Life After Death

By Kristi Louis

“Behold the NEW” was the last thing that I wrote on the website back in early Spring of this year. Shortly after I penned that article, I felt the weight of the words of the Lord commanding me  to turn the page and begin afresh after a year of pain, challenge and difficulty, I lost my beloved father to a grueling battle with Alzheimer's. Though he had been declining significantly since a stroke in August of 2023, he began to show signs of nearing the end of his life during Holy Week this year. I lost him in late April after years of contending for the Lord to miraculously heal him. Healing didn’t come, and I watched him deteriorate ever so slowly. Death is heartbreaking particularly when you know the One who defeated it and with the touch of His hand or breath of His mouth could instantaneously bring healing and resurrection. It is a much longer story that I am currently writing, but suffice to say the loss and pain of 2024 stretched into 2025, even after the Lord spoke those words, “Behold the NEW.” 

I had a friend tell me just the other day, “Ya know, the new day actually starts at midnight, but it’s still dark.” That actually encouraged me greatly. Sometimes “NEW” is a process. Though the day may change in a moment, the light coming forth and dawn breaking doesn’t happen immediately. Hopefully that encourages some of you that are convinced that you’re walking into a new day and yet, it still feels dark around you. I want to make this emphatic statement “Dawn is upon us.” 

“Death is a door,” is what the Lord whispered to me during Holy Week actually before I even knew that my dad was nearing the end. Jesus, the One, who conquered death has truly removed the sting of it. It is no longer an end. It’s actually the beginning. The cross is not the way out of pain, difficulty, or sorrow. It is actually the only way through it. In the New Covenant, death precedes life. If the Son of Man walked through death, we also will…straight to the other side. First death, then resurrection. There is so much more to be said on this topic, but here’s the point. If you want resurrection life, death is the only door. 

As soon as my dad passed through the door of death on this side, he was greeted warmly  by the resurrected King on the other side, and though I didn’t see the healing I wanted on this side, I rejoice greatly that for my dad, the sting of death is no more. 

So, death has been exceedingly personal for me in this season, but I also want to shed light on a recent tragedy that struck our nation, and that is the untimely, horrific death of Charlie Kirk. Much has been said in recent weeks about what happened on September 10, 2025. I have pondered. I have cried. I have prayed. 

First of all, I want to say this, what is “News” or a public tragedy to us is a very personal, very heartwrenching loss to those that actually knew him. I want to take a moment to ask you to pray with me this simple prayer, “Holy Spirit, you are the God of all comfort, and we ask in the Name of Jesus, that you would bring very real comfort, life, and hope to Erika Kirk, her children and their family and close friends. In the pain of loss, keep the devil far, and send ministering angels to them in Jesus Name. Amen.”

As I have prayed, I cannot help but hold before the Lord the same phrase and hope that He gave me back in April, “Death is a door.” 

The story of Stephen in Acts 7 comes rushing to my mind. Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit, preached perhaps one of the greatest sermons of all time, only to be stoned to death. But, this man, with eyes lifted towards Heaven saw the Son of Man standing in glory and then with his final breath didn’t breathe out anger or vitriol. No, he cried out the words of Jesus, “Father, forgive them,  they don’t know what they are doing.” To this man, death was the doorway into a better resurrection. And if we look a bit further in the text,  I believe we see Stephen’s death and forgiveness becomes a doorway for the emerging and conversion of Paul in Acts 8. Stephen’s decree of mercy loosed his persecutor.

I truly believe that the death of Charlie Kirk and the subsequent forgiveness that Erika Kirk released to his murderer served as a sort of LIGHT piercing through the darkness in our nation. Through death, LIFE. Through the darkness, DAWN is breaking.

For months as I have been walking with the Lord through my own season of loss and death and pain, the Lord has told me, “Kristi, John 20:20 is perfect vision for you, and I believe this is perfect vision for our nation…

Jesus appears to His disciples shortly after His resurrection, stands before them and says, “Peace be with you…  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20: 20-23).

This One who tasted death and has the wounds to prove it, conquered it, and He stands before us, resurrected,  to impart peace and to give us this great ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation. 

I believe in the wake of this national loss,  there will be a  great harvest. Both the seed of Charlie’s life falling to the soil and the forgiveness that his wife released join together to form a "Stephen" moment in our nation that I believe will bring forth a harvest of Saul to Paul conversions as well as many more "Stephens" who are willing to preach the Gospel unashamedly and lay their lives down and cry the same plea that Jesus did, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." 

In light of all of this, I want to commend you to this work of reconciliation, this beautiful ministry of both  proclaiming and also living the Gospel through a life laid down. Lord, let us join you in death that we may join you in resurrected life! Lord, bring healing to our nation through our surrendered  lives. 

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