one thing to say, “Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” and to aspire to the type of forgiveness Jesus displayed on the cross when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34).

It is a much different thing to actually walk in that forgiveness. When I am wronged, the much more natural inclination is to highlight what justice demands of the one who has wronged me. I can only imagine how much more intense that feeling is when the magnitude of the wrong is this intense. I have no doubt Erika Kirk feels that wrong in her own flesh—and feels it deeply.

This week, as Jesus followers, let’s honestly reflect on how it is possible to truly love our enemies in this way. I welcome your dialogue on this question at theequippednewsletter@gmail.com, but for me it seems clear it is only possible when we are truly yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Justice and vengeance belong to the Lord (Rom. 12:19), and the perpetrator of this horrible act will face earthly justice. But you and I, my friend, are called to love and forgiveness. That is a difficult calling. It requires we be open to our enemies turning from evil even after inflicting evil upon us.

Will you embrace that level of love for your enemies? It will truly set you free.

U.S.

Shutdown Looming

The clock is ticking down toward a U.S. government shutdown yet again. The current fiscal year ends on September 30, 2025, after which the government will move into partial shutdown unless a funding agreement can be reached. To this point, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have been unable to reach a funding deal, and a House-passed bill to fund the government through late November was rejected by the U.S. Senate. Both chambers are currently in recess but return on September 29—just one day before the deadline.

Analysis and eternal perspective: This story continues to be on loop. While the two major U.S. political parties have divergent priorities, including on matters of spending, shutdown politics has become ubiquitous across all versions of partisan control. In every variant of partisan control, Congress and the White House have been unable to fund the government under anything close to regular order.

The result is perpetual government shutdown watch. We have said it before—when one deal is reached to avoid a shutdown, it is really just setting the date on which you can expect the next shutdown threat.

So how should you as a Jesus follower—knowing the facts above—interact with a story like this? How can your participation have an impact that is beyond simply assigning blame for this perpetual cycle?

First, you will be told to be anxious. Choose God’s peace instead (Philip. 4:6-7).

Next, avoid foolish arguments (2 Tim. 2:23). We at The Equipped want to impact the temporal for the eternal, so this is not a call to disengagement. It is, however, a call to learn from what is repeatedly not working. The blame game has a proven outcome across all iterations of partisan control. We should not expect the outcome to change if our inputs remain the same. Regular order management of the federal budget is quite hard! But it is what we should expect of our leaders—both when we are aligned politically with them and when we are not.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philip. 4:6-7).

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels” (2 Tim. 2:23).

U.S.

Rate Cut

The Federal Reserve Board has lowered the target rate for the federal funds rate by 0.25% to a new range of 4.0-4.25%. In announcing the reduction—the first of 2025—Fed Chair Jerome Powell cited concerns about the labor market as the primary reason for the reduction and signaled that one or two more reductions to the target rate are likely this year.

Analysis and eternal perspective: “The Fed lowered interest rates.” It is likely you have read that, and perhaps even said it. Technically, however, the Federal Reserve Board does not set the rate you pay on any of your consumer debt (mortgage, car loans, credit cards, etc.). The federal funds rate is the rate commercial banks pay each other when they borrow from each other to meet reserve requirements. This rate does, however, have a trickle-down impact on the rate you pay if you were to acquire new consumer debt.

Most of the coverage of this story, however, will have little to do with the above and will instead focus on the political dispute (largely between U.S. President Donald Trump and Fed Chair Powell). We’ve written previously about the ongoing effort to fire board member Lisa Cook, and newly-appointed board member Stephen Miran was the lone dissenting vote this week, preferring a larger 0.5% reduction.

We say it regularly here at The Equipped: The policy decisions of the world’s superpower matter. That includes economic decisions such as the federal funds rate. These are issues worth understanding, and in some cases worth factoring into your decision making.

They do not, however, impact your eternity, and this reality should dictate your level of fixation on them (translation: the federal funds rate should have no impact on your peace).

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philip. 4:7).

The Beautiful

Bountiful Harvest

What is your favorite sign of fall? Multi-colored leaves? Football? Pumpkin patches or even pumpkin spice (I grew up in the pumpkin capital of the world, and this time of year pumpkin was offered in everything)?

For me, it is the first time we fire up the wood stove (still yet to occur this year, but I’m watching the weather for the first opportunity)!

No matter your response, let’s together add one item to the list of things we are intentionally grateful for this fall: the signs of Kingdom harvest! This time of year brings evidence of agriculture harvest, but do you notice the evidence of souls being drawn to an embrace of their Savior? I sure do! The beauty is unmistakable!

So as you rake leaves, watch football, eat your pumpkin pie blizzard, or fire up the wood stove, take note also of the forward movement of God’s Kingdom. His return is coming and the evidence of His beauty is already here!

Don’t forget to check out the broadcast version of The Equipped on Faith Radio or wherever you get your podcasts!