Featured Forest path lined with glowing stones under tall trees in misty light

FROM ICHABOD TO GLORY

FeaturedAllen Frederick Leave a comment

A 14 day journey back to the presence of the Lord

Title: From Ichabod to Glory – The Devotional Is Finally Here

For almost a year, From Ichabod to Glory has been sitting quietly on the launch pad.

I wrote this devotional for believers who feel like the glory has lifted—who are tired, discouraged, or just going through the motions—and who long to experience God’s presence in a fresh way again.

This is a 14‑day journey from emptiness to encounter, from “Ichabod” (the glory has departed) to Glory.

Each day gives you:

  • a Scripture passage
  • a short teaching
  • a heart‑level reflection
  • and a simple prayer

If you’ve been saying, “I know God is real, but I don’t feel Him like I used to,” this devotional was written with you in mind.

👉 You can get your copy here: From Ichabod to Glory: A 14 day journey to fulness in Christ

My goal is simple: 30 readers in the next 30 days—one person a day choosing to step back into the glory of His presence.

If you know someone who needs this, would you share the link with them today?

Thank you for walking this journey with me.

—Allen

The Junk Food Spiritual Diet

Allen Frederick Leave a comment 
Why What You Feed Your Mind Warps Your Discernment

If you eat a steady diet of fast food, soda, candy, and processed snacks, you do not have to wonder what eventually happens to your body. Energy falls, strength declines, and health begins paying the price. We understand that almost instinctively in the physical world, yet we often behave as though the same principle does not apply to the mind and spirit.

We consume hours of commentary, outrage, gossip, political rhetoric, social-media arguments, sensational headlines, mockery, fear, controversy, and endless opinion, then wonder why our spiritual vision becomes cloudy. Scripture repeatedly describes spiritual life in the language of hunger, thirst, bread, milk, fruit, taste, roots, and nourishment because what enters us eventually begins shaping us. There is a spiritual diet, and over time we begin to resemble what we consume.

The Trap of Itching Ears

Why do people gorge themselves on spiritual and cultural junk food? Because truth can be demanding while validation usually tastes good. Truth may confront an assumption, expose a motive, or require repentance. Validation tells us that our instincts were right, our anger was justified, and the problem is always somewhere outside ourselves.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3–4

Paul’s warning is disturbing because these people do not merely encounter deceptive teachers; they gather teachers according to their own desires. The appetite precedes the menu. They reach a point where they will not endure sound doctrine, so they search for voices that already sound like them, affirm them, and tell them what they want to hear. They trade nourishment for the sugar rush of validation.

That means discernment must ask more than whether a particular teacher, commentator, or movement is serving something false. We must also ask what kind of hunger inside us made that particular meal attractive. If the appetite is never examined, we can change the menu repeatedly while continuing to crave the same poison.

When Appetite Becomes the Master

Appetite can be trained. Consume enough anger and peace can begin sounding weak. Consume enough fear and faith can begin sounding naïve. Consume enough mockery and kindness can begin sounding foolish. Consume enough partisan rhetoric and biblical truth can begin sounding political whenever Scripture challenges our preferred side. Consume enough sensationalism and prayer, obedience, faithfulness, and quiet communion with Christ can begin feeling boring. The tragedy is not merely that unhealthy things have entered the diet. The palate itself has been retrained.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8

God invites us to develop an appetite for Him. Peter tells believers to desire the sincere milk of the Word so they may grow, and Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life.” Christianity therefore is not simply about replacing secular information with religious information. A person can memorize menus and still starve. We are called to know Christ, abide in Him, hear His voice, receive His Word, and allow His life to shape ours.

Sitting at the Table of Scoffers

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly… nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1

Scoffing is more than disagreement; it is a posture of contempt. When contempt becomes the regular seasoning on everything we consume, it eventually flavors our own speech. Jesus warned that the fully trained disciple becomes like his teacher. We therefore need to ask not only whether a voice occasionally says something true, but what kind of person continual exposure to that voice is training us to become.

Psalm 1 does not leave the blessed person empty. His delight is in the law of the Lord, and he becomes like a tree planted by rivers of water. That is the progression beneath this teaching: influence shapes appetite, appetite determines nourishment, nourishment develops roots, and roots eventually produce fruit. When the fruit begins changing, we should examine what has been feeding the roots.

When the World Learns Your Appetite

Modern technology can continually place before us material that captures attention, but the vulnerability it exploits is ancient. James writes that a person is tempted when drawn away by his own desire and enticed. Deception therefore does not always succeed because somebody forced a lie upon us. Sometimes it succeeds because the lie appeals to something already inside us.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” James 1:14

One of the most important discernment questions is therefore not merely, “Is this true?” but “Why do I want this to be true?” When a claim confirms everything we already believe about someone we distrust, do we become less careful? When another claim challenges someone we admire, do we suddenly demand more evidence? Biblical discernment is not paranoia baptized with Scripture. It tests what we receive while remaining humble enough to let God test the receiver as well.

Consumption Is Not Nourishment

A person can consume enormous quantities of religious material while remaining spiritually malnourished. Sermons, prophecy videos, debates, podcasts, Christian influencers, and theological arguments can fill every spare hour without producing maturity. Consumption is not necessarily nourishment.

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” Ephesians 4:14

Paul’s image contrasts sharply with the rooted tree of Psalm 1. One is planted; the other is carried. The question is not how much information enters us, but what it produces. Are we becoming more loving, holy, humble, peaceful, patient, merciful, self-controlled, and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, or more angry, suspicious, fearful, arrogant, contemptuous, and addicted to controversy? Jesus said we know a tree by its fruit. If the fruit is rotten, we should examine what has been feeding the tree.

When Poison Begins Tasting Sweet

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20

Isaiah describes corrupted discernment through the language of taste. Bitter becomes sweet and sweet becomes bitter. Half-truth begins tasting like truth. Slander begins tasting like discernment. Anger masquerades as righteous indignation, suspicion calls itself wisdom, pride disguises itself as conviction, and fear presents itself as vigilance. When distortion becomes familiar, genuine spiritual food can begin tasting strange.

At that point we need more than another argument or another approved source. The appetite itself needs healing so that truth tastes like truth again, darkness is recognized as darkness again, and the soul once more hungers for what gives life.

Discernment Must Examine the Heart

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23–24

David does not begin by asking God to expose everyone around him. He opens himself to examination. That posture protects discernment from becoming pride. It is easy to identify another person’s bias while remaining blind to our own. It is harder to ask whether resentment, fear, tribal loyalty, or the desire to be proven right has influenced what we are willing to believe.

The purpose of that examination is not endless self-doubt. David ends with direction: “lead me.” God searches in order to lead. He exposes what is crooked so that He can correct it.

Retraining the Spiritual Appetite

A distorted appetite can be retrained, but we cannot gorge on noise for hours and expect a few hurried minutes of Scripture to recalibrate the soul. Sometimes the diet itself must change.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true… honest… just… pure… lovely… of good report… think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Paul is not telling believers to ignore reality. He is addressing what receives sustained residence in the mind. There is a difference between recognizing darkness and continually feeding upon it. Some voices may need less access to us, not because everything they say is false, but because we have recognized what continual exposure is producing. We may need to rediscover Scripture, prayer, worship, silence, and unhurried communion with Christ.

Rooted and Grounded in Christ

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love…” Ephesians 3:17

A rooted believer can hear a new idea without immediately being swept away by it, encounter disagreement without losing peace, test teaching without becoming cynical, and receive correction without treating correction as an attack. Stability does not come from knowing everything. It comes from knowing where we are planted.

The Word of God remains our plumb line, but Scripture is not merely ammunition for correcting other people. Hebrews says the Word discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The same Word that helps us discern the world also discerns us. It cuts through our rationalizations, exposes our motives, challenges our appetites, and reveals where we have confused preference with the voice of God.

Come Back to the Table

The answer to spiritual junk food is not starvation. God calls us back to the table. Jesus blesses those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and promises that they will be filled. Above every other hunger stands Christ Himself. He did not merely tell us where to find bread. He said He is the Bread of Life.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

That is discernment at its deepest level. The sheep are not secure because they have studied every possible voice in the wilderness. They are secure because they know the Shepherd. Familiarity with His voice gives them a reference point that the surrounding noise cannot provide.

So take a spiritual pantry inventory. What gets the first attention of the morning and the last attention of the night? What repeatedly stirs your emotions and shapes your conversations? What fruit is that diet producing? If what you consume continually leaves you angry, fearful, cynical, unstable, proud, or unable to receive correction, do not keep defending the menu merely because you enjoy the taste.

The world will continue setting tables, teachers will continue speaking, and controversies will continue demanding another helping. But we do not have to eat everything placed before us. We can return to the Word, listen again for the Shepherd, and let the Holy Spirit retrain an appetite shaped by too much noise. Before taking another bite from the endless cultural buffet, ask one simple question: Is this feeding my spirit, or merely satisfying my appetite?

Religious Bigotry

Allen Frederick Leave a comment 
“He’s Not One of Us”

There is perhaps no quicker way to put someone on the defensive today than to use the word bigot. Christians have heard the accusation hurled at them from outside the Church, often for holding convictions the surrounding culture rejects. Before dismissing the word as another external attack, however, we should allow the Word of God to turn the examination inward.

Religious bigotry is not simply disagreement. Christians can disagree strongly about doctrine while continuing to love one another. The trouble begins when theological difference becomes spiritual superiority—when they believe differently from us becomes they are not one of us, and when that distinction becomes justification for treating fellow believers as spiritually lesser, refusing fellowship with them, or dismissing what Christ may be doing among them.

The disciples themselves fell into this trap. John told Jesus about a man ministering in His name and explained why they had tried to stop him:

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
— Mark 9:38

The man was not denying Jesus. The objection was simply that he was not identified with their group. That little word us can become a very large wall.

Who Is the Standard?

Christians have accumulated many names over the centuries: Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Reformed, Wesleyan, Adventist, and countless others. Those labels may tell us something about doctrine, history, or practice, but none of those names saves.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
— Acts 4:12

That name is Jesus Christ. Calvin cannot make that claim. Wesley cannot make it. Luther cannot make it. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas could not make it, and neither can I. At our very best, we are signposts pointing toward the One who can.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
— John 3:30

Every Christian teacher eventually has to decrease. Every theological system must remain subordinate to Christ. Every denomination must resist the temptation to become the destination rather than a place from which people are pointed toward Him. Paul confronted this problem when believers began defining themselves by favored teachers: I am of Paul. I am of Apollos. I am of Cephas. His response was devastatingly simple: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?” The question still stands. Was Calvin crucified for us? Was Wesley? Was Luther? Then why would we make disciples primarily identified by their names when Jesus commanded us to make disciples of Christ?

None Righteous, No, Not One

Religious superiority becomes especially difficult to defend when we remember what Scripture says about all of us:

“There is none righteous, no, not one.”
— Romans 3:10

Degrees do not change that. Seminaries do not change it. Ordination certificates do not change it. Centuries of theological tradition do not change it. Paul places Jew and Gentile alike under sin and then points both toward righteousness through Jesus Christ. He leaves no room for boasting.

This does not mean truth is unknowable or doctrine is irrelevant. Scripture gives us truth precisely so that we can walk in it. But there is an enormous difference between saying, “The Word says this,” and saying, “Our denomination understands everything correctly; therefore everyone else should be measured against us.” We are not the standard. Christ is.

Put Down the Stones

Consider the woman caught in adultery. Religious men dragged her before Jesus and presented her sin for judgment. Jesus did not redefine adultery as righteousness, but He turned the examination back upon those holding the stones.

There is a powerful application here for the divided Church. Suppose the woman standing in the middle represents the church across the street. We know everything we believe they have gotten wrong. Their worship is wrong. Their baptism is wrong. Their understanding of spiritual gifts is wrong. Their theology is deficient. Their tradition has added something or removed something. Perhaps some of our criticism is even correct.

Very well. Let the denomination without error cast the first stone. Which Christian tradition has understood every verse perfectly? Which group has never allowed pride, personality, politics, ambition, or human tradition to contaminate its witness? Which congregation looks completely like Jesus? The stones suddenly become rather heavy.

There is one Lawgiver and Judge. Our responsibility is not to pretend error does not exist, but neither is it to enthrone ourselves as the righteous standard by which everybody else is condemned.

If They Are Wrong, Restore Them

Scripture does not leave us without a response when a brother is genuinely wrong:

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
— Galatians 6:1

That is considerably different from throwing theological stones across the street. If we truly possess greater light, then perhaps that light should help somebody else see Christ more clearly. If we genuinely believe our brother has wandered, the spiritual response is restoration in meekness, not superiority. We should want him walking rightly with the Lord, not merely walking correctly with us. Religious bigotry makes another person’s error evidence of our superiority. Christlike love makes his restoration our concern.

What If the Houses Have Steeples?

The early believers shared life together, publicly and from house to house. Acts describes them breaking bread together with gladness and sincerity of heart. So let me borrow that picture and bring it forward: what if some of the houses have steeples?

What if one house says Methodist on its sign and another says Presbyterian? What if another says Baptist, Catholic, or Pentecostal? If brothers and sisters in Christ are gathering inside, why should the sign outside prevent us from loving, encouraging, praying with, or serving the people inside?

We have become very good at inviting everybody into our own house: come to our church, hear our preacher, attend our class, become one of us. Jesus gave a much greater invitation:

“Come unto me…”
— Matthew 11:28

A congregation can invite people into fellowship, but we dare not confuse “Come to us” with “Come unto Me.” The destination is not the building, the membership roll, the denomination, or the pew. The destination is Christ.

The Church Across the Street Is My Neighbor

Jesus told us to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He then gave His disciples an identifying mark the world would recognize:

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
— John 13:35

Perhaps we need to ask a painfully simple question: Does the church across the street qualify as my neighbor? When was the last time we prayed for the pastor down the block by name? Two congregations can stand within sight of each other. Both claim Jesus Christ. Both open the Bible. Both worship God. Both claim to be serving the Lord, yet they rarely pray together, fellowship together, encourage one another, or cross the street to serve one another. Each lives within its own religious enclave while professing membership in one Body. Something is wrong with that picture.

Love does not require doctrinal compromise. It does not call error truth. But love refuses to turn disagreement into contempt. Love crosses the street, restores, encourages, and recognizes that the brother on the other side of the wall belongs to Christ before he belongs to a denomination.

Loosening the Stones

Religious bigotry begins when theological difference becomes religious prejudice—when they believe differently becomes they are not one of us, and when not being one of us becomes grounds for treating people Christ loves as lesser. The problem is not conviction. The problem is making ourselves the standard.

The Catholic is not the standard. The Protestant is not the standard. The Calvinist is not the standard. The Wesleyan is not the standard. The Pentecostal is not the standard. Neither are you nor I. Christ is the standard.

Perhaps we should spend less time comparing the church across the street with ourselves and more time comparing ourselves with Jesus. That comparison has a remarkable way of loosening the stones from our hands. When our doctrine divides the Body Christ died to make one, something is wrong—and Jesus is not the One who is wrong.

So let Christ increase and let us decrease. Open the Word, preach the Word, love the brethren, restore the fallen, and point people toward Jesus Christ. If the Word ministers to them, thank God and keep pointing them toward Him. There is only one saving Name, one Head of the Body, and one rightful destination: Jesus Christ.

Salt and Light: The Gospel Is Not a Getaway Plan

Allen Frederick Leave a comment
A Wake-Up Call to the Sleeping Church

We were never called to be museum curators of tradition, nor tourists waiting for heaven’s shuttle. The gospel is not a spiritual escape hatch. It is a kingdom invasion plan. Jesus did not say, “Hide in cathedrals until I come back.” He said:

“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:13–14

But today, many churches have traded their watchtowers for stage lights. We have replaced prophetic fire with polished programming, and bold witness with brand management. The result is a generation that knows how to sing worship songs but does not know how to stand against wickedness.

Salt That Has Lost Its Saltiness

Salt preserves. Salt purifies. Salt stings when it touches infection. But Jesus warned:

“If the salt loses its saltiness… it is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Matthew 5:13

Salt only affects something because it is different from what surrounds it. Light only affects darkness because it possesses something darkness does not. Once the Church begins taking its identity, values, methods, definitions of truth, and measures of success from the surrounding culture, it gradually loses the very distinction that enables it to influence that culture.

And that makes Jesus’ warning about salt especially sobering. The danger is not merely persecution from the world. There is another danger: assimilation into the world.

That is not poetic fluff. That is judgment. A church that refuses to confront sin, call out heresy, and stand for truth has lost its preserving influence on the culture it is trying to impress.

  • We have become therapeutic chaplains to a dying world instead of spiritual surgeons.
  • We have confused niceness with holiness, and tolerance with truth.
  • We have preached “God is love” while ignoring that the God who loves is also holy, jealous, and just.

Light That Refuses to Shine

Light exposes. Light guides. Light disrupts darkness. But too many believers are hiding their lamps under the pews, afraid to offend, afraid to be labeled “intolerant,” and afraid to lose followers.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

This is not about performative virtue. It is about visible righteousness. It is about living lives so saturated with truth, purity, and courage that the world cannot help but take notice, forcing the question of what it will do with the Christ it sees reflected in us.

The Cathedral Is Not the Mission

Fancy buildings do not save souls. Fog machines do not cast out demons. A well-crafted sermon is no substitute for Spirit-led conviction. The early church had no cathedrals, no budgets, and no branding, but it had power, boldness, and truth.

  • Peter did not whisper at Pentecost. He proclaimed Christ boldly.
  • Paul did not tiptoe around idolatry. He exposed it and pointed people to the living God.
  • Stephen did not compromise his witness. He spoke the truth even when it cost him his life.

We do not need more comfortable Christians. We need courageous ones. We do not need more safe spaces. We need sacred spaces where repentance is real and holiness is non-negotiable.

The Gospel Ship Needs Righting

The church is not a cruise liner. It is a kingdom vessel on assignment. It is time to:

  • Raise the prophetic sails again.
  • Man the watchtower with discernment.
  • Sound the alarm when compromise creeps in.
  • Refuse to dock in the harbor of cultural appeasement.

We are not here to be liked. We are here to be light. We are not here to blend in. We are here to stand out. We are not here to entertain. We are here to equip, exhort, and evangelize.

The question is not whether the darkness is getting darker. The question is whether the light is still shining and whether the salt still has its savor.

“We don’t need more churches. We need more salt.”