12 years ago I was a trembling teenager on the bathroom floor. With tears streaming down, I peered at my Bible open to John 8:36.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Only moments before my spirit was crushed by my failings. Though a picture-perfect athlete and brain on the outside, on the inside I was crumbling under the weight of unreasonable self-expectations and self-righteousness. No one else knew about the war within me, except for God.
And so He brought this verse. So simple and so succinct, it rang in my heart with hope like I’ve never experienced before.
Just before it, Jesus had convicted the Jews for relying upon their heritage and good works, instead of living by faith (John 8:31-35). He proclaimed all were enslaved to sin, and I realized that was me. Enslaved.
I was a slave to perfectionism, pridefully striving for my own glory in the world and denying my Creator. But this – this verse, this promise by Christ’s own lips promised freedom.
All of my life I had chased after freedom and truth. I repeatedly attempted to know them, to achieve them, to feel them. I wanted to know why I was here and what I was supposed to do, but was weary from the world’s empty answers.
The dead ends appeared endless. Then I learned about this Savior, His compassion and His true glory, and the longings for liberty became reality.
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
My inadequacies, my sins, and my wrongs, were washed away at the cross and replaced by His sufficiency and righteousness. I was finally abiding in His word.
I was set free, and you can be too.
I am Danielle, but most call me Dani. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and this blog creatively shares the new life I have in Him through deep devotionals, faith-filled fiction, personal tales, and colorful photography.
My hope is to deepen your understanding of your identity in Christ through everyday biblical truth, truth that frees.
I encourage you to explore the tabs above, and grow in what it means to be a woman of God, experiencing the joy of salvation.
I’m married to a wonderful man, Isaias Muñoz, who encourages me to live by faith everyday! We have a little daughter named Amariah, who is currently battling leukemia, a form of childhood cancer. We are certainly growing in our faith during this trial, seeing God’s faithfulness every step of the way and in the pain.
We also have two boys Ezra and Nehemiah, and they are such a delight!
I’m a Central Californian girl and Cornell University alumna, and when not blogging I enjoy capturing God’s glory through the camera lens, concocting sweet treats, and jumping into other worlds on my Kindle.
Please feel free to comment with any prayer requests, I pray for my readers and love knowing how I can best serve them! You can also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of the latest posts.
What It Means to Be a Christian
Adapted from my home church, Grace Community Church:
“Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in the Bible.
God Is Sovereign Creator
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
God Is Holy
God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, You shall be holy, for I am holy.
Mankind Is Sinful
According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).
Sin Demands a Penalty
God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.
Jesus Is Lord and Savior
Romans 10:9 says, If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).
The Character of Saving Faith
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), pursue Christ (Matthew 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn’t enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).”
Jesus lived the life we cannot not live, one of unceasing love, wisdom, obedience, selflessness and most importantly, sinlessness. By placing our complete faith in Him as the Savior and obeying His Word we will have eternal unity with God.
God understands us, because He created us. True life and hope is found through Him. And the Bible is our living comprehension of that amazing grace. I seek to dig into its richness on this blog to better know our living Lord.
