It's clear that in Bunyan, the place described as the valley of the shadow of death

is not, I think, to be understood as a reference to death itself or bereavement,

but rather to the circumstances and situations that produce a kind of spiritual death within us.

And he's thinking of the loss of assurance.

Having a lack of assurance,

not knowing if you're truly saved,

can have a crippling effect upon a Christian.

It can feel like being in the valley of the shadow of death.

And this is not an affliction unique to the 21st century, but something that Christians of every generation have had to wrestle with.

So where should you turn if you find yourself in that valley?

Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham and thank you for being with us today

for renewing your mind. For hundreds of years, believers have found John Bunyan's allegory,

the Pilgrim's Progress, so helpful as they've sought to apply biblical principles to their

Christian life, helping them navigate the challenges

of assurance, the influence of worldliness, and even facing death.

The Pilgrim's progress follows a man named Christian and his journey to the Celestial

City.

And this week, Ligeneer Ministries Teaching Fellow, Derek Thomas, will take us on a guided

tour through this classic allegory. And when you give a donation at Renewing Your Mind.org

to show your support of renewing your mind, not only will we send you the complete 19-part

overview of the Pilgrim's Progress on DVD, we'll also send you a copy

of the Pilgrim's Progress so that you can read the book and go deeper with the help of Dr. Thomas.

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