What does it really mean to “walk in victory”?

In this Ramblecast episode, I reflect on how we often misunderstand victory in the Christian life by projecting our own ideas of comfort, ease, and emotional relief onto it. Using the cross as the lens, I challenge the popular notion that victory always looks like a comeback, a breakthrough, or a sudden change in circumstances.

Jesus was never losing. Even in betrayal, suffering, silence, and death, He was walking in perfect obedience and unbroken trust in the Father. That wasn’t defeat—it was the plan.

This episode is an honest, unscripted musing on the victory of the cross, what Jesus actually endured, and how that reshapes the way we understand faithfulness, endurance, suffering, and perseverance today.

Victory isn’t always about feeling better or seeing things change.

Sometimes it’s simply not letting go of the Father while you keep walking forward by grace.

Raw. Reflective. Grounded in the cross.
Something to think about.

“Judge not” is one of the most quoted—and most misunderstood—verses in the Bible. In this verse-by-verse teaching through Matthew 7:1–6, we slow down and let Jesus say what He actually means.

This passage is not a ban on discernment, correction, or truth. Instead, Jesus exposes self-righteous, hypocritical judgment—the kind that forgets our own need for mercy while holding others to a standard we don’t meet ourselves.

As we walk through the broader context of the Sermon on the Mount, we see how this teaching flows directly from “Blessed are the merciful” and how Jesus uses vivid (and intentionally humorous) imagery to reveal the danger of spiritual pride. We also explore why mercy and correction are not opposites, why love sometimes requires hard truth, and why discernment must be guided by humility and the Spirit.

Finally, we wrestle with Jesus’ warning about pearls and pigs—why wisdom is required not just in what we say, but when and to whom we say it.

This teaching challenges us to remove the plank from our own eye, walk in gratitude for the mercy we’ve received, and help others with truth, gentleness, and love—without compromising the gospel or weaponizing it.

We take a closer look at a vivid and often misunderstood image in Isaiah 51:9: “Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?”

What exactly is this “dragon”? Is Isaiah talking about Satan, a mythological creature, or something else entirely?

Rather than jumping to assumptions, this episode walks carefully through the text in its biblical, historical, and literary context. We examine the titles used in the passage—the Arm of the Lord, Rahab, and the dragon—and trace how Scripture itself defines them. By comparing Isaiah with other Old Testament passages, including Ezekiel, we uncover how prophetic language, pagan symbolism, and real historical events intersect.

This episode emphasizes an important principle of biblical interpretation: letting Scripture interpret Scripture, and allowing context to guide meaning—while still acknowledging how Old Testament imagery can point forward in secondary ways without abandoning its original intent.

If you’ve ever wondered how to approach symbolic language in the Bible without forcing meanings onto the text, this episode will help you think more clearly and biblically.

How could Jacob spend his wedding night with the wrong woman and not realize it until morning?

In this Q&A episode of the Unshackled Life Podcast, we take a closer look at a puzzling moment in Genesis. Rather than forcing modern assumptions onto the story, this episode approaches the text on its own terms—considering cultural context, narrative purpose, and the larger flow of Scripture.

Genesis doesn’t dwell on the mechanics of the deception, and that omission is purposeful.

This episode was sparked by the remembrance of Jesus’ baptism on the liturgical calendar—but it quickly turned into a reflection on something deeper: calling, brokenness, and grace.

As I’ve been thinking about the baptism of Jesus, my focus hasn’t been on Jesus in the water, but on John standing there. Jesus later called John the greatest prophet—greater than Moses, greater than Elijah—yet when Jesus came to him, John’s response was immediate resistance. “I’m not worthy. You don’t need this. I’m the one who’s broken.”

And God’s response wasn’t to disqualify him—or tell him to fix himself first.

In this unscripted Ramblecast, we reflect on what it means that a broken man baptized the unbroken One who came to be broken for all of us. If you’ve ever felt the call of God and immediately thought, “I can’t do this. I’m not qualified,” this episode is for you.

Jesus didn’t come for the healed. He didn’t wait for us to get it together. He was broken on our behalf so that He could heal what’s broken in us—and use us to bring His grace into the lives of others.

In this Q&A episode of the Unshackled Life Podcast, we take a close look at a question from Genesis 12.

When Pharaoh confronts Abram after a series of plagues, he seems to know two things:

that the plagues were supernatural, and that Sarai was Abram’s wife.

But how did he know?

Did Pharaoh recognize Yahweh?

Was this punishment—or something else entirely?

Rather than rushing to conclusions, we slow down, expand the context, and examine what the text actually says—and just as importantly, what it doesn’t say. Along the way, we explore ancient Near Eastern views of marriage, divine justice, and how God intervenes even when His people act in fear instead of faith.

This episode is a reminder that careful Bible reading matters, that context is essential, and that God remains faithful—even when His servants stumble.

In this episode, I ramble through the story of Jacob and Esau, wrestling with bitterness, resentment, blame, and how a distorted worldview can take real truth and twist it into darkness. Using Genesis 25–27 alongside Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 about the “bad eye,” I reflect on how resentment doesn’t just affect how we feel—it reshapes how we remember, interpret, and assign guilt.

What happens when bitterness rewrites history?

And what do we make of Esau’s later forgiveness?

This episode’s an honest, open-ended musing about truth filtered through broken hearts, the dangers of resentment, and a question that lingers beyond the text:

Can someone forgive like that without knowing the forgiving God?

If you enjoy thoughtful wrestling, biblical reflection, and questions that don’t come with tidy answers, this Ramblecast is for you.

When Jesus says, “Do not be anxious,” He isn’t offering a slogan or denying real needs. He’s pointing to something deeper—something that shapes how we face lack, pressure, and uncertainty in everyday life.

In this verse-by-verse teaching through Matthew 6:25–34, we step back and look at what Jesus is actually addressing beneath our worry. This passage isn’t just about anxiety; it’s about sufficiency, allegiance, and where we turn when tomorrow feels uncertain.

Jesus contrasts a life driven by fear of lack with a life rooted in the Kingdom—where trust, peace, and contentment flow from relationship with God rather than control over circumstances. Along the way, we explore how Scripture speaks honestly about anxiety without turning it into shame, and how God’s care reframes what we really need.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between faith and fear, responsibility and trust, this passage reminds us that life is more than food and clothing—and that seeking the Kingdom changes how we carry every need.