Few phrases in American public life are quoted more confidently — and understood less accurately — than “separation of church and state.”

Today, the phrase is wielded like a constitutional muzzle, aimed almost exclusively at Christians, as if faith itself were a contaminant that must be scrubbed from public discourse. It is invoked not as a legal principle but as a cultural veto: your argument doesn’t count because it comes from faith.

But that is not what the phrase meant when it was written.
It is not how it functioned historically.
And it is not how it has ever been applied consistently.

What we are witnessing is not constitutional fidelity — it is ideological repurposing.

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on God’s Will, Free Will, and Daily Faithfulness.

The Tension We All Feel

If God already knows what I’m going to choose…

Do my choices really matter?

Christians have wrestled with this question for centuries, not because it’s abstract, but because it’s deeply personal.

We feel the tension every time we:

• Pray for guidance

• Regret a decision

• Wonder if we missed something

• Ask whether God’s plan can still work after a mistake

The Bible never pretends this tension doesn’t exist. Instead, it holds two truths side by side:

• God is sovereign

• Humans are responsible

And it refuses to erase either one.

This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on God’s Will, Free Will, and Daily Faithfulness.

Where Faith Becomes Lived

If Part 1 reframed how we think about God’s will, and Part 2 steadied us around freedom and responsibility, Part 3 brings everything down to ground level.

This is where theology becomes practice.

Because most of life is not lived in dramatic crossroads.
It is lived in ordinary days.

And it is in those ordinary days that faith is either formed — or neglected.

God’s Will Is Not a Blueprint — It’s a Walk

This post is Part 1 of a 3‑part series on God’s Will, Free Will, and Daily Faithfulness.

A Personal Beginning

One of the most common questions I hear from Christians — and one I’ve wrestled with myself — is simple, honest, and deeply human:

“What is God’s will for my life?”

Usually what we’re really asking is:

• Am I about to mess everything up?

• Is there one right path and a hundred wrong ones?

• Did I already miss God’s will somewhere back there?

Many of us were taught, directly or indirectly, that God’s will is a single, fragile master plan — and that one wrong decision could derail everything.

But Scripture, lived faith, and spiritual maturity tell a much steadier, kinder story.

God’s will is not primarily a destination. It is a relationship.

And God rarely reveals the whole road at once.