“Goodbye Daddy! You can go to be with Jesus now. I love you. See you in heaven.” I was shouting through my tears on the phone. April 30, 2021, was the last time I spoke to my dad on Earth. He had had a massive heart attack. I tried to see him at the hospital, but they wouldn’t let me because of COVID. A few hours later, he slipped into eternity. I found it hard to process my grief while having to go to work and act normal. I wasn’t young, but I felt the sting of losing my daddy. We hadn’t ever been very close emotionally, and I grieved the loss. Over the years since then, I have learned to know and experience God as my Daddy in heaven and to trust him more.

We all go through painful periods in our lives. We have a choice; will we become bitter or better? With God’s help, we can become much better. He wants to make us more like Jesus. God is preparing us for important tasks in His kingdom. Let us praise Jesus with joy that he has counted us worthy to suffer. These trials are a brief blip in view of eternity. Everyone, not only Christians, experiences painful trials in this temporary life. But unlike our unbelieving friends, we have God’s Holy Spirit’s power to draw on.

Bill Bright, the founder of Cru/Power to Change, writes, “If you are experiencing difficulties in your life-physical illness, loss of loved ones, financial adversity- remember … James 1:2-4 [today’s passage]... Be happy, knowing that God will work in your life to accomplish His holy purpose.” (Promises, Day 12, New Life Publications. 1993)

My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. 3 You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. 4 If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.- James 1:2-4 (ERV)

Dear Jesus, I don’t like my trials, but I know from your Word that you are using them in my life. Help me to rejoice in you despite how I feel today.

Throughout this day: Check out this online devotion from Bill Bright. You can subscribe to receive it daily by email. https://www.cru.org/content/cru/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/devotionals/todays-promise/01/08.htmlOr consider buying the book: Promises: A Daily Guide to Supernatural Living by Bill Bright can be found on various sites online.

Originally published March 23, 2026. https://thelife.com/devotionals/trials-bring-joy

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My devotion originally published on March 10th, 2026 / Sheyvah Rex

“You’re not a good Christian because you committed that terrible sin yesterday,” the voice in my head was accusing.

“You confessed it to Me. I have already forgiven you. Walk in my love.”

I had a choice. Would I believe the voice of the enemy bringing me disgrace or the truth of God’s word bringing me forgiveness and joy? Would I hang my head in shame for my actions or rejoice that God forgave me because of Jesus’s blood spilled for my sin?

Although the enemy was attacking my thoughts and emotions, I knew a sure way to combat him. I chose to praise the Lord with my voice. The devil never appreciates hearing about the wonders of God’s love, and so he fled. Like David in today’s Psalm, we can hold our heads high even in the presence of our enemies because God hides us.

Over the years, I have struggled occasionally with feeling down or “blah”. I have learned that when I praise the Lord even when I don’t feel like it, the darkness leaves and my feelings become joyful. Jesus is always worthy of our praise. Worship and praise are powerful weapons against the enemy, bringing joy in hard trials.

Dear Father, please help me to choose to praise you even when I don’t feel like it. Thank you, that you are more powerful than the enemy, and he will run away when I exalt you.

For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.- Psalm 27:5-6 (NLT)

Throughout this day: replace negative thoughts and emotions with praise. Sing along to this song: Victory Chant (Hail Jesus, You’re my King) https://youtu.be/rHTJZYOuHIc?si=EFCagBkLo_ytYdCN

https://thelife.com/devotionals/praising-for-joy

My lovely parents several months before Daddy died in 2021

“Ow!” Dad squealed. My mother attempted to clean up her husband in the small restroom. My father had had dementia for five years and lost control of his bodily functions in the last two years of his life. Stress comes in different forms. Caregiving is not for the faint of heart. Mom displayed her love for Dad not only in words but consistently cared for him even in the messy times. She showed humility and grace, which came from the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus said to love each other as he had loved us, he hadn’t yet gone to the cross and laid down his life for us. He had just finished washing the disciples’ feet. This was a job usually done by slaves. None of the disciples had chosen to wash the others’ feet. They were too busy arguing over which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Jesus showed us all that he is the greatest servant leader.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.- John 13:34-35 (NLT)

The word for love in today’s verse is agape in Greek. This word means unconditional love, not based on feelings. What about us? Do we say we love people? Of course. But then when there is an opportunity to serve that person, do we do it? Willingly? Or do we perform the service grudgingly? Jesus said that showing true love would prove to the unbelievers that we are really following him.

Dear Lord, please help me to show true love practically to those around me.

Throughout this day: consider your relationships. Are you loving family, friends or co-workers unconditionally or only when and how it suits you?

Thanks for watching Perfect King's Imperfect Princess! I'm your host Sheyvah Rex. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and encourage me in my work.

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https://thelife.com/devotionals/true-love-serves Originally published February 23, 2026

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Please leave a comment or send me a message with prayer requests. God is powerful and He loves you very much whether you believe it or not.

“I haven’t seen you in years!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

“Actually, I came to see you last week,” I smiled. “Do you want to go for a car ride to the beach and get a mocha?” An hour later, on our way back, she asked if we could drive by the beach and get a mocha. “We just did!” I reassured her.

Elizabeth had been part of our former church and had babysat our sons. Now she is in the dementia ward of a long-term care home and sees it as a prison. Her prayer request is always: “I pray that God gives me a human male companion so I can live with him and get out of this place. If not, then God please take me to your heavenly home.”

I feel God has given me the assignment of loving and visiting her regularly, especially as she has no family who will visit. Our verse today tells us not to love only with words but with actions. It is easy to say we love someone. It takes God’s help to invest time and money into loving someone with our deeds. Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.- 1 John 3:18

Pray with me: Lord God, please help me to love with my actions, not just my words.

Throughout this day: look for ways to show practical love to those around you. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you all that you need to fulfil his will.

Thank you for reading/watching/listening. I pray that you are drawn closer to our Lord. Please reach out for prayer if you have something for which you’d like me to pray. It is my delight and privilege to pray with and for you. I’m your host Sheyvah Rex and this is episode 50 of Perfect King’s Imperfect Princess! Today I shared my devotion Love in Action and Truth which was originally published February 5, 2026 on the life.com. Link in shownotes. https://thelife.com/devotionals/helpless-against-falling

Please subscribe on Substack at sheyvahrex.substack.com and share this with others. God bless you.

https://thelife.com/devotionals/love-in-action-and-truth

Just one more episode of this delicious show, I told myself one evening. Just one more chapter of this titillating book, I thought the next day.

Little by little, I felt like I was slipping further away from God as my entertainment choices became more risqué.

Have you too lived to satisfy your sinful nature? Our verse for today says that if we do, then we will reap decay and death. But if we live to please the Holy Spirit, we will harvest everlasting life. God knows our hearts. He knows what will truly satisfy our souls. It isn’t entertainment or people or things. Our hearts will be restless until they find their rest in our loving Father above. That is a paraphrase of “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.” Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

Let us press on to know the Lord through his Word and his Spirit. Let us make the right choice to stand on his side and fight the good fight of faith.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.- Gal.6:7-8 NLT

Dear Father, I’m sorry for all the time I have wasted on ungodly entertainment. I could have spent it getting to know you better. Please help me to spend time with you in the Bible each day. Teach me what I need to know. Thank you.

Throughout this day: ask a friend to keep you accountable to read a chunk of the Bible every day. Share with each other what Jesus has been telling you through his Word.

https://thelife.com/devotionals/harvest-life (Jan. 16, 2026)

That’s it for today. You’ve been listening to Perfect King’s Imperfect Princess and I’m your host Sheyvah Rex. Harvest Life is episode 49 of devotions to make you think and help you become more like Jesus as you travel this life with Him. Please

subscribe at sheyvahrex.Substack.com or at sheyvahrex.com and let me know what you think. What helps you to get closer to God after feeding your old sinful nature? God bless you.

It seemed beautiful and thrilling but also dangerous and terrifying.

The first kiss was full of mystery and promise, but I began weeping. While dating as a young adult, I made wrong choices regarding physical boundaries in a relationship. God is faithful, and he forgave me. In a new relationship, I had to ask him for help daily to choose the righteous way.

Sometimes we think we are strong in a certain area, but we are one weak moment away from disaster. We are helpless, whether we admit it or not. Jesus wants us to come to him for help in every situation. Ole Hallesby wrote, in his classic book Prayer, “Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only he who is helpless can truly pray. Your helplessness is your best prayer.“

You are a unique person, but your temptations are the same as what others have experienced for thousands of years. We don’t start out as wise people, but God is more than willing to give us wisdom. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. (James 1:5 NLT)

I have made bad choices, but they have taught me hard-earned lessons from the Holy Spirit to start making better ones.

Dear Lord, I have so many areas where I could sin against you. I am helpless without you. Please help me to lean on you and take the way of escape you give me when I am tempted to do wrong.

Throughout this Day: Write out today’s verses on a card, read them aloud slowly and think about how you can put them into practice with God’s help. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.- 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)

Thank you for reading/watching/listening. I pray that you are drawn closer to our Lord. Please reach out for prayer if you have something for which you’d like me to pray. I lead two online weekly prayer meetings for my church and pray with people after church service. It is my delight and privilege to pray with and for you. I’m your host Sheyvah Rex and this is episode 48 of Perfect King’s Imperfect Princess. I shared my devotion which was originally published January 5, 2026 on the life.com. https://thelife.com/devotionals/helpless-against-falling

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“... fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty! Ready or not, here I come!” my son’s voice echoes through our dark house.

“Aha! I found you!”

At long last after a fruitless search, the last child appears. “Where were you? I looked everywhere,” the seeker says.

It is delightful to play hide and seek with children who have a joyful anticipation of where they might find people. Or to play with others who hope that you won’t find them.It might seem to you that Christ is hiding. He is not, although at present we can’t see him with our physical eyes because he is in heaven. But his Holy Spirit lives in us. We need to seek him spiritually, while anticipating the day we will see him in his resurrected body with our physical eyes.

Some people believe that when this life ends, there will be nothing and no one in existence. This gives them no motivation for avoiding sin. No motivation to please anyone but themselves.

I am already God’s little girl, although I still don’t know what I’ll look like when I see Jesus one day. But the wonderful, blessed truth is that I do know because God’s word tells me I will be exactly like him. No ugly sin will mar my face or actions. I’ll be holy and perfect just like Jesus. This outstanding future reality motivates me to obey my Father in heaven and to keep myself from intentionally displeasing him.

Lord, thank you that because of Jesus I’m your approved and adopted child. I’m growing into the family likeness, but when I am with you someday soon, you will absolutely transform me to look exactly like you.

Throughout this Day: Read today’s verse again.

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.- 1 John 3:2-3 NLT

Ask God to reveal areas or sins in your life which need to be confessed and purified. Receive his forgiveness because Jesus shed his blood for you. Read 1 John 1:9.But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. NLT

That’s it for today. You’ve been listening to Perfect King’s Imperfect Princess and I’m your host Sheyvah Rex. Hide and Seek, Ready or Not, Here I Come is episode 47 of devotions to make you think and help you become more like Jesus as you travel this life with Him. Please subscribe at sheyvahrex.com or sheyvahrex.Substack.com and let me know what you think.

Originally published on TheLife.com Dec. 22,2025 https://thelife.com/devotionals/hide-and-seek

Thanks for reading Perfect King's Imperfect Princess! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Originally published on The Life.com December 4th, 2025 / Sheyvah Rex

And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s son from heaven- Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.- 1 Thess. 1:10 NLT

Some ask, “Are you ready for Christmas?”

They mean, “Have you bought all the gifts and food? Have you decorated your house?”

Celebrating Christmas was not meant to burden and stress people.

I’m looking forward to celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Are you?

Today’s verse encourages us to also look forward to Jesus coming back again to earth.

We who trust in Jesus for salvation, don’t have to dread his return. But the people who are still rebelling against him then will certainly have reason to fear. The coming judgment will be terrifying to them, because they will be sentenced and punished for not following the King of the universe.

So, I’m looking forward to Jesus’ return. It will be far more glorious than celebrating Christmas to see him face to face. He will be in charge, and God will punish the prince of this world forever.

Father God raised Christ, and he will raise us up to be with him forever. We will be forgiven and radiant in his presence. Praise the Lord!

Lord God, thank you for saving me and rescuing me from fear of judgement. Thank you for giving me peace instead of dread. Please give me courage to share this fantastic news with others so they can be with you forever too.

Throughout this day: Consciously and verbally give Father God all your worries and fears. Receive his forgiveness and peace.

https://thelife.com/devotionals/peace-instead-of-terror

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