Returning to Intimacy

Author: youngpl24

  • Knowing When to Unplug

    How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

    1. Lack of Peace.
    “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” – Colossians 3:15
    When peace is absent and replaced by unrest or confusion, it may be God’s signal that a shift is needed.

    2. Spiritual Stagnation or Decline. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away…” – John 15:2
    If something consistently takes you away from time with God, it may be pruning time.

    3. Conviction from the Holy Spirit. “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth…” – John 16:13
    The Holy Spirit gently convicts, not to shame, but to realign your steps with God’s will.

    4. Repeated Red Flags. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 Don’t ignore warning signs that keep resurfacing. God is protecting your heart.

    5. God Has Already Spoken.
    “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27
    When peace follows obedience, trust the voice that calls you higher.

    Steps to Unplug (with Love and Wisdom):

    1. Pray First
    Seek divine guidance. Ask God to show you if it’s time to let go and how to do so gracefully.

    2. Set Boundaries with Clarity. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’…” – Matthew 5:37 Boundaries protect your obedience to God without requiring harsh explanations.

    3. Release in the Spirit. “Be kind to one another… forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31–32
    Forgiveness and release break spiritual entanglements and open space for healing.

    4. Stay Rooted in the Word.
    Replace what you unplug from with intentional time in God’s presence and truth.

    5. Speak the Truth in Love
    “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way…” – Ephesians 4:15
    Let your words be seasoned with grace and directed by the Spirit.

    Walking in Love While Letting Go: Love does not mean enabling. True love sometimes steps away for the greater healing of all involved.

    Love may look like silence.
    “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” – Luke 5:16
    Withdrawing to hear from God is an act of love, for yourself and others.

    Bless as you go.
    You may not be someone’s answer, but you can entrust them to the One who is.

    Father, thank You for Your wisdom and patience. Help me to let go of what is no longer aligned with Your will for me. Give me discernment to recognize distractions, courage to make Spirit-led decisions, and grace to walk in love through it all. Let everything I do be done in obedience and covered in peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • The Fragrance of Love

    Love Well

    Loving Well Until the Day of Jesus Christ

    In a world that often feels cold and divided, it’s easy to become disheartened or offended by what we see around us. But as children of the Most High God, we are not called to react like the world, we are called to respond like Christ.

    “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.”
    — Philippians 1:9-10 (NKJV)

    God’s Word calls us to abound in love, not just to love, but to overflow in it. Why? Because love has a way of cutting through the chaos. Love clears our vision. Love helps us rise above offense and see people the way God sees them.

    “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
    — 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

    When the enemy tries to use offense to distract or divide, we must remember: we are ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Our love may be the bridge someone needs to experience Jesus.

    So today, and every day until Christ returns:

    Choose forgiveness over frustration.

    Choose compassion over criticism.

    Choose purpose over pettiness.

    Choose love over offense.

    “Let all that you do be done in love.”
    — 1 Corinthians 16:14 (ESV)

    Let’s commit to loving well, not because it’s always easy, but because it’s who we are as His own. And when He returns, may He find our hearts still burning bright with love.

    Lord, help us to love as You love, fiercely, faithfully, and without condition, until the day You return. Amen.

  • Not Religion – Relationship

    Do you practice religion?

    “I don’t just practice a religion, I live in a relationship with Jesus Christ. My faith isn’t about rituals or rules, but about daily surrender, love, and obedience to God. He’s the reason I’m still standing, and everything I do flows from that relationship.”

  • Being A Vessel of His Heart

    What are you good at?

    I am no stranger to broken roads, but grace has lit each step I’ve known.

    Not for applause, nor to be seen, but to reflect what Christ redeems.

    I’ve held the weight of others’ pain,
    Whispered prayers in Jesus’ name.

    I’ve learned to listen, not just speak, to serve in strength and still be meek.

    My hands are His, my voice His tool, each moment shaped in heaven’s school.

    Not perfect, no, but made to be, a vessel of His love, set free.

    So if you see a light in me,
    It’s not my own, it’s Him you see.

    For every good that flows from this, Is simply grace, I’m only His.

  • OnlyJesus

    Jesus said, “Follow Me.”
    That wasn’t a suggestion, it was a call to reorient everything. And it changed my life.

    I wasn’t always bold. I didn’t always feel qualified. In fact, there was a time I was hiding, behind fear, behind pain, behind shame. But Jesus… Jesus came right into that place and called me by name. He didn’t ask me to be perfect. He didn’t ask me to fix myself. He just said, “Follow Me.”

    And I did. That simple yes led to the most beautiful undoing and becoming. My Pastor reminded me of these three key nuggets:

    1. Jesus Helps Ordinary People

    I’m proof of this. I’m not here because I figured life out. I’m here because Jesus met me as I was, ordinary, overwhelmed, unsure, and loved me anyway. His grace didn’t demand performance; it invited me to rest.

    “When they saw the courage of Peter and John… they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
    Acts 4:13

    Peter and John were fishermen. Rough around the edges. But being with Jesus made them bold. It still does.

    There’s something sacred about helping others find what we’ve found, grace that rewrites your story. Eulogy virtue isn’t about what we achieve. It’s about who we become. Jesus is still using ordinary people to do eternal work.

    1. Jesus Helps Us Become

    I used to strive to “get it right” before I believed I could belong. But Jesus flipped that.

    With Him, you belong before you believe, and you believe before you behave. That truth shattered my shame. The way Jesus loves is deeper than any sin that tried to stain me. I didn’t have to earn it. I just had to receive it.

    “In Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

    Even me. Especially me.
    Being with Jesus changes you. His grace is greater than your guilt. His love digs deeper than your brokenness. He doesn’t shame you into holiness, He loves you into wholeness.

    1. Jesus Makes Us Passionate Followers

    Somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to just survive and started burning with purpose. The same Jesus who called me out of hiding, now sends me out to help others find Him. I’m not here to impress people, I’m here to point them to Jesus, the Preeminent One.

    “That in everything He might be preeminent.”
    Colossians 1:18

    He’s not just first in my day, He’s first in my desires, in my calling, in my voice. Jesus is not just someone I talk about, He is my life.

    So Today, I Reorient

    I reorient my thoughts, my steps, my heart, around Jesus. Not religion. Not rules. Just Jesus. He found me. He changed me. He sent me. And now I burn to help others come and follow Him too.

    Let me leave you with this:

    Only Jesus can take ordinary people and make them bold. Only Jesus can turn shame into strength. Only Jesus is worthy of your whole life.

  • J E S U S

    Daily writing prompt
    Who would you like to talk to soon?
    View all responses

    If I could speak to anyone, it would be Jesus.

    Not because I haven’t already spoken to Him, but because every conversation with Him brings me closer to the truth of who I am and why I’m here. Jesus has been my anchor through deep sorrow, my strength in weakness, and my guide through every transition, from heartbreak to healing, from rejection to purpose.

    After the loss of my husband, Jesus met me in the quiet places and called me into mission work I never imagined. Even when I faced ridicule, rejection, and fear, He reminded me that obedience matters more than applause. Through the tears, He taught me forgiveness. Through the wilderness, He revealed identity. And through the work, He birthed ministry.

    I would speak with Him face to face not to ask for more, but to simply say, “Thank You.” Thank You for seeing me when I wanted to hide. Thank You for assigning me to love, even when it hurt. Thank You for using my brokenness to encourage others. And thank You for making me whole in You.

    He is not just someone I’d like to speak to, He is the One I live to listen to.

  • Honoring the Silent Battles

    This Memorial Day Weekend, as we remember the fallen on the battlefield, may we also pause to honor those who died after the war, those who lost their lives to the invisible wounds of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

    Some never knew what they were truly battling. Some carried their pain in silence.
    And too many died by suicide, not from weakness, but from a war that followed them home.

    Their stories deserve remembrance. Their lives mattered. They were not forsaken by God, even when hope felt far away.

    “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” —Psalm 34:18. Yes, even in the darkest places, God was with them.

    To the families left behind, our hearts mourn with you.
    To the ones still fighting this battle, you are not alone. You are seen, loved, and needed.

    And to the Church, the community, and every heart willing to listen, we must do more.

    No veteran should ever feel forgotten or be on the streets of our communities. No veteran should go without help, healing, or hope. This is our call: to honor not just with words, but with action.

    Let us stand in the gap with prayer and compassion.
    Let us become safe places for healing. Let us fight with our veterans in faith, until every mind finds peace and every heart finds rest.

    “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” —Galatians 6:2

    This Memorial Day Weekend, we remember every warrior, those who died in war, and those who died from war within. We honor your lives. We will not forget.

  • Be Intentional

    Heavenly Father,
    I come before You tonight with a heart open and yielded. Thank You for the gift of this day, for every breath, every opportunity, and every moment You allowed me to walk in Your grace. Lord, I desire not just to exist but to live intentionally, to make every word, every step, and every act a reflection of Your love and purpose.

    Your Word declares in Colossians 3:23-24:
    “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

    Father, help me live this truth. Let my service to others be done from a place of deep love and obedience to You.
    Let me not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season I shall reap if I do not give up (Galatians 6:9).
    Make me sensitive to the needs of others and quick to act with compassion.
    Purge my motives, purify my heart, and align my intentions with Heaven.

    Let me remember that I am Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10) May I walk boldly in those works, not for recognition, but to glorify You. When I serve, let it not be out of obligation, but out of gratitude and joy, knowing that I am a vessel of Your Kingdom.

    Tonight, I lay down any selfish ambition, comparison, or striving.
    I ask You to reset my heart, renew my mind, and revive my spirit. Tomorrow, help me rise with new focus , led by Your Spirit, anchored in Your truth, and fueled by Your love.

    In all I do, may I live for the Audience of One.
    In Jesus’ name,
    Amen.

  • When Cold Comes Close

    How do you feel about cold weather?

    “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter… will never cease.” Genesis 8:22

    Someone recently asked me how I feel about cold weather. My honest answer? I don’t like it. Not one bit. There’s something about the chill in the air that makes me want to retreat, to wrap up in layers and wait until warmth returns. But as I sat with that question longer, I realized something deeper: cold seasons in life have a spiritual purpose, even if they’re uncomfortable.

    Cold weather reminds me of those seasons in my journey where everything felt stripped, emotionally, spiritually, even relationally. Just like winter trees lose their leaves, I’ve gone through times where I felt bare… exposed… vulnerable. But I’ve also learned this truth: the winter season is not God’s absence, it’s His invitation.

    In the cold, I’ve discovered stillness. With distractions reduced, I hear Him more clearly. In the chill, I’ve leaned into His warmth. When people pulled away or situations grew silent, God’s nearness became more precious. Though I dislike cold weather, it has mirrored the seasons where my roots grew deepest in Him.

    And maybe that’s the gift of cold: not comfort, but closeness. Not activity, but abiding. Not visibility, but vision, formed in the quiet, deep places.

    Prayer:
    Lord, You know I don’t care for the cold, outwardly or inwardly. But thank You for using even the chill of winter seasons to draw me closer. Teach me to embrace the stillness, to lean into Your warmth, and to trust that even in the cold, something is growing. Prepare me in the quiet, prune me in the bare places, and root me more deeply in You. In Jesus name!

    Now, think of a time when life felt cold, lonely, quiet, or uncomfortable. How did God meet you in that season? Write a few lines of thanks for the growth you couldn’t see then, but recognize now.

  • A Living Testimony

    Living Testimony for Jesus

    We are not just called to speak about Jesus, we are called to live Him. Every trial we’ve overcome, every tear we’ve shed, and every victory we’ve won by faith tells a story. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work through our lives, we become living epistles, letters written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the Living God (2 Corinthians 3:3).

    Being a living testimony means loving when it’s hard, forgiving when it’s undeserved, and standing firm in truth when the world sways. It’s in how we respond to hardship, how we extend grace, and how we choose obedience over convenience.

    Our lives preach louder than our lips ever could.

    Lord Jesus, let our lives reflect Your glory. Let our walk match our words. May every part of us testify to Your goodness, mercy, and power. Use our life to draw others to You. In Jesus name. Amen.

    Take one moment today to share your story, big or small, with someone who needs hope. Your scars might just be the roadmap to someone else’s healing.