Tag: Love

Posted on

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.

Posted on

A Holy Week

What a week I’ve had! It seems no coincidence that today during Holy Week, I am writing a blog post about completing my first full recording of a precious life legacy as part of my new business, Your Life with the King! Holy Week, or the week leading up to Easter, is also is known as the week in which God did great things, and I’m astounded at how God continues to do great things.

This week, being able to witness what God was doing in and through my friend’s life was a great thing. Listening to someone speak about their childhood, their family, their dreams, and their hopes for their children is sacred. It is a privilege and joy to be part of this work, something I could not do unless God was behind it. For perhaps the first time in my life, I can honestly say I love what I do. That’s only because God intervened in my own life and changed the way I was heading. Seeing the fruit of that now feels divine–dare I say, holy.

Jesus’ life was the ultimate legacy; He was the perfect example for us of loving God and loving others, and the One we can all place our hope in for salvation. Jesus is the King! He was celebrated as King at the start of the first Holy Week, what we now celebrate on Palm Sunday. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey colt, an animal rather distinct from a regal horse which would have been associated with royalty. Yet, the King was prophesied to do exactly that in the prophetic Book of Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). This event marked the beginning of Holy Week. He embodied the role of King, and then laid it all down on Good Friday, sacrificing His life for us, His subjects. His servant-hearted leadership in both His life and death displayed His holiness in a very unique way.

Talking to my friend about her life thus far with the King, Jesus, was humbling; it spoke to me of the holiness of Jesus and His intimate work in people’s hearts. Her faith in God carried her through many challenges. Her belief and trust in God gave her peace in unpeaceful circumstances. The miracle of God’s work in her life was apparent and so beautiful as she told her story.

The work of drawing out and recording stories lets me go directly to the source. I get to ask directly about what they’ve witnessed and what they’ve experienced. In the past I’d be more inclined to skirt around the subject, careful not to make anyone uncomfortable. But stepping into this work, I felt like God gave me a green light to be bold and walk in the work He gave me to do. In this life legacy work I’ve just begun, I’m not skirting around anything anymore. I get to ask the deep questions, draw out the gems from memories, and linger on the stories of God changing the trajectory of people’s lives, just like He did in mine.

Every person’s life story is holy. We are all set apart, uniquely gifted, and called by God. I am loving this new, holy work of stewarding people’s life stories. They never cease being powerful. Life stories are reminders of Truth. They all point back to the Author of all Life, our Holy King Jesus. This Holy Week, let’s be bold to tell our stories.

May we contemplate the holiness of Jesus, and celebrate all that God has done.

Amen.

“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant, and they said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise?‘” (Matthew 21:14-16).

“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:7-8).

‘…”He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.’ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples” (Matthew 28:6-8).

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.

Posted on

More Abundantly

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

Soul Crushing

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

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

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

Expect Good Things

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

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

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

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


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

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

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.

Posted on

All About Trust

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

More than Conquerors

Have you ever found it wild that God has already told us the end of the story? Each of our lives is an amazing story and testimony in and of itself, and all are part of God’s story, but have you considered that the ending to that story has been completely spoiled?

Spoiler alert: Jesus conquers the enemy of our souls.

We feel the effects of the enemy in our world today, and Jesus warned that “the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). We constantly encounter darkness and see the great need for it to be defeated, both in the world and in our own hearts. Try as we might, we as people don’t have the capacity to defeat the enemy on our own. We need Jesus. In the prophetic Book of Revelation, John writes, “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals’” (Revelation 5:5). In the end, Jesus conquers! And not only that, but He allows us to share in that victory.

What’s fascinating to me is that Jesus refers to those who believe in Him as conquerors as well, later in Revelation: “And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:6-7). Not only do we share in Jesus’ victory, but we are welcomed into His family. What is His becomes ours too. Best. Ending. Ever.

So what do we do now, in the middle of the story, when Jesus has yet to come again? How do we look ahead to Jesus’ victory and rely on His sacrifice and victory over death? One of my favorite verses in Revelation says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11). We can conquer even now over the enemy by relying on Jesus’ blood sacrifice to cover our sin, and also by unashamedly, courageously, and passionately telling our stories about His work in our own lives.

The good news is that even with the love in the world growing cold, and with darkness seemingly closing in, we don’t have to let it defeat us in the here and now. The story has been spoiled for us in the best possible way! I believe the story was spoiled to give us hope in the fact that the future for us is free and victorious in Jesus. Not only that, Jesus walks with us through every single green pasture AND valley along the way until that time. Even now, we are able to share in His victory already had and the victory yet to come.

May we walk in our identity as more than conquerors with Christ, and share “the word of our testimony” in the spirit of God’s love. May we encourage others as we all walk out our stories toward the best ending ever written. Amen.

 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death’” (Revelation 2:11).

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Do You Still Trust Me?

I didn’t know what it meant to trust God until I had to trust God. I could talk all day calmly and logically about trusting God from a young age, but until I was faced with multiple medical emergencies, accidents, tragedies, and crossroads in life, I had no idea what “trusting God” meant. At first, I took these difficult circumstances as God’s indifference, and the chaos and cruelty of life. Now after more experience, I can say that I’m grateful for them. They have been opportunities, however difficult, to trust God more completely, wholeheartedly, and desperately. They’ve been a very quick and accurate test that shows me just how much I’m relying on God, or not.

We go to school to provide for ourselves in some way, intellectually or for new skills. We work to provide an income to pay for living expenses. Many of us do this all our lives. But we must never forget that it is God who provides for us, not ourselves. God, “who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’” (Deuteronomy 8:16-17). The pride of self-reliance is a trap I’ve fallen into many times. But we see in this passage, God tests us in this, and it’s for our good. It’s been the difficulties, such as those I faced when I could no longer rely on myself the way I was used to, that have helped me most to live life every day with the King.

In the Characteristics of God series, we have delved into the details of who God is, what He’s really like according to Scripture, and why we can trust Him in the first place. Knowing God’s character is necessary to begin to live in step with Him, His will for us, and the people in our lives. We cannot trust someone we don’t know.

God trusts you with the struggles in your life. He trusts that you will walk through them and discover how He is walking with you, and know Him better for it. He trusts that you will respond to His love once you recognize it. He trusts that eventually you will recognize how He provides for you in the struggle. God is patient to let you take your time in grasping the incomprehensibility of His sacrificial, unconditional love for you, and the amazing freedom you actually have in that great love.

Jesus never exploits us or forces us into loving Him. The Apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He died for us while we were still sinning against Him. While we disobeyed Him and separated ourselves from Him, He still chose to sacrifice His life for ours. We only need to believe that He really is that merciful, faithful, good, and gracious. Jesus gave us reason to rejoice, and provided all we need, besides. We are truly safe and free in His love!

With every new challenge this past year, it was as if God was asking me the question, “Do you still trust me?” Physiologically this past year, I felt anything but safe or free. The time of establishing my faith was long over, and in this season, I was tested on whether that faith could be shaken. Not only that, but tested in learning to trust God in real time, while experiencing the panic and grief that came with burnout. Did I know what to trust God for? Did I know who He was and what He promises to His people? Did I believe they applied to me even while I was afraid? I needed God to walk with me through that test; I couldn’t endure on my own. He has been faithful to see me through to this new season, where there will surely be new challenges to face. But now on the other side of that particular test, I’ve learned by experience how much God can be trusted.

We all face challenges in our lives that are more than we can bear; each are invitations from God to lean on Him. He will get us to the other side of the challenges we face. We can’t handle them on our own, we need God to provide. The more we recognize that reality, the more God can work in our humbled hearts, ready and expectant for Him to work on our behalf, for our good. We need Him to free us from pride that keeps us bound in self defensiveness, fear, and selfishness. In the Book of James, James writes, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). The more I agree with the reality that God is in charge, not me, the more freedom I experience.

May God break every chain in us to live free in His love. Amen.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

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.

Proudly powered by WordPress