Tag: Holy Spirit

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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.

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Characteristics of God: Presence of God

Have you ever felt the Presence of God? Maybe you’ve felt unusual calm or peace in a chaotic moment, or maybe you’ve gotten chills down your spine while the worship band played your favorite song among a group of believers. Maybe God’s Presence has met with you in a quiet moment at home with your Bible, or maybe He worked a miracle before your very eyes while you sensed standing on holy ground. The psalmist wrote, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). God’s Presence is always with us.

There are many, many more, but today I’ll delve a little deeper into just six of the distinguishing characteristics of God’s Presence as part of the Characteristics of God series.

In the Lord’s Presence, nothing else matters. Nothing else is important or needs attending to. In His Presence we remember the Truth; that God takes care of us, provides for us, and sustains us; our own strength and efforts are futile. When we experience God’s Presence we are made more aware that we are completely engulfed by His grace and mercy as we take every single breath. It’s in His Presence our hearts can be transformed, and we can build intimacy with the God of the universe, the Alpha and the Omega. We are no longer tied to the things that weigh us down or make us afraid when we know that He is with us. In His Presence, we are free indeed.

1. God’s Presence Makes Us Free

The Presence of God is credited as having set the Israelite captives free from Egyptian slavery (Deuteronomy 4:37). His power, glory, and goodness can be experienced by us today, right now. Worshiping Him with all of our heart or praying in the Spirit are ways that can make His Presence more tangible to us. In the Bible, God’s Presence is also described as “the glory of the Lord” (eg: Exodus 16:10, Exodus 24:16, Leviticus 9:23, Numbers 16:19). He is omnipresent and always available to draw near to, and yet, it can be so easy for us sometimes to miss out on experiencing His Presence.

God’s Presence prompted Moses and Aaron to fall on their faces (Numbers 20:6). The appropriate response to God’s Presence, which is so good and so holy, evokes immediate worship and service to Him; “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:2). In loving, fearing, and serving the Lord we become truly free. By experiencing His Presence, we can better get to know Him well enough to love Him. The living God longs to be present with us; that is why Jesus came! Scripture tells us how Jesus made a Way for God’s wonderful Presence to be with us anytime, anywhere. That’s the Good News.

2. God’s Presence is Available at all Times for Everyone

God wants each one of us to be alive in His Presence for all of eternity; we wouldn’t be here if He didn’t! It’s in God’s Presence He can teach us His heart, overflowing with love and grace for us. The more we spend time in His Presence, the more we are able to align ourselves with His heart (desires, will, and emotions). In His Presence, we are better able to become people after God’s own heart.

There is peace and rest in knowing who we are to God, His loved and cherished children. God spoke to Moses about the rest that His Presence brings to His people: “And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). Our souls can truly rest when we know we are cared for, loved, and protected. All this is freely available to us in God’s Presence.

3. God’s Presence Gives Us Rest

The joy that comes from experiencing God’s Presence is complete, and makes us unshakably joyful, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). We need nothing more than God’s Presence. It provides all we need, and more. He Truly is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).


We were specially designed to be in God’s Presence, it’s part of who we were made to be! All of God’s work aligns with and works for us to be able to dwell with God. As God is our Creator, it naturally brings us gladness and joy to experience being with Him. Being in God’s Presence brings safety, wonder, delight, peace, and true, deep joy in our hearts and spirits. “For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence” (Psalm 21:6).

4. God’s Presence Makes Us Joyful

It is a promise in Scripture that we will all see God’s glory (Isaiah 40:5). Jesus was in the glory of God’s Presence before the world existed, and He entered God’s Presence and was glorified again after He died on the cross (John 17:5). God’s Presence itself is glorious and brings about glorious things.

The Presence of God gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist (Romans 4:17). Scripture describes God’s Presence with the imagery of mountains quaking, idols trembling, and justice being the only thing that can be done when it is near (Isaiah 19:1, Isaiah 64:1-3, Lamentations 3:35). Glorious things happen because of and come from God’s Presence. We can better see God, His glorious nature, and the glorious things that come from Him when we experience His Presence.

5. God’s Presence is Where We Experience His Glory

Of we whose sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus, it is said, “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.” (Revelation 7:15-16).

In eternity, we are promised to not only be present at God’s throne, but also sheltered forevermore by His awesome Presence when we are in Christ. We won’t be subject to the suffering or pain of this world anymore in His eternal Presence. Instead, we will be sheltered by Him.

6. God’s Presence is a Shelter

Experiencing His Presence, as we can in worship, prayer, and in other ways, can be so refreshing to our souls because it returns us to our innate connection with Him. David sang, “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). God designed us and longs for us so much that He promised to fulfill our need to be in His Presence for eternity through Jesus.

God’s purposes and plans ultimately provide for us to experience His freeing, available, restful, joy-filled, glorious, sheltering Presence, and for Him to enjoy our presence too, for all of eternity. Amen.

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24).

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11).

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:19-21).

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.

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Being Renewed

Have you ever caught yourself starting to get worked up about something that doesn’t Truly matter? Thoughts start racing, blood starts boiling, and before you know it you could work yourself up into a mess of emotions. This is a cycle I felt like I couldn’t get out of. I struggled to catch myself before reaching the mess part, and I would just want to hide away from everything and everyone to avoid the exhaustion. What’s disturbing to me now is seeing this attitude celebrated, even encouraged. I’ve since learned that withdrawing from problems and connection is never the answer. But even I didn’t see much of an issue with it for a long time; it seemed like something I had to go through, just a part of living life.

Jesus gives us a way of living that is deeply rooted in grace, and He is faithful to renew us when and as we place our faith in Him. For Christians, this is a constant process, as we are to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23). We are a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17); living with an exhausting emotional and negative thought cycle doesn’t sound like freedom or new life to me. Paul writes about how, in the messiness of living, Jesus allows us to be renewed: “knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:14-16). Renewed, we don’t react the way we did before Jesus.

The grace God gives us through Jesus, when we allow Him to transform us, makes that “horrible” traffic, the “waste of time,” even an unmade decision, seem pretty insignificant. Grace allows us to think differently than we have before. It makes us remember that we are, in fact, made new, and there is another way to approach the things in life that used to feel overwhelming or emotionally charged. But even after we realize that, we still face temptation on a daily basis to go back to the old way.

The enemy will tempt us to think that our emotional reaction is completely reasonable. That it’s completely okay to be consumed by emotions in the moment; after all, it can feel good to have something to complain about. Friends, I can say from personal experience that these are lies meant to pull us away from freedom. In Christ, we have been made new. We are no longer slave to react in a way that disrupts our emotional state and consumes all our thoughts. There is another way, and Jesus invites us to walk with Him through those moments. He doesn’t leave us to face our temptations alone in isolation, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Paul writes, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25).

When we get distracted by the perceived injustice, slight, or inconvenience, we are tempted to let our hearts wander. Jesus said, “…’I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), but when we allow our emotions (which can be helpful but never should be mistaken for Truth) to get the best of us, we’re distracted, and more easily tempted to start questioning the Truth. The every day experience of trying to live out our faith in and follow Jesus is vitally important.

How we think about everything, every moment, maybe even especially the “little” things in life, makes a difference with how much we can keep our eyes on Jesus. If we’re distracted, how can we follow Him?; we’ve taken our eyes off of Him! Yes, there is grace for those times too, but following Jesus takes intention and focus. I’m far from perfect, but when I am able to look to Jesus as my Shepherd when I’m about to lose my patience over the driver that cut me off, or the response I wasn’t looking for, that’s progress. I don’t spend hours trying to calm my heart rate. I don’t feel agitated all day. I don’t struggle to focus on the task at hand because I’m too busy plotting revenge. It’s the opposite of exhausting; it feels a lot like freedom!

Through life’s emotional journey, when I look at the person of Jesus, I have a chance at navigating life with grace. I take comfort that He’s made me new and empowered me with the Holy Spirit to resist temptation. I’m grateful to be learning this in practice more than ever lately, and I’m grateful you’re here with me, as we journey through this life together.

May we surrender our emotions to Jesus every day, every hour, every minute. God bless you. Amen.


“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:5-6).

 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:2-4).

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.

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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).

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.

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He is Risen

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to rise again? If He lived a perfect life, and died as a sacrificial Lamb so that our sins would be paid for, what is the meaning and significance of Jesus rising from the dead on the first Easter morning (other than the obviously impressive feat)? Didn’t He finish the work that He came to do when He died? None of the Jewish sacrificial lambs that were used for sin offerings were raised back to life, so why did Jesus have to be? 

Would our sins still be covered if He had remained in the grave? 

Jesus rose back to life to cover the penalty of death itself, not just our sinful nature and actions.

Jesus rose again to fulfill God’s covenant (Matthew 5:17-18). Lambs could cover a specific sin or a specific period of time of sin, according to the Law given by God to Moses, but no animal sacrifice could stop death itself. Only Jesus, as the once-and-for-all sacrifice of atonement for our sin was able to stop its penalty, death altogether, crumbling the very foundation of this terrible curse on humankind. He is risen, indeed!

Through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can enter into the new covenant between God and man. By the new covenant in His blood, Jesus made a way for us, but only after He had fulfilled and accomplished the Law, which Scripture also calls the old covenant (1 Corinthians 3:14).

In Luke, we read of Jesus’ words to his disciples at the first communion meal during Passover, “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood‘” (Luke 22:19-20). Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us the promise of life with God, and not just life, but one of enjoyment and fulfillment in His presence. Jesus’ blood sealed the covenant, or binding agreement, of God for all people to enjoy His presence, not just the Jews. Even the curtain in the temple that separated the area reserved for God’s presence from the people was torn when Jesus died (Matthew 27:50-52).

The covenant in Jesus’ blood makes a way, a path, for a life of experiencing God’s presence. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” That “path of life” is provided by the new covenant, or promise, that God made through Jesus. In His death and resurrection, Jesus provides the path to experience God’s presence. 

The Holy Spirit is given to us when we trust that Jesus’ covenant applies to us, and He empowers us to walk that path. “Peter replied, ‘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). In our new lives in Christ, we are graciously given the Holy Spirit. In our new lives in Christ, as Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit comforts, guides, and gives us peace and wisdom on our path. The Holy Spirit who lives in us, closer to our souls than the breath in our lungs, is the same Spirit Who dwells with Jesus.

In His kindness then, God allows us to share not only in Jesus’ death, but also in His resurrection. “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We may live and experience God’s presence when we put our faith in Jesus; through Him we may enter into this new covenant promise. From Scripture, we can see that was His wonderful plan all along.

Without Jesus’ resurrection, we would not have hope of resurrection either. By faith, He allows us to be covered by the blood of His sacrifice on the cross so that the Father will see the purity and righteousness of Jesus when He sees us. As the Passover lamb’s blood over the Jews’ doorposts at the first Passover allowed death to pass over the house, Jesus’ new covenant blood over us allows us to not only avoid spiritual death but conquer it altogether. How amazing is that? “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). 

We are alive with Christ Jesus

Jesus is alive today in many, for whom He poured out His blood of the new covenant. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:4-6). Jesus has made God knowable and present with us, even today. 

As we continue to remember Jesus’ miraculous resurrection from the dead, the One who fulfilled a role we could not, and made the Presence of God available to us, may we rejoice in Him with all we are. I pray we would see Jesus not as a distant figure to be recognized at holiday times, but as our holy, perfect, loving, and ever-present Friend and Lord, who simply wants to be with us, loving and being loved by us. 

He is not as far as we may at times feel or be tempted to think; no, He is here. 

He is risen! Thanks be to God! 

“In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13). 

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

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.

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Basics of God’s Character

I don’t know if you’ve ever had the experience of being afraid to read a book of the Bible, but when I came to Job a couple of months ago, I was definitely anxious.

I’d read Job before years ago, and simply didn’t get it. I felt it was confusing to read because of seemingly unreliable narrators and multiple points of view. The utter devastation Job went through seemed cruel. The ending seemed simplistic and rather dismissive of the trauma. It was a difficult book to read at a surface level, which is what I did about 12 years ago.

So when I sat down to give it another go recently, it was with careful attention and prayer. I didn’t want to have the same puzzling experience, dissatisfied with the conclusion and confused about God’s character. I wanted to discover something I hadn’t before.

I had to go back to the basics of reading Scripture to read Job again. I read with an eye of never having understood the text before. Thankfully, what I found in the pages was refreshing and relieving. But if I hadn’t gone back to basics to see Job with fresh eyes and a willing heart to receive something new, I might have let my previous impressions color the text, and introduced confusion about the character of God.

It is worth taking care in how we approach Scripture. It is always a good idea to pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit about what we read. Without the Holy Spirit’s wisdom guiding our perception, we can easily fail to recognize His Voice and what He wants us to know about Himself.

My past self would often let skeptical and critical interpretations of Scripture color my perception before I started. I would at times even read with a chip on my shoulder, as if daring the text to prove its critics wrong. I later learned that it was my approach that was all wrong. Without an openness to the Holy Spirit, and reading with a spirit of nonjudgment, it is very difficult to see God’s character clearly in Scripture. For me, I would get caught up in my own thoughts and questions and then give up in searching for an answer, or waiting for a Truth to touch my heart. An assurance of God’s character is something that I’ve repeatedly been so comforted by when reading the Bible, and part of me was afraid that Job would be the exception.

When I finished Job this week, I remembered all the confusion and the bewilderment of Job’s suffering I’d experienced the first time around. The major difference I noticed was that I have a different level of understanding of who God is than I did 12 years ago. The suffering and pain he went through didn’t absolve Job from the consequences of misunderstanding God’s character. I understood why I had felt lost in Job, but thankfully I now see it with a deep peace and certainty of God’s goodness, and Job’s need of God’s mercy toward him, too. I would encourage everyone to read Job at a meditative pace with prayerful posture. It is a masterpiece on faith in God and relationship with God. I now, like many others, see it as a foundational book in understanding mature faith.

May we all ask for and receive understanding from the Holy Spirit, as we read Scripture and allow God to minister to our hearts through it.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).

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.

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Best Valentine’s Ever

Ten years ago this weekend, I had no idea that my journey with Jesus was about to take a meaningful turn. In 2016, on Friday the 13th right before Valentine’s Day, I was on a 4-hour drive to a concert with my sister and our friend.

That weekend, I drove through snow, even though I didn’t want to. I shared a room with other people, even though I didn’t want to. I prayed out loud, even though I didn’t want to. But I’m getting ahead of the story. It felt like I was starting a new life. Turns out, I really was.

We arrived safely through the snow to our hotel, and met with three of my sister’s friends, who I’d never met before. We all had tickets to see the Christian band, Kings Kaleidoscope, play later that evening. We did our nails together, got dressed in our concert best, and headed to the venue. After an amazing show and really a time of corporate worship where we got to stand right up front near the stage, we got back to the hotel and someone started prayer.

For the next hour or more, I was part of a prayer circle like nothing I had ever experienced before. There were heavy things being felt and carried by individuals in the group, many of those things were unknown to everyone, but each girl was prayed for uniquely in the Spirit with so much love. It was a night I don’t think I could ever forget. There was so much encouragement and a feeling of God’s Presence and Him carrying our burdens that it felt like I could be free in a way I hadn’t experienced before. Being supported in a community of women like that who were devoted to Jesus made a big impression on me, right at the time when I was starting to trust Jesus for myself again.

I experienced God’s love that Valentine’s weekend in community. That prayer circle was the church for me at a time when I wasn’t sure about attending to a church again. Those women set me on a trajectory of prayer that I’ll always be grateful for. Every single one was younger than me and had so much passion and wisdom in the Spirit as they sought Jesus. It put me in a state of awe and I was humbled to be a part of it. They gave me courage to pray aloud, to encourage them in return, and to love people in a way that I had been afraid to. It opened me up to a new realm of possibility in my faith and role in community.

Here at the ten year anniversary of that beautiful weekend, I am so grateful that God gave me that experience with other believers at that time in my faith journey, and allowed me to know beyond a doubt that He was present among us. I experienced in the most potent way, maybe to this day, the truth of the verse: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20).

So friends, let’s seek the Lord for our friends in the faith. For me, the love shown to me in that community of women was and is more precious than anything of this world. Let’s pray with our friends, not just for them. Being the church outside its walls stands the test of time. Ten years and counting.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

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.

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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).

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.

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Offense on Offense

My family has been following NFL football closely this year. I know way more than I ever cared to know about coaches, players, and the big business that is American football. However, it has been helpful in getting me to think more in terms of offense and defense when it comes to the identities we take on, and try not to take on.

We can be quick to defend ourselves, our opinions, our perspectives. I easily can take offense when what I feel or think is dismissed, misunderstood, or misrepresented. I am capable of feeling very offended, especially when I’m dug in about something that I feel has been a wrong committed toward me. It’s a game that I’ve played many, many times, but the funny thing with the offense game, is that everyone loses.

When I get so offended that an argument starts, I never get the apology and the warm feelings restored that I want. Others see the worst of me and get offended right back at me. Instead of calmly righting a perceived wrong, getting offended sets off a chain of events that keep getting farther and farther away from a loving resolution.

So, how do we take an offensive approach (thinking football here) on getting offended? Without a plan, the feeling of offense tends to spiral out of control into a place that no one cares to be, but how do we go in the opposite direction in the first place? How do we turn the other way entirely from deeper division, more hurt, and more misunderstanding?

Looking at Jesus, He has every right and reason to be offended by the ways we sin, ignore His commands, and forget to include Him in decision-making, yet He never is. Jesus is so aware of and rooted in the Father’s love; He doesn’t “need” me to understand Him or see His side or say something in a nicer tone. He is secure in who He is and who His Father is. He doesn’t hold on to offense.

Focusing on how Jesus took the offenses that I committed against Him has helped me to not only think twice before getting offended, but start from a place of not feeling offended altogether. That place is a heart posture, a state of being, a perspective and posture of grateful grace that takes me beyond offense, a place I could never be without Jesus. Remembering all the ways He responded to me in love when I didn’t deserve it or know better, or understand helps me to move forward in forgiveness instead of back towards feeling offended.

As I’ve been writing about the last few weeks, the way of Jesus is the way of love, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The way of offense is self-serving (arrogant), insistent on a problem, and holding on to an attitude of resentment or rudeness.

The way of love lets all of that go, because of the scars of Jesus. The identity that the feeling of offense tries to protect is no longer threatened, because it is rooted in the Truth of the Father’s love and the True identity found in Him. The way of love covers the sin of offense.

To take the offense (meaning like football again) on feeling offended, we remember the risen Jesus is with us, and His Spirit in us. Letting go of offense is never easy on this side of eternity, but we are able to let go of offense because we have Jesus to lean on! We don’t need to fight for position or understanding in this world, or defend our positions if threatened. An identity rooted in Truth stands confidently that we already have all the understanding we need in God, and so we don’t need or expect it from another person, no matter how close that person may be to us. He tells us not to fight or to defend (Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:30), but instead to love (John 13:34). Getting offended doesn’t help God’s cause and purposes in the world, but us loving people does. Trying to make everything fair in everyone’s eyes or being respected in the world aren’t things Jesus strove for when He was here. Walking in His footsteps, we are to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34). That’s how we can offend offense.

It changes everything to be able to let offense go. When we let it go, we also let go of the crack that it leaves open for the enemy to sneak into our hearts through. So much freedom comes in giving up the state of being offended, and in choosing the stability of the identity Jesus has already given us as co-heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). We don’t have to give in to the trap of offense when we have Jesus to help us stand firm in the Truth. Friends, it’s time to play offense!

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall” (Ezekiel 18:30, NIV).

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” (Matthew 5:38-40).

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.

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Doing Justice

There are many cries for justice in 2026, many hateful governments, groups, ideologies, and -isms in the world today. As hateful events happen closer to where we live, we feel anger, frustration, and perhaps even sometimes conflicted about the reassurances of the Bible, such as “…do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50). In high school, I participated in a protest against the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. That was my first real taste of the efforts for justice on an international scale. The situation was horrific, and yet as a teenager it felt far enough away to not feel threatened that the same would happen at home.

Since then, genocide that did stop 20 years ago in Sudan has recently resurfaced. I felt unsettled because I knew that the underlying problem of hate was not replaced with love. Hearts were not changed. Those protests and efforts that lasted a little while didn’t result in lasting peace. This same pattern tragically continues in many places in the world. So, what do we do when we realize that human interventions prove unsuccessful to stop acts of hate in the long term?

We can easily feel powerless to stop hate. There are hateful things even in our own circles of friends and family members that we can’t change. Jesus promised that those who believed in Him would be hated, “and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). That we understand; Jesus is confronting and can be triggering to many; He warned those who believe in Him of this.

Yet, Jesus is the only way to find True peace. He is able to change hearts filled with hate and turn even the most hopeless situations around; and we can pray with faith that He will! “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me‘” (John 14:6). As much as the world likes the idea, the Truth is that there are are not multiple ways–Jesus is the only way to life. To follow His way is to love as He loves, and to trust that He will help us expel hatred from our own hearts.

Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). After seeing human efforts to stop hate fail for over twenty years now, and going through many times of feeling powerless, I can take heart in the difficult words of Jesus, to “love our enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Now I see loving our enemies as a way to do the justice that human efforts to stop hate cannot do. Doing justice can be to earnestly love the hearts of those who do evil things in obedience to Jesus’ command, and pray for Jesus’ blood to cover them too.

Paul wrote, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). To love our enemies we must humbly remember that in the face of God’s holiness and righteousness, without Jesus we are no different than those who act in hate. We are all in desperate need, for the covering of Jesus’ blood to pay our debt before God, no matter our sin or the state of our hearts.

We give the fight for justice over to God when we choose to love in the face of hate. This involves letting go of what the world is telling us to hold tight. God desires to avenge evil Himself; He is the only True Judge. Paul wrote, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Jesus prepared us for this present hate, and He knew it was coming, saying, “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). In preparation for this time, Jesus taught His followers to love.

We don’t get what our sin deserves when we are in Christ, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). How is this just? Though we all deserve the responsibility for our sin, we could not pay the price for it. Jesus came because He could make a way to pay for it on our behalf. Because of His love for us, His blood payment is now available to cover anyone’s sin debt who believes in Him, even those who have perpetrated hate and done injustice. Justice was served by Jesus’ blood. He took our place. He was and still is a God of justice. Trusting Jesus’ fulfillment of justice for our souls and the grace provided by His sacrifice allows His love to reign in our hearts, which we are commanded to share.

God is looking to partner with us and the love He’s given us through the Holy Spirit to transform and change even the hardest of hearts with love. God is after human hearts. He doesn’t operate the same way as this world of threats and fear-based consequences. It’s when we follow Him and learn to operate in His way, the way of the Kingdom of heaven, that we are free from fear.

May Jesus reign in our hearts. He is the only Way to a truly just world.

“The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14, NIV).

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)?


“They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:19, NIV).

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.

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