The Power of Knowledge

The Power of Knowledge
Guest Post by Katelyn Vergakis

If you could know anything, what would you want to know?

We all have an insatiable desire to know something. It’s what drives new discoveries, new creations, and new ideas. We may want to know where we will be in five years, or when the pandemic will be over, or how to create light without a lightbulb or a candle. Yet that information escapes us until given proper permission. Want to know what happens in five years? Wait five years and see.

Scripture says that the Lord’s ways are above our ways, His thoughts above our thoughts, and His knowledge is above our knowledge. In The Saga of the Volsungs, one woman, Gudrun, touches on knowledge in a poignant way. Having just learned her future and that of her husband’s, she says, “The grief of knowing such things overwhelms me” (78). An overabundance of knowledge can hurt us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Overwhelming emotions can lead to physical pain, as I (along with anyone else that has struggled with depression) have experienced. Having “God knowledge” changes us into trusting ourselves and not Him, hurting our spiritual lives.

I have heard pastors speak about the walk of faith in such a way, often giving the story of Mary. Mary, mother of Jesus, gives the humble, simple response of “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38 ESV) upon receiving the clearly-written story of her future.I wonder if her response had changed, should she have known what was ahead—her son being mocked, disbelieved, tortured, and crucified before her very eyes

The Lord reveals His will in His timing, not ours, often using this as a method of teaching us patience. He teaches us to lean into Him, instead of relying on our own strength.

Take, for example, a cardboard box. Imagine that this cardboard box represents your strength. Now imagine sitting on it for hours upon hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks. What would happen? It would crumble, folding in on itself, and soon, you’d be on the floor. In the same way, leaning on our own strength leads to even more brokenness. Now, if you sat on a well-crafted chair for years upon years, would it crumble under you? Probably not. I know the analogy breaks down a bit, as do all human analogies, but the idea stands. Leaning into and relying on God’s strength is like sitting in that chair. It never breaks down; it always supports and carries you. God will always be there for you, holding and carrying you when you cannot lift yourself. In our weakness, He is our strength.

“God will always be there for you, holding and carrying you when you cannot lift yourself. In our weakness, He is our strength.” -Katelyn Vergakis

Another example can be found within the book known as Thunder Dog, a story about the 9/11 attacks. The story tells of a blind man who worked in the World Trade Center, accompanied by his service dog, Roselle. He survived the attacks because of his trust in his guide. He now travels around the world speaking about 9/11 and the important relationships between guide dogs and the people they lead. 

In the same way as the blind man and Roselle, when we can’t see our path, the Lord leads us where we should go and never leaves our side. 2 Corinthians 5:7 calls us to “Walk by faith and not by sight”, so that we learn through experience how to better trust our Lord.

 If we knew everything to come, we would fight God all the more. We would say “I don’t need you! I know everything about myself and my future.” How can we walk the walk of faith if we are fighting the one who gives us our belief? How can we trust in our Saviour while attempting to trust ourselves and our limited, human strength?

Developing our trust in Christ is what pushes us to the other side. Like an athlete working day in and day out to achieve a single victory, we must build our trust for the greatest victory: Christ’s. It’s through Him that we can say “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship” (Louisa May Alcott). If you trust in the Lord and His perfect plan, then you will find that He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). All you have to do is take His hand and hold on for the ride. 

-Katelyn Vergakis

Last post: Monday Heckling: The Ballad of the Songbirds and the Snakes

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Related post: How to Use Discernment in an Age of Illiteracy

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How to Use Discernment in an Age of Illiteracy

How to Use Discernment in an Age of Illiteracy

Dear Christian,

False teachers are everywhere. Everyone thinks that they’re the next John Piper, prepared to give controversial opinions with little care given to the legitimacy of their claims.

In an age of false news and quick, unresearched opinions, it can become almost impossible to properly research current events. Every smalltime blogger, podcaster, youtuber, and writer thinks that their take on current events is the most factual, needed piece of content on the web, and they’re usually wrong.

This extends beyond the news and into the Christian world. Thousands of “Christian bloggers” surround themselves with a small audience, then begin peddling false gospels and heresies, all while convinced of their own necessity and puffed up by their knowledge.

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What We Learned from Lecrae’s “Restoration”

Lecrae Restoration image

After over two years of silence, acclaimed rapper Lecrae has released his newest album, aptly titled “Restoration“. The album, containing tracks featuring popular artists John Legend and YK Osiris, has been met with wide success, garnering over 2 million YouTube views within mere days of being released.

What happened? What caused his music to take such an extraordinary shift?

Continue reading “What We Learned from Lecrae’s “Restoration””

Monday Q&A 8: Christianity Compared

Monday Q&A 8: Christianity Compared

Comparing Christianity is an easy discussion for a missionary kid formerly based in a continent dominated by Muslims. Having seen firsthand the similarities and differences between Christianity, Islam, non-belief, and the rest, I have looked forward to this discussion since beginning the Monday Q&As.

Because this is the last Q&A from Stoa Apologetics, I will be answering all 14 questions, regardless of relevancy and wordcount. As always, the answers are taken from as close a Biblical standpoint as possible, and constructive discussion is always welcome. You can find the entire Q&A worksheet here.

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A Myriad of Awards

A Myriad of Awards

Today we have not one, not two, but three awards to take care of! I have been double-nominated for the Outstanding Blogger award, an award I had not yet been nominated for, and single-nominated for the Thirteenth Disciple Tag.

Thank you so much, SonoofYHWH and MakaylaLife for the two Outstanding Blogger awards, and my brother Jesusluvsall for the Thirteenth Disciple tag! If you guys aren’t already following their blogs, make sure to do so by clicking on their names!

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Five Important Tips for Young Bloggers

If I were asked to guess what percentage of bloggers put real, hard work into their writing and websites, I would likely hazard a guess at 10%.

10%. One out of every ten bloggers are fighting to put themselves above the rest, learning new techniques, sharpening their writing skills, and constantly updating their websites.

The other 90% are writing lazy, 200-word posts, publishing once a month, refusing to do any marketing or optimizing, and failing to improve their writing skills, all while complaining that their traffic stays at rock bottom.

Which group is yours? Which one sounds more appealing?

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The Tragic Loss of Real Masculinity

The Tragic Loss of Real Masculinity

Our culture has completely lost what it means to be a man. What was once a proud and accomplished status now lies discarded in the dirt. Boys have taken over our country. They have normalized non-manhood, brought themselves and their immaturity into popularity, and they continue to reject the true calling to manhood.

This travesty has destroyed many pieces of our culture. Quality of relationship has decreased massively over the past fifty years, punctuated by increases in divorce and abortion.

What needs to be done? How can we, as Christians, aggressively attack and destroy what our culture portrays as “manhood”, and show the way to creating true, real men?

It all starts with our boys.

Continue reading “The Tragic Loss of Real Masculinity”

Monday Q&A 7: Christian Worldview Application

Monday Q&A 7: Christian Worldview Application

Worldview is a difficult topic to discuss, given the fact that the subject changes based on the person. Because everyone has a different worldview, it can become difficult to even speak on the subject, let alone have a decent discussion on the topic.

Christian worldview, on the other hand, is a unifying topic that needs to be discussed more often. Identifying weak worldview and working to grow stronger, Biblically-grounded worldview should be a lifelong goal for every Christian.

With that, we turn our attention on today’s Monday Q&A: Christian Worldview Application. As always, I will be choosing to answer 12 of the 14 questions presented in Stoa Apologetics’ worksheet, found here. Let’s dive in.

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What Does It Mean to Be Grateful?

What Does It Mean to Be Grateful?

Traveling from a poor, third-world country back to the United States is arguably the quickest way to become grateful. Within mere moments of landing, you, the American, realize just blessed you are, and vow to never forget to thank God for what He has blessed you with.

Then, two weeks later, you find yourself back in the rhythm you left behind, quite willing to take life for granted. I’m no exception. It is so easy to get caught up in the flow of today’s world, and forget to thank God for the little things.

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John Grisham’s Guide to the Depravity of Man

John Grisham's Guide to the Depravity of Man

Over the summer, I have made it a point to increase my reading load. Mein Kampf, Pride and Prejudice, A Man Called Peter, Pontius Pilate, and many others have been the subject of my reading. Yet, standing apart from the rest, a single author has recaptured my attention, returning my reading to the world of novels.

This man is known as John Grisham.

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Monday Q&A 5: Scripture

Monday Q&A 3: Scripture

Scripture. The key component to Christianity at its core. The cornerstone of our beliefs. Without Scripture, we have no belief, no Faith, no arguments, and no understanding of God and His existence. The defense of Scripture is so important that it has become a large tenant to Apologetics. Without it, Christianity fails.

Because of its importance, I have spent much time learning the historical and logical accuracy of the Scriptures. Because of this, I put much stock in the quality of response to the questions-to-be. While this may be the easiest Q&A so far, it will also be the most important. Read carefully.

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How to Criticize Criticism

How to Criticize Criticism

As human beings, we are naturally critical of everything. We criticize our living conditions, our morals, our standards, our government, and even our friends. The “mindset of common criticism” has become commonplace within our lives, something we act upon naturally but fail to analyze properly.

Standalone criticism is not inherently wrong, yet there are many situations in which it can be the most harmful action to commit, particularly within a setting of friends or family. Within the last five years alone, I have seen seemingly innocent criticism tear apart colleagues, friends, and family. It destroys workplaces, families, friend cliques, and churches.

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Monday Q&A 4: Foundations of Christianity pt.2

Monday Q&A 4: Foundations of Christianity pt.2

Hey, and welcome back to another Monday Q&A! Today’s topic is “The Foundations of Christianity”, the second and last discussion here. Last week, we talked mostly about the depravity and utter sinfulness of man, but this week, our focus turns to Jesus and His effect upon man and sin.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!

8: What does the term “fall of man” mean and why is it important?

The term “fall of man” refers to the introduction of sin into the world. Described at the very beginning of the Bible, the Fall took place soon after the creation of the first man (Adam) and woman (Eve). The two lived in paradise and in perfect harmony with God, cherishing Him and fully submitting to His commandment- to not eat of “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, located in the middle of their Garden home.

Eventually, a fallen angel named Lucifer took on the shape of a serpent/snake and tempted Adam and Eve to break God’s commandment and eat the fruit. Lead by Adam, Eve took and ate the fruit, sinning for the first time in history and introducing sin into the very bloodstream of humanity.

Since then, man has been born in a fallen state, unable to not sin. We bear Adam’s curse and punishment for his failure, a punishment only removed by Jesus and His sacrifice.

Continue reading “Monday Q&A 4: Foundations of Christianity pt.2”

What is the Optimal Age to Date?

What is the Optimal Age to Date?

In today’s world, dating is treated as a recreational hobby. Many do it for fun or for sport, not really realizing the consequences early dating can bring. Many children begin dating as early as ten when their bodies begin to develop and emotions run high. While some view this as appropriate or even healthy, acting upon such emotions at such a young age is detrimental to growth and maturity.

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What Does a God-Focused Marriage Look Like?

What Does a God-Focused Marriage Look Like?

Today is my parents’ 19th anniversary. Since their wedding day on June 29th, 2001, they have constantly fought for each other, focusing their full and complete hearts on God and their marriage. Through this time, they have inspired many couples to live out a God-focused marriage, keeping the literal Center of the universe at the center of their marriage.

They are, without a doubt, the two most inspirational people in my life.

Continue reading “What Does a God-Focused Marriage Look Like?”