heart Archives : Life with the King

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

God’s Presence in Prayer

Last week, I wrote about the Presence of God; today I want to share a bit about my first-hand experience of His Presence. Those of you who have been reading for a while know there was a time when I could not feel God’s Presence, and when I didn’t believe God was there at all.

I pray that what He’s brought me and been with me through is an encouragement to you in your own life with the King.

Desperate Prayer

Until something wakes us up to the reality that every day we are in desperate need of God, we may remain unaware of His constant Presence with us. Psalm 42 begins with a fervent desperation, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2). In the throes of sleep deprivation, I recently came to that desperate place. I realized once again that I had no where else to turn to for help but God.

Are you desperate for God today? Scripture says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). When I got to that desperate state, I knew that God was my only hope and was ready to seek Him in prayer once again, with all of my heart. I’ve been there many times in my life, yet every time, God surprises me with something new. This last time, as I prayed about my struggles surrounding sleep, He answered my prayer with an awareness of His power.

God’s Power

There is great power in God’s Presence. God’s power is bigger than, and can overcome any obstacle that, we may be facing. In His Presence in prayer, I was able to let God’s power into a situation that felt too complicated for me to work out, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). With my sleep issue, there was nothing more I could reason out, I simply needed to be delivered by God’s power to move forward instead of staying stuck. When we are desperate for change in our lives, we can allow God’s Kingdom to come through His power working in and through us.

I talked to God about the ways I felt stuck. I prayed and I prayed, pouring out my heart to God. I told Him everything I was thinking about, frustrated with, thankful to Him for, and still hoping for. I prayed of my desperation. Sometimes, years ago when I would pray, I didn’t feel heard or seen by God at all. That empty void feeling is part of why I turned away from faith back then. I wasn’t desperate because I didn’t understand who God is, and that we depend on Him for everything. Thankfully, I have come to trust and believe now that He never leaves or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5).

This time recently in prayer, His Presence was tangible to me in a way that is hard to describe. I had an alertness, and a sense that I wasn’t simply alone, talking to myself, but to God, and that He heard and fully understood me. I had an unusual clarity of thought about what my spirit was experiencing. God’s Presence brought a beautiful order, not only in the spirit, but also in language so that I could articulate it for myself, to where my heart needed alignment with God’s. Scripture encourages us to be “praying in the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18, Jude 1:20). In this fervent prayer, I was given the power from God to be aware of and express my heart to God. I was given peace, and also power to affect change according to His good plans and will. That power has continued. Praying in this way was an incredible experience, and one that we all can have when we turn our hearts to seek Him.

What became clear during this time of prayer was that God cared about what I was saying, even though He already knew it. He wanted to hear from me, just like He wants to hear from you. We will never be as understood by anyone as fully as we are by God. He already knows our whole story, and knows exactly what we mean, no matter what we say or how we say it. He has been present with us through it all, whether we’ve been aware of it or not. Being seen and heard by God is a gift He wants to give to us, and one that comes uniquely in intentional, fervent prayer. If you are desperate today, don’t miss out on His gifts for you! Cry out to Him and He will answer with His power and Presence. He has for me, over and over again. The Truth is that we all desperately need Him every day.

He is available always, listening and caring for us through it all. May heaven open as we open our hearts to God. Amen.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).

Thank you for spending some of your time journeying with me. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to Life with the King, and like & follow the Facebook page; it truly helps me continue writing this blog. Grace and peace.

June 25, 2026July 2, 2026

Impossible Math

I like to start each new season with a list of a few fun things to see, accomplish, or experience, especially summer. I don’t usually check all of them off, but it helps me to have some specific things in mind to aim for, so I don’t let the season pass me by. Since I’ve quit my traditional job, I wasn’t sure if I should make these lists of goals anymore. How would these kinds of goals be possible? Going anywhere and doing anything costs money and time, and with margins getting tighter, my fun list could become a source of shame, greed, or worse if I’m not careful.

As someone who naturally leans more on the practical side, it’s important for me to remember that God wants us to enjoy our lives, and that He is our provider; not our jobs, work, or efforts. God is everything. If He puts something on our heart to do, we need to listen to that. It comes down to trust in God. I’ve been learning in this season not to trust my own logic and feelings about what’s possible, but to trust that God can do impossible math.

I first heard the term “impossible math” from Dallas Jenkins, when he described how God provided for his work on The Chosen television series. That term has stuck with me for several years. Lately, when I would think about doing one of the things on my fun list, money suddenly became the first obstacle. But something started to change in the way I thought about it. I didn’t get discouraged right away, but instead asked the Lord if this was something I needed to say yes to anyway, even if it seemed impractical. For three of those things I’d written down already this season, God has nudged me forward to accomplish them.

Since I’ve made the choice to forgo a steady income, I’ve been learning how to live without one, how to trust the Lord to provide for my needs. He always does provide in one way or another—God does impossible math. Anxiety is optional; He provides just the same. It’s so much better not to worry and simply trust that He will come through, because no matter what practicality might tell us, the Truth is that He always will! God has been very patient with me as I learn this. I am very slow to trust, and slow to let go of worry and anxiety. God truly loves us and is gracious to us! He never loses patience with us. Amen!

God graciously made a way for me to go on a trip that was on my fun list. God truly did impossible math so that I could go on that trip! I had worried so much beforehand about having enough to cover it. But there was nothing to worry about. I still have such a long way to go in trusting God without worry. I’ve seen God’s impossible math firsthand now, which is something I may not have experienced if I hadn’t left my traditional job. For the trip, the gas cost almost half of what I thought it would be. God provided more income than I thought I would have for the trip. He made it so all the food costs were provided for. Impossible math!

God makes a way, even when it seems there is no way, if it is His will for us to go somewhere or do something that He’s placed on your heart. If that’s the case, don’t let worry or fear get in the way. Trust in the Lord! He does impossible math so that His will may be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven! All it takes is for us to say yes to Him. Friends, what is the Lord leading you to do this summer? Don’t let anything hold you back; wait and watch Him work to make the way!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

June 18, 2026June 18, 2026

A Grateful Heart

Gratefulness is not my default setting. I need to make a conscious decision, and ask for God’s grace to be grateful. But having a grateful heart is one of the best things in life. It opens you up to possibility, it makes God’s work easier to notice in your life, it helps focus you on the Truth, that we have endless reasons to be grateful to God, starting with life itself.

Last week I did something out of obedience to God that required sacrifice. Afterwards, I felt tired and had gotten discouraged. I had obeyed God, but I forgot to be grateful for the opportunity to obey in the first place. Instead, I was focused on all the things that had been uncomfortable about the experience, and had pushed and challenged me. But the Truth is, I can focus on being grateful that I chose to obey the Lord. The tolls of living in the fallen world pale in comparison, and thinking about it in these terms, suddenly makes it easy to realize I would choose it again every time.

Obedience is a direct result of fearing God. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10), essential for a life lived in Christ. Hebrews 12 says, “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:25-29).

This passage warns us to fear God, to obey Him, and implies that the only right response to the kingdom that we live in, that which is eternal and in Christ, is being grateful. From our grateful hearts with the wisdom of His kingdom, our only response is to worship God with a holy fear.

God is bigger than every inconvenience, discomfort, or challenge. He is faithful to us, and His will is for us to obey Him. He helps us to do that whenever we choose it. It’s okay to ask for God’s help to have a grateful heart. Obeying God doesn’t mean life will suddenly be easy. Life is difficult for everyone. But with God’s help, we can be grateful, seeing through new eyes by His grace just how much He has done, is doing, and will continue to do for us. I’ve had to ask for His help doing that this week. It’s been a needed lesson, and maybe you can relate, if not today, then someday. Let’s remember He will help us when we ask! He alone can change our hearts, giving us hearts of gratefulness that please Him; He is faithful.

Thanks be to God!

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

May 28, 2026May 28, 2026

Tell of His Faithfulness

Seemingly out of nowhere this week, I got help with a practical household errand that I hadn’t known how to take care of, after 11 years. That soon turned into more help to repair some damage elsewhere. These acts of service, while maybe not so big of a deal to the helper, meant a great deal to me. They spoke to me loudly, as if an angel of God had come to me to let me know, “I’m taking care of you. You don’t have to do things on your own.” There are many such things that I tried and failed to figure out on my own. After many experiences like this, I can say with certainly that we are each very much seen and known by God; He knows just what we need. Let my story be an example that He hasn’t forgotten what you need, even if you’ve had many years of waiting. Things get done in His timing not our own. I so often am tempted to rush, but being patient and knowing that God will provide what is needed is the Way He invites us to go as we follow Him in trust.

So what does life look like when we’re trusting God fully, desperately, knowing that He is our Source of help? Psalm 30 says, “To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: ‘What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!'” (Psalm 30:8-10). Here we see that God’s desire for us in life is to praise Him and tell of His faithfulness. So today, I’d like to simply tell of His faithfulness!

God has never given up on me. For me, God’s love and faithfulness can be summed up pretty well in that statement. People may give up on us, or we may give up on ourselves sometimes, but God never, ever does. He isn’t ashamed of us, and He always sees the best in us and has confidence in a hope and a potential for fullness of life in us. We may not feel worthy or capable, but He always believes the best for us. Luke 1:37 says, “…nothing will be impossible with God.” He made us, He is the only One who knows what we are capable of. You can’t change His mind about you; that you are worthy of His love, and you are His.

God has shown His faithfulness to me in countless ways, but perhaps most of all through my sister Abby. God used her voice to encourage me and see good when I saw none at all. God has spoken to me through Abby countless times, but the fact that she never seems to get tired of pointing me back to Jesus has been God’s faithfulness in action in my life. She has done this since she took me to a church service with her in 2015, at a time when I had stopped going to church for years, had lost hope, and was lost.

In my wrestle with faith and then with following Jesus, she never made me feel like things had gotten too messy or too hard for God to redeem. She never stopped believing that I could surrender what I told her outright I couldn’t. She wasn’t afraid, not once, to challenge the lies I believed about God and about myself. God used Abby’s voice to faithfully and consistently speak Truth in my life. God’s faithfulness to me has flesh and bones in my sister. I am forever grateful for the gift that she is to me.

Abby is excellent at what we all need from a trusted brother or sister in our walk with Jesus—pointing us to Him with courage, conviction, and most of all love. Where there was a great deal of mourning in my life to the point of losing hope, God in His faithfulness didn’t give up on me. He used Abby, the church, and others to help open my heart and then He did transformative work and restored my faith and hope. He truly made it possible for me to dance and have gladness (Psalm 30:11) when I didn’t feel like I could again.

God is faithful! If you don’t already have one, may God bring a trusted believer into your life to challenge you and help you transform into the likeness of Jesus (Ephesians 4:15). We need each other to help sharpen and spur us on to follow Christ to the end. Amen.

“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5b).

“What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” (Romans 3:3).

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026

Obedience to God’s Voice

I’ve been trying to hone in on hearing from God. I’m asking Him questions like, “What do You want me to do in the moment? Should I take a walk or should I read? Should I work or rest? Should I keep quiet or speak up?” After a lifetime of doing what I wanted on my own strength, and regretting most of those decisions, asking God before acting is both a necessity and big challenge. Doing things differently than I’ve always done them is never easy, but it’s worth the struggle, even though I mess up all the time. Just today, I realized I’d done the opposite of what I was supposed to, after making the wrong choice. It ended up causing consequences that set my day back. I realized in hindsight that my decision was disobedient to God’s will for me in that moment. He had told me what to do, I knew in my spirit what it was, but I didn’t act on it. Instead, I thought about it more, and waited, and slipped right into disobedience.

Obedience has a bad reputation in Western culture. We hear constant messages implying that we must listen, not to God or anyone else, but to ourselves; messages like: be a leader not a follower, be yourself, march to the beat of your own drum, do your own thing, live by your own truth. Not all of the sentiment is wrong or bad. But what the culture in this world fails to realize is that listening to our own hearts without the authority of Jesus (who also holds our True identity) is dangerous, because our hearts are prone to be sinful. Our hearts often simply want what they want, and rarely actually align with Jesus without being submitted to His authority. Our hearts, when unchecked, will eventually lead us into sin, every time. Sin leads to death and destruction (Romans 6:16). The obedience of our hearts to God’s will for us through Jesus is the only way to life and fruitfulness (John 3:16, John 10:9, Acts 4:11-12). Living in obedience to God is by far the best life possible for us.

Human beings were designed to obey God, but in the sinfulness of the heart, that obedience can be replaced by idolatry so that we obey, or are subject to the authority of, a myriad of other things. However, it is God’s authority that we are made to live and thrive under. When God told Moses to appoint Joshua as his successor to lead the people into the Promised Land, He spoke of the role of authority in the people’s obedience: “You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey” (Numbers 27:20). Moses had authority to command the people only because it was specifically given to him by God to lead them. The very first thing recorded in Scripture that God said to man was in the form of a command, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17). God’s authority over man is clear from Scripture, as the proper order. Messaging from the world has tried to twist this order, and nudge us all into playing God in our own hearts and lives, to do what we want to do, to live solely under our own authority.

Obeying God simply out of love and respect for Him and His loving, gracious character is where I want to be, and I have faith that we all can reach that place in our relationship with God at any time. But in my fallenness, I recognize that things can and do go wrong. When they do, it points us to Jesus, who is the solution to every single wrong thing in our lives.

In some seasons of following Jesus, it can be hard to hear God’s Voice. In my experience, I can hear His Voice clearest when I am living in obedience to what He is telling me to do. When we hear His Voice directly in our spirits, it can seem easy to obey. As I learned again just today, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. But He always gives grace. Jesus spoke about his followers listening to His Voice, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:14-16). Sheep know and listen to their shepherd. To live in obedience to Jesus, our Shepherd’s, Voice, we must lay down our lives daily (Luke 9:23), including our hearts’ self-centered desires. He graciously laid His life down for us first; His Voice is trustworthy!

It is in obedience to God that we may enjoy peace; “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3). When we allow God to determine our actions, we are able to represent Him well, and be available to minister to others. He has given us His name, as we talked about last week in Called By Your Name, and He longs to guide us in the Way, living in obedience to Him.

May we all seek God and know His Voice, to guide us in all obedience, every day, every moment, all for His glory.

Amen.

“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,” (1 Peter 1:22).

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;” (Exodus 19:5).

April 16, 2026May 7, 2026

Abide in His Love

Have you ever had a hard time letting something you did go that bothered you? It’s been a week like that for me. I have, over and over, let myself down. I’ve come from a poor attitude. I’ve had a lack mindset. I’ve felt an entitled spirit, on edge about everything, like I just can’t take another disappointment.

It’s cut off many connections, closing off opportunity for relationships to grow, all because I didn’t give the fear over to God before it took root in my spirit. The worst part of it was, I struggled to see it was happening in the moment. Once I did see it, I struggled to let it go. As I’ve felt this way many times in my life, I’ll guess that I’m not the only one who’s experienced this.

The whole be-transformed-by-the-renewal-of-your-mind thing (Romans 12:2) is really hitting home for me right now. I need to be renewed, and I know it. But, I can’t do it on my own; I need God to transform me. We cannot change our hearts by ourselves, we have to lay it all down before God and ask Him to change us by His grace.

I need to be reminded that I am completely reliant on God’s help to have a perspective of love and security in the Father’s love, not fear. In 2020, I wrote a blog called Compassion and Resting in Jesus. In times like this when I struggle, I’m reminded and take comfort in the fact that Jesus’ compassion and forgiveness is far bigger than the struggle. He offers us all a place of peace and compassion. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). We are called—even commanded—in this passage to abide in Jesus. Abiding involves letting go of control and trusting Him and His love for us. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18). We read here that love and fear simply don’t cooperate. Jesus is the only way beyond the grip of the spirit of fear.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus also refers to Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Abiding in Him involves staying close to Him, understanding and trusting His heart, will, and character, and relying on Him to lead us in all truth and life.

Despite how much fear or shame may sway us, we have no reason to doubt our identity in Christ, or that we are loved by Him. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (John 15:9). Once we abide in Jesus, His love becomes ours. As we abide in Jesus, we can show and share His love, which is the most healing, restorative, and pure love there is. Abiding in Him is the best thing for us—that’s why He commanded it! It allows us to bear fruit; perhaps the most foundational fruit of life is that of love. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

My hope for myself, and for you, my friends, is to abide in Jesus and His love anew today. May we see His incredible love with fresh eyes, and see a little further just how deep and wide it truly goes! His love is far more powerful than even the most deadly spirit that would grind our lives and our love to a halt. His love is the only place of safety, and is the foundation of a fruitful life. May we let the Truth, that we are loved by Jesus and bought by His precious blood, reign in our hearts, minds, and spirits today. Amen.

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:15-16).

“Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us” (1 John 3:24).

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11).

March 26, 2026March 26, 2026

Fervent in Spirit

What does it look like to be fervent in spirit? The word fervency is one of my favorite words and has a special place in my heart. When I hear it, I think of conviction, assurance, and steadfastness. I love the term “fervency” because for me it doesn’t mean passion for passion’s sake, but implies a solid grounding in God’s Truth or calling, on which a passionate conviction is based. Two people in Scripture come to mind when I think about people who were fervent in spirit.

In Acts, a Jew named Apollos knew the truth of Scripture. Based on his actions, I would bet that Apollos wholeheartedly believed God’s character was faithful and loving to provide the Christ to save His people from careful study of God’s Word. When God empowered Apollos with fervency in spirit, Apollos spoke truth and became instrumental in spreading the gospel in the apostle Paul’s time of ministry. “Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25). In reading about Apollos this week, I am struck by the fact that though he knew the truth, he waited until the right time from the Lord to speak about it. It led to his message being clarified by Pricilla and Aquila, and helping the new believers in Ephesus (Acts 18:27). I need to be reminded every day to wait for the Lord’s timing and for His empowerment to accomplish what He has given me to do.

Paul too knew the value and necessity of being fervent in spirit. In fact, he lists it among other marks of Christianity in his letter to the Romans, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:11-12). Fervency for the Lord and His Truth is so important, but yet can be so easy to drift away from. I’ve felt a drifting of heart as this season of spring has brought many things to do and opportunities opening up. All good things, but if I’m not intentional every day to be fervent in spirit for the Lord and His will, I can lose sight of Truth. I can depend on myself instead of God. I can drift in my relationship with Him.

I used to become discouraged about this fact, but now I am able to see how it can actually be helpful to deeply understand this human weakness. It highlights our deep, great need for God in every way; our flesh that aches to be replaced with His Spirit. Our need for God is always constant. We never reach a point in life when we need Him more or less; we need Him in every way, all the time. There is nothing we can do and no point in our lives that makes us need God less desperately or completely. It is humbling, but in it there is great freedom! We are perfectly held, carried, and sustained by God, and we never are expected to do anything on our own apart from Him. We have Him to guide us, as our Good Shepherd, through every moment of our lives (Psalm 23).

What freedom can come with accepting our need for God! It is only when I rely on God that I can truly enjoy the journey of life. In Christ Jesus, we can live free of trying to do and make things happen on our own. It seems harder for me as the year starts becoming busier and as the calendar gets full, but yet He makes the Way to rely on Him through each day. In the moments I feel overwhelmed, I can trust that God has all the details, and can ask Him to guide my next step. In the moments I am overbooked, I can stop blaming and shaming myself for the mistake and instead ask God to lead me in what He would have me do; even when that means disappointing someone else—or everyone else. What He would have us do is always best. We can live free when we rely on God.

I’ve noticed that when fervency in my own heart starts to falter, it stems from thinking in ways that aren’t true. When I second guess whether God really is reliable for this one thing and believing I need to rely on myself. Fervency runs dry when I forget that God is true to His character and can be fully trusted, even when doing His will can feel scary. And the amazing, good news of Jesus is that even in the moments I feel far from God and fervency feels like a distant memory, I can rely on the Truth of Scripture, that nothing will be able to separate me from God (Romans 8:38-29), even my own sin. I can trust, whether I second guess it or not, that He will never leave or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5).

Friends, keep fervent for the Lord! Be fervently after his own heart, like the Psalmist David (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). Be fervently seeking Him in Scripture. Be fervent in bringing everything to Him, instead of holding onto it or hoarding it away to try to deal with on your own. Fervently bring everything before God, and watch how beautiful a free life in and through Him can be. May we have fervency of spirit used for His glory. Amen.

“Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day” (1 Kings 8:61).

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!” (Psalm 119:2-5).

March 5, 2026March 5, 2026

More Abundantly

For me, this is the verse that’s summed up this week: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20). At this time last year, I was just starting to feel like myself again after many months. At this time last year, I wasn’t writing at all. Around this time last year, God planted the seed of an idea which is now a business, Your Life with the King. God has done far more abundantly than all that I could ever ask or think!

Soul Crushing

In my journey prior to this, I would describe my soul as having been crushed, as much as I had tried to avoid it. I was living in a way that I felt trapped; my energy was never replenished, and I spent my time working on things I didn’t care about. I didn’t see a way out of it, and my inspiration to write or make art was gone. I had taken big hits spiritually and emotionally and became physically sick. Something had to change. It took time to become clear how, but God gave me a way to walk toward the life He had for me. He never leaves us trapped.

Transformation doesn’t often come without being crushed. We may call it different things, like being broken, being poured out, or being at rock bottom. But God is able to use it for our ultimate good because in our crushed state we are open enough to let Him into our hearts. Jesus Himself was “crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5); yet it was for all of our ultimate good. “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). In our brokenness, we are open to receive the love that Jesus poured out for us and our healing.

Yes, being crushed is painful. But God’s healing comes in the transformation and we are offered freedom in Jesus. Being crushed isn’t easy but it is worth it, I can now say from the other side. We can trust that no matter how painful this life gets, God has it all, sees us fully, and cares for each one of us more than we could imagine. God is a Good Father who is excited to do more in our lives by way of freedom, abundant blessing, and grace. The crushing is often a necessary part of the journey there.

Expect Good Things

When we are discouraged from being crushed in life, it can be hard to expect God’s goodness to follow. Knowing God’s character and pressing into relationship with Him and what He promises in Scripture is a lifeline in these times of brokenness. “It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; (Psalm 136:23). God’s love endures, even and especially into the “low estate” times in our lives.

I can struggle with expecting the worst outcome, even though God has shown me the opposite is True, over and over. God wants us to expect His goodness to show up in our lives, to “believe that [we] shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13)! I am encouraging myself as I encourage you to expect good things, and to expect that God will fulfill His promises to you. Even when I get in my own way of accepting God’s amazing abundance in life, He is bigger than that too; “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). God is Truly for us, more than we are for ourselves.

Paul wrote from prison, “. . . it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). Even when our present circumstances seem anything but good, we can expect God to reveal His goodness and fulfill His promises. We can expect God is trustworthy and True.

He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, and we can expect that He will. To God be all the glory! Amen.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

February 19, 2026February 19, 2026

All About Trust

Especially in this new season of big changes for the better, I’m running into a continued, daily confrontation: trusting God. I’ve touched on trust in Connection to Jesus and Do You Still Trust Me?, but I want to dive even deeper today. The side effects of not fully trusting God for safety, acceptance, or power to fend for myself if/when needed got me into the biggest rut yet in my life. It got to the point where I wasn’t able to be present or enjoy anything because I was constantly on alert for the next threatening thing. Without actively trusting God, I chronically expected to have to defend myself at all times. It left me paralyzed, sometimes literally.

Being in this state of mind is not healthy for any human being. I wouldn’t want anyone to experience such an underlying sense of fear. I can say from experience that the only thing that Truly, with a capital “T,” counteracts that fear is trusting Jesus. Not just saying we trust, but actively turning from the direction we’re heading, and trusting Jesus.

We are commanded, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). God doesn’t demand this because He wants dominance, but because it is actually the best thing for our well-being. While He is Sovereign and does have power over us, He wants real, loving relationship with us. Only God can strike that balance well with us because He will never use His power to our detriment. God is worthy of our trust.

The topic of trust is timely for me once again because I’m about to embark on a new adventure in my life, which I’ll be announcing here at midnight next Thursday. (Don’t miss it!) God is doing big things! But in being given and entrusted with new things to steward, God is now requiring a new level of trust in Him from me. There’s no way I can do what I’ve been given if I can’t trust Him well.

Trusting God well is something I simply couldn’t do until very recently. In these last 2.5 years, God has used difficulties to transform my heart. I now see that I needed to be broken in new ways in order to give the Lord room to make way for deeper trust in Him. I needed to be transformed before I could be entrusted with what the Lord wanted to give me; what He’s now given me. He didn’t force the change, He patiently waited until the right time and gave me an ability to trust Him in ways I hadn’t before. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). His timing is always perfect!

Part of my battle with control was wanting things to happen NOW, to be done now, to be realized now. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to make things happen that I now can see I wasn’t ready for. I couldn’t handle the things I wanted if I couldn’t trust God well.

God is a Good Father, and He doesn’t lay unfit burdens on us (Matthew 11:29). He knows us fully and intimately, He knows what He’s made us for and what we are ready for. Rest assured friends, He is working in you and that whatever He has for you to do next, He will bring it about at the right time.

When we trust Him with our lives, He’ll make sure we’re ready for whatever may come. May we trust the Lord, today and every day. Amen.

“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

January 29, 2026January 29, 2026

Led by the Spirit

Here in the middle of winter, there has been a shift in spiritual seasons, at least for me. I had been in a season of waiting, of resting, and of stillness. That season was humbling, and at times frustrating. In Isaiah, it says, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). I’d been so conditioned to work and make things happen, that being out of action felt wrong. But it was exactly what God was calling me to. I learned obedience, and to submit to His will instead of mine. It became clear that I needed that season of rest and to wait for the strength of God to be behind what I did in and with my life. I learned in this last season to wait for leading from God before jumping into anything new.

To wait on God requires seeking God and His will, all the time. For me this was also a frustrating process to learn, as it seemed so incredibly mysterious and too “woo-woo” to be practical in everyday life. But I just needed to surrender to get out of my own way and believe the truth, that God really does communicate, all the time! God’s Word says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). That’s a promise!

We see an amazing example of this in Acts 13, when the church where Paul (Hebrew name Saul) was worshipping in Antioch was all fasting together. While they were seeking the Lord in worship, the Holy Spirit spoke to them and told them what they were to do next. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them‘” (Acts 13:2). After obeying this command, the next time the Holy Spirit is mentioned, He empowers Paul to speak boldly, leading to a miracle (Acts 13:11) that stopped evil influence (Acts 13:8) on a man of intelligence (Acts 13:7) in the region, and his subsequent belief in the gospel (Acts 13:12). Paul’s words and actions were led. They weren’t done on his own strength, or just because he in himself felt ready to go. He was sent by the Holy Spirit, given God’s strength to take the actions he was sent to take.

While God may not speak audibly all that often, He speaks, leads, and sends people today in many ways. He’ll also speak to us if and when we’ve taken a wrong turn. Wrong turns are okay, as long as we are listening to Him! God won’t stop letting you know what’s right and in His will for you. He always makes a way for us to come back to Him.

I’m entering a new season where God is sending me in a new direction, and I’m excited to be able to share the details with you very soon! For now, I want to share that God has graciously given me new work to do, and in this new season I’ll be doing my best to steward it well and according to His leading. Friends, I would appreciate your prayers as God is leading my life in a new direction, that I would lean on God’s strength, continue to wait on Him even in the middle of the work, and allow myself to be led by the Spirit through it all.

I encourage us all to surrender it all to God, today and every day. The Spirit is eager and longing to lead us in God’s unique and beautiful purpose for our lives. May we let Him lead us as the King of our hearts. Seek Him and you will see miracles! Let your faith in God’s leading shine, and may He will do His will through you. Amen.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit“. . .’ (Acts 2:38).