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.

Sheltered and Satisfied
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Sheltered and Satisfied

Psalm 36 opens a doorway into God’s covenant love. David names it lovingkindness, a steady, loyal goodness that shelters people who draw near to Him. Today’s reading lingers on that promise, that the Lord satisfies the thirsty with the fullness of His house, and that from Him flows the fountain of life. Bob Hoekstra’s reflection invites me to trust this steadfast mercy in the real world, not just in quiet moments.

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Joy That Chooses Jesus
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Joy That Chooses Jesus

Habakkuk’s words land like a steadying hand. Yet I will exult in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Today’s reading from A. B. Simpson reminds me that joy is not a mood I chase, it is a Person who meets me. The passage does not ignore sorrow. It invites a different center of gravity, a grace-filled choice to look to Jesus when feelings dip low.

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Springs That Do Not Run Dry
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Springs That Do Not Run Dry

John 4:14 pictures something more than a spiritual trickle. Jesus promises a spring within, rising and overflowing with His life. Oswald Chambers reminds me that this is not about scraping together enough willpower to act kind for another day. It is about staying right with the Source, then letting His life pass through me to others.

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The Door Is Open, Draw Near
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

The Door Is Open, Draw Near

Hebrews says we have boldness to enter the Holiest because of Jesus. Miles Stanford points out that the veil is torn, not for us to admire from a distance, but so we go in and abide. We do not wait on a priest to come out to bless us. The Father has opened the way, and He welcomes us to live from His presence.

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When Mercy Speaks First
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

When Mercy Speaks First

1 John 2 reminds me that when a believer stumbles, Jesus Christ the Righteous is already speaking for us before the Father. The Scripture does not push us into shame. It points us to an Advocate who stands on finished work and draws us back into the light. Today’s eManna reading helped me slow down and really hear that kindness, so thank you to Witness Lee for the way he highlights this grace.

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One Center, Open Arms
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

One Center, Open Arms

Philippians 2:29 to 30 calls believers to receive one another in the Lord with joy. In today’s entry, E. Stanley Jones puts the spotlight on our shared center. Jesus Himself is the meeting place. When He is the center, minor differences stay at the edges. When anything else becomes the center, we drift into labels, scowls, and distance.

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All In, All His
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

All In, All His

Matthew 6:9 to 13 frames life with a Father who is near, a kingdom that is present, and a will that is good. Today’s HVI reading paints “abandonment” as a glad release of self-management into the Lord’s hands. It is not indifference. It is a steady confidence that God’s will is wise and kind, so I can entrust this moment to Him. The heart grows free as our concerns go into His care. Desire begins to line up with what He desires. Peace rises where grasping used to live.

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A Heart Marked For Jesus
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

A Heart Marked For Jesus

Philippians 3:3 reminds us that true worship is by the Spirit of God, that our confidence rests in what Jesus has done, not in human effort. In today’s Open Windows reading, T. Austin-Sparks points to the biblical picture of circumcision as an inward reality. It is the heart set apart to God, the self-reliant life closed off by the Cross, so that life in the Spirit can be our new normal.

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Measured by Light, Kept by Grace
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Measured by Light, Kept by Grace

Romans 2:12 to 16 reminds me that God is fair. He does not judge by what a person never knew. He judges according to the light each person has. Conscience bears witness. Thoughts accuse and sometimes defend. Ray Stedman’s reflection points us to this steady truth and then lifts our eyes to Jesus, because conscience can expose but only the Lord can cleanse and renew.

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Under His Wing, Filled From His House
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Under His Wing, Filled From His House

Psalm 36 paints a tender scene. God’s lovingkindness is not thin or distant. It is near, strong, and welcoming. David calls it precious. He describes people taking refuge under the shadow of God’s wings and being abundantly satisfied with the fullness of God’s house.

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Joy That Guards The Day
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Joy That Guards The Day

Philippians 3:1 says, rejoice in the Lord. Simpson reminds us that joy in Jesus is not a luxury, it is a safeguard. He points us away from gloomy self-inspection and back to the cross where the debt was paid and the heart is made clean. One grateful look to Jesus outweighs a thousand downward glances at our failures.

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Quiet Overflow From the Source
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Quiet Overflow From the Source

Jesus promised that those who come to Him would have living water within that does not run dry. Oswald Chambers points our eyes to the Source, not to our output. He reminds me that God is responsible for the outflow, while my part is to trust Jesus and stay turned toward Him.

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One Source, Steady Joy
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

One Source, Steady Joy

Philippians 3:10 names a desire that keeps growing in me. To know Jesus, to share in what concerns His heart, to find joy in Him that is not fragile. In today’s Abide Above reading, Miles Stanford points us to a hard but freeing truth. Nothing outside the Lord will finally satisfy. Circumstances can be sweet or harsh, people can cheer or oppose, yet the Father means for our gladness to rest in His Son.

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Kept From the Snare
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Kept From the Snare

Matthew 6:13 brings us to a tender part of the Lord’s Prayer. Do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Witness Lee points out that Jesus invites kingdom people to be honest about human weakness, and to look to the Father’s care in the face of testing. That honesty is not self-condemnation. It is a simple posture of trust.

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Trusting the Giver More Than the Gift
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Trusting the Giver More Than the Gift

Philippians 2:24 records a simple sentence. I trust in the Lord. E. Stanley Jones invites me to notice those three words, in the Lord. That tiny phrase changes everything. Trust is not a bargain I strike, or a willpower exercise I audit all day. Trust rests in a Person who is wise and good.

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Eyes On Jesus, Not On My Faith
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Eyes On Jesus, Not On My Faith

Hebrews 12:2 calls me to fix my eyes on Jesus who endured the cross and now sits at the right hand of God. Today’s reading in His Victorious Indwelling urges me to look away from my own faith and to look to the Living One Himself. When I stare at my faith, I grow anxious and start measuring. When I look to Jesus, the heart quiets and trust becomes simple again. Thank you, Nick Harrison, for curating a gentle reminder that faith is most healthy when it is least self-aware and most Christ-aware.

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When Heaven Stands, We Stand
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

When Heaven Stands, We Stand

Acts 7 shows Stephen seeing the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. T. Austin-Sparks reminds us that clear sight of the Lord often brings resistance on earth. When the kingdom breaks in through a believer, it unsettles the patterns that ignore God. That is why faithful witness can draw fire. It is not because we are difficult people. It is because the life of Jesus challenges the current.

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When Grace Disarms the Judge Within
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

When Grace Disarms the Judge Within

Romans 2:1 holds up a mirror. It shows how easy it is to see what is wrong in someone else while missing the same patterns in ourselves. Ray Stedman points out how we dodge this mirror. We miss our own blind spots. We forget what we have done. We rename our faults so they look smaller. The point is not to shame us. The point is to bring us back to Jesus where mercy and truth meet.

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Under His Wings, Steady Today
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Under His Wings, Steady Today

David treasures the lovingkindness of God and pictures it like a safe shadow where weary people can rest. Bob Hoekstra points us to Psalm 36:7, where men and women draw near to the Lord and find shelter under His wings. This is not a small comfort. It is the kindness of God in action, mercy holding back what we deserve, goodness pouring out what we need.

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Fresh From His Presence
Believing Thomas Believing Thomas

Fresh From His Presence

John 20:22 shows Jesus imparting the Holy Spirit to His disciples, not as a prize to earn, but as a gracious gift. A. B. Simpson highlights the simplicity of receiving. He encourages us to live open to the Spirit’s present ministry, not clinging to yesterday’s experience, but welcoming His life now.

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