A Journey of Returning

Every single one of us is on the ultimate journey, the journey that takes us back to God and this larger journey is comprised of smaller journeys along the way as we trek upon the spiritual path towards our Creator. Each one of these small journeys is a journey of returning.

For whatever reason, we humans tend to slip off the path from time to time.

It happens to all of us so let’s not pretend that we have never been so distracted by the pleasurable taste of sin that we have never found ourselves heading in the opposite direction meandering away from God.

The problem is that we lose our focus, getting caught up in this and that, we find ourselves spiritually wandering off in a direction which we’re not meant to be journeying, then at some point, we come to ourselves and turn back hoping to resume our journey.

Thankfully, the Lord, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8) sees us through the sacrifice of His Son and says to you and to me, “…you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you.” (Malachi 3:7 NIV).

Beloved, even now you may be asking, “How am I to return?”

Lent is the perfect time to reevaluate your life and the path you’re on. Use these 40 days to consciously journey toward God; return to Him seeking unity and complete fellowship with Him.

This journey of returning is reminiscent of the 40 days Christ spent in the wilderness, where like Him, you’re in close communion with the Holy Spirit as He strengthens your resolve to remain on the right path to continue the journey.

A journey of returning is your personal sojourn, it is your act of repentance, prompted not by the fear of punishment but by sheer love and reverence.

You must confess that you have strayed (see 1 John 1:9), crying out to God in sincerity,

Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God. (Jeremiah 31:18, 19 NIV).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “A Journey of Returning” ©2026 February 20, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shema

 

Shema is a Hebrew word which basically means to listen or hear but it’s much more than that – it is hearing that leads to alignment.

In many places Shema is defined as hearing which leads to obedience however that conjures up an image of forced, coerced submission. But it’s not obedience as in a slave and slave master relationship, it is obedience which stems from loving compliance, and reverence and trust and loyalty.

Every day Jewish people confess these words from Deuteronomy,

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [the only Lord].

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might. (6:4-5 AMPC)

The very first word “Hear” – “Shema” – is setting the tone for what’s to follow in bringing God’s people into alignment with all that He is and all that He’s about to say.

The Israelites had recently been redeemed from bondage in Egypt and with this redemption came freedom from the ways and customs to which they had become accustomed; God was about to do a new thing, and He needed His people to perceive it.

God was moving them from a materialistic mindset to a divine reality – from Egypt, double difficulty, to Canaan, the Land of Promise.

These once long-enslaved people, with the adoption of their slave master’s ways and lifestyle, had become slaves to their master’s ritualistic practices, including their worship of other gods. "Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad", was a declaration of God’s identity. This act of restoration involved a reintroduction of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of all generations, the only Lord to which they were to align and to love deeply.

The only Lord to which we are to align and love deeply.

During this Lenten season, perhaps we should all seek a reintroduction to God, a realignment to Him and a rekindling of our love for Him.

God wanted His people then and wants us now to truly understand who He is. He wants us to know that He is our Liberator. He gave up His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to set us free.

Beloved, just as the Israelites were unable to free themselves from the more than 400 years of captivity, you and I cannot free ourselves from our various enslavements – our addictions, our vices, our unmanageable lusts and unhealthy habits. It is God who affords us freedom through Jesus Christ His Son because if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free (John 8:36 AMPC).

Understand that you don’t obey to get free, you align because you are already free; you don’t obey to receive God’s love, you align because you are already loved by God.

Shema (the hearing, the obedience, the alignment), is foundational to our relationship with God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Shema is not just a call to hear or listen, it is a call to act, a call to align with Love in love ; Shema is pinned to the outcome of the act of listening to God.

God is calling you out of your skewed alignment with the gods of Egypt – enslaved by money, worldly success, power and status – into alignment with Him, the God of freedom, where He provides everything that you need.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Shema” ©2026 February 19, 2026

 

 

 

 

An Everlasting Love

 

We are all familiar with John 3:16 as we should be, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT) and though this is undeniable proof of God’s love for all people, He has been protesting His love for over thousands of years with several verses in Scripture that corroborate God’s everlasting love for His people.

One such verse, Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) reads,

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”  

While this chapter is directed to Israel, it is relevant to all people even today. It is a declaration of God’s love for His people and reveals His heart towards us as He continues to draw all of us to Himself with unfailing kindness.

God’s love is not temporary. His love is not dependent on what we do. He is faithful in His love even when we are unfaithful in our love of Him.

This chapter in Jeremiah is a promise of the complete restoration of a people who, after God had redeemed them from bondage in Egypt and provided for them throughout their sojourn in the desert, defied Him by breaking the covenant He had made with them. They were rebellious at best and suffered punishment for it yet God, with an everlasting love, turned their mourning into gladness and gave them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Sometimes we, like the Israelites of old, cut ourselves off from the intimacy of God when we deem ourselves unworthy of His love because of sin, with its resulting guilt and shame.

We turn away from God, believing the lies that we tell ourselves, the lies that others tell us and the lies we hear from the world around us, and we cling to those things and those people who we hope will satisfy our need for the love we crave but no matter how hard we hold on to the what and the who, we are still left wanting.

But there is a new covenant to which we are bound, fulfilled by the One Who suffered punishment for all the sin of the entire world which includes yours and mine.

Your story hasn’t ended; sin, guilt and shame do not define you. God is pursuing you, but you just won’t allow Him to catch up. He is calling out to you by name, longing for you to turn back, see Him and hear Him saying to you,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love”

Beloved, God’s desire for an intimate relationship with you is evident, His expression of love for you cannot be denied, He longs to draw you to Himself. Won’t you open your heart to receive His love, an everlasting love like no other? You mean everything to God.

As you make your way through this Lenten season, remember God’s deep love for you, not the sin, not the guilt, not the shame, instead get ready to be fully loved just as you are, look back and turn back to Him calling out “Here I am! Ready to receive Your everlasting love.”

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “An Everlasting Love” ©2026 February 18, 2026

Doubting Jesus

 

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.  He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. – Matthew 16:1-4 (ESV)

All too often we behave like the Pharisees and Sadducees always wanting a sign. This simply means that we’re doubting Jesus.

Gideon, doubting the word of God, asked for a sign (see Judges 6). Thomas, doubting Jesus, asked for a sign (John 20).

Gideon had heard time and time again of all God’s wondrous works, yet still he doubted that God would choose him. And Thomas, the Pharisees and the Sadducees had seen all of Jesus’ wondrous miracles, yet that was not enough for them, doubting Jesus, they wanted proof.

Don’t we do the same though? Aren’t we doubting Jesus? Always wanting proof that meets our expectations rather than taking Him at His word or reflecting on what He has already shown us?

We are always seeking proof of some kind instead of trusting God. He has already done so much yet we dismiss it all and require just a little more proof.

“God if this, then do that”

“Lord Jesus, if that, then do this”

Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we are doubting Jesus, His abilities and His authority. Loyal churchgoers, avid Word-readers yet blind to the spiritual, unable to properly interpret the signs of the times.

Beloved, stop waiting for a sign, stop doubting Jesus instead pay attention to the thread of His faithfulness woven into the everyday moments of your life. Jesus has already given us a spectacular sign in the sign of Jonah which symbolizes His death and resurrection. 

What more do you need? Isn’t that enough? No other proof of His love can be greater (John 3:16).

Jesus has already given us, all of mankind, everything.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Doubting Jesus” ©2026 February 15, 2026

 

Believe to See

The world says “Seeing is believing” but in God’s economy we have to believe to see. This is clearly illustrated in Matthew 20: 29 – 34 (ERV) when Jesus encountered two blind men seated on the roadside.

When Jesus and his followers were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the road. They heard that Jesus was coming by. So they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!”

 The people there criticized the blind men and told them to be quiet. But they shouted more and more, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!”

Jesus stopped and said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

 They answered, “Lord, we want to be able to see.”

Jesus felt sorry for the blind men. He touched their eyes, and immediately they were able to see. Then they became followers of Jesus.

Despite the crowd’s castigation of them, these two blind men did not let that deter them from seeking Jesus’ help.

They heard that Jesus was coming their way and put a plan into action. They could not see Him approaching but believed what they had heard.

Most of us always need to see before we believe however, sometimes God is leading us in the opposite direction where He wants us to learn to accept His promises as true before they’re manifested.

With Jesus standing right in front of him, Thomas, the disciple, still desired to see before he would believe.

A week later the followers were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and believe.”  – John 20:26-27 (ERV)

Unlike Thomas, these men did not require any proof or signs in order to believe. Unlike Thomas, these two men did not know Jesus personally, but they knew of Him and were sure that He was able help them see. Unlike Thomas, these two men were not doubting but believing.

Persistent, they shouted and shouted and Jesus paid attention. He stopped. He asked. They answered, “Lord, we want to be able to see.”

Beloved, you may have your sight, but are you able to see? Perhaps you have not seen because you do not truly believe.

These blind men believed and Jesus did not hesitate to grant their request. His response was immediate. Feeling compassion for them, Jesus touched their eyes and gave them their sight. In turn, these two men, now able to see clearly, did not walk away from Jesus but became His followers.

What do you want Jesus to do for you? Have you been crying out to Him without a response? Perhaps He is waiting for you to believe to see.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Believe to See” ©2026 February 15, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confronting Confrontation

 

There are times we have to deal with people and situations face to face. We may not want to, but sometimes we haven’t an alternative.

The church at Corinth was plagued with problems, one of which was their struggle with carnality. And in that struggle, there was much confrontation amongst members. To deal with that situation, Apostle Paul was forced into confronting confrontation.

To prepare for this fight, I believe that Paul must have drawn from his store of spiritual knowledge on how to live from a place of victory. He would have taken possession of his soul and not allow his personal feelings towards the Corinthians, the members themselves or their actions, to dominate the situation at hand.

Confronting confrontation requires sobriety where the mind is clear, emotions are checked, biases pushed aside and prayer to bring the whole sordid affair under subjection to God.

At the end of his letter to the church, Paul wrote,

Therefore I do not run without a definite goal; I do not flail around like one beating the air [just shadow boxing]. But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service]. – 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (AMP)

According to Paul, it is necessary to be razor focused on the task at hand. Distraction is not an option. But how do we get there?

Beloved, in confronting confrontation, it really all boils down to self-control or better yet soul-control; if you allow the body to take control, then eventually everything will end up out of control and that’s not where you want to be when addressing confrontational situations.

As you may already know, self-control is just one of nine elements that make up the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so, before confronting confrontation, look to the Spirit of God and follow His direction rather than the desires and temptations of your body.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Confronting Confrontation” ©2026 February 15, 2026

 

 

Relinquishing Your Power

 

Beloved, when you allow someone else’s wrongful treatment of you to remain a bastion in your life then you are relinquishing your power to that individual.

I am in no way trivializing trauma and abuse which are serious conditions that need to be properly dealt with due to their long-term emotional and psychological effects. Even if it is not deemed as serious as that, living in dysfunction because of another’s actions even after that person is no longer a part of your life is allowing them to have power over you. Don’t give them that power, take it back.

Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church members said,

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (12:10 NIV)

On the surface, For when I am weak, then I am strong seems to make no sense, but Paul was saying that he was not dependent on his own strength, instead when faced with all kinds of troubles that he was incapable of handling, he was in the habit of relinquishing his power to Christ Jesus.

In Psalm 27 verse 1, the psalmist says, The Lord is the stronghold of my life, and you must do the same, recognizing that it is the Lord in whom your power rests. The psalmist, in the same verse, goes on to ask, of whom shall I be afraid?

When the Lord is your strength, you don’t have to live fearfully; you don’t have to settle for unhealthy relationships; you don’t have to suffer all the issues that dysfunction brings.

Place your trust in God at all times, He is the rock of your strength (Psalm 62:7 & 8); rely on Him and in the power of His might (ref. Ephesians 6:10).

It is not an easy road to walk and may not happen overnight, though with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Beloved, relinquishing your power to God does not make you weak, it makes you strong. So, keep trusting in God and in His power and not your own.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Relinquishing Your Power” ©2026 February 14, 2026