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.

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When My Desires Echo Yours, Father
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When My Desires Echo Yours, Father

Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra reminds us that prayer is not a religious transaction—it’s the overflow of a heart in union with Christ, rooted in trust and surrendered to His will. God doesn’t just tolerate our prayers—He invites them. He wants us to pour out our hearts in every moment of need and dependence. But the power of prayer isn’t found in the volume of our asking, or the repetition of words, but in the alignment of our hearts with His.

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Nothing Between Us
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Nothing Between Us

Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson draws us to the gentle but unwavering call of Psalm 45:10—Listen… forget your people and your father’s house. This isn’t about disowning loved ones; it’s a deeper invitation to undivided loyalty to the Lord. When we hear His voice calling us to Himself, our response sometimes requires a reordering of affections and priorities. What once seemed essential may now be surrendered—not out of legalistic denial, but because something far more beautiful and eternal has captivated our hearts.

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Steady Steps in the Shadow of His Presence
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Steady Steps in the Shadow of His Presence

Oswald Chambers calls us to embrace the quiet, unwavering walk of faith rather than chasing spiritual thrills. “To walk and not be faint” is no ordinary challenge—it is the daily test of endurance rooted in trust. Unlike emotional highs that quickly fade, the steady steps of faith are anchored in the sure presence of God, who promises to be with us every moment.

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Your Life in Me: The Secret of Calvary Revealed
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Your Life in Me: The Secret of Calvary Revealed

The mystery of Calvary isn't merely what happened to Christ but what happened in Him—and through Him, to us. We were judicially included in His death and resurrection. The Spirit now invites us into the unfolding realization of that inclusion. When Christ died, we died. When He rose, we rose. That’s not merely theology—it’s identity. And in Romans 6, the Spirit of truth gently discloses this marvelous union.

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The Name That Saves Is the God Who Is
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The Name That Saves Is the God Who Is

Today’s devotional from Witness Lee reveals the stunning simplicity and magnitude behind the name of Jesus. Many know Jesus as a historical figure, a great teacher, or even as the Son of God—but this meditation presses deeper: Jesus is Jehovah, and not just Jehovah, but Jehovah who saves. His very name means “Jehovah is salvation.” He is not one who merely provides salvation—He is the embodiment of it. The Savior is the salvation.

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He Is Not Far — He Is Within
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He Is Not Far — He Is Within

Before Christ’s death and resurrection, the disciples followed Him by physically going where He went. They had to leave their homes, trades, and families in order to be near Him. There was no spiritual shortcut—no way to be “with” Jesus unless one was literally beside Him. But now, everything has changed. Jesus is no longer limited by time and space. His Spirit has come to dwell within every believer, personally and powerfully present no matter where we are or what we face.

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When Faith Forgets Love
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When Faith Forgets Love

E. Stanley Jones draws a crucial distinction in today’s reflection from In Christ: not all faith glorifies God. He reveals that when faith is separated from love, it not only loses its beauty but also becomes a destructive force. This distortion has left a tragic mark on history—religious movements, even in the name of Christ, have sometimes weaponized belief without love, leaving damage in their wake.

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What Cannot Be Shaken
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What Cannot Be Shaken

In today’s meditation, T. Austin-Sparks draws our attention to the divine upheaval that God allows—or even initiates—so that only what is rooted in Christ remains. Citing Hebrews 12, he reminds us that created things—systems, traditions, institutions—are inherently shakable. Only the eternal, spiritual life sourced in Christ is unshakable.

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Living Symbols, Lasting Freedom
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Living Symbols, Lasting Freedom

Today’s devotional from Ray Stedman reminds us that Paul never told Jews to abandon the Law of Moses or circumcision altogether. Rather, he clearly drew a distinction between Jewish believers who could continue their cultural observances as symbols pointing to Christ, and Gentile believers who were not to be burdened with those rituals. For Paul, it was never about rejecting the past—it was about recognizing how it had been fulfilled in Christ.

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Why Return to Shackles When You’ve Been Embraced?
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Why Return to Shackles When You’ve Been Embraced?

There’s a deep sorrow in Paul’s voice when he asks the Galatians why they would turn back to the very thing that once enslaved them. They had come to know God—and more importantly, had come to be known by Him. Yet, they drifted back into striving, back into rule-keeping, back into spiritual poverty. The law was never designed to breathe life into us. It only reveals the lack that grace fills.

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The Fortress Has Already Fallen
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The Fortress Has Already Fallen

A.B. Simpson reminds us that many believers live in endless skirmishes with sin because they’ve never fully entered into the victory that is already theirs in Christ. Rather than settling the matter with a decisive surrender and resting in Christ’s finished work, they remain in the trenches, exhausting themselves trying to win battles that were already won at Calvary. The City of David didn’t fall to David because of brute force or strategy—it fell because God had ordained it. “Nevertheless,” David captured it.

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The Quiet Power of Willing Obedience
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The Quiet Power of Willing Obedience

Oswald Chambers gently reminds us that Jesus never forces Himself on us. He doesn’t demand submission, manipulate our decisions, or coerce obedience. Instead, He reveals Himself—and in that revealing, those who belong to Him willingly recognize His moral authority. When Christ’s life is birthed within us through redemption, obedience becomes a response of love, not obligation.

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Ever Loved, Ever Loving
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Ever Loved, Ever Loving

God has not withheld a single spiritual blessing from us—He has lavished them all upon us in Christ. At the heart of this generosity is His love. It isn’t a love we’re meant to admire from a distance or strive to earn. It’s a love that has been poured into us, that now defines us, that frees us to live and love in return.

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God with Us—and in Us
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God with Us—and in Us

The miraculous birth of Jesus wasn’t merely an entry into the world for the sake of starting His earthly ministry. It was the eternal God stepping into humanity—without absorbing its fallen nature. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born through the virgin Mary, Jesus took on the likeness of sinful flesh, but not sin itself. He wore our skin but not our corruption. His appearance reflected fallen man, but His essence remained holy and untouched by sin.

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Faith That Touches with Love
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Faith That Touches with Love

E. Stanley Jones presents a vision of Christian faith that transcends outward markers and religious rituals. Circumcision, once a defining sign of covenant belonging, has been eclipsed in Christ by something deeper. While some may substitute baptism today as a dividing line between who is “in” and who is “out,” Jones challenges us to go further—past the surface and into the substance. It is not religious status or external rites that matter, but the reality of being a new creation in Christ.

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Victory Isn’t Mine to Win
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Victory Isn’t Mine to Win

Watchman Nee draws a striking contrast between self-effort and Christ-effort. He reminds us that many believers assume spiritual victory depends on willpower, strategy, and vigilance—as though temptation is a battle where we must tighten our grip, grit our teeth, and push through by sheer determination. But this approach leaves us exhausted, anxious, and self-congratulatory when we succeed… and ashamed when we don’t.

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Held Steady by Love, Not Surges of Emotion
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Held Steady by Love, Not Surges of Emotion

T. Austin-Sparks invites us to peer through a window—not into theory, but into the living reality of Christ’s surpassing beauty. He draws from Galatians 5:7 to highlight the Galatians’ passionate start in the Christian race, only to be hindered mid-run. Their downfall? They were fueled by emotion instead of the sustaining love of Christ made real through the Holy Spirit.

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When Zeal Drowns Out the Whisper
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When Zeal Drowns Out the Whisper

Paul's heart burned with a deep desire to honor Christ—even unto death. But according to Ray Stedman’s devotional today, Acts 21 shows us that sincerity and courage, while admirable, are not always indicators of Spirit-led action. In this passage, Paul receives a dramatic warning from the prophet Agabus: if he continues toward Jerusalem, he will be bound and handed over to the Gentiles. Agabus, speaking by the Spirit, visually demonstrates this warning using Paul’s own belt. It’s a vivid, loving intervention meant to protect Paul from walking into something the Spirit had already revealed was not God’s will for him.

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Living Free from the Grip of the Law
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Living Free from the Grip of the Law

Many Christians rightly rejoice in the truth that we are justified by grace through faith, apart from the works of the law. But fewer realize that the same truth that set us free for salvation also sets us free for sanctification. Today’s devotional from Bob Hoekstra gently uncovers the subtle but widespread misunderstanding that sanctification depends on our performance under the law. The author walks us from the familiar legal verdict of being guilty before God into the liberating promise of dying with Christ—and being raised to serve in a new and living way, not under the letter of the law but in the life of the Spirit.

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The Blueprint Already Built
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The Blueprint Already Built

Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson draws our hearts to the staggering truth that we are already complete in Christ. Paul’s declaration in Colossians 2:10 isn’t a promise of future wholeness—it’s a present reality for those in Him. Just as an architect’s model is already perfectly designed before the construction begins, so too is our life of holiness fully realized in Christ. All that we need—wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption—has already been given to us in Him.

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