Have you ever been frustrated with someone and thought, “They should know”?

They should know what I meant.
They should know what I expected.
They should know how I feel.

But what if they don’t?

A simple misunderstanding between my wife Michelle, our daughter Kayla, and me over what we were doing for Michelle’s birthday dinner reminded me of something important:

Nobody needs to be wrong for a situation to go wrong.

We all heard the same conversation. We all thought we understood the plan. But we walked away with completely different expectations.

And something as simple as deciding what to have for dinner turned into nearly an hour of frustration before we finally ordered Chinese food.

That experience reminded me:

Expectations require communication.
Communication creates clarity.
Clarity builds trust.
Trust strengthens relationships.
And consistency protects all of it.

In this episode of Faith • Focus • Fortitude™, we talk about the danger of assumptions, the importance of listening, how expectations affect our relationships, and why sometimes the expectation that needs to change is our own.

James 1:19 reminds us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Maybe instead of assuming, we need to ask.

Maybe instead of reacting, we need to get curious.

Because:

Assumption creates frustration.
Curiosity creates connection.

And when it comes to God, faith isn’t trusting Him because He’s following our plan.

Faith is trusting God even when we don’t understand His.

So here’s the challenge:

Think about one relationship in your life and ask yourself:

“Are there expectations here that we’ve never actually talked about?”

Maybe the conversation you’ve been avoiding is exactly the conversation that relationship needs.

Until next time…

Keep Faith.
Stay Focused.
Apply Fortitude.
And… lock it in!

Have you ever watched someone you respected—someone strong in their faith, someone who knew Scripture and genuinely loved God—make a decision that changed everything?

It’s easy to ask:

“How could that happen to them?”

But maybe there’s a more important question:

“What makes me think it couldn’t happen to me?”

None of us are beyond temptation. None of us graduate from needing God. And yesterday’s spiritual strength isn’t enough for today’s spiritual battle.

In this episode of Faith • Focus • Fortitude™, I share a lesson that has stayed with me for years about spiritual warfare, temptation, the armor of God—and something equally important: grace and redemption.

The battle doesn’t always begin with one enormous decision.

Sometimes it begins with a small compromise.

A thought we entertain.

A boundary we move.

Something we justify.

And little by little, we can find ourselves somewhere we never intended to be.

That’s why Scripture tells us to “put on the full armor of God” and stand firm.

But this message isn’t about pointing at someone else’s failure.

It’s about looking in the mirror and asking:

Where have my boundaries moved?
Where am I vulnerable?
What am I doing today to protect my walk with God?

And if you’ve already fallen, remember this:

Your worst decision does not suddenly become greater than the cross.

Sin has consequences. Grace doesn’t erase those consequences or pretend people weren’t hurt. But through genuine repentance, there is forgiveness.

There is grace.

There is redemption.

Your worst chapter doesn’t have to be your last chapter.

Here’s the Ron-ism I want you to remember:

Don’t wait for the battle to build your armor. Build it now.

📖 Scripture referenced: 1 Peter 5:8 • Ephesians 6:11 • Romans 3:23 • 1 John 1:9 • John 3:16 • Romans 8:28 • 1 Corinthians 16:13–14

If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who may need to hear it today.

Until next time…

Keep Faith.
Stay focused.
Apply fortitude…
and lock it in!

New episodes every Sunday.

Connect with Ron Christ
YouTube: @RonChrist-FFF

Faith • Focus • Fortitude.
Real Stories. Biblical Truth. Practical Wisdom. Real Life.

Have you ever been absolutely certain you were right… only to discover you were completely wrong?

Years ago, while serving in the military, I boarded a crowded bus in Naples, Italy. We had been warned repeatedly about pickpockets. Then a man bumped into me, I reached for my wallet—and it was gone.

At least, that’s what I thought.

What happened next left me sick to my stomach and taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten:

We can be completely sincere in what we believe and still be completely wrong.

Sometimes we have some of the facts, connect the dots, and convince ourselves we know the whole story. Then we react, accuse, judge someone’s motives, or damage a relationship—only to discover there was something we didn’t know.

In this episode of Faith • Focus • Fortitude, we’ll talk about the importance of pausing before reacting, asking another question, seeking the truth, and having enough humility to consider that we may not have all the facts.

Proverbs 18:13 warns us about answering before we’ve truly listened, while James 1:19 reminds us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Before you point the finger…

Check your pocket.

Before you react to what you think you know, take the time to discover what you don’t know.

Until next time…

Keep Faith.
Stay focused.
Apply fortitude…
and lock it in!

New episodes every Sunday.

Connect with Ron Christ.
YouTube: @RonChrist-FFF

Faith • Focus • Fortitude.
Real Stories. Biblical Truth. Practical Wisdom. Real Life.