Seeking the knowledge of the Lord (the ways, truth, and life) and aligning with His will is our calling as Christians.  Reading, studying, partaking in the Word, hearing from fellow believers, dreams and visions, and personal encounters are all ways in which we can come to know the Lord.

The first time I read James 2:19, I felt very convicted. I believed that there was one God. I believed that Jesus Christ was (and is) Lord. I believed that one day, every knee would bow and every tongue would confess this reality to the glory of God the Father. This verse affected me greatly because it made me realize that I had been walking in spiritual immaturity. I realized that if I want to live out real, genuine faith, belief alone is/was not enough. It dawned on me that in addition to belief, God required real obedience of and from me.

So what if God himself had New Year’s resolutions? What is on his heart for 2025? What if instead of it being something new or fancy it was just the same ole thing: surrender. God waits for the moment that we will fully give ourselves to him. The moment when we allow him to fully lead us, fully love us, fully reveal himself to us. 

At this 2024 Christmas, almost ninety years after this story, are you needing encouragement to know that Jesus is here, and He knows exactly who you are and what you are facing

From the timing of Christ's birth spoken in Daniel 9:24, to the worship by kings and nations in Psalm 72:10-11, Jesus' birth fulfilled a promise God the Father had spoken about throughout the ages.

I am always moved and challenged each time I read her response after being frightened by the angel Gabriel who told she would carry and give birth to the Son of God,"I am the Lord’s servant, be it unto me according to your word," (Luke 1:38). Oh, to have a heart and mind like Mary’s. Total submission. No hesitation. No mental gymnastics. Isn’t that a perfect picture of "trust and obey"? 

God made Himself clear in Hebrews 11—faith is not a recommendation; it is a requirement. It is the spiritual baseline where this journey with God begins. Better yet, it’s like a double-sided key. It simultaneously unlocks both your heart and God’s, enabling you to please Him and allowing Him to dwell within you.

What does it look like to live a life full of bearing fruit, overcoming your negative circumstances, living secure in your identity and not easily offended? A life with zero bitterness, envy, unforgiveness… but only joy, peace, love, hope. I believe what is at the core of this kind of life is a heart overflowing with thanksgiving. 

How then does the Bride of Christ live? How does she move across a room? What does she say, and how does she say it?

To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.

If we lack faith in the Lord and the promises He has made to us, we are missing out on all He wants to give us. The Lord desires a real relationship with us, one that is trusting and intimate, one that is true and pure. The God of the universe loves you and cares for you unconditionally – don’t you want to please Him by simply placing your faith in Him?

Scripture makes it very clear that as a Christian, you are freely given the authority of Christ and have access to the power of God. You have the legal right to claim the promises of God in His Word and exercise the authority that Jesus has given because of His blood shed on the cross.

Nothing can replace the simple, but personal reality of knowing Jesus for yourself. We live in a culture where it’s easy to hide behind the title “Christian” without really knowing Jesus or having an intimate friendship with the Holy Spirit.

What is God like? He loves to love and be loved. The Bible says God is patient and slow to anger. Matthew 6:8 says that he knows what we need before we even ask him, and still likes to hear us ask. He is both tender and stern. He is a good Father. He is altogether lovely, and none compare with him. He is more humble than we'll ever be. He is encouragement personified, speaking the exact words we need to hear at the exact moment we need them.

God is taking great delight in His anticipation of what He has for us, just beyond that thin veil.

When you start to feel the lies creeping in, call on your helper and friend, the Holy Spirit, and ask Him to give you everything you need to believe the truth. He will meet you there and whisper the truth: that He sees you, loves you, and is for you. We lack nothing; He is everything—the only thing that will ever satisfy.

We become like what we behold. All are invited to come and behold the glory of the Lord. However, even if we aren’t beholding Jesus, we are all beholding something. By nature, we are worshippers. Even though we were created to worship Jesus, if we don’t worship Him we won’t stop worshiping. We are called to worship God because He deserves it, but it’s also because we are called to become like Him.

God promises that He will be with us (Hebrews 13:5), He will protect us (Psalm 91:11), He will be our strength (2 Corinthians 12: 7-10), He will answer us (Jeremiah 33:3), He will provide for us (Matthew 6:30-33), He will give us peace (Philippians 4:6), and NOTHING can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).

Are you willing to give yourself fully to Jesus? Are you willing to lay aside anything that hinders intimacy with the Father? The Holy Spirit led me to this very question for my own life. For many years, I was not willing, and I reaped the consequences of my actions. I missed out on deep intimacy with the Father.

The more you gaze on the face of Jesus with the eyes of your heart, the more you see who you are becoming. Your passion for Jesus and conviction give you momentum to pursue this one thing, from which all other passions and purposes flow. Your pursuit attracts Heaven to bring you into that destiny. “I am alive to burn for God. I am alive to make Him known.”