A Personal Journal of Grace and Discipleship
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20
From the blog
The Exchanged Life: Finding Freedom and Wholeness Through Spirituotherapy
In a world filled with competing counseling models, it’s not uncommon to find contrasting views on what “biblical” or “Christian” counseling truly means. Searching for answers can feel overwhelming, and the terms alone—“biblical counseling” versus “Christian counseling”—can spark endless debates on how, or whether, secular counseling methodologies fit within a Christian framework.
Breathe and Walk: The Life That Unfolds as We Yield
T. Austin-Sparks invites us to look through a window—a glimpse into the vastness of the Life of Christ. This life is not meant to be dissected intellectually, nor systematized like a curriculum. It is to be lived. The believer does not “figure out” God’s purpose by mapping out their roles and analyzing their gifts in the abstract. Instead, the believer enters the flow of divine life by walking in the Spirit—and the rest unfolds in order, just as the human body naturally breathes and lives without constant mental effort.
Knowing God's Will
Many of us grew up imagining the will of God as a cosmic map—an itinerary we had to decode: where to live, whom to marry, what job to take. But Ray Stedman brings us back to something richer and far more relational: knowing God’s will begins not with finding out what to do, but with learning who we are.
Lean Fully
There’s something intimate and transformative about leaning—not just emotionally, but spiritually—on the One who loves us beyond measure. Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson reflects on the vivid imagery from Song of Solomon 8:5, a soul emerging from the wilderness with her full weight resting on her beloved. It reminds us that Jesus doesn't merely tolerate our dependence; He welcomes it as the evidence of our love.
The Direction of Discipline
Discipline from Jesus isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule—it’s deeply personal. The call to cut off your right hand, if it causes you to stumble, is not about external mutilation but internal submission. The hand represents something valuable, perhaps even virtuous to the world, but if it compromises your communion with Christ, it must go.
God’s Promise to Fight for His People
God never calls us to face spiritual battles in our own strength—He pledges His very presence and power to go before us and fight on our behalf. As He stood with Moses and Joshua in the thick of Israel’s warfare, He now stands with us in ours. These Old Testament assurances aren’t just historical footnotes; they reveal the consistent nature of a God who does not change. What He was to them, He is to us—unchanging, unfailing, ever-near.
Applicable Application
Today’s reflection from Miles Stanford calls us to soberly consider how we carry the riches we’ve been given in Christ. Just as the newly rich may fumble under the weight of wealth they don't know how to handle, so can believers mishandle the spiritual riches we possess in Christ—drawing from ministry about Him rather than from Him Himself.
Pentecost — The Full Blessing of the Spirit (Part 1)
Pentecost wasn’t just a sudden spiritual event—it was the culmination of a divine timeline woven through the feasts of Israel. Fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, the feast of Pentecost fulfilled the typology laid out in Leviticus: from the offering of the first sheaf to the full harvest. Christ, raised from the dead, ascended secretly on the morning of His resurrection—not the visible ascension seen later by His disciples, but a private offering of Himself to the Father as the firstfruit of the harvest. That intimate moment, hidden from human eyes, satisfied the heart of God.
Not for Sale: Speaking in Christ
There’s a sobering line Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s Word…” In E. Stanley Jones’s reflection for today, this phrase slices through the veneer of ministry motives. He contrasts those who peddle God's Word for attention, ego, or livelihood with those who speak in Christ—from a place of sincerity, sentness, and accountability before God.
The Peace That Holds All Things Together
Jesus doesn’t merely give peace—He gives His peace. Not a substitute, not an approximation. What He enjoyed in perfect union with the Father is now ours in Him. This peace isn’t circumstantial, conditional, or fragile. It’s blood-secured, heaven-ordained, and Spirit-guarded. It unites all things in Him—Jew and Gentile, earth and heaven, sinner and holy God. He Himself is our peace, and in Him we’re not just recipients of calm—we are dwellers in the very realm of peace.
Open Windows of Influence
T. Austin-Sparks offers a powerful reminder that life in the Spirit is never passive. If Christ lives in us, then His presence cannot go unnoticed. The Holy Spirit doesn’t simply make us nicer people; He makes us living vessels through which Jesus registers His presence upon the world. Sparks’ bold assertion—that there should be “nothing neutral about any Christian”—is not a call to strive, but a call to yield.
Unceasing Prayer
Paul writes that he never stopped praying for the Colossians—even though he'd never met most of them. Chained to a Roman guard, managing visitors, and writing letters, he still managed a life of unceasing prayer. How? Because prayer, in its truest form, is not an event on a schedule—it’s a life breathed moment by moment in quiet communion with God. Paul’s example reminds us that continual prayer isn’t about closing our eyes and folding our hands, but about living with an open heart and upward gaze in every situation.
Leaning Is Loving
What does it really mean to love Jesus? According to today’s reflection from A.B. Simpson, it means to lean. Not just a polite tilt or cautious dependence—but a full resting of all that we are on all that He is. The quote from the missionary encounter cuts deep: “If you love me, lean hard.” There’s something intimate, even vulnerable, in trusting someone enough to let your weight fall onto them. This is exactly what Jesus invites: a love that proves itself through restful surrender, not nervous reserve.
God's Promise to Deliver Israel
God’s covenant heart is never passive toward those He loves. Today’s passage walks us through a rich sequence of divine declarations, reminding us that His promises are never vague or delayed without purpose. From a bush aflame with holy fire, God speaks clarity and certainty to Moses: “I will send… I will be with you… I will bring you up… I will stretch out My hand…” Each statement flows like a current of deliverance—one that begins in bondage but rushes toward bounty.
The Tree of Life
Salvation isn’t just a cleanup of the old—it’s a complete replacement of the source. What God has done in Christ is far more than forgiveness and cleansing; He has given us new life by placing us into the Last Adam, not mending the old, but grafting us into a new root entirely (2 Corinthians 5:17). J.N. Darby reminds us: cultivating the crucified old man may dress up its appearance, but it can never change its nature. The old tree can never bear the fruit of the new life.
Christ’s Death: Heaven’s Determined Plan
The cross was not a tragic twist in a noble story, nor a sudden solution to human failure. From eternity past, the Triune God held a counsel—a loving, divine decision—where it was determined that Christ would come, take on flesh, and be slain as the spotless Lamb. Acts 2:23 and 1 Peter 1:19–20 reveal that His crucifixion was foreknown, foreordained, and freely chosen in love.
The Irresistible Fragrance of Christ
Some victories are thunderous. Others come quietly, like fragrance on a breeze—undeniable, yet impossible to grasp or resist. E. Stanley Jones invites us to see that the triumph of Christ in us is not merely inward. It radiates. When we yield to His indwelling life, the aroma of His character spreads through us in the most ordinary places—without striving, without force.
The Stillness That Cannot Be Shaken
The peace Jesus gives is not like the fragile stillness the world offers—it’s His own, blood-secured, heaven-ordained peace. This peace doesn’t merely calm us; it anchors us into His life. It was purchased at the cross and now resides in every believer, not as a concept to chase, but as a reality to draw from. It is God's own peace, extended by Christ the Son and treasured by the Father, freely given to us as those who dwell in Christ.
When I Cannot Move, I Remain
The greatest display of strength isn’t always seen in forward motion—it’s often found in the quiet resolve to remain. T. Austin-Sparks invites us to look through the window of Ephesians 3:16, not at the outer world of circumstances, but deep into the inner chamber where Christ dwells. The spiritual life is not defined by how impressive our thoughts or feelings are, but by the unwavering presence of the Holy Spirit in our innermost being. When logic shouts we’ve failed, when emotions freeze or spiral, when every visible sign says “retreat”—there remains a still and steady strength that doesn’t originate from us but abides within us.
Prayer’s Delays
There are seasons when we wait in silence, wondering if God has heard us. When circumstances confuse or unsettle us, the temptation is strong to conclude that faith has failed, or prayer has fallen flat. But in truth, the delay is not denial—it is divine training. As Ray Stedman points out, when we say “faith doesn’t work,” we’re unknowingly questioning the very character of God. His promises are not placeholders for disappointment. They are anchors in the unseen.
Filled with the Spirit, Full in Every Way
To be filled with the Spirit is not a fleeting emotional high or a mere theological concept—it is the present, abiding reality of Christ expressing His life through ours. A.B. Simpson reminds us that the effects of this Spirit-filled life are holistic and radiant. It's not about achieving perfection in our human efforts, but about resting in the perfection of the divine nature that dwells within us.