Friday, June 19, 2026
Hey there, Friend —
It’s the Smart Edit … elevate in Christ, impact your world.
In this issue … most believers never reach the Higher Ground God has for us. But you and I can be different.
Brian
P.S. — Why washing new clothes matters more than you think!
Each week we feature a Kingdom of Jesus Dynamic …
Higher Ground: Most Believers Never Get Here
There is more … "If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know" (Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:2 NKJV).
This is a big part of why the Smart Edit exists. Not sin management. Not just church attendance 🥱. Though the right community of faith is vital.
Not the baseline gospel of, you know, getting in.
There is a strong message in Hebrews 6 to every believer who has settled. And many have.
The writer lists 5 markers of a life ascending to Higher Ground. Hebrews 6:4-5.
Enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
Tasting of the heavenly gift.
Partaking of the Holy Spirit.
Tasting the good word of God.
Tasting (sampling) the powers of the age to come.
Not the doctrine of these things … experiencing them.
Most believers never get there. 20%? 10%? 5%? They camp at the elementary things (Hebrews 6:1-2). Repentance, faith, baptism, resurrection, and more. Good things, true things for sure.
But they are foundation, not destination. You don't camp on the foundation. You build up from it.
Ooof! ➡ "Most Christians are just barely saved — as by fire, and no more." — A.W. Tozer
“I have much to say about Christ, but you have grown dull of hearing” (see Hebrews 5:11-14).
Dullness isn't rebellion really. It’s drift. Settling. It's a “Christianity” that is safe and manageable. Often, largely indistinguishable from a decent life without Christ.
Paul highlights the way from a prison cell in Philippians 3. Forgetting what lies behind. Pressing toward the mark. Questing for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
“But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation” (Hebrews 6:9 NASB).
There are things that accompany salvation. Realities we are called to reach for, walk in, inhabit.
Bored? Elevate to Higher Ground. Want to stand before the Lord having won your complete race? Higher Ground.
Jesus, Holy Spirit, bring me into all things that accompany authentic salvation. I thank you for foundational things. But I’m ready for more. I want to bring more to Your Dream.
🎧 On the pod
Rich in All the Wrong Ways | Jesus Smart X, Ep. 375. Some are rich — just in all the wrong ways. Jesus had something different in mind. Let's unpack what it means to step off the Expressway of Me and into the off-road adventure of Kingdom generosity. It's a Way of Living, experiencing the greatest treasures on earth and in the New Heavens and New Earth on the horizon.
Follow the link to listen. The JesusSmartX podcast is also available on your favorite podcast listening app including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Be Fruitful and Multiply. Put the Phone Down.
U.S. birth rates have been falling for nearly two decades. Researchers have blamed housing costs, delayed marriage, economic pressure.
A provocative new study points somewhere else: your phone.
Researchers tracked early iPhone rollout through AT&T's uneven broadband expansion — comparing regions that gained access early versus late. Areas with earlier smartphone access saw larger birth declines, especially among teenagers and young adults.
The mechanism isn't biological. Smartphones appear to have reduced in-person socializing, increased pornography consumption, and led to less frequent sex.
Critics note fertility was already declining before smartphones arrived, and economic cycles can complicate the picture. The hypothesis remains speculative.
But the pattern is hard to ignore. Many of us probably resonate with this potential.
Brian — A device designed to connect us may be disconnecting us from one of the most core human callings… “be fruitful and multiply” via marriage and family formation. Personal tech and social media shaping worldview?
Appreciate you.
Thanks for reading! If you value the Smart Edit, tell your friends to subscribe. If you have any questions or comments, reach out at [email protected].
Best,
Brian Del Turco
P.S. — Why washing new clothes matters more than you think. The fresh-off-the-rack feeling may come with dyes, finishing chemicals, and germs.
Bad news is good business. Not everyone buys it.
Markets move. Headlines catastrophize. But somewhere inside the noise is the story that matters — the opportunity, not the fear.
The Daily Upside was built by Wall Street insiders to find it — global business and finance, reported without the alarm.