I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Begin Receiving Who I Am in Christ

As we step into a new year, I’ve been thinking a lot about identity. We live in a culture that constantly tells us we need to figure out who we are, to build it, brand it, defend it, and prove it. We’re encouraged to craft our identity like a sculpture, shaping ourselves into something impressive, acceptable, or admired. If I’m honest, that feels exhausting. Especially if, at some point in your life, you were told, either with words or with silence, that you weren’t really worth much to begin with. Over time, I’ve come to realize something important: identity in Christ isn’t actually hard to understand. What’s hard is receiving it. That’s what I want to sit with here. Not who you should be. Not who you’re trying to become. But how we begin receiving who God already says we are, in Christ. Scripture makes it clear that our identity flows from what Jesus has done, not what we manage to do right. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven, redeemed, reconciled, chosen, and loved. Not because we earned it. Not because we achieved it. Simply because God chose us and made a way for us to

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I Choose Today to Reflect the Heart of Jesus This Christmas

As I think about the true meaning of Christmas, I’m always struck by how the Savior of the world came to us. Not with power on display. Not with wealth or grandeur. But as a helpless baby. Jesus, fully God, entered the world through humility. He wasn’t born in a palace, but in a stable. Not laid in a cradle, but in a feeding trough. Surrounded not by royalty, but by animals and shepherds, the lowly, the overlooked, the ordinary. From the very beginning, Jesus showed us the heart of God. And that pattern didn’t stop at His birth. Throughout His life, Jesus continued to draw near to the broken, the weary, and the forgotten. He walked with gentleness. He spoke with kindness. He lived with humility. And He consistently called people, not to division, but to unity. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for us. In John 17, He asked the Father that all who follow Him would be one, just as He and the Father are one. Paul echoes this same heart in his letter to the Ephesians. He reminds believers that unity is preserved through humility, gentleness, patience, and love, and that peace is something

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I Choose Today to Speak Life

Words carry weight. They shape atmospheres, build hearts, and plant seeds that grow long after the conversation ends. And if we’re honest, most of us know what it feels like to long for a life-giving word… and not hear one. When I was a kid, I can remember wanting someone to notice me. Just one kind word. One sentence of encouragement. One moment of being seen. I can still feel that ache, that yearning for someone to speak life into me. And when it didn’t come, it made me feel invisible. Alone. Like my voice or my presence didn’t matter. And maybe you’ve had a season like that too, where affirmation was scarce, and silence spoke louder than kindness. When I became a believer, one of the biggest adjustments was learning how to receive encouragement. To let myself be seen. It still catches me off guard sometimes, because it touches the part of me that remembers what it felt like to go without it. But maybe that’s why this matters so much to me now. Because I don’t ever want my words to wound or disappear into silence. I want my words to flow from the throne of grace,  life-giving,

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I Choose Today to Let Peace Rule My Mind

There’s something about December that can make the mind feel loud. Schedules fill up. Expectations rise. Emotions get stirred. And even when life looks good on the outside, it can feel like everything inside is moving faster than you can process. Peace sounds wonderful… but it doesn’t always feel accessible. But peace isn’t something you chase. It’s something you allow to rule. Paul writes in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” That word rule carries the idea of letting peace decide, letting peace guide, letting peace act as the one who makes the final call. Not your fear, not your assumptions, not your emotions. Peace. And peace is not the absence of noise; it’s the presence of Jesus. Isaiah 26:3 says God keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him. Peace comes after the mind is anchored, not before. We often want peace to appear first and then we’ll be able to trust. But Scripture flips the order. Keep your mind on Him… trust grows… peace follows. The truth is, peace cannot rule where fear has taken the throne. Fear doesn’t step aside politely. It requires a choice. A pause. A

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I Choose Today to Make Space for God

I had a conversation recently that went something like this: “You spend so much time in your study and quiet time with the Lord. Don’t you think you should be doing other things that are pressing, like writing content for the blog, the podcast, your speaking events, or your book?” It came at a moment when I already felt overwhelmed by everything on my plate: ministry, family, household responsibilities, health. And here’s the thing: the one area I cannot afford to cut back on is my time with the Lord. Because everything else I pour into depends on it. If I stop prioritizing that time, every other area of my life becomes depleted even faster. I don’t pour out from my own strength, I pour out from the overflow of God’s presence in my life. And when the overflow dries up, I have nothing to give. You can’t get water out of a dry sponge. If I’m spiritually or relationally depleted in my walk with God, I won’t have anything fresh to offer you. Nothing rooted in Him. Nothing with His breath on it. I wouldn’t be able to hear His voice the way I do when I intentionally make

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