Tag: Love

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3 Ways to Build Confidence in Christ

Confidence is something many people spend their lives chasing. Lots of money is spent every year by people trying to look and feel more confident. But true confidence doesn’t come from what is external; confidence is at a deep, soul level, within us. And true confidence isn’t purchased, achieved, or earned, it is given to us as a gift from God. Jesus Christ is the only solid, secure foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11) on which we can have true, lasting confidence.

That said, we can do things that can help keep our confidence in Christ strong, as there are many things that will consistently try to come against us, and tempt us to doubt. We need confidence to endure the tests, trials, and storms that all of us will face in life. A few months after I started Life with the King in 2019, I wrote a post called Confidence in the Promises of God about the confidence that comes with believing God’s promises in Scripture. I shared three key promises to rely on, and today I want to offer something deeper still. Here are three ways (there are many more!) to build confidence in our Lord, Jesus Christ:

1. Seek the Depth To Which You Are Loved By God

We are so incredibly loved by God. He loved us so much that He gave us the written Word, an enduring love letter written for us to know His heart towards us. He loved us so much that He gave us His Son, Jesus, to die so that our sins could be atoned for by His blood, shed to save us from death (Romans 8:2, Hebrews 2:14). He loved us so much that He gave us the Holy Spirit, to give us power, comfort, wisdom, and discernment as we seek to live according to God’s will for us. The Holy Spirit dwells within all believers (Acts 2:38, Romans 5:5, 1 Corinthians 6:19). These are just a few of the ways we are cared for and protected by God; there are countless ways He forgives, shows grace, and is kind in uniquely personal ways to each of us on a daily basis. Caring for us and protecting us was His plan all along. “When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up” (Psalm 94:18). God’s love protects us. As the Truth about the depth of God’s love for us becomes clearer, our confidence can do nothing but grow! We can be confident in God’s love for us.

2. Develop a Trusting Relationship with God

It is our relationship with God that brings us joy and light (guidance, clarity) in life (Psalm 97). We have confidence that we have final victory over evil and idolatry (Psalm 97:9-11) because of who God is. Scripture often refers to knowing God’s name, which means knowing His character, what He is like, and what He cares about (for more, see the Characteristics of God series). To Truly know what God is like, we need to go to the Source Himself. We can’t rely on other people’s relationships with Him, we need to get to know Him for ourselves. Seeking out His heart by talking to Him, and earnestly listening for His voice, build relationship with God. In that relationship, trust and confidence of the security of His love can grow. “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10).

3. Believe and Rely on God’s Forgiveness

God’s forgiveness forms the foundation of our confidence (Psalm 99:8). “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight” (Ephesians 1:7-8). We rely on being forgiven by God through Jesus Christ. We easily forget what an amazing luxury it is to be forgiven. It is our state of being forgiven that allows us to confidently walk with Him. Being forgiven means we are securely within His grace, because of our relationship with Him.

To recap, revelation of God’s amazing love leads to trusting relationship with Him, which leads us to living confidently in a state of knowing we are forgiven. This isn’t something we do once in life, it is something I’ve had to start fresh with many times. But every time, God wipes the slate clean in His merciful forgiveness. He is ready and willing to help us to strengthen our confidence daily. We can deeply experience the freedom and victory Jesus has already gifted to us by living confidently and being confident in Him.

Confidence doesn’t originate in us, it comes from God Himself, who is the Source of who we are. It seems to me that we are only as confident as how much we trust in His love, relationship, and forgiveness.

May God help us confidently overcome through Jesus Christ and our full reliance on Him! Amen.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

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

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Unwavering Faith

I’m in the thick of reading the Psalms. There are 150 Psalms in the Bible, and at a surface-level reading, they could seem rather repetitive. Many of the same words, phrases, and sentiments show up, psalm after psalm. The more I study them, however, the more unique I find them to be. Psalm 88 recently caught my particular attention with a stunning display of encouraging faith I want to share today.

Psalm 88 is categorized as a lament, an earnest and urgent petition to God, from an individual’s point of view. In this mighty Psalm, the faith of choosing to continually cry out to God, pray to God, and call upon God, even in the depths of trouble—weakness, feeling distant from God, overwhelmed, being shunned, sorrow, affliction, suffering, and destruction—stood out to me. This distinct Psalm has no statement of confidence that God will bring deliverance or relief, as all the other Psalms have. Psalm 88 expresses the unwavering faith of the individual, as they simply come before the Lord in prayer, “Every day I call upon you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you” (Psalm 88:9b). They pray faithfully, even as they are experiencing absolute misery, darkness, and sorrow day after day, to the point of feeling abandoned by God Himself; “O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 88:14). This psalm has a unique display of love for and trust of God, without confidence that He will change the singer’s circumstances.

When I realized the level of desperation the singer of this Psalm was in, the fact that they still expressed faith by seeking God in prayer using such connected and passionate language gave me pause. It is a beautiful example and reminder. There are occasions or seasons when we too may not feel or sense any sort of reply from God. We may feel abandoned by God, as expressed in Psalm 88; yet that doesn’t give us an excuse to stop acting on and praying in faith, even when we don’t see hope in sight. Continuously bringing our situation to God no matter how we may be feeling, as in this Psalm, shows incredible faith. God desires for us to have faith in Him and what He did for us (John 3:16, John 12:46, John 14:1, Acts 16:31). By including Psalms such as this one in Scripture, He has told us we won’t always feel connected, hope-filled, or happy. Feelings don’t surprise Him. They don’t change the reality: God set the foundation of steadfast love and faithfulness for us (Psalm 89); He paid the penalty for sin through Jesus; He has authority over all the things that seek to discourage us or steal our joy or destroy us. We are asked to believe and trust Him by faith, and not to give up believing, no matter how we feel or how dark things may become.

The depth of the faith shown in Psalm 88 goes deeper still, “You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves” (Psalm 88:6-7). The singer attributes their difficult situation to God Himself. They don’t shy away from telling God how they feel as a result. They acknowledge that God has authority over the situation they are in, that He Himself allowed it, if not caused it, and that He also has the ability to get them out of it. Again, the Psalm makes it clear that the singer feels distant, shunned, and in increasing internal pain. Yet, they still express faith that God has control and that relief is in His hands.

Hearing God’s Word—the Truth—strengthens our faith. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17); this is what Psalm 88 did for me. It was such an encouragement to see such gritty, unrelenting faith in the middle of the Psalms this week. Faith is fundamental to following Jesus. In the Word, we are commanded to believe in Jesus, “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 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 3:23-24). Faith in God is so important to pleasing God and doing His will. I’m realizing that maybe faith is not as mysterious as it’s sometimes made out to be; faith comes by hearing the Truth, and it is a gift that God gives to all those who ask Him for it.

In Romans, Paul writes about the importance of believers doing what they do in faith, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23b). Faith is foundational to walking in step with God, to walking in love, and abiding in Him.

May we continue to seek out and hear the Word and to pray for strong, unwavering faith as we endure until the very end. Amen.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation” (Hebrews 1:1-2). 

“And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

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

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6 Ways to Walk in Love

When I put my faith in Jesus, humbled by His love for me, my life became His. No longer my own, I willingly came under His authority and will. Responding to the love of Jesus naturally results in the desire to obey His commands because we know that they are what’s best for us and for others. He commands His followers to walk in His love: “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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). It is God’s will that we love one another; in love, amazing things can happen.

Paul wrote, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). What does it mean to walk in God’s love? According to Scripture, walking in love involves both avoiding pitfalls and taking some particular actions. Please note that faith is not based on actions or works (Ephesians 2:8); that is not where I’m coming from with this blog, friends. Scripture gives us specific examples, which I find to be helpful guardrails for everyday life; we have these reference points to correct course if and when needed. While I can’t provide a comprehensive list of Scripture’s examples of walking in love today, I’ll name a few.

Walking in Love: Things to Avoid

  1. Do not speak about sexual immorality or impurity or covetousness (Ephesians 5:3). In Ephesians 5, which speaks to walking in God’s light, Paul calls these things improper, out of place, and taking part in darkness. To speak of these things does not honor Jesus Christ or the place we have as children of God, and as those who inherit His Kingdom. It is not conducive to being a saint, being wise, being thankful, or being people who understand God’s will, filled with the Spirit. “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).
  2. Do not participate in drunkenness (Romans 13:13). Drunkenness is not conducive to walking properly (no pun intended), as in the light of Christ.
  3. Do not participate in quarreling or jealousy (Romans 13:13). Quarreling and jealousy do not make it easier to love people, but can make it much more difficult to do what is best, not only for the other person but also for ourselves. Being jealous of someone else is indicative of taking our eyes off of Jesus, because we want something that is apart from Him and the way He uniquely made us. Paul went so far as to say that coveting (wanting something to an excess that is not ours), is a form of idolatry (Ephesians 5:5).

If I find myself edging closer to any of these things, it is a warning sign for me, that I have taken my focus off of God, and am not walking in love or in the light of Christ. These things are not reasons to self-condemn or live in shame (Romans 8:1), but can be helpful signposts to point us back to Jesus, and to surrender our focus and attention to Him. They are signals to confess the darkness and bring us back to walking in the path of His light.

Walking in Love: Things to Do

2 John chapter 1 names specific evidence of walking in love:

  1. Love one another (verse 5). As in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), loving others means having compassion on people, no matter if they are considered a friend, neighbor, or enemy. Loving others means having mercy toward them, even when it is not convenient or cost-effective for us. This is something that Jesus did perfectly; we have His life to look to as our best example of what it looks like to live a life of loving others.
  2. Confessing the coming of Jesus Christ (verse 7). Acknowledging that Jesus is God the Son, who came in human form with a physical body, in other words, that Jesus is both fully deity and fully human, is important in walking in love. In every age there will be deception and deceivers spreading lies about the deity and/or humanity of Jesus. Walking in love is not to be deceived about who Jesus is (and thus taking our focus off of the Truth); in His love, our spirit confesses that Jesus is exactly who He said He is.
  3. Abide in the teaching of Jesus Christ (verse 9). I have written a bit about this before in Abide in His Love. Abiding in Jesus stems out of the personal relationship Jesus longs to have with each one of us. He wants us to know Him, trust Him, and love Him, and in turn, He gives us the light of life. He even promises “a full reward” (2 John 1:8) to those who love others, walk in His commandments, and abide in His teachings (Matthew 22:36-39).

Focusing on Jesus involves focusing on the things He commands us to do, and on His character. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we recognize how much He loves us, and how much love He gives us every single day. As we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to abide in His love and obey His commands, may we love God with all we are.

May we remember that Jesus has already and continues to give us more than enough to walk in His love. Amen.

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he [Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. . . .'” (Matthew 22:36-39).

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:10-14).

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

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7 Years of Life with the King

I invite you to celebrate with me as Life with the King turns 7 this week! Last year, I wrote about the birth of this blog in my post, Seeking Life’s Deeper Truth on July 24th, 2025.

This post today also happens to be the 100th Life with the King blog post. Halleluiah, all glory be to God!

After 7 years, while 7 is known as a number of completion, I somehow get the feeling it’s just beginning. Some statistics: blog visitors have increased nearly seven times in the last two years. My most-accessed post is the very first blog ever posted in July 2019, What To Do When You Struggle With Faith, with over 1,250 views. The blog is meant to be shared with people who might need encouragement, who might be seeking Truth, and who might feel lonely in their faith journey. There has always been a hunger for Truth, Life, and God, but I’m seeing it multiply just in this blog’s stats.

God has given us all gifts to share for the good of all people, and He will give you what you need to make His plans for your gifts a reality, even if it takes 7 years or 77 years. Never give up. I’ve learned in my own life with the King that whatever God has given you to do, whether writing a blog or not, is worth doing. He will refine and transform you through it. He will help us see it through.

I wasn’t qualified to write about faith because of great faith or anything like that, but instead because of the shortcomings I had with faith. It was my doubt and failure to have faith that put me on a journey of seeking Truth and starting this blog. I knew what it was like to do the wrong thing and live the wrong way in God’s eyes. I knew I was a sinner 7 years ago, and I know I am a sinner now. But the more years go by, the more I know that “…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It’s all about what Jesus did for us, not what we have done, wrong or right. In putting our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we are, rather unfairly, forgiven. Halleluiah!

I was reading about that “unfairness” today in Romans 5. It reads, “one trespass led to condemnation for all men” (Romans 5:18), which sounds pretty unfair to me. There have been times in my life where I felt completely trapped by and resentful of that tie to sin that I could do nothing about whatsoever. It was inherited simply by being a human being just like Adam and Eve were human beings.

But there is hope, for the very next thing Paul writes is, “so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18). Jesus’ act of righteousness, sacrificing Himself for us to pay the penalty, makes inheriting justification and life just as easy for us to have as our inherited sin! “For as by 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). Adam disobeyed God, Jesus obeyed God. We were made sinners by Adam, and we were made righteous by Jesus. It sounds simplistic until you realize the poetic depth and profundity of what Jesus did to undo the curse, oppression, and lordship of sin and death over the lives God lovingly crafted for us to live with Him in freedom and peace. We are loved enough by God for Him to bring that life, freedom, and peace about to completion (Philippians 1:6).

It’s all about what God has done for us, it’s not about us. It’s not about striving to be perfect, it’s all about Jesus. The reality is that we truly are desperate for Him, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2). We’re just so prone to forget. But even in our forgetfulness, there is so much grace from God, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17). There is grace upon grace for each one of us. Jesus is the Truth. Halleluiah!

If you’re a longtime subscriber, please know that I’m so grateful for you! I’m amazed every post is actually being read, even after 7 years of writing—thank you. And if you aren’t already, please take a moment to subscribe.

May you experience God’s kindness, peace, and grace in your own life with the King. 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).

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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God’s Authority and Power

Have you ever been described as someone who “has a problem with authority”? If not, you can probably picture someone like that; a person who doesn’t want to be told what to think, say, or do. For most of us, the sentiment resonates. This world is full of voices, ideologies, and philosophies that confidently, persuasively, skillfully, and sometimes quite subtly, tell us what to do, what to buy, and what to pay attention to. I for one have definitely been frustrated by this and have, in a defiant huff, tried to simply go my own way.

It isn’t possible as human beings for us to avoid coming under the authority of something. Because God created us to be ruled and commanded by Him, it is in our nature to follow and obey. We don’t get to choose whether we are under an authority. We all have the free will authority by God, our Creator, to choose what we follow and bend our lives to. We are always under authority and always being led, a lot like sheep who need a Shepherd. Who or what is it that we are allowing to shepherd us today?

We may live to serve our calling, our work, our community, or our family. We can live to serve man-made ideologies and political perspectives. We can live to serve ourselves, our pride, and selfish indulgence. However, there is a big difference between living to serve God, and living to serve anything else. The first two of the ten commandments warn against idolatry (Deuteronomy 5:7-8). We are not to order our lives around anything before God Himself. Nothing and no one is powerful enough or big enough to handle the weight of our need but God Himself. He knew that, and He calls us to serve Him out of the overflow of energy, focus, and clarity of identity and purpose that comes from our relationship with Him. The sin of idolatry is putting work, people, or ideas in the place of God.

Paul wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:8-10). Paul warns not to allow our hearts to come under the authority of anything but Christ, or the lies that run rampant in the world. We must remember that we are filled in Christ, who has authority and power over every thing, including the things that we may be drawn to, or compelled by or taken with in this world.

I learned the hard way that it’s entirely up to us whether we submit to the authority of Jesus or not. God is the only One powerful enough to overcome all of the horror, darkness, and destruction of our own souls that other options eventually lead to. We are commanded not to have other gods and not to idolize anything but God, for our good. His authority is safe. His is the only authority under which we can have True freedom. Ideologies or other things or people in this world may promise freedom, but all lead to a life of believing lies about who we are and how we were created by God.

How do we know we’ve gone wrong? The best test that I know is to look at the fruit of our lives. Do our lives overflow with the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? For me, if one, some, or all of these is, or are, lacking, that’s a sign to me that it’s time to talk to God about what’s holding me back. It’s time to ask Him where I haven’t feared His authority and power rightly; to ask Him to convict my heart of sin. The sooner we turn to Him in repentance from sin, the sooner we can enjoy His safe, loving authority over our lives.

I spent years thinking I was doing fine, working until 9:00 pm every night, serving work. Agonizing over my performance with dance which was my hobby, serving man’s approval. I thought I was fine neglecting my health, serving my own convenience over stewarding my body well, which is God’s handiwork. Friends, it’s so easy to slip into excuses like, “This is completely normal, everyone does this,” or, “I just am too overwhelmed to think about it right now.”

I now recognize that those are lies and attitudes designed to keep us stuck in bondage; they are not based on what is True. We can know this because the Truth is that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). The Truth is that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). And the Truth is that “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37)! There is nothing that can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39); there is nothing holding us back from living a life of fruitfulness except coming under the wrong authority.

Jesus is the Truth; He is the only way out of the entanglement of lies. He is the door (John 10:9); there is no other way, friends. Submitting our lives to the ultimate, loving, all-powerful authority of Jesus is the best thing we’ll ever do in our lives. Jesus has shown us the way, may we walk in it (Isaiah 30:21)! May we enjoy fruitfulness, Truth, and life under the all-encompassing authority of Jesus. Amen.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him‘” (Luke 10:22).

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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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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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).

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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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).

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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A Heart to Serve

I have new toothbrush that I’ve been meaning to open up and use. It’s a nice one with flossing bristles and a grippy handle. But, it’s still in the packaging; I’ve never opened it. I have it, I could use it, but for whatever reason, I’m choosing not to. I’m settling for just using the toothbrush I already have, even though I know the new one would probably do the job better. We don’t often talk about what it takes to make more of an effort, but sometimes it feels like taking on a whole new set of responsibilities when we level up—even with something small like a new toothbrush. For me, with a new toothbrush I need to make sure I’m careful not to fray it. I need to make sure to be more gentle. I need to adjust the way I use a toothbrush when I open a new one. And honestly, I just don’t want to take the extra care to bother with any of it; most of the time, I’d rather settle for the way things are. Anyone else relate?

Maintaining a low-effort attitude catches up with us eventually (she says from personal experience). A life with Jesus requires constant growth of us, every day. We are compelled to give of ourselves more, steward more, surrender more of our will to serve His will. There is real sacrifice required in following Jesus. Resisting that calling can only last so long before it leads to some real soul searching. The call to follow Jesus is a call to represent Him in the world; it’s no small act of service, He gave his life. But for us, often it’s lived out in the “small” moments of life. Opening up a new toothbrush in our walk with Jesus could look like walking away before we say something we regret, or choosing to show love when we aren’t comfortable doing so. It could be slowing down to see what others are doing to serve without acknowledgment and asking God if He’s calling us to serve too. We’re all different and we’re all called to serve in different ways, but all of them have one thing in common—loving others.

I have been guilty of refraining from responsibility to others and to service. But I’m realizing if I am called to serve in a certain way, that I must surrender and trust that God will provide what I need. I’ve been afraid of letting people down. But I’m reminding myself that everyone lets someone down eventually; that doesn’t mean I don’t serve others. The point of living isn’t to avoid letting anyone down, it’s to do the best we can as Jesus calls us and helps us along the way. We don’t have to put pressure on ourselves to be perfect or to serve God or others perfectly. The point is simply following and trusting Jesus, with every step we take.

The example of Ananias comes to mind. Ananias faced his fear and showed love to Saul of Tarsus out of love for and service to God, even though he wasn’t so excited about it at first. Acts chapter 9 says that he was a disciple in Damascus who God spoke to in a vision (verse 10). God told him to rise and go to Saul so that he might regain his sight (verses 11-12), “But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. . . .'” (Acts 9:13-15). Ananias was cautious, even though God plainly told him exactly what he wanted him to do.

Ananias expressed his reticence, but when the Lord again told him to go to Saul, he did: “So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit‘” (Acts 9:17). Ananias called this man, who he knew had done evil, “brother,” and did an act of service for him, obeying God’s call to serve despite his fear of what might happen to him. God used Ananias’ faith to minister to Saul, a murderer, who later became Paul, an apostle of Jesus who spread the gospel fearlessly and wrote 13 books of the New Testament.

Friends, may we likewise serve and love without fear. May we all follow Jesus in loving others and serving God with grateful hearts. Amen!

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve“‘” (Matthew 4:10).

“even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many‘” (Matthew 20:28).

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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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).

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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