Tag Archives: Ephesians 6

The Influencer and The Choice

July 2, 2025 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

The evil one took Jesus to a high mountain. It’s popular for artists to depict the evil one in all sorts of cartoonish or heinous ways, but the further I’ve gotten in my spiritual journey the more I’ve come to picture him as the Great Story describes him, the most beautiful of God’s angels appearing as an angel of light. The evil one is the greatest “influencer” that ever existed. In fact, “The Influencer” is an apt moniker for him. Beautiful, gorgeous, absolutely stunning in appearance. His is the face that immediately stops your death scrolling. His appearance, his dress, his demeanor, his crib, his ride, virtually everything about him creates instant envy. Man, if only I could be that, have that, experience what that life is like. And, it’s all curated to appeal to each of us individually just as each of us desire.

Almost all the major events of the Great Story happen on mountains…

The Story begins in the Garden which is described as a mountain.
The Law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
David established the capital on Mount Zion, and on Mount Zion Solomon built God’s Temple.
Jesus constantly went up a mountain to pray.
Jesus gave His most influential message on a mountain side.
Jesus was transfigured on a mountain.
The Great Story ends with the City of God on a mountain.

So, it’s fitting that The Influencer takes Jesus to a mountain. In an instant he shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The wealth, the power, the opulence, the mansions, the artwork, the beautiful people, the fashion, the Oval Office, the throne, the C-Suite, the corner office, but I think there was probably also the wife, the viral Pinterest home, the perfect children, the gathering, the feast, the romantic sunsets, the peaceful retreats, the perfect family vacations, the travel, the adventures, the adrenaline pumping thrills, and of course the mind-blowing sex. It was all there, curated just as Jesus would desire it.

What I never truly noticed for the longest time is what The Influencer said next.

“I will give you all of it; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”

Jesus always called The Influencer “The Prince of This World.” As the Great Story tells it, this world did become his dominion after the Eden debacle. And while he stands condemned, like all of us, he remains out on parole waiting final judgement. But in the meantime, the kingdoms of this world are his to do with as he pleases. And while he loves all that the kingdoms of this world have to offer, his own beauty, and The Influencer role that stops you scrolling, what he really delights in is the chaos, the addiction, the misogyny, the violence, the wars, the sickness, the pain, the cancer, the tragedy, hatred, depression, loneliness, and despair to which he wants to lead me in hopes that I will abandon the thing that he hates the most: Life, which is God’s gift.

In today’s chapter, Paul reminds Jesus’ followers that it is The Influencer, and the kingdoms of the world over which he currently has dominion along with the rulers, authorities, and powers of those kingdoms with which I struggle daily. And what is my armor in that struggle?

Truth
Righteousness
Jesus’ Message of Peace
Faith
Salvation
Spirit
Word
Prayer

Jesus declined The Influencer’s offer on that high mountain. He chose a humble life of love, service, contentment, prayer, and sacrifice. He chose to obediently give up this earthly life and suffer an earthly death He didn’t deserve so that I might have the same choice that He did on that mountain: to eschew The Influencer, the Prince of this world, refuse the kingdoms he controls, and choose the King and His eternal kingdom. All I have to do is choose to follow in Jesus footsteps, to live and obediently walk in the way of love, service, contentment, prayer, and sacrifice.

And so, I set out on this another day of my earthly journey, step-by-step, placing my feet in His footprints.

Tomorrow we begin our trek through the final of Paul’s “Prison Letters” with Philippians 1!

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!

Chapter-a-Day

A Plethora of Prayer

November 27, 2024 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

There was a fantasy movie that came out when I was a teenager called Ladyhawke. It starred a very young Matthew Broderick who played the part of a young and mischievous monk. Throughout the movie, the young monk has a running conversation with God, often humorously explaining why it was necessary for him to behave in less than monk-like ways.

As silly as it seems, that movie taught me something about prayer. As a young believer, I had always been taught the formal mode of prayer. I assumed the prayer position by closing my eyes, bowed my head, and folding my hands together. I prayed formally, addressing God with voice and words that I would never use in conversation with anyone else. After watching Ladyhawke I asked myself the question, “If I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit as I’ve been taught, then why can’t I just have a running conversation with God? “

It was my first step into understanding that prayer is a spiritual discipline that takes many forms. There’s a veritable plethora of ways one can pray. One of my blog posts that continues to be among the most popular is about “popcorn prayers.” Through the years, I have found writing God my prayers like a letter to be one of my favorite and most powerful forms of prayer. I’ve spent seasons of life praying the Divine Hours in which prayers are recited at fixed times throughout the day and night. I sometimes repeat classic prayers that have been handed down through the ages like the prayers of St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Francis. I sometimes pray silent prayers. Sometimes I pray breathing prayers. And sometimes, especially when I’m alone in the car, I will simply have a casual conversation with God, outloud, as if He is sitting in the passenger seat – just like Matthew Broderick’s character did in Ladyhawke.

I have always had a creative spirit, and I get bored easily. Finding creative ways to communicate with God and commune with His Spirit has been a worthwhile endeavor throughout my spiritual journey. In the quiet this morning, as I’ve been writing these words, I’ve been reminded of some of the forms of prayer I haven’t tapped into for a while and convicted to weave them into my day.

I think it fitting to end today’s post/podcast with a prayer.

God, I pray for any and all who read/hear these words, that you will bless them wherever they are with whatever it is they need in the moment, and I pray that they will in turn bless you by having a conversation with you. In Jesus name I pray this. So be it. Amen.

I’m taking Thanksgiving weekend off. See you on Monday when we’ll begin a trek through Mark.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

10 Ways I Tried NOT to Exasperate My Children

May 6, 2020 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

Exasperate v. ig-ˈzas-pə-ˌrāt
1. To excite the anger of: Enrage
2. To cause irritation or annoyance

From the home office in Pella, Iowa. Top Ten Ways I tried not to exasperate my children:

Let them become who they are called to be, not who I wanted them to be.
Be patient with their small mistakes and accidents. I make them too.
Be patient with their big mistakes and accidents. I make them too.
Expect progress, not perfection.
Life is short: Enjoy letting them be children/teens/young adults with all the irritations, aggravations, lessons, and foibles. I’m the adult, and should be the one to understand that it’s a stage of life they are in and be patient with it.
Found and complimented the beauty in who they were in the moment, refusing to tease or be critical of them in the awkward stage(s) they went through.
Be critical of their behaviors, never of their person.
Believe in and trust: Make my default answer “yes.”
When angry or frustrated, express it appropriately. Sometimes yelling, ranting, and screaming are counterproductive. Let silence do the heavy lifting.
Forgive them, just as I have (and need to be) been forgiven.

This post was originally published on April 25, 2014.

Chapter-a-Day

“All Kinds” on “All Occasions”

May 8, 2019 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Ephesians 6:18a (NIV)

Among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers we have a small army of individuals who are both passionate and gifted in the spiritual discipline of prayer. I admire and respect them greatly. I probably haven’t expressed that to them enough.

It was Paul who introduced the metaphor of the “Body” to describe the universal whole of all believers. The further I get in my journey the more I appreciate what an apt metaphor it is. Different systems operating with unique parts that make up one body. Each cell, structure, chemical, system, organ and appendage are necessary for healthy functioning, yet those cells, structures, chemicals, systems, organs and appendages are not interchangeable. In fact, some operate independent of one another because they simply don’t mix well, yet they are each necessary for the health of the whole.

In the same way each member has different spiritual gifts, callings, disciplines and abilities that contribute to the healthy functioning of the Body as a whole. Teaching and preaching has always been easy for me. It came naturally. I don’t even think about it, though I know the very idea of standing in front of a crowd and giving a message scares most other members of the Body terribly. Prayer, however, has been something at which I’ve had to work.

One of the lessons I’ve had to learn in my pursuit of developing the discipline of prayer is the very thing Paul encourages of all believers in today’s chapter: pray on “all occasions” with “all kinds” of prayer. I’ve had to learn that prayer is not just a rote prayer to bless a meal or the bowing of my head and folding of my hands kind of prayer (though those are both legitimate kinds of prayer). There is breathing prayer. There is singing prayer. There is the type of prayer that is simply an on-going, silent, inner conversation of my spirit with the Spirit. Almost any time I sit down and journal my thoughts, the words on the page naturally transition, at some point, into a written prayer to God. There are set hours of the day when I can “pray the hours” with thousands, maybe even millions, of other members of the Body around the world. There are “popcorn” prayers that blurt out from my system in an unexpected moment. There are prayers of confession, prayers of thanks, and prayers for and over others.

Along my spiritual journey I’ve come to embrace the truth that while some things are not areas of giftedness, passion, or bent they are, in fact, important for my health and spiritual whole. I have never been a naturally gifted athlete (I think I still have slivers in my butt from all the time I spent “on the bench” as a kid), yet participating in CrossFit has become crucial to my overall health as I age. Likewise, I’ve never been a gifted musician or singer, yet learning an instrument, participating on worship teams, and making a “joyful noise” have taught me many lessons and have played a huge part in my spiritual development and overall health. Prayer falls into the same pattern. I have good friends who are truly gifted and called to prayer in ways that, I confess, I sometimes envy. Yet prayer remains a core spiritual discipline that is necessary for my spiritual growth, maturity, and health. It’s simply something I must work at, learn about, and develop.

This morning I’m thinking about my prayer life. It is ever-present on the mental task-list of of my daily life journey. It is an area of my spiritual life that is in constant need of attention. C’est la vie.

And so, I’m going to finish writing this post and take a few moments to stretch my pray muscles and pray for you who took the time to read it.

Have a great day, my friend.

Note to readers: Occasionally people reach out to ask my permission to “share” or “re-post” one of my posts like this one. Please know you are welcome to share any of my posts at any time if you think they could be an encouragement to others. – Tom

Chapter-a-Day

10 Ways I Tried NOT to Exasperate My Children

April 25, 2014 Tom Vander Well 7 Comments

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

Exasperate v. \ig-ˈzas-pə-ˌrāt\
1. To excite the anger of: Enrage
2. To cause irritation or annoyance

From the home office in Pella, Iowa. Top Ten Ways I tried not to exasperate my children:

Let them become who they are called to be, not who I wanted them to be.
Be patient with their small mistakes and accidents. I make them too.
Be patient with their big mistakes and accidents. I make them too.
Expect progress, not perfection.
Life is short: Enjoy letting them be children/teens/young adults with all the irritations, aggravations, lessons, and foibles. I’m the adult, and should be the one to understand that it’s a stage of life they are in and be patient with it.
Found and complimented the beauty in who they were in the moment, refusing to tease or be critical of them in the awkward stage(s) they went through.
Be critical of their behaviors, never of their person.
Believe in and trust: Make my default answer “yes.”
When angry or frustrated, express it appropriately. Sometimes yelling, ranting, and screaming are counter productive. Let silence do the heavy lifting.
Forgive them, just as I have (and need to be) been forgiven.