Before we begin
This is not something I learned all at once.
This is something God has been teaching me—
step by step.
This is where it began for me.
But it didn’t end here.
There was a time in my life when I believed in God—
but I didn’t really know Him.
I believed in Him as a force or power
something to believe in…
but I didn’t yet understand who He was.
As a child, I saw Jesus.
I can’t explain it—
but I know I was allowed to see Him.
And as an adult,
I have felt His presence in ways I’ve shared before,
and may share again.
But even with that,
I didn’t truly know Him.
When the Holy Spirit got my attention,
everything began to change.
One of the very first things God began to
teach me
was not about others—
it was about me.
I remember being selfish with a shovel
toward someone I didn’t like.
Looking back,
I wasn’t always like this.
Jesus has changed my life for the better.
Back then, I decided who I liked and didn’t like
based on how I perceived their heart—
mostly from how I saw them treat others.
Over time, the Lord began to teach me
to respond differently—
more in Christ, and less in me—
especially when others did to me, or to others,
what I would never do to anyone.
That moment with the shovel
became a turning point.
God showed me something in me
that didn’t line up with who He is.
He wasn’t just showing me their actions—
He was showing me my heart.
That was wisdom.
This became one of the three foundational things
the Lord began teaching me:
Love
Fruit
and Wisdom.
I have learned that the basics of following Jesus
begin here:
God is love.
And as we learn to walk in love,
He dwells in us.
The fruit of the Spirit is either living and active
or inactive in our life—
based on what we are focusing on.
And there are two kinds of wisdom that come to us:
One is from above—
which is first of all pure…
And one is from below—
where you find bitter envying
and selfish ambition.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart…”
— Psalm 139:23
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
— Matthew 12:34
From there,
He began teaching me consistently—
He began teaching me consistently—
not just about right and wrong
,but about His love.
Who He is.
What love is.
The love that He is.
Then one day, I was praying.
I had nothing prepared.
I had an interview on Christian radio,
and I had nothing to say.
I was running back and forth with my kids—
in the car, at band practice,
back home cooking dinner—
and I stopped and said,
“Lord, help me. Give me something.”
And I heard Him.
Clear.
Jesus speaking what He heard from the Father.
“Remain in Me,
and I will remain in you.
God is love.
Remain in love,
and you remain in Me.”
Later, I would learn the Scripture:
“We have come to know and believe
the love that God has for us.
God is love;
and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God,
and God in him.”
— 1 John 4:16
I didn’t learn it first by reading it.
I knew it before I saw it written.
That’s why when I say,
“Lord, write Your Word on my heart”—
I believe He does.
And I believe He also calls us to know it.
To ask.
To seek.
To follow Him until what He has written
becomes something we understand, believe,
and live.
Everything He was teaching me
was leading me here:
To abide in Him.
And to let Him abide in me.
“Let” means we have a choice.
God has given us the freedom to choose—
life or death,
blessing or cursing.
“I have set
before you
life and death,
blessing and cursing:
therefore
choose life…”
— Deuteronomy 30:19
He invites us to choose life.
To remain in Him.
To respond to what He is showing us.
This is not something I learned once.
This is something I am still living.
And the more I remain in Him,
the more I see:
His wisdom,
His love,
and His truth
working in me.
I hope this helps you open your heart to believe again.
May it bless you, as it has blessed me in the telling.
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There is so much more to this.
I have many real-life testimonies of how God has worked in my life—
how He has corrected me, taught me, and changed me for the better.
We will come back to those in time.
For now, I invite you to tune back in—
and to look for what God may be ready to show you.
If you are reading this,
this is for you.
This may be your season
to know Him,
to believe Him,
and to grow in Him.
Christ is the image of God.
He came in the likeness of man—
like you and me—
so that we could know Him.
Jesus is the only One who qualified.
And because He was obedient to death on the cross—
He is risen!
So that we could know God the Father,
and also the Son.
This is what Jesus teaches us in
John 17:3—
that life eternal is to know them:
the Father and the Son.
Glory, hallelujah.
Thank You, Jesus.
Not just to believe in Him—
but to know Him as Lord.
We can!
As we receive Him,
our minds are renewed,
our hearts are transformed,
and our lives begin to change.
And when this becomes real to you—
you will never be the same.
I would love to hear your testimony.
If the Lord leads your heart,
will you come back and share it with me?
With love in Christ,
Karen
Hope in Today Ministries
✨ Hope in Today Ministries
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27