Faith In The City

You Can't Earn This. And That's the Best News You'll Hear Today.

by Tanya Terrell Sampong on May 19 2026

Somewhere along the way, most of us got handed an invisible checklist for God’s love. Go to church. Read your Bible. Be a good person. Try harder. Do better. Then maybe — maybe — you qualify.Ephesians 2:8-9 showed up in my journal this morning and just wrecked me in the best way.“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” NLT.There is no checklist.Come As You Are isn’t just a feel-good phrase. It’s the actual doctrine. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. You don’t have to earn your way in. Salvation is a gift — not a transaction, not an achievement, not something you maintain through perfect behavior.And here’s what stopped me about this passage: it says none of us can boast. Not the deacon. Not the person with the most scripture memorized. Not the one who’s been saved since childhood. None of us. Because none of us earned this. We were all equally in need of rescue.That levels the playing field in a way that should make us more gracious with each other, not less.The devotional went deeper into Ephesians and I was honestly surprised by how packed that book is. Practical guidance on marriage, parenting, money, prayer, spiritual warfare — all of it. And woven through everything is this identity message: we are wanted, chosen, redeemed, adopted, forgiven, restored.That’s not who we’re trying to become. That’s who we already are in Christ.And because of that, Ephesians says, we should be doing good works. Not to earn love. Not to prove ourselves worthy. But as a natural overflow of who we are.An overflow means it’s coming from something already full. You can’t pour from empty. But when you’re genuinely rooted in your identity in Christ, the good you do in the world stops being effort and starts being expression.The part that made me completely stop? God chose to reveal Himself to us. He initiated this. He saw us when we were lost and hopeless — unable to save ourselves, unable to be the solution to our own problems — and He still came after us.He invites us to join the greatest story on earth.Are you in? I am all in.Peace, Love and Joy always — Infinite Faith and Favor | InfiniteFaithandFavor.com

Faith In The City

What If God Was Protecting You Even When You Were Doing Everything Wrong?

by Tanya Terrell Sampong on May 12 2026

I want to start this the way every honest conversation should start: with the truth.I made a lot of bad choices in college. I do not mean minor stuff. I mean the kind of choices that, when I look back now, I have no logical explanation for how I walked out of them okay. And for a long time I would think about those years with a mix of embarrassment and confusion — embarrassed that I went there, confused about how I survived it.Then I hit Psalm 18:30 this morning. It caught me completely off guard."God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection." — Psalm 18:30 NLTHonest moment: I had never really sat with this one before. And the line that stopped me was not the one you would expect. It was not "His way is perfect." It was "He is a shield for ALL who look to him."All. Not the ones who had it together. Not the ones who made smart choices. Not the ones who were already in church every Sunday. All.When Protection Does Not Look Like You Think It ShouldHere is what came up for me immediately: college. The number of situations I walked into that I had no business being in. The danger I created for myself through choices that did not reflect any wisdom I currently have. And yet — I came out.Then I thought about the harder stuff. I have talked about surviving suicidal thoughts. I have talked about sexual assault. Those are not things I brought on myself through bad decisions. Those are things that happened to me, that could have broken me permanently, and I am still here. Still building. Still writing this.And then there is the stuff I do not even know about. The car that did not hit me. The situation that never escalated. The person who changed their mind at the last second. The danger God deflected before it ever got close enough for me to see it coming.He protects my home. He protects my son Jordan. He has been doing it even when I was not paying attention.The Thing About PerfectThe phrase "God's way is perfect" could be intimidating if you read it the wrong way. Like — if His way is perfect, and I am clearly not following it properly, what does that mean for me?Here is what I actually heard this morning: God's way being perfect does not put that pressure on you. His perfection is not a measuring stick for your behavior. It is a description of His nature. He does not operate in error. He does not miss things. His protection does not have blind spots.That means when He says He is a shield for all who look to Him — He means it. There is no fine print about only qualifying if you have been good enough. You just have to look to Him.I needed that this morning. I need it most mornings.His Promises Are True — Even the Ones You Have Not Claimed Yet"All the Lord's promises prove true." I have been walking with God for a while now and I am still running into scriptures that feel brand new. This was one of them.It hit me that I have been living in the results of promises I did not even know to ask for. Protection I did not think to pray about. Favor I did not see coming. And if that has been true without me knowing — imagine what is available when I actually stay in alignment with Him on purpose, every day, intentionally.That is the practice. That is the invitation. Not perfection. Just proximity.What Do You Do With This?Take a few minutes today — not a formal prayer if that is not where you are — just a moment to think about the ways God has protected you. The obvious ones and the invisible ones. The ones you asked for and the ones you did not know you needed.Then let yourself feel the gratitude. Not the forced kind. The real kind that shows up when you actually count it up.God is not keeping score on your mistakes. He is keeping watch over your life. That is the deal. And He has been honoring it longer than you have been aware of it.I do not know what you are carrying today. But I know this: the same God who protected me through the worst of my own choices and the worst things done to me — that same God is a shield for you.Look to Him. That is the only requirement.Peace, Love and Joy always — Infinite Faith and Favor | InfiniteFaithandFavor.com

Faith In The City

What If God Has Been Protecting You From Dangers You Never Even Saw Coming?

by Tanya Terrell Sampong on May 12 2026

I sat down with my journal this morning and landed on Psalm 18:30: "God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection." (NLT)My first thought was: I've never read this before.That happens to me more than I'll admit. I've been in and around church my whole life, and there are still scriptures that show up and feel completely new. This one hit like that. And then the prompt asked me to think about the ways God has protected me and take a moment to praise Him.So I started writing. And here is what came out.I went back to college.College me was reckless — actually reckless. I put myself in situations I look back at now and genuinely cannot believe I walked out of. I was young, I thought nothing could touch me, and I was not close to God the way I am now. Not even close.And yet. I'm here.I kept writing, and more came. I've been through suicidal thoughts. I've survived sexual assault. Heavy things. Real things. I don't always talk about them out loud, but they happened, and I lived. I've been through seasons that should have broken me, and I'm sitting here on a Tuesday morning doing a Bible study journal.My son is healthy. My home is standing. I have never been robbed, never been carjacked. And while those might sound like small things, they are not small. They are evidence of a God who shows up in the everyday — not just in the dramatic testimonies we hear on Sunday morning.But here's what the verse unlocked that I wasn't expecting:God's way being perfect does not mean my life has been perfect.I have spent so much energy trying to be enough. Good enough, consistent enough, spiritually mature enough. And this verse quietly reminded me — His perfection doesn't depend on mine. His way is perfect. My way has taken some serious detours. But His? Flawless. Even in the middle of all of mine.And then this: "He is a shield for all who look to him for protection."All. Not the people who have it figured out. Not the people making all the right choices. Not the people with a clean record. All.That means the version of me in college making every wrong decision still qualified. That means the version of me at my lowest point still qualified. That means you, right now, with everything you're carrying — you qualify.Here's what I've come to understand about protection: most of it is invisible. We only see what we survived. We never see what God blocked before it even reached us. We get frustrated at doors that closed, paths that didn't work out, people who left. But sometimes — a lot of times — those were shields. God keeping something dangerous away from us before it could even reach our front door.I spent years frustrated at things that didn't work out. Looking back, those were shields. Every single one.I don't know where you are today. Maybe you're in the middle of something hard and feel completely unprotected. Maybe you're looking at your past and feeling like your choices disqualified you from His covering. Maybe you've never stopped to count what He's kept from you.Stop and count.The bad things that happened are real. But so are the bad things that didn't. Both are evidence that God has been on post. He hasn't moved. He hasn't stopped. He's not keeping score of your failures — He is keeping you.Praise Him today. Not because everything has been perfect. Because He has.Peace, Love and Joy always — Infinite Faith and Favor | InfiniteFaithandFavor.com

Faith In The City

What If Your Hustle Has Nothing to Do With It?

by Tanya Terrell Sampong on May 11 2026

I'm going to be straight with you about something I read this morning.1 Corinthians 3:7: "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow."I have read a lot of Bible verses. I do not know that I have ever seen this one before today. And when it landed in front of me, I sat with it for a minute — because it quietly dismantled something I have been carrying.Here is what hit me. We talk a lot — especially in entrepreneur and achievement circles — about the grind. Hustle harder. Work smarter. Optimize everything. Think outside the box. Be proactive. Build systems. Show up consistently. And none of that is wrong, exactly. But this verse says something that stops all of it cold: none of that is what actually makes things grow. Only God does that.I know this from personal experience.There was a season where I was grinding to build a business. Strategy on top of strategy. Action plan after action plan. And God was not in the room. I had not invited Him. I was doing it my way, with my hands, on my timeline.And He said to me — clearly, not dramatically — if I'm not in it, then how can it be?That sentence stopped me. And then later He said something else: it's not going to happen until I'm ready for it to happen.Two sentences. Two conversations. And I have not been the same since.That is why The Kharis Company is built on grace, not grind. Not as a brand line. As truth. As the literal way I had to learn to work and build and show up. God is the one who makes things grow. My job is to be faithful — to plant, to water — and then to get out of His way and trust that He will do what only He can do.There is something so freeing about that once you actually receive it. You do not have to force the harvest. You were never supposed to.The second thing that came up in my reading this morning is this: it is every Christian's job — not just pastors, not just preachers — to share the good news. The devotional I read was called "The Call of Every Christian" and it was direct. God wants to use us. He wants us to share His message. That is our responsibility.I had to sit with that because honestly, I do not know that I fully understood it before. I knew about testimony. I have given some. But there is something different about understanding that the Holy Spirit is the one who actually makes the seed grow in someone else. You say something, you share something — and it is the Holy Spirit that makes it take root. You just have to be willing to open your mouth and trust Him with the rest.The YouVersion app has been doing this work in me every single day, for free. A verse, a devotional, a reminder to step out in faith. It has been one of the main reasons my faith has grown the way it has. God used a free app to do His work in me. That is grace.So here is what I want to leave with you today.You can do every right thing — the strategy, the consistency, the execution — and if God is not in it, it will not happen on your timeline. And that is not a threat. That is the most freeing thing I have ever sat with. Because it means you were never supposed to carry it all. Your job is not to force the harvest. Your job is to plant, to water, to be faithful, to invite Him in — and then to watch what only He can do.He has got it. Let Him have it.Peace, Love and Joy always — Infinite Faith and Favor | InfiniteFaithandFavor.com

Faith In The City

What If Your Hustle Is Getting in the Way of What God Is Actually Building?

by Tanya Terrell Sampong on May 11 2026

There's a verse I ran across this morning that I had never seen before, or at least one I never noticed. 1 Corinthians 3:7: "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow." I sat with that for a minute. Because I have spent years doing the most. Strategizing. Optimizing. Networking. Hustling. Creating systems and content plans and launch strategies. And I'm not saying any of that is wrong. God gave me the brain I have and I intend to use it. But this verse hit me different because it made me realize: all of that effort, as smart and intentional as it is, is still nothing if God isn't the one making it grow. That landed hard. I remember a season when I was trying to build a business and I was going at it full speed with God on the sideline. Not intentionally, but I was the one at the wheel and I was just asking Him to bless the route I had already mapped out. And He stopped me. He said it to me in that way He does when you know it was Him: "If I'm not in it, how can it be?" And then another time: "It's not going to happen until I'm ready for it to happen." Those two conversations changed my life. That's why The Kharis Company is built on grace, not grind. That's not just a tagline. It's a testimony. I built it out of something He said to me. The name Kharis literally means grace in Greek, the language of the New Testament. And grace is the foundation because I learned the hard way that grind without God is just exhaustion wearing a work ethic costume. And here's what the devotional added this morning: it's not just about our businesses or our plans. It's about our purpose. Every Christian is called to be an evangelist, someone who shares the good news of who God is and what He's done. Not a preacher on a corner necessarily, but someone who opens their mouth and lives in a way that makes people want to know what they know. That used to feel scary to me. I would keep my faith kind of private. Personal. Mine. But the truth is that is not what God had in mind. He wants to use us. He wants to grow things through us, through our words, our presence, our willingness to just say "hey, let me tell you what God did." The beautiful part is this: our job is to plant the seed and water it. His job is to make it grow. We don't have to manufacture the outcome. We don't have to perform a conversion. We just have to show up, be faithful, and trust that God does what only God can do. That takes so much pressure off. If you're building something, a business, a family, a creative vision, a ministry, and you've been carrying the full weight of making it work, I want you to hear this today: you are not the one who makes things grow. God is. Your job is to plant in faith and water with consistency. His job is the harvest. Do the work. Do it well. And then release the outcome to the One who actually holds it. Peace, Love and Joy always. Infinite Faith and Favor | InfiniteFaithandFavor.com

Faith In The City

What Does It Mean to Follow God Today?

by TANYA TERRELL on May 03 2026

Following God sounds simple until you're not living in the actual first century. So what does it look like now? This is where I landed after sitting with John 12:26 this morning.

Faith In The City

The Devil Should Be Scared of You. Here Is Why.

by TANYA TERRELL on Apr 17 2026

I read 1 Peter 5:8 this morning and had a reaction I did not expect. The lion does not attack the strongest target. It stalks. It waits. It looks for whoever is distracted and isolated. That tells you something important about the enemy's limitations. And about yours.

Faith In The City

What Does Living Water Mean in the Bible? (And Why It Changed Everything for Me)

by TANYA TERRELL on Mar 25 2026

I have been in relationships where I was giving 100 and getting 20 back. I have been ghosted. I have been lied to. I have been left when things got hard. And then I got into the best relationship of my life. No ghosting. No lies. Loved more than I love back. Seen in a way nobody has ever seen me. The peace I carry right now is unexpected, unwavering, unconditional, and unexplainable. And I could not manufacture it if I tried. If you have never felt truly loved by someone who is not going anywhere, I want you to know that is available to you. Come as you are. Seriously.

Faith In The City

When You're Tired of It All, There's Still One Place to Go

by TANYA TERRELL on Mar 23 2026

A lot of us are walking around tired right now, and nobody is really saying it out loud. Tired of turning on the news and feeling like the world is unraveling. Tired of dealing with personal challenges that nobody else can see. Tired of trying to hold it together when everything around you feels unstable. Tired of pretending you are fine when you are not. If that is you today, I need you to keep reading. This morning I opened the YouVersion app and found a prayer that stopped me in my tracks. Not because it was fancy or poetic. Because it was honest. It said exactly what I had been feeling but had not put into words yet. Here it is: "God, I truly want your presence to overwhelm me right now. I feel tired and worn out by the news, personal challenges, and everything happening in this world. I release my problems to you and embrace your peace. Fill my thirsty soul, and satisfy me like only you can. In Jesus name, amen." Amen indeed. I prayed it and meant every word. Here is what I want you to understand. I am not sharing this as someone who has it figured out. I am sharing it as someone who has been in the kind of tired this prayer describes. The deep tired. The kind that sleep does not fix. The kind that comes from carrying things you were never meant to carry alone. And I can tell you from actual experience, not from a sermon, not from a quote I read somewhere, the only thing that has ever truly helped is this: God's presence. Not a distraction. Not staying busy. Not scrolling until you feel numb. His presence. That is not a church answer. That is a real answer from someone who has tested every other option and came back to Him. The prayer says "fill my thirsty soul." That line hit me because thirst is physical. It is urgent. It is not poetic. When you are thirsty, you need something real. And that is exactly what God is. He is not an idea or a feeling you chase. He is the only thing that actually satisfies when everything else has run dry. So wherever you are reading this, whatever you are carrying right now, this prayer is for you too. You do not have to clean yourself up first. You do not have to have the right words. You do not have to feel spiritual or ready or worthy. That is the whole point of coming as you are. Just pray it. Mean it. He hears you. And if you are not sure He is even listening, start there. Tell Him that too. He can handle your doubt. He just wants you to show up. Come as you are. Every single time. Scripture anchor: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 Reflection question to close: What are you carrying today that you have not handed over yet? What would it feel like to actually let it go?

Faith In The City

I Don't Want God to Show Up Sometimes. I Want Him All Day.

by TANYA TERRELL on Mar 23 2026

I Don't Want God to Show Up Sometimes. I Want Him All Day. I think a lot of us stay stuck in the "fix this" stage with God. We come to Him when we need something handled. And that is fine, that is where a lot of us start. But there is a next level to this relationship, and it looks like wanting Him more than you want the answer.

Faith In The City

Living From Victory: A Reflection on 1 John 4:4

by TANYA TERRELL on Mar 18 2026

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NIV) When I opened this verse today, I already knew where it was headed and joy rose up in me before I even finished reading it. This is one of those Scriptures that doesn’t just speak to you; it speaks for you. It reminds you of something your spirit already knows: the victory is already won! That means whatever battle we walk into, emotional, spiritual, relational, mental, we enter it from a place of strength, not fear. We enter empowered, encouraged, confident, and joyful because God has already fought and won the fight on our behalf. If the victory is settled, what exactly are we afraid of? As I continued reading the devotional, I appreciated the reminder that this verse doesn’t promise everything will go our way. We will still face trouble, heartache, overwhelm, and spiritual resistance. Even victories come with their own crises. But the presence of trouble doesn’t mean the absence of God. It means the battle is real but so is our advantage. The enemy will always try to steal, kill, destroy, distract, divide, confuse, and discourage. But he cannot take what we do not give. Jesus taught that if someone takes your shirt, offer your jacket (or vice versa). Joel Osteen often says, “They can take the parking spot, but they can’t take my joy.” That’s the posture I’m choosing. Lately, when trouble comes, my responses have been simple: “Everything happens for a reason.” “God is in control.” “I’m turning this over to You, God.” Then I smile, inside first, then outward, and move forward. Because once I hand it to God, it’s no longer my burden. I want to stay in joy. I want to stay in peace. And I’m not giving either one away. The devotional title today was “Someone Greater.” It reminded me that there is a physical and spiritual battle happening around us, but I am not fighting alone. The Holy Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit fights for me. The fact that Heaven considers me worth fighting for humbles me deeply. Our real enemy is not each other. It’s not people. It’s not inconvenience. It’s not emotions. It’s not circumstances. Our real enemy is the kingdom of darkness. And the kingdom of darkness cannot prevail against the God who lives within us. So today, I’m choosing gratitude. I’m choosing confidence. I’m choosing joy. I’m choosing to live from victory, not toward it. Because the One who lives in me is greater than anything in this world.

Faith In The City

He keeps advocating for us

by TANYA TERRELL on Feb 27 2026

When I read that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us, it stops me in my tracks. He didn’t just give His life for us once, He keeps giving. He left glory to live like us, walk with us, be disrespected by us, and die for us knowing we wouldn’t deserve it and wouldn’t appreciate it. And even after all of that, He still chooses to advocate for us every single day. That kind of love is beyond anything we can comprehend. He is worthy of all honor and all praise at all times.

Faith In The City

Would I Have Gone Back to Egypt?

by TANYA TERRELL on Feb 24 2026

Reflection: I’ve been reading the book of Numbers, and I learned that the Hebrew title actually means “In the Wilderness.” That already feels more accurate, because the wilderness is where everything gets exposed fear, faith, frustration, and trust. But as I’m reading, I keep finding myself judging the Israelites. How could God free them from slavery, perform miracle after miracle, and yet the moment things get uncomfortable, they want to go back? How could bondage feel safer than freedom? Then I had to stop and ask myself: Am I really any different? Was the wilderness actually harder than Egypt? Or was it just unfamiliar? Was it one of those “better the devil I know than the one I don’t” situations? And if I’m honest, have I ever done the same thing in my own life? Have I ever chosen the familiar struggle over the unfamiliar freedom? That question hit me harder than I expected. I started wondering if God ever looks at me the way I’ve been looking at the Israelites. Like, “Girl, why would you go back to that? Why would you choose the thing I freed you from?” Not in a judgmental way but in a loving, “I want better for you” way. And then I thought about Moses. Poor Moses. He dealt with so much, carried so much, and one moment of frustration, hitting the rock instead of speaking to it, cost him entry into the Promised Land. That scared me a little. It made me wonder: Am I dishonoring God without realizing it? Could one mistake knock me off my purpose? Will God still let me finish what He created me to do? But then I remembered: Moses did complete his purpose. His assignment was to lead the people out of Egypt and toward the promise and he did that. God even let him see the land, which feels like grace to me. So maybe the point isn’t “one mistake and you’re done.” Maybe the point is: God takes His character seriously, but He also takes His mercy seriously. My Questions: As I’m reading, I’m asking myself: Would I have been one of the ones who wanted to go back? Would I have trusted God in the wilderness? Would I have been Joshua or Caleb, the ones who believed God even when everyone else didn’t? I want to believe I’d be one of the two. I’m generally positive, hopeful, and faith‑leaning. But I also know myself. I get nervous. I overthink. I don’t always make the best decisions. And I don’t want fear to ever put me on the wrong side of what God is doing. What I’m Learning: The wilderness isn’t about punishment. It’s about preparation. It’s where God teaches you to trust Him in new ways. It’s where He breaks old mindsets and builds new ones. It’s where He shows you who He is and who you are becoming. And maybe the real question isn’t, “Would I have gone back to Egypt?” but “Will I trust God with the unknown parts of my journey today?” Because right now, I feel joy. I feel open doors. I feel peace. I feel God. And I can’t imagine ever wanting to go back to the old version of me. I’m learning that the temptation to return doesn’t always look like wanting your old life back. Sometimes it looks like choosing comfort over calling. Control over trust. Familiarity over faith. And I don’t want that to be my story. I want to walk like Joshua and Caleb, not because they were fearless, but because they remembered who God was. And that’s the kind of faith I’m choosing to build.

Faith In The City

Worshiping in the Spirit...What does that mean?

by TANYA TERRELL on Feb 21 2026

I used to believe “worship in spirit” required a level of spirituality I didn’t have — tongues, deep church culture, or some kind of performance. That belief made worship feel intimidating and complicated. Today I realized that worship in spirit is not about performance but posture. It’s honesty, openness, and alignment. That old belief was the blockage. The truth is the breakthrough.

##ComeAsYouAre

Faith In The City

The Most Unfair Trade I Gladly Accept Daily

by TANYA TERRELL on Feb 18 2026

God really has the wildest exchange policy: He takes my worries and hands me peace like it’s nothing. No fees, no stress, no “terms and conditions.” Just a daily reminder that His peace hits different and I’m not giving it back.

Faith In The City

The Day I Realized the Holy Spirit Has Been Doing More Than I Thought

by TANYA TERRELL on Feb 18 2026

I’m learning about the Holy Spirit in real time, and today something finally clicked for me.If you’ve ever felt unsure about His role in your life, this reflection might help.

Faith In The City

The Strength of God in Us

by TANYA TERRELL on Feb 02 2026

A personal reflection on 2 Corinthians 12:10 and how God meets us in weakness. I share what this scripture stirred in me and what it taught me about strength, dependence, and the way God works through our hardest moments.

Faith In The City

God First, The World Later: My Morning Must

by TANYA TERRELL on May 19 2025

Peace before pressure is the move. Before emails, I start with God first every morning. Here’s how I set my tone for the day before the world even gets a chance.