Over the past two weeks, we’ve talked about how deeply God loves us and how that love isn’t just something we receive but something we live from.

On this weeks episode we’re going to take the conversation one step further: God’s deep love for us doesn’t stop with us. It’s meant to fill us up and then flow through us. His unconditional, sacrificial, unchanging love becomes the power for how we love others.

When Jesus said in John 15:12‑13, “Love one another as I have loved you,” He set a radically different standard. He wasn’t talking about love that’s based on convenience or emotion. He was describing a love that gives, serves, forgives, and—even when it hurts—keeps showing up.

Last week we talked about how God’s love is unconditional, sacrificial, and unchanging. As believers in Christ, knowing these attributes of God’s love should reshape how we see ourselves and our days here on earth.

On this week’s episode, I want to talk about what happens when that love moves from our heads to our hearts—when we actually live as people who are loved.

It’s Valentine’s Day this week, and while the world may be focused on symbols of love with candy and red hearts, I want to remind you how very loved you are. The God of the universe saw every bit of you and your life from outside of time and He still loves you with an everlasting, all consuming, burning love.

On today’s episode, we’re going to be diving deep into one of the most powerful realities in the Christian life: God’s true love for believers in Christ.

This isn’t just love in a general sense of the word. God’s true love for us is a personal, transforming love that defines who we are as God’s children. God’s love isn’t something He feels only when we “get it right”, it’s part of His very nature. He cannot love us less. In reverse, we cannot earn more of His love.

Scripture tells us in 1 John that “God is love.” That means His love is just like Him, unconditional, sacrificial, and unchanging.

We talked last week about the our identity in Christ. That comes out of how we view God and our relationship with God. We learned a prayer of daily affirmation that you can find at the Identity Exchange, I have the link in the show notes. Daily Prayer of Affirmation

Were you able to use this daily prayer? Even if you have only gotten to part of it, it’s such a great way to connect when you feel scattered or distracted. Praying through each line helps me focus on the One who matters most and to receive my truth from Him and not from my flesh or the world.

On today’s episode we’re going to talk about how we can exchange the lies we’ve picked up along the way for what’s actually true about us. We did this in part last week as we also affirmed our identity through the Daily Prayer.

As Light Bearers, we need to make a practice of exchanging the lies we have picked up for the truth about ourselves as outlined in scripture.

We talked last year about the most important thing about us being, how we see God. How we view God is the most important thing. Second, is our relationship with God. Reading the Word, praying, listening for His voice in all the ways He communicates with us, is our relationship with God.

On today’s episode we are going to talk about the third most important thing about us… our identity in Christ. We are given this identity when we receive Christ as our Savior. The Holy Spirit then grows and sanctifies us within that identity. We are the Beloved of God. The Bride of Christ. We are all blood bought, much loved children of the God of the universe. We are co-heirs with Christ- siblings if you will with Jesus who defeated sin and death and gave us resurrection power. If you are a man- you are God’s son. If you are a woman- you are God’s daughter.

That is our identity as believers in Christ. The more we press in, the more we become his disciples and then His intimates.

In the Light Bearers Series, Sarah is clearly an intimate of the Light. I remember years ago that our pastor talked about being intimates of God. That there are people who are closer to God because of the deep faith His has given them. They crave God and want to live their entire lives for Him. I believe that all believers can be God’s intimates, but so many believers sell themselves short, by just having God be part of their lives instead of what their whole lives should be about.

As a Light Bearer, I desire to be an intimate of God. I want to be as close to Him as I can get. I want each and every blessing He wants to bestow on me. I want to interact with His people in the love that He has for them.

Lord, I want more of you, healing water rain down on me. Lord, I need more of you, living breath of life come fill me up. (We Are Hungry)

Years ago, a friend of mine was speaking at a women’s conference. She talked about how we must remain plugged into the tree of life in order to operate out of our identity. When we plug into the tree of knowledge or self- we decide who we are, we let the world tell us who we are. But if we are plugged into the tree of life, into God as our energy source, we can live and operate out of our identity in Christ.

My friend’s name is Donna Winship. Her wisdom on God given identity has shaped much of my walk. One piece being the Daily Prayer of Affirmation she gave me. For years, it has been a part of my daily prayers, and I want to share more of it with you here. Donna and her husband Jamie have a ministry called the Identity Exchange. I will leave the website in the show notes as well as the link to the Daily Prayer of Affirmation. Daily Prayer of Affirmation

Last week we talked about having intentions instead of resolutions. Our church has moved away from doing our yearly fasting at the beginning of the year so that we can separate spiritual discipline from resolutions as well.

Were you surprised by any of your 2 Things answers? On today’s episode we are going to talk about an answer that surprised me.

I shared last week that I was surprised by how many things the Lord did in and through me last year. I went back and looked at pictures from 2025, and I had even more surprises. One of which was that my husband and youngest son both achieved their black belts in Taekwondo this year. I am now surrounded by black belts, so don’t mess with me because I’m literally protected on every side!

One of my highlights from 2025 was the story of myself and my mentee. Normally, as believers we can look back on our lives and see how God was working. This year He gave me a unique seat to see how He was working as the words of His story were hitting the page, metaphorically speaking.

Happy New Year my friends. New year resolutions are all around us, but I disagree that a new year should equal a new you, no matter what messages you are seeing on social media or in your email because you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Jesus already made you new when you received Him as your Savior.

While God is big into offering fresh starts, in fact, Lamentations 3:22 reminds us that His mercies are new every day, His gift of turning to a new calendar year doesn’t need to be met with the harsh criticisms and standards we inflict upon ourselves. Whether it’s losing weight, starting an overambitious Bible reading plan, 10 habits we are going to drop or pickup- all of that is too much to handle. Instead of seeing a positive change in our lives, our “resolutions” usually end up as a weight of shame around our necks come February.

On today’s episode we are going to take stock of 2025, rejoice in the things we accomplished, and start the year on a high note. We don’t always give ourselves enough credit, looking only at the things we didn’t accomplish or didn’t do up to our high standards and then comes the new year where we stack even more expectations upon ourselves.

What if, instead of putting more weight and pressure on ourselves to fix each of our flaws and the world at the same time, we set “new intentions” for the new year?

I was listening to the song “Christmas This Year,” by Tobi Mac. It’s a fun upbeat Christmas song that my boys and I like. In the song, the lyrics say, “It’s all love. The season is a gift when love came down to let us live. Let’s open up and let our hearts embrace this moment. For Christmas this year.”

On today’s episode, we’re going to talk about waiting and when Jesus came down to let us live. We are currently in the Advent season. Advent simply means arrival. In different church traditions, advent is usually celebrated on the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas by lighting another candle each Sunday. When all four are lit on the 4th Sunday that means the celebration of Jesus’ arrival is imminent.