God’s silence alters the intensity of our temptation, but it never alters our standing orders. It does not encourage abandoning faithful suffering for the Gospel.

In my years as a counselor and a student of identity, I recognize three resources for navigating the "messes" of this life. Believers need an Archive of Mastery (their past), a Fixed Future (their destination), and most importantly, a Secure Home Base—the internal integrity of their core identity made possible by God's indwelling.

I recently watched the film Silence, which many praise as a masterpiece of faith. But as a Christian counselor who illuminates the path for others, I found it to be something far more dangerous: a manual for compromise.