Shamelessly Declared Free

I hate my sin . . . but not enough to stop sinning, why is that? I think I know what it is when Paul says he has a thorn in his flesh. This constant reminder of his desperate need for a Savior and his immense incapability to save himself. The Father is always so patient to remind him that His grace is sufficient. That the mighty hand of God is all the more powerful when we are weak. I wish I didn't have to experience the seaming failure of sin to see the loving eyes of the Father. But what is joy without first, pain? And what is freedom without first, suffering? My foolish human heart does not know good apart from evil. For it is as Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." And though I hate my sin, the very thing the enemy meant for destruction, my Father has used for good. It's a moment of my eyes off of Him, to realize how hopeless the world is apart from Him. The scorching process is not beautiful, it

This is the statement I remember repeatedly making growing up. Cities were stressful, and overwhelming, and loud. The chaos happening all around me as I stood among busy streets full of people did something inside me that I couldn't identify at the time.  It caused anxiety to swell in my heart. For fear to settle in the depths of my stomach. For panic to strike my lungs, and uncertainty to flood my mind. I couldn't voice what was wrong, but I knew I didn't like it. I knew I wanted nothing to do with it. Well, here I am, 20 years old and living in the middle of Las Vegas. It's not that I've changed at all. That I'm suddenly a huge fan of cities, and just couldn't wait to get out of my comfortable corn fields of Ohio. Nope, that's not it at all. Over the past week or so the topic of 'fear' has come up in several different circles of people. And, every time without a doubt, someone has brought up my life. "Were you scared moving to Las Ve

"You know the enemy can't take what I have, change who I am, I belong to You." It is so easy for our wavering hearts to get distracted by the chaos of the world around us. We get caught up, sometimes even in good things, but nonetheless caught up. So caught up that we lose focus. We "become weary in doing good", and we start to feel entering the Throne Room is a chore rather than a privilege. But I think you'll find that when spending time with your Creator begins to feel forced, it's because you've lost sight of how much He loves you.  Having grown up in the church, it's easy to sing "Jesus Loves Me" and move on with my day. But that's just it, we should never be unfazed by that simple statement. Jesus loves me... I get to wake up everyday knowing that The Creator of the Universe chooses me. Regardless of what happened yesterday or what will happen today, He chooses me. Never having to question how far His love goes,

Two weeks ago I had two jobs, I was preparing to sign a lease, and I was part of a youth ministry that has impacted me for the past 13 years. I was finally starting to feel like I had things under control. Since coming home I felt like I had been living in constant chaos, and I finally felt like I had found some stability for my wobbling heart. I was making preparations to start a high school small group for the girls that the Lord has allowed me to disciple over the past several years. Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly. I finally had an answer when the daunting question of what I was doing with my life was bound to surface in every conversation. But . . . this morning I woke up in the middle of Las Vegas. No job. No house. And a whole new community. I’ve always had this idea of “How much faith does it take to sit on a couch?” If we’re just going to sit still and wait around until we have a clear, marked out path to follow, what need do we have for faith? But ma