BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women: Recent Episodes
Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women
One day, Jesus was speaking to a group of people in his hometown of Nazareth. These people knew of his miracles, but they couldn’t believe who he really was. Afterall, they knew him. They knew his parents. They had seen him grow up. And now, he’s come back to his hometown and he’s told them he is the chosen one to fulfill the Good News of God. He has come to set the captives free and make the blind to see, just as scripture had foretold.
While he was nothing but truth, he was rejected in his hometown. Those who knew him best received him the least.
Gosh, how sad it is to find it’s still true today. Those of us who are most familiar with Jesus, grew up hearing of Jesus and know all the stories, we’re often the ones who are least impressed by him. We miss the miracle because it’s simply not that impressive to us anymore.
Maybe you’re a little too comfortable with Jesus so now you just go through the motions. Oh my sister, you will miss out on the fullness of what he is here to offer you when you stop being completely slayed by his presence and power. We’re coming into the time of year where we read about the virgin Mary having a baby in a stable, and while you’ve likely heard the story many times, I pray this year you’re absolutely blown away by it. May you be in awe of your Jesus as never before.
The people in Jesus’ hometown were amazed by what he did, but couldn’t believe who he really claimed to be. Now, because they struggled to believe, they didn’t receive the fullness of what Jesus had to offer. Mark 6: 5-6, “And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among theme except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.”
What are you missing because you have become familiar with Jesus and unimpressed with who he really is? What have you dismissed yourself from because you have lost your absolute awe and wonder over your Savior?
Jesus knew he was not fully accepted in his hometown because they were too familiar with him. And then Jesus recounts a story of one man’s healing among many who lacked faith. Luke 4:27, Jesus says, “Many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” That’s it. Jesus mentions this foreign man’s name and his healing among many in need who didn’t receive healing. And the crowd of Jesus’ hometown people became furious. 2 verses later, they try to push Jesus off a cliff and kill him.
But reading this, don’t you want to know more about this man Naaman’s story? Jesus is telling of this man’s faith and healing over 800 years after it had happened, it must have been remarkable!
Naaman’s life had been over for a long time. Generations had passed without Naaman and life has gone on without him. But Jesus knew about him! Jesus still tells his story.
Imagine that for a moment … imagine living with the kind of faith that Jesus still talks about after your time here on Earth is done. Imagine 800 years from now, Jesus telling a future generation of people to look you up and read your story. And within your story is an act of faith Jesus is still using as an example 800 years later!
Girls, that’s the kind of legacy I want to leave … don’t you? If the world is still here hundreds of years from now, don’t you want someone googling your name to read your testimony of what Jesus did for you?
So, we have to flip back through several hundred pages in our Bible to get to the small section that tells the story of this foreign man named Naaman from 800 years before Jesus. We have to read it because Jesus is still talking about it!
2 Kings 5. We read of the mighty warrior Naaman who was the commander of the army of King Aram. This mighty warrior had leprosy. Leprosy was a brutal and highly contagious skin disease that deformed and disfigured you, making you an outcast to society. The Aramean army had invaded Israel, and while there, they were told of a prophet of God who could heal leprosy.
Naaman was sent to the prophet Elisha’s house to seek healing. Naaman stood outside the door with horses and chariots and gifts, awaiting his big moment of miraculous healing. But, it didn’t go the way he had imagined.
2 Kings 5: 10, But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
And guess what … Naaman went away angry. This man didn’t even come out to meet him. He didn’t wave his hand over him, pray a magical prayer or do anything special in any way. He says go wash in the Jordan River 7 times?!!! This didn’t make any sense at all. Where’s the mystery and magic? Where’s the emotional moment of healing? You just want me to go down to the nasty, muddy, run off water of the Jordan River and wash 7 times?
I can understand Naaman’s disappointment. He was hoping for a miracle and this certainly didn’t sound like the path to a miracle. He needed healing, not a mud bath.
But thankfully, in his rage, his fellow soldiers calm him down and speak the most valuable and rational words to him. They say in verse 13, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured.'”
Well, isn’t that a powerful truth? We would do the big mystical thing because mystical things look like they’re going to bring miraculous results. But simple little things … no, we can’t be bothered by that. When we need a big miracle we expect a big move, a big change and a big moment. But instead, God often does the biggest things as a result of our faith that would have us walking it out with the little moves, the little changes and the hundreds of little moments.
Maybe God isn’t interested in the one big thing you say you’re willing to do … maybe he’s interested in the hundreds of little things that look really insignificant. Maybe that’s the faith he is asking you for. Faith to do the little things. Faith to do the common things. Faith to do the things that don’t make sense and aren’t exciting.
Verse 14, “So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself 7 times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!” Naaman returned to his homeland knowing the one true God and pledged his life to him.
This is the story Jesus retold over 800 years later. This is the legacy of Naaman. A man who came to understand God doesn’t always work in the big, grand and magical moments, but instead he often works in the underwhelming, ordinary, and easily overlooked little moments where we are called to faithful action.
Maybe you’ve come here desperately seeking a big answer from God. Maybe you even prayed before you pressed play and you said, “Lord, I need a sign from you … tell me what to do.” Well, here it is … BE WILLING TO DO THE LITTLE THINGS THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE. Not just once, but again and again.
You came here expecting to hear something big, but Jesus wants you to hear about this man named Naaman who did the smallest, simplest of things that didn’t make sense, and he received the healing of a lifetime. How much faith does it really take to do something big and grand that the whole world knows would be powerful? Not nearly as much faith as it takes to humbly do the little things repeatedly that seem totally unconnected.
So, let me say to you what Naaman’s soldier’s said to him, “My firend, if God had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says do something simple.”
800 years later Jesus is talking about the faith of Naaman. He’s telling his hometown people about this one man who had enough faith to wash in a muddy river 7 times and be healed. They responded by trying to push him off a cliff.
How will you respond?
Will you respond with, “Jesus, I’ll take a bath!” That’s what he’s looking for.
Our lack of faith is limiting our receipt of the fullness of all Jesus came to offer us. But it’s probably not our faith in the big things that’s lacking … it’s our faith in the little things that look insignificant.
Jesus, today I don’t feel like getting up, but I will get up anyway.
Jesus, today I don’t know what to do to fix this mess, but I will start by spending time with you, reading and believing your word.
Jesus, today I need healing and I’m fully trusting you’re working even when I can’t see it, even when I can’t feel it, and even when I don’t understand. I’m showing up in faith. I’m taking the next step in faith. I’m hanging on in faith.
800 years from now, maybe someone will be prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask their household robot to tell them about you. Why? Because maybe your story of simple faith will impact their lives as Jesus used the story of Naaman’s faith to impact ours. But, it doesn’t stop at 800 years. Remember this, it has been over 2,000 years since Jesus told his hometown about the 800 year old story of Naaman. And here we are, over 2,800 years later, hearing about the faith of Naaman that healed him in the most simple ways. A man who took a bath 7 times in a muddy river because he was told to.
What you do today in faith may not seem significant right now … but generations you haven’t even dared to imagine may be hearing about it!
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How many of us know by personal experience that having the right partner makes a huge difference. The right business partner makes things work. The wrong business partner makes a massive mess. The right workout partner makes you show up. The wrong workout partner never shows up and makes it even harder for you to show up.
I once had the perfect running partner. She was my next door neighbor, and for 2 years, we ran together 6 days a week, no matter what. Not once did we ever not show up for each other. And not once did we ever stop short of the goal. I knew how to run really far and she knew how to run really fast. Together we became so much better. Then I did what I always do … I moved away.
Maybe you’ve tried to find the right partner and you’ve failed. Maybe you’ve given up hope thinking you will always have to do this alone, whatever “this” is. You’ll have to raise these kids alone. You’ll have to grow this business alone. You’ll have to make these changes alone. You’ll have to find your way alone. Oh, my sister, I have the greatest news for you today! You have been invited into a personal partnership that will NEVER LET YOU DOWN. This is exactly what you are looking for.
1 Corinthians 1:9, “God has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Do you have any idea what this means? Jesus wants to be your partner! The right partner will make or break you. The right partner will have you showing up when you didn’t think you could show up. The right partner will be strong when you are weak, will be up when you are down, will have answers for your questions, will know the way when you are lost, and will pull you out when you get stuck. AND JESUS IS SOOOOO THE RIGHT PARTNER FOR YOU!
This is your life changing partnership. He will help you do what you feel too insignificant to do. He will guide you through what you don’t know how to do.
My husband is a world class travel partner. That man is never lost. He’s a walking, talking GPS. Traveling with him I have complete confidence. I pack a bag and worry about nothing.
The right partner gives you that kind of confidence … and girl, YOU HAVE JESUS! You’re showing up with Jesus as your partner. This problem doesn’t even stand a chance. Those walls have to come down. That sea has to part. Those chains have to break. Not because of you, but because of who you bring.
Now notice, scripture says God has INVITED YOU into partnership with Jesus. You have the invitation … have you accepted it? For real, have you officially partnered with Jesus in your business, in your family, in your goals, in your dreams … or are you still trying to do this on your own? Are you still reading every darn self-help book out there and missing the supernatural help offered only in your Bible? Are you hoping some motivational speaker will give you a 7 step plan to show you the way, all while Jesus’ extended hand has gone unnoticed?
ACCEPT THE INVITATION. Say it now: Yes, Jesus, I want to partner with you!
Jesus says in John 15: 5-8, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. (That’s partnership. We’re in this together.) Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. (That’s progress, that’s success, that’s desired change.) For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. (All those goals, all those dreams, all that work is sure to go up in smoke when you try to do it without this partnership. It simply won’t work, Sis.) But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
In partnership with Jesus, you can ask for anything and it will be granted. Oh, that sounds like a genie in a bottle … but it’s not. Understand what happens when you are a branch connected to the vine, what’s in the vine flows through you. You become part of the vine and what grows from you is of the vine. So, in partnership with Jesus, he grows in us and changes us. Our desires change. Our thoughts change. Our dreams and goals change. And when we are living in partnership with Jesus as his branch, then our desires are part of his desires. This is how we ask and it is granted.
You don’t get to ask knowing it will be granted when you’re not in partnership with Jesus. No, because your request may be completely out of line. But the more you grow as the branch attached to the vine, the more you produce dreams, desires, goals and requests that are aligned with Jesus. When it’s aligned with Jesus, the answer is automatically yes. If it’s the will of God, nothing can stop it. It’s a done deal.
Jesus also says in Matthew 11: 29-30, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Again, Jesus is inviting us into partnership with him. He’s saying, “My girl, let’s do this together.” Whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re battling, whatever you’re facing, Jesus wants to do this WITH YOU as your partner.
To understand this fully, you first need to understand what a yoke is. This is a wooden beam fastened around the neck and across the shoulders of two cows who are pulling something heavy. The beam connects the cows, keeping them in alignment, sharing the load with each step.
Alone, each cow could not do the work and carry the load. Together, they can do it with ease. A yoke enabled trouble-free achievement that was otherwise impossible. And this is the picture of what Jesus is offering you! Achievement that before was impossible. Forward progress where you have been stuck.
Jesus extends his hand with an invitation, “Come, connect with me. Be close to me. I’ll help you carry this load. We will do this together, but I’ll do the hardest part. I’ll make your burden lighter. Together, we will do the impossible.”
Whatever your burden is, Jesus is offering to be your yoke-mate. He’s willing to partner with you through this. Will you accept his invitation?
You may not know what you’re doing, but Jesus does. Just align your steps with his. How? Stay close to him! Remember, the burden he gives you is light when you are yoked with him to pull this load.
You may not have the strength to get through this, but Jesus does. Receive the supernatural flow of his strength. How? Stay connected to him! Remember, he is the vine, you are the branch. Apart from him, you can do nothing.
You’ve been trying to do this on your own for long enough. You’ve been putting your trust in so many other people who have let you down, all while Jesus has been standing there with an extended hand and you’ve been passing him by. It’s time to take his hand in this.
Jesus, I officially accept the invitation of your partnership. Me and you. We are partners. Now, Jesus, you take the lead because I really don’t know what I’m doing.
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What amazing things would you do if you couldn’t fail? Oh, think about that for a second. If failure were off the table, wouldn’t you go for it? Wouldn’t you do it? And wouldn’t you do it now?
But, here’s the problem … failure is always on the table. And it’s probably on your table.
But it’s not because you’re not good enough. It’s not because God isn’t for you. It’s because failure is part of the plan, Sis. Failure is how we learn. Failure is how we grow. Closed doors are not only to keep you out of the wrong rooms, but to keep you walking down the hall to get to the right rooms with the right opportunities and the right people.
So the better question is, what would you do if you knew every failure could be used and there’s a wide open door for you in places you can’t see yet. Would you dare go in faith and push through your doubts and fears to get there? Would you keep getting up? Would you keep showing up? Would you keep trying? There’s very likely a life beyond your wildest imaginations waiting for you if you do.
Here’s what we miss … for every single thing that’s way bigger than us, we have Jesus. For every single thing that just won’t work, we have Jesus. For every thing that is too hard, we have Jesus. For every thing that we don’t know, can’t do, can’t fix and can’t make happen, we have Jesus. You’re letting the potential off all the hard unknowns scare you into a corner, but Jesus is darn good at handling the hard part.
When you get to the hard part, just remember, this is where Jesus comes in!
When you fail, you have Jesus. When you don’t think you can get through this, you have Jesus. When you can’t see the way, when you don’t have the answers, when you’re weak and weary, when you’ve come to the end of yourself, YOU HAVE JESUS!
15 years ago yesterday, I received a message from an old high school friend who was struggling. She was a single mom of 4 little boys. Every relationship had failed. She was struggling financially. She didn’t like who she saw in the mirror. Her entire life was nothing like what she had imagined, and for some reason she felt maybe I could help her.
What she didn’t know is I was an over-weight mortgage broker who lived in a house I couldn’t really afford and kept buying more things to make me happy because that God shaped hole in me was empty. Why would she reach out to me for help? Because my Facebook photos were photoshopped and my posts were nothing but positive. (I’m just being honest). But she desperately needed someone to invest in her. Someone to remind her of her worth. Someone to push her in the pursuit of a better life. And I just couldn’t say no.
Her exact words to me were, “Pamela, I’m a worn out, stressed out mom and I just want to be a Smokin’ Hot Mama.” So, that day I went on Facebook and I started a page called ‘The Smokin’ Hot Mama Club.’ A place where she would check in and I would encourage her. Sounds great, right? Well … the only problem was that little page I started was public and by the end of the day I had 30 people on it who were eager to be reminded of their worth and pursuing a better life. (Okay, probably only 10 of them were seeking that … the other 20 were looking for a biker gang, dancers, or a love connection.)
15 years later, it is now what brings me into your life every day. How crazy is that? BIG Life first began as something totally different, and I didn’t even mean to start it! If I would have known back then that it would become this today … wow, I would have left my job sooner! Losing most everything along the way would have been a lot easier if I would have know it was all leading here. My countless failures weren’t fatal afterall, but they certainly felt like it when I was in them. If I would have only known where God was leading through all those failures.
BUT WE DON’T. We don’t know where failure is leading, we just know it’s so darn hard when you’re in it. But now I know, when you get to the hard part, that’s where Jesus comes in!
Are you in the hard part right now? Ahhhhh, my sister, Jesus has never been closer! He’s right there with you. He’s making a way through this. He’s doing what only he can do, and what he can do is the impossible stuff! If you have some impossible stuff on your hands, just go ahead and give it to him. He’s really good at this part!
Several hundred years before Jesus, there was a King named Nebuchadnezzar who got caught up in riches and fame and he built a 90 foot tall gold statue and made everyone bow down to it anytime music played. There were 3 young men who refused to bow and worship the statue and this enraged the King. So he had all 3 of them thrown into a fiery furnace that was heated 7 times hotter than normal. The men were tied up and thrown into the fire. But when the King looked into the furnace he shouted, “Look, I see 4 men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” They walked out of the flames, untouched and they didn’t even smell like smoke. Afterward, the King bowed down to the true God and promoted the men to high positions. (Daniel 3)
God did the hard part! He did the impossible part! He’s really good at that.
But the 3 young men didn’t know what God was going to do on their way into the furnace. We never know what God is going to do stepping into the flames.
A few chapters later, in Daniel 6, we read of a man named Daniel who was well liked by King Darius. Daniel had been chosen and promoted. But, just as Kings often do, this King too became caught up in riches and fame and decreed for 30 days no on could pray to anyone but him, and if they were caught praying to anyone or anything other than the King, they would be thrown into a den of lions.
But, Daniel still went home and prayed to God, so what happened … he was arrested and thrown into the lion’s den to be eaten alive. But God does things we cannot do. He does the hard stuff. The next morning, the King rolls the stone from the lion’s den and finds Daniel still in one piece, miraculously unharmed. And Daniel says in 6:22, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouth so that they would not hurt me.” Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
Afterwards, Daniel prospered.
But making the choice to pray to God when it was forbidden was hard. Seeing the lions coming at him was hard. Spending the night with the lions was hard. Daniel had no idea amazing things were on the other side of this hard.
I don’t know what fire you’ve been walking through, or what lion’s den you’ve been stuck in, but I know this much … you’re not alone! This is where Jesus comes in! He does the hard part. The part you could never do on your own. The way you could have never seen is the way he’s making through it.
While you are not promised to be isolated from the hard stuff, you can count on Jesus being there for the hard stuff.
Don’t hold back. Don’t give up. Don’t settle for less. This is the hard part where Jesus walks you through that fire, seals the lion’s mouth, breaks those chains, tears down those walls, parts that sea. You can’t do it, but he can.
Remember, for this, you have Jesus.
Over the past 15 years there have been some ridiculously hard things I would have absolutely avoided. Things I wasn’t prepared for. Attacks my heart wasn’t strong enough for. Demands I couldn’t balance. Twists and turns I would have never chosen. But for all of this, I had Jesus. And Jesus knew it would all lead to YOU, and you would be worth it. Now, I get to talk to you … how amazingly cool is that?
I don’t know where you’re going and what you’re going through on the way there, but I know this much for sure, Jesus has got you through the hard part. You can’t do this without him. And even with him, it won’t be easy. But one day, maybe 15 years from now even, you’ll look back and see how he was faithful with all the hard stuff and brought you to a future that is better than you could have imagined.
The hard part … yeah, that’s for Jesus. You can trust him.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Today’s episode of the BIG Life Devotional Podcast is an unscripted Bible study time together digging deeper on the true meaning of giving God credit.
Psalm 30
John 14:1
Jeremiah 31:13
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Together, we have been learning so much about the twisted suggestions of the devil and the way out of those temptations Jesus has made for us. The past 3 episodes have taken us deeper into Luke 4 telling of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, facing these temptations and battling the enemy of your soul. It’s been so good, hasn’t it?
Now, Jesus tells us of one more specific temptation and shows us the way out.
Luke 4: 9-13, “Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ Jesus responded, ‘The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.'”
Ohhhh, what is the devil trying to do … and what is Jesus trying to teach us?
The devil is smart. He’s constantly studying us to understand our defense, then turn that defense on us. You know the things that have worked for you before, then they no longer work for you but hurt you … yeah, that’s what he wants to do.
What had Jesus been using to battle the devil? Every time, he had responded to the temptation with God’s word. So, now the devil tries to use God’s word against Jesus. That’s what he’s doing when he says, “Jump off, Jesus. God’s word says he will protect you!”
Your enemy knows God’s word. He knows it better than you do. Honey, he was in the Heavenlies right beside God when this world was being created. How do I know? Well, in Job 38: 4&7, The Lord said, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? As the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.” And among those angels was Lucifer, the angel said to be the most beautiful of all. He was named to be the ‘light bearer’, but he grew jealous of his Maker and wanted to be greater than him. Lucifer is the fallen angel, kicked out of Heaven, thrown down to the pits of hell where he schemes his attacks on this world. We call him Satan. This is the devil.
So, yes he knows God. He knows him intimately. He was there when the foundations of this world were set. He knows how everything works and his personal mission is to destroy it. He cannot defeat God’s word, but he can twist it!
His temptation to Jesus here is a twisting of God’s word. God’s word is Jesus’ weapon to fight the enemy, now that weapon is being twisted and pointed at Jesus. You can pluck a scripture out of the Bible and use it against anyone. You can take scripture out of context and do great damage. That’s a work of the devil. And that’s precisely what he’s doing to Jesus.
But Jesus knows when a scripture is being taken out of context … do you?
Back then, scripture was written on large scrolls of papyrus or parchment. One book of the Bible may take several scrolls. God’s people were taught to memorize his word … why … because they couldn’t walk around carrying all these scrolls with them for reference. Not to mention, most people were illiterate and couldn’t read for themselves. They had to go to the temple and have God’s word read to them, then try to memorize it for reference. Imagine how hard that was.
But we have all of God’s word in a single bound book we can take with us anywhere. Heck, we even have every translation and all the commentary in the world with us all the time on our phone. We have full access to God’s word all the time so we have no excuse. We can look it up. We can read not just one verse, but we can read the context to understand the true meaning. We can read commentary to help us understand better.
Is scripture being taken out of context and twisted to mean something it was never meant to … well, you have the book … use it!
This is what Jesus is showing us. God’s word is your weapon. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:17 that the word of God is our sword. This is how we fight our battles. But don’t you know the devil wants to take that sword and turn it on you? And he will if you don’t know how to use it!
I know sometimes it feels useless to put time into studying your Bible, but understand this time is your weapon training, your sword lessons. You’re learning how to hold your weapon. You’re learning how to swing your weapon. And you’re learning how to protect your weapon so your enemy doesn’t turn it and use it on you. The only way you learn is time and practice.
My sister, keep reading. Keep making that deposit of God’s living word in your soul. This is battle preparation. You have access to the full word of God, so look up that quoted scripture and read the full chapter. Research to understand the setting, the audience, the tradition and the intention. We have no excuse for allowing scripture to be twisted, you have the full thing available to you so easily.
Now, notice something else in this temptation of Jesus. When the devil says, “If you are the Son of God, jump off!”, the devil can’t make him do it, he can only suggest it.
The devil can’t make you do it … but he can suggest it! The devil has never made you do anything, because he doesn’t have that power. He simply can’t do that. But he is absolutely world-class at making suggestions. Oh yes, he plants twisted ideas, he plays in your desires, he stirs up your doubts, and he pokes at your wounds. He “suggests” total nonsense, appealing to your human wants and needs, then you either choose it or you don’t.
You can’t blame the devil, he’s just doing what he does. Here’s what I’ve figured out along the way … liars lie. You can get all upset and try to understand it, but in the end, it’s just what liars do, they lie. When a liar is talking, it’s your responsibility to know they’re lying. The devil is the father of lies. The best lie is a truth that has been twisted. It has a lot of truth to it, it’s just been twisted to still sound good but point you in the wrong direction.
Jesus knows to check the source of the suggestion. This suggestion to jump off the cliff is coming from Satan, so that’s a strong no. It’s hard for us to check the source sometimes, because honestly Satan doesn’t always show up the way we think he would. Movies portray the devil as some red faced angry dude with horns and a pitchfork. Hmmmm, actually, he is a beautiful angel with a twisted heart. Don’t forget that. He shows up quoting God’s word. He shows up offering bread when you’re hungry. He shows up offering power to change things.
But, my sister, you have the Spirit of God living within you. That Spirit knows the truth. That Spirit can undeniably recognize the source of any suggestion. Start listening to your Spirit. Jesus says in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
Lord, guide me to the truth. Don’t let me be deceived by the twisted suggestions of the enemy.
What has the devil been suggesting to you? Really, let’s identify that now.
Has he been suggesting you give up? Has he been suggesting you hide? Has he been suggesting you do it your way? Has he been suggesting you just settle?
Right now, as you seek the truth, God’s Spirit within you is confirming it all. You see the source now. That’s been the devil. He couldn’t make you do, but he could strongly suggest you do it. He could get in your head, twist your thoughts, play with your emotions, and hopefully cause you to choose his way.
Girl, you’re in a battle and it’s time to get out your weapon and fight. Use God’s word, the FULLNESS of his word. Read it. Deposit it into your soul. Open it up and receive your guidance and strength. Arm yourself to fight the twisted suggestions that have come to kill, steal and destroy.
One final thing on this story … notice the very end, verse 13, “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”
Now isn’t that interesting. When Satan sees he can’t win with you, he leaves, but he’s always looking for an opportunity to come back.
Satan’s resources are limited. He can’t be everywhere all the time like God can. He has to choose his target, and sometimes he chooses you. But, if you show him it’s a waste of his effort to mess around with you, then he will take his evil and go elsewhere. Make it real clear attacking you is a waste of his evil efforts. It won’t work. You will take every twisted suggestion and put it up against God’s truth. You will check the source and not be easily tricked. You won’t settle for the easy way being offered. You won’t play his stupid games to only win stupid prizes.
Make it really clear today is not Satan’s day to screw with you, and tomorrow isn’t either. Put your sword in your hand first thing every morning … girl, that’s your Bible!
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This week we’re studying the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The devil has swooped in when Jesus was weakest from not eating for 40 days, and he’s making his twisted offers. While the devil is convinced he is going to defeat Jesus with these temptations, Jesus knows he is here to defeat these temptations and make a way out for you and I. He faced it all so that you and I could make it through too. Defeat is not our destiny, there’s an out!
Yesterday, in episode #1751 titled “Twisted Offerings” we read of the first specific temptation Jesus told about. The temptation to meet his legitimate need in an illegitimate way. He was legitimately hungry, so the devil tells Jesus to just turn the rocks into bread and eat. But that would defeat the purposes for which Jesus was there. He wasn’t there to use his supernatural power to battle the devil, he was there to show you and I how to overcome temptation when we ourselves are weak. And here, Jesus is showing us how we can be tricked into meeting real needs the wrong way.
Ahhhh, Jesus is helping us untwist the offerings of the devil and see them for what they really are! Jesus, keep going, your girls are ready for more.
Now, we read of the second specific temptation of the devil. Luke 4: 5-8, Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”
Just reading it, that really doesn’t seem to apply to you, now does it? I’ve skimmed over this scripture many times and gotten absolutely nothing from it. But now I’m seeing there is sooooo much for us here. So much that meets us right where we are today and addresses some of the exact temptations we’re dealing with.
To understand it better, let’s read another translation. The Passion Translation says it like this, “The devil lifted Jesus high into the sky, and in a flash showed him all the kingdoms and regions of the world. The devil then said to Jesus, ‘All of this, with all its power, authority, and splendor, is mine to give to whomever I wish. You can have everything!”
You know what this shows me … this shows me not all dreams and visions are from God. The devil is literally giving Jesus a vision of how good his twisted offer will be. But Jesus knew who he was dealing with and he knew, if the source is Satan, he wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with it.
Girl, not every dream you have is from God. Not every vision you receive is divine. Sometimes the devil is all up in your head twisting things. And sometimes those wild fantasies you have are because of the crazy crap you watch on Netflix. Before you go running after a dream and a vision, you better check the source. It’s not all Godly.
About a year ago I started having day dreams about going on the show Survivor. I’m being for real. I could see it. I would be the mother figure that would speak wisdom, pray before we eat our 1/4 cup of rice, and turn it all into an awesome adventure. Sounds good, right? But, I checked the source and soon I realized that wasn’t from God.
What’s the source of that bright idea you have? What’s the source of that dream, that vision, that possible next step? Have you asked, “God, is this from you?” I can’t even begin to tell you how many times in a single month I pray the Wreck It Prayer. Have you heard about it? It goes like this …
God, if you’re in it, I want it. If you’re not, I don’t.
I’ve come to the place of understanding if God is not the source of the dream, I absolutely DO NOT WANT to go off chasing it. If the dream isn’t from him, it will end up being a nightmare. So, God is invited to wreck anything that doesn’t come from him. And he does … and I’m glad. By the way, I’m not going on Survivor … but you know you would have watched if I would have!
Jesus knew the source of this vision he was seeing was not of God. The source was Satan, and if it comes from Satan, it’s twisted.
The devil is offering him all the kingdoms of the world. He’s offering him glory, power, fame, dominion.
Hmmmm … was that even the devil’s to offer? Actually, yes. In the beginning, God had given Adam dominion over the earth, but Adam and Eve were fooled and forfeited it to Satan. Jesus refers to Satan in John 16:11 as “the ruler of this world.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 refers to him as “the god of this world.”
So yes, actually, the devil had all of this to offer Jesus. It was a legitimate offer. But, here’s what Jesus knew … Jesus already knew the end of the story. He knew Matthew 28:18 was coming … He knew after giving his life on the cross, after rising up out of that tomb, he won back the world and he would say, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” He knew Revelation 11:15, “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”
The power, the authority, and all the kingdoms of the earth were going to be given to Jesus, the devil was just offering him the easy way.
Oh yes, THE EASY WAY!
The devil says, “Jesus, you don’t have to suffer. Let me show you an easier way. That cross sooooo isn’t necessary. You can avoid all of that. You don’t have to die. In fact, you don’t even have to wait. I’ll give it all to you now.”
Jesus was tempted with the easy way. Jesus was tempted with immediate gratification, he could have it all right now. And all he had to do was worship the devil.
Whew … aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t fall to the temptation of the easy way? Aren’t you grateful he went to that cross, he suffered, he died, and he rose again all so that you and I could be forgiven and redeemed?
Jesus, thank you for not taking the easy way … and thank you for showing us not to take the easy way either.
The devil is still roaming this earth with his twisted offering of taking the easy way. The shortcut, the hack, the backdoor, the pill, the shot, the fast pass. Girl, CHECK THE SOURCE!!!!!!!!!
The devil loves the hack because he knows how susceptible we are to wanting something for nothing, or a lot for a little. If you spend 5 minutes on TikTok, you’ll see how you can have a flat stomach, a big booty, puffy lips, flawless skin, thick hair, a gorgeous man, all the clothes, all the money, all the fame … all the things. Just follow me. Just buy this. Just do that. Just click here. It’s easy. It’s fast. Eve, just eat the apple.
EVE … PUT DOWN THE APPLE!
Girl, you don’t need it all. You don’t have to have it now. And you certainly don’t have to get it the easy way.
Always seeking the easy way, the shortcut, the hack, is what has created a whole lot of the messes in your life. Honey, don’t you know God has promised he has good plans for your life? He promised he would be working in the details to make things good. You can count on that. You don’t have to settle for the easy way offered by the enemy.
Jesus knew fame, power and glory offered by the wrong source would be nothing but defeat of the divine plans he was here to fulfill. So, he wasn’t fooled. He wasn’t fooled by false visions offered by the fallen angel.
Jesus knew suffering was part of the plan, and skipping the suffering would shortchange our salvation. So he stiff-armed the twisted offer of the easy way. Now he says, “My girl, the easy way isn’t for you! I’ve shown you how to hold on to the promises of God and push through. I’ve shown you how to go through Hell and focus on Heaven. Do not be detoured from your destiny.”
Check the source. If that’s not from God, honey, you don’t want it.
Are you just trying to find the easy way? Are you falling into the trap of wanting it all so bad right now you’ll accept some twisted offerings along the way? That’s your apple. It’s twisted. Don’t take it.
The devil tempts us with the easy way. Jesus said no to the easy way and he strengthens us to do the same.
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This week we’re studying the personal story Jesus retells of his 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. He didn’t accidentally wander his way into the wilderness, he wasn’t running away – no, he was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness for this encounter. An encounter that would allow our savior to fully understand every temptation we would ever face. And here, in the wilderness, being tempted by the devil in every single way you and I will ever be tempted, Jesus himself made a way out of that temptation.
Yesterday, in episode 1750 titled “Take the Out”, we read the first 2 verses in Luke 4 and we learned this powerful prayer in the middle of temptation, “Lord, show me the way out and help me take it.” Jesus has made a way out of whatever it is that has threatened to trip you up, distract you, derail you, and cause you to become entangled as a slave to the tricks of the devil. There is a way out. Ask for it. Look for it. Take it.
While the devil tempted Jesus the entire 40 days in the wilderness with all the things, Jesus comes back and tells of 3 specific twisted offerings of the devil. At face value, they don’t seem to apply to us all that much … oh, but girl, they do! Let me show you.
Today, we will look at the first of the 3 specific twisted offerings of the devil in Luke 4. Now remember, Jesus has been in the wilderness for 40 days, he hasn’t eaten anything, so he is very, very hungry.
Y’all I did a 10 day juice cleanse one time where I ate nothing but fruit and vegetable juice that entire time. My belly button was gnawing on my back bone. I was hungrier than a tick on a skinny dog. I was running on fumes and food fantasies. On day 7 of the cleanse, it was my youngest daughter’s birthday and she wanted Olive Garden for dinner. I could smell every pasta dish in that restaurant. I was lusting over some strangers fettuccine alfredo. I would have seriously paid $5 to just lick someone’s fingers after they ate that bread stick.
Have you ever been hungry? I mean really hungry? Jesus was hungry. 40 days no food hungry. I don’t even know what that feels like, but I know this much, when you’re hungry you are weak. You would eat anything from anyone, even just a bite. And in this weakness of extreme hunger, the devil comes walking by. I imagine he had his arms folded, maybe flicking his chin with his finger, one eyebrow raised, and a belittling tone in his evil voice and says in verse 3, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Verse 4, Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.'”
When does the devil show up with his twisted offerings? Absolutely any opportunity he has. And his greatest opportunity is when we are weak. In our weakness we are vulnerable. When we are tired, when we are lonely, when we are bored, when we are hungry, when we are hurting … this is our most vulnerable state. And we have an enemy who roams around like a roaring lion looking to devour absolutely anyone he can. Lions know when to attack. They attack when the opportunity is greatest. The opportunity is greatest when we are weak.
Girl, when you’re feeling weak, that’s when you reach out to your strongest girlfriends. That’s when you get yourself in the middle the circle and let them protect you. Did you know that’s what elephants do?
In the wild, when a female elephant is weak and vulnerable, the other female elephants in the herd back around her in formation. With their butts in, they form a circle around the one who is weak, heads out on alert. The stand so close, the one in the middle cannot even be seen. They kick up dirt so her scent cannot be tracked by the enemy. Basically, they’re acting like a pack of gangsters you don’t want to mess with. They send the signal, if you want to get to the one who is weak, you have to first go through us. We’re 40 tons of female aggression, so good luck with that.
Girls, that’s us. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing for one another. Circle up when one is weak. Protect her. Kick up some dust. Why? Because the lion is on the hunt and he’s looking to devour one.
But here’s what you do when you’re struggling and feeling weak … you run off and hide. You silly girl. Haven’t you ever watched a nature show? Don’t you know that one who runs and hides alone is the one who is eaten?
You have a real enemy and he absolutely, without a doubt wants to eat you for lunch. He wants to devour you, tear your whole life apart, and leave your family in the wake of his destruction. You can’t afford to hide out. Get in the circle … you have sisters here!
I digress … Jesus is hungry. The devil slides in with his twisted offer of using his power to turn the rocks into bread. Jesus shuts that down! Absolutely not, Satan!
Here’s why … there’s great danger in meeting a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.
There it is, that’s one of the twisted offers of the devil you have been dealing with. You have a legitimate need. There’s nothing wrong with the need.
You need to be loved. You need to be happy. You need to feel better.
The problem is the twisted ways you are willing to meet that need.
Jesus could have turned the rocks into bread, but it would have been the wrong use of his power. He was there to create a way THROUGH the temptations you and I would face, not to miraculously feed himself. The need was real, but the way would have been wrong.
Your need is real … but honey, has the way been wrong? Really … have you accepted a twisted offering from the devil? Have you been tricked?
Satan appeals to legitimate desires, and he offers a twisted way to fulfill you.
You need to be less stressed at the end of a really long, hard day … girl, have a drink. Here, have two. Don’t worry about all that right now, just feel better as you drink your worries away. Twisted offer.
You’re lonely and you just long for the love of someone to make you feel not alone … girl, here’s that familiar ol’ someone. You can send them a little text just to see what they’ve been doing. You could chat, maybe hang out. All while you know you have absolutely NO business in that relationship.
You want to feel good about yourself, but you just can’t get over the way your belly hangs over those jeans these days. And that back fat, gag me. You’re disgusted with your own self. Girl … you can lose 25 pounds in 2 months. Just buy this crap, put this crap in your body, and watch the fat just fall off you. What are you doing to yourself?!!!!
You’re weak in your need and the enemy has a twisted offering for you. Have you been blindly accepting it?
Legitimate need, legitimate desire … illegitimate ways. Do not settle for doing this the wrong way. The enemy of your soul is behind that, don’t be tricked. He’s been looking for a way to trap you, chain you up, and hold you as his slave in his prison. But Jesus has made a way out for you!
Jesus shuts the devil down in 2 very specific ways.
- He does it immediately.
- He speaks truth.
Jesus doesn’t he-haw around with this twisted offer. No, he knows … you dance with the devil and you’ll end up burned. I also would like to suggest if you dance with the devil, you can’t be surprised when you end up in hell. Life here can be like a living hell because we dance around with the devil and his twisted offerings.
Jesus shut down this twisted offering of the devil immediately. In fact he does it with one word, and that word is followed by an exclamation point. Meaning he likely yelled it. NO!
No, Satan! Not today Satan, and not tomorrow either. Shut him down. Don’t entertain his twisted offerings. Don’t imagine how good it will feel for just a moment, how good it would taste, how happy you would be, how much fun you would have, how alive you would feel. That’s dancing … and it’s with the devil. No!
And Jesus speaks truth. He quotes scripture to the devil.
What are you going to tell the devil when he tells you you’re not good enough? When he tells you you’re not important. When he tells you’ll never be strong enough to stick with this. When he tells you that you will be alone for the rest of your life. When he tells you you’re broken, worthless, and hopeless.
You better know the truth about you.
I know the truth about you. Let me circle in around you right now and remind you of a few truths. You are God’s masterpiece. You are supernaturally strengthened by his Spirit and made to be more than a conqueror. You are loved, wanted, treasured, cherished, and of tremendous value. You are never alone, not for one second. You were specifically designed for great things and your future is worth living for.
I’m going to kick up some dust for you, Sis!
The devil has tempted you with some twisted offerings. But they’re not right. Your spirit knows that. Declare right now, just as Jesus did, I will NOT meet my legitimate needs and desires in illegitimate ways. No, Satan. I know the truth! I am not fooled.
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Within your Bible is the most interesting story personally told by Jesus in a total of 13 verses. Now, unlike other stories told by Jesus, this isn’t a parable. This isn’t a made up story to illustrate a point. No, when Jesus uses a parable, he always clearly states it is a just a story. But what Jesus is about to tell us here isn’t a made up story, this is for real. It happened. And it not only happened, but only Jesus could tell about it.
This is the temptation of Jesus. Over the next few days, we’re going to look at all 13 verses and learn some absolutely life changing lessons from Jesus’ encounter with the temptation of Satan. Oh, it’s going to be so good. You should see these 2 pages of my Bible highlighted in 4 different colors, filled with ah-ha moments written down. I’m so excited to share this with you!
Let’s begin in Luke 4: 1-2, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.”
So, Jesus is coming from the Jordan River. What happened at the Jordan River? He had just been baptized by John the Baptist. And when he was baptized, the Holy Spirit had descended on him like a dove. And there was a loud voice coming from heaven that said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
Oh, what a highlight day! That’s some rainbows and glitter and fluffy kittens kinda happy stuff right there! All the feel goods! All the happiness! YAY JESUS!
And he went from that to the wilderness. Dang.
Have you ever been in a wilderness in your life? It’s the place where nothing is growing, everything is ridiculously hard, and you feel absolutely lost. Maybe that’s where you’re at right now. What got you there?
It’s easy to blame the devil for the wilderness in our life, but we give his evil far more credit than he deserves. Sometimes GOD HIMSELF leads us to the wilderness. How do I know? Because Jesus came back and told this story himself and he made it very clear it was the Holy Spirit that led him there. And I know this much, Jesus wasn’t confused. Sometimes we get confused about the voice of God. Sometimes we twist what we hear to fit our feelings, but that’s not what happened here. Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. He was intentionally put in this place of hardship, this place of nothingness, this place of loneliness.
And it happened right after all the good feelings of being baptized and hearing God declare his delight in his son. Then, BOOM … hardship.
Why? Because God chose to identify Jesus with our sinful human struggles in every way.
Think about this, when Jesus was 8 days old, he was brought to the Temple and circumcised. Circumcision was part of the law of cleansing from sin. Jesus didn’t need to be cleansed from sin, therefore, he really did not need to be circumcised. He was perfect, spotless, and blameless. He could have been spared from that painful tradition of the law. But, God chose to identify him with the sinners of the world from the very beginning. He would face everything his beloved creation faced, and do it perfectly.
Ultimately, this led Jesus to a cross.
We think of a cross today as a symbol of salvation and hope, but please understand, there wasn’t a single person wearing a cross around their neck or hanging a cross on the wall of their fireplace. Then, a cross was a symbol of one thing … execution in the most brutal form. The cross was an instrument of death for sinners.
And this is where God destined his perfect son to go. He was perfect, spotless and blameless, yet he was to be identified with the sinners of the world and die the sinners death in our place. On a despised cross.
So, this is why God’s Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness. Because all God’s people find themselves in a wilderness at some point. And this is why Jesus would be personally tempted by the devil, because we are all targets of the powers of Hell. Jesus willingly went to the wilderness where he knew he would be tempted by the devil for 40 days because temptation is what we all go through and Jesus didn’t dismiss himself from it. No, he subjected himself to temptation for us.
Hebrews 5:15, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” And just in case you’re confused, that’s Jesus.
What are you being tempted with? Maybe you’ve fallen victim to that temptation and it now has it’s claws in you. Yes, claws that hold you back from living in the freedom and fullness of life Jesus came to offer you. Maybe that temptation is a constant battle for you. It’s always there. Some days you win and some days you lose. And on the days you lose, you really beat yourself up. You hate yourself when you do that, but you can’t seem to make yourself stop.
Jesus understands. He faced that too. He faced all of it. In his 40 days in the wilderness, the devil thew every temptation at him. He went through it all so that no matter what your battle is, he can personally say to you, “I understand. I faced it too and I can show you the way out.”
My sister, there’s a way out of this temptation. The thing that is constantly tripping you up, holding you back, making you question, creating guilt and shame in your life … Jesus has the way out of that for you. He endured it too so he could identify with you and help you.
Wow. Can we just take a moment to recognize how absolutely amazing our Jesus is. I’ve known for a long time now that he hung on that cross with me on his mind and that’s infinitely HUGE, but it’s even more than that. He willingly endured the temptation of the very things that trigger me and trip me up just so he could say, “My girl, I understand how hard that is. I understand why you do what you do. I don’t hate you for it. I love you so much, I want to show you the way out of that.” How can Jesus show you the way out? Because HE MADE THE WAY OUT!
That’s what he was doing there in the wilderness with the devil. He was making the way out of every single temptation that would ever come knocking on your door.
1 Corinthians 10:13, “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.”
Yes, he can show you the way out because Jesus first endured that temptation for you and HE MADE THE WAY OUT ahead of you.
It’s easy to believe the temptations we face today in the 21st century are nothing like the temptations of over 2,000 years ago. You’re wrong. They’re all the same because sin hasn’t changed. Sexual immorality … still the same sin today. Jealousy … still the same. Deceit … still the same. Envy, pride, wickedness, foolishness … still the same. Yes, a whole lot of it is now done on a screen, but at the core, it’s still the same. Jesus faced all of that so he could make a way out of it for you.
And my friend, THERE IS A WAY OUT. When you are facing temptation, there’s a really powerful prayer to pray. Try this: “Lord, show me the way out and help me take it.” I absolutely guarantee you he will show you the off button. He will show you the trash can. He will show you the door. He will show you the exit. I pray you would feel his supernatural strength to TAKE IT.
The way out of that temptation is there for you because Jesus willingly followed the lead of the Holy Spirit to the wilderness to encounter every temptation of the devil so he could understand all you would really go through.
Now, I have a little challenge for you before we meet again and continue our study on the temptation of Jesus. I want you to personally read the story. For real, read it first for yourself. Luke 4: 1-13. It will take you less than 3 minutes to read.
Don’t rely on me to read God’s word for you … You put that in for yourself. His word is living. It is alive and it is sharp enough to cut through every single thing that has been holding you back.
Maybe you have a print Bible. Open it up.
If you don’t have an actual Bible, use your phone. You can use the Bible app, or just google Luke 4. I would recommend reading this in the New International Version or the New Living Translation.
As you read, remember, this is a real story of what happened to Jesus, what he went through for you, and what he came back and told his disciples so it would be recorded in God’s word for you to read now. It’s there for a purpose. That purpose is to help you right where you are with what you are facing, so you can move toward everything God has for you next.
Temptation. The way out. Take it.
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What is it in the future that has you afraid? You’re afraid of what may happen … or you’re afraid it may never happen.
Did you know God’s most often repeated instruction to us is “do not fear”. Wow. He knew we would struggle with this. So again and again, he reminds us, don’t be afraid of that, don’t worry about that, don’t stress over that, don’t paint painful pictures and sing sad songs about things that haven’t even happened yet. But, we do struggle, don’t we?
Research shows about 85% of the things we worry about never even happen. What a sad waste.
But my friend, our worry about the future is a failure in one major thing … we’ve forgotten God is already there. God is not limited by time and space. He is here, he is there, and he is everywhere … all the time. He holds the first day of your life and the final day of your life, both within complete view at the same time. There’s no where in time he hasn’t always been, or isn’t already in for the future.
He’s already there.
And because God is already there, he’s already made a way for you through it. He’s already accounted for every hardship, every struggle and every step. He is there, and he is here, right now.
Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Can’t God do that? Isn’t he capable of getting you through every single thing you will ever have to walk through? Isn’t he able to strengthen you to do impossible things with supernatural joy? Honey, he’s not only able to do it … he’s promised to do it for you. You can count on it. He will be right there with you, bringing you through to victory.
The problem is, human minds cannot conceive the full victory of God. We’re so consumed with here and now, while God sees well beyond the things we’ve even dared to imagine. He’s seen the end from the very beginning, and he knows that’s not really the end. The end for us IS the victory. One day this will all be over, and while that may be a scary thought right now, the truth is, that’s the greatest news ever. There’s an eternity in a perfect paradise awaiting each of us who have accepted Jesus as our savior.
We know that, don’t we? Yes – but honestly sometimes that doesn’t make our fears about this life seem any less. How does that solve the problems you’re facing now? How does that help with the things that kept you up last night?
Ahhhh, we constantly limit God and put him in our little box. God isn’t limited to just offering eternity to us, he deals in the here and now too. When he sent his son Jesus to die for us, it wasn’t just about our future destiny in Heaven, it was also about this life, today. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full.” My friend, that includes NOW. Jesus is for TODAY too.
The fullness of life Jesus offers is for this place in your life right now, the next phase you’re unsure of, and the promised eternity afterwards. ALL of it. Jesus is for every day of your existence. You never have to live a single moment without him because there’s never a single moment of your life he hasn’t already worked through. While he’s here with you today, he’s already ahead of you knowing where this goes next. He’s already in your best day and your hardest day, just as he was in your first day and will certainly be in your last day.
He was there. He is here. And he will be there. Always. Forever. You will never, ever be alone.
Now what I love to do is take a scripture and read it in several different translations. I use the website biblehub.com to read dozens of translations all together. I also have several different translations downloaded on my Bible app, so I can easily switch back and forth on a specific scripture. Let’s read today’s scripture (Isaiah 41:10) in a few different translations.
MSG: Don’t panic, I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
You may think you don’t have the strength, but honey, God is giving you HIS strength. The strength that moves mountains. The strength that breaks chains. The strength that tears down prison walls. The strength that parts seas. That’s the kind of strength being given to you. That’s what is helping you. That’s what is holding you steady. It’s there for you. There’s no reason for you to panic. Not with strength like that.
This is how you get up and move forward with confidence. This is how you keep going. God has given you that strength. Now, he expects you to use it!
The funny thing about strength is, you use it or you lose it. Muscles atrophy quickly without use. If you don’t do what you can do, you will eventually lose that ability and no longer be able to do it for no other reason than you didn’t do it while you could. If you took perfectly good, healthy working legs, and you laid them in a bed and refused to get up for a several months, those healthy working legs would turn into useless limbs without the strength to do anything. Muscles literally atrophy within 2 to 3 weeks of not using them.
So here God is offering you his strength within you … but if you don’t use it, you begin to atrophy. You become less and less capable, less and less confident, and more and more stuck.
The strength is here for you, honey … use it! Stop panicking and start using the strength God has given you.
TPT: Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation. I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand.
Oh, I love that … do not YIELD to fear. What does a yield sign mean? It means you wait and let whatever is coming pass first. It means look, then if absolutely nothing is in your way you proceed with caution. And God is saying, STOP LOOKING AT YOUR FEAR. Stop waiting for it to pass. Get in front of that fear with faith. Stop looking for what may go wrong. You’re creating the anxiety here.
With God, that fear has to get behind you. You don’t yield to it, it yields to you. You’re a mighty force of power with God as your focus, now move forward! Every single situation you will ever face is already guaranteed to come with the personal help of God. Did you hear that? Let me say it again.
EVERY SINGLE SITUATION YOU WILL EVER FACE IS ALREADY GUARANTEED TO COME WITH THE PERSONAL HELP OF GOD.
Imagine you don’t personally have a ton of money, but I do. Now imagine I’m your very generous sister. Imagine that I have not only promised, but I have proven I will always help you when you need it. Wouldn’t that take away your worry about money? Yes! Why? Because the one you know has money has promised and proven they will help you.
THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE IN GOD. But not just with resources, with every thing. He has wisdom, answers and guidance. He has solutions and healing. He has restoration and next right steps. He has provision and he has protection. He has everything. And he’s already proven he is a generous God. Seriously, he gave his son for you, what more wouldn’t he do?
And this is the promise and the proof you live with every single day. There’s absolutely no reason to yield to fear and be stuck waiting for it to pass. No, you move forward and tell fear to get behind you. You have been infused with the supernatural strength to overcome. You are being held steady by a hand that never shakes.
Your worries and fears paint a picture of a future without that hand. But God’s hand will never leave you. Ever.
The one who has all the healing, all the answers, all the next steps, all the provision, all the strength, all the blessings … this is the one who has said, “I AM WITH YOU. I WILL HELP YOU.”
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There’s an 8 year old video that recently went viral with millions of views online. A little boy named Jordan stands with his pastor at the front of the church to get baptized. The pastor is doing his baptism speech, and you can see little Jordan growing with anticipation of his big moment. And just as the pastor lifts his hand and says, “In the name of the Father …”, little Jordan shouts, “I’ll do it”, and dunks himself under water. He comes up and says, “I did it!”
He was waiting and waiting and waiting, and finally he just decides he will do it himself. I have to giggle and wonder where Jordan is today, 8 years later.
It’s really the perfect picture of us. We wait and wait, then we just decide to do it ourselves. Sometimes God can just take entirely too long. And what happens when we can’t wait for God … well, we typically make a mess.
Where are my control-freak sisters at? Control freaks manifest themselves in several ways, one being anxiety and another being impatience. You worry about the details and how it’s all going to work out, and in your need to have it all work out according to your plan, you start rushing it. Is that you?
This morning I did a google search for control freaks in the Bible. Interestingly enough, AI came back with 2 examples … and they were both women! We have Martha and we have Sarah.
Martha was a woman who wanted everything to be perfect, but in her pursuit of a super clean house and an impressive meal on the table, she completely missed the point. Jesus was at her house for dinner, so she was busy and filled with anxiety. I mean let’s cut her a break, if Jesus were at your house, wouldn’t you be a little anxious too? What in the world would you cook him? (Jesus, at my house you’re getting pumpkin bread because that’s the one thing I can do super well every time.)
Martha is flying around the house like a mad woman, cooking and cleaning, while her sister Mary sits with Jesus and listens to everything he is saying. I imagine Martha has been giving Mary the look … you know the one that says, “girl, you better get in this kitchen and help me.” But, Mary just sat there with Jesus. I bet Martha got extra loud with the pots and pans, maybe even a little groan or sigh to signal her need for help … still Mary just sat there.
So finally, out of absolute frustration, Martha goes to Jesus and says in Luke 10: 40, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Martha was an anxious control-freak, choosing to spend the one evening she has Jesus in her house foolishly stressed about cooking and cleaning. She missed the whole point. Jesus was there to spend time with her, not be impressed by an immaculate house and 4 course meal.
Looking back at a whole decade of my life, I realize I was a whole lot more like Martha than Mary. I got caught up in how everything looked and missed what was really happening. What was really happening is my children were growing up and they would never be that little again. What was really happening is time was passing that I would never get back. But dang it, my house was spotless and I had 7 perfectly decorated Christmas trees.
Looking back, I make my own self gag. I was the control-freak missing the whole point. I’m so grateful Jesus didn’t give up on me during those years, and I’m really grateful he didn’t just leave me like I was. Now, I can sit with you and have the most beautiful conversation while the pumpkin bread is burning in the oven, and we’ll just add extra butter to soften it back up. It will be okay.
Maybe you need to say that with me today. It will be okay.
It will be okay if it doesn’t all get done. It will be okay if it’s not all perfect. There are more important things here.
Now, the second example of a control-freak in our Bible … Sarah. Sarah was a woman with a promise, but that promise felt long since expired in her wait. She was a whole lot like little Jordan standing in that pool of water waiting, waiting, waiting, then finally saying, “I’ll do it!”
You see, Sarah and her husband Abraham had been promised by God to have all these descendants. Now descendants come one way … babies. But they had no babies. At the time of God’s promise, they were both already old. In fact, Sarah was in her late 60’s and couldn’t have children. So the promise seemed really far-fetched, but they received it anyway. Lord, bring on the babies as you have promised.
So they wait, and they wait, and they wait, and nothing happens. And Sarah’s standing there feeling like little Jordan in the pool, wondering how long this is going to take. And finally, Sarah says, “I’ll do it!”
How? She will have her young, fertile assistant sleep with her husband, and she can have the baby for them. Yes, that’s how God will fulfill his purpose and give us children!
Wow, sometimes us control-freaks really like to give God a helping hand, don’t we? Like God needs us to get involved with his divine design and human it all up. But we are impatient, and waiting can really bring out the crazy in us.
Sure enough, Sarah acts crazy and creates absolute chaos for her family. Her assistant has a baby, Sarah’s jealous of her, and poor old Abraham is caught in the middle of it all. And all this time, God had promised to do it the right way. All this time, God had the way already made and the time would be perfect.
At just the right time, Sarah did become pregnant herself with their promised child. Sarah was 90! It was 23 years from the time of the promise until the fulfillment of that promise. It took from chapter 12 of Genesis all the way to chapter 21 of Genesis. That’s 9 chapters of life.
I don’t know what chapter of life you’re in right now, but I bet there’s something you’ve been waiting on and it feels like it’s taking entirely too long. But here’s what all us control freaks need to remember today … Genesis 21:1-2, “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.”
You don’t need to do it yourself. God will do it, and he will do it perfectly. What’s causing us such issues is our very unnecessary timeline.
A few years ago, I was impatiently petitioning God for a continued request for our family. Lord, when will you bring our daughter back? When will you make her whole? By Christmas, okay God. Christmas would come and go, so I would extend the deadline. Okay, God, I’ll give you more time … how about by next Summer. And finally, I heard God say, “Take me off your timeline.” Then he asked me for 30.
30? 30 days, God? I could be good with 30 more days. No, he said, 30 years. Would you trust me with this if it takes 30 years? Would you still have faith that I am working if you’re waiting for 30 years? Would you still choose joy every day in 30 years of waiting for me to bring her back.
And I said yes. Yes, I will wait for 30 years. And something truly incredible happened the moment I agreed to that 30 … I let go of control, all anxiety and impatience was dropped, and I’ve been filled with nothing but absolute peace since.
Maybe it’s happening in the next chapter … or maybe it’s 9 chapters like Sarah. Or maybe it’s the full 30 years God prepared me for. No matter what, I will not be the control-freak who gets mad and huffy and starts throwing stuff around so someone feels sorry for me and comes to help. Nor will I be the control-freak who twists and turns things in my own attempt to fix things my way. I will not baptize my own self here!
One last funny story. A few weeks ago at our BIG Life Outer Banks Retreat, we had gotten up on Friday morning for a sunrise plunge in the ocean. The waves were absolutely wild and swept half of us out on our first steps in the water. Linda had asked to be baptized that morning, so I stood with Linda in the water and everyone gathered around. At this time, the water was up to about our knees, but just as I lifted my hand to say, “In the name of the Father, the Son …..”, all the water was swept out and we were standing on nothing but wet sand.
So we waited and waited and waited. I said, “Linda, we’re going to wait for the next wave to come in. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
Just then, a wave came in and absolutely slammed us both. Linda went completely under and barrel rolled to the shore. I didn’t baptize Linda … God did that himself!
His timing, his way. It is literally my favorite baptism ever.
So, my sister, are you going to do this yourself, or are you going to really let God do this? Release control … you never really had it anyway.
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To the one who feels left out, to the one who feels not good enough, to the one who feels their failure must have outweighed God’s grace by now, you have to know Jesus is specifically looking for you! While studying the details of Jesus’ resurrection, I noticed the sweetest reassurance tucked away in a […]
When you are dealing with situations, you have 2 categories in your mind: This is good, or this is bad. Everything you encounter is subconsciously placed in one of those two categories. Either this is good, I like it, this feels good, I’m happy about it … or …. this is bad, I don’t like […]
When my kids were little, they could count on receiving a handmade card and a little money in the mail every holiday. Their Great-Grandma was world class in investing into their lives even with a long distance relationship. It’s now part of her legacy that has outlived her. One particular holiday, instead of the typical […]
Have you been asking God to bless something you’re not willing to even begin? Have you been waiting for him to confirm something you were never told to do? Have you been expecting him to increase the very thing you haven’t been faithful with? God isn’t here to do magic. He’s here to continue the […]
Are you continually needing a sign from God to keep your faith? Do you quickly start to doubt when there doesn’t seem to be anything mystical and magical happening for you? Jesus’ disciples were that way. They would have a front row seat to a divine miracle, then walk into the next problem forgetting what […]
When Jesus says your prayers can move mountains, does he mean anymountain? When he says your lack of faith causes your prayers to beineffective, is that why some of your prayers have gone unanswered? Let’s dig deeper into Mark 11:22-25 and really consider the context ofwhat Jesus is saying so we don’t treat God like […]
How successful have you been at making things happen in your life? You worked hard, you sacrificed, and you built something. Something to be proud of. You started with so little and with all your hard work, it grew to become so much more. That’s a great thing. I’m so happy for your success. You’ve […]
Have you ever wanted to help, but didn’t know how to help. You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t know what to do. Everything you had to offer seemed so totally inadequate. I bet there’s someone you really wish you could help right now. Someone is hurting, but you don’t know how to heal […]
I assure you, God wastes nothing. While he may not have personally designed all of your delays and detours, he can certainly work in them. While the hardships you face don’t always come from Heaven’s plans, they have passed through Heaven and have been deemed of value on your journey. Have you ever had plans, […]
This morning, you and I woke up to an abundance of miracles. All that is good and right and working far outweighs that which is not good, not right and not working. However, it’s quite natural for us to focus on that one achy part of our body that doesn’t feel good while there are […]
Yesterday we began the conversation of being faithful in little things so that we can be trusted with more. God is looking for faithful girls. Faithful girls who will be consistent with their commitment. Faithful girls who will show up every day and do what they said they would do. Have you accepted the challenge […]
You’ve heard of 75 Hard, right? A 75 day commitment to do a series of hard things daily. Traditionally, that list of hard things includes 2 workouts daily (one outside), eating a healthy meal plan, drinking a gallon of water, reading 10 pages, and taking a daily progress photo. Every day for 75 days. No […]
How do you receive a gift? What is your response to a wrapped box before you even know what’s inside? Today is my birthday and I am one proud woman to be 49. I’m not ashamed or embarrassed by that number. I’m ALIVE! Do you have any idea what God had to bring me through […]
God offers his grace as a gift, but what is that gift to you? Let’s open our Bibles today for an unscripted study together to dig deeper into the gift of grace so we know how to use all God has given us. 2 Timothy 2:12 Corinthians 12:9Mark 9:23 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook […]
Mark 2: 1-12, “When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a […]
Fear has whispered a story to you that maybe you have believed. When you believe things never work out for you, when you believe this too will all fall apart, when you believe you will never be good enough, you have no other option but to operate from that belief. You present yourself to the […]
Right now, today, in this exact stage and season of your life, God is preparing you for what is next. He is using all that is to make what currently is not. That which currently is not working, that which currently is not good, that which currently is not okay, is being used by the […]
Let me clue you in to my process of hearing from God each morning to bring you a new devotional. First, I work on a very tight timeline. I have one hour from the time I sit down to write until I go live. I find this restricted amount of time gets my squirrel chasing […]
There are two steadfast, unchanging, forever true statements that apply to every single day of your life. If you get these truths down deep in your soul and operate from them, you will struggle less and find joy more. Ready? God is always good. The devil is always a liar. Always. Without fail. God’s goodness […]
God wants to use you. Oh yes, he does … he has found a way to use you for his good works and, girl, he’s been trying to get you to see what he’s doing here. What he’s doing is taking the very thing you struggled with in your past to be used for good […]
Have you ever wondered why God, in all his power and majesty, made the world the way he did? Why would he create the Earth to be a round ball, then why would he make it spin? Why would he position the sun to create light and darkness, day and night? God designed our world […]
Have you ever rushed into something before you prayed about it? Yeah, me too. Have you ever worked yourself silly trying to do something and never took the time to pray about it? Me too! Have you ever not prayed about it because you’re sure God’s already doing his thing and it’s taken care of […]
We’re all looking for that ticket to happiness. What is it we are missing and how can we get it so we are always happy? Our Creator designed us to find the sweet secret of happiness within only in HIM. Scripture refers to this inner happiness as contentment. The Hebrew word was autarkeia and it […]
I’ve always dreamed of hosting a Poppy and Franny Camp for our future grandkids. (My husband is Poppy and I am Franny and yes, we have arrived to the greatest destination in life … grandparents!!!). Poppy and Franny Camp is a special time at our house where we play and intentionally make all the memories. The future has arrived and we hosted the long awaited Poppy and Franny Camp in July for our first grandson, Maverick. To our delight, camp has gotten extended and we have even more time with our little boy. He’s here with us and our days are filled with the adventures and excitement of life through a 2 year old, and our nights are filled with a tiny human crawling in our bed to sleep sideways. It’s all one huge blessing and I intentionally keep every detail in it’s rightful position of being a blessing and I refuse to allow it to ever become a burden.
I wonder if we all need to pause today and check our blessings. Have we allowed them to become burdens? Have we lost perspective? Have we tried to rush this? Have we gotten caught up in the things that don’t really matter and missed the things that do? Unprotected blessings become unintentional burdens.
My little blessing has something he says dozens of times every day. He says, “I-tuck” which translates to “I’m stuck.” He’s never literally stuck, he just can’t figure our how to do something. “I-tuck” is his cry for help. But interestingly enough, in his 2 year old way, he doesn’t want you to do it for him, he just wants you to help him ever so slightly, then let him continue do it himself.
And isn’t this exactly what we do? We call out to God, “I’m stuck”, anytime we can’t figure it out on our own, but we only want enough help to continue doing it our way. I see it now, I’m a perpetual toddler, and God is forever a good, good father.
Hold that thought … we’re coming back to it.
Earlier this week, I was flying from San Fransisco back to my little island off the tip of Florida, and I was mesmerized by the mountains below. I’ve been in those mountains before … in fact, I’ve been stuck in those mountains. They’re the beautiful Spring Mountains just outside of Las Vegas. These desert mountains cover over 300,000 acres. The hiking trails crawl through crevices and deep ravines, then over large boulders with beautiful views.
From the widow seat of isle 14, the mountains appeared to be flattened all into shades of brown and gray. I could see the trails all winding and eventually connecting. It was all so simple from so high up. It all made sense from this perspective. But on the ground … I know how hard those trails are.
My hiking experience in the Spring Mountains went a whole lot like most of my hiking adventures … I got a little lost along the way. Lost to the point the only way out was to do a little rock climbing because I had wandered my way into the “rock climbing section”. That’s my gift y’all … I can take a simple hike and turn it into an epic adventure. We will end up scaling rocks and wishing we had ropes, but we won’t have ropes and we will survive to tell another great story of how we can do really hard things!
Deep in between the massive boulders of the mountain, I could see no way out. But how many of us know from personal experience, just because you can’t see the way doesn’t mean the way doesn’t exist. It was there … I was just stuck. Stuck because my position didn’t allow me a higher perspective.
That’s where God comes in! God’s position is always perfect. He sits high above the Earth with a perspective that sees it all. Isaiah 40:22, “God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him.” That’s a position with a higher perspective. High above us, things look different. And with this perspective, our problems are flattened and the way is so clear.
Just like the view from seat 14F on the airplane. The trails all connected. There was clearly a way out. Even the highest peaks were flattened to be nothing more than a variation in color. Yet, this is precisely where I have been stuck before. Somewhere in that 300,000 acres of peaks and valleys, boulders and crevices, I was stuck. But my God knew my exact location and the way out.
I don’t know where you may be stuck today, but I know for sure, God knows the way out for you. His eye is on you, you have not gone unnoticed by your loving father. This is not hopeless and you are not helpless. With God’s higher perspective, these mountains in your way are flattened and the way out is so clear. My sister, your job is to call on him for help, then trust him as you take the next step.
One thing I figured out is, God faithfully guides my next step but he expects me to actually take that step. Sometimes I would prefer a rescue helicopter to come swoop me up out of my problems, but instead I’m simply supernaturally strengthened for the next step I wasn’t so sure I could take. That’s how God gets me unstuck.
Now, the way to stay unstuck is to learn the lesson from my grandson. He says “I tuck”, but it doesn’t mean he really wants me to help him. It means he wants me to encourage him as he does it his way. He wants me to sometimes spot him in case he falls doing it his way. The last thing he wants me to do is full on fix it for him. He’s entirely too independent and head strong for that.
Girl, this independence streak of insisting you do everything your own self is causing some major messes in your life. You’re making this all so much harder than it needs to be. What if your way isn’t the right way? What if your way will have you wandering down the wrong trails for 5 more miles … or 5 more years. Have you ever looked up to realize you’ve been going the wrong way for 5 years? There’s only one thing worse that going the wrong way for 5 years … go that way for 6 years … or 7 … or … are you going to just keep going?
What if your way will only make this worse? If you’re stuck, not sure what to do from here, ASK GOD TO HELP YOU!
Then, when God helps you, trust him! Trust his perspective allows him to see things you cannot see. Trust his way is always better than your way. Trust when he gives you the next step to take, you should just take it. Where’s the next step? It’s ALWAYS right in front of you.
God knows his girls get stuck … a lot. In fact, he knows without his help, we can never make it through this on our own. That’s why he sent his son Jesus. Jesus came so that you would get unstuck, Sis. He is your way out and he is your way through.
Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Are you afraid right now, looking around where you are stuck? Don’t be. Are you discouraged right now, feeling helpless and hopeless? You’re not! God sees the way through this and he will guide you. He will strengthen you for your next step. Take it, Sis. Take it!
Let’s look at that same scripture in 2 different translations.
MSG: “Don’t panic, I’m with you. (Receive that directly from your loving and all-powerful God right now.). There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.”
TPT: “Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. (Think about yielding to fear like yielding to traffic. If you’re yielding, then you’re giving it the right of way, letting it go first. Isn’t that what you’re doing with fear? You’re letting fear lead you? You’re letting fear go first as you stay stuck without moving forward. Yeah, God says DON’T DO THAT. Don’t yield to fear, I’m right here!). Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation.”
Today, may you be infused with God’s strength and see he is truly helping you with every situation. Call out to him for help. Tell him, “Lord, I’m stuck and I fully want your help for my next step. This doesn’t have to be my way, I want your way. I can’t see what you can see, so I trust your way is better than my way. Show me the way through. Show me the way out. I’m lifting my foot in faith as you guide my next step.”
This is how you get unstuck, my friend.
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Have you ever had one of those days where you worried about all there was to worry about? One of those days where you thought about all that was wrong and could go wrong? One of those days where you dwelt on the struggle, wallowed in the hardship, consumed by the negativity? You know, one of those days … have you ever had one?
WELL LET ME ASSURE YOU OF ONE THING … TODAY WAS NOT GIVEN TO YOU TO MAKE IT ONE OF THOSE DAYS!
The purpose of this day of your life isn’t to worry. God’s plan for you today isn’t to stay stuck in this negative head space, anxious about all the things. Sometimes we can get ourselves in such a funk that we don’t know what may unfold, but we have predetermined to just be anxious about it.
Did you know it is possible to instead be excited about what may unfold? That’s totally an option! Anxiety over the unknown is not mandatory here, you could exchange it for excitement instead.
Hey, I wonder how God is going to show up for you.
I wonder what good plans he’s working together now.
I wonder what blessings he has lined up and what wondrous works he’s planning on your behalf.
I wonder how this could go RIGHT … like ridiculously right.
I wonder how you could be at the right place at the right time by the design of the Almighty.
I wonder how he is aligning miracles with your name on them, and you won’t even see it coming until you step right in the middle of it.
Lord, help us to shift our reaction to life from anxiety to excitement. Help us to see your hand at work in every detail, and trust that it is good. Help us to break the habit of worry, and exchange it for peace that fosters overwhelming joy.
This doesn’t all have to calm down for you to be peaceful. This doesn’t all have to work out before you exude joy. The offering of peace and joy is right here in the middle of the uncertainty, in the depths of the unknown, in the trows of the battle. Today’s happiness does not have to be sacrificed just because of the lack of perfection in circumstances. The majority of the days of our life will fall short of perfect, however every single one of them has the potential for living richly.
When our eye is on the storm, we miss the Jesus in our boat.
Matthew 8: 23-26 tells us about the disciples facing a terrible storm while they’re in a boat with Jesus. It says, “Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
While the disciples are absolutely freaking out, what is Jesus doing? He’s actually sleeping on the boat. Jesus is peaceful, he is calm, he’s not worried at all.
Looking at different translations, scripture refers to this storm as fierce, furious, violent, and terrible. Yeah, you ever had one of those in your life? Not just a regular storm, but a furious one. The terrible kind that tears some crap apart in your life. The violent kind that rocks your whole world and turns you upside down. Yeah, it was one of those kinds of storms. The waves swept over the boat and they were about to sink. They were going under, and Jesus is sleeping.
Sometimes that’s exactly how it feels. It feels like you’re going under and Jesus is sleeping on the job. You have him in your life, but what good is it doing? You’re sinking here and see no sign of rescue. So what do you do? Don’t hesitate to do exactly what the disciples did … WAKE UP JESUS!
When they woke him up in their panic Jesus he said to them in Matthew 8: 26 “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves and suddenly there was a great calm.
Completely calm. Everything that was threatening them was immediately gone. It became quiet. They must have sat replaying his words “Why are you afraid?” What should they have done differently? Was it wrong to wake him? Were they not really in danger?
I’ve often wondered why Jesus responded to their panic with this harshness. Was it wrong of them to wake him? Was it wrong of them to assume because the waves were taking over their boat that they were probably going to sink? Should they have just laid down in the storm and gone to sleep too?
What if this is simply about having a relationship with Jesus, and in that relationship he is your go to. He is the first thing you try. You don’t wait until the boat is sinking, you see the storm clouds and you wake him up. You don’t wallow in your worry and sit in the puddles of your endless scenarios of potential problems, you start talking to Jesus before it gets too bad.
And when you talk to Jesus, the fear starts to fade. Why did Jesus respond to their panic with “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith” … well could it be because he was available before it got so bad?
Here’s what we do … we wait until we’re totally at the ends of ourselves and what we can do on our own, then we turn to God. We try everything and when that doesn’t work, then we ask God to work. Isn’t that what you do too?
It doesn’t take a whole lot of faith to come to God when he’s your ONLY option. God wants a relationship with you that’s deeper than that. He wants you to come to him when you still have viable options on your own. God desires a relationship with you that has you talking to Jesus about a few little clouds before the storm shows up to sink your boat. It takes faith to stay close to Jesus when it’s smooth sailing. It’s real easy to leave him behind when you don’t need him.
Jesus is here with you today, you can move forward with confidence. You can step into the potential of this day and leave the anxiety behind. You can choose peace over worry. You can choose excitement over every anxious thought that comes knocking on your door.
What if the clouds in the distance come hang right over your head … well, what if that distant threat never comes your way because God is directing it?
What if the storm does come and hits you hard … well, what if this is your opportunity to see a miracle first hand as God makes it stop with one word?
What if this storm doesn’t go away … well, if it doesn’t go away then there must be a purpose for which God is going to use it.
What if your boat sinks … well, this may just be your opportunity to walk on water with Jesus.
I can’t promise you what’s going to happen in your storm, but I know this … you have the power to wake up Jesus! Wake him up with your prayers. Wake him up with your praise. And don’t wait until it gets to the point of disaster. Start talking to him now. But if disaster is already here and you wish you would have gotten him involved earlier … start talking now!
But remember, even in the storm, worry is optional. Anxiety does not have to be your primary emotion. Worst case scenarios do not have to run your mind. Peace is available here.
Matthew 6: 31-34 (The Passion Translation): “So then, forsake your worries! (Forsake means abandon). Doesn’t your heavenly Father already know the things you require. Above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly. REFUSE to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”
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What has been taken from you? What dream did you have that was taken before it was fulfilled? What opportunity were you living in, then it was gone? What direction were you going, then it was blocked? What good thing did you have going, then everything changed?
I was fired from a job once. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve been fired twice. Two times I’ve been pushed out of a job and forced to end my secure employment. That makes me sound like a bad person, but neither were a case of fault. I remember both days of my job being taken from me. I was hurt. I was scared. I was sad. I was mad. It wasn’t fair.
BUT, I had no idea how what was taken from me was preparing me for a much greater exchange. In both cases I had been holding on to a job that provided security only because I was fearful of life without a paycheck and insurance. No matter how miserable it became, I was still holding on tight. It had to be taken from me to see it was not best for me. Once it was gone, I was in position for a great exchange. I was finally free to follow my passion. I was available to step fully into my purpose. Having my job taken from me was the blunt push I required to accept the exchange. The exchange that brings me to you today!
You may be in the middle of losing that which you’ve been holding to so tightly. And honestly, there’s nothing more you can do. This isn’t going to be saved. There’s no fixing this. This thing that was once so filled with potential and delight is now being taken. But why? Why is it being taken? Why is a loving and mighty God watching this happen and not stepping in to stop it? Could it be because he has an exchange available for you? An exchange of what is no longer best for you, for something so much greater. An exchange of what you’ve been carrying around out of security, for something you didn’t have the courage to go for on your own.
Jesus was given to us as the great exchange. Our sins, our shortcomings, our failures, in exchange for his righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Colossians 2: 20-22, “Through Jesus God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”
Who did it? GOD DID IT.
How did he do it? THROUGH JESUS.
Who did he do it for? YOU!
You did absolutely nothing to earn this exchange. God simply believes you are worthy. He believes you are worthy of his son, so he made the exchange. He took all you couldn’t fix on your own, and he let Jesus fix it once and for all.
That’s freaking fantastic news! Forever and ever you have been covered by what has been done for you. What has been taken from you clears the way for your salvation, and what was given in exchange redeems you fully.
But what about today? Really, what about this day here in your life this side of Heaven? What about the real life events unfolding that steal your peace, spoil your plans, and seemingly ruin your future. Is Jesus just for salvation, or is he for this life you’re living now? Was there an exchange for what is being taken right now?
ABSOLUTELY!
Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that he came “so that you would have life, and have it more abundantly.” Yes, you will survive this, but more than survive, you will THRIVE in this. You will have life so full that it will overflow out of abundance. That is what Jesus came to give you this side of Heaven. Do you accept it? Great! Now, some things will need to be taken for this exchange.
Will you trust what has been taken from you is in God’s hands? Will you trust that while it may hurt, while it may be unfair, while it will be hard, God is the author of the great exchange. He does not take without making an exchange.
Do I have any listeners who were once young, unwed mothers? Do you remember how your world came crashing down with the devastating news that you were pregnant? The dreams for your future were taken in an instant. All your plans were ruined. You thought your world had come to an end. But now, you can’t imagine your life without the child you never planned for. Your life changed because there was an exchange of what you had planned, for something greater.
Or maybe there was a marriage you fought so hard to save, but he left anyway. Your “forever” was taken and you were left alone. You didn’t know it then, but God had a greater plan for your future than you could have ever imagined. An exchange was made and God ensured it would be ridiculously good for his girl.
The home you built, the home you loved, the home you dreamed of growing old in. Then you had to sell it. You had to let go of all you had worked so hard for and turn over the keys. Let me tell you, God isn’t so big that he doesn’t care about the home you live in. He cares and he moves on your behalf over these details. The home had to be taken from you so you could receive the future exchange. A positioning for something greater. An unfolding of more than you could have dreamed of on your own.
You were about to settle where you were, just calling it comfortable and good enough. But Jesus said, no this isn’t abundance. This isn’t overflowing. This isn’t the fullness of life I came to give her. There’s SO MUCH MORE. So the exchange begins, but it begins by what you have being taken.
Will you trust that anything being taken from you now is in preparation for a greater exchange? Will you trust that God’s eye is on you, his good plans are at work for you, and not a detail has been overlooked?
If something is being taken, go ahead and loosen your grip and tell God you’re awaiting the exchange. Tell him you’re counting on him to do what only he can do.
Yes, God allowed my secure job with a paycheck and insurance to be taken. It was devastating and embarrassing. But he wasn’t just taking it to punish me. He wasn’t taking it to hurt me. He wasn’t taking it to hold me back, he was in fact pushing me forward. I had been holding back. I had been delaying my own destiny by holding on to something that ultimately was just in the way. Once it was taken, I was free to dive fully into the exchange available to me.
Does it mean it’s been easy? No. Does it mean I’ve never questioned? I wish I could say I’ve always had faith, but my faith has wavered. But God never left me once, and he’s always, without fail, made a way for me.
He will do the same for you. He will take you right through the toughest times. He will lead you through the ashes of your burned up dreams and failed attempts. He will parade you right on by all that was taken from you, and allow you to step into the exchange he has made possible for you.
Your sins and transgressions exchanged for the righteousness of Jesus … that’s a GREAT deal for your eternity.
Your current position and comfort exchanged for overflowing abundance … that’s a GREAT deal for your today.
If it has been taken, it is being exchanged. God can be trusted here.
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Mark 6: 1-13 “Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
5000 MEN + WOMEN & CHILDREN = 20,000
VIDEO OF 20,000 PEOPLE WALKING ACROSS A FIELD
6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
JESUS ALREADY HAD THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. HE ALREADY HAD THE ANSWER. THE MIRACLE HAD ALREADY BEEN ALIGNED.
WHAT WE SEE AS A PROBLEM, JESUS SEES AS A POSSIBILITY.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
BARLEY BREAD WAS THE COMMON FOOD OF THE POOR. EACH LOAF WAS THIN AND SMALL, MUCH LIKE A CRACKER, NOT A LARGE LOAF OF FRENCH BREAD. TWO SMALL FISH – WE’RE NOT TALKING KING SIZE SALMON, MOST LIKELY A SMOKED FISH THE SIZE OF SARDINES. LITERALLY A LUNCH.
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down.
THE DISCIPLES HAVE TO TRUST THAT JESUS IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING THEY CANNOT DO. THEY ARE INSTRUCTING THIS MASSIVE CROWD TO SIT DOWN IN EXPECTATION, KNOWING FULLY WELL THEY ONLY HAVE THE LUNCH OF A BOY TO OFFER.
THE BOY HAD TO SACRIFICE THE LUNCH HIS MOTHER HAD MADE HIM.
11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
GOD IS ALL ABOUT MULTIPLICATION! OUR GOD IMAGINES, HE MANIFESTS, HE CREATES, AND HE MULTIPLIES. BUT, GOD’S MULTIPLICATION IS A RESULT OF 3 THINGS:
- TRUST
THE DISCIPLES HAD TO TRUST JESUS WAS REALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING TO FEED THIS HUNGRY CROWD. THEY WERE TELLING THEM TO SIT DOWN IN ROWS AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE. THEY STEPPED UP TO LEAD OUT OF TRUST.
GOD’S MULTIPLICATION IS A RESULT OF:
- SACRIFICE
OUT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THE CROWD, YOU CAN’T TELL ME THE ONLY PERSON WITH FOOD WAS THIS ONE BOY. YET, WHEN THE DISCIPLES SEARCH THE CROWD FOR WHAT COULD BE OFFERED, ONLY THE BOY’S LUNCH WAS AVAILABLE.
GOD ASKS FOR SOMETHING TO START WITH. HE DOESN’T CARE HOW SMALL IT IS. HE DOESN’T CARE HOW INSIGNIFICANT IT IS. HE ASKS FOR SOMETHING. ONLY THE BOY’S LUNCH WAS OFFERED, SO IT WAS THE BOY’S LUNCH THAT WAS USED.
IMAGINE BEING IN THE CROWD, BEING ASKED BY ONE OF THE DISCIPLES IF YOU HAD ANY FOOD TO HELP FEED THE CROWD, AND KEEPING YOUR OWN LUNCH IN YOUR BACKPACK BECAUSE YOU KNEW IT WAS INSIGNIFICANT. THEN YOU SEE THE MIRACLE. THEN YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T GET TO PARTICIPATE AS GOD’S VESSEL FOR MIRACULOUS PROVISION BECAUSE YOU DID OFFER WHAT YOU HAD.
NOW I WANT YOU TO THINK OF SOMEONE NEVER MENTIONED IN THIS STORY, YET SOMEONE WHO PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE MIRACLE WE STILL READ ABOUT TODAY. THERE WAS A MOM. A MOM WHO BAKED BREAD THAT DAY. A MOM WHO GOT UP EARLY THAT MORNING AND MADE HER SON LUNCH. A MOM WHO MAYBE FELT WHAT SHE DID WAS NEVER IMPORTANT. BUT IT WAS … BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING MIRACULOUS.
IMAGINE KNOWING THE BREAD YOU BAKED WAS USED BY JESUS FOR THIS GREAT MIRACLE! IMAGINE THE KIND WORDS YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO SOMEONE WERE PART OF GOD’S MIRACLE IN THEIR LIFE. IMAGINE THE SACRIFICE YOU MADE WAS USED FOR SOMETHING SO MUCH BIGGER THAN YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE. IMAGINE THE WORK YOU’VE DONE REACHES BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN SEE.
IF YOU’VE OFFERED IT TO GOD, IT HAS!!!!!!!!
GOD’S MULTIPLICATION IS A RESULT OF:
- KNOWING IT’S GOD’S WORK, NOT OURS.
EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS STORY IS SIMPLY A PARTICIPANT. JESUS DID THE MIRACLE, NOT THE MOM WHO BAKED THE BREAD, NOT THE BOY WHO OFFERED HIS LUNCH, NOT THE DISCIPLES WHO MANAGED THE CROWD … ONLY JESUS.
HERE’S OUR PROBLEM, WE LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO, AND WE DISMISS OURSELVES FROM THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN SOMETHING MIRACULOUS. JESUS DOESN’T ASK YOU WHAT BIG, CRAZY, MIRACULOUS THING YOU CAN DO … HE ASKS YOU 2 QUESTIONS:
- WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
- WILL YOU BRING IT TO ME?
CAN YOU BAKE BREAD – DO IT FOR ME.
DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE LUNCH – BRING IT TO ME.
SEE THE NEED AROUND YOU – DON’T RUN AWAY FROM IT.
WE DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF THE BOY WITH THE LUNCH, WE JUST KNOW HE SACRIFICED IT. WE DON’T KNOW WHO HIS MOM WAS, BUT WE KNOW SHE BAKED BREAD THAT WOULD BE PART OF A MIRACULOUS WORK OF GOD. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE COULD EVER DO OR OFFER TO BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER, BUT WE SEE THAT NO MATTER HOW SMALL OUR TIME, TALENT OR TREASURE MAY BE, WHEN WE PUT IT IN THE HANDS OF JESUS, IT IS MULTIPLIED!
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Mark 5:28-30, “For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
Jesus KNEW healing power had gone out from him. He knew someone’s reach of faith had activated his power. And he personally knows every time we reach for him in faith and his power is released.
JESUS KNOWS HE HEALED ME. AND HE’S LOOKING FOR ME TO SEE HOW I RECEIVED IT.
Jesus could have continued on in the crowd without stopping to acknowledge the power which had gone from him to this woman who had secretly reached for his robe in faith. BUT HE WANTED TO SEE HOW SHE RECEIVED IT.
He insists he know who’s faith had activated his power. With deep shame, the woman who had been forbidden contact with the public for 12 years, fell to the ground and confessed, it was her. Then Jesus said in verse 34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
How has he found you after receiving his power? You. Have you reached for him in faith before, and has he provided a way, gotten you through, rescued you, strengthened you, healed you? He KNOWS you reached in faith and he knows his power was sent out to you. Now, he’s looking to see how you received it.
- Have you identified yourself as “daughter”?
You are a daughter of the Almighty King – you’re a real life princess! He has declared you worthy! Why do you feel unworthy to ask him for what you need? Why do you distance yourself, thinking your needs are a burden to him? Jesus was in no way bothered by this woman’s reach, he was honored! He was moved! So moved, he stopped everything else to turn to her. - Jesus said, “go in peace”. She had spent 12 years stuck in this place of shame. 12 years of struggle. 12 years of trying everything and nothing would work. Now he says, GO – go live your life in peace. Receive peace of mind. I have taken your worries. I have lifted your burden.
What Jesus did NOT want her to do was receive the healing in her body, but continue with a worried mind. Isn’t that often us? God comes through for us, he makes a way, he strengthen us, he provides for us, he helps us overcome, but our minds are not filled with peace, instead our minds are filled with worries of the goodness not lasting. Of this breakthrough being short lived. Of the other shoe dropping. Of the next struggle and hardship. Of the next disappointment and set back.
But Jesus is coming back to see how you have received the flow of his power to see if you have moved on in PEACE.
- Jesus said, “Your suffering is over.” Reading the MSG translation of verse 34 – Jesus said to her, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.”
Live well, lived blessed. Are you? Are you living well with your healing? Are you living blessed with his provision? Are you remembering what he has done for you? Girl, you simply CANNOT live the same once you have received the power of Jesus!
Isn’t it interesting that after she had already been healed, after her bleeding had stopped, after her terrible condition had been healed, then Jesus said, “Be healed of your plague.” But she was already healed, why would he say that? Understand, healing must happen beyond the surface level of our condition, it must happen in our minds. We must SEE OURSELVES AS HEALED. WE MUST SEE OURSELVES AS BLESSED. WE MUST SEE OURSELVES AS THE CHOSEN DAUGHTER OF THE ALMIGHTY KING. This is complete healing.
Jesus is coming back to see how you have received his healing power in your life. Have you allowed him to heal the suffering in your mind? Have you allowed him to heal the suffering that has caused your fear and insecurity and anxiety and unhealthy tendency to try to please everyone?
What will he find me doing have he has healed me? Will I be wasting it? Will I be wallowing in my old story? Will I have moved on and forgotten the miraculous works he did for me? Ohhhhh no … may he find me being faithful! May he find me living well, living blessed and healed through and through!
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Did you know that water baptism as Jesus instructed is a very visual representation of what happens when we accept him as our Savior? Who we once were is to be washed away, and we are to rise up with Jesus in living a new life.
Have you been rising up from how you used to live, or have you been struggling with some of those old thought patterns and routines? A new person has no business wallowing in their old ways. Christ changes us from the inside out, therefore our lives simply can’t stay the same.
Colossians 3:1, “You have been raised to new life with Christ …” What does this mean? To understand, we should look at how Christ lived when he himself rose from the grave. After his crucifixion, he was buried for 3 days, then Easter came and the stone was rolled away. For 40 days, Jesus walked the earth again on his mission before returning to Heaven. The question is, how did Jesus live in those 40 days after arising? He’s showing us how to live this new life!
- Jesus left the tomb. Yes, he walked on out of the darkness that had held him, and so should we! You can’t stay stuck in your struggle and wallow in that darkness. A girl who has been raised to new life gets out of that pit, out of that cave, out of that prison, out of that tomb. Honey, whatever has been hurting you, whatever has been threatening you, whatever has held you back in darkness, absolutely MUST be left behind.
There’s a song called “Ain’t No Grave” by Bethel Music that gets me all fired up. You should listen to it today. There’s a line sung on repeat at the end, growing with intensity each time. It says, “Oh, if you walked out of that grave, I’m walking too! Oh, if you walked out of that grave, I’m walking too! Yeah! Oh, if you walked out of that grave, I’m walking too – I’m following Jesus!”
The girl who has been raised to this new life with Christ walks right out of old graves, and she doesn’t go back! If you’ve walked out, don’t you dare go back! That’s not where you belong. That’s where the enemy wants to hold you captive again. Don’t go there.
- Jesus spent time with his disciples. He blessed them, and allowed them to bless him. As God’s chosen girls, raised to a new elevated life, we can’t do this alone. When our whole world becomes hyper focused on what we’re going through, our world suddenly gets so much smaller … and darker. But when you become “others focused” and see there are others going through things too, suddenly you’re not so darn overwhelmed with your own issues.
Even Jesus didn’t make it all about himself. When he came back to spend time with people, he showed up on the shore of a lake and had breakfast waiting for his friends who had been out all night fishing without any luck. Literally, this is what he did!
Quit thinking you don’t need anyone, and no one wants you. That’s a lie from the pits of hell. We were each made for community. We are designed for connection. If you are suffering the best thing you can do is get to serving.
- Jesus lived in supernatural power to do impossible things. Jesus didn’t rise up out of the grave to then play little. No, he showed up with power and intention to make things happen! And this same power has been given to you and I through the Holy Spirit.
When we play little and assume a position of anxious overwhelm, we are forfeiting the power Jesus has offered us. We have settled for living far below our Spirit enabled potential. We have sacrificed impossible things for the smaller possible things and dismissed ourselves from stepping into the fullness of life Jesus came to give us.
Is that what you want? Do you really want to miss out on living the big, beautiful life Jesus is offering? Do you really want to play little when there’s so much more available to you? Do you really want to sit there stuck when the power to rise on up out of this is already inside of you?
It’s a ploy of the enemy to make you think you’re powerless and hopeless. YOU’RE NOT! Not at all, beautiful girl, not at all.
After you’ve decided to rise up with Christ in this new life, Colossians 3:5 says, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.” You can’t go back to what had you stuck. That’s not where you belong. That old way of living must be put to death.
Do you know how you kill that? You starve it. All those old habits and tendencies that brought you to that pit of darkness before … yeah those simply don’t get fed anymore. You’re starving out that old crap! You don’t give it your thoughts. You don’t give it your time. You don’t give it space in your conversations. Anything you give it feeds it, then old ways start growing and taking over again. No, girl, you’ve been charged to PUT THAT TO DEATH.
That old you, how you used to think, how you used to talk, the things you used to do … that all gets thrown out like old clothes that no longer fit you. You have absolutely NO REASON to keep that wardrobe. It doesn’t work for you anymore.
But, here’s the thing, a girl can’t live without clothes. She’s got to put on something. If all you do is try to throw out the old without ever giving yourself something new, you will eventually go out and drag back in that old stuff. Have you ever donated a bag of clothes to a thrift store, and sometime later gone shopping in that thrift store and found your old clothes. Is anyone like me and felt sudden regret over giving it away and wanting it back when you see it there on the hanger? You have to remember you got rid of that for a reason. Don’t pay the price and drag it back home with you! (And you know I’m talking about far more than just clothes here, right?)
And this is why Colossians 3:10 says, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
These are your new clothes, put them on. If you have a new, better wardrobe, there’s no possible way you would want the old stuff back. New clothes … put them on today. This is your new way of being once the old you has been starved out and those old thought patterns, habits and routines are no longer being fed. You intentionally choose a different mood, a different perspective, a different attitude. You choose your energy. Just like you open your closet doors and choose what you will wear for the day to clothe yourself, you choose how you show up and who you show up as.
Verse 14 says, “Clothe yourselves with love.” Putting on love today is a choice. And it’s a choice Jesus says represents your Creator and your Savior best. But girl, before you decide to go out into the world and love everyone today, start in these two places first:
- Could you possibly love yourself? Love yourself as God’s creation he himself declared as a masterpiece. You’ve tried hating yourself and that really didn’t work. So, how about loving yourself. Caring for yourself instead of punishing yourself. Talking nice to yourself instead of tearing yourself down. Showing up for yourself instead dismissing yourself from doing the things that would make you feel so much better at the end of the day. Put on LOVE for YOU today.
- Love your people. Yes, the people you share most every day with. The people who get on your nerves and you generally take for granted. LOVE THEM. What good is it to go out into the world and spread all this love to strangers if the very people you live and work with are not being loved well by you? Put on LOVE for others today, and let it start close instead of far.
It’s time to get dressed, Sis. That old stuff doesn’t work for you. Don’t hoard it, get rid of it! Give yourself the gift of a new wardrobe in your new nature like Jesus. Choose it. Intentionally put it on. Show up like that! This is your mood, your perspective, your attitude, your energy. It’s all your choice.
And remember, a girl who has been raised with Jesus strives to live like the risen Jesus lived. We get out of the place we’ve been stuck before, we seek to be a blessing to others and also let them be a blessing to us, and we use our supernatual powers to do otherwise totally impossible things! This is how we change, from the inside out, showing up in new clothes.
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Without the power of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives, we are constantly doing the things we know we shouldn’t do and living in a perpetual cycle of screw up and beat up. The power of our flesh is strong. We want what we want, and the flesh won’t stop nagging at you until you give it what it wants.
This is how we become slaves to our own ways. We’re not free to make better decisions, our old ways drag us back to old prisons where we’re chained doing the things we said we never wanted to do again. But here we are, doing them. Stuck. Miserable. Ashamed.
But Paul writes in Galatians 5:1, “Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you STAY FREE and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”
I used to think that being a Christian meant I had to follow more rules and give up more freedoms. I thought it meant I couldn’t have fun and I would be continually measured and judged. But my friends, it’s quite the opposite.
Following Christ sets us FREE. We are free from the bondage of sin. We don’t have to stay stuck doing what we used to do. We are also free from slavery to the law. This law Paul is referring to is the 613 commands in the Old Covenant. Under the old law, you break one, you’re too far gone. There was no amount of obedience that could make up for one single disobedience. So the law held us captive in fear of messing up, never being good enough, always missing the mark.
And that’s precisely why God sent his son Jesus. Only the perfection of Jesus could make this right. Only Jesus could set us free forever.
The law was not abolished, but the law was completed through Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” He paid the price of perfection we could never pay.
So, how does that help us in our battle with the flesh that constantly craves what is wrong? Ahhhh, this is the key! Jesus’ sacrifice not only set us free from the law, but also gives us a gift to change us from the inside out.
If you are chained to the law, you will continually feel not good enough. You will see yourself as a failure. You will feel hopeless to ever do better. In fact, you know what someone does when they know they’ve already screwed up, they just go ahead and screw up some more. That’s the way our flesh works. Hey, I already screwed up and ate brownies for breakfast, why not have some cookies too? Hey, I lost my sobriety streak this weekend, so why not go ahead and have a little drink on a Tuesday too? Hey, I already had an affair, so what will chatting with this other little cutie really hurt? Hey, I’ve already blown up my budget, so I might as well see what’s on Amazon today.
This is how we dig the hole deeper. We make things worse because we’re already not good enough and without hope of ever making ourselves good enough for the perfection of the law. So God said, enough … I don’t want my girls struggling like this! My son Jesus will set them free from that trap of unworthiness. He will pay the price for their freedom. They will know they are already forgiven and free to come back to the fullness of life I have for them, even when they haven’t been perfect.
Now, the gift that changes us from the inside out … God’s Holy Spirit! Galatians 5:15, “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.”
As I studied Galatians this weekend, I was absolutely slayed to realize what my flesh is capable of. That fleshy, sinful nature within me is capable of unimaginable, terrible things. I always put myself on some sort of pedestal knowing I would never do the horrendous things others have done, but the truth is, none of us belong on that pedestal. We’re all capable of those terrible things. We’re all susceptible to twisted thoughts and weak fleshy moments. In the wrong place at the wrong time, you could wreck your life and ruin a few others in the process. That’s what is in all of us. Evil.
I’m not better than a single soul spending the rest of their life in prison. That same flesh is in me. That same sinful nature prone to evil that dwells in them is in me. What a humbling thought.
But Jesus has set us truly free. Now, we have to STAY FREE.
How do we do that? We let the Holy Spirit guide our lives. The Holy Spirit prompts us from within revealing to us what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong. It’s there. You know it. You’ve felt it. It’s that little voice that says, “you shouldn’t do that.” It’s that little gut feeling that says, “this is wrong.” It’s also that confirmation within that says, “whew, good job, you overcame that temptation and did the right thing just then!”
When we let the Holy Spirit guide us, we start changing. Naturally. From within! This is how we become the new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 talks about, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” This new life is one with a new direction.
A life in Christ is under the direction of a new lead. Without Christ, all you have is the desires of your flesh with sinful cravings. But with Christ, you are given the gift of the Holy Spirit as your lead.
Maybe you’ve tried to change before and that change was short-lived and then you went right back to your old ways. Well, I have to believe if you’re hearing this today, that is the work of God’s powerful Holy Spirit saying, “My girl, try again with ME as your lead! Turn to me for supernatural strength. Let me heal this in you. Let me change your desires.”
One of my favorite examples of this is my dear friend Christel who’s husband struggled with alcohol for most of his life. It was ruining their marriage and she was at the point of leaving forever. One night he drove to the liquor store to buy another bottle of his poison of choice, and as he sat in the car battling the sinful cravings of his flesh, he felt the physical touch of God on his shoulder. In that instant, his desires were changed. He drove home that night without a drink and he’s never gone back. He has been miraculously healed of a life long addiction.
That’s the power of God. That’s what his Holy Spirit does in your life … it changes your desires.
If you begin following the prompting of his Spirit, soon you will see the sweetness of the life only he can offer and no one could make you go back to your old life. Nothing could make you trade the joy, peace and freedom God has offered you, and return to the old chains you were once held in.
This is change. This is freedom. This is what Jesus does for us!
Practice following the small promptings of the Holy Spirit. You’ll feel it … “I don’t want you to say those things anymore. I want this to change. I want you to turn this off. I want you to show up with joy and energy. I want you to be more patient with them today. I want you to just be kind. I want you to give this to me.” Trust it. Do it. Then, and only then, you will see your desires begin to change.
God started working on me to clean up some areas of my life. I felt those promptings for a long time before I surrendered in obedience. But let me tell you, once I did, he completely changed my perspective and my desire. I don’t want to go back to the way I was. I don’t want to return to the way I was doing it. I can literally see for myself how much better God’s way is. WHAT A GIFT!
God has the same gift for you, my friend. Open your hands and receive it. Follow his prompting. Make those changes. You will never regret it. You are free!
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Why is it you assume God could never use you? Why do you dismiss yourself from a greater calling on your life? Is it because you’ve never felt really good at anything? Is it because you are just a nobody? Is it because you’ve failed before, and you really wouldn’t want to fail God?
Did you know the single most read author in the world likely felt exactly like you? The human who has likely had the greatest impact for Christ could have never imagined being used to tell the world about Jesus. His past was so wrong, there’s no way he could have ever made it right. But God …
God changes everything. He changes your story and he changes your trajectory. He changes the story you tell yourself about your past and he uses it for your future. He changes who you think you are to align with who you were really created to be.
You were created to be HIS. His girl. His masterpiece. His beloved. But, if you’ve spent your whole life feeling like you’re no one special with no special purpose to fulfill, it’s hard to see what could be possible for you. That’s when God plans a head on collision on your course.
The most read author, the one with the greatest impact for Christ, the one with a past of being 100% wrong, was Paul. Paul, the author of over half of our New Testament. He was the one God chose.
Paul writes in Galatians 1: 1, “I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority …” and that’s exactly right. No one would have chosen Paul to teach about following Jesus. He was the most unlikely candidate by human standards because of his past.
Do you know about Paul’s past? His name was originally Saul. He was born just a few years after the crucifixion of Jesus, and as a young boy he went to school to study the law of God. He knew all the laws and he was passionate about ensuring everyone kept the law. But, there was a growing group of people experiencing freedom from the law, and those people were known as Christians.
During Jesus’ time on earth, he stated he came to fulfill the law so that everyone who believed in him would be deemed as worthy and approved. He set people free from an impossible law they could never be perfect enough to fulfill. But Saul didn’t agree with this new found freedom. He, along with the other Pharisees, feared what people would do without the 613 commands they had been bound by.
So, Saul fought. Literally. He fought Christians. Acts 8:3, “Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.” Acts 9:1, “Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.” His mission was to put an end to this freedom Jesus had offered. As an enforcer of the law, freedom threatened to ruin everything.
At about 30 years old, Saul finds himself on a road to the town of Damascus where he planned to find every Christian and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. But God …
Acts 9: 3-9, “As he (Saul) was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Sal! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ ‘Who are you, lord?’ Saul asked. And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for 3 days and did not eat or drink.”
Imagine for a moment how absolutely terrifying this would be. The very thing you’ve been teaching AGAINST has just had an encounter with you. And this encounter has left you blinded. Everything you thought was right, is now being proven wrong. Knowing how Saul had been treating the followers of Jesus, imagine how he must have feared harsh punishment from Jesus himself after this encounter.
So, here he is blind. He’s not eating or drinking. He must have been certain this was the end for him. There couldn’t be a future beyond this. He had been so wrong.
But God …
God never looks at a single one of his children and declares they’re too far gone. He looks at their mistakes and sees how he can use it all for good. He looks at their story and sees how he it can be part of a greater story. And that’s what God saw in Saul. How his wrong could be used for right. How his story could be part of a greater story. And how you and I could see ourselves in this story and understand we’re not dismissed either.
Did you know that’s how God sees you? Everything that makes you ordinary is precisely what he wants to use. I used to think being ordinary, regular ol’ me was a total disadvantage. I didn’t have the degree. I didn’t have the unique skills. I didn’t have the training. For so long I tried to hide the real me and show up as someone I wasn’t. I wore business suits and lipstick. High heels and fancy purses. It’s a whole lot of pressure to keep up that facade. Then one day, I was live hosting devotional and I proceeded to mispronounce a word atleast 5 times in a row. The word I was trying to use was melancholy, however for some reason every time I said it, it came out ma-launchy. Ma-launchy.
I was so embarrassed. I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. The real me had come out … the me who mispronounces big words in a small town accent. The me that prefers to be barefoot in a sundress. The me that sings bad and dances bad, but does both anyway. That’s the real me I had been trying to hide. That day, God met me and showed me this is precisely why he has chosen me. I am just me. And me is all he has ever wanted. Real me. Authentic me. Regular ol’ me. Because if God can use me, couldn’t he use you too? If God has a calling on my life, could that mean he has a calling on your life too? If I’m not dismissed, then maybe you’re not dismissed either.
Saul was not dismissed. His entire life he had been boldly and passionately wrong. Now Jesus has an encounter with him on the road to Damascus, and that encounter has left him blind. But, that’s not where God would leave him.
Let’s keep reading. Acts 9: 10-19:
“Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”
“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! He is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”
But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.”
Now, with the power of the Holy Spirit, Saul was changed. He knew the truth and he became a crusader for the truth, and he was given a new name, Paul.
Yes, Paul, the author of over half the New Testament in our Bible.
Paul, who wrote Galatians. 1:1, “I was not appointed by any group of people or humans (of course he wasn’t – no one would have chosen him with his past of being so wrong), but I was appointed by Jesus Christ himself and by God the father, who raised Jesus from the dead.”
And because Paul knew it was JESUS who had met him on that road, he knew he had a mission to fulfill. His mission was to teach a SAVING FAITH that absolutely changes us in freedom. That’s what the book of Galatians is. A book of saving faith that changes us in freedom.
Remember, Paul was once Saul, and Saul was all about the law before. Keep all 613 commands, or be damned. Earn your way in, or be kept out. But after his personal encounter with Jesus, he understood grace.
Paul is known as the apostle of GRACE. He used the word grace over 100 times in his writings, when all the other writers of the New Testament only used the word grace a total of 55 times. Why? Because Paul personally understood God’s grace. Only grace could have saved him. Only grace could have redirected him. Only grace could have brought all he had done so wrong into right standings. Only grace could cover him in forgiveness and call him to a divine purpose.
Nobody else would have chosen Paul, but God did. Why? Because he knew his potential.
But this isn’t just about Paul. God wants to use Paul to show you and I something too. He wants us to see how he personally chooses the unlikely ones. And when he has chosen you, nothing can stop that.
Nothing can dismiss God’s call on your life. No mistake you’ve made, no slow start, or ordinary roots.
Could you dare to believe you are God’s chosen girl? You have a divine calling on your life. He wants to use you. Yes, ordinary, flawed, confused you. Do you know why? Because you perfectly display the power of his GRACE.
It is God’s grace that makes us good enough. God’s grace that puts us in right standings. God’s grace that gives us the freedom to change into more than we have ever been before. God’s grace that gives us a new name, a new identity, a new story, and a new direction.
Stop dismissing yourself. God wants to use you!
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I have sooooo much goodness to share with you today for our Friday Bible Study together!
Grab your Bible and study along with me to be blown away by God!
Ecclesiastes 1:2-8
Ecclesiastes 12: 13
Romans 1:20
2 Corinthians 5: 17
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Today, we continue our search for meaning and fulfillment in life.
So far, we’ve found that trying to understand everything isn’t the answer. We can never understand the things of God. It’s not our place to know everything, it’s our place to trust there’s a bigger picture we cannot yet see.
We’ve also found that all the fun in the world will still leave us feeling empty. Why? Because things simply aren’t perpetually fun. Life is like the changing seasons, and some seasons are hard winters or harsh summers. That’s just life. The good news is, seasons always change and hard times don’t last forever. If all we’re ever searching for is pleasure, we’re missing the point and left unfulfilled. Honey, you can be sitting on the most gorgeous beach in the world in the bikini body of your dreams, and you could still be absolutely miserable. (Where are the girls that would at least like to give it a try?)
So now, we look at the third thing we often seek for meaning and fulfillment in life. What we can do, what we can build, what we can get and who we can become?
And this is where most of us get completely tripped up. We think our life purpose is wrapped up in what we do. We think we are defined by what we’ve built. Our quest becomes focused on what we can get. Then what we’re left with is who we’ve become.
Listen, and listen closely, THAT JOB WILL NEVER BRING YOU LASTING FULFILLMENT. THERE’S NOT A SINGLE HOUSE, CAR, SURGERY, TOY OR WARDROBE YOU COULD EVER BUY THAT WILL FILL THE HOLE YOU’RE TRYING TO FILL. Inevitably, success, money, and fame all lead to the same place … emptiness without something more.
And that is what Solomon found. In his quest for meaning and fulfillment, he became the king, acquired all the things, met every goal and conquered every battle, only to come to the same conclusion as before. Meaningless. It was all meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 2: 4-11, “I tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kinds and provinces. I hired wonderful singers and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could ever desire! So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I could take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. BUT as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.”
Can you imagine being in a position of being able to have anything you wanted? Can you imagine everything being done for you and never having to wash a dish or clean a toilet again? Can you imagine everyone knowing and loving you? Sounds absolutely fantastic, doesn’t it?
This is precisely what Solomon has. He is the top of the top with the best of the best. He wants for absolutely nothing. He has achieved every goal he set and anything else he decides he wants to do, it will undoubtedly be done. And yet it was totally meaningless. In complete desperation, he sits on the throne he had worked so hard for, looks out over all of his accomplishments and successes and declares, “there’s nothing really worthwhile anywhere.”
College girls, you think if you just get that degree, then you will be happy. Hmmm, I can’t tell you how many people have a very pricey diploma hanging on their wall that has done absolutely nothing for them.
Or the sheer number of friends I have who got the degree, then got the job, and they hate the job.
Or, they love the job, but the job has sucked the life out of them and they have no time for anything else.
Or, the number of women I know who all they wanted was a family … now that family is all they complain about. That husband! Those kids! Ughhhhh.
Your purpose is not found in the career. Your meaning is not found in your family. Your fulfillment will never come from what you have done, what you have created, or what you have earned. And here’s why … at the end of the day, you still have that God sized hole in you that only he can fill. Eternity has still been planted in your heart and only an eternal perspective on this life will fulfill you.
It’s always heartbreaking to hear the news come out of Hollywood that then next superstar, movie star or rock star has taken their own life. People who had worked so hard and had it all. What more could they have possibly wanted to make them happy? My friends, it all comes back to that God sized hole within each of us. The more we have of everything else, the more apparent that God hole becomes. The more we fill our lives with everything else, the more we long for what we are missing.
This life, regardless of success, accomplishments, fame, and new really pretty shiny things, always goes back to feeling empty without God. There’s so much more than this, and your heart knows it!
There’s this wild thing known as a ‘Goal Hole’. Have you heard about it? It’s the shockingly unfulfilled feeling you have AFTER achieving your goal. No one tells you that after you achieve what you’ve been working so hard for, you feel disappointingly empty. No one tells you the high of success is quickly followed by an even lower low of un-fulfillment.
I learned of goal hole after running my first marathon. For 6 months I had pushed harder than ever before. I had gone from the girl who had learned to walk again after having a stroke, the girl who even pre-stroke had never run a mile in her life … to the girl who would run 26.2 miles and cross her first finish line. Training consumed me. I hated it and I loved it. My body transformed. My mind transformed. But after that race, after all the news articles and the 5 minutes of fame … I was still me. It’s just now, I was me without anything to work toward.
That’s what they don’t tell you … when you accomplish everything you’re working so hard for, you’re left wondering what’s missing. That good feeling doesn’t last like you thought it would. That high comes crashing down.
Within a few months of that first marathon, I was unable to run 5 miles. For real, a year later I had lost everything I had worked for and I ended up worse than I had begun. Talk about disappointment.
Even without a marathon, I bet it’s happened for you too. You’ve had success, then that success failed to give you everything you had hoped. It was short lived and led to disappointment. Disappointment that says, “Why did I work so hard for this? Is this really all there is?”
They say the cure for goal hole is to have another goal to work toward immediately after you achieve your success. I’ve tried that too. Let me tell you what that led to for me … BURN OUT!
We can become a completely obsessed, never fulfilled machine in search of the next thing that will make us temporarily happy, and eventually become a miserable soul who is missing the point.
You know why we get burned out? Because we were not created to just go from one goal to the next. We were created for more than temporary successes and momentary accomplishments. We were created for more than material possessions or earthly praises. We were created for ETERNITY!
Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God has planted eternity in the human heart.” That’s your God sized hole! And only an eternal focus brings the fulfillment and meaning you desire. EVER!
So, this life you have been given … yes, live it and live it well. Waste nothing. Enjoy the journey. Do great things. Get better and better. But never forget it’s all sooooo much bigger than that. There’s soooooo much more than this. Everything we accomplish in this life is emptiness without an eternal perspective and impact.
Solomon had temporarily fallen away from God in his quest to have it all, but in the end he comes back with this realization. There is more to this life and it’s only found in God. Without him, it’s all meaningless. With him, nothing is wasted.
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Where do we find meaning and fulfillment for this life? We’re all searching for it, but where do we find it?
King Solomon was granted the gift of wisdom by God. He was made to be the wisest man ever to live, knowing more than anyone else. Yet, he too struggled to find meaning and fulfillment in this life that would be here one day and gone the next. The book of Ecclesiastes is his quest to find what he was missing.
The problem was, Solomon had temporarily fallen away from his God and his search was limited to what could be found “under the sun”. Under the sun is what we see. Under the sun is what is here and now. However, meaning and fulfillment for this life cannot be found under the sun because this is all temporary. Without an eternal perspective and the big picture, we are left desperately wanting.
Solomon sets out on a quest to find the life meaning he desired and the fulfillment he was missing through 3 things:
- More wisdom.
- More pleasure.
- More success.
Yesterday, in episode #1713 “You Won’t Understand” we look at what happens when we insist on trying to understand the mysteries of our unsearchable God. What Solomon found, in chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes is he simply couldn’t figure all of this out. Even as the smartest man to ever live, he could not understand the things of God and he ended up discouraged and convinced everything was meaningless.
And without God, it is. Without the promise of eternity, this is all just a waste because we’re here, then we’re gone. This wild ride ends in certain death. But with the eternal perspective of God, everything matters because it’s all leading to so much more than what is just “under the sun.”
Solomon’s quest for more wisdom brings us to the same place as our own demands for answers and understanding … unfulfilled and without meaning. We don’t find meaning and fulfillment in more wisdom because we will never understand all the things of God.
Now, Solomon moves on to his second quest. Ecclesiastes 2:1-3, “I said to myself, ‘Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the good things in life.’ But I found that this, too, was meaningless.”
I’m a fun girl. On the ennegram, I’m a 7. 7’s are labeled as the enthusiasts for life. We’re the ones who are perpetually excited and get everyone else excited. We make everything more fun. That’s a great thing – a gift. But every gift must be managed or it becomes a curse. Every unbalanced strength threatens to become a weakness to our own detriment. There’s never a boring or dull moment with us 7’s. Do you know why … because we tend to find surface level meaning and fulfillment from pleasure.
Here’s the problem … when we can’t make it fun, when there’s a lack of excitement in our days, we feel totally empty. Then we start searching for a way to fill that emptiness. What we typically find is a dangerously unhealthy temporary fix.
Example … alcohol. Isn’t it crazy that is exactly what Solomon did. Keep reading verse 3, he says, “After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.”
Jesus warned us, “In this world you will have problems”, so this means it won’t always be fun and exciting. There will be tough times. There will be hard days. The fun will run out. The excitement will wear down. The entertainment won’t be so entertaining any more. Then you’re left with the emptiness you were trying to fill … a dull ache that questions, what’s the point in all of this if it won’t last?
The point is, beyond the fun we can create and beyond the excitement of temporary pleasures, there’s a God who designed us for so much more. And his design of you and I includes that God sized hole within that only he can fill.
If this life were all there was, then pleasure would be the only point. Like Solomon mistakenly said, in chapter 8, verse 5, “So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.”
Again, Solomon had fallen away from God. He has lost faith in the unseen and focused only on what he could understand and control under the sun. We must pause here and see that Solomon is wrong. He’s not wrong that it’s good to enjoy the life we have been given. However, he is totally wrong to assume we should enjoy this because this is all there is.
The delights of life are not meant to drug and addict us into living foolishly, but these joys that lift our spirits and make us smile are invigorating gifts from God. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having fun. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life. There’s nothing wrong with being excited about exciting things. What is wrong is to be addicted to those things.
Imagine if your child only comes to you to receive your gifts. That would hurt your heart, wouldn’t it? If their only motive in communication with you or relationship was the next gift you could give them so that they could play and have fun, that would be a very limited relationship. That’s the way we start treating God when we only pursue the pleasures and joys of life.
God, if you don’t have a gift of something fun for me today, then I’m out. Call me again when you can make it exciting.
Ouch … guilty.
When I first started hosting Retreats 14 years ago, my focus was on fun. The intention was to pack as much fun, excitement, adventure and laughter into a weekend as possible and send you home overflowing with happy memories. Sounds great … but the problem is, that was all it was about.
I left out God.
There was no deeper purpose. It was all surface level.
Looking back, I realize this is precisely why I encountered more drama than any one person could handle. More chaos than I was prepared to coordinate. More discouragement and disappointment and struggles to make it all come together.
I had missed the point. It couldn’t be all about the fun. It couldn’t be all hype and excitement. Retreat had to reach beyond that. God had to be at the center and absolutely saturate every detail. Once I invited him into the middle and let our fun and excitement be about Him, then everything changed.
Retreats sold out immediately and we went from hosting 2 a year to 1 or more every month. The chaos and drama was eliminated. His fingerprints are seen on every tiny detail and we have the honor of witnessing lives truly changed and impacted, and dang do we ever have fun in the process!
God had to show me the fun was meaningless without him.
God loves to give his girls gifts, but the gifts are not the point of the relationship. The point of this relationship is to guide us into a life that reaches far beyond this and into eternity. Life is not lived only for this life. There’s eternity in your heart.
You are literally designed for eternity. And this design is precisely why you will never find meaning and fulfillment through temporary pleasures and fun. That’s not who you really are. We mistakenly dive head first off that cliff, but we find an emptiness that can never be filled. Fun cannot be our focus. Pleasure is not the point. Excitement is not everything.
Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came so that you may have life, and have it to the full.” That’s a BIG life here, yes. That’s a life full of potential and possibility while you are here. But it doesn’t stop here. The life Jesus came to offer you reaches beyond your existence in your earthly experience. This is the appetizer, girl, save your fork! You haven’t even dared to imagine the beauty of what lies beyond this.
Beyond this, beyond what Solomon refers to as ‘under the sun’, is an eternity with our Maker and our Savior. An eternity of divine perfection and delight. A never-ending reward earned only by our faith in Jesus.
We’re all just on our way there.
May we enjoy the journey, but never become addicted to the joy and forget where it’s all leading. Meaning and fulfillment isn’t found in pleasure. It’s not found in fun. Those are sweet temporary gifts from God for our journey. But our destination is the reward!
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Have you ever come to the realization that you’ve been wrong? Girl, I had something so wrong. Almost embarrassingly wrong, because I’m pretty sure I taught it to you wrong too. There’s a potential danger in plucking quotable verses out of the Bible and using them out of context. I’ve been guilty of that. I […]
It’s time for our special Friday Bible study together!We will look at the story of Jesus healing the lame man in John 4, the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, and Elijah praying for rain in 1 Kings 18.What could these 3 things tell us?“You Can’t Stay Here”Grab your Bible, Sis, today’s episode of […]
The moment you choose to believe in Jesus as your savior, you receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit within you. So many of God’s girls are walking around today, totally unaware of the power inside of them. It’s already been given to us, now we need to use it! Salvation comes with receiving the […]
You’ve been working the numbers in your head and the numbers tell you don’t get your hopes up. You’ve been doing the math and the math has been discouraging. There’s no way this is going to be possible for you. There’s no way there’s enough. There’s no way it will all come together. That’s just […]
This morning you miraculously woke up to a reality filled with the very things you once prayed for. Really, look around … how much of what you have today was once a prayer? And how much of that has now become so normal, so ordinary, and so totally unimpressive that you fail to recognize it […]
In today’s unscripted Bible study, we dive into 2 of the 7 things God’sword says he hates. Oh wait, this applies to every one of us in thethoughts we choose to entertain! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
When you ask God to search your heart and show you what needs to change, don’t be surprised when you discover what looks good on the outside has been rotten on the inside. It’s so easy for us to dress ourselves up and play pretend nice, but God isn’t impressed by our show. God knows […]
What are your plans? For real, what have you been planning to do? Plans for your future. Plans for a move. Plans for a career. Plans for a vacation. As humans, we tend to make plans because God makes plans. We’re made in his image, so naturally, we make plans too. And your plans are […]
All of God’s creation (outside of humans), simply does what it’s created to do without thought. The plants and the animals live naturally, just as they were created. There’s no stress. There’s no worry. They represent the perfection in God’s design. So, why can’t we (God’s greatest creation, the one’s he has called his masterpiece) […]
I believe I’ve come to know something about you in our time here together. Now there’s a lot of you that is still a mystery to me, but this one thing I have come to know … You truly want to do the right thing. You want to make the right decisions. You want to […]
Everything you do represents God. Your maker has asked you to representhim well … will you? Enjoy today’s unscripted devotional from Colossians 3: 23-25. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Have you ever thought about what it means to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus? If I’m being honest, that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun. I like to make everything fun. I can turn the hardest work into something fun. I can take any old boring day and make […]
This morning it hit me … the overwhelming reality of what YOU might be going through. The burden you may be carrying. The weight of the decisions you may need to make. The immense pain you may be enduring. The total uncertainty you may be walking in. In this humbling moment, I realized you may […]
Right now it looks like you have no good options, but you have no idea what God is willing to do in response to your obedient next step of faith. You cannot see what radical provision and breakthrough God has aligned, and you won’t see it until you decide staying stuck here is no longer […]
If you were to draw a straight horizontal line and put an arrow on each end, this would show the infinite care and power of God. On the left side of line write: Individual Needs. Now on the right side of the line write: The Entire Universe. God’s care and power is infinitely intimate and […]
How much longer must you wait? Really, doesn’t it seem almost ridiculous at this point? I know after waiting for years and seeing absolutely nothing change, it becomes almost hard to pray about it. Is that where you are? You’re struggling to even pray for that person or this situation that you so desperately want […]
Within our breath, God has given us a divine gift. A gift that taps into the greatest of powers and deepest wisdom. Yes, right here in our breath. From the moment we were born, we’ve been doing it, without even being aware. Right now, it is happening. And today, God says, “My girl, I want […]
Today’s devotional is an unscripted Bible study on Jeremiah 29:11,examining God’s plans for us and thoughts toward us. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
A single question plants a seed of doubt, and that doubt can lead to a derailed life missing the mark for which it was destined. We have an enemy in this life and his best attacks are questions. You need to be aware of the danger of his questions and be ready to respond with […]
You may be listening today because you are pursuing God, but I assure you, God pursued you first. He created you, he knows you, and he pursues you. And no doubt, he will find you! He will use absolutely anything to get to you, draw you in, and bring you into a relationship with him. […]
God has something for you here. There’s something he’s doing. Something he’s aligned just for you. However, if you don’t have room to receive what God has for you, he cannot give it to you. You cannot embrace new things if you hoard old things. I’m talking about old things like: • The settling you […]
I’ve had a recent prompting and examination of my heart after praying Psalm 139: 23 “Search me, God, and know my heart.” Here’s what I figured out … don’t ask if you’re not willing to respond to God’s findings. He went to work on bringing to light why I do what I do. Where’s my […]
I may not know what you’re going through, but I know fear has been knocking on the door of your heart and threatening to overwhelm your mind. Fear renders us incapable of taking the next steps of faith. Fear leaves us stuck. Fear keeps us in darkness. Fear robs us of the opportunity to see […]
An encounter with Jesus is no accident. He makes it his intention to meet with his chosen girls. It’s why you’re listening today. He has intentionally moved toward you to give you what you most need. What is it you need today? What have you come here seeking? He is here to meet your needs […]
Today’s unscripted Bible study looks at the story of Peter walking onwater with Jesus. Peter says he would do it if Jesus told him to, soJesus says, “come”. It’s the moment of YOU SAY YOU WOULD, BUT WOULD YOUREALLY? He was the one with “little faith”, but look at what he did with Jesus. Now […]
God is calling you to step into a higher level of living. He’s inviting you into a greater purpose for your life. Wow, that’s exciting, isn’t it? Doesn’t it feel good to know the God of the Universe has chosen you? Oh, but wait … maybe you don’t know that yet. Spoiler alert … he […]
You’ve heard of The Chosen, right? I know many of my friends have watched all 4 seasons of the show and some have even been part of the show in the episode of Jesus feeding the crowd of people. For real, we had some BIG Life girls in the literal crowd on the show. Watching […]
What do we want to do when things get really hard? We want to run. We want to escape. We want to hide. But God tells us to do quite the opposite. God tells us to RESIST. James 4:7, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The word resist comes from 2 Greek […]
God’s goodness and mercy have been chasing you all the days of your life. Following you, pursuing you. Wherever you have been and wherever you go next, know that God’s goodness and mercy is always your companion, always available, and never in short supply. Are there stipulations to this? Like, if you’re a good person? […]
This special unscripted Bible study (and extra girl chat) looks at thedifference between just bumping into Jesus and reaching out to him inexpectant faith. Grab your Bible, and let’s study Mark 5: 25-34 together. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
How do we expect God to fill what has no space for him? Maybe we don’t leave space for him because we don’t really expect him to show up any way. Is that where you are? You stopped asking because you’ve been disappointed? The time you’ve made for him didn’t do anything for you and […]
Has God ever made a way for you before? Have you ever stood on the edge of impossible and seen it unfold? Have you been touched by his mighty power in the past? Has his power brought about provision for you? Somehow you made it through. Have you experienced divine appointments only he could have […]
What happens after you screw up? I mean after you’ve made a horrible choice and made a real mess of things? What happens when everyone else finds out how you have failed? The answer is, well that’s up to you. It can go one of three ways from here. You could: A: Keep going down […]
In relationships, it is said men most want to be respected. And women, well we are different. Women most want to be seen. And when we feel unseen, overlooked and dismissed, our value is under attack. It’s why women act out in the craziest ways simply trying to be seen. Somebody notice me. Somebody see […]
Why the rush? Why do we jump from one thing to the next without fully enjoying either? Who set this pace you’re living in, and is it working for you? I admittedly sped through my 30’s. Looking back, it’s all a blur as I hurried my children, pushed my plans, and rushed through each task […]
This week, I’m challenging the women I mentor to dream again. To put words to the dreams which flow from their heart and partner with God in the process of creating. Really, isn’t it amazing to think that God, the creator of the entire Universe, created us and put us in the middle of it […]
What you see today may feel overwhelming, but what is unseen is far greater. What you see are the problems circling in around you … what is unseen are the solutions circling in around your problems. GOD IS BIGGER THAN THIS! Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” But […]
Today’s BIG Life Bible Study is “Guided By the Spirit” … literally.Once again, while studying this morning, I felt prompted to keep this one unscripted and simply study this word with you.Our scriptures for today are:• Psalms 32: 8-9• 2 Samuel 12• Galatians 5:25Do you EXPECT God’s guidance today? Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook […]
I’m back from retreat, absolutely overflowing from all the beautiful women I shared the weekend with, and the stories they shared.Join me for a special Monday morning Bible study together, inspired by those stories.• Psalm 30: 11-12• Nehemiah 8:10• Philippians 1:6 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – […]
Friday unplugged bible study. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
What do you do with the way you really feel? I’m talking about those true emotions … are they allowed at the throne of God? One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned was what to do with my true feelings about life. Feelings handled inappropriately, or not handled at all and allowed to […]
Could you be unintentionally wrong? Could you be unintentionally doing the wrong thing, walking the wrong path, thinking the wrong thoughts, saying the wrong things, getting things unintentionally wrong. You don’t mean to be wrong, but you are. You don’t even realize it. We have unintentional sin in our lives. We’re not even aware of […]
Have you ever noticed the Bible talks a lot about battle with your enemies? I used to skim over these preparations for battle verses because, let’s face it, ain’t none of us in that kind of battle today. I’m not facing an enemy with plans to overtake me. I’m not facing an attack from enemy […]
Join Pamela for a Friday unscripted Bible Study time of Acts 3 & 4 andfind yourself in this story of healing! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Have you ever listened to someone share a story and you’ve thought to yourself, “Get to the point already.” They go on and on about random details that don’t seem to matter. If you’re telling me about how you met your husband 17 years ago, the specific time and song that was playing on the […]
Be still, my friend, God has a dream he wants to whisper into your soul. Pause and listen, the Father is inviting you into a future filled with purpose. A destiny designed in the heavenlies. God says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you, not to […]
Enjoy this Friday unscripted Bible study together from Joshua 1. Jesushas commanded us to tell fear NO! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Last week there was a very special and unique man who perfectly fulfilled his life’s purpose, and received his reward of heavenly paradise with his Jesus. Today, I want to tell you about this man and the final lesson he has to teach us. His name was Brian. And although Brian was 44 years old, […]
Who is speaking into your life? Who is on your team? Who have you allowed into your inner circle? Who gets a seat at your table to discuss the dreams and desires God has placed in your heart? My sister, who you have at your table matters. Who you allow to speak into your life […]
Whatever you’re facing today, God is still in complete control. Whatever your need may be today, God is aware of your need, and the moment you seek him, his power is set into motion to meet your need. Our God is not limited to meet needs in ordinary ways, practical ways, or expected ways. Although […]
This special unscripted Bible study asks what’s the point of praying if God already knows everything and he already has a plan? Really, God doesn’t need us, so why even pray? You can watch the behind the scenes recording of today’s episode here: https://www.facebook.com/1249986681/videos/3692772380935986/ Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about […]
God is asking you to do something. He is pointing you in the direction of your purpose and nudging you to take the next step. But you’ve been questioning how. You don’t see how you will do what he has asked you to do. You don’t think you could ever be good enough to do it. You’re not equipped. You’re not anything special. So, you’ve dismissed yourself from the calling of God on your life.
Why? Because you don’t see it. You don’t see what God sees.
But I heard something this morning on the Elevation Church podcast, and I’ve been asked to tell you about it so you’re sure to hear:
IF YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT, YOU WILL HAVE GOD’S SUPPORT FOR IT.
Honey, if you’re supposed to work there, God will open the door for you to walk right in. If you’re supposed to move there, God will make the way there. If it’s supposed to be you, then you will be supernaturally filled with God’s power to do what he’s asked you to do.
You don’t have to have this all figured out. You don’t have to even understand the plan. You just have to be willing to believe if you’re supposed to do it, you will have God’s support for it. God’s support will put you in the right place at the right time. God’s support will fill you with the courage to do what you’ve never done before. God’s support will make a way where there has been no way, and he will guide your feet to walk in that way.
Whew, doesn’t that just take the stress off? This isn’t about you … this is about what God will do through you if you will follow his lead.
Okay, picture this … you’ve one of Jesus’ closest friends. You’ve given up your job and your home, you’ve left everything and everyone you’ve ever known, to go with Jesus on his mission. You thought you would be doing this with Jesus for the rest of your life. But just 3 years into you and your tribe of 12 doing all these miraculous things, Jesus gets killed. Your leader is crucified. And even though it’s easy for us to rush to the rest of the story, Jesus’ friends didn’t know the rest of the story as they were sitting in it. They never saw this hardship coming. They never, in a million years, thought Jesus could be killed. Now what were they going to do? They had given up everything to go with him.
They are afraid. Afraid they too would be killed. Afraid everything they had believed in and worked for was ruined. They were confused. Then, Jesus shows up in the room where they are hiding. Now remember, Jesus has died. They saw him hanging on the cross. They knew his body was put in the tomb. They also knew the doors to the room where they were hiding were locked. And boom, here’s Jesus, standing right there among them.
And this is what Jesus says to them, Mark 16: 15, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Then Jesus is taken into heaven.
Jesus tells them to go. But HOW? Jesus, how are we supposed to go into all the world and preach to everyone? We don’t have an airplane. The internet sucks here. We are poor fishermen, how are we supposed to go do all of this? We have no education. We have no resources. We have no connections. Jesus, I heard what you said, but tell me how!
Remember, IF YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT, YOU WILL HAVE GOD’S SUPPORT FOR IT.
For 10 days they waited. For 10 days they must have wondered how Jesus expected them to tell everyone about God. For 10 days they must have felt so unequipped and unqualified for the calling. But on the 10th day, they were all together for the day of Pentecost. This was the day all of Israel gathered in Jerusalem to offer to God their first harvest of wheat for the season. There were people from Judea, people from Asia, people from Egypt and Rome, people from every nation all gathered to make their offering. Also there were Jesus’ 11 friends, his disciples.
Suddenly God’s power came and rested on each of them and Acts 2: 4 says, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.” These men spoke Aramaic, but now filled with the Holy Spirit, they were speaking every language of the entire crowd. All of these people from every nation, all with their own languages, miraculously heard the magnificent acts of God being declared in their language.
This is how God would use these 11 common friends of Jesus to fulfill his purposes. This is how they would go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation as Jesus had told them. God would do it through them in ways they could have never imagined. He would speak through them. His power would flow from them. He would give them the words which they couldn’t even possibly know. Literally a different language – hundreds of languages, spoken perfectly through common men who were unsure how God could use them.
Now, back to you. If you’re supposed to do it, you will have God’s support for it. If you’re called to it, you will be equipped for it. That you can be absolutely sure of!
How exactly? Well I don’t know. When exactly? Well I don’t know that either.
But here’s what I do know … you will have to show up unsure, uncertain, feeling totally unequipped, and be available for God’s Spirit to equip you.
The disciples spent 10 days wondering how they were ever going to do what Jesus had asked them to do. It seemed an impossible task for them to tell the world about the good news of Jesus. And in that 10 days, they must have been drawing maps and making plans. They must have been overwhelmed with such a huge task and unanswered questions.
Just like you … you’re in your 10 day waiting period that may have stretched out to cover a few years. You’re waiting and wondering. Questioning. Planning and preparing, but all of it seems inadequate. But my sister, the answers you’re seeking can’t be found in your elaborate 10 year plans. These answers are only found in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God will equip you! He will enable you to do what you’ve never done before. He will bring everything together just as it needs to be, and you just need to show up and be available for it.
What the Bible doesn’t tell us is the conversation Jesus’ friends must have had AFTER Pentecost. Imagine their after work dinner that night. Matthew says, “Dude, I was speaking to an Egyptian in his language, saying things I don’t even know how to say.” Then John says, “Dude, me too! Did you hear me talking in Latin?” And of course, here comes my favorite, wild and impulsive Peter and he says, “Guys, I don’t even know what language I was speaking, but that was awesome!!!”
Then there’s a pause and they all realize … ohhhhh, so THIS is how we’re going to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” God has given us the power to do it and it’s already started. Now, lets keep going!
My sister, if you’re supposed to do it, you will have God’s support. God’s support is more than you could ever ask, think or imagine! It will be MORE than enough! If he’s called you, he will equip you. Dare to show up in faith and be available for the power of his Spirit working in you!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
God has been pestering me about a topic I don’t really want to talk about. But y’all he just won’t leave me alone about it, so today we’re not talking about birds. Yesterday we talked about birds because I was dodging the push to dive into this … sin.
Sin – it’s all the things God tells us not to do, but sometimes we sneak and do it anyway. And when we feel like we can get away with it, we will do it some more. Why would the creator of the Universe, the one who sees everything and knows everything, tell his creation there are some things we can’t do? Really, why does God say, “No, you can’t do that.”
I remember when my kids were little and I would tell them they couldn’t do something, they would immediately respond with the whinest possible, “but whyyyyyyyy?” And honestly, sometimes I said no because I was being lazy. No, we can’t go to the park and play because I’m lazy. But I couldn’t tell my own kids their request for fun was denied because I was simply lazy, so I made up some other excuse. Sometimes I said no because we didn’t have time or we didn’t have money. Sometimes I said no out of pure habit. There was no good reason for my answer of no, it was just my denial default.
Now, I get a do-over opportunity with my grandbabies. My Grandma name is Franny, because my 2 year old grandson can’t say Granny. And let me tell you, Franny says yes as much as possible. Next weekend I’m flying to Virginia to bring him home with me for 10 days. When he asks, if at all possible, the answer shall be YES. I want to spend every minute with him. I want to do all the fun things with him. I want to fill his days with awe and wonder here on the island. There will be none of this saying no because I’m being lazy, or saying no because it’s my default to just deny. Nope, this is my do-over and the answer is YES.
God doesn’t require a do-over with us. He has always been a YES for us. He has never denied us a single time because he was being lazy. He has never said no to us because he lacked time, money or resources. He’s never said no because he just couldn’t pull it off. He’s never said no out of habit. Do you know what God’s habit is? Do you know what his default really is? YES.
Really, is that the way you see God? He’s standing by with a ready YES. He wants to say yes to you. Unfortuatley most of us view God as a “No Man”. He denies. He withholds. He vetos. He limits. But we have the wrong picture.
2 Corinthians 1: 19-20 says, “In Jesus it is always YES. For every one of God’s promises is YES in him.”
Our God is a YES God. Yes, he can do it. Yes, he’s in it with you. Yes, he will make a way. Yes, he wants even more for you!
So, when God says no, we can completely trust him. We never have to question God’s no. There’s one reason God says no. So, just in case you’ve been whining with your, “but God, whyyyyyyyyy”, here’s your answer … Why did I say no? Because it’s not my best for you.
That’s why that door didn’t open. That’s why the plans didn’t work. That’s why it fell apart. That’s why the answer was no. It wasn’t God’s best for you, and God’s not settling.
You may be quick to settle for less, for now, for temporary … but God is overflowing with abundance and an eternal focus. If it’s not his best for you, then the answer will be no. Can you trust that?
1 John 1: 5, “God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.” God doesn’t have a dark side. He’s not out to get you. He’s not out to punish you or limit you. If he has said no, if he’s closed the door, if he’s made it off limits, it comes from the light of his love. His love that says, this will hurt you my girl, I don’t want it for you.
Do you understand that’s what sin is? Sin is the thing that will hurt us, so God has set limits to keep us away from harm. The enemy tries to make sin look all enticing and exciting, but the truth is, it’s everything that will hurt us and keep us from God’s very best for us.
Dang it, why do we fall for sin? Why do we push so hard for doing the things God has set limits on? Why do we insist on going further and further, even when we know better?
Well, that’s what sin does. It takes us further away from God. It creates a distance between us and God’s best for us.
1 John 1:6, “If we say we have fellowship with him and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.” Now, here’s where this verse has been twisted. Some of us have been told our sin will keep us from being forgiven by God. That’s not true. Jesus came to cover our sins and make us righteous. His sacrifice has put us in right standings with God and secured our salvation. Because of Jesus, sin no longer blocks salvation. Here’s what sin does … it blocks our fellowship.
We cannot have fellowship with God while we’re walking in darkness. The original Greek word for fellowship was koinonia, which means partnership. God has invited us into a partnership with him, but we forfeit it if we’re walking in darkness. What qualifies as walking in darkness? It is a pattern of living in sin. A chosen lifestyle to do the things God has instructed us not to do.
That’s what a lifestyle of doing what we want to do ultimately does … it blocks our partnership with God.
You have been offered a partnership with the most powerful force in the world. With the one who has everything and holds everything. The one who can make absolutely anything happen. The one who knows everything. That’s who you are offered a partnership with … but when you choose to walk in the darkness of doing what God has told you not to do, you forfeit that partnership.
Does that sin dam me to Hell? No. But dang, it sure limits the goodness in my life here.
God has said no because it’s not his best for you. That’s the only reason he has said no. Can’t you trust that?
Honey, if you have to hide it from someone, that’s a strong indication it’s not right.
I googled the most popular sins for Christians today, because what I really wanted to do was to speak the thing you’ve been battling so clearly that you couldn’t deny it. But what God showed me was I don’t have to do that, the Holy Spirit will convict you right now. Right now, you’ll know what darkness you’ve been walking in. Please hear the heart of God right now without the layering on of shame and guilt as he says, “My girl, no. That’s just not my best for you.”
There’s a list of the 7 deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride.
A few of those sure hit me. How about you?
Sin hurts us. It separates us. It blocks the most powerful partnership we could ever have in our lives. No, it doesn’t cancel our salvation. But it sure cancels some of God’s sweetest blessings right here.
1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This means admitting where you have been wrong will bring you back into partnership with God. It’s really that simple.
The Passion Translation says it like this, “If we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time.”
What would happen if instead of hiding this again, you just freely admitted to God that you know it’s not right. God, I’ve been doing things I know you don’t want me to do. I’ve been thinking thoughts that aren’t right. I’ve been hiding things. I’ve been showing up as someone you didn’t create me to be. I’ve been wrong. I know better, but I haven’t been doing better.
What would happen if you just spoke those words to him?
Two things: He would forgive you and he would give you the wisdom and strength to change it.
Then what happens? You’re welcomed back into a partnership that can change everything for you!
God says no because it’s not his best for you. Stop fighting his best, and trust his no.
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I’ve been watching a dove meticulously build its nest for several days in the palm tree by my back deck. Did you know that dove mate for life? Did you know the male searches for the nesting site, but the female has the final say on location?
And what I’ve been watching is an orchestrated partnership in building. The male gathers twigs and branches and brings them to the female. He lands on the females back, while passing her the building supplies, then she weaves it all together to build a perfect nest, awaiting her precious eggs.
Y’all, it’s the first signs of getting old. I’m now watching birds.
But the winds here on the island have been extreme, and I found their perfectly constructed nest laying on the hard ground.
Everything they had worked for was gone. The babies would be coming soon and they had no nest for them. Imagine the panic. Poor mama must have been stressed the heck out. Poor daddy must have been desperate to fix this mess.
Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you even feel that way right now. You worked so hard, you were so close, then it was gone. You’re left wondering what you’re going to do and how this will ever be okay again. But honey, look at your track record. You have a 100% survival rate so far. You’ve made it through every single thing that has ever happened to you. And whether you acknowledge him or not, that was God getting you through. That was God’s provision. That was God’s blessing. That was God’s divine work in your life.
Let God’s proven provision bring you peace today. He has proven his faithfulness to you. He will care for you through this too.
After finding the fallen nest, I saw a bird flying through the air with a long twig. There he was, gathering materials again. And there she was, rebuilding her nest. They was working quickly to prepare for the eggs she was about to lay. What they needed was provided.
That day, I saw God’s hand at work, caring for these bird. Providing what was needed, even when things had gone wrong. Why aren’t we able to see this better in our daily lives? Why do we assume the burden and stress when God so clearly demonstrates not only his ability, but his desire to care for us?
Jesus says in Matthew 6:26-27 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
The birds trust what they need will be there when they need it, even when disaster hits. We can too, and even more so.
Jesus says you are valuable. He says you are priceless. He says your heavenly father will make a way for you. And your worrying will not help anything.
Watch the birds once those eggs hatch and there are hungry little mouths to feed. The mama and daddy dove take turns feeding their babies. She flies out of the nest searching for what is needed for that day. Food is needed to take back to her babies. If he sits in their nest and worries about how hard it will be to find food, are the babies fed? If she chirps away and sings a sad song to the babies about the stress of flying out once again to feed them, does she help anything? If they worry too much about leaving the babies and circle the nest like a helicopter parents, they can’t bring back dinner.
So, she trusts. Every day she trusts. She leaves the nest with confidence knowing the babies are hungry and she will come back with food for them. Daily trust for their daily provision.
And Jesus says, look how Papa takes care of that bird. Just look how he has exactly what she needs as she goes out to find it. Look how she trusts and he provides. And won’t he do even more for you? Won’t Papa take care of you?
Oh my sister, why are you singing that sad song? Why were you worrying yesterday? Why sit and dwell on what is lost when God has given you the opportunity to do something today?
This morning, the doves were singing in the palm tree. Their joy is evident. They are happy to be alive. They were cared for yesterday, and they are preparing to go out and find what God has provided for them and their family again today.
Can’t we wake up like that too? Can’t our joy be evident?
Why do we dread the day? Why do we worry about things we cannot control? Can’t we trust the ONE who is in control?
In this same chapter of the Bible, Jesus teaches us how to pray.
Jesus says, “This is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, (means to recognize God as holy and sacred, powerful and personal)
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
There it is. Give us this day our daily bread. Provide for today, God, we trust you.
You have always made a way for us. You have always carried us through. You have been faithful and I have no reason to believe you would ever stop now. Just as the bird leaves her nest in faith that she will find the food needed for the day, so will I. I will get up and do what I need to do. I will do all I can do. And I will do it singing a joyful song, KNOWING you care for me.
What is it you need today? God knew you would need it before you did. And get this, God cares about your need. He cares so much about your specific and individual need today, that he aligned for your provision ahead of time. It’s already there for you, my sister.
If you need to rebuild your nest today after disaster hit, there’s a supply waiting for you.
If you need to feed a few extra mouths today, there will be enough for you.
The energy you need will be provided. The time you need is available.
What is needed for today is here today … Just today.
The bird has what we refer to as a bird brain. We consider them generally stupid, incapable of knowing better. But that bird brain is a gift from their creator … it knows one thing … it knows to go out and get what is provided for today, and sing about it along the way.
Here we are with our human advanced brains that focus on all the wrong things and worry ourselves into a frenzy. And as we worry about tomorrow, next week, next month and 10 years from now, we miss what Jesus has told us to do. Jesus told us to ask God for what is needed today, and look at the birds to see how God always provides perfectly.
My advanced human brain tells me there are so many things that could go wrong and I won’t know what to do then. My worries overwhelm me with worst case scenarios that haven’t even happened yet. My thoughts of all the things I can’t control then rob me of what I can control.
It’s literally like letting Satan in my nest. Letting him come in and steal from what I have. Letting him disturb my peace. Letting him distract me from what I can control. What I can control are my thoughts in this moment and my actions. I can’t fix the worries of tomorrow, but I can do something about the needs of today.
It starts by kicking Satan out of my nest. You don’t get to sit here and stir up trouble. You don’t get to take up space where God has provided. You don’t get to steal my energy and my joy.
Here’s what I figured out … that dove doesn’t have next week’s dinner. That dove has 2 things: Trust the food for today is out there, and the push to go out and find it.
God, give me strength today. Guide me today. I receive and I will be faithful. The enemy will not get in my head and talk me out of doing what I can do. He will not overwhelm me with concern of how I can maintain progress in the days yet to come.
Satan, there’s no room for you here. You’re out of this nest.
My God provides for me today.
Jesus tells me in Matthew 6: 34, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
God gets my attention today. Not worry. Not the lies of the enemy. Not overwhelm. I will focus on what God is doing. I won’t worry about energy to do it again tomorrow or the next day. I will use what he has given me today and do the best I can with it. And whatever comes tomorrow, God’s got it covered when it comes.
No sitting in the nest today singing sad songs and worrying. God has provided today, sing your song of joy, be happy to be alive, and go out and get what he has for you!
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Sometimes it feels like everything in life is against us, but that’s only because we can’t see the power of everything that is FOR us. Sometimes it feels like there’s no possible way this is all going to work out, but that’s only because we can’t see all that is working in the unseen. Sometimes it feels like we’ve lost the very thing that makes life worth living, but that’s only because we haven’t even begun to experience the fullness of life God has planned for us. There’s so much more than you can see.
You simply can’t see all the power that is working for you. You simply can’t see all that is working in the unseen. You simply cannot see, or even begin to imagine, the unspeakable beauty in an eternal paradise beyond this life.
But what if you could see? What if you could see there’s so much more than what your limited vision has ever been able to see before? What if you caught a glimpse of the power of God at work right here and now for you? What if you gained a heavenly perspective on your earthly time? What if you saw the battle you’re in as a victory already secured by heaven’s armies?
What if God opened your eyes to let you see there is so much more to this. More to this life. More to this battle. More to this … whatever your “this” is today. There’s more.
There’s a story in our Bible of a man who was overwhelmed by the problems that surrounded him, and God did something miraculous that turned his overwhelm into a calm confidence and powerful peace. The story is found in 2 Kings 6.
Elisha is a prophet of God. Through faith in the power of God, he spoke of things no one else knew and performed miraculous acts. Elisha had the ability to know what an enemy King was doing before he did it. He would warn the King of Israel so the Israelites could always be one step ahead of their enemy. When the enemy King was told of this prophet Elisha who was ruining his battle plan, he sent a massive army at night to surround the city where Elisha was.
Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside and he saw the enemy’s massive army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. He comes back inside and he says, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
They were surrounded. Imagine the panic. Maybe you don’t have to imagine it too much … maybe it’s precisely how you feel right now. You’re surrounded. You’re overwhelmed. There’s nothing but battles and hardships all around you. You’re drowning in grief. You’re overcome by worry. The fear, the hurt, the regret, it’s all more than you can bare. What in the world are you going to do? How are you going to get through this? How is this ever going to be okay again?
As his servant is in a state of panic over the enemy he saw, Elisha knew there was more. More in the unseen than in the seen. More that was FOR them than against them. This was God’s great gift to Elisha. He had an inside connection to see what others could not see. To know what others could not know.
Elisha says to his servant in 2 Kings 6: 16, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.”
This massive enemy army was there for THEM. They were surrounding the entire city, there to capture Elisha. Far outnumber, way overpowered, completely surrounded. This was their reality. But it was only the reality of what was seen. There was a reality of the unseen too.
Verse 17, Then Elisha prayed “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
What in the world was he seeing here? He was seeing the power of God. This was God surrounding the enemy who surrounded them. How do I know it was God? This is how God is described in Psalm 104: 1-4, “Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with majesty and splendor. He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, laying the beams of his palace on the waters above, making the clouds his chariot. walking on the wings of the wind, and making the winds his messenger, flames of fire his servants.”
Do you understand the vastness that is our God? Do you understand the power he holds? He wears the light of the world like a robe. The clouds are his chariot. The fire is his servant. He is bigger than anything you could ever face and greater than anything that could ever be against you!
The problem is, you don’t see him. You go through your entire life never realizing WHO he really is: He is YOUR God, personally invested in you with his eye never leaving you. You go through your entire life never realizing WHERE he really is: He is all around you. Surrounding you. Circling you. Overpowering every single thing that is against you.
If only we could see.
Notice Elisha didn’t pray for the situation to change. He could have prayed that the enemy’s army disappear. He could have prayed a wind come and carry them away. But, he didn’t. He didn’t pray for the situation to change, he prayed his servant could see the reality of the situation.
What is the reality of the situation you’re in? Is God working in this? Is God in control? Is God aligning details you cannot yet see, for better plans you cannot yet understand? Is God surrounding that which surrounds you? YES, my sister, yes he is.
That’s the reality of this situation. I know it may not feel like it right now, but the reality is the clouds are God’s chariots and the fire is his servant. He is bigger than everything you’re facing, and a thousand steps ahead of the enemy who has tried to attack you.
Whether you see the spiritual reality of your current situation or not, it’s still there. Even when Elisha’s servant couldn’t see God’s army circling their enemies, God’s army was still circling their enemies. Even when he couldn’t imagine how they were ever going to get out of this, the way out was there. Even when he felt completely overwhelmed, hopeless and defeated, the victory was already guaranteed. He just couldn’t see it.
Lord, please open our eyes. Open our eyes to the spiritual reality that reaches far beyond our current circumstances. Give us eternal perspective as we walk our earthly journey. Help us to see there’s so much more, and you are so much more.
Father, for the one who is overwhelmed, for the one who is discouraged, for the one who is full of fear, and for the one who is hurting, would you open their eyes today? Would you help them to see there’s so much more than what their limited vision has ever been able to see before? Would you give them a glimpse of your power at work right here and now for them? Would you give them a heavenly perspective on their earthly time? Would you help them to see the battle they’re in as a victory already secured by heaven’s armies?
Yes, the enemy has come in for attack. Threats have surrounded you. However, the things of God are circling around the things that are against you, and the things of God will not be defeated! Romans 8:31, “If God is for you, who can be against you?”
The spiritual reality of this situation is GOD IS FOR YOU and GOD WILL WIN!
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How do you hear from God? How do you receive the divine guidance you are seeking?
READ HIS WORD!
Asking God to speak to you and not reading the bible is like saying you’re hungry and refusing to feed yourself.
But here’s the problem – what you’re reading reading doesn’t make sense or doesn’t seem to apply, so you’re frustrated because you feel like you still don’t have answers to your questions.
But understand, God’s word is ALIVE! Hebrews 4: 12, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double edged sword.”
God meets us in his word and the Holy Spirit works through his word. Opening your Bible is literally you taking a step towards God. And here’s the great thing about God, James 4:8 , “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” This means if you take just one step toward God, he will take a thousand steps toward you. If you need God to be with you in this, take your step toward him, open your Bible. Just read his word. This will draw God in to you. You will receive his guidance. He will show you the way.
I think of reading by Bible kind of like sit ups. I know there’s one way to getting abs … sit ups. But I can lay down on the floor right now and do 100 situps and not look one bit better. You could open up your bible today and read 5 chapters, and not feel any better. You could read and read and find absolutely no answers or clear direction. BUT IT STARTED SOMETHING YOU CANNOT SEE.
Doing situps starts building muscles you can’t see, but you have to keep building. Reading your Bible starts a divine flow of wisdom and guidance you can’t see, but you have to keep reading.
For more of this unscripted Bible Study together, watch the live broadcast on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/1249986681/videos/7568941406517453/
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What if you’re doing something wrong and you don’t even realize it? What if the next steps you’ve been taking have been foolishly on the wrong path taking you in the wrong direction, but you’re just doing all you know to do? What if you’ve been making the wrong decisions, attaching to the wrong people, thinking the wrong thoughts, and you can’t see all the wrong things this is creating in your life?
That’s the problem. We don’t know. We can’t see. Everything we do could be wrong, even when our intentions are so right.
There’s a prayer for that. Seriously, there’s a prayer for the girl who has been potentially going the wrong way, but wants to get it right now. There’s a prayer for the girl who doesn’t want to screw up again. There’s a prayer for the girl who genuinely wants to please God and walk in his will.
Isn’t that you? Aren’t you ready to walk God’s way? Aren’t you ready to trade your will for his will? Aren’t you ready to release everything you’ve been holding back so you can receive the fullness of what he holds for you?
This prayer is tucked away in your bible, and it’s just been waiting for you to be really ready to pray it.
Psalm 139: 23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”
This is a powerful prayer that should not be taken lightly. If you ask God to search you, you better be ready to respond to what he shows you. Because here’s the thing, what if you’ve been asking for all the right things, but you’ve been asking for the wrong reasons, and that’s the sole reason why your prayers seem to be going unanswered. Did you know that’s possible? James 4:3, “You ask and don’t receive because you ask with the wrong motives.”
When you ask the Lord to search you and he reveals to you that your motives are wrong, what are you going to do with that?
If you don’t plan to go to work on the things he shows you, don’t even ask. But if you’re serious, if you’re willing to work on WHY that prayer isn’t being answered, or WHY this has really gone wrong, then ask God to search you.
Here’s what God has shown me: The motive behind my seeking of God is often off. I’m trying to persuade my seemingly reluctant God to do what I want him to do. I’m trying to flip through my Bible for God to co-sign what I want. I’m trying to earn enough good favor with God to qualify for more. \
OUCH. That’s the truth of what God shows me when I ask him to search me.
What does he show you? What are the motives behind your prayers? What are the motives behind your service? Why are you even listening today? Are you checking boxes to be that good Jesus girl? Are you trying to earn the gold star? I mean if you’re going to ask God to search you, be ready for what he shows you.
The purpose of prayer isn’t to persuade a reluctant God to do what we want. Oh, what a misuse of the power he has given us. The purpose of prayer is to align our will with His. It’s to open our eyes to what God sees so we partner with him in accomplishing what he is doing. It’s to allow his power to flow through us for his purposes, not our own. We’ve once again totally made this all about us, haven’t we?
What God continually shows me is, “Pamela, this isn’t about you.” Oh how he loving takes my face into his hands and turns my head in the right direction. The direction of what his greater purposes are. The direction of what HE is doing, what HE wills; the bigger, eternal picture that I often overlook.
What if you’re doing the right thing, but you’re doing it for the wrong reasons? What if that’s why your journey has continually been 1 step forward and 2 steps back? Are you willing to humbly lay that before the Lord and ask him to search you? There may be an unhealed hurt within you creating wrong motives and until you allow God to reveal that unhealed hurt and go to work on it, you will continue to fight a very unnecessary uphill battle.
Have you ever heard of “revenge body”? A woman was hurt by a man, so she’s going to get him back by becoming super hot. I think there was even a reality show about that. Taking care of your body and being healthy is a good thing … but honey, if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, you’re going to create a real mess. You’ll be wearing stuff you shouldn’t be wearing, attracting all the wrong men, lining up temptations you may not be strong enough to resist … then you wonder why you can’t just be happy. Sweetheart, your motive was off.
Wrong motives make massive messes. God sees your motives, that’s why he can’t co-sign on the things that will hurt you. You want wild success, but God knows what wild success would do to you, so he graciously shuts that crap down. You want to win the lottery, but God knows lottery often leads to lazy, lonely, lies and lousy living. So nope, you don’t have the winning numbers. Out of God’s pure goodness and grace, you don’t win.
Notice this prayer says, “See if there is any offensive way in me.” This is 2 fold.
- Lord, is there any path of pain I’m walking on? Are my choices leading me somewhere you would never want me to end up? Is this one seemingly little bad habit growing into something that will wreck my life? Am I creating future pain with today’s choices? Show me Lord. Stop me from taking that next step.
- Lord, is there something I’m doing that is causing you grief? Am I unknowingly hurting you? Show me how I am offensive. Show me what I need to change. Ephesians 4:30, “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.” Am I hurting the Holy Spirit that lives within me in any way? If you ask him, he will surely prompt you with a holy conviction of what needs to change.
This prayer ends with, “Lead me in the everlasting way.” Lord, bring me back to the path to you. Jesus came to give you life and life to the full, how are you living little instead of full, big, everlasting, eternal way? Where are you focused on temporary instead of eternal things?
Do you humbly recognize where you could be wrong? Do you genuinely want to get it right for God? He will graciously and gently reveal the way to you, and there may be some changes he asks you to make on the journey, but I know this much, he will also give you the strength to make every one of those changes. He will offer the healing for every broken place within you that has blurred your motives and confused your heart.
This is how you make right what you didn’t even realize was wrong. This is how you take the next steps on the right path. This is how you make the right decisions, with the right people, and step into the good plans God has for your future.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
Lead me in the everlasting way.
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You’re waiting on something, and it feels like it’s taking entirely too long to happen. You’re stuck in limbo wondering when. And as we wonder when we often begin to ask why. Why is this taking so long? Why do I have to wait? Why me?
Time is a funny thing. We can wait for several years for something, but then as soon as we have it, our whole world shifts around now having it. And now that we have it, it’s easy to take it for granted. It’s easy to overlook the fact that this morning we woke up with so many things we were once waiting for.
Seriously, remember when you were counting down the days to your wedding, or prewashing all those new baby clothes with such anticipation of the day you would bring that baby home, or dreaming of moving into the new house, or interviewing for the job and praying they would choose you. Eventually the day came, and the day went, and what you had looked so forward to became reality, then reality lost its luster. How many days have gone by since you were genuinely excited about what you already have? Probably a lot.
We only seem to get excited about what we don’t have yet. What we do have is already old news. So now we just wait. Wait for the next new thing. Wait for the weekend. Wait for vacation. Wait for the next holiday. Wait for something to change. All while days are going by that we will never get back.
What are you waiting on? Can you be happy while you wait? Can you find joy in the in between? Can you count your blessings while one blessing is missing?
This is one of the greatest lessons God has been graciously teaching me over the past 5 years. He’s teaching me to trust him with the timing and choose to be happy while I wait. If I can’t be happy while I wait for this problem to be fixed, then I may be unknowingly sacrificing year after year of my life. And really, what glory does that give God if I sit here miserable in the wait? What kind of faith is it that requires all my blessings to be present before I count them?
Paul taught us about choosing happiness in the middle of a mess while waiting for it to get better. He called it contentment. Contentment is a quiet state of happiness and satisfaction. Contentment isn’t loud, it’s a calm feeling within, regardless of the storm outside. He said in Philippians 4: 11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.” Notice the word LEARNED.
Learned implies it wasn’t natural to be content in his circumstances. It wasn’t automatic and without effort. Paul had to choose his mindset over and over again until he had LEARNED contentment.
What is natural for human beings when we don’t get what we want when we want it is to throw a fit. Seriously, look at a baby. If a baby doesn’t get fed within 3 seconds of feeling hungry, there’s a complete meltdown. That’s what is natural to us. We have to learn how to still be happy when we don’t get what we want when we want it.
How loud are your complaints when you are waiting? How ugly is your face when things aren’t the way you want them to be? Let’s check real life situations here …
You’re at a restaurant and you’ve ordered chicken fajitas, no rice with double beans and guacamole on the side. The waitress brings steaming hot steak fajitas with rice and the guacamole is old. Check your face? How do you react? What do you say? Are you going to throw your grown woman hissy fit?
You’re waiting in a crowded parking lot for a spot. There’s a car leaving, so you turn on your blinker and wait. Just then a truck whips right in front of you and takes the spot you’re clearly waiting on. Check your hands. What are your hands doing right now? Are you giving hand signals, speaking in sign language. Over what … a parking space?
Paul is in PRISON when he is writing about learned contentment. He’s sitting in a prison cell in a quiet state of happiness and satisfaction. He doesn’t know when he will get out. He doesn’t even know if he will survive. He is in literal need and want, waiting, suffering, yet he was content where he was.
How can we do this? How can we wait without a meltdown? How can we get the opposite of what we want, yet not become the opposite of who God has called us to be? Well, the good news is, Paul shares his secret with us.
Verse 12 & 13, “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content. (Now, here comes the secret.). I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”
We often take that scripture completely out of context, when in reality, Paul was writing from prison saying, hey guys, the only way I can be happy in here and find satisfaction is through the strength of Jesus. Without Jesus this is impossible. Without his strength, I am miserable. But he helps me count my blessings even while some of my blessings are missing. He helps me see the good even when there’s so much bad. He helps me make the most of each moment, even when I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be stuck here. My contentment comes through Jesus.
Now, take that lesson and apply it to your current situation. I’ll apply it to mine as well.
Here’s what I see … there sure are a lot of things to be anxious about, but Christ gives me the strength to trust. There are a lot of things to be hurt about, but Christ shows me how to forgive. There are a lot of things to worry over, but Christ reminds me to “Give all your worries and cares to God, because he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7) So, I give them to God and my burden is lifted.
Now, here I am with circumstances that still haven’t changed, but my burdens are lifted, I’m walking towards forgiveness and in turn I’m being forgiven, and I’m receiving supernatural strength as I trust the wait. This is LEARNED CONTENTMENT. I’m learning as I’m waiting.
You’re learning as you’re waiting. You’re learning the storm in your circumstances doesn’t require a storm within. Jesus calms the wind and waves inside you. He brings peace even while the storm continues. And here you are, now learning to be like Jesus, learning to find contentment through it all. Remember where Jesus was when the storm hit the boat he was on? Check this story out:
Matthew 8: 23-26, “As Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves – but Jesus kept sleeping. So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
The boat was literally being swamped by waves and Jesus just kept sleeping. Jesus wasn’t disturbed by the storm. He was completely content through it all. He had a quiet happiness and satisfaction within.
Lord, teach us to be calm in the storm. Give us the faith that says, “whatever the wind and the waves do, I have complete confidence because Jesus is in my boat.”
Is Jesus in your boat? Seriously, have you asked him to be in this with you? He will be right there with you and never forsake you. He will give you the strength to be content right through this. Jesus is not flipping out here. He’s not stressed. With absolute power, he knows how this storm ends. He knows when this storm ends. And he knows hes getting you through it.
My storm continues. Year 5. But Jesus is teaching me how to have a quiet happiness and satisfaction every single day through this storm. And on some days, my happiness gets loud. My joy is on full display, even while some things are still a mess. My satisfaction overflows to ridiculous fun and sheer gratitude, even in the wait. How? Because Jesus is teaching me LEARNED contentment. It’s not natural. It’s learned. It’s chosen. It’s intentional.
And it’s yours if you want it.
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How much time do you spend taking care of your body? Y’all, shaving these legs is a time suck. This hair has to be washed every other day. Eyelashes don’t just glue themselves on. It’s all an investment of time. Time to exercise. Time to cook healthy meals. Time to rest. If you don’t take the time required for care, your body will suffer. You can’t just skip washing your hair for a week. You will unintentionally grow dreads, and not the cute kind with colors and knick knacks. You don’t want to be the girl with furry armpits just because you couldn’t make time to shave while you were in the shower.
How much time do you spend taking care of your house? On my to-do list is a perpetual daily chore: Clean. It’s amazing how it’s just my husband and I in our little beach house, yet the dishes pile up so quickly. Every day there is cleaning to do, and if I skip a day it gets real messy real quick. I figured out a trigger to me becoming grouchy is a messy house. It’s physically impossible for me to be giddy if my house looks like a ghetto inside. Some of y’all are wondering why you wake up grouchy … maybe it’s because your house be looking ghetto. Clean your space and you might just find a better attitude. Cleaning requires time. They have yet to successfully build that self-cleaning house, or even family that clean up after them selves. Until then, time is required of you.
With all these time sucks of taking care of your body, taking care of your house, taking care of your work, taking care of your kids, taking care of your dog, there’s just not much time left. And there’s one unseen thing that often goes without the investment of our time. One thing that suffers greatly because it’s out of sight and out of mind, and not given the time it needs.
Your soul.
It’s easy to treat ourselves as if we are a body with a little bitty bonus of a soul. We take care of our body first and our soul last. We’ll drink shakes, take pills, and buy all sorts of contraptions to make our bodies look and feel better. We’ll join the gym, create a workout routine, hire a trainer, go to a doctor, and download 7 apps on our phone all for our body. But what does our soul get?
You are not a body with a soul. You are a soul first and foremost, and your soul gets the bonus of a body to carry you through this portion of your life.
Read the book of Psalms and you’ll get a better understanding of the value of your soul. David writes more about his soul than his body. He talks to his soul. He encourages his soul. He writes of his soul being thirsty, his soul being hungry, his soul needing rest, his soul being worried, afraid, overwhelmed, grieving, even suffering. Have you ever described a deep ache within you as your heart hurting? Yeah, that is your soul grieving. Have you ever felt a void within, like a itch you don’t know how to scratch with an unfulfilled longing inside? Yeah, that is your hungry soul. You’ve sang about those hungry eyes, but girl, what about your hungry soul?
Your soul needs time just like your body and your house require time. But it’s so easy to ignore the needs of your soul and turn to tik tok for the next magic diet or exercise or cleaning hack. Girl, what about your soul care?
Peter puts it into perspective when he refers to his body as a tent. 2 Peter 1: 14, “I know that I will soon lay aside my tent.”
His body was not his end all be all. This earthly time walking around in this bodily tent is just a small portion of his lifetime. It’s all temporary. Temporary things cannot become our primary focus. Temporary things cannot get priority over eternal things.
What is eternal about you is your soul. You will never not exist. Since God created you, creation will never again be without you. You – the real you – your soul. Your body, well that tent you will soon lay aside after it has served its purpose. But your soul continues. The question is, how will you care for the part of you that matters most?
I made a list of 6 ideas for Soul Care. I’m sure you can guess several of them.
- Scripture.
- Prayer.
- Worship.
See, you knew those, didn’t you? But how about 3 more ways to take care of your soul.
- Fellowship.
That’s an old word my grandma used for church potlucks. It’s not appealing to me. Sounds kind of boring. But let me put it in a way you can get excited about. This is spending time with people who love Jesus like you do, and having fun together. I figured out that’s what makes our BIG Life Retreats so special. We’re all just girls who love Jesus, and we come together for fun adventures, and it feeds our soul! Our soul literally needs this time together. I crave it … and you do too. - Service.
Helping someone else is the fastest way to exit your own pity party. God designed us with a special release of dopamine within our brains each time we serve someone. Dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain that makes us feel good. It gives us what is known as the “helper’s high”. Your soul literally feels good when you serve. My friend, that is soul care! Do something for someone who can do absolutely nothing in return for you. - Silence.
This is one is personal kryptonite. You know how Superman was crazy strong with all his flying and car throwing abilities, but there was one thing that would bring out his weakness, kryptonite. My krptonite is silence and I spend my days avoiding it. As a professional speaker, it’s the one thing you don’t do. You don’t stall out with nothing to say. When the speaker stops speaking, that’s awkward, so I make my life very busy and loud. However, in a busy and loud, rushed life, our soul is suffering. My soul needs silence. Your soul needs silence.
I learned a practice several years ago from my friend Theresa that is so simple and so powerful. You take two chairs and sit them together. You leave one empty for Jesus, and you sit in the other one. Then, you just sit there. Spend time with Jesus in your two chairs. Now notice I said I “learned this practice”, not that I often practice this practice. Quite honestly, I would rather go run a few miles than just sit in silence. I would rather deep clean my entire house than sit in silence. I would rather drive all the way to Miami in insane traffic and go grocery shopping than sit in silence.
You know what happens to me in silence? I have an almost irresistible urge to pick up my phone. Does that happen to you too? And if I don’t distract myself with my phone, here’s what happens when I sit in silence … I conk the heck out. I’ll just fall asleep, so it all seems kind of pointless. All while my soul is suffering. My soul is hungry. My soul is thirsty. My soul needs quiet time with Jesus.
So, if you struggle with silence like I do, here’s a very practical solution that we can each do. First, leave your phone behind. Then, grab 2 chairs. Invite Jesus to sit in one and you sit in the other one. Then pray this prayer, “Jesus, you can see the deepest parts of my being. What does my soul need?” Then just sit there. You don’t have to think. You don’t have to talk. Just be silent. If you doze off and take a little nap, then maybe that’s what your soul needed. If your mind wanders to the things that worry you, maybe that’s what your soul needed. Maybe you needed to bring those worries to Jesus’ chair.
Jesus fills any space he’s invited into. He will fill that empty chair and he will fill your soul.
Declare yourself a SOUL CARE TIME in your schedule. Just as you would declare time to take care of your body, or time to take care of your house, or time to care for your dog, your soul deserves intentional time. Everything else is temporary. This bodily tent you walk around in will be laid aside. This house you live in will one day crumble. Your job won’t matter, they will replace you as soon as you’re gone. But this soul of yours … it is eternal. It is forever. It is of true value.
Girl, take care of your soul. It needs something today. Jesus, what does my soul need?
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Have you ever thought about what Heaven will really be like? I have a friend who was in a coma, and when she woke up, she shared her glimpses into heaven. She specifically remembers colors like her eyes had never seen before. Flowers and butterflies that were so beautiful they were indescribable. In my Daddy’s final day of life, the veil between Heaven and Earth had grown very thin, and he told me what he saw. He would burst out in a deep belly laugh and say, “Jesus is so funny.” Then Daddy said, “Everyone is so happy here.” One of the final things he said was, “Run to the light.”
I want to see those colors, don’t you? I want to be one of those happy people in the presence of Jesus. I want to run to the light of Jesus!
I grew up afraid of Hell. I knew absolutely nothing of Jesus, but I knew there was this fiery place of misery somewhere down below where sin was punished. And every time I did something bad, I was afraid of that punishment. My very first introduction to the thought of what Heaven would be like was through the song “I Can Only Imagine” in the early 2000’s. Did anyone else belt out these words in their car?
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
My friends, what will Heaven be like? Well, I can only imagine! But here’s what I know for sure … I WANT TO GO THERE! And I really want to go there with YOU! Let’s experience this together!
I have a strong case of FOMO. You know, the Fear of Missing Out. It eats me up thinking I might miss something great. I will sacrifice sleep. I will save up my money. I will go to crazy lengths to ensure I don’t miss out on good things. And my God is not only the giver of all good and perfect things (James 1:17), but he takes all the other things and he works them together to make them good (Romans 8:28). So, whatever God is offering and whatever God is doing is good, and I’ve decided I don’t want to miss it! I want to be in alignment with what God is doing and I want to be available for what he is offering.
Now, here’s the thing, I can’t see what God is doing and I have no way of knowing the fullness of what God is offering, I can only imagine it. But, it’s even more than I can imagine. More than I can dream of. More than I’ve ever dared to think. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Yes, I can only imagine, but it’s immeasurably MORE than what I imagine! And how does God do more? It’s right here in this scripture. It’s through his power that is at work within us! How crazy awesome of God to decide to do his work THROUGH US. How incredible that he has invited us to be part of his work and carry his power. That just blows my mind.
So, my sister, you and I have a job here. As the girls who carry this power to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, we’re here to share hope with others. Hope of the future mind blowing beauty and goodness that awaits those who have accepted Jesus. We’re supposed to help them imagine how good Heaven will be so they too decide they just can’t afford to miss it!
1 Peter 1: 3-4 MSG, “Because of Jesus we’ve been given a brand new life and have everything to live for including a future in heaven – and that future starts NOW.”
Jesus gives us a brand new life and this new life he’s offering is something worth living for! You and I have something to live for! We are not hopeless, helpless, or stuck. Jesus has made a way for us! He has sealed our destiny. Honey, our future is beautiful!!!! But, God in all of his mercy and grace said, “I’ll even let you get started on eternity now.” He has made life here worth living for too. He’s given us a purpose, and knowing that you’re walking in your purpose feels so good! That’s his gift to us! We get to be part of his will unfolding here on Earth as it is in Heaven, and he unleashes his power within us. That’s worth living for!
The enemy tries to make our lives feel like they’re not worth living. He tries to burden and overwhelm us. He tries to turn our attention to all that is wrong and getting worse. But God says to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient (2 Corinthians 10:5). He says to think about the things that are right, lovely, excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Is that what you’ve been thinking about? Or has the enemy crept in and tricked you into thinking the thoughts he hides in?
Our thoughts either make life miserable, or make life worth living. God wants to give you thoughts that make life worth living! Thoughts that open your eyes to his power and make you say, “I can’t miss out on this!” Thoughts that have you imagining all God is working on for you and for your future. What is he working on? Well, I can only imagine!
Go ahead and imagine it! Imagine how God is working all the things in your life together for something good. Imagine how God is using you and your story to help others come to know of his love and mercy. Imagine how God is preparing Heaven for you!
This weekend I was studying the books of 1 & 2 Peter. While I was studying, I received a text from Sarah, an amazing woman I mentor. Sarah randomly shared with me a Bible study tool she was using called Enduring Word. It’s actually just a website (enduringword.com), but this website has over 11,000 pages of verse by verse commentary of the entire bible. Commentary that actually makes sense. Commentary that explains scripture and applies it to life.
One bit of commentary I read has me absolutely spinning! 2 Peter 1:4, “He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.” Now, dig deeper! God has promised us to share in the divine nature that escapes the corruption of this world. What is that? THAT IS HEAVEN! This goodness I can only imagine!
Here’s what the commentary said: How generous of God. He could have just rescued us from hell and not invited us to share in the divine nature.
I never thought about that. God didn’t have to offer Heaven to us. He could have just forgiven us and kept us out of Hell. He could have just cancelled our punishment, but not given us a reward. He could have made us do this life over and over again until we got it right. He could have offered us our lifetime, and let that be it. Done. Over. No more. But he didn’t. God went so far as to rescue us from Hell and invite us into Heaven!
What?!!!!!!! Why would God do that? Why would he go so far? Why would do all of this for me? For you? Because that’s God – he does more than we could ever ask or imagine!
And in God’s nature of doing even MORE, he not only has Heaven waiting for us, but he invites us to be part of his divine work here on Earth. Our future with God starts NOW! It is here! This is worth living for!
How is God working in what you’ve gone through to use it for good? I can only imagine.
What good plans does God have for your future? I can only imagine.
What will you do the moment you see Jesus face to face? Will you dance – will you stand in awe? I can only imagine.
What amazing adventures will you and I have together in Heaven on day 1 of eternity? I can only imagine!
I know this much … it’s worth living for!
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Power of Prayer
This Friday unscripted Bible study and devotional digs deeper on the follow scriptures:
James 5: 13-20
1 Kings 17 & 18
Matthew 6:6
This episode also includes the 4 Sentence Prayer that helped bring me back to God.
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Don’t wait for others to celebrate your life when it’s over, celebrate what God has done in your life TODAY! This special unscripted episode was hosted live on Facebook (watch here: https://www.facebook.com/1249986681/videos/987406949413043/) as I share my testimony and celebrate all God has done. Jeremiah 17:14, “O LORD, if you heal me, I will be truly […]
It’s exhausting trying to keep up the facade of how we want our lives to appear to others. We only choose the filtered photos where we look good. We only present our best days and our best moments. For some reason, we want to look better than everyone else, but why is that, and what […]
A woman who reads his word, then applies it to her life. When you read “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” (James 1: 19&20), a response is expected from you. That’s about YOU. It’s about how you have only been […]
Are you facing a situation right now where you don’t know what to do next? That next step is uncertain because you don’t know where this is leading. You can’t see beyond today … and you’re not supposed to. But if you can’t see tomorrow, how do you know the right next step into that […]
Join us in this special Friday unplugged Bible study and devotional onbringing a little Jesus to others. Psalm 23: 4 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Throughout the day you are breathing, and you likely never notice your breath. Breathing doesn’t require intentional effort, your body does the work without your consciousness even catching on. Until you can’t breathe … then you know. Your awareness is hyper focused on breathing when it is threatened. I went over 40 years of my […]
You have been chosen, but being chosen doesn’t quite feel like you imagined it would. You thought being God’s chosen girl would mean all open doors and overflowing abundance, but that’s not your current reality. When it doesn’t happen for us the way we thought it would, we begin to question if we are really […]
For the past week I’ve been studying the book of Jeremiah. If you’re ever looking for some inspirational, soul lifting, positive word from the Lord, don’t go to Jeremiah. This is 52 chapters of God’s people sinning, God’s warnings, his people ignoring, then God destroying. Over and over again, God fills Jeremiah with his divine […]
This special unscripted episode is a study on thinking right so we talkright. Join us as we dig deeper into Proverbs 4: 24, James 3: 2-6 and 2Corinthians 10: 5. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
God desires for everything you do to first be presented to him. Before you make your plans, before you decide what to do, before you commit, talk to God about it.
It’s easy to assume God doesn’t care about the details of your coming and going, but my sister, if God cares about the birds you hear chirping outside your window, I assure you, God cares about the decisions you are making. If he’s concerned about dressing the lilies of the field with splendor, he’s concerned about everything concerning you. And, not only does God care, but God KNOWS. He knows what is next. He knows what is best. He knows where this leads. And he knows how this ends. So really, if God knows everything, and he cares about everything, why aren’t you talking to him about everything?
Oh, I know … because it doesn’t seem that important. It almost seems silly to consult God on everything. We tell ourselves God doesn’t have time to be bothered with our little problems and every day decisions … but we’re wrong.
James 4: 13-17: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring – what your life will be! For you are like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ Bat as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.”
Harsh? No, straight forward.
Stop making plans without God. You do not know the future, God does. You do not fully know where this path leads, God does. You do not know the perfect timing, God does. God wants you in the middle of his perfect plans instead of your own impulsive ideas.
For many years now, I’ve prayed a prayer that has likely saved me from the mess of my impulsive ideas and touchy feely heart. The prayer is simple: God, if you’re in it, I want it … If you’re not, I don’t.
This is a surrender of what we think we want for what God, in all of his wisdom, wants. It’s an intentional turn toward a divinely better plan, even when we don’t see it. This is what allows God’s greatest work in our ordinary, every day lives. We are then aligned to be where we are supposed to be for divine encounters and perfect timing.
You know what else this does … this teaches us to not be pitiful and pissy when things don’t work out the way we wanted. If I turned it over to God, I can’t be vengeful when he vetoes it. I can’t be resentful when he redirects it.
Closed doors are just as much a blessing as open doors when God is the one directing the doors. Invite him into your hallway to direct the doors. ALL THE DOORS.
How do you know if God closes a door? Well, there are the obvious ways. No is pretty clear. Too late is also clear. Sold out. Not available. Not possible. Cancelled. Delayed. Lost in route. But also recognize what this final little verse in today’s scripture is really saying. “It is sin to know the good and yet not do it.”
What does that mean? This means, for girls who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, guiding and prompting us continually. That Spirit confirms and denies things within us. When it is confirmed within by a holy prompting, and we don’t do it, it is sin. It is wrong for us to ignore God’s promptings.
But understand, God’s promptings not only direct us to go, those holy promptings also direct us to NOT go. If we, under our own will, ignore the guide of the Holy Spirit and do what we want to do, that is sin for us.
God is simply asking us to bring everything to him first. Ask. Then listen. Stay close. Be in tune with his Spirit. Trust his plan and his timing.
Sometimes God says no to things that seem really good to us and it doesn’t make sense. It happens to me all the time. I find myself trying to present the plan to God to convince him of my version of the future I like best. I try to write the story for him and help direct him a bit. Gosh, he’s patient with me! Occasionally he allows my push to open doors he closed, just so I learn the lesson. If I said I don’t want it if God’s not in it, yet I push my way in, God’s gracious enough to let me see exactly why I shouldn’t have wanted it so bad.
And sometimes God says directs the next steps into something I would have never chosen on my own. This week while roadtripping, my husband and I looked back on all the decisions and circumstances over 30 years of marriage that have brought us to this place in our lives. It’s bizarre to see how many decisions we made thinking it was leading one place, but took us somewhere totally different. In fact, to a place we would have never chosen on our own. A place harder than we imagined we were strong enough for. A place so uncomfortable it would have terrified us. A place that looked nothing like the life we had planned. But looking back, we are so glad God did what he did, taught us all the lessons, allowed us to grow, and pushed us out of comfort into the great BIG life he created us for.
In our look back, we recalled the time we left the business we had worked so hard to build in Dallas, and we moved to the deserts of El Paso to help build a church. That church ended up being a flop. Our business struggled to relocate. It was a massive flop in so many ways. We would have NEVER gone if we would have known the hardships that were ahead. But my husband said he went because every time he opened up his Bible, it said, “In the desert. Go to the desert.” If you’ve ever been to El Paso, Texas, you know it’s on the border of Juarez, Mexico and it is DESERT! I’m talking cactus, tumble weeds and sand storms. Have I mentioned we’re more like exotic island kind of people?
My husband agreed to go because it was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do. There wasn’t an ounce of him that wanted to go to the desert, so that prompting had to be God’s Spirit within.
And it was. We went where we didn’t want to go, to do what ultimately would fail, because God wanted to do something greater in us.
I have to wonder, what is God’s spirit prompting you to do. Will you go when he says go. Will you stay when he says stay. Will you be uncomfortable when he says comfort is not in your future.
Let’s just practice today. Practice right here in your ordinary Thursday. You don’t have to wait until you move. You don’t have to wait until you’re forced either. Practice seeking God’s will in everything you do today.
God, what is best for me? What aligns with your plans? Is this your timing? Direct my steps because now I know, you really do care about every single one of my steps.
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Sometimes I get in my head, worried about all I will need for the future, and totally miss the fact that I have what I need for today. Sometimes, here in my head, I will talk myself out of doing what I could and should do today, because I’m worried about how I will keep doing it in all the days to come.
Do you do that too? Do you get all in your head about what will be needed later and miss what you have right now?
Steven Furtick says in his book, Do the New You, “Go into the day from a place of abundance, not lack.” Do you wake up saying you didn’t get enough sleep? Do you face the day thinking you don’t have enough energy? Do you count the demands and declare you don’t have enough money, enough help, enough time? This is a lack mindset.
God lacks nothing. He’s never running on short supply. Ever. And if God is the Lord of your life, as Psalm 23:1 says, you will lack nothing. Everything you need will be provided. Every single thing you need for today is here for you through the grace of God at work in your life. It’s miraculously here for you today. Do you see it?
This is going into the day from abundance. I have everything I need for TODAY. I have enough NOW.
What this does not mean is absolute certainty about tomorrow. This does not mean 100% security in what may come next. This is not an independence. Your creator designed you for dependence. He crafted you to need him DAILY. Your stress often comes from your fight for independence and attempt to control what was never yours to control.
You needed God to provide for you today, and here you are waking up to those provisions. You have the time you need. You have the help you need. You have the energy you need. You have the food you need. THAT IS GOD!
I know you may have worked hard to earn that money, but never forget who enabled you to work. Who blessed you with those abilities? Who opened those doors for you?
I know you may have gone to the grocery store and bought that food your own self, but how did you get there? Did you walk there? Oh, who gave you those legs that can walk? God did that! Did you drive there? Who provided for you to get that car? God did that!
Without God, you have none of this. With God, you have everything you need for today.
Jesus teaches us to pray to God in a very humble, simple and relational way. Matthew 6:11, he says to pray like this, “Give us today our daily bread.” Notice this does not say our monthly bread. It’s not about our 1 year plan for bread. It’s not about the future 10 years worth of bread. It’s our DAILY BREAD.
Bread represents our needs, everything we need. And Jesus says talk to God daily about everything you need.
Why is that? If God already knows our needs and promises to supply for our needs, why should we pray about the things he’s already going to do every day anyway?
I wonder, did you pray about your food for today? Really, did you ask God for food to feed your family for breakfast this morning? Most of us, void of crisis, did not. Yet, there was food today, wasn’t there? That was God being faithful, even when we weren’t. Now, don’t fail to thank him!
Jesus teaches us to pray daily over the things God is so faithful with because it increases our awareness of God’s provisions in our lives. It makes us humbly grateful. When you asked for something, then you receive that something, you know whoever you asked came through for you. This is how we recognize GOD DID THAT FOR US!
My sister, God cares about your needs. Talk to him about each of them. As you do, you will notice all the little things you once dismissed as ordinary or odd, and you will find God. Honey, that’s not odd, that’s God! That’s God helping you find that $20 bill in the pocket of your jacket! We’ve all found that lost or forgotten money before. Remember, that’s an all-knowing and all-powerful God saying to his girl, “You are not lost and you have not been forgotten. My eye has always been on you and I promise to provide for you.”
When my son was little, we went through a season of extreme financial hardship. You know times are tough when spaghetti never has meat in the sauce. There were a few meatless nights at our table, but there was always food. One day, a cow stood on the street corner and handed me a coupon through my car window. The coupon was for a free Chic-fil-A sandwich, no other purchase required. My little boy and I whipped straight into the Chic-fil-A, and redeemed our coupon. We sat down, the two of us, with our 1 sandwich and our cup of water, and we each took turns taking a bite. We ate and we ate and we ate, until we were both full and there was still more chicken sandwich left!
That day, our daily bread came with the most delicious fried chicken and a slice of pickle, and it never ran out. We had enough. We weren’t living in lack, we were living in abundance because of a good, good Father who meets our daily needs.
And sometimes, God doesn’t show up and give us something more, he just makes what we already have last. There’s the sweetest scripture tucked away in Deuteronomy 29:5. The Lord says, “I led you 40 years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out.”
Woah. God didn’t miraculously grow new clothes on trees for his people, but he made the clothes they had last. He didn’t mail a box of new sandals to them, but he made the sandals they had to not wear out. Don’t miss that is a miracle!
Some of you have a car that really shouldn’t still be running, but it started today! That’s miraculous daily bread! Some of you have a job that should have ended last year, but the doors are still open today. That’s miraculous daily bread! Some of you had an encounter with something that should have taken you out, but you survived another day. That’s miraculous daily bread!
God did that. You may have failed to ask him for it before, yet he showed up in faithfulness and did it for you anyway. Now, don’t fail to thank him for it.
The enemy wants to diminish that miracle by making you trade your praise of God over today for the worry over tomorrow. You have it today, but are you worried about keeping it tomorrow? That’s the trap! That’s the lack. If God is your shepherd, your guide, your provider, then you will not lack. So my sister, stop allowing lack in your head!
Living with awareness and gratitude helps us start each day from a place of abundance instead of lack. And when you’re living in abundance, you stop talking yourself out of doing what you could do today. You do have time to do what needs to be done today, so you do it. You do have energy to show up with your best today, so you show up.
Repeat after me: I have enough for now.
Okay, now use it!
I spent years talking myself out of stepping into some of my greatest blessings. You know why? Because I was convinced I would never have enough to keep going. And if I couldn’t be guaranteed to have enough for the future, I wouldn’t do it today. Now, where’s the faith in that?
God wants his girls to develop our faith and increase our trust in him. And he does this through our DAILY dependence on him.
Daily bread. It’s here. It was him. Be grateful. Use it. Trust him for the rest!
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Who could you become? What could you do? You’ve been given this one life to figure that out and give it all you’ve got.
Honey, if cauliflower can become pizza and chickpeas can become pasta, you my friend, can do anything! Nothing in your past can hold you back from your future. You have been set free to move forward. Today is a step in your journey towards the life of your future, make sure you’re stepping in the right direction.
Where you are today is a result of steps you took in the past. Maybe you walked out of something behind you, or maybe you walked into something right now. Recognize, it was your choice one step at a time. Understand God never expected you to wander blindly through this life. He has promised to be your guide. He has promised to direct your steps. He is always available to show you the best way.
Will you simply seek him here? Will you surrender your way to seek his way?
In the New Living Translation of the Bible, Isaiah 30: 18-21 is titled “Blessings For the Lord’s People”. With a title like that, understand this is for you. Don’t excuse yourself from this blessing. YOU are God’s girl. You are his prized creation. You are here seeking him and he is responding to you personally. Verse 18 says:
So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
Woah … God has been waiting for YOU. Waiting for you to come to him so he can show you love and compassion. That’s what has always been waiting for you. As you ran. As you tried everything on your own. As you failed. As you made a mess. God has been waiting. Not waiting with punishment. Not waiting with judging eyes and condemnation. No, waiting with love and compassion specifically for you. All this time he has wanted to bless you, but you have to come to him.
I have this image of God leaning over his mighty throne in heaven, looking down on us with his loving eye, hopeful that today will be the day we let his love catch us. Hoping today will be the day he gets to show us his goodness.
Won’t you let him catch you today? Won’t you come to him and receive that love and compassion? Won’t you let his blessings pour over you now? Won’t you let him help you? He can and he will if you will come to him.
For the past 5 years I’ve been in a personal season of understanding God’s waiting on a deeper level. We’ve been waiting on one of our own who has left our family, believed the lies of the enemy and stepped into his plan of danger and destruction. She imagines I wait with judgment, but truthfully I wait with a hope she will return to the goodness that was always here for her. The goodness of a family who found her, fought for her, adopted her, and called her their own. A goodness she can’t dismiss. A goodness that will still be waiting 30 years from now if that’s how long it takes.
And even more so, God waits for each of us to come to him to receive the goodness he has always had for us. He waits and he hopes today will be that day. Why wouldn’t today be that day? Why not take that step today? It’s not condemnation that awaits us, it’s redemption. It’s a life far better than we have ever dared to dream of.
If you can imagine me awaiting the return of my daughter, imagine your heavenly father awaiting the return of his girl. Yeah, it’s like that! Condemnation doesn’t await you upon return, love, forgiveness, healing and restoration await you! But honey, you have to accept it and turn to it.
Verse 19 & 20 say:
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food
and suffering for drink,
he will still be with you to teach you.
God knows his children and he knows we learn best in hardship. We grow when we are stretched. We are strengthened when we are stressed. He will teach you through all of this. He will use everything that has ever happened to you, along with all that never happened for you, to guide you to that better life.
Our God is gracious to always respond to our requests. When we call, he answers. When we ask, he moves. But when we don’t ask, he waits. He waits for us to come to him. He waits for us to surrender to him. He waits with all his power to move on our behalf and make a way where there has been no way. But understand, he’s waiting on YOU.
As a mother, there’s nothing more I can do, so I wait. But God, there’s nothing he can’t do, but he won’t force it on you. So he waits on you to turn to him for his unlimited power in your life.
This thing that burdens you … this thing that worries you … this uncertain situation … this painful truth, have you truly asked God for help with it? Have you laid this at his feet? Have you asked God to change it?
That’s the easy part. The harder part is have you asked God to change YOU?
I now understand God isn’t interested in changing my circumstances nearly as much as he is interested in changing me. My life changes when I do. So God starts with me. He lets my circumstances fall to crap so I come to the realization change is necessary within me. God, teach me to be better. Teach me to become more. Teach me to be who you created me to be. I know my current circumstances are the environment you’ve chosen for molding me. I know this is where you’re working on me. I’m ready now.
In the past 5 years of waiting in a situation I would have never chosen, God has changed me. Have you noticed that’s what he’s done for you too? You might not have created this mess, but God has graciously chosen to work on you in it!
In verse 21, we’re given a promise of guidance. Receive this today.
Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.
Here you are at this crossroads. Do you believe God will guide you in the best direction? Do you believe he has gone before you and made a way? It’s easy to believe God speaks to other people but dismiss his voice in your own life.
God does speak to you. He guides you with his Spirit. He shows you things and works in the details. All your life he has been guiding you, so it’s easy to dismiss it as normal. It’s easy to override his guidance with your feelings.
Begin listening again. This is the way you should go.
Begin seeking again. Look, there is a path before you.
And this path is not a straight stretch of paved highway with clearly marked exits for easy travel. Easy travel through life creates self-sufficient human beings without the need for a gracious God. God isn’t interested in your easy travel, he’s interested in you becoming all he created you to be.
So the path is windy to keep you focused on him instead of the 10 steps ahead. The path is hard to keep you coming to him for your daily supply of strength and courage. The path is always available to you, no matter how far you may have wandered and how long you’ve been away.
Just come back today. Back to the God who has been waiting on you. Waiting on you with love and compassion. Goodness awaits you.
There’s no shame in the return. It’s what you were created for. A continual return to the path. A continual return to who you were created to be. A continual return to your creator for his blessing and guidance.
This one life you have been given is a journey of figuring out who you are and all you can do. Take the limits off. Your God is limitless. There’s nothing he can’t do here and nothing he wouldn’t do for you, his precious girl. But, he waits for you to come to him. He waits for you to seek his guidance. He waits for you to ask for his help.
Your first step is that humble step right towards God. God, I need you. I surrender my way to seek your way. Change me.
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This past week, I’ve prayed the same prayer daily. “God, show me the limitations I’ve settled for so I can overcome them. Reveal to me my potential so I can grow into it.” The past 2 nights in a row, I’ve woke up praying this prayer in my sleep.
Just how bad do you want to overcome the limitations you’ve settled for? Just how bad do you want to live up to the potential God has put within you? When you want it bad enough, it’s there for you, but action will be required.
We all have tremendous potential within us, and we all have something threatening to cripple that potential. I wonder what your potential is. Your unique design is for the purpose of being absolutely phenomenal in some way. The thing is, you may not have even discovered it yet, but the potential is still inside of you. Your creator is using every detail of your life to release that potential.
Lord, reveal the potential you put within us so we can grow into it! I’m no longer satisfied with settling for anything less.
Is that where you are? You’re tired of settling for less? You’re no longer satisfied with just getting by? THAT’S FANTASTIC! WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE OF AWAKENING YOU FIND YOURSELF IN!
All this time, you’ve had a world of potential within you, but it has been crippled. It’s been held back and unable to perform it’s full intended function. What has crippled your potential?
I know about being crippled. Today, our travels have brought us back to the specific place where I literally COULDN’T get out of bed. My legs no longer worked. I couldn’t feed myself. My arms no longer worked. I couldn’t speak. My mouth drooped and words could not be found. My brain had suffered injury in a stroke and I was crippled. All that I had once done with ease was gone in an instant.
And I’m back here in Savannah, Georgia. This is where that hospital bed was that held me. It held me crippled, but I was still FULL OF POTENTIAL. I can’t help being here in this city without remembering that hospital bed. I can’t be here without remembering how crippled I was laying there.
But I’m not laying there any more!
You want to know why I’m jarringly excited about a new day of life every darn day, THIS IS WHY! (Several years ago, someone left a review of this podcast on iTunes saying they couldn’t handle my morning pep and referred to me as jarring. I still love that review! I appreciate her honesty and it still makes me giggle. I am jarring, but dang I can’t be boring after what I experienced!)
Want to know why I have crazy energy the moment my feet hit the floor every morning, THIS IS WHY! By God’s grace and divine touch, I’ve overcome the thing that threatened to cripple me and I’m getting to experience my potential.
I get to see these once crippled legs can run marathons. I get to see this body that once couldn’t get out of bed can now climb mountains. These eyes that once went blind and couldn’t focus get to see the beauty of the horizon as I jump out of an airplane at 14,000 feet. These hands that couldn’t hold a spoon to feed myself can hold a paddle while whitewater rafting. And this mouth that couldn’t form words can now speak to thousands to help them wake up. Literally … wake up!
Yes, wake up. We’ve been sleeping while our potential lies within in wait. Wake up, my sister.
This was always my potential, but you couldn’t see it when I was crippled. I couldn’t even imagine it at the time, but it was there.
Now, let’s talk about your potential. Oh girl, there is a world of potential inside of you. How do I know? Because I know your creator. As a follower of Christ, I know the spirit who now lives within you. There’s no question of the potential in you. No stronghold could hold you back. No chain can bind you. No darkness can put out your light … unless you let it!
Remember the story of the crippled man laying at the pool of Bethesda? He had been crippled for 38 years. He was laying by this pool of water because every day when the pool was stirred, it was believed the first person to get in the water would be healed. Day after day he lay there, hoping for a healing. Hoping to overcome that which had crippled him. But he couldn’t pull himself into the water before the others, so years passed as nothing changed.
That is, until Jesus showed up.
Nothing has been changing for you, my sister … but Jesus is about to show up where you have been stuck!
John 5: 6-9 “When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking.
This man always had the potential inside of him. For 38 years he lay there crippled, yet the potential to walk again remained. One thing unleashed his potential once again … an encounter with Jesus.
My sister, that’s all you need. An encounter with Jesus.
That’s the undeniable power that met me in that hospital bed here in Savannah, Georgia and unleashed my potential again … It was Jesus!
There will always be a threat to your potential. A crippling of all you were created to do. Yes, sometimes in comes in the form of a health issue, but more commonly it is a fear of failure that holds you back.
I’m going to be honest with you, my own fears and thoughts have held me back far more than my health issues ever did. Jesus has had to show up and heal me more than once!
It’s a fear of judgment that keeps you cornered. An overwhelming concern of what others may think or may say. A past regret, guilt or shame. An unhealed hurt. Or maybe if you’re being honest it’s a laziness deep inside of you that cripples you most. An unwillingness to stick with things long enough to actually work. A wishy washy commitment that always leaves you going backward instead of forward. A bad habit you keep picking back up.
So I ask again, what is crippling your potential? What has you stuck where you are living a life less than you were created for?
Jesus is asking you the same question as the crippled man at the pool of water, “WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET WELL?”
Think about that. Of course your knee jerk reaction is “yes”. But what would getting well cost you?
It would strip you of any pity you’ve received in the past. Let’s face it, pity is a powerful drug. Playing pitiful gets us what we want immediately and gives us the ultimate excuse from pushing any harder.
Are you willing to give up playing the pity card? I mean really, you’re not the only one who has gotten sick, or gone through divorce, or had a wayward child, experienced loss, or going through a ridiculously hard time. I don’t intend to sound harsh, but me offering you pity does nothing more than cripple you more.
Would you like to get well? I promise you the potential within you is far greater than any pity you could settle for.
There’s no doubt Jesus healed my body. There’s no medical explanation for the things my body can do after the stroke I had. But I want to tell you about my young, newlywed husband. At the time I was 19 and he was 21. We were all alone, over a thousand miles from any family. And he offered me POWER over PITY.
Not one time did he feel sorry for me. Not once did he come in and save me from doing the simple things that were now so difficult for me. Not once did he let me lay in bed and wallow in what had happened to me. He helped me see I could be powerful, or I could be pitiful, but I couldn’t be both.
I chose POWER, and it’s made a world of difference.
When we choose pity in our pitiful situation, we are essentially telling Jesus, “nahhhh, I’ll just stay here.” Would you like to get well? “Not today, you see being pitiful allows me to sit here and put forth no effort of my own.”
How about that encounter with Jesus to unleash your potential? How about overcoming the thing that has threatened to cripple you? Are you ready? I mean really ready? Because just as the man at the pool had to stand up and give up his position of pity for 38 years, you’re going to have to give up a few things too.
Honey, of course you can’t be healthy drinking your Diet Dr Pepper and eating your ice cream. Honey, of course you can’t live in financial freedom with all 20 of your monthly subscriptions to absolute nonsense. Honey, of course you can’t be happily married as you dabble in flirty conversations and dream of greener grass.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET WELL?
There’s something you need to do here. There’s a threat to your God given potential. Identify it and don’t settle for being crippled here! Partner with Jesus and follow him as you rise up and step into the potential for your great big beautiful life.
God, show me the limitations I’ve settled for so I can overcome them. Reveal to me my potential so I can grow into it.
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Join Pamela for this Friday unplugged devotional on God’s grace.
Because of God’s grace, I am ridiculously blessed, I am highly favored, I am fully equipped, I am supernaturally strong, I am divinely guided, and I am radically different!
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Statistics show over 40 million adults in the US currently struggle with anxiety. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread and uneasiness. It is a general worry over something, anything, and nothing, all at once. And did you know, the cure for this is literally in your Bible? For real, there’s a section in my Bible in Matthew chapter 6 titled “The Cure For Anxiety.” Even better, these words are direct quotes from Jesus! Wow … we should probably read that, shouldn’t we?
But not just read it … Receive it … Believe it. Jesus does not want you to go through your life worried! Matthew 6: 25, Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life.” The verses that follow are a shift in mindset from worry and anxiety to peace and confidence.
In a study called the Legacy Project, 1,200 senior citizens were interviewed and asked about the meaning of life. And get this, the overall theme from people who have lived longer than me are saying as they near the end of their lives they share the same regret. They wish they hadn’t spend much of their lifetime worrying. Wasted time on worry was their biggest regret.
Can’t you and I who have life and breath and purpose today learn from their regrets? Their advice was simple and direct: Worry is an enormous waste of your precious and limited lifetime.
That’s true for all of us, but especially for a girl who loves and trusts Jesus. For someone who is told time and time again in scripture of their value and worth. We look at the birds in the sky who aren’t freaking out because their heavenly father feeds them, and aren’t we much more valuable than the birds? Don’t you think God will take care of you too? Look at how God cares for the wildflowers in the fields dressing them in such beauty, don’t you know he will do the same and more for you?
Matthew 6: 34 MSG “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Could this be the cure for anxiety?
A person who went through much more in life than I have said, “Think of the beauty still left around you and be happy.” Who said that? That was Anne Frank. A young girl who’s family lived during the holocaust under the most extreme conditions. if Anne Frank could think of the beauty still left around her and be happy, don’t you believe you can take a look at your world today and see what you have left and choose to be happy too?
But instead, what we often do is we look at what we have left and we worry. We worry when that too will fall apart. We worry if it will come to an end. We worry if something will go wrong. And ultimately we miss the beauty still left all around us and instead of being happy, we are worried.
Are you spending the precious days of your beautiful life worried?
You have a God who loves you wildly. His care for you is unlimited and his power is unfathomable. He has the ability to take care of any situation you are worried about today and he has the care for you personally to actually show up and do it.
What are you worried about? Why are you wasting your precious lifetime worrying about these things? Are they guaranteed to happen anyway? Will it even matter in 5 years? Is your worrying making it any better at all?
Here’s what God is doing today. He’s showing up right in the middle of your mess, in the middle of your worry and he is saying, HEY GIVE YOUR ATTENTION TO ME TODAY. Look at me. Look at the beauty still left around you, I put it there. I’m doing something in the middle of this mess. I’m working. Won’t you watch me work instead of getting worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I’ve already gone before you.
In Deuteronomy 31:8 we are given a promise, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
You don’t know what may or may not happen tomorrow, but you don’t have to worry about it, God has already gone before you. And he will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. But today God says, look at me, I want your attention. Stop worrying, it’s a waste of the very breath he gave you. I will cure your anxiety.
Not everyone received this gift of Thursday, May 16th, but you did, now don’t waste it. Trust God. Trust what he is doing. Trust he sees it all and he cares about you.
The God who has numbered the hairs on your head because of his wild love for you is making a way for you now. He’s paving the way. Every detail is coming into alignment. Every thing that has happened to you and everything that has not happened for you is now being used for your good. And your worry only creates delay.
Yes, your worry creates delay. It’s a bad habit that isn’t adding a single day to your life and only sucking the joy out of the days you do have.
You are valuable to God, you are his masterpiece, his daughter, his treasure and he will provide for you. Hear Jesus right now as he speaks to you personally, “My girl, do not worry, I’ve got this.”
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God is referred to as the Great I Am. Meaning all things begin and end with him. All power is in him. Mountains crumble and demons run in fear at the name of the Great I Am. All of creation is the result of first the thought and then the word of him. Your entire world is in his mighty hand. And this Great I Am is relentlessly pursuing you, writing the story of your life, paving the way for you, and preparing all eternity for you.
He has created you.
He has chosen you.
His name is I Am.
Not I Was.
Not I Might Be.
Not I May.
Not I Will
No, I Am … the Great I Am.
In Exodus we read of God choosing Moses for a mission. Moses lacked confidence and had a stuttering problem, so when God told him to go speak to a powerful group of people, this was Moses’ worst fear. Surely God had gotten this wrong, there had to be somebody better than Moses to speak for God.
Isn’t that just the way our God works … he chooses to display his power in our weakness. Isn’t this what scripture means when it says “my power is made perfect in weakness.” We try to run away from our areas of struggle, hide our insecurities, and God says NO THIS IS WHERE I WORK BEST. This is exactly where he wants to show himself in your life. In your weakness is where his power is made perfect.
So God chose the man who stuttered, whose tongue got tied and words got tangled to deliver his message. Moses, filled with doubt in himself, argues with God saying “God, there’s got to be a better choice. Please choose someone else. I’m not your guy.”
And God doesn’t back down.
No Moses, it is you. I am certain of my choice, it is you. Your inability is not beyond my ability. Your struggle is not beyond my strength. I am not limited by your insecurity.
So Moses says, well when I get to where you want me to go, and I stand before the people you want me to talk to, what do you want me to say? Who should I say sent me?
And God says in Exodus 3:14 “I am who i am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”
I Am. This is how God names himself and describes himself. I Am. God is the beginning and the end. He is the all in all. How do you describe God? And so, in the greatest form of powerful simplicity, God simply says “I Am.”
The Great I Am went with Moses on his mission and empowered him to do mighty works. Impossible things were done in the name of the I Am.
And understand right here, right now, this same great power is working in you. This same great I Am has chosen you! He has called you out and given you a mission. A mission that likely stares down your struggle and your insecurity and says YOU CAN’T DO THIS, BUT I AM!
I am likely the least qualified girl to lead you in a devotional. Imposter Syndrome tells me if you really knew how ordinary and simple I am, you would never want to listen. But God tells me that exactly why he chose me. His power works perfectly through my ordinary simplicity. I’m just an empty vessel for his power, and crazy enough to believe if I will show up every morning, he will speak through me. And he does! I know he does! It’s not me, it’s the I AM!
Why would we ever believe the almighty powerful I Am would be limited in any way by our ability? It is not your ability that limits God, it is your willingness that limits his power you will see at work in you.
God gave us each free will. We get to choose how much of his power we see at work in our lives and through our lives, as a result of our willingness. Moses could have chosen not to go. He could have sat in his insecurities, rehearsing all the ways he would surely screw things up and be made fun of. And he would have missed out on the miracles God had planned for him. He would have missed out on his role in destiny.
I have to wonder where I have missed out on my role in destiny. Where have I sat it out with my lame excuses and list of insecurities, when God was calling me to more?
Where have you played little? Where have you stayed stuck in your head instead of moving forward in your life? Where have you dismissed yourself from being a vessel for the great I Am because you didn’t feel good enough?
God is speaking to me and to you today, and he’s saying I HAVEN’T GIVEN UP ON YOU. I am here again inviting you into the life I have planned for you. Won’t you trust that I AM working? I AM in control. I AM for you. I AM with you.
I AM. Not I once was. Not I might be. Not maybe when I get around to it. NO, I AM. I am working in you right now!!!! I am speaking to you right now. I am calling you right now. I am.
The Great I Am is here today reminding you, I AM OVER EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE. I AM aware of your struggles. I AM seeing this. I AM hearing you. And I AM moving. I AM in action for you.
And this is all I need. Just knowing the Great I Am, the one who always was and always will be, the one who’s power is unlimited, the one who sought me out like a lost sheep and brought me home, yes THE I AM is right here, right now with me, well that’s all I need.
And he is with you! He is strengthening you. He is guiding you. He is preparing you. He is working in you. He is clearing the way for you. He is unleashing his power in your weakness. AND IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
He is saying to you, Daughter, I AM.
What have you been praying over? What have you been seeking God for? What have you been searching scripture and crying out to God for? His answer to you today is “I AM”. I am in control. I am in the middle of this. I am working all these things together for good. I am moving. TRUST ME.
The I AM has chosen you. He is calling you. He is strengthening you. He is working through your disappointment to bring you to your destiny. Through your mess to give you his message. Through your problem to give you purpose.
When you ask God today, hear his answer: I AM!
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What if it’s not your circumstances that are defeating you, it’s what you tell yourself about your circumstances. What if the thing that harms you the most isn’t what anyone else does to you, but what you do to you. You defeat you. You harm you. You dismiss you. And you do it by disbelieving who you really are.
Listen to me, my sister, this isn’t about you showing up perfect and proving you can. This isn’t about you always getting it right. This isn’t about you knowing precisely what you’re doing and doing it without a flaw. If it is, you will fail. Over and over again, you’re going to screw this up.
Instead, this is about the power of God dwelling within you. This is about showing up where God has placed you, to do what God has called you to do. This is about battles that are bigger than you, being won through your faith. This is about believing God’s promises and boldly walking in those promises like he’s making you good enough.
But the greatest battle we fight is inside of us. Within our mind, we win or we lose. We either believe God’s unstoppable power is working within us, or we believe we carry the weight on our shoulders and we’re simply not strong enough. When you choose to believe it’s all you, overwhelm quickly sets in and you back down. But, my sister, what if you’ve been backing down from battles you’re already guaranteed to win? What if doors have already been opened, but you’ve been dismissing yourself from even walking down the hallways to see them?
God wants to work on your mindset. What do you believe about you? How do you see yourself? What are the stories you tell yourself. There’s one thing for sure, those stories you tell yourself have been impacting your life far more than your actual circumstances. You’ve done more harm to you than anyone else, and you did it all in your head. But God loves you entirely too much to sit back and watch you continue to dismiss yourself from your destiny.
Scripture tells us a story of 12 men sent into the land of Canaan by Moses. These 12 men were spies, sent to scout out this beautiful and bountiful land Moses and the Israelites desired. They left the wilderness where they had been hiding, and snuck into Canaan. What they found there was everything they were lacking in their desert wilderness. Food growing. Water flowing. Animals roaming. People thriving. It was a paradise. And this paradise was meant for them!
Have you ever seen something so good, you wondered if it could possibly be meant for you? Have you ever wanted something better, but questioned if you were good enough to claim it? Have you noticed the little voice that talks to you when there’s more right in front of you? What does that voice say? That voice has been stealing your promises for years, it’s time you take notice.
The 12 spies return from visiting the bountiful and blessed land of Canaan, and give their report. In Numbers 13: 31-33, ten of the spies spread negativity and fear saying, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are! The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants (they’re exaggerating), and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” Then the whole community broke into loud cries and the people wept that night.
This is a classic case of what you tell yourself about your circumstances being worse than your actual circumstances. Yes, exaggerating the negative creating dreadful overwhelm. The truth was, this land was wonderful. It wasn’t a land that devoured people. That was in their heads! They weren’t like tiny grasshoppers either, that was also in their head. And because they didn’t check the stories in their head with the promises of God, their fears became greater than their faith. And their fears spread to the people, making everyone cry.
Sister, your fears aren’t just affecting you. They are creating fear in those around you too. You’re infecting others with the nonsense stories you’ve allowed to grow in your head.
Maybe you’re living a life of fear that didn’t even originate with you. Someone else’s fears were handed down to you, now those fears fill your thoughts. Are you going to just let that continue? Are you going to let your mama’s negative, fear filled thoughts steal your promises? Maybe it wasn’t your mama, maybe it was your negative friend, your fear filled husband, or the garbage you hear on TV. Are you going to continue to pass that down in your family? Is that the legacy you want?
Here’s the question: Are you willing to miss what God has available for you because of your own misguided beliefs about yourself?
Moses and the Israelites were not grasshoppers. These were people who had miraculously walked through a parted Red Sea. These were people who had been divinely guided by a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night. These were chosen and rescued people. People with promises over their destiny. But 10 men who came back with fear filled negativity caused them to give up on their journey.
This is what a grasshopper mindset does to us. Believing you are stuck and incapable of change does nothing but dig your hole deeper. Talking about your insecurities and accepting them as your truth does nothing but teach others to do the same. Then we’re just a bunch of stuck girls, living in deep holes of despair, missing out on the promises God has for us. Is that what we’re going to settle for? Is that okay with you?
I say NO! No, we are not grasshoppers. We are not tiny, inferior, incapable girls stuck in the wilderness of nowhere. We are on our way! The way may not be easy, but dang it, we’re moving forward! We’re carrying the power of God within us, and we don’t have to back down to anything! We will go where God says we can go. We will do what God says we can do. We will live how God says we can live. And no giants will stand in our way or discourage us!
Of the 12 spies who witnessed the promised land of Canaan, 10 spread reports of fear and negativity from their grasshopper mindset. But 2 … well 2 came back with a different report. 2 saw themselves as chosen champions in the battle ahead. Those 2 were Joshua and Caleb. When they saw the Israelites backing down in fear, they said in Numbers 13: 7-9, “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!”
Now, let me tell you the end of the story … The people listened to the 10 negative reports over the 2 positive, so they stayed stuck in their wilderness and lived in fear. They didn’t move forward. For 40 years, they were stuck because they stopped. Stopped when God said go. Stopped when the way had been made. Stopped because of the stories they believed over the promises they had received. There were only 2 of this entire generation that were granted the blessing of living in the promised land of Canaan. Guess what 2 it was? Joshua and Caleb. The 2 who believed God’s promises. The 2 who fought for God’s promises. The 2 who refused the offering of the grasshopper mindset. The 2 who wouldn’t settle for less because it was easier.
Numbers 14: 37-38, “Those men who spread the negative report about the land were struck down by the Lord. Only Joshua and Caleb remained alive of those who went to scout the land.”
The difference between these 2 and the other 10 was simply the stories they believed about themselves. They believed if God was for them, then nothing could be against them. They believed they could do anything through the power of God. They believed if God promised it, God would deliver it. AND THEY WERE RIGHT!
You are right to believe God is for you in this. You are right to believe God is bigger than this. You are right to believe God’s power is within you and strengthens you to do what you could never do on your own. You are right to believe every one of God’s promises are for you. You are right to believe God will do it!
Now, God is asking you what stories you will believe. He’s asking you what report you will share.
I’ve decided I will be like Joshua and Caleb, and tell you this:
Where God is leading us is extremely good. If we trust him, if we follow him, if we remain faithful, he will graciously strengthen us for every battle and pour out his blessings on us. We have absolutely nothing to be afraid of! God is with us and we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength!
And “all” includes this! You can do this today! Move forward!
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Millions of people witnessed something magnificent this past weekend. The Northern Lights coloring the night sky! Yes, in the Midwest. In the South. In the East. My friends in Missouri, in Colorado, in Illinois, in Kentucky, in Florida, in North Carolina … all sent me photos of the Northern Lights in their sky.
I’ve always dreamed of hosting a Northern Lights Retreat … there’s only one problem with that. The Northern Lights are typically in Alaska between the months of August and April. Do you know what that season is there? That’s WINTER. Y’all, I don’t do winter. I have no intentions of owning a parka. So, God brought those beautiful Northern Lights right to us this past weekend at our BIG Life Mountain Retreat in Virginia! What? The Northern Lights in Virginia?!!!!!!
Do you remember Friday’s devotional? It was titled “God Did That”. Living in an awareness of all God does in our every day life that makes the sheer act of waking up a gift! How fitting, we stood on top of a mountain on Friday night, gathered with BIG Life sisters, in total awe of the hot pink and green in our sky, and said, “GOD DID THAT!”
The night sky in full color. I’ve never seen anything like that.
It all reminds me of the viral videos of someone who is color blind putting on those magical glasses and seeing color for the first time. Without fail, they erupt in a flood of emotions, moved to tears over the sheer beauty of the world around them in this new dimension of full color. (Watch here: https://youtu.be/1ZcK-Eima-w?si=fjkQ-RwXKdbaC8IU ). My favorite is a man who puts the glasses on, seeing red and green and blue and purple and yellow for the first time in his life, and through the tears he said “I’ve been missing so much.”
I’ve been missing so much. I see life in full color, but I too have been missing so much.
I fail to see life as God sees it. What God sees and what we see is the difference between black and white and full color. And my sister, you’ve been missing so much. The moment you get a glimpse of your life the way God sees it, it will all make sense. It will all be more beautiful than you imagined. And much like those videos that make me cry every darn time, we’ll be in awe over it all.
God sees our life from the very beginning with the end in complete view. Proverbs 5:21 says “For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.”
He not only sees where you’ve been and where you are right now, but God knows exactly where your life is going. He knows the end of the story. Everything is in his full view. Because he knows the end of your story, he can guide you in writing each chapter with a full awareness of how it ends. And not to spoil the story or anything for you sister, but it all works out pretty darn well for you.
But today you woke up in the middle of your story where all you see is all you’ve been through and all that exists today. You have a limited view of your life. You do not see what God sees. And so the things that happen, the twists and turns and ups and downs today, this week, this year don’t really make sense to you. But you’re missing so much. If you could only see the full story. You’re seeing in black and white, while God sees it all in full color. It all fits together perfectly in God’s view. It all makes sense when you know the end … but you don’t know the end, you just have to trust it. You just have to trust the dull gray you see today is actually the most brilliant color your eyes will ever behold. You just don’t get to see it quite yet.
Kinda like those Northern Lights that showed up in skies we weren’t expecting!
But even more than your story, God sees YOU different. You don’t see yourself as God sees you. There is this person you think you are. This person who wakes up tired, this person who struggles to stay out of the darn pantry all afternoon long, this person who thinks really random bad thoughts and goes down these crazy rabbit holes in her mind. This person who gets a little wrapped up in her own world, makes a big deal out of stupid crap, and kinda misses the boat with some important stuff. This person who occasionally gets it right and knocks it out of the park, but then wonders what everyone else is thinking. Yes, this is the person you see. But this is NOT who God sees.
You think you are this scattered, faulted, struggling person … and then there is the person God knows you are. The person God knows you are is who he sees. This is the person he created you to be. The woman who has reached her full potential in all she can become through Christ Jesus. And this is who God sees when he looks at you. He’s not limited by time or space. You may not be her yet, you may still be licking yesterday’s Cheetos stains from your fingers, but you are becoming her. You are evolving into exactly who God created you to be. Yes, he sees where you are, but more importantly he sees where you’re going. He knows your destiny. He is fully aware of your purpose. And this is what he sees when he looks at you.
It’s the drastic difference between seeing yourself in black and white and seeing yourself in full color. You simply don’t see what God sees. But when you do … when you finally begin to see yourself as the magnificent creation in process which God has designed, you’ll be left saying “I’ve been missing so much.”
God sees you now as you will be in the future. He knows exactly what he is doing. And guess what, he will stop at nothing to bring you to this place of wholeness and complete beauty. That’s why the process may get a little hairy. He’s willing to go through those dark times. He’s willing to lead you through the valleys and head towards the hard climb because he’s seen the mountaintop … and he knows it’s worth it! He knows you’re worth it.
So today, may you see a little more of what God sees. May you get a glimpse of all you have been missing. May your world be a little more colored than it was before. May you stand in awe of the beauty of your journey and fully trust you’ll get there, and it will be worth it. May you be filled with confidence knowing your God has seen the end of your story from the very beginning and today you’re one step closer to being exactly who he created you to be. May you trust the process. And may the gray areas in your life be a little more colorful.
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Unplugged Friday bible study…
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You know what makes me uncomfortable in a conversation? Pauses. Moments of silence. I fumble to fill those pauses with words. It’s as if I have a personal mission to never allow silence when I’m in a conversation. Do you do this as well? Are you uncomfortable in those moments of dead air? I suppose it makes me a really good podcast host because I always have something to say. You know, now that I think about it, you’ve never once spoken a word back to me here … I do all the talking. Yeah, that’s because I’m a space filler.
I often do the same with my conversations with God. I talk, then I pause for his response and I get nothing. When I get nothing, I’ll start rambling on again. I imagine God must be exhausted after hearing my prayers.
I confess, I struggle with the pauses. But isn’t that where God dwells? Isn’t that where he moves? Isn’t that where he works.
In those empty, blank spaces.
In those spaces we simply can’t fill.
Those spaces left so uncomfortably blank.
Filled with silence and unknown. Filled with step one but no sight of step two. An instruction to go, but no word of when we will come back. There’s just a blank space. A space we try so desperately to fill … but the only sufficiency is God. It’s his space, and he intentionally leaves it blank.
God is calling you somewhere. He’s calling you to fulfill a purpose. He’s calling you to a destiny. And here’s what we often miss … purpose and destiny don’t appear as we imagined.
Purpose look more like blank spaces than mountaintops. START CLIMBING in the blank.
Destiny looks more like an open ended question than a clearly defined plan with action steps. GO WITH QUESTIONS.
In my life it seems I’m only aware of my purpose on the other side of it. I can look back and connect the dots. Oh, now I see how God perfectly aligned that connection for that opportunity so I would be here at this time and seemingly stumble right into that. At the time it all just looked like blank spaces, but there were dots. Dots aligning and connecting. I couldn’t even imagine what God was doing, I just had to be willing to show up in the blank spaces and trust he was working to connect the dots.
Don’t you know that’s what God is doing in your life right now? He’s leading you into these empty places with blank spaces. Open ended questions of which you don’t have the answers. Mountains you don’t know how to climb. And just like those pauses in a conversation bring uncomfortable moments of silence, we must be willing to be uncomfortable. These are spaces we can’t fill on our own.
Sit in it.
Wait for it.
Trust God is doing something only he can do. He hasn’t forgotten you in this blank space where nothing seems to be happening … he’s connecting dots to your destiny.
I love the story of Abraham. His entire life is a story of blind faith where God continually led him into blank spaces, and when Abraham followed God worked. DID YOU GET THAT? WHEN ABRAHAM FOLLOWED, GOD WORKED. There’s a timely instruction for each of us. If you will just follow God, God will work.
In Genesis chapter 12 God speaks to Abraham and says “Go from your land, your realtives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” That’s how the story begins. Leave everything and everyone you know. Go. I will show you. You don’t know where you’re going right now. You don’t know how you will get there or how long it will take, but I will show you. Abraham go. Step right into this blank space of the unknown.
And in verse 4 it says “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.”
As he is traveling, the Lord appeared to Abram and said in verse 7, “To your offspring I will give this land.”
Now here’s what’s important to know about this. Abraham was 75 years old. He and his wife were unable to have children. Abraham has no offspring. Yet as God is taking him to this unknown place, after leaving everyone he knew and everything he had, he says “hey, this land you’re walking through right now, I’m going to give all of this to your children.”
Yo wait … God, what? We don’t have kids. Where have you been the last 50 years as we’ve tried to get pregnant. It’s impossible. The time has come and gone now. Sarah’s an old woman past the childbearing years, I’m an old man and things don’t quite work the way the used to … so what do you mean ‘to your offspring I will give this land?’
Blank space. God didn’t answer that question. He left it blank. It was up to Abraham what to do with that blank space. Just as it’s up to you with your blank space. Trust God and move forward, or don’t.
Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense does he? God, you say you will make all things work together for my good, but this doesn’t look real good right now. You say you will never leave me nor forsake me, but I don’t see you anywhere in the middle of this. You say you guide me in the way I should go, but I straight up have no idea what to do next.
Blank space.
Dots you don’t see are being connected here.
At 75 God told Abraham about his children. When he was 100 his son Issac was born. Sarah was 90. That was a whole lot of blank space there. That was a whole lot of time Abraham had to trust God in the silence.
Did he always get it right? No. Remember Abraham and Sarah became inpatient and had another younger woman first bare him a child. Read the story in Genesis 16, it didn’t go so well. This was their attempt to start connecting the dots on their own. God was being silent and silence is so uncomfortable. So they filled the blank space on their own, then there was a mess to clean up.
Oh what messes we create when we fail to see God is working even in the silence. I know you’re tempted to start filling this blank space and connecting dots on your own, but Sis, that’s how messes are made.
God followed through on his promises to Abraham, even though he had messed up. God will be faithful on his promises to you as well … even though you have messed up. He hasn’t given up on you or written you off. God is still connecting the dots … even when you can’t see him.
You’re in the middle of a blank space. Find peace here. Trust God is working for you.
As you continue to show up and do all you can do, trust God is doing what only he can do. And it may not happen today … it may not even happen this year, but eventually you’ll look back and you’ll fully understand the purpose of this blank space. You’ll see God’s divine plan in it all.
Trust it. Trust the silence. Trust the unknown and uncertain. Lean into the empty spaces you don’t understand and let God guide you in his ways. Dots you cannot see are aligning to be connected in glorious ways, my friend.
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Today we’re returning to the story of the stormy sea, fearful friends, and Jesus walking on water. Yesterday, we read Matthew’s account of this intentional storm and personal encounter. We saw that Jesus insisted his friends go out on the boat that night, intentionally sending them straight into a storm. And we saw that storm was not to harm them, but to allow for a personal encounter with their Jesus that would have Peter walking on water too.
Reading this has us looking at our storms with a different perspective. The storm isn’t always against us, sometimes it’s for us. Sometimes within the storms of life we experience the power of Jesus personally, and we are changed forever.
My friend Gina sent me a message with words you too need to hear today: There’s no strength to be gained in softness, no power to be found without challenge, no wisdom to be found without searching. You have to hit that wall hard, be challenged beyond what you believe you can handle and continue to seek Him when you feel utterly lost, to truly learn what it means to fully surrender to His will. Even when you think the complete opposite is what’s right for you. Without these hard moments, we become complacent and comfortable and never become who God intends us to be.
Wow, could this be where you are? Could you be held safely in the hands of your Savior, while being allowed to go through these hard moments, so that you become the girl God intended you to be? Yes. I think this is where I am. This is the process of full surrender. This is where we gain strength and power and wisdom.
Now, let’s look at this same story through another account and see one additional statement that will no doubt rock our world.
Mark 6: 45-51: Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he said goody bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded.
Did you see it? The 5 most confusing words in the middle of this miraculous story. Jesus saw them straining in the storm and he WANTED TO PASS BY THEM. Here comes Jesus, walking on the water in the middle of a storm while his friends are struggling, and he wanted to walk on by. Really, what’s up with that?
My friend Kelly shared this with me after yesterday’s devotional and I just can’t stop thinking about it. Why would Jesus see us struggling and want to just pass by us? My first thought was perhaps his presence should bring us peace. Shouldn’t seeing Jesus in the storm with us be enough? But sometimes we need more, don’t we? I’m so grateful my savior is willing to do so much more!
What if Jesus wanted to pass them by because he was on his way to the other shore where he intended to meet them? Wasn’t that the plan? Didn’t Jesus tell them to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side? This meant Jesus was going to meet them there after they crossed the sea. And guess what … the plan hadn’t changed.
STORMS DO NOT CHANGE THE PLANS OF JESUS.
What if Jesus was planning to pass by them and not stop on the sea because he was certain of the fulfillment of his plan and he was moving toward the shore where he told them he would meet them. The storm didn’t change Jesus’ plans for them, so he planned to walk on by and meet them on the other side.
I don’t know what storm you’re in right now my sister, but I know this for sure … this storm has not cancelled God’s good plans for your life! He’s not flipping out in the middle of this wondering how it’s all going to work out. He already knows. He knows you’re going to make it to the other side and arrive at your destiny, just as he has always planned.
Isn’t that what we most need to know right now? God’s plans for you still stand. Everything he has promised you is still a go. These storms on the journey have cancelled absolutely nothing.
Jesus was heading to the destination of the shore, because the shore was still the destination for his friends in the boat. The storm hadn’t changed that. But, when Jesus sees they are terrified, he stops. Verse 50-51, “They all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, ‘Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased.”
Jesus stopped. He spoke encouragement and truth. Then, Jesus GOT IN THE BOAT!
Our Jesus will get in the boat with you. When you are afraid, call out to him, and he will continue the journey to the destination with you.
While the storms haven’t cancelled the good plans for your life, if you are afraid, all you have to do is ask Jesus to come be with you through this. What Jesus doesn’t want to do is stay stuck in this with you. He doesn’t want to sit and wallow in this with you. He wants to get you to the other side because that was always the plan. You’re not supposed to stay in this storm, honey, you’re just passing through! Don’t settle for staying stuck here. Don’t assume this is just your life and this storm will always be your story. No, girl, you’re going to the other side.
If you don’t feel like Jesus is close to you in this, maybe it’s because he went ahead to the shore where he knows you will be too. Maybe it’s because he’s 100% certain his plans for you will be fulfilled and no storm can stop that. Maybe it’s because he knows this storm won’t last forever and your feet will land on that shore where he promised you would be. Maybe it’s because he’s making breakfast on the shore and he’s waiting for you there.
One of my favorite stories about Jesus is when he met some of the disciples on another shore. They had been out all night fishing with no success. Early the next morning, Jesus calls to them from the shore. John 21: 9, “When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.” You know what Jesus had been doing while his friends were out fishing all night with no luck? He was making them breakfast on shore. He was providing for them what they were unable to catch themselves.
That’s our Jesus. The more I learn about him, the more I absolutely love him.
He’s the one who will make a good plan and fulfill that good plan. He’s the one who will meet you where he said he will take you, without fail. He’s the one who will stop and get in your boat when you are afraid. He’s the one who will calm your storms and bring you peace. He’s the one who will have breakfast waiting for you, just when you need it most.
That’s our Jesus.
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If God sends you into it, surely it will be good, right? If he guides you there it’s part of his good plans for goodness in your life, right?
And when it’s not good it must not be his will? We must have disobeyed somewhere if things got hard and we stepped into a mess. We missed a turn, we failed to see the signs. I mean surely that must be what has happened because God wouldn’t intentionally lead us into disaster, would he? He wouldn’t guide you directly to a problem like the one in your life right now.
OR WOULD HE?
Would God willingly lead you right to this place of uncertainty? Would he bring you into a chaotic mess on purpose?
You bet your butt he would! And he does.
Oh, don’t be shocked, Jesus never hid his ways. It’s always been right here in the Bible for us to see clearly and set our expectations accordingly. We just miss it.
Look at this. Matthew 14: 22-24 “Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. (Then) he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.”
You’ve likely read that before and completely missed the fact that Jesus insisted his friends get on a boat and head out into the middle of the lake where they would encounter a mighty storm. My Bible’s translation even says, “he MADE the disciples get into the boat and go.” You think Jesus didn’t know there was a storm coming? You think he missed the weather forecast that evening?
Impossible. Jesus knew without a doubt there was a storm coming. Remember, he is the one whom the winds and waves obey. So, he not only knew his friends would encounter a storm in that boat, he arranged it.
Not all the storms in our life come through the hand of the enemy. We’re so quick to give him credit for every disturbance to our plans and every disruption on our journey, but what if the storm you’re in right now isn’t a work of your enemy, it’s under the direction of Jesus? What if he sent you right in the middle of this storm for a purpose? And what if the purpose isn’t to defeat you like you think it is?
Jesus INSISTED the disciples get into the boat and go out that night. He knew trouble would come while they were out far away from land, and he sent them anyway. In fact, I would propose he sent them FOR that purpose. He insisted they go because they had an appointment with the storm. The strong winds of resistance were for them. The pounding waves were for them. This storm was no accident.
And honey, your storm is no accident either. This resistance you feel may just be FOR YOU. The pounding you’ve been taking may just be FOR YOU. What could God possibly be doing here in this time of hardship?
Oh, he could be setting you up for an encounter with Jesus!
You may know the general power of Jesus already, but you’re about to experience the PERSONAL power of Jesus here.
The disciples had been hanging out with Jesus and had come to know him as a friend. Directly before getting on the boat that evening, do you know what they had just witnessed? They had just been on the hillside where a crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children had gathered to hear Jesus. There on that hillside Jesus decided he wanted to cater the meeting and feed them, but of course the only thing available was the lunch a boy had carried of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The disciples had just been part of the miraculous feeding of this massive crowd. They had just seen Jesus take what wasn’t enough and turn it into more than enough. They had just finished gathering the leftovers after feeding the crowd and counting 12 baskets full of bread and fish. They knew what Jesus started with. They knew how many people had eaten. And they knew the leftovers were much greater than what Jesus had to work with in the beginning. There was no doubt they just witnessed a miracle.
But … it was not personal to them. It was a display of the general power of Jesus. And now, here they are on a little boat in the middle of a big storm and they’re about to come face to face with the PERSONAL power of Jesus.
Maybe you’ve known God is a provider, but you’ve never known his personal provision until you had a personal need. Could that be why this deep personal need has been permitted now in your life … because here you will meet the PERSONAL power of Jesus in your own life.
Maybe you’ve known God is a healer for others, but up until now you’ve never needed his healing hand over your family in a way like you do now. Here is where you meet the PERSONAL power of Jesus in your family.
This storm isn’t to destroy you my sister. This storm isn’t punishment. And perhaps this storm isn’t even a sign that you’re on the wrong path going in the wrong direction. Some storms are delivered by the hand of God as a personal, life changing encounter with his power because a greater invitation awaits.
Scripture tells us Jesus walked out to the boat in the middle of the storm and of course the disciples were afraid. And you know how the story goes … Peter says, “hey Jesus, if that’s you, tell me to walk out on the water to you.” And Jesus responds with one word, “COME.”
After Peter walks on the water with Jesus he says, “truly you are the Son of God.”
It was an intentional storm, then a personal encounter that led Peter to KNOWING exactly who Jesus was.
I can tell you it’s the storms in my life that led to some personal encounters with Jesus that brought me to knowing exactly who he is.
Many years ago my husband and I had built a successful mortgage business in Dallas. I felt God leading us to leave everything we had built, move to El Paso and help start a church in the desert. For the first time in my life I asked God for a sign to be sure he was really leading us into this move because it could certainly mean financial disaster without him. I prayed for a white feather. Weeks later after receiving no sign, I was in our garage packing and preparing for the move, and a white feather fell from the rafters of the garage out of nowhere. It gave me the assurance we would be okay.
So, we moved, and we stepped right in the middle of a huge storm. I assumed going where God was leading would be a road paved with blessings. I was wrong. It was paved with hardship and closed doors. Everything we tried seemed to fail. We were in major trouble and God seemed to get real quiet on us for a long time.
And this is where God led us? This was his great plan for a family seeking and following him? Absolutely it was! Because here in this storm of hardship, struggle, failure and major disappointment, we would have a personal encounter with Jesus that would change everything we would ever do for the rest of our lives.
Now I KNOW who Jesus is, just like Peter knew who he was. Why? Because of an encounter. What led to the encounter? A STORM.
So this storm you’re in … this disappointing unfolding … this uncertain future … the dream that’s turned into a disaster … understand this is where God works. What if he led you here for an encounter that will leave you changed forever? Don’t run from this. Don’t wish this away. Dare to see what God is doing here.
He is working here. He is moving here. His eye is on you, it’s never left you once. Prepare for your encounter.
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This morning when I asked God what his girls needed to hear, the Holy Spirit immediately prompted me with the story of Jesus’ first miracle. Then he began showing me the depth of this miracle and how it applies precisely to YOU in the exact situation you find yourself in.
The first miracle tells us so much about Jesus. It tells us he took time to attend a wedding and cared enough to make it a success. Let me tell you something, sister, Jesus is taking time to show up to every single situation you invite him into and he cares about your details. We often don’t invite Jesus because we assume he must be too big and too busy for our little things, but we’re wrong. Always invite Jesus. He will be right there in the middle of it. And no doubt, when Jesus is there, things just go down different.
John 2: 1-2: On the third day a wedding took place in Canan of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. (Notice, Jesus was invited! That’s important. Have you remembered to invite Jesus? I’m being serious. Is Jesus invited to your family gathering, your vacation, your meeting, your commute, your appointment, your celebration, your Monday? Just in case you forgot to invite him, do it right now. For real, stop everything and invite Jesus to go with you today wherever you are going.)
Verse 3-4: When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.” “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.” (Yes, Mary asked Jesus to get involved in a situation that really had nothing to do with him. Did you know you can do that too? Maybe the problem you’re facing isn’t Jesus’ problem, but you can still get him involved! And girl, when you get Jesus involved, everything changes! Jesussssssss, I’ve got a problem!)
Verse 5-8, Mary says to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons. “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did. (Mary is asking for Jesus to fix the problem of wine running out at the wedding. Jesus’ response was to take the jars that were available and fill them with what there was, which was water. Water wasn’t what was wanted, but water is what Jesus would use. All the servants had to do was take what was available and fill it with what there was. The rest was up to Jesus.)
I think today, Jesus is asking his girls to take what is available and fill it with what there is. It doesn’t matter if what you have seems insignificant. It doesn’t matter if what you have seems undesirable. Jesus isn’t asking you to focus on what you have, he’s asking you to focus on him and put what you have in his hands.
Verse 9-11: When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from – though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom and told him, “Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believe in him.
Do you understand the magnitude of the miracle here? It’s literally just slipped in like an insignificant detail in parentheses (after the water had become wine). This is a big deal of impossible magnitude. Let’s do the math. There were 6 stone water jars each holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus had them fill each of the jars to the brim. Not just a little. Not just enough. Not half way. All the way. Oh girl, don’t you know when Jesus is invited, he goes all the way for you! He doesn’t kinda sorta, barely, maybe, do a little something for you … no, he does it big! He made 120 to 180 gallons of wine! There are 5 bottles of wine to each gallon, that means Jesus made 600 to 900 bottles of wine! Jesus offers abundance. Jesus offers overflow. Are you living in his abundant overflow, or have you settled for less and failed to ask him for more?
Jesus is not limited. Heaven’s storehouses are overflowing. Angels are awaiting their mighty command. This IS being made possible!
Think about the miracle itself, turning water to wine. Water is the most basic of all liquids. It’s clear with no flavor. It’s two hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, with a total absence of all other things. Water does not and cannot become wine. That’s impossible. Yet, that’s precisely what Jesus did. And here’s what that tells us today: Jesus will take what you think is nothing, and he will make it into something. He will take what would require way more time than you have, and he will make it happen precisely when it needs to happen. Substance and time are not a limitation for Jesus.
You think there’s not enough time for the things you need to change to really change. Jesus says, think again! About 6 months was required for grapes to ferment and become wine. But that would have been the low quality wine. The best wine would require more time for aging. That’s the wine Jesus made … the best. And how long did it take him to make it? Only as long as it took the servants to fill the stone jars with water.
Stop dismissing the miracle you need because of the time you think it will require. Jesus holds time. He can and will do the impossible. Time will not be a limitation!
And when Jesus does the impossible for you, it will be the best of the best. It will be the finest of the fine. He will come through with greater than you ever imagined. It will be more than you hoped for!
I bet you already have an experience of Jesus coming through and giving you more than you imagined. I bet he’s already shown up in the middle of your human need and done heavenly things. He’s already proven he will get personally involved when you invite him. So, girl, just invite him!
He’s going to ask you to use what you have even when it seems insignificant. Use it. Be obedient in your faith. Your questioning is getting in the way. I know it looks like you don’t have what it will take to meet the need you’re facing, but never forget you have WHO IT WILL TAKE. This will take Jesus, and he’s right here for you!
Yes, this problem you’re facing, this issue you’re dealing with, this circumstance that hasn’t been getting any better … this takes Jesus. When you step into it today, make sure you invite Jesus to come with you. He will always accept your invitation and he will always get involved in anything you ask him to get involved in.
He cares about you. He cares about your family. He cares about the things that concern you. And he has a solution that defies science, defies time, and defies what everyone else says is possible. But you know … you know your Jesus does the impossible for you because you’re his girl!
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Join us for an unplugged bible study of John 4.
REMEMBER THIS, ANYONE YOU ADMIRE WAS ORIGINALLY JUST A NOBODY!
What has Jesus done for you? Talk about that! That’s your story!
Why? Because there’s someone else who desperately needs that same Jesus to do that same work in their lives. And you’re the perfect nobody to point them to the somebody who saved your soul!
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How confident are you in your abilities, your willpower, your courage, your strength? Are you confident you can and you will?
There are a million books and podcasts on building your self-confidence. All sorts of self-help steps to create a more confident you. That’s absolutely fantastic. Confidence looks good on you. Confidence will get you out of the dark corners and have you showing up for life. But my sister, you will be tempted, and sometimes you will humanly fail. Sometimes you won’t get it right. Sometimes you can’t be perfect. Then what happens to your self-confidence?
Scripture tells us there’s something even greater for us to strive for than self-confidence, GOD CONFIDENCE.
1 Corinthians 10: 12-13, “So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful!”
Because you are human, you are going to struggle to constantly do what you know you should do. Your faithfulness may waiver when your weakness is poked at. I don’t know what your weakness might be … Is it that extra 20 minutes of sleep, that bag of Cheetos, that pint of icecream, men that smell good, clothes that get you noticed, mindless scrolling, thinking you’ll do it later, trash TV, or margaritas? Whatever your weakness is, it will be poked at. Your temptation will lurk. And sometimes, you will be weak.
This is life as a human and temptations gonna tempt. Your willpower will waiver … but GOD IS FAITHFUL.
Our God never misses a beat. He never fails to be right there when we need him. He’s never late, he’s never too busy and he’s never empty handed. He is guaranteed to be right there when you are tempted to cave.
So, instead of all this attention on building confidence in yourself, when you’re human and incapable of perfection, place your confidence in God who is guaranteed to be 100% faithful. He will NOT fail you.
1 Corinthians 10:12 in the MSG translation says it like this, “Forget about self-confidence, cultivate God-confidence!”
Having confidence in God will never disappoint you. Knowing that God can and will do what is best every single time in everything concerning you, is a well of confidence no other book can teach you. When you walk in the room unsure of your abilities, but absolutely certain of the God who directs your steps, guides your thoughts, and supernaturally flows through you, then girl, you’ve got confidence. God-confidence.
I may not be all that, but my God sure is! When I’m walking in with him, I’m walking in with the full package! When I’m battling with him (not battling against him, but WITH HIM), losing is impossible. I’m on the winning team, and knowing that make a girl show up for life a whole lot different.
I may fail. I may waiver. I may screw up. But my God is undefeated, unshakable, unfailing, and unstoppable. I’m 100% confident in that!
Because of who my God is, all I need to know is I am HIS GIRL. God’s girls show up different because what we carry within us is his unstoppable, unfailing, unshakable and undefeated power. It’s really not about me … it’s about Him IN ME.
With God-confidence, I can and I will!
Now, part 2 of this scripture. This faithful God of ours “will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.”
The next time you are facing a temptation to avoid what you know you should do, or do what you know you shouldn’t do, intentionally look for the way out of that temptation faithfully provided by God for you, his girl. Without fail, the way out of that temptation will be there for you. When God says he is faithful, he means it. When his word says he will make a way for you, you darn well better believe, regardless of circumstances, the way has been made and it’s right in front of you awaiting your next right step.
However, what God will not do is force you to take that next right step. He will provide the way out for you, but you must choose it.
Let’s put this into practical terms. If you’re committed to sobriety, and a frozen margarita with salt is your temptation, I bet right there on the same exact menu is another drink option for you without alcohol. There’s your way out of the temptation … choose it! Thank you, Jesus!
If you’re fighting the good fight to be healthy, and Ben and Jerry’s chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is your temptation, I bet that same exact grocery store sells a banana! It’s your choice. The way out has been provided for you.
If you love rap music, but know the nasty words of those songs get into your soul, look around for God’s offerings that are better for you. Lacrae raps with the best, and he raps about the best … Jesus!
What if you treated this like a game. God, just how faithful are you to me? How good are you at ALWAYS providing a way out of the things that tempt to trip me up? Start looking for the alternatives that have heaven’s fingerprints on them.
If you have confidence in God, then have confidence in his divine ability to give you better options. Go on the hunt for his better options. Then, when you find them, actually choose them!
Today, you will be tempted. And right there with that temptation, God has faithfully given you a way out. Heaven’s fingerprints are on another option for you. Recognize it. Celebrate it. Choose it.
Self-confidence may fail you. Why? Because, girl, you’re human and you have a tendency to human things up sometimes. But God-confidence will have you showing up like you belong here, like you are chosen, like you are supernaturally strengthened, like you are anointed, like you are appointed, like you have a mission and you’ve been divinely equipped for that mission. Ba bam!!!!!!!!!!!
Psalm 46:5, “God is within her, she cannot fail!”
It’s not that I’m incapable of failing because of anything I am … it’s that I’m incapable of failing because of the God who is in me who never fails! Yeah, that’s God-confidence!
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What’s the recipe for a successful new month of life? How do you rock this thing and make May 2024 count?
What if I told you God has it clearly lined out for you in scripture? Yes, a clear plan for making May 2024 one of the best and most successful months of your life is right here in your bible. Listen closely, I’ll be reading from the Message translation, 1 Peter 1: 13-17.
“So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready… Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves… doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.”
There it is, your recipe for living well this month.
First, 3 things: “Roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready.”
This means, a successful month of life won’t just happen, you have to be willing to work for it.
Are you willing to work for your BEST life? There are no short cuts. Stop spending your energy, time and money trying to find the cheat. Living BIG requires work. There’s no way around it. Take full responsibility for the work required here, roll up your sleeves and let’s do this! Set your mind now to becoming the person you were created to be. Get a vision of you at your best and refuse to settle for anything less than the journey to her. It won’t happen overnight, but be ready for the journey.
Then it says “Don’t lazily slip back into those old groves of doing just what you feel like doing.” Oh, who has a groove of only doing what you feel like doing when you feel like doing it, and that groove has created a deep rut.
Following our “feelings” gets us in deep trouble. Your feelings never lead you to the life you truly want. They lead you to little life living far short of what you were created for. The enemy plays in our feelings. The truth is we rarely feel like doing what we need to do, so how about you stop checking in on your feelings so darn much.
How about this month you commit to being tough, doing what needs to be done, then checking to see how you feel about it after you’ve done gone and did it! Oh, there’s the ticket sister! Guess how you’ll feel after you did what needs to be done … awesome. And guess how you’ll feel 97% of the time before you do it … you totally won’t want to do it. So the key is, stop asking if you feel like doing the right thing, and just show up and do it!
This scripture says, “you didn’t know any better then, you do now.” That’s great news. You don’t have to guilt yourself into change here. You can’t do better until you know better. And here you are girl, you know better now. Don’t live in regret and shame for how you spent precious years of your life making bad choices and digging that hole. That doesn’t serve you or honor God.
You’re here today with a whole lot of experience now, knowing what doesn’t work. If you struggled last month, examine your habits and actions. That’s an up close example of what didn’t work. That’s a valuable tool for your journey. If you know it doesn’t work, let’s not do that anymore!
Now that you know better, you can do better. YAY YOU! Here be in BIG Life we say “your life gets better when you do.” This month is about simply getting better. That’s all. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. As you get better, your life will get better too! Now that’s exciting!
You are closer today to your potential. You are on the path to living the life God had in mind for you when he created you. Don’t slip back now. Don’t get lazy. Isn’t it crazy how quickly we will regress back to our old ways if we don’t continually push forward? Maybe you feel your push running out. You’ve been pushing, pushing to become your best, pushing to make something of your life, pushing to move on to the next level and you’re growing tired. Deep down you have a fear that all your progress will be lost with that one slip up. But let’s look at this scripture again. It says “let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life.”
As a follower of Christ, when you are seeking him, all the pushing isn’t left up to you. As your push runs out, God steps in and does the pulling. When you seek him, he pulls you into the life you were created for. He pulls you into position.
God pulls you!
Ahhhhh, that’s exactly what is happening here today. You showed up to seek God. You want the life he created you for. You want to become the woman he intended you to be. As a result, he is pulling you. Right now, you’re being pulled. Don’t you feel it? That’s the work of the Holy Spirit guiding you to all God has available to you.
Have you asked God to keep pulling you? Have you surrendered your journey to him fully?
When you feel your push wavering, when you feel your will beginning to buckle, here’s what you do, call out to God for help and he will help you. Ask him to pull you. Pull you into an energetic life. Yes, remember that’s what our scripture says “let yourself be pulled into a way of life that’s energetic and blazing with holiness.” What does that mean? A life on fire for all God created you for.
God, pull us into a way of life that’s energetic. Lord, let us be on fire with your Spirit!
Are you on fire for the life God has planned for you? Are you on fire for his vision for your life? Are you on fire for your destiny? This is your source of energy. This is a way of living. Seek God and be pulled into living better.
The enemy seeks to put out that fire, and maybe he’s been successful at his mission recently. That can stop right here, right now, today. He doesn’t get to threaten the fire God’s spirit is building in you! It’s time to get your fire back!
And my favorite part of this scripture is the final sentence. “He won’t let you get by with sloppy living.”
Sloppy living. You know if you’ve been living sloppy. You know if you’ve been showing up with less than your best. You know, I don’t even need to say it. Let’s be real clear, YOU WERE NOT CREATED FOR A SLOPPY LIFE! There’s so much more in you! That sloppy living may feel good in the moment, but a moment later it sure doesn’t, does it? God, as your responsible Father, won’t let you get by with sloppy living. No, not when he created you for so much more.
Understand, this is why we don’t feel good when we’re not doing good. You’re not supposed to feel good when you’re making bad choices. You’re not supposed to feel good when you’re letting yourself slip. You’re not supposed to feel good when you’re sucking at this thing called life. That’s your loving Father saying “girl, I created you for more – snap out of it!”
Today, we will be willing to do what we know we need to do, even if we don’t feel like it.
We won’t slip back into our old ways of living.
We will keep pushing and we will trust God to pull us in the direction of our destiny.
We will keep getting better.
We will live with energy and be on fire.
We will be excited about this life available to us and darn it, we won’t get sloppy with it. We’re gonna clean up our act.
We’re gonna show up and give today our very best effort! May, are you really ready for a bunch of BIG Life girls showing up with our best?!!!!!!
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You know what’s funny about anxiety and panic … it does absolutely no good. It doesn’t help you in any way. It doesn’t get you out any faster. It doesn’t change the situation. And 99% of the time, anxiety and panic really makes no sense at all. In that very moment, you’re really okay. It’s our mind that makes us not okay. Why do we do that?
I’m not a fan of tight spaces. For a girl who just flew 28 hours to get home from Bali, it was a marathon event of mastering my thoughts and managing my urge to scream, “get me the heck out of here.” It’s funny, my car is much smaller than the airplane I was flying in. I don’t panic in my car. But looking down the long tunnel of chairs and feeling the tightness of the ceiling and the emergency door I know I can’t open, just makes my heart do a backflip in my chest.
Let me tell you a little story. While we were in Bali we went on many adventures. It is the land of adventure. You want to hike … girl, best hikes of my life. You want views … they have views that go on forever. You want jungles … well they don’t get any more wild than Bali. My favorite adventure was a day of white water rafting followed by riding ATVs through the jungle. The ATV ride would NEVER happen in the US. Like ever. It was wayyyyy too dangerous. Way too risky. That company wouldn’t be able to afford the liability insurance here. But in Bali, there’s no waiver required, you pay the fee, you put on the boots, and whether you know how to drive or not, you’re plopped on an ATV and told to ride. Literally one driver in our group wrecked in the parking lot within the first 30 seconds. We all just kept going.
The wildest part of the ride came deep in the jungle within the caves. Yes, caves. TIGHT spaces. I’m talking openings that are only 3 inches wider than your ATV and tunnels that go on and on and on. I had no idea how long that cave tunnel was when we first entered. But once you’re in, you gotta just keep going. The faster we went, the better I felt. Finally we were out and I was breathing deep.
We rode through waterfalls and straight down the steepest cliffs. Then we turned around and went back up that steep cliff.
There’s one problem with turning around. I realized we were about to go back through the same darn dark caves we had come through. And there I began mastering my thoughts and managing my urge to scream. Then it got worse. In the cave tunnel, the one that’s only 3 inches larger than the ATV I’m riding, there’s a crash ahead of me. We come to a stand still. And the ATVs pile up behind me. And then it hits me, I’m stuck.
I’m stuck in this dark, tight place and I can’t move forward and I can’t back out. I’m suddenly realizing I’m underground and that cave ceiling is closing in on me.
But, it really wasn’t. That cave ceiling wasn’t falling. I wasn’t running out of air. I was absolutely fine. My anxiety and panic wasn’t helping me, and it didn’t even make sense. It was my mind that made me not okay.
Is it your mind that’s making you not okay? Is it your thoughts about the situation that are making the situation worse?
My sister, God is going to get you through this! He is. You’re not going to be stuck here forever.
There’s a scripture tucked away in Isaiah 50: 10 that is perfect for you in your cave of darkness where your heart is doing backflips of anxiety. “For anyone out there groping in the dark, here’s what you do: Trust in God. Lean on your God.”
Well that’s so clear isn’t it?!!!!!
Lean on God.
But what do we do in our state of overwhelm and panic? We lean into our feelings and dark thoughts. One of the very first scriptures I memorized was Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Lean on God, not on your own thoughts and feelings and ways of controlling this.
Listen to that scripture from the MSG translation: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure everything out on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
Are you listening for God’s voice here? Can you hear him telling you he’s right here with you in this? Can you hear him telling you he won’t leave you? Can you hear him telling you he is making a way? LISTEN TO THAT VOICE. To listen to his voice, you have to practice quieting your own.
You know the really funny thing about our dark places where we get overwhelmed and stuck … sometimes it’s not nearly as bad as we think. Actually, most of the time it’s not nearly as bad as we think.
Here I am stuck in this cave, no way out ahead or behind, and I’m doing what I know to do in a panic attack. I’m singing. Did you know singing lowers cortisol and relieves stress and tension. Studies have shown that when people sing, endorphins and oxytocin are released by the brain which in turn lowers stress and anxiety levels. My go to song for my stuck places is Bon Jovi’s “I Ain’t Gonna Live Forever.”
There I am, in this cave, fighting off a panic attack, singing out loud:
It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
Suddenly the crash ahead is cleared, the ATVs ahead of me begin moving. Within seconds of driving just around the corner I see the end of the tunnel. It was right there. This wasn’t the same super long cave tunnel, this was a different one. If I would have only known it was short and I was 50 yards from the opening, I would have never panicked. I wasn’t deep in a cave, I was sitting right around the corner of the opening. Silly me, our return trip was a different route and I just didn’t realize it.
I have to wonder if the darkness you are going through right now isn’t nearly as bad as your panicked thoughts tell you it is. I wonder if the way out isn’t as long or as hard as you imagined. I wonder if God is already handling this for you, and you just need to sing yourself a little song and calm down.
Lean on him. Leaning on your own understanding about this isn’t making it better. You can’t see what God sees. You don’t know what God knows. Lean on the Lord.
I read something late last night that made it onto the pages of my Bible. It says:
“The reason why God doesn’t reveal his entire plan to you all at once is because if he did, then you would get your peace from the information rather than your relationship with him.”
Well isn’t that the dang truth? If I knew my way out, I would lean on what I knew. But when I don’t know and have no way of knowing, then I only have God to lean on. And it’s by great design.
The one who is in control of every detail of your life wants a relationship with you. Lean into him. The way through this probably isn’t as bad as the story you’ve told yourself.
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You know how the enemy constantly tells you you’re not good enough … that you couldn’t possibly have what it takes. That you’re not pretty enough, smart enough, you enough, old enough, or strong enough? And you know how exhausting it is to constantly battle those negative thoughts and try to convince yourself Satan is wrong about you?
Well, today, you’re not going to fight those thoughts and feelings anymore. We’re putting an end to this, and it’s going to be a whole lot easier than you ever imagined. It only takes one truth from God to change everything. So today, I’m showing you a truth in God’s word to change this so you don’t battle those feelings of insecurity.
I know, I know, I know, you’ve tried to overcome this before. And I bet you’ve been discouraged by your continual return to these negative thoughts and feelings about yourself. But this time it’s going to be different. Radically different.
You see, this time, I’m not going to tell you to talk back to the enemy and convince him he’s wrong about you. Actually, he’s right about you. You really aren’t good enough. You really don’t have what it takes. You’re not smart enough or strong enough. You can’t do it and you can’t stick with it. (Geeze, worst Monday morning pep talk ever, right?)
Instead, of trying to fight him again, we’re going to say, “Thank you, enemy, you’re right about me. I appreciate that reminder.”
And here’s why that negative reminder about yourself is such a good thing … it confirms God’s absolute truth about you. The truth is, you are primed for God to work through you! You’ve been hand selected for divine purposes. How do I know? Because really, you’re so extremely average and unimpressive!
God chooses the nobodies!
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1: 26-29, “Consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish … he has chosen what is weak … he has chosen what is insignificant, so that none of us can boast.”
So, what is that, Satan, you say I’m a nobody … God chooses the nobodies! You say I’m just a foolish girl with nothing special … God chooses the foolish. You say I am weak … God chooses the weak. You say I am insignificant … God chooses the insignificant!
Every time the enemy reminds you of your insecurities and pokes at your weaknesses, all you have to say is, “You’re right. Thank you for the reminder that I am precisely all the things God chooses!”
God chose Moses to miraculously set his people free and lead them out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and through the wilderness to their Promised Land. Honey, do you know who Moses was? He was a nobody! He was a baby born to a slave who was supposed to be killed! He wasn’t born in a palace, but God divinely placed him in a palace for eternal purposes. Then, he killed a man and was hiding in the desert in shame, convinced his life was forever ruined by his mistakes. But God would call him out of that desert. Read the story of Moses throughout the book of Exodus. God did all of this through an absolute nobody with nothing.
What is that Satan whispered in your ear this morning when your alarm rang? You’re too weak? You’re too flawed? You’re too far gone? Gosh, thanks for all those fantastic reminders that prove I’m precisely the kind of girl God chooses! I’ve messed up, I’ve failed again … you’re right about that Satan, look at me being in prime position for God to use!
God chose Mary, a humble girl without an education, without a prestigious name, without any experience at all, to raise the savior of the world. God chose Noah, a man who had never built a boat before, to build the ark that would save mankind. God chose David, the smallest and least of all his brothers, to defeat the giant Goliath and rise up as a leader. God chose Mary Magdalene, the one who was plagued with 7 demons and suffered greatly, to walk closely with him, be present at the cross, and be the first to see him after his resurrection. God chose the woman at the well, the one living in shame who had been married 5 times, to bring her community to know Jesus.
God chooses the nobodies. He chooses the least. He chooses the broken. He chooses the unqualified. He chooses the one who could never, ever, possibly be anything without him. So tell me again why God wouldn’t choose you? Tell me again why you’re disqualified from his calling?
Paul says again in 1 Corinthians 2: 3-5, “I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.”
Oh, wait … Paul stepped into God’s purposes for his life when he wasn’t sure, when he was afraid, and while he still felt totally not good enough? Did you know you can do that? Did you know you can show up when you don’t feel up? Did you know your imposter syndrome can be running wild, and you can still run right in to God’s plans and purposes for your life?
You know about imposter syndrome, right? That little voice inside that says, “Girl, who do you think you are trying to show up when you know you aren’t really good enough? That was just luck before. You can’t keep up this effort. You’re doomed to fail again then everyone will know you were always a fraud.”
Imposter syndrome is the condition of feeling anxious and not experiencing success on the inside, despite all your breakthroughs and progress. This condition often results in people feeling like “a fraud” or “a phony” and doubting their abilities. Do you struggle with that too? Whew, it’s a constant battle in my head that creates anxiety that could sideline me in an instant.
But, here’s what I’m learning … this is a blessing. This keeps me humble. This reminds me it’s not about me, it’s about God’s power working in me. I’m truly not good enough, and that’s why God chose me!
He chooses the foolish things. He chooses the weak things. He chooses the insignificant things. These things are what best reflect his true power. I can’t possibly brag that it’s all me because I know there’s no way I can do any of this without God’s power!
And the same is true for you. Every single reason why you could never be good enough is precisely the reason why God has chosen you. Every reminder of your insignificance and your inability, is direct proof of the qualifications God is looking for!
God says, “That girl right there could NEVER do this on her own … she’s perfect! I’m calling her!”
Paul goes on to say in verse 4, “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.” He’s basically saying, “Hey, I’m not very good at this thing, and I’m okay with that. I don’t have to be good, I just have to let God’s power work through me!”
What if you don’t have to be good either? What if you’re not expected to be world class? What if you don’t have to be perfect? But what if you have to be available and humble!!!!
You don’t have to pretend to be anyone you’re not. Be like Paul and admit that you don’t know what you’re doing and you’re completely fumbling your way through this thing. You totally DON’T “got this”, but God sure does!
Now, I’m about to give you a new title that you’re going to love! 1 Corinthians 4: 1, “A person should think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of the mysteries of God.”
Girl, you are a servant of Jesus and a manager of the mysteries of God! Isn’t that the coolest thing ever?!!!! You get to manage these mysteries that the Holy Spirit reveals to you. Things that only make spiritual sense like being chosen because you’re a nothing and a nobody. There’s no earthly sense in that, but it makes complete spiritual sense! You’re an empty vessel for God’s power.
Now that God has revealed that mystery to you, manage it! There’s only one thing you need to be the manager of God’s mysteries you’re called to be. One thing, and here it is. Next verse, 1 Corinthians 4: 2, “It is required that managers be found faithful.”
That’s it … you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to prove anything. Just be faithful, my sister. Faithfully available. Faithfully humble.
Ask God what being faithful looks like in this part of your journey. Faithful in attitude. Faithful in effort. Faithful in changes. Faithful in growth. Faithful in next steps.
Lord, show me how to be faithful in managing your mysteries. Show me how to be a humble nobody that you can fully work through!
Remember, today, every time the enemy of your soul tells you you’re not good enough, smart enough, or strong enough, you tell him thank you for the reminder! It’s all true! And that’s precisely why God has chosen you. It’s why he has called you. It’s why you’re the one he will work through. Because you could NEVER take credit for what he is going to do … it’s all God, and you will know it!
All those insecurities, all those doubts, all those fears … You’re right. Thank you for the reminder that I am precisely all the things God chooses! All I need to do is be faithful.
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This week’s unscripted and unplugged Friday Bible study time together
focuses on when bad things happen to good people in Acts 27 & 28.
Also, key scriptures:
James 1: 2-4, “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an
opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested,
your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your
endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing
nothing.”
John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you
may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I
have overcome the world.”
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I wonder how often we simply settle for far less than God has available to us? We settle for less than our best and less than His best.
Where have you settled in your life?
I’m talking about an area where you’re playing little when you were created for BIG. An area where you backed down when you should have stood up. An area where you opted for easy when the victory was yours if you would have fought for it. I wonder just how close you are today to your breakthrough, right now at this very moment. I wonder if today could be the last time you have to start over. I wonder if the very thing you’ve been seeking is just around the corner, but you’ve been too tired, too scared, too lazy, too busy, too distracted to round the corner.
Oh, who am I talking to today?
Somebody has been settling in life. You’ve talked yourself right into less. You’ve bargained with your own destiny because the daily walk wasn’t easy.
We are tricked into settling by a masterful enemy who knows our weakness. He knows your fears. He knows your downfall. He knows your love of icecream and clearance racks, trash tv and compliments from men that smell good … that’s why they’ll show up today when you’re trying to practice willpower.
The enemy’s desire is to make you ineffective and keep you living a little life. A little life far short of the BIG Life you were really created for. And here’s why … if you ever really, I mean really, stepped into the life you’re capable of living, every single life around you would be impacted.
So if a bowl of icecream will shut you up and keep you in the corner feeling less than awesome about yourself, icecream will be all around you. If it’s a marathon of your favorite trash TV that will keep you on the couch, boom … there it is. If it’s a clearance rack that will cause you to spend more than you make and go further in debt, yip … it’s all on sale! If it’s a paycheck, then you’ll be offered a little raise in a job you were never supposed to be stuck in. Just a little something to make the walls of your comfort zone a bit taller and keep you stuck.
Understand this, the enemy doesn’t care if you’re slim and trim. He has no concern over your health. Your finances are not his worry. Your marriage isn’t even on his radar. However, if the demise of any of these things will render you ineffective, then it’s game on for him. At your best, you’re a threat. This is why everything good in your life is threatened. This is why you are tempted. This is the cause of the ice cream, the clearance racks, the trash TV, the flirty guy that smells good … an enemy using any cracked door he can to screw up your life and make you settle for less than you were created for.
Girl, you better check for cracked doors in your life and lock the enemy out. He’s like a roaring lion roaming the halls of your heart looking for any way to get in and devour you from the inside out. He doesn’t give a flying flip about your success, but here’s what he knows … your success may cause boldness and confidence. Your success may cause you to walk in the power of God available to you, and that’s the last thing your enemy wants. The roaming lion ready to devour whom we call Satan attacks your success, attacks your health, attacks your marriage, attacks your happiness, because he knows what you’re capable of! But if he can keep you playing little and settling for less, you’re no threat at all.
Isaiah 54:17 is a promise to you “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” That’s a promise of God’s protection and provision over your life, but girl you gotta get out of your own way!!!!! You will never discover what’s inside of you until you’re challenged. You’ll never know you can scale the walls of your comfort zone in a mighty leap until there’s something outside of where you currently are that calls you relentlessly.
What’s in your way? What’s been tripping you up and holding you back? See it for what it is … it’s a tool the enemy has been using in your life, and you’ve allowed it. Stand up and say no more! This is stupid. God has made you more than a conqueror, you can’t be ruled by eating crap! You can’t be detoured by lazy habits. You can’t be derailed by cheap temptations.
Stop settling for less than your best. Stop settling for less than God promised for your life. No weapon formed against you shall prosper … now how about you stop manufacturing the weapons of your self-sabotage!
Hey let me talk to you this morning about your situation. You know that situation that has you all worked up and worried. God is sovereign over your situation. He is king over your problem. He is above anything that may be in your way and he is ready willing and able to make a path right through what’s standing in front of you. But you’re likely going to need to GO right through it. Not around it, through it. And as you go through what is standing in your way, don’t focus on your situation. You won’t be here forever. Keep on going.
You know that country song …
If you’re going through Hell
Keep on going, don’t slow down
If you’re scared, don’t show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you’re there
Ephesians 3:20 tells me “God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
God is working in you, if you will let him, and because of the power of God in you, you can do more than you ever imagined. So it’s time to believe in something that’s not normal. It’s time to stop settling for less because you’re lazy. Stop settling for less because it’s easy. Stop settling for less because you’re scared of what more might mean.
God has something mind blowing for you – a life bigger and better than you could have ever imagined but here’s the one thing you must do, STOP SETTLING. Today, stop settling. In every area of your life, stop settling. Stop settling for the snooze button, get up. Stop settling for being late, show up. Stop settling for always being sick, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Stop settling for hating your body, TAKE CARE OF IT. Stop settling for stressful relationships and constant conflict, GO FIRST and start making a resolution, or make a change.
God has offered you one BIG, beautiful life. Won’t you decide that you want it bad enough to stop settling for less? God’s almighty power is working in you and you can do more than you ever imagined possible.
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In the Old Testament, before God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, God only spoke to his people on occasion. His word would come through a vivid dream, through a blinding light, through an angel’s visit, a talking donkey.
We rarely hear of these blinding lights, angelic appearances of prophetic dreams now, and here’s why … God’s Spirit now dwells within those who have accepted Jesus as their savior, and he’s continually prompting us. God no longer has to show up in a magical way in our day, he’s already in us. As a Christian, you carry his Spirit with you every where you go.
So, this is what you need to know … GOD IS SPEAKING TO YOU. He is prompting your thoughts, guiding your feet, opening your eyes, and stirring your dreams. Constantly. And here’s the problem with something you’re constantly experiencing … You stop noticing it. You’ve stopped noticing how God divinely brings you to the right place at the right time. You’ve stopped noticing how you just wake up naturally in the morning when God stirs you. Now, you just go back to sleep. You’ve stopped noticing how your spirit is stirred to go here, do that, say this, and you’ve been dismissing it all in your busy loud world.
God is still speaking. His word is still flowing through you. His promptings are continual. But continual becomes normal, and normal is so easily dismissed.
Lord, don’t let us dismiss your promptings just because you have been so faithful to continually provide them.
Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 1: 4-5, “The word of the Lord came to me: I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.”
My sister, the word of the Lord comes to you too! He has chosen you before he formed you. He has set you apart from the very beginning. Will you receive that word today? Will you listen as God speaks to you? Feel that stirring within right now. This is for you.
What does Jeremiah do when he receives this powerful word from the Lord? The same thing we do …
Verse 6, “But I protested, ‘Oh no, Lord God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.”
He protested. Essentially Jeremiah says, God, you can’t be speaking to me. You can’t see me as anyone special. And he dismisses himself with the insecurity he carried. Lord, I’m too young.
My excuse is no longer that I’m too young. I’m more in the too simple category. Too ordinary. There’s nothing special about me, God. There are others with so much more, surely you would choose them.
What’s your excuse? What dismisses you from hearing directly from the Lord? Why wouldn’t he choose you?
These are YOUR insecurities … not God’s. God is not insecure about you at all. He’s confident in your potential because, honey, he’s the one who formed you in your mother’s womb. He knows what he put inside of you. He knows what you’re capable of because he set you apart with those capabilities.
When Jeremiah protests and dismisses himself from God’s calling on his life because of his insecurities, God interrupts him. Verse 7, “Then the Lord said to me: ‘Do not say, I am only a youth, for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you.””
And God is showing up right in the middle of your ordinary, routine morning and he is interrupting you! STOP confessing your insecurities. Stop labeling yourself with your doubts. Stop accepting your shortcomings as your identity. That’s not who you are!
Right here, right now, God has asked me to tell his girls this:
You are mine. Stop talking bad about yourself!
Recognize, whatever you put after the statement “I am” is a direct reflection on your Maker. You are what God has designed you to be. You are a reflection of your Creator, made in his image.
Is God too simple? Is God too stupid? Is God too ordinary? Is God too shy? Is God too scared? Is God too busy? Is God limited in any way? Absolutely NOT!
And you, as his chosen girl, you carry his powerful spirit within you that makes you all he created you to be in his image. Now start talking like it.
Be aware of what you put after the words “I am.”
When is the last time you confessed:
I am chosen.
I am enough.
I am loved.
I am equipped.
I am called.
I am forgiven.
Jeremiah 1:9, “Then the Lord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words. See, I have appointed you today …”
God’s Spirit overcame the exact insecurity Jeremiah had been held back by. When Jeremiah felt he didn’t know how to speak, the Lord filled his mouth with His words. Now, would you dare to believe whatever insecurity has held you back, God’s Spirit which permanently dwells within you, is perfectly equipping you, making you the right person in the right place at the right time for God’s divine purposes.
Now remember, because his Spirit is always in you now, his promptings and filling might feel normal. But this is supernatural. This is holy. This is awesome!!!!!
Now God asks:
My girl, if I have chosen you, will you choose you now? Will you stop dismissing yourself?
If I have declared you are enough, would you just start agreeing with me and see how I’m making you enough with my Spirit?
If I have loved you, will you dare to love you. Stop hating yourself. Stop treating yourself so poorly. Love you as I have created you to be.
If I have equipped you, will you show up and courageously use my equipping. Yes, use what I have put within you. Don’t let it go to waste.
If I have called you, will you answer? Will you say yes? Will you stop hiding? Stop playing little?
If I have forgiven you, will you finally forgive yourself? I don’t want you holding on to that guilt and shame for one more day. It’s time to let it go now so I can bring good where the enemy intended harm.
Young Jeremiah stepped into his calling as a fully equipped, chosen, loved and called child of God. Where God’s spirit led, he went. The words God put into his mouth, he spoke.
Now, it’s your turn. Will you listen closely to the promptings of God’s Holy Spirit, and respond with a confident “I am, Lord.” I am chosen. I am enough. I am loved. I am equipped. I am called. I am forgiven.
I receive your truth, I speak your truth, and I will walk in your truth about who I am in you.
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Not everybody gets you. Not everybody likes you. Not everyone will agree with you or be on your side.
Are you going to let that get you all upset and steal your joy? Even worse, are you going to let that cause you to lash out and fight back, then cause you to show up as a lesser version of who you were created to be?
In my head, I’m a pretty darn nice person. I know the intentions of my heart are good. I’m also fully aware that I’m flawed and imperfect and screw up on the regular. People often remind me of that by email. I literally have a team of people who scan my emails before they reach me because some messages are a little too harsh for my naive, rose glasses mindset that thinks everyone is my friend with pure motives.
These messages used to rock my world and leave me in tears. I would allow the criticism to replay in my mind for days, hurting me a little more with each replay. Then, it accumulated in my heart and began to steal my joy and make me cynical. The notification of an email from a stranger sent fear through my veins, automatically assuming someone else had something hurtful to say to me. I assumed the position of a victim, forfeiting my calling as a woman with a divine mission.
As my joy lessened, my passion for living out my purpose wavered. It honestly felt not worth it.
Maybe you feel the same way. You feel misunderstood. Under appreciated. Under attack.
Girl, let me call you out of that victim mindset. That’s not where God wants his girls to hang out! You have a calling on your life and a divine mission for your days. Don’t you forfeit an ounce of what God has placed within you because you can’t win everyone over.
A few years ago Taylor Swift wrote a song that became the anthem of every girl going through a time of discouragement. I’m warning you right now of the earworm I’m about to throw at you.
‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Yes, that’s an earworm, also known as the stuck song syndrome. Like it or not, the same lyrics just get stuck in your head. But did you know there’s a way to end the stuck song in your head? Yes there is, and you won’t believe the trick.
To make the song you can’t stop singing get out of your head, you simply play the song all the way through. Yes, let it play and let it end. It gets stuck when you leave it unfinished.
Ahhhhh, I wonder if that’s what happens with harmful words and hateful emails. You never let it end. So it replays, hurting you a little more each time. Growing bigger and bigger. And guess what, Sis, you’re the one who has to end it. End the loop of replayed harmful words and actions with your intentional response of grace led by the Holy Spirit.
Here’s the example in scripture.
Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are in Antioch spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Their intentions were good. Their message was positive. Yet, not everyone liked it. Not everyone wanting the saving grace they came to share. I know that’s crazy, but not everyone wants or accepts good news, even when it is absolutely true. The people stirred up all kinds of crazy nonsense against Paul and Barnabas. And verse 51 and 52 show us their response and the result. “But Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
They literally shook it off. Hey Taylor, is that where you got your catchy little song? Yes, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it off!
Paul and Barnabas were disliked and unjustly under attack, and their actions stopped the continuation of the nonsense and secured their joy. They never lost their joy in the nonsense.
Girl, don’t lose your joy in the nonsense. People gonna say what people gonna say. Liars gonna lie … that’s just what liars do. Why would you be so shocked? Haven’t you heard that hurt people hurt people. We’re surrounded by a whole bunch of hurting people and the only thing they know to do is lash out and hurt someone else because of the hurt they feel.
But, as God’s girls, we can stop it.
Just as you let the song play all the way through to stop the earworm of annoying continuance, you play this all the way through. You shake off the insults and you move on. Respond with grace and love, wish them well, and let that be it.
Shake it off.
Move on.
Jesus tells his disciples to shake the dust from their feet when people reject them. He’s telling them to recognize they had done all they could do and the results were never up to them. Leave even the dust behind so you are not hindered from where God is taking you next.
The enemy wants us to collect the dust. Wallow in the dirt.
God says, “Shake it off and move on.”
Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet from where the nonsense had raged against them, and they went to the next place. Thank you, next. (I think that’s another song, now the previous song isn’t even in your head. See how that worked.)
What did the disciples receive when they shook it off and moved on? They were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit!
The Message translation says it like this: “They shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples.”
Trying to figure everything out and get everyone to see things like you see them is 1) Exhausting, and 2) Impossible. God isn’t asking you to convince anyone of anything. The Holy Spirit does the convincing, not you.
Shrugging our shoulders says, “Hmmmm, well that’s interesting … whatcha gonna do? It’s not for me to control.” Then, release it and move on. It finishes the song. It ends the earworm. It stops the replay of the offense and releases you of the hurt.
When we stop being hurt and instead start being healed, you know what we bring to the world? We bring healing. Hurt people hurt people. But healed people heal people.
God wants his girls healed from all the hurt so we can bring healing to others. Healing from criticism. Healing from unfairness. Healing from nonsense. Healing from trying to convince anyone of anything.
Ahhhhhh, shake it off, move on, and let your joy overflow!
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We love the God of “yes” and “right now”. But isn’t it the same all-knowing, all-powerful, loving and gracious God who also says “no” and “not now”?
Did you know the Holy Spirit not only opens doors, but honey, he closes doors. He redirects us down a different path for divine purposes we may not know or understand. Our role in this partnership is to seek, listen, and follow. His role is to align, guide, and direct.
I saw a great little video by a funny gal named Ellen demonstrating what our surrender to God really looks like. The title says, “Point of View: Letting Jesus Take the Wheel.” She was sitting in the passenger seat of her car, allowing Jesus to take over driving. Ahhh, this feels good Jesus, you drive. Then, it starts happening …. So, Jesus, it says 55, why we only going like 20? Let’s fo faster! Jesus, there’s the turn. Uhhhh wait, you missed it. So, like that’s where everyone else usually turns, don’t you want to go back? Then she says, “Okay, so I thought this was going to be more like you drive a little, then I drive a little, like we take turns, Jesus. Aren’t we gonna take turns now?”
Well isn’t that what we do … Jesus, you take the wheel when I don’t know what to do, but when I think I’ve got this, then let me drive. Let me set the pace. Let me turn when I want to turn. We’re good at letting Jesus take the wheel, but how are we with letting him keep the wheel?
Sometimes I feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit that says go. I love it when I get the green light. I’ve grown to love it when the Holy Spirit says, “This is what I want you to say, now say it.” Okay Jesus, I lovvveeee talking. Tell me all about what to say and I will talk all day! But sometimes the Holy Spirit tells me to shut my mouth. Sometimes the Holy Spirit says be still. Sometimes the Holy Spirit says I know you can do this, but I don’t want you to.
I don’t really like that.
The question becomes, will I let him keep the wheel when he slows my role or directs a turn I don’t want to take.
I naively assumed the Holy Spirit would co-sign all my good intentions. I believed all positive work would be Spirit approved and blessed with expedience. I was wrong. What Bible was I reading? Oh, the same one I’m reading now, just I’m reading between the lines of quoted feel good scriptures to see the deeper works of the Holy Spirit I had been missing. And my whole life is making a whole lot more sense now.
Paul and Silas were missionaries for God. Their intentions were good. Their works were positive. But when their positive works of intended good were met with a no from the Holy Spirit, we have to take notice.
Acts 15: 6-7, “They went through the region of Phyrgia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bihynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”
A little geography lesson. This area of Asia is our modern day Turkey. All of these town were the different regions of Turkey. Northern Turkey, Southern Turkey, Western Turkey. The Holy Spirit would not allow Paul and Silas to share the word of God here. It was a NO.
Sometimes a no from God doesn’t make sense. Why, God? Why wouldn’t you want your word shared here? Why wouldn’t you want these disciples of Jesus to share the good news to people who had never heard it?
I often find myself pleading my case with the Holy Spirit. I’m all whiny like, “But why, God? My heart is in the right place. It feels right. It’s what I want to do.” Then, I eventually start taking the wheel back into my own hands and doing what I want to do because God’s answer of no doesn’t make sense to me.
Sound familiar? Do you do it too? Ahhhhhh, you have some messes in your life right now as a result, don’t cha?
The Holy Spirit limited Paul and Silas for a very specific reason. We read it in the next 2 verses.
Acts 15: 8-9, “During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him. ‘Cross over to Macedonia to help us.’ After we had seen the vision, Luke says, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
Macedonia is in Northern Greece, and this is where God had a few divine appointments for them. In Greece, God’s spirit would work through them to save entire families through miraculous works and wonders.
When the Holy Spirit limited them in Turkey, it was a divine redirection to Greece.
Could your limitation be a divine redirection? It’s not here, but there … go there, my girl. God has work for you to do there. The Holy Spirit will flow through you for greater purposes there, but you won’t understand it if you stay here.
Does God have permission to redirect you? When he limits you, will you fight him, or will you look for the redirection? When he closes the door, will you beat the door down in frustration and self-will, or will you seek a vision for the open door he is directing you to?
All of this left me to wonder why God wouldn’t let Paul and Silas teach his word in Turkey. The purpose behind the limitation was to get them to move on to Macadonia in Greece then, but it wouldn’t always be a closed door in Turkey. Acts 18:21, Paul says to the people in Ephesus which is in Turkey, “I’ll come back to you again if God wills.”
He willingly left where he wanted to be, in obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He left in faith. He left knowing this wouldn’t be the end if God so desired to bring him back.
And guess what … God did bring him back. THIS WAS A TIMING THING. A DIVINE TIMING THING THAT HUMAN MINDS CAN’T COMPREHEND.
Eventually, Paul travels back to Ephesus the ancient port city in Turkey and the doors are wide open for sharing and baptizing. In fact other people God had called had already started the work and Paul walked in and further helped them. And Acts 19:10 says, “All the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.”
Chapter 16, the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let them share the word and closed the door. Chapter 19, the Holy Spirit guides them back to the same exact place and all of Asia came to know of Jesus!
Just because the Holy Spirit shuts it down now doesn’t mean it will be shut down forever. Maybe this is a timing thing, and maybe it’s bigger than you know of now.
Will you give Jesus the wheel, and let him keep the wheel? Will you seek, listen and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit when he says yes and when he says no? When he says right now and when he says not now?
May we grow to love the God of every answer and trust he sees it all, he knows it all, and he controls it all. And honey, he controls it way better than we ever could!
Jesus, I give you the wheel, and this time, I’m going to try real hard to let you keep the wheel.
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Join Pamela for this Friday morning Bible study of Exodus 25-40.
You can watch the live recording from Bali here:
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God uses hardened hearts for his glory.
Right now, in your life, someone has a hardened heart. Someone isn’t listening. Someone is making life ridiculously hard. And you’re asking God why. Why won’t they change? Why won’t they open their eyes and see the path they’re on and the destruction it’s leading to? Why won’t they stop?
May our questions change from why to what. What is God doing here? What is he aligning for his glory? What good plan does he have aligned through this?
In Exodus we read of the Egyptian king with the hardened heart, Pharaoh. God not only allowed Pharaoh’s hardened heart, but he orchestrated it for a greater purpose. Exodus 7: 3, the Lord says, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.”
God’s power would be seen through the condition of Pharaoh’s hardened heart. One hardened heart would be used to prove God’s protection, provisions and personal involvement for over 2 million Israelites.
The Lord told his servant, Moses, to go to Pharaoh and demand the Israelites be set free from slavery in Egypt. But God had planned for Pharaoh to refuse. The question isn’t “Why, God”, but the question is, “What, God … What are you doing through this?”
What God was doing was bigger than the problem being faced. The problem was slavery in Egypt and a leader who refused to let them go. And no doubt, that sucks. Their work was hard. Their life was unfair. But God was getting personally involved! WHAT God was doing through this hardship was more than a temporary relief, it was a show of his glory and power that no one could deny.
My sister, God is getting personally involved in your hardship. He has heard your cries. His relief will not be temporary here. It will be an undeniable show of his power involved in the details of your problems, and God will receive all the glory!
Get ready to give him glory!
Each time Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go, God’s power showed up in the form of a plague on the Egyptians, but the Israelites were protected. First all the water turned to blood. Second, they were invaded by frogs. Pharaoh promised set the Israelites free if Moses would appeal to God and take the problems away. Moses cried out to God for help, and God miraculously intervened and removed the problems. Then, guess what happened … Void of the problems, Pharaoh quickly returned to his old ways. Exodus 8: 15, “But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen.”
Plague after plague, it happened. Horrible things happened to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, he would promise to let the Israelites go, but as soon as God made the problem go away, Pharaoh would change his mind and return to his hardened heart.
And through it all, God was not at all surprised. Nor was God stopped or limited. God’s power showed up all the more. God’s glory grew and grew.
God works through hardened hearts, bad decisions, and hardships. This is the stage for his power to be displayed. This is where God does what only God can do. This is where we will know it is God who saved us!
So, there’s a hardened heart that is making a mess for you? Talk to God about that. Ask for his involvement. Ask for his mercy. Ask for second chances, third chances, 47th chances for the one with the hardened heart. Don’t stop asking. God’s power will not stop. There is no limit to what he can do.
But know this, when hearts won’t change, God’s power will not stop. Be like Moses, and continue to seek God’s intervention in the situation.
Moses witnessed God’s miracles through every plague brought onto Egypt. He was even personally involved in these miracles. And God’s people had undeniable proof of his power in their lives. And God received glory.
Glory for the bloody water, glory for the frogs, glory for the gnats and flies and locusts, glory for the boils, glory for the hail, glory for the darkness, and glory for the protection of his people’s livestock and families. It was all around God’s people, but his people were protected.
It’s all around you right now, but you will be protected. See him working here. Keep your heart soft to the ways of the Lord. Don’t grow tired of how he miraculously causes the sun to rise for you each morning. Don’t grow unimpressed by his breath that fills your lungs and gives you life. Don’t grow numb to his works all around you.
Sometimes God allows the hardship so we continue to look to him. Aren’t we just like Pharaoh, we believe when we need to, but we quickly return to old ways when the problems go away? Exodus 9: 34, “When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart.”
Lord, don’t let us return to our sin when things get easier again. Don’t let us take your miracles for granted. Keep our hearts turned toward you, even when times are sweet and we’re surrounded by goodness. And when times are hard, may we change our questioning from “Why, God”, to “What, God … What are you doing? What miracles do you want me to see? What changes do you want me to make? What glory can I offer you?”
God works through hardened hearts and harsh conditions. He works through the things we wish we could avoid and the things we can’t make go away. He works through the ordinary, and he works through the extraordinary. This is all a stage for God’s great works in your life and he wants you to see what he is doing.
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God needs your cooperation today. He’s trying to work in your life. He’s trying to pave the way. He’s trying to guide you into his ultimate and best plan, but he needs your to cooperate. There’s one thing we keep doing that hinders God’s work and allows the enemy to gain a foothold. This one thing is something most of us struggle with, without even realizing the danger.
What is it? What are we doing that’s hindering God’s work in our own lives? We keep running our mouths.Feel that … yip, that’s conviction! That’s God’s spirit pinging in you right now guiding you to a better way.
In Exodus chapter 14 the Israelites are being chased by the Egyptians. They have every reason to be scared. Every reason to want to turn around and go back. But their instructions are very clear. Verse 14 in the Message translation says “God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!
“If you’re facing a battle right now, understand God wants to fight it for you. He wants to defend you. He’s able to bring victory … but you have a job to do and that job is to zip your lip, shut your face, girl stop talking about it. Let God fight this for you. Take a seat and be silent.
When I’m under attack I have a natural defense … I lash out. Then after I lash out, I like to retell the story to anyone who will listen. Are you the same?
We build our defense by talking about it. And did you know when we do, we hinder the VICTORY God has planned for us? He doesn’t need you to lash out. He doesn’t need you to tell everyone your side of the story. What he needs is your cooperation.
Here’s the problem … if we’re busy complaining and telling our side of the story, we’re not praying. The answer is always PRAY about it, not COMPLAIN about it. How often do we seek the opinion of others without first seeking the direction of God?
Did you know your words have the power to steal your peace and your victory? God has a plan to redeem you fully. Every hardship or wrongdoing against you has been seen, he is fully aware, and it will be used for your good, but girl you’ve got to get out of the way! When you lash out in anger, speak out of turn, pipe up with your complaints, your side isn’t being built … understand you’re only giving the enemy ammunition.
Satan wants you to be busy fighting so you’re distracted from your mission. Every time you retell the story, every time you engage in the argument, every time you complain about the situation, you’re loading bullets in the weapon pointed directly at YOU.
I promise it is possible to be under attack and still have peace. It is possible to be in the battle and retain your joy. You can walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and FEAR NO EVIL because God is with you and he will comfort you.
You’re not in this alone! Oh if you could only see God leaning in over you to protect you. If you could only see the angel armies of Heaven on their way to defend you. If you could see it, you’d easily keep that mouth shut. Even though you can’t see it, will you trust it?
Do you trust that God is for you and not against you? If you do, then you know what they’re saying about you has ZERO impact. Who can be against you? NO ONE. Let them talk, you keep your mouth faithfully shut and those lips zipped. God wants to fight for you. Victory is yours … If you don’t screw this up. You have one clear instruction here, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.
No complaining, no building up your side of the story, no fighting and arguing, no lashing out. Cooperate with God and let him do the fighting.
I remember a time when there was a personal attack against my family, my team and my people. It was harsh. It was unfair. And it was untrue. Everything within me wanted to stand up and defend myself and set the story straight. I woke up one morning totally fed up with the nonsense, fully prepared to lash out on my attackers. As I was typing out my planned defense, I overheard a TD Jakes sermon my husband was listening to. The scripture that day??? Exodus 14:14 “God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouth shut.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to do. Every ounce of my flesh was crying to speak out and put others in their place. To prove myself innocent. To defend my family and my team. To save what we had worked so hard to build. But God was clear. He promised he would fight the battle for me … I just needed to cooperate by shutting my mouth. Dang, that’s hard, isn’t it?
And you know what? He did! I never had to defend myself. My silence eventually silenced my enemies. And with a bit of perspective, I realized I was battling more than confused people who had a twisted story. I was battling the true enemy who knew what God was doing!
Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but this is a life or death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels.
”Hey guess what … you can’t fight a spiritual battle with your natural words! This isn’t about what they’re doing or what he or she is saying … this is a spiritual battle over eternal impact. You have no idea the battle happening all around you. The enemy knows your potential. Things of tremendous value are at risk here. The only way to fight this is to keep your mouth shut and pray. God will do the fighting. Stop handing the enemy ammunition with your unruly mouth and unbridled tongue.
Every time we complain, we build the enemy’s case against us. Every time we speak in anger, we stop the flow of God’s love. Every time we build our story, we build walls. Walls that close us in and keep us from our true potential.
Every time we stand in faith and obey God by trusting him to fight for us as we stop complaining and refuse to retell the story, God moves on our behalf. For the Israelites, when they stopped complaining, God parted the Red Sea for them to pass through safely on dry ground while he swallowed up their enemies. He made a way!
And he will do the same for you, my sister. He will make a way. He will faithfully guide you. He will fight for you. But you have to be quiet here.
God, help us to control our mouths. Convict us of our words. Strengthen us to fight this battle with our prayers and praises to you. You have shown us a better way … we now know better, may we do better.
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Who’s getting tired of doing the right thing over and over again, with seemingly minimal results?
Who’s worn out from fighting when the relationship just doesn’t seem to be improving?
Who’s burned out from counting the calories, from denying yourself of the deliciousness you most desire, when the progress is ever so slow and nonexistent at times?
Who am I speaking to this morning? Are you getting tired of doing what is good? If you’re questioning if it’s worth it, I believe God has your answer for you loud and clear this morning.
Galatians 6:9 – “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
DON’T STOP NOW. Steven Furtick says, “You’re only stuck if you stop.” If you don’t stop, honey, you can’t be stuck. Keep doing the good you know to do because God is getting ready to give you a harvest of blessings if you just don’t give up.
Let me speak life into your frustrated spirit this morning. Today is not the day to give up. This is not the time to back down. This day was made for doing good. With all that you are, with all that you have, do good today.
God desires for each of us to come to a place of full surrender in life. A place where we recognize we can’t do this on our own. A place where we fully trust that if we do all we can, God will show up and do what only he can.
Now this place of full surrender doesn’t come naturally to us. It takes one heck of a storm to get us there. It often requires a weary spirit, exhausted from trying. A body without a lot of fight left. This is surrender … and this is where God works best.
I don’t know about you, but I have some areas in my life where I need God to do what only he can. I have some impossible. I have some mountains. I bet you do too. And oh how our loving heavenly Father WANTS to show up for us. He WANTS to. You never have to question God’s desire to help you. He’s never sitting in heaven looking down with angry eyebrows and arms folded saying, “nope – don’t wanna. I just don’t wanna help her today.” Yet, the truth is that’s exactly what we believe sometimes so we don’t even ask for help.
Understand this, God is ready, willing and able to help you. He wants to pour out his blessings on you … and HE WILL, oh how he will if you just keep doing the good that you know to do. And as you know better, you will do better.
God is cautioning us against growing weary in doing good. Has the storm weathered your heart? Are you becoming cynical? Have your good works been met with greed and ungratefulness? Have your good works been taken advantage of or gone unnoticed? Have your good works been void of return? Then of course it becomes easy to have a critical spirit. I mean why even try if it’s not going to make a difference.
It’s like what is the point in cleaning the house when you have a tornado of a toddler tearing it up faster than you can put it back together. Why speak kindness to your husband when he’s so negative and edgy? Why give your best at work when it goes unnoticed and unappreciated? Why work so darn hard on your health when you still get bad news?
That’s what a weary heart says. That’s what a critical spirit says. That’s what a cynical woman’s thoughts sound like. That’s the product of a bad attitude.
And that is NOT you.
In the words of one of my favorite songs by Hillsong – Don’t let the storm weather your heart. Don’t let the darnkness beat you down. My sister, you can walk through the fire and not be burned. You can pray in the fight and watch it turn. All you need to do is keep doing the good you know to do and trust God with the outcome. Jesus right now, we give it all to you.
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Today, I’m going to tell you something very specific God absolutely loves to see you do. Something you can do that brings him tremendous delight. You would want to make God happy today, wouldn’t you? You would want to please him.
I do. Gosh, I want to make God absolutely giddy he gave me this day of life. But sometimes I wonder how to please him. How to make him smile. How does a really normal girl like me bring great delight to my Almighty creator? Have you ever asked the same question?
2 Corinthians 9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.”
You’ve likely heard that before along with a guilt trip to give your money. But what if your opportunity to be a cheerful giver goes far beyond money and meets you right where you are today. God is asking you to give what you have with joy, with excitement, with open hands and an open heart. To stop holding back, and let God flow through you in all you have to give.
MSG: “God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” The Voice: “Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.”
Right here, this Monday. Will you be a cheerful giver?
Let’s take an inventory of what you have available to give today.
First, your time. In this single day you have 24 hours – or 1,440 minutes. Will you give your time cheerfully today? OR WILL IT BE A CHORE FOR YOU TO SIT DOWN AT THE TABLE WITH THEM? WILL IT BE A CHORE TO LISTEN? WILL IT BE A CHORE TO REALLY BE THERE? Will you be happy about giving time with God today?
How many of us are there, but we’re not really there? We’re begrudgingly showing up and checking the box but we don’t really want to be there. That’s not GIVING your time … that’s allowing someone or something to TAKE your time. Today will you GIVE your time. Purposely. Intentionally. Cheerfully. Will you gladly be there? Will you fully be there?
God loves that. He loves when you cheerfully show up for your own life and invest in it. He loves when you are fully there, engaged. Not because you have to, but because you GET to.
And he really loves it when you view this life you have to live through the eyes you have been given instead of a screen you hold in your hand!
What else do you have to give today? Your energy. Within you is the power to GSD. Get stuff done. You have a set of 2 choices.
Do it – or don’t do it. If you should do it, then you have another choice to make – Do it happy – or do it miserable. Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
Here in Bali, I’m learning what a privilege work is. Everyone I meet is delighted to have a job. They are working long days to make $25 per week. They are perpetually early, genuinely eager, with attitudes of gratitude. Have we lost that? Have we become too entitled to remember what a privilege this all is?
There are a whole lot of people showing up for work today miserable. They’re there, they’re completing the tasks before them, but it’s not because they want to be. How incredibly sad. How sad that there are moms holding babies, wishing they were somewhere else. How sad there are wives making the bed in an angry fit today. How sad there are daughters taking their gifts for granted and complaining about all they HAVE to do.
Or the girl that landed the job and is bringing home the paycheck, you know the job she prayed for … and she’s just wishing she didn’t have to work today. Oh has she forgotten that job was given to her? It’s a blessing. She’s giving her energy to that work today, but it’s begrudgingly. But what if she could show up to work today and be a cheerful giver? Do you know how much better the day would be? Same work, different attitude.
That’s it … that’s the difference I’m experiencing in Bali. They are cheerful givers. Freely giving of their time and energy. Our waitress, Dayu, went into the jungle after her long day of work, to find a special leaf to make a tea for my husband’s upset stomach. Our waiter, Darma, brought fresh fruit from his home to share with me this morning at breakfast. Fruit I’ve never seen before. He gave it to me so cheerfully after picking it in his village before the sun came up today.
It makes me question, what do I have to give, and will I give it cheerfully? If a leaf cut from the jungle, and a fruit picked from a tree could be offered as a blessing to a foreigner in this beautiful land, what could you and I offer as a blessing?
God loves a cheerful giver – yes I believe it brings him joy to see his girls giving of their time and energy and resources with happiness – however on a deeper level I believe God loves a cheerful giver because he knows what it does for us. He knows he created us to thrive when we are giving our most valuable resources from a place of plenty.
And there’s the secret … a place of plenty. Don’t you recognize you have more than enough? You don’t have to live in lack. Not when the creator of the universe is on your side. Not when the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills, the maker of heaven and earth, is in charge of your supply.
It is our own mismanagement of time, energy and money that causes lack.
God lacks nothing. You are his daughter … all he has he desires to make yours. BUT CAN YOU BE TRUSTED WITH IT?
Psalm 84:11 says “The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”
You have enough today. Enough time. Enough time to sit down and value the moments with your family. Enough time to spend with God. Enough time to do all you need to do and do it well. Enough energy. Enough energy to give your best. Enough blessings to share.
Today, you will be called on to give. Will you be a cheerful giver? Will you be absolutely giddy over the opportunity to give what you have, knowing that as you pour out, your cup will be filled right back up. Knowing that some things can only be received through giving first.
I’m saying don’t just show up today, but show up and be happy about it. Don’t just work today, but work and be happy about it. Don’t just give today, but give and be a cheerful giver.
When I got my head and heart right about money, money has never been an issue again. Before then, it was nothing but a problem.
I’m still in the process of getting my head and heart right about my time. I’m finding on this journey I have more than enough time when I spend it intentionally.
Energy … energy multiplies when poured out in the way we were created to spend our energy. You can’t outgive God. Give him your energy, and watch His supernatural energy flood your days!
God loves a cheerful giver, because he knows you can be trusted to receive even more of what he has to give. Just let it all pour out, Sis!
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Today’s episode is an unscripted bible study of Genesis 6-8. Join me!
6 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with[b]humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.
The Story of Noah
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
14 “Build a large boat[c] from cypress wood[d] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[e] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[f] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
The Flood Covers the Earth
7 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice,[a] and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. 4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”
5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. 7 He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives. 8 With them were all the various kinds of animals—those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not—along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground. 9 They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. 10 After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.
11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. 12 The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.
13 That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives.14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal—domestic and wild, large and small—along with birds of every kind. 15 Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes. 16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.
17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. 19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, 20 rising more than twenty-two feet[b] above the highest peaks.21 All the living things on earth died—birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people. 22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died. 23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth—people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat. 24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
8 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. 2 The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. 3 So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days,4 exactly five months from the time the flood began,[a] the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 Two and a half months later,[b] as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.
6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat 7 and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. 8 He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. 9 But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. 10 After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. 11 This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. 12 He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back.
13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began,[c] the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. 14 Two more months went by,[d] and at last the earth was dry!
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives.17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”
18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.[e] 21 And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. 22 As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”
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What could cause a life to seem no longer worth living? What could cause a miraculous creation to decide one more day just isn’t possible?
It would be so easy to dismiss ourselves from this conversation, assuming our families are immune from that darkness. It would never happen to us. We’re too happy, too blessed, too close. But let me assure you, none of us are dismissed from this battle, and it is a battle.
Suicide. There, I said it. Taking your own life to end the pain, to avoid another day, to escape a reality that feels impossible to continue. And let me assure you, no matter how happy you are, no matter how good you know your life to be, there are circumstances that could bring you to this darkness. Maybe you’ve felt the touch of that darkness before, or maybe you haven’t. But I assure you, it is there.
It is there for you, and it is there for your family. And here’s the bad news, you can’t insulate your family from ever facing those pains that would cause this hopelessness. Yes, it happens to the good kids. Yes, it happens to the ones who go to Church every week. Yes, it happens to the families in the big houses with all the fancy toys. Yes, it happens to the families with good marriages and dinners around the table. Yes, it happens to college degrees, successful careers, and beauty queens.
Yes, freaking beauty queens with a crown on the perfect body, a high rise apartment in New York, and everything a girl could ever dream of. Then there is darkness and hopelessness that makes a beautiful soul like that feel life is no longer worth living.
We can’t make that darkness go away. We can’t dish out hope that will guarantee you to never feel the feelings of hopelessness. But maybe there’s something we can do to take away the tool the enemy uses in that darkness. Maybe we can fight the battle by cancelling the very thing that would be used against us in our weakest moment.
What if suicide were just taken off the table? Seriously, what if it were no longer a viable option? What if a promise was made to NEVER, EVER, regardless of circumstances, end your own life.
Why? Why make that promise when the reality is there may come a day when you feel like you can’t continue? Here’s why you make that promise now … for any and every person who loves you. What you may not understand is the complete devastation your willful exit would create for everyone who loves you. The questions, the guilt, the grief is nearly unbearable. You need to know that, and you need to understand you can keep that from ever touching them.
How? Decide now, suicide will NEVER be an option for you. Ever. It’s not on the table.
I know the questions after someone you love ends their own life. I know the guilt and the grief. I’ve seen it take it’s toll in families, and I’ve seen it’s gruesome work in my own family. My husband lost his own father to suicide. He was a good man, eaten away by regret, who one night decided everyone would be better off without him, and he took a bottle of pills never to wake up again. While he never woke up, let me tell you, his family wakes up every day to the nightmare left behind. That is not a pain he would have ever wanted to create for his sons.
Sometimes we will do for others what we won’t do for ourselves. If you can’t live for yourself, then honey live for anyone who loves you.
This is not a pain you would ever want to create for the people who love you. Decide now, SUICIDE WILL NEVER BE AN OUT FOR YOU. IT’S NO LONGER ON THE TABLE.
Scripture says in 1 Peter 5:8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
The devil is your enemy. He opposes you. He is against you. He is against your life and the continuation of your life. And any weapon that is left on the table for him to use against you, will surely be used. If the option of ending your life is available, you better believe your enemy will twist truths, whisper his lies, and paint his pictures of sheer hopelessness until you are convinced your life is no longer worth living, and then it will be used against you.
So, as of this moment, it’s no longer on the table. We decide, no matter the circumstances, no matter what may come, I will never make suicide an option. Ever. If I can’t find a single thing in my life worth living for, then I make this promise for the people who love me. I will not leave them with unbearable and unanswerable questions. I will not put this grief and guilt on them. For the sake of anyone who loves me, I will never do that to them.
Did you know suicide is the #2 cause of death in teenagers? And did you know when there is one suicide, it typically sets off a chain reaction of more suicides within those schools and communities? It’s called suicide contagion, and it’s real. You need to know about it.
Understand what happens is one suicide creates awareness. Awareness is good, right? Unfortunately that awareness can act as a tool put on the table of others, and now it’s a viable option when facing the same hardship. It’s even a subconscious connection of problem and possible solution.
In my kids’ highschool, a 14 year old boy from a good family was fighting battles no one knew about. He ended his own life. The entire school honored his life, as they should have. Memorials and gatherings, ribbons and balloons. However, what I didn’t know as I stood there with my 3 teenagers releasing balloons, was this weapon of the enemy was being placed on the table of options for my youngest daughter. I didn’t know the connection was being made within her brain at that moment of hardship equals a way out. Struggle equals the end. A few short weeks later, hardship happened. I’m talking about life-altering hardship for a 13 year old girl. Innocence preyed upon, rumors spreading, guilt and shame that weighed entirely too much for a young girl to carry on her own.
So, what did she do? She resorted to what she now knew. And what did the enemy use? The weapon laying on the table. Because it was an option now within her mind, it was a weapon now for the enemy to use. She tried to end her life. By the grace of God she survived. And I can tell you, this family still deals with the pain it created every single day.
What’s not talked about in the wake of losing someone is the sheer disaster it has created for the people who loved them. If you could see that disaster, I promise you would never want to leave that for your people.
But in a moment of weakness, when everything is so hopeless, you’re not thinking right. My friends, that’s when the enemy swoops in and picks up the weapon on the table and uses it against you. So right now, you take it off the table. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION. Because of anyone I love and anyone who loves me, I will never resort to ending my own life.
Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy …”
Yes, that thief is the same enemy who prowls around like a lion. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy. Steal every hope of life being better. Kill every ounce of fight you have left in you. And destroy the good plans God has for you.
You may not be able to change what happened in the past, stop the bullies at school, or fix overnight what is broken here. I can’t either and oh how I wish I could. But you and I can take the weapon the enemy wants to use against us, and we can throw it away forever. He will NOT get my life. I will not give him the never ending grief of the people who love me. I will not reward him with the pain my suicide would cause.
Now, the good news is the rest of that verse spoken by Jesus, John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Jesus is here offering you life. Not a little life, a BIG Life, life to the full. It is still available for you, and it will be available for you beyond this current darkness and hardship.
Your decision to take the dangerous weapon of suicide off the table ensures the enemy won’t be tricking you into forfeiting all Jesus has promised you. You won’t be creating that pain for your family. Nor will you be showing a single other living soul suicide is a viable option. You’ll be LIVING. The people who love you are so grateful!!!!!! You just have no idea.
Good choice! I’ve decided with you!
National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255
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Does your mind carry you away in fearful thoughts of darkness? Is the “what if” scenario continually playing out leading to worst case?
What if this all falls apart?
What if I fail again?
What if everything goes wrong?
This is completely normal, right? We all have those fleeting thoughts … but honey, there’s a difference between fleeting and flooding. Fleeting thoughts come and they go quickly. Flooding thoughts drown us with an overwhelm of negativity.
The Bible tells us a story about the cost of thoughts like these. In Numbers 13 & 14 we read of Moses sending 12 men ahead of the Israelites to spy on the land of Canaan where they desired to live. This was a land God had promised to the Israelites when they left Egypt and their intentions were always to go there. But they knew taking this beautiful, promising land would not be easy, so the spies went ahead of the crowd to see what they were up against.
After 40 days, the 12 men returned with fruit and reports that indeed it was a bountiful land flowing with milk and honey. It was like a paradise compared to the wilderness where the Israelites had set up camp. But there was one problem, the Canaanites who lived there would surely fight to keep their paradise.
The returning men said “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” (Numbers 13:31-33)
But one of the men who had spied on the land had a different thought. Caleb said “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
Everyone else who saw the opposition said it was impossible. Caleb said it was possible. Who do you think the Israelites believed?
Here they stood on the edge of their Promised Land, and they backed down. You know why? Because what should have been a fleeting thought became a flooding thought. The people began weeping aloud and cried all night. They rose up in complaints and demanded a new leader to take them back to Egypt where they had been slaves.
Now notice, nothing had really happened here. Simply the majority said they were facing giants if they continued. It was the thought of these giants that kept them from moving forward. And it was their thought of what the giant people must have thought about them. They said they felt like grasshoppers compared to these giants, and that’s what the giants thought too. How did they know what the others were thinking? There was no exchange of conversation. No insults were thrown, yet insult was taken. Defeat was assumed.
How many times are we assuming defeat? How big have we made our giants, and how small have we assumed ourselves to be? My sister, have you forgotten the Almighty God dwells within you? Have you forgotten with God nothing shall be impossible? Have you forgotten that with Jesus Christ, all things are possible?
Why have you backed down to your giants? Why are you believing the stories you tell yourself of darkness, sadness and bad endings? What are you missing as a result? Seriously, what beautiful land could you be living in, but you have never arrived because you believed the negative stories you tell yourself of it being too hard for you, too late for you, too good for you. And I wonder what God thinks of you selling yourself short and making your giants so big?
Well take a look at what God had to say about the Israelites believing the worst case scenario of impossible giants and choosing not to move forward: Numbers 14: 22-24 “Not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.”
And guess what, for 40 years God’s people wandered around in that wilderness and an entire generation died never possessing what was already theirs. All that time it wasn’t impossible. All that time God had made a way, but they had to walk the path.
When we refuse to walk the path, we miss that God has made a way. When we believe the worst case scenario stories we tell ourselves, we miss the miraculous stories God has available for us.
Caleb, the one who saw the giants but still believed God over his fear, survived and possessed the promised land. Why? Because of his attitude of faith. His attitude was different because his thoughts were different. The negative thoughts were fleeting, not flooding.
Now, where does God want to take you and what does he want to make possible for you? If you want to experience it, you must control your thoughts and your attitude. Reign in the negative thoughts that always dwell in darkness and defeat. Your life will follow your thoughts and honey, that’s not a good destination.
God has good plans for you. Focus on those good plans.
He has gone before you and made a way. Focus on the way forward instead of the steps backward.
When the “what if” scenarios come prancing through the gates of your mind, and they will, they always do … remember you always have a choice. Let them flood you or let them fleet on by.
Replace the negative what if with a positive what if. It requires the same energy and produces a radically different result.
What if this all falls apart? … What if this all comes together beautifully?
What if I fail again? … What if I actually make it this time?
What if everything goes wrong? … What if this goes remarkably right?
Just as God was pleased with Caleb’s faith when everyone else backed down in fear, I believe God is pleased with ours as well.
Stop making your giants so big. You’re not a grasshopper. You are a mighty warrior through Christ Jesus. Start thinking like one!
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Have you ever not asked because the answer could be no? No one likes the answer no.
As a little girl, I loved chewing gum. Like it was nearly an obsession. My Aunt CC was the gum bearer of the family. She was one of those cool aunts who never had children of her own, so her mission in life was to spoil me. She always said yes to me. But still I hesitated to ask because I knew there was a possibility she may have run out of gum and had none to give me if I asked. So, here’s what I would do … at her house, I would wait until she was in the bathroom and then I would sneak into her purse and check for gum. I would never take it, just check it. If there was gum, I would wait until she came back in the room and then I would confidently ask, knowing for sure the answer was yes. I would never ask before checking the supply because I was avoiding a potential no.
Have you been avoiding a potential no, so you’ve never asked? You tip toe around fearing rejection, therefore never stepping into what you want. Girl, ask.
In case you’re checking supply first, your Heavenly Father isn’t running short on supply of ANYTHING. He has an abundance of every single thing you could possibly need or want. His answer is never “I don’t have enough, or I already ran out.”
Listen to me, GOD HAS WHAT YOU NEED IN STORE. It’s in stock. It’s available for shipment. Have you placed your order?
If you haven’t asked, you can’t be disappointed when you don’t receive. I mean seriously, I can’t be upset with Amazon for not shipping me a pair of size 9.5 Chacos, because I didn’t order them. It doesn’t work that way.
You can be absolutely certain God has an abundance of all you desire and the storehouses in Heaven are full because a whole lot of his children simply aren’t asking.
Or maybe you asked, but then when nothing happened, you never asked again? Did you know when Jesus taught us how to pray, he gave a specific example known as The Lord’s Prayer, you know the “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name …”, but maybe you’ve missed what he said immediately after sharing this prayer. Check it out:
Luke 11: 5-9 “Then he said, imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’ But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need. Here’s what I’m saying:
Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open.
Why would Jesus tell us a story of knocking on a door in the middle of a night, waking everyone up, and persistently asking even when the answer was no the first time? BECAUSE JESUS WANTS YOU TO KNOW THE POWER OF ASKING AGAIN.
So, we know God’s supply is never threatened … he has what you need and want. It is available and it is possible. Oh yes it is sister! And now we know Jesus gave a direct example of persistence in asking.
You may have asked for something last year and it didn’t happen, but will you ask again this year? Will you be so bold in your faith to knock on the door of heaven again and place your order?
Now, what if Jesus ignores you? Oh wait, what … is that an option? Could Jesus just pass you by? Well, there’s a story in the bible about Jesus ignoring a woman who was making a request.
Matthew 11: 21-28 “A Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, “Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit. Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, “Now she’s bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She’s driving us crazy.” Jesus refused, telling them, “I’ve got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.” Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. “Master, help me.” He said, “It’s not right to take bread out of children’s mouths and throw it to dogs.” She was quick: “You’re right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master’s table.” Jesus gave in. “Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!” Right then her daughter became well.”
Jesus ignored her. Wow. And she just kept asking. What did Jesus think of her persistence? He was impressed by her faith and his answer was then yes.
Why would he ignore her? Why would he ignore you?
This was an invitation for this desperately seeking woman to step out on faith. To ask as she had never asked before. Then, to ask again. My sister, you now have an invitation to do the same. ASK AGAIN.
With faith, ask boldly again. Knock on that door again. Just because the answer has been no in the past doesn’t mean the answer is no today. Step on up with faith and ask again.
I’m friends with the mother of a handsome young man who had become addicted to drugs and was living on the streets in Oregon. She had prayed for her son for years, even asked me to pray for him. And one day, God moved mountains, brought her son home and he is sober and living a beautiful life now helping others.
That mama kept praying. God said yes.
I mentor a woman who was absolutely heart broken after her marriage of over 20 years ended in an affair. She lost her husband and she was lonely. She prayed for God to bring her someone to love and care for her. A few years later, the answer was yes … this past weekend she married the man God gave her as an answer to her very specific prayers. They’re currently honeymooning in the Caribbean together.
My sister, ask again. Keep asking. After all these years, the answer could not only be yes, but it could be HECK YES.
I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting and how many times you asked before, but the opportunity is here today to ask again.
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Nobody loves having their plans ruined. Nobody loves seeing all they’ve been working on completely fall apart. It feels discouraging. It feels overwhelming. But what if we’re just looking at it wrong? What if all that’s happening here with your ruined plans and failed attempts is heavenly things interrupting earthly things? Think about that! You’re […]
God has an invitation for you. He’s inviting you to be part of his great plan for your life. He’s inviting you to be part of his work that is bigger than anything you could ever ask, think, or imagine. Now, here’s the thing about his invitation … you’re not going to fully understand it […]
Have you ever experienced God’s math in your life? Starting with so little and it becoming so much more. I was introduced to God’s math by a woman with more faith than I have ever seen. In fact, her faith was so big, even me, the overly optimistic one said, “Girl, now this isn’t realistic.” […]
Have you ever noticed how incredibly hard it is to get yourself to do what you know you should do today? Gosh, we struggle with showing up as our best selves and giving our best effort. For some of us, it’s been so long since the best version of us showed up to live a […]
Whatever it is you are needing, God can provide it in an instant. Whatever it is you’re fighting, God can clear it immediately. He can … so why hasn’t he? Why isn’t God acting immediately? Why are you still waiting? Why does it feel like you’re waiting in a long line to get to God, […]
God is the giver of this new month of life. Our written goals are our thank you letter to him. We say thank you in the most genuine of ways … we tell him all the ways we intend to use, savor, and enjoy the gift. Isn’t this a perspective shift on your goals? It’s […]
Today we welcome a new day of life and a new month of life. The ultimate gift has arrived at your front door. The clean slate of a new month is here, welcome to February! Who gave you this gift and what will your response be? This day didn’t just show up by accident. You […]
Here we are, the final day of January. It’s winter. Winter is the season where everything is generally harder. It’s harder to find that motivation. It’s harder to get up out of that warm and cozy bed. It’s harder to make ourselves do the things we said we would do. Maybe this has been a […]
If you had any idea what you had inside, you would never again hold back. You would never settle for a dang thing less than God’s absolute best if you knew. You’ve been going through life driving 35 and all this time you have a rocket inside. More than a rocket, you have the power […]
Our God is a loving and generous God. He has provisions and blessings aligned for you that will absolutely blow your mind. You cannot begin to fathom his good plans for your life. Promises you haven’t even dared to believe yet, already set into motion just for you. But there’s one thing you need to […]
Have you become so hyper focused on the challenge, that you’ve overlooked all the victories? Yes, we all fight our battles, but my sister, God has already declared us more than conquerors with complete and overwhelming victory! Waking up overwhelmed, dreading the day, and miserable in our journey is NOT God’s good plan for your […]
Where do you turn for daily guidance on what decisions to make? Are you checking your horoscope? Are you listening to your favorite influencer on the TikTok? Are you asking all your Facebook friends for input? Are you waiting to see if you feel like doing anything before you make any decisions? Scripture tells us […]
God has a job to do. He’s on a mission. When mountains stand in his way he has the power to move them. God has a plan, and it’s a ridiculously good plan. His plan covers you and your family. His power can move your mountain of impossible. But, understand this, although it’s God’s job, […]
What you see today is only the beginning of what God is going to do. Where you are today is only the beginning of where God will take you. There’s so much more than what you see and know today. It’s like the tip of the iceberg above the water, versus the massive formation below […]
Today is the fourth Monday of this new year. For most, it already feels old. You started this year with a plan to make progress, but have you? Really, are you making progress? Or are you held back? What holds you back, my sister? If there’s a world of potential within you, what is keeping […]
This unscripted devotional time combines two of this week’s teachings to reveal the offer of our calling on the table. Jesus hopes you will say yes! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
So, you’ve messed this thing up. You’ve failed. You’ve fallen short. You’ve disappointed yourself. What’s a girl to do with a mess like that? Are we to live in regret and shame? Are we to dismiss ourselves from all future goodness because of our past mistakes? Are we to assume God’s cancellation of the good […]
My prayer for you this morning is that God would fill you up. Maybe you’re running on empty and your tank so desperately needs to be filled. Where are you empty? Is it your love tank? Is it your energy tank? Is it your hope tank? Is it your courage tank? Where do you need […]
We’ve all heard the saying “misery loves company”. It’s true isn’t it? Well, let me tell you something else… Misery might love company, but so does joy. And joy throws much better parties. You get to choose the party you throw and the party you attend. There are pity parties and there are joy parties […]
Hear God loud and clear today as he says, “I won’t force you.” God will not force you into the good plans he has for your life. He won’t force you to step into the overflowing abundance he has aligned for you. He won’t force you to accept divine opportunities for a greater purpose than […]
Let’s go back to what God showed us in episode #1546 “That’s a Problem”, and dig deeper. The majority of us have a real problem accepting and loving ourselves. Let’s make this real clear … this is a problem. And it’s a problem for Jesus! You will be known by your love and your love […]
Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to try again. You’re tired of trying, aren’t you? Believing this could change and things could be different is exhausting. So, you’ve settled here, made peace with the unhappiness, and accepted the fact that this is where you are and where you’re going to stay. This marriage isn’t getting […]
There’s a reason you feel alone sometimes. There’s a reason you have a tendency to run and hide when you’re struggling. There’s a reason you place yourself on the sidelines and watch from a distance. There’s a reason why you check out. Here’s the reason … the enemy is at work! 1 Peter 5:8, “The […]
Are you in a place where you are seeking God for what to do next? Seeking his guidance on your journey? Waiting for him to show you where to go from here … well maybe it’s not as much about WHERE you go, as it is HOW you go. How are you showing up today? […]
Jesus says we will be known by our love, and our love is to make him known. So, every day, we show up and we try to love. Darn, we try. Y’all know, some people are easier to love than others. Some just test the Jesus in you. I bet you can think of a […]
What has the enemy taken from you? Has he taken your ability to dream? I mean straight up stolen the things you used to get excited about for your future! Has the enemy taken your energy and left you dreading the day and wishing away the hours until you can go back to bed? Has […]
What you’re going through doesn’t have to change who you are. Don’t let these circumstances get in your head. Don’t let this situation change what you believe about yourself. What you believe about you must be non-circumstantial. No matter where you are, no matter what is going on around you, who you are must be […]
It’s day 3 of this brand new year of life, and there’s a large percentage of us already disappointed in our choices and progress. We wanted to be better this year, but so far, we’re still struggling. We wanted to make changes, but dang if those old ways don’t hold on tight. And for those […]
This year, God wants to help you see things you’ve never seen before. He wants to give you the clarity and focus you have lacked in the past. This time, he wants you to get it, truly get it, then run with it! If you want this year of life to be different, be open […]
All good will come under attack. In a garden of beautiful potential, there will be weeds. To assume otherwise would be naive. You woke up this morning in a garden of beautiful potential. Here, in this year, supernatural things can happen in your life. Things you have been waiting YEARS for have the potential of […]
Today, we ask the final question before we begin writing our goals for the New Year. Remember, if you want God-inspired goals, you have to invite God into the process, ask him questions, then listen for his answers. Each episode this week, we’ve spent time doing exactly that. So far, we’ve asked 6 questions to […]
Our Big Life Goal Setting Broadcast is this Saturday! And you can watch for FREE!!!! I’ll send you the zoom link, the goal sheets, and reminders all leading up to the live event this weekend, and yes, it will all come personally and directly from me! I would absolutely LOVE to connect with you and […]
Tapping into the guidance of the Holy Spirit is much like using the GPS in your car. The GPS knows precisely where you are, and where all other things are. However, for it to guide you to your destination, you have to make your request. GPS, I want to go to the TJ Maxx. GPS, […]
I am a firm believer in goals. I’ve dedicated my life to teaching women how to set and achieve goals that will honor the fullness of life God created them for. Goals that will pull them out of the ruts of life and push them toward the overflowing abundance their creator has available for them. […]
God has favor for you. That means approval, complete acceptance, unmerited kindness and ridiculous goodness, is directed at you from the Almighty. However, faith is required to receive favor. Favor doesn’t always show up looking like something you should be giddy over. Favor often first begins with frustration. Sometimes being highly favored by the Almighty […]
I randomly heard a song yesterday. A song I’ve never heard on the radio. It’s never been on a single playlist on my Spotify. Yet, it was brought to me in the seemingly most odd way. But don’t we know, it’s not odd, it’s God! I dozed off on the couch yesterday afternoon while watching […]
Give yourself a point for each one that describes you today: You still have to wrap gifts. You still have to plan a big meal. You still have to buy a crapton of groceries. You still have to clean your messy house before company arrives. You still have to buy a few last minutes gifts. […]
I have a word for you today. Like, literally, a word. One word that when I heard it it stopped me in my tracks. I have a feeling it will do the same to you. Are you ready? Here’s the word: RESURRENDER Yes, resurrender. It’s releasing once again what you have taken back. What is […]
Today’s unscripted devotional prompts us to pause and ask, are we running in fear or following in faith? Jesus leads from the front. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
What is holding you back from living a life of full surrender to God? For most of us, there’s something. Something we just can’t quite seem to let go of. Something we hold on to, but what we don’t understand is whatever we’re holding on to is holding us back. Jesus met a young man […]
People can say the stupidest things. People can do the most hurtful things. Why is that? Have you been trying to understand why some people talk bad about you? Have you been trying to process why some people have treated you so poorly? Have you been trying to make sense of why they did that […]
How will you get through what you have to go through? How will your family ever be okay again? How will you overcome this setback? How will your heart heal? How will you know what to do next? How will it ever happen? How? Somebody tell me how. If you’re in a place wondering HOW, […]
What can God do with nothing … everything. A blank canvas is no problem for our God. And neither is a messy, jacked up, torn up canvas. Hey, God can wipe that clean in an instant. The story of creation shows God’s power to create from nothing. It shows his vision in darkness. It reveals […]
What if God saw you. I mean really saw you. What if he knows precisely where you’ve been, where you are now, and what is ahead of you? What if he absolutely delights in your journey and believes in you with every step? My friend Bob Goff once painted a mental image for me that […]
What can God do with the absence of your perfection? What can he do with the void of your confidence in what to do next? What can he do with the nothingness of your ability to fix the messes you find yourself in? Really, what can God do with nothing? Where can he go from […]
Whatever it is you are going through, God has a blessing right here for you. He’s not waiting to bless you on the other side of this, he’s meeting you right here with overflowing provisions and sweet blessings. Oh how I pray you notice them today. Dare to see what God is offering you here, […]
Today, God is leading us to a battle to teach us a lesson. It’s a lesson we need. A lesson that will help us see our struggles from a different perspective. A lesson that will help us appreciate where we are, even when it’s not where we wanted to be. The battle is between the […]
Within you are likely places that have dried up. Old dreams and hopes that have died. What was once exciting and worth waking up for has become ordinary and unimpressive. Maybe life feels less than exciting right now. You’re droopy, low energy, withering away, and honestly you hate the fact that you’re nothing like you […]
Have you ever listened to a familiar song and suddenly had it hit different? Like the words just came to life and moved you as never before. That was me yesterday. Early on Sunday mornings while living here on the island, I take my dog down to the water to swim. The rest of the […]
As humans, we have a unique way of turning a blessing into a burden. We assume responsibilities never meant to be our own. We tie strings and conditions making simple things fussy and good things overwhelming. And we’re left with trying to rush through what we should be enjoying, dreading what we should be celebrating, […]
Have you ever been looking for something specific so intently, that you totally miss it? You miss the forest for all the trees. You are looking for that future husband. Everywhere, you’re looking. Desperately looking. But where is that man hiding? Clearly he’s lost somewhere because he’s not willing to ask for directions, so you’re […]
Today, you’re taking steps. Steps that are leading you somewhere. If you look down the path you’re currently on, is it taking you where you want to be in your life? Are you on a trajectory that even slightly resembles the good plans God has for you? And what do you do if, in your moment of honesty, you realize the steps you’re taking are leading to destruction? You’re building more and more debt, more and more weight, more and more dysfunction, more and more distance, more and more regret. How do you change that?
I assure you, God has more for you. More purpose. More fulfillment. More joy. More impact. More connection. And when you realize the more you’re heading to isn’t aligning with the list of more God has for you, this is when you make a U-Turn. Change your steps! Literally, change your daily actions and intentionally turn in a different direction. Before it’s too late, Sis, change this.
Have you ever heard the story of Samson in the Bible? Samson was known for his supernatural strength. He was like a Biblical Hercules. Samson was set apart from birth because he was the miracle baby of a couple that couldn’t have children. Miracle babies like this were called Nazarites. Nazarite means to be consecrated to God and separated from others. As a Nazarite, you are held to specific vows to never drink alcohol, never touch anything unclean, and never cut your hair. All of this because from birth, you are considered very special.
And Samson was indeed special. He was freakishly strong. He alone could do what an army of hundreds could not. And God had good plans for Samson. The problem was, Samson was rebellious and often running out of alignment with those good plans. And there’s one sentence about the life of Samson that encapsulates the beginning of his downward trajectory. Judges 16:1, “One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.” This was the beginning of the end for Samson. He was heading towards disaster.
So, how do you know when you’re making choices leading to your own destruction? How do you change the downward trajectory of just going wherever you’re going and doing what you’ve been doing? Are you walking straight into a disaster right now?
I’m currently reading a book called The Power To Change. It says, “Disasters are rarely the result of an isolated decision. They are almost always the end of a slippery slope.” Samson was walking to a town called Gaza where he would spend the night with a prostitute. This was his slippery slope. And guess how far it was from where he lived? 25 miles. He walked his slippery slope for 25 miles to the beginning of his disaster. There are approximately 56,250 steps in 25 miles. Each one of those steps was a choice. 56,250 opportunities to turn around. 56,250 steps in the wrong direction toward total destruction.
There, Samson would sleep with this prostitute and then fall in love with another woman. A woman who’s name is forever linked to Samson. Delilah. The woman who would trick Samson, cut his hair, breaking his Nazarite vow, and cause him to lose his strength.
Samson, this man with tremendous potential, set apart by God from the very beginning, loses everything. And it took 56,250 steps on a slippery slope to get him there.
Are you on a slippery slope right now? Thousands of little thoughts and little decisions deteriorating your relationship with God, breaking down your own integrity and commitment. Realize where this leads. All these little thoughts and little decisions are steps that lead to a weakened place where you will be willing to do something outside of God’s will.
Step by step, Samson’s small bad decisions and compromising habits led him to ruin his life. And the same can happen to you and I. Maybe it’s already happening and God is here to wake us up today.
Your life doesn’t get wrecked all at once, it’s all the little steps in the wrong direction that lead to the wreck. No one wakes up one day and says I’m going to be a heroin addict. That happened over thousands of steps made of little decisions. No one wakes up one day in an affair without the steps that brought them there. I watch enough Dateline to know it’s the little things that lead to major disasters and lives gone wrong.
It’s all that innocent flirting. His compliments make you feel so good. Your husband doesn’t compliment you like that anymore. And then you want more, so you dress a certain way. Then you strategically plan to allow your paths to cross more often. Then you start texting. Then one day, you are sitting in the middle of absolute destruction in divorce court trying to decide who gets the kids for Christmas. Every step on that slippery slope is what led there. And every single step was an opportunity to look up and see where it was leading and decide to stop. You can stop this now before destruction. Girl, stop.
It’s the Amazon purchase you don’t really need, then deciding you need it in several colors. It’s the TJ Maxx clearance rack on your lunch break. It’s another dinner out when you swore this week you were cooking at home. And it all builds up, little by little to a cluttered life where you’re overwhelmed with all you have and how you’re going to make the payments on it. Now you’re stuck in the job you don’t want to be in, because that paycheck is already spent on the payments you have to make to just survive. That’s not the life you want. How did you get here? Every step on that slippy slope led here. And every single step was an opportunity to look up and see where it was leading and decide to stop. Today is another step you can stop.
You say it’s already bad and it’s too late to save? What, you think it can’t get worse? I assure you, you can make this worse. Continuing the same steps that created this disaster will make it worse. You’ll light this sucker up and create an explosion. Oh, it can get worse. But, it can also get better. You decide. What step are you taking next.
What if Samson who have stopped on one of his 56,250 steps toward Gaza where he would sleep with this prostitute? He would have never met Delilah. He would have never been tricked into cutting his hair and breaking his vow. He would have never lost his strength. We would know a totally different story.
And here God shows up so divinely for each of us, with the offer of a different story. We don’t have to continue taking steps toward disaster. We don’t have to go down the same path we’ve been walking when we know it’s not leading to the full and abundant life Jesus came to give us. We can change our steps today.
Have you been consistently gaining weight? Every week and every month, you’re a little less of who you want to be and more of this other person who no longer resembles you?
Or maybe it’s not weight, but it’s negativity. You’ve been growing more and more negative. You don’t even like you anymore. You’re in a funk and every day you go to bed with this empty, disgusted feeling.
You drink to unwind, now you can’t feel calm without that drink. You can’t feel confident without it either. You can’t enjoy tacos without that margarita. Sunsets … well sunsets are perfectly paired with a glass of wine. You say you can control it, but you know you didn’t control it yesterday, it controlled you. This is becoming a problem, isn’t it?
Sis, don’t take another step in that direction! I don’t know how many miles you’ve traveled like this, but I know for sure God says you don’t have to continue. You don’t want that life, and God doesn’t want that for you.
Isaiah 48:17, ““I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.”
God, you’ve been trying to teach me, and maybe I haven’t been listening. I know every time I buy another thing, indulge in that thing, or talk to that person, I shouldn’t. I feel that in my gut. I know it’s not right, but I don’t know how to stop. Will you help me to change my steps? Will you set me on the right path, before I get to the place that ruins my life? Stop me here, Lord.
Maybe you’ve already created a mess and you’re thinking you already screwed up beyond repair. There’s no hope for you. Wrong. It could get worse if you continue in this direction, and it will. You think you’re in a mess now, there’s a bigger mess at the end of this road. But you don’t have to take another step on this road.
There were 56,250 steps Samson took on his slippery slope that led to a weakened place where he was willing to do something outside of God’s will. He didn’t just wake up one morning and screw things up. He took steps to get there. And so do we. You woke up today to a God who desperately wants to help you turn this around. A God who wants to stop you before the destruction. And if you’ve already reached destruction, he wants to restore you now and redeem this mess.
May our prayer be: Lord, you are my God. You teach me what is good. You lead me along the path I should follow. Change my steps today. This is my stop step. Stop me here.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Are your thoughts ruining your day? Negative, overwhelming, fearful, anxious thoughts can wreck havoc on a perfectly good day of life. These thoughts make you feel anxious, and that feeling becomes a literal limitation on our abilities to even function.
Here’s the problem. We’ve made peace with feeling anxious. We’ve claimed it. It’s now yours. We say, “my anxiety” like we say “my cat”. My cat is yellow. My cat is fat. My cat is lazy. My cat is laying on the couch. All of these statements are claiming the cat as your own. Why? Because the cat belongs to you. And we say the same of anxiety. My anxiety is high today. My anxiety keeps me from going. My anxiety makes me feel this way. Again, claiming it as your own like it belongs to you. Like you chose it, picked it up, and brought it home with you. Like you feed it and care for it.
Crap, are we feeding and caring for anxiety?
Where did you get it from? I assure you, you weren’t born with it. You weren’t designed by God with the attribute of being anxious. He didn’t say, “Now this one, I’m going to make incredibly anxious so she’s continually limited in her life.” No, it didn’t come from God. Here’s how we know, 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
It is not God who makes you afraid and anxious. God gives you power, love and self-discipline. So, this anxiety that we so often play nice with, bow down to, and easily claim as our own, where does it come from? It comes from your thoughts. Thoughts running wild with worry. Thoughts consumed with what ifs. Thoughts that impact your feelings. Yes, it is your thoughts that make you feel anxious. It is your thoughts that make you feel overwhelmed. Your feelings are coming from your thoughts.
But honey, your feelings are not God. Your feelings may not be telling you the truth. Your feelings are simply echos of the thoughts filling your mind. And if your thoughts are not focused on God’s truth, the feelings they are creating are not to be trusted.
How about instead of bowing down to feeling anxious and instead of creating a safe, friendly space for these invasive anxious thoughts, we strip search them! Yes, strip search! Strip off the layers and get to the core of the thoughts you’re thinking. Thought, where did you come from? Who sent you? What are your intentions?
2 Corinthians 10:5, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
But have we been taking captive those anxious thoughts, stripping them down to find their source, then making them be obedient to Jesus? No, no, we haven’t. You know what we’ve been doing? We’ve been wearing it like a label and excusing ourselves from the hard things. We’ve been dismissing ourselves from showing up because it’s hard. And instead of taking these vigilante thoughts captive, we bow to them and make them our king. We have become obedient to our thoughts and feelings instead of demanding they be obedient to Jesus.
We’ve been living in a spirit of fear and anxiety and God says that is NOT the spirit he has given you. He has given you power. He has given you authority over every scheme of the enemy. The enemy is under your feet. His attacks are beneath you. But the enemy has tricked us into believing his lies that tell us we don’t have enough, we aren’t good enough, and we will never be enough. He has tricked us into believing that our feelings are uncontrollable and we are innocent victims of thoughts that don’t make sense and hostage to totally ungrounded fears.
Jesus told us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
That thief is Satan, and your mind is his battleground. He plays in your thoughts. It’s in your head he steals your joy. It’s in your head he kills your hope. It’s in your head he destroys your power. So you know what you have to do here? You have to kick him out of your head! Satan has no right to be in your head! He has no right to play in your thoughts. You’re a blood bought, battle fought, chosen daughter of the King. Kick him out of here!
When you strip search your thoughts, peeling back the layers, and find that fear doesn’t align with God’s truth, you take it captive and throw it out! When you strip search your thoughts and find the same repeated story playing over and over again creating all your anxiety doesn’t align with God’s truth about you and your future, you take it down! You take control! Thought, you don’t belong here! You don’t get to create these feelings in me any longer.
We’ve gotten into the habit of bending the truth to justify our feelings generated by our thoughts. But honey, you are not broken. You were not created to be an anxious hot mess. You are not lacking or incapable in any way. You’re not stuck here.
Here’s the game plan, instead of bowing down to those old familiar anxious thoughts, then making friends with the anxious feelings they create, ask God to purify your perception of the truth. Untwist what has been twisted. Bring light to the darkness. Help you to strip search these thoughts and see them for what they really are … they are blatant lies from the pits of hell sent to steal, kill and destroy. Ask God to transform your feelings to be in alignment with his truth. You are a girl filled with God’s power and you can do hard things!
Fill your ears and your eyes with God’s word. There’s divine power in his word. Power to break strongholds the enemy has had on your mind and your feelings. Stop settling for defeat. You are not defeated, you are victorious over every scheme of hell sent to make you anxious. God says in Isaiah 41: 10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Lord, we need your strength to overcome these thoughts. We need your help to change the way we feel. Hold us up in your victorious right hand and help us overcome all fear, anxiety and discouragement. You are our God, and we are your girls! No more playing nice with the very thing sent to destroy you. No more claiming the weapon of the enemy as your own, then dragging it around with you like it belongs to you. Those thoughts will be taken captive and made obedient to Jesus. And when you get your thoughts right, your feelings get right!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
How is it that some people claim to hear from God all the time, and you feel like you never hear from him? How is it some people just seem to have this big, bold, blind faith that leads them into miraculous unfoldings, and you’re struggling to know what to cook for dinner? How do we become that person with that faith? How do we tune in to the frequency where God is always prompting and guiding?
I’m so glad you asked. You’re not the only one asking. This is something I hear all the time. Pamela, how do you know where God is leading you? How do you know when the time is right? How do you hear God’s voice? How do you get divine guidance?
The answer is so simple, most overlook it. It’s kind of funny how that’s typically the case. We make things so much more difficult than they have to be. We create 10 step plans when there’s really only 1 step. Could big questions really have small, simple answers? Yes!
The answer to these questions is little. No for real, that’s the answer. Little. Start little.
When you think God might possibly be prompting you to do a little something, do it. You see, here’s the problem … We dismiss all these little promptings and little opportunities, waiting for something big, but God always begins small. If you never learn to respond in the little things, you never get the opportunity to step into the big things.
Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”
So God starts by prompting your Spirit with little things like, “Shut your mouth now. Don’t say what you’re thinking. Just be quiet.” Once you show yourself to be faithful with God speaking to you in that little matter, he will start talking to you about bigger things. Then you move on to, “Go here and do this. Say this now. Take this next step.” But, honey, if you haven’t first learned to be faithful with shutting your mouth at the right time, you never get to experience being filled with divine words you couldn’t possibly come up with on your own. If you haven’t mastered being faithful with being still, you never get to experience God supernaturally guiding your next big, bold steps of faith.
We all want those big, bold steps of faith that just can’t fail. We all want the miraculous come back story only God could have written. And God wants to write that for you even more than you want it. But, God can’t write your come back story until you’ve proven yourself faithful in the low down part of your story. Until you’ve proven yourself faithful with the $20 you do have. Until you’ve proven yourself faithful with the people you do have. Until you’ve proven yourself faithful with the business you do have. Until you’ve proven yourself faithful with the little house you have, the energy you have, the strength you have. God gives more to those who have been faithful with little first.
Jesus taught a story about a boss who had several employees. The boss gave responsibilities to each of them while he was away. When he returned, he wanted an account of how they had handled what had been given to them. Some were found to have done nothing with the little they were to be doing. The master was upset. But to the one who had actively worked with all he had been given, Jesus taught in Matthew 25:23, ““The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”
God speaks to each of us. His Spirit prompts us with what some call little gut feelings or intuition. It’s the prompting of, “you should call” or “press play on this episode.” It’s the thought of “you should go there” or “no, this isn’t right”. It starts small. These are God’s invitations to respond to his promptings in little ways. The more you respond in faith, the more your faith grows. The more your faith grows, the more profound the promptings become. The more profound the promptings become, the bolder you grow. Then Jesus says, wow, you have been faithful, let me give you more! More guidance. More strength. More big next steps. More ideas. More connections. More opportunities.
Why does he give you more? Because you’ve first been faithful with little. You started with a little thought, a little feeling, a little nudge, and you weren’t sure if it was God or last night’s burrito, but you decided to respond. Then comes the next little thought, little feeling, little nudge, and you know it’s not the burrito, this could be God, so you respond again.
This is how faith grows! This is how God’s voice becomes louder and louder in your life. You practice responding.
I started writing daily devotionals 10.5 years ago. Well, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t writing them for the first few months, I was plagiarizing off Joyce Meyer’s little devotional book. I’ve already apologized and asked for forgiveness of that. But you see, I don’t think God is mad about it. Back in January of 2013, I felt a prompting that said, “Start hosting live devotional calls.” The problem was, I didn’t know what a devotional was. I argued with God and told him I can’t possibly be the girl for the job, but I couldn’t get away from this feeling I was supposed to do this.
So, my faithful husband drove me to the Barnes and Noble, and helped me find my way to the Christian book section. There I grabbed the first book labeled “devotional” and the next morning I hosted a conference call where I did nothing more than read one little paragraph from the book and cried the majority of the time. It was a rough start, but it was a start. I was just trying to be faithful.
And Jesus said, “Yay, let’s celebrate together!”
It was so far from perfect, but it was a step of faith in response to what I thought might be God’s voice. Ends up, it was.
Here’s the thing, let’s say I was wrong. Let’s say it wasn’t God’s voice and it was just the burrito. Okay, so I hosted a conference call where 7 people showed up, I read a devotional I didn’t write because I didn’t even know what a devotional was supposed to sound like, I cried, I felt slightly foolish, it failed, so I didn’t do it the next week. Big deal. Life goes on.
I believe God honors our faith filled steps, even when they’re a little off. He’s not looking for your perfection, he’s looking for your devotion. He’s not asking you to know for sure, he’s asking you to take the next step when you’re unsure but trusting him.
Now, nearly 11 years later, I still sit down every weekday morning, and I write a devotional, but now I actually write them instead of plagiarize. God’s voice has grown so loud I absolutely know without a doubt what he wants me to say each morning. It’s so clear. It’s so powerful. The scriptures just come. The topics just pop up. The words just flow. And it all happens within 45 minutes of me going live with the recording. But this is only because I’ve been listening and responding for a long time.
I have a friend who has the undeniable gift of prophesy. When she says, “God just said” or “God just showed me”, I listen. The word she shares is no doubt from God and it hits right every time. Guess what … that gift started small. It started uncertain. It probably started with her first learning to be still and shut up. Once she proved she could be faithful with that, then God began giving her little nuggets to speak. As she remained faithful with that little, it grew and God trusted her with more. She didn’t just wake up one day totally different. It grew from a small prompting most of us ignore.
Stop ignoring those small promptings. You have no idea what they could grow to become.
Where could God lead you in the future if you practiced responding to those little promptings now? Somewhere unimaginably greater than you could ever ask, think or imagine. You could be one of those people that hears from God all the time. You could be one of those people with big, bold, blind faith continually walking into miraculous unfoldings. You could be one of those people totally tuned in to the frequency where God is always prompting and guiding. God wants that to be you! So today, he’s giving you little opportunities. Little promptings. Little nudges. Little thoughts that just pop up. Little choices. Tiny, itty bitty steps that you think might possibly be God, or they might not be. Step in faith! God honors that!
Start small. Be faithful with little. God will do the multiplying and he will blow your mind, but for now, practice with the little stuff and be faithful today. That little voice you’ve been ignoring might just be the little step that would lead to the opportunity of a lifetime.
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There’s only so much you can do here, right? You’re limited on what falls within your power, and honestly you feel like you’ve done about all you can do. So now you’re frustrated because even with doing all you can do, nothing is happening. Nothing is changing. And you’re beginning to lose hope.
Is that you? Losing hope? Frustrated that you can’t change this? Feeling stuck because you don’t know what else there is to do? Ahhhhhh girl, you are on a divine appointment hearing this today! I just know God has a personal word for you here. Write this down.
God says: You can’t do this, but I can.
So, you’re off the hook then, right? You can wash your hands and walk away? You’re relieved of any further obligation? No. You have a role to play in this. You have a responsibility here. Don’t you walk away. There’s one very important thing you must continue to do here where your power is limited and you can do nothing else … YOU MUST AGREE WITH GOD.
Now write this down: God can, and I agree with him!
Stand in agreement with God. If God says he can do it, then stand there unshaken and agree that he can. You don’t know how, and you don’t know when, but you know God can!
Girl, get your head and your heart in agreement with God. This is faith. And scripture says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.”
Did you know your focus on your own limitations can stop God from working? Did you know your frustrated focus on all you can’t do will block God in doing all he can do? Let me prove it.
Peter walked on water. He was sitting in a boat in a storm, and he sees Jesus walking to him on top of the waves. And Peter says, “Jesus, I want to do that with you!” So Jesus says, “Yes, come.” Peter miraculously steps out of the boat and walks on the water to Jesus! How cool is that? But then, Matthew 14: 30, “But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.”
What happened when Peter focused on the wind and the waves? He started thinking how he shouldn’t be able to do what he was doing. He told himself he shouldn’t be out here on the water, he belonged in the boat. And because of that, he began to sink. Jesus had given him the power to walk on the water, but the moment he began to focus on his own limitations, God’s power stopped working.
When was Peter able to walk on the water? When he was in agreement with Jesus. Jesus, if you’re telling me to come on the water to you, then I believe I can do it through your power. When did Peter sink? When he got out of agreement and focused on his own limitations. I can’t possibly be walking on water … okay, then you sink.
So, yes, Sister, your faith is playing a major role in the unfolding of your life. If you’re in agreement with all God can do, God’s power is unleashed to do miraculous things and you get to be part of it! However, if you’re focused on your own limitations, you’ve limited the power of God from working in your life.
God wants to do more for you. He wants to move mountains. He wants to tear down walls. He wants to break chains. He wants to seal the mouths of lions. He wants to bring miraculous healing. He wants to create an overflow that just won’t stop. But a lack of faith limits all God wants to do in your life.
Here’s another example. Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth, but because everyone knew he was the son of Mary and Joseph, they didn’t believe in his divine position as the son of God. And Matthew 13:58 says, “And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.”
Once again, our own limitations are stopping God from working. Jesus walks into Nazareth with the power to heal. He walks in with the power to change lives with one touch and set people free instantly. Jesus is standing in their presence with all his power, but their unbelief limited his miracles. If they would have gotten over their need to make sense of it all and instead just gotten in agreement with Jesus, imagine all he could have done there. That town would have never been the same! Families would have been changed forever.
Now, imagine what can happen in your family if you stop trying to make sense of it all, but just get in agreement with Jesus. Believe with your whole being that God can do everything God says he can do. Truly believe that nothing is impossible with God.
You see, that kind of faith partners with God. That kind of faith creates an environment for miracles. That kind of faith unlocks the power of Jesus in every area of our lives. That kind of faith enables us to walk on water, and keep walking without sinking.
James 1: 5-8 MSG, “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”
God loves to help you! Ask him for his help and truly believe he is responding miraculously to your request. Believe in his healing. Believe in his power. Believe in his provision. Believe in his way making, mountain moving, chain breaking, giant slaying, miraculous power to do immeasurably more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine. Leave no other options open. God, this is going to require you and nothing else. God, I’m 100% counting on your power to work here. All my eggs are in your basket. Lord, if you don’t do it, it won’t happen, and I know you can do it. I’m standing here in faith and full agreement with YOU.
The enemy wants you to believe you’re bothering God with this kind of prayer. The enemy wants you to believe you’re supposed to fix this on your own. Wrong and wrong again, Satan! God loves it when I ask for help. He loves to show off for me! He responds to respond to my request by giving me divine guidance and supernatural strength. Yes, it may look like I do some things on my own, but I’m guided and powered by God. This isn’t me … this is God in me! Whew, God loves that!
Do you have limitations? Absolutely! No doubt. There’s only so much you can do, and perhaps you’ve already done that. It ain’t working. You can’t fix this. You can’t change this. BUT GOD CAN.
God can change this. God can fix this. God can show up and do things that will totally blow your mind. But he can’t if you get stuck in your own limitations. He can’t if you focus on all that hasn’t worked. He can’t when you keep looking at the wind and waves. He can’t if you doubt. But, girl, if you partner with him and stand in agreement with his power over every detail of your life, his full power is unleashed to work!
I know you’re limited here, but God is not. I know you’re frustrated right now, but God is not. I know you’re overwhelmed with this, but God is not. Jesus says in Luke 1:37, “NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.” Throw your whole self into believing that. Stand in agreement with that over your own limitations. Stand in agreement with that over your frustrations. Jesus, I agree with you fully, with everything in me. Nothing will be impossible with God, and I’m calling on his power here. My faith says God can!
God can, and I agree with him!
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Look at your schedule today. All you have to get done in such a limited time. Do you feel rushed? Me too.
It’s funny how we translate busyness to importance. If I have all of this to do, I must be important, right? Let’s compare our to-do list for the day, and the one with the longest list wins most important person. The one rushing more takes the trophy. No, girl, the one rushing more is the one missing more. Jesus, unrush me as I set my schedule today. Please unbusy me.
You and I are not more important than Jesus. Agreed? He had bigger business to be taking care of in his days on earth than we have today. But was he rushed? Did he hurry his way through? No, quite the opposite. Jesus allowed interruptions. He gave himself fully to unscheduled people when he had somewhere else to go.
We’re going to read two back to back stories to see how Jesus unrushed himself. One story he’s on his way to Jericho, and the very next story he’s just arrived to Jericho. Why is it important where Jesus is going? Understand Jericho is on Jesus’ way to Jerusalem. What was awaiting Jesus in Jerusalem? The cross. Yes, this was the final week of Jesus’ life. His time was limited, yet he was not rushed. His mission was clear, yet he was not too busy.
First, Luke 18: 35-43, “As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
“Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.”
How did everyone else respond to this blind beggar? They hushed him. They said, “hey, unimportant poor guy, Jesus doesn’t have time for you.” But Jesus said the exact opposite. When Jesus heard him, he stopped and then he asked, “what do you want me to do for you?” Jesus is on his way to die on the cross and take the keys from hell to set us free, but he stops for the blind beggar everyone else tried to hush.
Honey, you think he won’t stop for you? You think you’re not important to Jesus? You think your problem is too big or too far gone for the touch of Jesus? Jesus healed this blind man living on the street immediately. He can do that. He wants to do that. He responded to this one man’s cry for mercy. He will respond to yours too. Jesus says today, “my girl, what do you want me to do for you?”
Do you want me to guide your next step? Do you want me to help you make the right choice here? Do you want me to show you how to live better? Do you want me to heal? Do you want me to restore? THEN ASK ME. Jesus says in James 4: 2-3, “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
What is the motive behind your ask? Check your heart, because Jesus is. Get your heart right about this, then ask. You will never receive if you don’t ask. The blind beggar cries out for mercy and says, “Lord, I want to see.” What happens next is the man can instantly see! Then … then he changes what he’s doing. He no longer sits and begs. He follows Jesus and praises God.
Jesus heard this man. Jesus slowed down and looked around. Jesus intentionally sought this forgotten man out and personally invested in him. You want to know what Jesus would do … yeah, this is what Jesus would do.
Now, let’s check out the second story to see how Jesus lives his last week of life. He’s already been delayed by this blind beggar on the way to Jericho. The very next thing the Bible shows us is another intentional stop and interaction.
Luke 19: 1-5, “Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
To understand the importance of this unrushed interaction Jesus is making, you must understand how absolutely hated a little man like Zacchaeus was. Tax collectors were crooked, greedy men. They taxed the people, then they demanded more for themselves to become rich. Nobody liked Zacchaeus. He was never invited to anyone’s house for dinner. He was excluded from all circles. Until Jesus shows up.
Jesus knew exactly who this little corrupt man standing in a tree was. And he knew he was available that day because there wasn’t anyone else going to hang out with him. And Jesus stops everything and says, “Hey man, I’m coming to your house today!”
This was a man who had his priorities all wrong. A man who had spent years doing bad things and hurting other people. But Jesus didn’t dismiss him. Jesus sought him out and spent time with him. Maybe you think Jesus doesn’t see you because you’ve spent years avoiding him. Maybe you think he doesn’t hear you because you only talk to him when you’re in trouble. Oh honey, Jesus sees you. He’s coming right for you in the tree you’ve gotten yourself stuck in. Sweet girl, Jesus hears you, even when you only use him as your “get out of jail free” card.
This is how Jesus spent his last week of life. He had places he needed to go, big work he needed to do, and important lessons he needed to teach. But none of that got in the way of the people along the way. He stopped when no one else stopped. Jesus lived unrushed. Unhurried. Undistracted. Fully available.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 MSG, “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. “
Do you really want to know what Jesus would do in your real life circumstances today? He wouldn’t rush. He wouldn’t be distracted. He would unhurry this day and be fully present in what was happening in each moment.
Yip, Jesus would put down that cell phone.
Did you know the average person touches their cell phone 2,617 times in one day? That’s 2,617 times you’re here, but you’re not really here. You’re not seeing what’s really happening around you. Your body is here, but your mind is somewhere totally different.
A Harvard study shows that 47% of the time our mind is not where our feet are. We’re in the room, but we’re totally disconnected from the people in the room with us. You feet are in Missouri, but your mind is in Qatar watching a cat video. Oh honey, that’s not what Jesus would do.
We have babies growing up who rarely see the eyes of their mama, because Mama is looking at her phone. We have toddlers learning all their words from the TV or tablet. Studies show when a 1 year old has anywhere from 1 to 4 hours of screen time per day, they are at high risk of developmental delays in communication, motor skills, problem solving and social skills by the age of 2. What are we doing to our babies? We’re pacifying them, keeping them entertained, and straight up damaging them, ya’ll. But it’s become normal.
We have married couples who can’t sit and have dinner together without the aid of TikTok. We can’t stand in line at the grocery store without looking at our phones. Think of all those trash magazines in the check out isle that are no longer getting read. Shoot. But really, think of all the souls around us who may be carrying an unbearable load, but we never saw them because we never looked up.
Jesus looked up. He stopped. He asked, “what can I do for you?” He went to their house.
And again, this was the final week of his life. If Jesus can make time for a blind beggar and a crooked rich guy nobody liked in his very busy last week of life, I think we can make time for people we share a home with. We can make time for people who make our coffee for us. We can make time for the person divinely placed behind us in the check out line.
I have a precious daughter who works as a cashier at a Wal-Mart. She’s struggling. She continually questions her place in life and forgets she’s so darn loved and precious. I pray today that someone coming through her lane makes time for her. I pray someone puts away their phone and looks in her big brown eyes and acknowledges her presence. She needs that.
Your husband needs your presence. Your children need your presence. Your life needs your presence. Your feet desperately need your mind to be where they are today. You’re not so important that you don’t have time. Girl, you’re not possibly more important than Jesus. If Jesus made time, you can make time.
Where are you today? Will you be there?
Who are you with today? Will you make time for them?
What can you do for them here? Will you make sure and do it?
That’s some real life WWJD up in 2023. He would be here, really here. Unrushed. Unhurried. Undistracted. Available.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
What has your self-doubt stolen from you? What opportunities were divinely aligned for you, but you were too afraid to step into because you didn’t feel good enough? What are you missing in your life right now solely because you talked yourself out of showing up for it? Honey, you settled. You settled for less because you settled for believing you weren’t enough.
How can you ever experience more in life? I’m talking about the full and abundant life Jesus said he came to give you. How do you experience that? You find your confidence in God. You start believing you are here for a purpose and you’re chosen for something greater. And you start showing up like this is FOR YOU, not against you.
The struggle, that’s FOR you. For you to become stronger. For you to break through the resistance and build endurance. For you to dig deeper and find the power of God’s spirit dwelling within you. It’s FOR YOU. But if you’re insistent on receiving every struggle as a scheme from hell set against you, you’ll miss the value of each day’s training.
Life isn’t against you. Bad things don’t happen to you because you have bad luck. The truth is, sometimes bad things happen to us because we avoided doing something about it when we should have. Sometimes bad things happen because we straight up make stupid choices and we get stuck in our own stupid. And sometimes bad things happen because we live in a fallen world filled with people who have free will and they make stupid choices that impact us.
But through it all, one thing never changes. We have a God who is FOR us, not against us, and he has promised to work all things together for our good when we love him. Because of this, we can have complete confidence that every struggle is FOR US. It may not have been orchestrated in the heavenlies, but it’s being worked out in the heavenlies and it will be for our good to bring us in alignment with God’s good plans.
How would it change your current struggle if you showed up for it with unshakable confidence that God is FOR you in this and not against you? Wouldn’t you walk in the room different if you knew God’s Spirit is unstoppable in you? Wouldn’t you boldly fight for every ounce of goodness God has planned for you? Wouldn’t that take settling and giving up right off the table of options?
Isaiah 26:3, “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit.”
With your mind set on God, you push out all self-doubt. With your mind set on God, your thoughts of being not good enough are eliminated. This is how you show up whole. This is how you stay steady on your feet and take the next step. You set your mind on God. The God who is for you, not against you. The God who has good plans specifically for your life and is actively working all things together for your good. You see, Sis, when you walk in with your mind set on Him, you show up different.
You don’t have to “feel” qualified. You don’t have to be everyone’s favorite. You don’t have to get everybody’s vote of confidence and reassurance. Nope, you can walk in like you belong because God sent you! Why? Because you do! You do belong in the room. You do belong at the table. All the places your self-doubt has stolen from you in the past, now you’re walking in with a mind set on God, a confidence made completely whole, and girl, you are steady on your feet with your confident next step because you know God is for you!
Oh Hell knows it just lost it’s grip on you! Hell just felt that shift in your spirit that said, “I’m showing up for this!” Hell just heard the slamming of the door you’ve left open for self-doubt entirely too long. No, you will not play little here. No, you will not shrink back. No, you will not give up. You will set your mind on God and you will walk in with yo’ whole self!
What does your “whole self” look like? The healed you. The you that is no longer broken and filled with fear. The you that is confident. The you that is faithful. The you that is authentic. The you that is no longer ashamed of her story, but using her story for God’s glory. This is your “whole self”. This is what God is working on. This is why the struggles have been allowed. You’re being strengthened and refined for being whole-ly and holy!
2 Corinthians 3:5, “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.”
We’re not self-qualified. We’re not self-built. We’re not self-taught. Girl, get over yourself. And once you get over yourself, you can take some pressure off yourself. This isn’t all up to you. You are not the one who is supposed to figure this all out. Your 10 step, 5 year plan is way off, and guess what … that’s perfectly okay.
This isn’t about what you can do. You can’t do this. You can’t fix it. You can’t change it. BUT GOD CAN. God qualifies exactly who he needs to qualify. God equips with every single thing needed for every step of the way. God aligns details we can’t see in a future we can’t comprehend. And then he sets us, his girls, right in the middle of it all and asks us to show up with his Spirit working within us, making us whole and holy.
Yes, you. That’s why you’re “here” right now. That’s why you’re at that job. That’s why you’re surrounded by these people. That’s why you’re in this community. That’s why you’re faced with this situation. God has qualified YOU to be in the middle of this with his Spirit, to do his work. And here’s what he’s asking of you, he’s asking you to show up confidently, knowing he is making you whole and he is qualifying you to do exactly what he wants you to do as you keep your mind set on him.
Here’s what he doesn’t need you to do:
- He doesn’t need you to play little.
- He doesn’t need you to take credit.
- He doesn’t need you to have it all figured out.
Proverbs 3:26, “For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”
You know what really stands out to me in this scripture? The Lord will keep your foot from being caught. He will keep you from getting stuck. He will give you the confidence to keep going.
Think of all those things you’ve missed out on before because your self-doubt told you that you weren’t good enough … yeah, that’s not happening again! God is building you up to get you unstuck. He’s setting you free to step into the great big, beautiful, overflowing, abundant life Jesus came to give you, and his good plans for your life have you stepping into some rooms you’ve been too afraid to step into.
But know this, as a follower of Jesus, when you walk into a room, light walks in. Hope and truth walk in. Girl, you’re bringing Jesus in with you, and when Jesus is in the room, everything changes! So, yes, walk in like you belong there. Yes, walk in with confidence knowing you are 100% qualified to be there. You’re bringing Jesus into the room when you walk in, and that’s what the room needs more than anything!
There’s no room for self-doubt when God is working like he’s working in your life. Confidence is building within you, and that confidence says take the next step and get unstuck, Sis! There are good plans for you here, now step into them. God is relentlessly FOR you!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
God has blessed you with the opportunity to live a big, beautiful life. He has brought you through the unimaginable. He has made a way where there was no way. He has strengthened you, equipped you, and blessed you. Now, what happens from here, for the most part, is up to you. What will you do with all God has done for you? How will you use what he has already given you?
Here we are waking up to a brand new month of life. The gift of September is here. We’ve never seen September 2023 before. This is all brand new. If you didn’t wake up this morning with great anticipation, you might just be missing the power of this gift. It’s here for you, now what in the world are you going to do with it?
If you use the days of this month to just drag your butt through a meaningless existence, it might not feel very impressive. However, if you use your days to plant every seed given to you, you might just be walking in a bountiful harvest in your future!
You don’t choose the seeds you are given. God creates the seed. He creates the opportunities. He gives the blessings. He provides the start. But I assure you, what God gives you is the beginning of more than you could possibly imagine. Now, it won’t look like much. In fact, seeds never look like what they will become. Have you seen the seed of a massive apple tree? It’s that tiny little nuisance you cut around when peeling an apple. But that seed has the potential to become something so much greater, it just doesn’t look like it in the beginning.
Recognize the little things that seem like a nuisance right now are your seeds. Seeds given to you by a mighty God who wants so much more for your life. Seeds entrusted to you to do something with. Honey, you have no idea what seeds of tremendous potential you’re holding in your hand right now. And while you don’t know what it could become, now is the time to trust God with the future harvest, and plant that seed!
Looking back, wouldn’t you agree it’s funny how life turns out. Can’t you look back and see how your first job led to your next job, and through the twists and turns it brought you to your career? If you would have told 17 year old Pamela that her job making cheeseburgers and french fries at McDonald’s would lead to a career of taking women on adventures around the world, I would have told you to shut the front door. But it did. Every step of the way, I was always being equipped for my future purposes through today’s work.
Yes, today’s work is equipping you for your future purposes. Don’t miss that!
What could today’s work be equipping you for in your future? MORE. BIGGER. GREATER.
That’s the thing about seeds and harvests. Harvests are always more than the seed they started with. They’re always bigger. And they’re always greater.
No, I don’t work at McDonald’s anymore, but I truly believe my weekend 3 am opening shifts were priming me for the very thing I do today. I had to learn how to wake up early. I had to learn how to choose happiness even when everyone else wasn’t. I had to learn how to be intentionally positive. I had to learn how to be faithful. That was the seed. My harvest is more. My harvest is bigger. My harvest is greater.
Look at the harvest of the seeds you have been faithful with. Can’t you see how it all grew to become so much more? And Sis, think about this, God knew all of this goodness was in your future when he gave you those seeds back then to work with. He always intended to bring you to a fulfilling harvest. But, remember, he’s still giving you seeds today. He’s still giving you opportunities to be faithful. This isn’t over. Why? Because God has more, bigger and greater things in your future.
Galatians 6:9, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
Remember back in January when you decided to do all the good things? You were going to get your life on track this year. You were going to show up and do the things you know you needed to do. And maybe you did for a little while. But what about now? Day 1 of month 9. Have you just gotten tired? Have you given up on planting those seeds? Honey, have you neglected the seeds of potential God has given you?
You stopped putting in the work. You stopped showing up with your best effort. You grew bored, distracted, and discouraged because this whole harvesting thing sometimes takes longer than we wish. But God knew that. He knew you might forfeit your harvest of blessings along the way because planting gets old. He knew you would take your future harvest for granted if the process were easy and automatic.
And you know what really sucks … picking weeds. Dang, I hate picking weeds. But, the weeds of life grow naturally and they threaten to choke out the good that is growing. We must protect what God has given us by continually removing the nasty little threats growing in our lives. Those bad habits. Those lazy tendencies. Those little settles along the way that lead to giving up. Those negative thoughts that create inaction. Pluck that sucker out by the roots!
Because here’s what God’s word promises us: We’re promised if we don’t give up, when the time is right, we will reap our harvest of blessings. What will the harvest look like? Probably nothing like the seeds we started with.
I think about my son. Dang he was a cute little boy. He loved his mama and was pure joy … until 12. At the age of 12 he morphed into a disgruntled and difficult little beast with a bad hairdo. In that season of life I began to understand why some animals eat their young. And it got worse before it got better. It’s a miracle we all survived and there was only 1 hole in the wall. (Yes, for real, there was a hole in the wall and I’m not the one who put it there but there were days I wanted to.) We went through seasons of ridiculously bad choices, seasons of lying, seasons of alcoholism, and seasons of losing his Jesus. And now … well now he’s handsome and healthy, married to his dream girl, living in Hawaii. And almost daily he calls his Mama and Daddy to chat about things like investments, marathon running, the power of prayer and the scripture he’s studying.
HARVEST OF BLESSINGS! A harvest that looks absolutely nothing like the seed I was dealing with in past seasons.
Are all my little seeds ready to harvest? No. Some of them are still in that awkward stage of not looking anything like what they have the potential of becoming, and requiring way more work than any growth I see. But that’s just the process.
Whether you’re dealing with a 12 year old who makes you want to punch holes in the wall, a job you dread going to, or the same dang 5 pounds that just keeps coming and going, or praying the same prayers that don’t seem to be working … remember the promise in God’s word. “Don’t get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, you will reap a harvest of blessing if you don’t give up.”
Yes, on month 9 of this year, don’t you give up! You have seeds to be faithful with here today. Seeds that may just become something this month! And no doubt, you have weeds that need to be pulled. There are threats to all that is trying to grow in your life. Yank that crap out and set it on fire!
2 Corinthians 9:10, “God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything.”
You know who God pours astonishing blessings on? The ones who have been faithful with their seeds. The ones who have been ripping out the weeds. The ones who haven’t given up. The ones still working in the fields even when we don’t see change.
Girls, we may not know what our harvest will look like, but we know we have been called to be faithful with our seeds, and we trust these seeds will become more, bigger, and better than anything we could imagine. So today, we’re not giving up!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Why doesn’t God just do what you think he should do when you think he should do it? Why do we have to wait? Why do things get worse before they get better? Why can’t God just swoop in and fix this right now?
As I was writing these questions this morning, God’s spirit immediately prompted me with this: God has! Countless times God has swooped in and fixed things before you even knew they needed fixing. Just yesterday he did miraculous things on your behalf you don’t even know about. You didn’t have to wait for it. It was immediate and it was perfect. So perfect you didn’t even notice. So first, let’s praise God for all he has done. Yes, before you even had time to come up with a solution on your own, God fixed the problem. Thank you God for your immeasurable grace over the details of my life. Thank you for your miraculous touch I’m not even aware of most of the time.
But some times, well some times, we wait. Some times the miracle doesn’t seem to come. Sometimes we sit and we watch as things go from bad to worse and there’s still no answer. What do we do with these times?
Whatever you’re going through, God has a purpose. Whatever you’re in the middle of right now, God’s good plans reach beyond this. And whatever you’re waiting for, God will do it in his divine timing, and when he does, it will be swift, it will be complete, and you will never be the same!
Isaiah was a prophet of God, meaning God spoke through him to deliver his messages to the people. Isaiah 60: 21-22, “Your days of mourning will come to an end. All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory. The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”
This is a letter to the Israelites who would face extreme hardships through slavery, captivity, exile, and wandering through deserts facing enemies far bigger and greater than them. And the promise was, THIS WILL COME TO AN END. AT THE RIGHT TIME, I, THE LORD, WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN.
And this is our promise today. Whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re facing, whatever you just want to run away from and make go away, God assures you THIS WILL COME TO AN END. When? At the right time. How? God will make it happen.
This day, August 31st, is remembered as one of the hardest days for our family. It went from an extreme high, to one of the lowest lows I’ve ever lived through. This was a day we had been waiting on for over 9 months. The day we were going to Mexico and bringing our little girls home from the orphanage. I had bought a special pink shirt that said “Daddy Loves Me”, and a purple shirt that said “Mommy Loves Me”. Our 7 year old son was wearing a “Proud Big Brother” shirt. We had been told by Mexico that today was the day to bring home our girls and we couldn’t drive our little white Mitsubishi across that border fast enough.
We arrived to the orphanage where a celebration was happening. All the children gathered around the little girls we were claiming as our own. We had grown to love all of these kids in our years volunteering there, but we knew these two little girls were chosen by God as ours. I had been dreaming of them since meeting them. Their little faces had filled my dreams for 9 months as we proceeded with the myriad of paperwork. Alexa was 5, wearing her “Mommy Loves Me” shirt. Paola was 4, wearing her “Daddy Loves Me” shirt. And when they got in our car with their single black trash bag holding everything they had, they knew their lives would never be the same.
They were going home.
They were ours.
This is the day everything would change.
Until we got to the border. At the border we discovered our attorney had not completed the immigration paper work, and we were turned away. No entry into the US meant total failure. Mission incomplete. The girls had fallen asleep in the car, assuming they would wake up at their new home, but instead they woke up to the bumpy dirt road leading back to the orphanage. And there, we would have to leave them.
As they’re clinging to us, crying, we were forced to hand them over and drive away, not knowing if this would ever be made right. They weren’t going home. They weren’t ours. And that day ended in utter defeat.
I’ll never forget watching 5 year old Alexa hyperventilate when she saw the orphanage again. I’ll never forget the saddest brown eyes you’ve ever seen cry tears weighted with sheer pain in 4 year old Paola. And I’ll never forget driving home that day with one child instead of three, and crying myself to sleep in the pristine purple bedroom that awaited the girls.
But this wasn’t the end of their story. Just like this isn’t the end of your story. This heartbreak comes to an end. This battle must cease. At the right time, God will make it happen. The problem is, we don’t know what God knows, so we don’t understand his timing.
With proper perspective on the hardest day for our family, we now see the time simply wasn’t right on August 31st. And there was divine reason why. You see, 5 year old Alexa was getting ready for her 6th birthday. At the orphanage, they had been teaching this scared and broken little girl how to trust in a great big God who loved her wildly. She had prayed one of her first prayers, and it was simply to have a family for her birthday. And here’s the thing, her birthday was September 7th. We were 1 week early.
After one week of hiring every attorney that would answer our call, and faxing hundreds of letters to every government official we could get a number for, we were granted special permission to go get our girls and bring them home. Just guess what day it was. Go ahead and guess. One week later, it was September 7th, Alexa’s 6th birthday. The little girl who had been abandoned. The little girl who had been hurt. The little girl who had been so scared and heart broken. The little girl who had hyperventilated the week before when she woke up back at the orphanage. Yes, that little girl was getting the family she had prayed for, and it was on her exact birthday.
Now, the time was right. Now, God himself made it happen. Now, our days of mourning had come to an end.
We pulled up to that orphanage in our white Mitsubishi like it was a white stallion, and we got our girls. We put their special little shirts on them once again, and we walked across that border into the US, to never return again. And on this day, they were going home. On this day they were ours. On this day everything would change. And there couldn’t have possibly been a better day.
How much sweeter is their story because of that hardest day ever? How much more glory does God receive because of that delay to ensure that 6 year old little girl received her birthday prayer ON her exact birthday?
It’s been 17 years. Little Alexa is now married with a perfect baby boy, and they live in Italy. But I still see the little girl hyperventilating in our car, returning her to the orphanage because she just didn’t understand God was working to give her the greatest birthday gift in just 1 more week. I’m still grateful God is so big and so loving that he allowed all of this to ensure she would always know he heard her very specific prayer, and he answered in the most perfect way.
I don’t know what you’re praying for, and I don’t know how much longer it will be for you. But I know for sure, God has heard your prayers and he intends to do something about it. And I know when God does something about it, it will be swift. It will be complete. It will be perfect. And God will get all the glory because you’ll look back and see only God could have done it.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Have you heard about glimmers? A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger.
We all know about triggers. That little thing that just sets you off. A reminder of a painful memory, causing you to react negatively. If you experienced a traumatic event, you likely remember certain sounds, smells, or sights related to that experience. Now, when you encounter those sensory reminders, you feel anxiety or panic. That’s a trigger.
But there’s also a glimmer. That little thing that creates awe and wonder. That micro moment that makes your soul feel hope. It’s that reminder of a good, good Father who holds the entire world in the palm of his hand and is personally involved in the details of your life. A glimmer lets you know you’re held. A glimmer reminds you of goodness. A glimmer sparks joy.
We’re surrounded by both today. Triggers and glimmers. The question is, which will you look for today?
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Seek and ye shall find.” Yes, you will always find what you are looking for. Unfortunately, we’ve been condition by the world to continually look for the trigger, so guess what we’re continually finding? Yes, the trigger. We’re looking for the thing to go off about, so we’re finding all the things that just make us go off. When we look for the reason to be overwhelmed, overwhelm will be everywhere. God has given you the divine power to find everything you’re looking for. The problem is, our seeker is set to the wrong thing. I promise you this, if you seek all the things that trigger your bad mood, you’re going to be in a massively bad mood. If you seek the things that trigger your anxiety, whew girl, you’re going to be an anxious mess up in here.
You don’t have to live that way. God has not only given you the divine power to find everything you’re looking for, but he’s also given you the divine power to CHOOSE WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR! Yes, change what you seek and what you find will change.
If you will look for the glimmer today, you will find it. You will find tiny things to be in absolute awe over. You will find miraculous moments where time stands still and you’re captivated by the wonder of it all. You will suddenly notice the sheer beauty of simple things you rushed by yesterday. But today, when you seek your glimmers, glimmers you will find.
Seek your triggers and you will be set off all day.
But let’s dig deeper on these triggers. What if God wants to heal you completely of that? What if he wants to heal you so perfectly that the only thing those old haunting sounds, smells or signs can trigger in you is the Holy Spirit. Something bumps into your painful reminder and boom, God’s power within you is released. Boom, God’s grace and mercy flood you and overflow from you. Boom, gratitude covers your mind and you are healed. So healed that nothing can steal your peace again. So healed that nothing can threaten your joy here.
And what if God could turn your old triggers into new glimmers. They’re no longer negative reminders of what happened, they are hopeful reminders of what God has done for you. Reminders of how God carried you through. Reminders of how God made a way when there was no way. Reminders of how he supernaturally strengthened you to get through what you never thought you could get through. A new awareness of how God was there, always there, and what hurt you, hurt him. And from that very moment, God’s power has been at work in your life to turn it around for good. Hasn’t he turned it around? If he hasn’t then he’s just not done yet.
Psalm 103:2, “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”
May you never, ever forget all the times God saved you, rescued you, forgave you, guided you, and protected you. May you always remember how he opened that door for you at just the right moment. You got the job. You got the house. It all happened just for you. Who did that? That was God doing good things for you. May you never forget the good things he does for you! Let that set off a glimmer in you today! You walk in to work and you remember how blessed you are with this opportunity. God did that for you. You clean your house and you remember how you once prayed for this house. God did that for you. Never forget that! Glimmers.
May you never forget how he stepped in with his split second perfect timing and saved you. You shouldn’t even be here. You shouldn’t be alive. But God, the creator of the Universe, is so personally invested in the details of your life, that he single handedly saved you. How can you ever drive a car the same? How can you put your feet on the floor and walk the same? How can you breathe the same? May you never forget the good things he does for you. There’s another glimmer. A reminder of what God did for you!
May you never forget how he divinely guided your steps to destinations you were unaware of, leading you to greater things than you could imagine. Wow. Look how God worked all of this out for you. Look at the details he had to align for this to be possible. And he did it all for you. Gosh, God does good things for you, now don’t forget them! Intentionally remember them. Set off your glimmers on purpose. Open your eyes to this goodness in your life that is a direct result of a Creator who is wildly in love with you.
Don’t ever forget the good things God does for you. Be totally overwhelmed by his divine involvement in the details of your every day life. Search for those glimmers. Live in absolute awe and wonder. Let the rest of the world rush on by, but not you. You have to live differently. You’re the girl God saved. He pulled you out of that pit and rescued you. He made a way for you. He is healing you. Healing you to the point your old triggers become glimmers, and all things point to Jesus.
These glimmers are all around you today. They’re in the sunshine and the rain. They’re in your dog or your cat as they love you so unconditionally. They’re in that first sip of morning coffee. They’re in the warmth on your skin and the colors of the flowers. They’re in the stars shining trillions of miles away in the universe. They’re in the beat of the music. They’re in the perfectly timed words you most needed to hear.
Glimmers.
Healed triggers. Loving reminders of promised futures that overcome painful pasts. And remember, the thing about a glimmer is, you have to look for it. It’s not a spotlight. It’s not a bold, undeniable, blinding demand of your attention. Instead, it’s a faint light, a little shimmer that serves as a glorious invitation to the one who is seeking.
Be seeking today. Seeking the good. Seeking the positive. Seeking truth. Seeking the fingerprints of a Creator who lovingly made all of this for you. Seek the glimmers. and when you do, you will find them!
May your list of little things that make you happy be so much greater than your list of things that set you off.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
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That thing you hide from others so well, isn’t hidden from Jesus. That thing you carry around on the inside of you is fully seen by Jesus. He knows your dirt. He sees your shame. He is aware of your guilt. And he’s not walking away from you for a second! You’re not dismissed from […]
Wouldn’t it just be nice to know exactly what you’re supposed to do with what is coming next? Wouldn’t it be great to know how what you’re dealing with right now is going to all work out? Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you knew precisely when it’s going to happen so you could […]
You’re waiting right now. Waiting for something to happen. Waiting for something to change. Waiting for an answer. Waiting for a breakthrough. Waiting for your next move to be revealed. We’re all waiting. God wants us to wait better. He wants us to wait different. Instead of our worry filled, anxious and impatient questioning, God […]
Today, in America, we celebrate Independence Day. Flags are waving, anthems are playing, families and friends gather as fireworks are set off into the sky. We celebrate FREEDOM. Freedom allows us to live fully. Freedom promises opportunities and possibilities. Freedom brings joy and happiness because all that has served to hold us back has been […]
Sometimes I literally feel like God tricks me into the best parts of my life. And he has to, because I realize I wouldn’t have stepped into the best things on my own. God had to do that. I’ve just returned from hosting the retreat of my dreams. Now granted, my dreams are not everyone […]
Often times we’re going through life running low on power and energy because we’ve failed to plug in to the one thing our soul most needs. What is it our soul most needs? Connection with our creator. Ahhhhh yes, when is the last time you connected with your creator? He is your power source. Are […]
Where do you find your worth? Where do you find you identity? Do you find your worth in the kids you’re raising? Ahhhh, be careful my friend, prodigal sons and prodigal daughters come from even the best of families and if your worth is tied up in them, you may be heading for the clearance […]
So Much More Have you ever gotten your hopes up over something specific happening and it’s a big ol’ let down? You’re excited thinking “finally, this is it” then wa-wa-wahhhhh it’s a sore disappointment. What do you do when you’re disappointed? What do you do when time and time again life just doesn’t quite work […]
Today you and I woke up to the opportunity to start again. An opportunity to step into the fullness of God’s grace and mercy and receive a fresh start. But sadly, most will miss this opportunity. Instead we will receive the offer of the enemy to dwell on where we screwed up yesterday. The offer […]
Your brain is specifically wired to protect you. Protect you from harm and danger, and promote survival. The bad news is, honey, that brain was great for the time in history when humans were running from saber tooth tigers and killing lions for dinner. But that hasn’t been happening lately, now has it? You’re not […]
Does God want you to be miserable? Does he want you to wake up each day, dreading the life you have been given to live? Are his intentions to steal all your fun and joy so that you walk around overwhelmed and depressed, encouraging others to follow you to this God who gave you this […]
What does it mean to love people? Does it mean to agree with them? Does it mean to think like them? Does it mean for them to be like you and you to be like them? Jesus is our perfect example of love. Literally, perfect. And Jesus shows us he loved people he didn’t agree […]
Do you have a life purpose statement? Like a mantra that shifts your perspective and helps you see your overall life and it’s purpose more clearly? I’m going to suggest that in the busyness of this life that gets really loud and chaotic, you get yourself a life purpose statement. One that remains true regardless […]
God is working, and you’ve been overlooking it. He’s moving, but you’ve failed to see it. His power has been in motion, but you’re not seeing the effects. You think everything is just staying the same. You think nothing is happening now and therefore nothing will ever happen. But Sis, you’re wrong. Oh, there is […]
The time of your complaining has come to an end. The worry flowing from your mouth and filling your conversations has been put on order to cease. This is a Spirit of Shut Up. No more doubting. No more fearful ‘what if’ scenarios spoken about. No more negativity. God says ZIP IT! God is working […]
Why is it we suffer alone? Why do we struggle our way through life entirely more than is necessary? Really, why are you here today, silently battling whatever you’re battling, thinking this is just the way it’s going to be for you? Girls, we are entirely too quick to make peace with our problem and […]
Has God been faithful to you? Do you have anything in your life as a direct result of his hand of mercy and grace over you? Does he know how you feel about it? Seriously, does God KNOW you’re grateful? Have you told him? Luke 17: 11-19 tells the story of Jesus encountering 10 men […]
Why are you holding back? Really, why are you withholding thinking you can’t give the very best of you? You’re not allowing yourself to go all in right here and now, because for some reason you’re convinced you’re going to run out if you give it your all. I get it. I used to do […]
Body Lease Agreement: https://shorturl.at/klnv9 Just how much do you hate your body? How much do you dislike your own skin and the reflection you see? How long are you going to punish yourself, sitting your own self in time out, not allowed to fully enjoy this life you have been given? You don’t get to […]
For the past 12 hours, I’ve been asking God exactly what he wants to say to you through me today. I’ve been seeking his promptings for this devotional, praying it would meet you where you are and be precisely what you need to hear for your next step. And I believe what you hear next […]
Are you stuck in a waiting period, just hoping God has heard your prayer? You’ve prayed, but you haven’t heard God’s answer. You’ve sought him, but you haven’t seen him working. What do you do in this space between asking and receiving? What do you do when you’re trying your best to believe God is […]
Do you ever feel like you do all that you do for nothing? Like everyone takes you for granted and no one gives you the credit you deserve? Whew, that can make us some bitter women! I cleaned this house all day and not a single one of you said thank you. What, you think […]
Right now, at this very moment, you are being led. Lovingly led into good plans for your future. Led onto the right path to get you there. Led through valleys and dark shadows to bring you to the place your creator designed for you. Who is leading you? It’s Jesus, your Good Shepherd. Here’s the […]
God is using your deepest pain to launch your greatest calling. The very thing that threatened to take you out serves to bring you in closer. Maybe from where you are today, you can look back and see for yourself how the hardest times brought you to a greater purpose. And if you can see […]
The battle you’re in right now has already been won by God. He already has a plan. He’s already seen the end. He already knows the victory ahead while you just know the struggle you continue to be in. We can get so overwhelmed in the fight, but God has never been overwhelmed. He’s never […]
Sometimes life is straight up hard. It’s not fair. It doesn’t make sense. We want out of it, but there doesn’t seem to be a way out, just through.
But you’re tired of going through this. You’re tired of this hardship. You’re tired of this struggle. And you’re not sure how much more your heart can take.
I hear you, my sister. Some have reached out to me recently and I want you to know you were on my heart this morning. Your situation was on my mind. I talked to God about you, and I asked him what he wanted to say to you today through me. And this is what he gave me.
Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
That brokenness you feel within has summoned God Almighty to drawn in close to you. He is here. He is right here with you, right now. Your spirit feels crushed. Your hopes have been diminished. The light of your joy has temporarily gone out. But God is rescuing you!
You may not see it right now, and you may not feel it today, but I assure you, God is rescuing you.
Somehow, someway, he is going to get you through this. He isn’t going to leave your side, you will never be alone. His supernatural strength will be given to you. His divine direction will be flowing through your spirit. His presence will be all around you. And let me tell you something, THE ENEMY FLEES IN HIS PRESENCE!
Deuteronomy 28:7 “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
So, Sis, here’s what you can’t do in the middle of this. You can’t give up. You can’t crawl in that hole and pull that rock over your head. You can’t believe the lies that tell you it’s always going to be this way.
God is drawing close to you in your brokenheartedness, and the enemy simply cannot remain in his presence. When you show up with God, the demons of hell go running!
Now maybe you don’t know how to show up with God right now because you’re out of the words to pray. You’re out of the energy to try anything else. You’re at the very bottom and the way up seems absolutely impossible. The good news is, it’s not your perfect prayers, or a 3 step plan followed that you need here. You need God and God draws in close to the brokenhearted. He rescues the crushed in spirit. God is on the move to you, you don’t even have to be on the move to him.
He’s near you, Sis. He’s here going through this with you. He is actively rescuing you in this. His presence with you is causing the enemy to flee.
Who wrote these words, “”The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
It is believed to be David, or someone close to David writing about his life. David went through many hardships and struggles. When the King is out for your life, you’re in trouble and you have something to worry about. But 3 times King Saul tries to seize and kill David, and 3 times he failed. Why? Because God protected David. God gave David supernatural battle plans. He hid him and protected him. He gave him favor in battle and made impossible things happen.
When David’s newborn son died, God was close to him, and soon gave him another son named Solomon. This baby grew to become King Solomon.
God worked in loss. He worked in chaos. He worked in battle. He worked in struggle. David’s entire life was proof of God’s presence and rescue.
And God is doing the same for you in this. Whatever you’re going through that’s breaking your heart, God is drawing close to you. His presence is all around you. His presence protects you from the continued attacks of the enemy. Will the enemy still try to attack? Yes. But he won’t be successful. That scripture says the enemy will come at you one way, so no doubt he is coming. He is attacking. But, notice it says, he will flee 7 ways.
7 ways God will defend you. 7 ways God will protect you. 7 ways God will rescue you. And all 7 will have your enemy fleeing, scattered, overwhelmed and defeated. The enemy has to flee because continually coming after a girl who is protected by God is a waste of his time. And you, YOU ARE PROTECTED BY GOD.
Know that today. Find peace in that today. Know that your crushed spirit is being rescued. Rescued by a powerful and almighty God who has good plans for your life.
As you go through this, God is close to you. You are held in his mighty arms. You are safe in his shadow. You are strengthened in his spirit. And God is going to bring you through to victory.
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What if you could be wildly successful in this new month of life? What would that look like for you?
Did you know God has success designed for each of us? You know those good plans for our lives he talks about in Jeremiah 29:11, yeah, those plans are for success. The problem is, we’ve twisted success to mean things that take us farther away from God instead of closer to him.
Success is not always overflowing business … not if that business wears you out. Success is not always toned legs and an ab or two that pops out on your perfectly flat tummy … not if that becomes your identity. Success is not always a list of goals achieved … not if that becomes your obsession.
Success is actually the same for you and I. Regardless of where you live and what you do, and how different it may be from where I currently am, we share the same success. Success is knowing and doing God’s will. Success is walking in the flow of his divine power to be right where you’re supposed to be naturally. Success is becoming who God created you to be.
This is success.
You know why? Because who God created you to be is who you really want to be. By design, all your desires are directly connected to God’s vision for your life. When you’re living as who God created you to be, you feel different, you show up different, and life becomes different. You feel good in your own skin. All this time you’ve been wanting to trade skin with someone else and have a life that looks more like theirs, but it’s your skin that fits just right when you’re growing to become who God created you to be.
Nothing feels better than living in a trajectory of your God granted destiny. Nothing feels better than walking in your purpose. Nothing feels better than watching your life transform to become what God envisioned when he created you.
This is success. And I’m telling you, YOU WANT IT!
You want to wake up with purpose.
You want your every step to be guided supernaturally.
You want to love the life you live and the woman you are in that life.
And I assure you, God wants that for you.
God is not playing some wicked game of cat and mouse, dangling success in front of you, only to take it away from you before you get there. He’s not trying to trick you into a life you will be miserable in. He’s not punishing you or withholding from you.
Mamas, how badly do you want good things for your own kids? How much do you want them to be successful? Don’t you want them to find their people, find their groove, and walk boldly into a ridiculously good life? Think about that, then know God feels the same way, and even more, about you.
Now here’s the real eye opening moment. As much as I want these good things for my children, I can’t give it to them. I can’t always help them find their people. They’re going to go through heartache and let down. They will choose the wrong people, then try to fix the wrong people and lose themselves along the way. (Oh wait, am I just speaking from personal experience here? Maybe there aren’t any other moms who have watched their daughters try to fix every broken boy on a bad path, then be drug onto a bad path herself. Or maybe I’m not alone in this at all.) I can’t always give the perfect advice for the choice they should make, because quite honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know which career will be best for them. I don’t know where they should go to school or where they should live. I don’t know what they should do from here.
I give to my children from a less than perfect resource … which is me. I truly want what’s best for them, but I don’t always know what’s best.
But God is perfect, and he has every resource ever created. He owns it all and controls it all. He knows the end from the beginning. It’s all within his hands and obeys his command. So, if God always wants what’s best for us (which he does), then coming to him for guidance is the key! God gives from his all, and his all is everything we will ever need.
He knows exactly who are people are, we just have to ask him.
He knows precisely where we will thrive, we just have to be led by him.
He has always known what will be so perfectly right for us, we just have to seek him.
Acts 20: 22-24, Luke writes, “But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.”
Luke was a man who was led by God. He said he felt “compelled” to go to Jerusalem. That’s how God’s Holy Spirit works. It compels us. It prompts us. It stirs a next step within us.
And there are two more lessons for us to learn in this scripture from Luke.
- He didn’t have to know what would happen when he followed this prompting. He released all details and control. His life was lived in surrender. If God compels me to go, I will go.
- He made friends with hard times. Luke knew going where God was telling him to go wouldn’t be easy, but he went any way. Our problem is, we’re seeking easy a whole lot more than we’re seeking God. We want God to pave the way for us, but if there’s a bump along the way, we’re so quick to dismiss the path as if it’s not for us. This wasn’t easy, so it can’t be what God has for me. WRONG. This is hard? This may be exactly what God has for you, because this hardship was designed for God’s power to flow through you perfectly, Sis. Stop giving up just because it’s hard.
Luke knew what his job was. He knew his purpose. He was living in success. Success is knowing and doing God’s will. Success is becoming who you were created to be.
Now the question, how do you know God’s will so you can do it? How do you discover who you were created to be?
It’s really quite simple, Sis, and you can start doing it today. In fact, you already are. The simple fact that you are listening today tells me you’re doing it. You pressed play today because you want to spend time with God. You want to grow closer to him. You want to know more of his word. And really, that’s it.
Spend time with God. Draw closer to him. Study his word.
How about some scripture throw down?
Psalm 25: 4-5 “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 25: 9 “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”
Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
God is serious about guiding you to the good plans he has for you. God is personally invested in leading you to success in this life.
A mind thinks differently when it has spent time with God. Eyes see differently when they’ve studied his word. Our spirit is pinged with promptings of which way to go and what to do when we are continually seeking God.
And that’s really how it happens.
Plain and simple.
God has success for you. Success that will fit you better than anything you’ve ever tried before. Success that will fill you with energy and passion. Success that will have you overflowing with joy. Stepping into that success and dwelling in it every day of your life is 100% contingent upon spending time with God, drawing closer to him, and studying his word.
As you consider your goals for this new month of life, will you make time for God? He has success for you in June, but it only comes through him.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Were you once doing well, going strong, making major progress and then you got tripped up? Something stopped your progress and you’ve been a bit stalled since. You lost your get up and go. Your motivation is now low. You say you will, but you won’t. You get your hopes up that this time you’ll stick with it, this is it … then you’re disappointed once again with another start strong and stop quick.
Or maybe you’re just now shaking off the past little hiccup in your journey and you’ve started again. You’ve made a little progress, but deep down you’re worried you’ll fail again. You know your own track record and feel it’s just a matter of time until you mess it all up.
Have you ever wondered if maybe God gets frustrated with us? Imagine God has this great plan for your life and you’re missing out on it because you’re tripped up and can’t seem to stick with the plan. How does God feel about this? What does he have to say to you about it today?
God wants you to know he’s in the business of redeeming and restoring, then refocusing. He’s got your number and, ring ring ring, oh hello, he just called it!
Look at Peter. Most of us know the disciple Peter for one thing … denying Jesus. You remember the story, Jesus is preparing the disciples for his own crucifixion which was ahead. Peter says “Jesus I will go with you even to death.” And Jesus says, Peter before the rooster crows, you will deny you even know me 3 times.
And Peter failed Jesus, not once, not twice, but indeed 3 times. 3 times he denied Jesus. And when he heard that rooster crow he remembered what Jesus had said. Can you imagine his shame? Can you imagine the reality of his failure?
But here’s the thing for us to remember and apply today. Jesus knew Peter would fail, and he chose him anyway. This was no surprise to Jesus. And God knew you would screw up too. He knew you would get lazy. He knew you would waiver in your commitment. He knew you would get distracted and lose your focus. He knew in advance every misstep you have taken and will take and he is choosing you still. GOD IS STILL CHOOSING YOU. He hasn’t thrown his good plan for your life out the window. God has chosen you and he wants to work with you through your failures and use them as a set up for your comeback. He sees your struggles and says “ahhhh, I can help her with that! I know exactly what to do.”
God wants to partner with you. With his limitless power and your God given potential, you can do the impossible … but you can’t do it on your own. You’re going to kill yourself trying to overcome your past and future failures on your own. God wants to restore you. He wants to help you. Won’t you surrender to him and recognize YOU NEED HIM. You will always be a work in progress this side of heaven. Go ahead and make friends with the process.
Now, shed the shame. Failures and shortcomings come with a natural measure of guilt and shame. But your failure is not the end of your story. Peter’s failure wasn’t the end of his story. He had this epic public fail that we’re still reading about today. Gosh, aren’t you glad to know your failure probably won’t even be remembered 5 years from now. If Peter can overcome his failure, I’m pretty sure you can too. Shame and guilt are and indicator of where you went wrong and what you can do different. It’s temporary. Recognize it, then shed it. But here’s what the enemy does. He comes in and takes that natural shame and guilt you feel and attaches it to your identity. The enemy takes your failure and says YOU ARE a failure. He’s a liar. He’s a manipulator. He twists the truth to rob you of your power and stall your progress.
So you screwed up. So you’ve gone backwards again. So you wasted some time. Okay, whatcha gonna do about it now? God’s already over it, can you get over it too and make progress again? God’s desire is for you to be restored and use every ounce of the hurt, every lesson in the failure for good in your future. But you can’t do that carrying around shame.
Understand what shame does in your life … it creates a distance between you and God. You run and hide. You pull away from not only God, but you pull away from the very people he has put in your life to help you. Where are my hiders at? You’ve had a little hiccup. You went backwards … and now you’re hiding! You’ve pulled away haven’t you?
If Peter would have been stuck in shame, he would have avoided Jesus. But we read in John chapter 21 that after Jesus had been crucified and put in the grave, the disciples were on the water fishing. Jesus walks up and says “hey boys, you catching anything?” When they realized it was Jesus, Peter was the one, and the only one, to get out of the boat and head to Jesus. He didn’t avoid Jesus, he swam to him.
Peter could have sat in that boat and hung his head, beating himself up for his epic failure. But he made a choice to instead swim to Jesus. Oh girls, we need to jump out of the boat and start swimming too. We can’t sit here rehashing our failures for the 73rd time. Remember, God knew you would screw up and he chose you anyway. He can work with exactly what you have. He can meet you exactly where you are right now and take you somewhere greater.
Don’t let anything in your past keep you from the future Jesus has for you.
Isaiah 44:22 says “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
Peter became one of the greatest crusaders for Christ. A former failure. Redeemed. Restored. Refocused.
A fail doesn’t make you a failure. God knew all the times you would start and give up, and yet he’s still betting on you. He knows you, he believes in you. He wants to restore you. Redeem you. And refocus you.
You have a chance to start again. You were born for this. Let’s get going.
Within the inner circle of BIG Life are the amazing gals I get to personally mentor. One is celebrating a big milestone of sobriety. What an accomplishment. What a life change. I wonder how many times she had attempted to change this area of her life before and failed? What if she would have never tried again? She would be missing out on the amazing life she is living today.
Another one of the women I mentor has decided to rewrite her story. She will no longer live in the wake of a bad decision that created a hole where she has been stuck for years. She recognized the ties the enemy has had on the women of her family for generations, and she is breaking those ties so her daughter won’t have to. Do you know how many times she wanted to make this big move and just couldn’t? Do you know how many times she would take the first step, then fall 2 steps back? Many. Countless probably. But this time it’s different. This time she is seeking God and God has been so sweet to go before her and make a way. You see, that’s what God has always wanted to do for her, but she had to fully seek him. He has been waiting for her faithfully.
Now, these women are living in a freedom they’ve never known. They see God in every detail. They have been redeemed. They have been restored. And they are refocused.
Redemption, restoration and a complete refocus is available for you too my sister. Won’t you grab it and run with it today? Run right into the arms of Jesus who will guide you every step of the way. Run right into the life that’s always been waiting for you.
Here we go. Today we shed the shame and guilt and we step up to receive what is being offered for us.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Our God is a healer, redeemer and restorer. His desire is to guide you to living the best life he imagined for you from the very beginning.
His answer to your request for healing and restoration is YES. Do you believe that? Yes, he will heal you. Yes, he will restore that which is so broken right now. Yes, he will redeem that which seems too far gone and beyond hope. Yes he will, and yes he is.
Right now, at this very moment, he is healing and saving. He is doing a work you cannot fathom and you do not yet know. Just as you can’t see God, but you believe he is real, you cannot see what he is doing on your behalf here, but you can believe it to be true.
Jeremiah 17:14 says “Oh Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!”
As a response 13 chapters later in Jeremiah 30:17 we hear from God when he says ” ‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord.”
It’s not a question of WILL HE. Will he provide? Will he guide? Will he make a way? Will he heal? Will he save? Will he restore?
ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, HE WILL.
What you do not know is how or when.
Jesus is unlimited, so stop limiting his power in your life to do things when and how you believe they should be done.
I’ve seen some of his miraculous works in my life, and they totally were NOT how imagined they would be, nor were they when I thought they would be best. But Jesus is not limited to my human concepts of restoration, or my timeline apparently. While it all seemed to be growing worse, Jesus was behind the scenes doing things I could not see, in ways I could not imagine. Now I see my role was never to know and understand, my role was to trust and hold tight to his promises. My role was also to get the heck out of the way and stop blocking his work.
Jesus is a healer. But how he will heal may be different than you imagine. Will you have enough faith to take your Jesus out of the box and let him work in your life?
Of course we know Jesus healed by touch. When he laid his hands on someone, his healing power would be transferred. I often pray for his touch.
We also see that Jesus healed by speaking. With one word, sickness would be gone. He told the crippled man to get up and walk, and with his word, he did. He still has that power in your life. He can speak one word over you, and your entire world can change.
But if I’m being honest, I don’t believe I’ve ever physically felt the hand of Jesus or heard him speak. But I know without a doubt he has healed me more than once and worked in miraculous ways on my family’s behalf. How did he do it? In ways we may often miss. In ways that don’t look miraculous at all.
In your bible are all the different ways Jesus healed and they’re all unique and bizarre in their own way. He spit in the mud and used that mud to give sight to a blind man. He put his fingers in a deaf man’s ears to make him hear again. He told 10 lepers to walk down the path to go see the priests and as they went they were healed on their way. He told another man to take a bath in the dirtiest of waters to receive his healing.
And here’s the thing, none of these had any magic healing power. It wasn’t the mud that healed him. It wasn’t the path. It wasn’t the water in the pool. It was a step of obedience in accordance to faith.
Your movement of FAITH unleashes the power of Jesus.
For some, getting up today when there seemed to be absolutely no good reason to get up, was an act of faith. Jesus’ power is meeting you here.
Is that you? Have you become so overwhelmed with the hardships of life that you could barely get out of bed? Your foot on the floor is your act of faith today. Your shower is your act of faith. It won’t always be this way, but for some, that is the biggest act of faith today. Even the smallest movement forward. And for you, Jesus’ power meets even that tiny step that has taken your all.
For others, continuing to pray over a situation that only seems to be getting worse is an act of faith. Jesus’ power is working here.
I know you’ve talked to God about this countless times and yet nothing seems to be changing. Me too. But I once again talked to God this morning. I approached his throne again with my requests, even when it’s been years of praying with no real change. Here’s what I know … Jesus’ power is working here. And his power is working with your every prayer too.
Take the limits off of how he can work. It may be in really bizarre and unexpected ways. I can’t determine how Jesus is going to heal, but I know he is a healer. He let Lazarus die first, then he healed him. He took Enoch and Elijah straight to heaven without dying. I can’t predict how and when he’s going to work, but I trust HE IS.
Right now, he is working. He is doing what we cannot do. He is moving mountains we don’t even know exist. He is making ways where we believed there could never be a way. HE IS DOING IT.
He is doing it for me. He is doing it for you. Will you believe that?
Decide right now you will take the limitations off his power in your life. You will trust he will work in his own miraculous way, while you get out of the way. Although you may not understand it now, one day you will and you will be amazed by all he did for you.
There is no truer act of obedience than praise while there is still a problem. Will you take that movement today with faith? The movement of faith called praise when the problem is still really darn REAL and really darn BIG?
Will you praise God for what he is doing while you still don’t know what the heck he is actually doing? Will you praise him for all he is doing in the unseen that you simply can’t understand?
This is your movement of faith, and Jesus responds here.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Today is Memorial Day here in the US. It’s a day set aside to remember and honor the lives of our military sacrificed to serve and protect us. All gave some, but some gave all. We wouldn’t have what we have and live the way we live if not for their all that was given. So today, we remember them. We mourn them. We honor them. We pray for their families. Let us not be ungrateful brats bickering over our differences of opinions, becoming so divided in a country that was paid for with precious blood to be united.
Today is also celebrated as the unofficial start of Summer 2023. For my sisters who have endured a long, hard winter of ridiculously cold days, your blessed Summer time is here. You spent the entire winter dreaming of that warm sunshine, now it’s finally here. School is out. The kids are home. Vacations are happening. The swimsuits are going on those bodies that have been wrapped up in layers. (And this is a PSA to all my sisters dreading the swimsuits … please know your loved ones just want you in on the fun, so please don’t sit this out! You can’t afford to declare you won’t be partaking in the summer fun because you aren’t happy with your body. Let’s work together to love our bodies, care for our bodies, and stop hating ourselves into a sad, lonely, hot corner, where we refuse to get in on the fun because we insist on wearing pants. It’s ridiculous.)
Summer 2023 is here! And this will all be over in just 98 days. You get 98 days of unofficial summer this year. 98 days from today, Memorial Day, to Labor Day, the ceremonial end of summer.
And here’s what I know from experience, and you do too, these 98 days will go fast. Time will not slow down. The days will come and they will go, and they will pass quickly whether you’re living them or not. So Sis, God’s suggestion is for us to LIVE THEM!
Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
What if this could be our prayer for Summer 2023? Lord, teach me to number the days of this summer so that I live each day well and waste nothing.
Moses is asking God for wisdom to account for our time. To know what’s important and what is not. To spend our precious days on things that will matter. To value the moments in the days God has given us.
Only God can give us the divine wisdom to best live this summer. Only he can show us the value of these 98 days. Only he can open our eyes to the preciousness of this specific summer. So today, on day 1 of Summer 2023, we pray, “Lord, teach us to number the days of this summer so that we live each day well and waste nothing.”
What if you started a countdown of Summer? Today is day 1. Tomorrow is day 2. July 4th is day 37. August 1st is day 65. September 4th is the final day, day 98. This is numbering our days so we gain wisdom. This is acknowledging life is passing and this is precious.
What if we could consider every 24 hour period of the Summer 2023 as something valuable God has entrusted to us? Each day is not only a gift from God, but a responsibility to take the 24 hours and live them in a way that honors their true value. How can we live each numbered day of this summer in a way that honors the graciousness of our God for giving us the opportunity to even be here? How can we be faithful with our 98 days?
I remember when my kids were home, how summer would quickly turn into a messy house, bored kids that wanted to bicker, and a grouchy mama yelling more than I wanted to admit. And now, I realize just how numbered those days were. How precious they were. I only got 18 summers with them. Just 18. Then they were gone. I don’t get them back.
If you have kids at home, I pray you learn to number these days so you gain a heart of wisdom. The heart that knows these summers are so short and precious and passing quickly will certainly live differently. The heart that sees the value of each of these 98 days will not want to waste one.
Today is day 1 of my 47th summer. How many summers have you had? How many more will you get? It’s limited. It’s precious. When you learn to number them, they represent their true value.
Tomorrow will always threaten to steal the joy of today. Don’t let it. Don’t dread the work. Don’t dread the change. Don’t dread what you’ve imagined may come next.
This past week has been a sober reminder of the countdown on our lives which we live unaware of. I learned of a beautiful teenage cheerleader who died from fentanyl. I learned of a young pastor who’s vehicle collided with a train, killing his two little girls, leaving him and his little boy seriously injured, and a mother with more pain that I can possibly imagine. I learned of a young mom, pregnant with twins, who was in a car accident which took the lives of the mom and both unborn babies, leaving a 2 year old behind.
This is real life. It happens. I don’t understand it. I don’t agree with it. I can’t stop it. And this real life comes and touches every single one of us at some point. But, Sis, if you’re here today with an ounce of anything to be grateful for and joyous over, then you simply cannot afford to waste this!
Day 1 of Summer 2023. A heart that fully understands the gift of this day knows how precious and limited it is, and will live it differently. A heart that has learned to number their days, seizes the opportunity to live in the middle of what is and values each opportunity given to them by a gracious God who has gone before them in the Summer of 2023.
I’ve created a bucketlist of 100 simple, fun and creative ways to enjoy your 98 days. The BIG Life Summer Bucketlist is free for download and posted all over my social media. Find BIG Life or me, Pamela Crim, on Facebook or Instagram and look for the bright orange and pink image. Which item from the list will you choose today? Will you take a jumping photo? Will you watch the sunset? Will you go for a hike? Will you have a family BBQ? Will you eat dinner outside? Will you have a campfire? Will you run through the sprinklers? Will you blow bubbles? Will you go to the park? Will you use the fancy dishes? Will you eat a snow cone? Will you pick flowers? Will you go fishing? Will you have a deluxe PB&J picnic?
The real question is, will you live? Will you live like tomorrow isn’t promised? Will you live like this day is of tremendous value? Will you live like this day is a prized and precious gift entrusted to you for the purpose of living it ridiculously well and honoring the giver of the gift with your attitude and actions?
It’s day 1 of the 98 days of Summer 2023. Lord, teach me to number the days of this summer so that I live each day well and waste nothing.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Consumed? Did you know this is NOT God’s plan for you? He never intended for you to be consumed by stress and worry. He never intended for your schedule to be so busy that you’re frazzled. Nor did he intend for you to be consumed by a career, cars, clothes, a clearance rack or a cell phone. He didn’t create you to be distracted or divided. His plan for you is to be grounded, balanced, centered, focused, committed. That is your best life. This is your truest potential.
So how do we get back to that? How do we snap out of the overwhelm? How do we keep from being consumed?
God has a treasure for you in his word today. Words written by a broken hearted man named Jeremiah. A man who was surrounded by destruction, yet knew the secret to not being destroyed. In Lamentations 3: 21 he says “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this …”
He’s saying circumstances threaten to overwhelm me. Stress and fear are constantly knocking on my door. Darkness may threaten my happiness, yet I still DARE to HOPE.
Today, will you still dare to hope? Dare to hope when it seems hopeless? Dare to hope when the time has run out? It’s easy to hope when it’s sunny and 75, but someone is listening today who is in a winter season in their life that doesn’t seem to end. A season of loss. A season of hardship. A season of dormancy. And hope means you must dare. You must take a chance. You must muster up all the faith you have and say I still dare to hope.
Jeremiah gives us his secret to still daring to hope in the next 2 verses (Lamentations 3: 22-23) “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Do you know why he wrote these words? He was intentionally snapping himself out of it. Pain and sadness, worry and stress would threaten to consume him, then he would snap himself out of that sad state by meditating on a positive truth.
What a valuable lesson this is for us. This is how we SNAP OUT OF IT.
If you continue to dwell on all that is wrong, that is all you will see. Let us be like Jeremiah and regardless of the circumstances, meditate on God’s great love, compassion and faithfulness.
Meditate on it. Did you know to meditate means to murmur to yourself. To repeat something to yourself over and over again. I imagine that’s what Jeremiah was doing. In the middle of a bad situation he was saying, “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness God.” Again – “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness God.” Over and over again. This is his focus. He has intentionally set his mind on God’s love, his compassion and his faithfulness.
What a great thing for you and I to do today. Meditate on God’s love for you.
I believe if we could ever really grasp the truth of God’s unending, immeasurable love for us individually, we would never be the same. GOD LOVES YOU. Oh how he loves you. I’m not sure if God has a need for a refrigerator up there in Heaven, but if he does, your picture is on it. He loves you, he loves you, he loves you.
His compassion NEVER fails. This means God always cares. He cares about everything. There’s nothing too big or too small for his attention. He is moved by your circumstances and conditions and his desire is to help you. He hurts when you hurt.
Part of compassion is sympathy. I guess I never imagined God as being sympathetic, but he is. Maybe God is like me, he’s a sympathy crier. If I see you crying, my eyes are immediately filled with tears. I may not even know why you’re crying, but girl I’m gonna cry with you because I’m immediately hurting for you.
Isn’t it incredible to know the God of the universe hurts when you hurt. He is drawn to your pain in his compassion and is concerned for you.
And all of this is new each morning. Every morning his love and compassion and mercy is new. A fresh new supply is waiting for you today. Won’t you accept it?
Won’t you murmur to yourself throughout this day about his love and compassion and faithfulness. It will immediately snap you out of any funk you might be in. It will snap you out of negative thinking. It will snap you out of worry. It will snap you out of overwhelm.
Spending this day of life overwhelmed is a choice. You don’t have to stay there. You don’t have to be stuck. Overwhelm is a choice, and a bad one.
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Our God is faithful. Oh yes he is. He does what he said he would do. Without fail. He is there like he said he would be. You can count on that. He’s never late, he’s always on time. He’s got exactly what you need today, in ample supply and he showed up this morning with new mercies, overflowing love, and unending compassion.
If you’re going to wallow in something today, wallow in that. Just get down and roll around in his goodness. Let his love and compassion get all over you. Let his faithfulness rub off on you. Go ahead and just snap out of that funk right now. Consider yourself officially snapped out of it!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
When God created you, he had greatness in mind. He formed you as a masterpiece, equipping you with every single thing you would ever need. He had a vision for your life, a good plan for your days. In his marvelous ways, he created you to be marvelous. Now … let’s get back to the girl we were created to be.
Somewhere along the way of trying to keep the house clean, put food on the table, and raise decent human beings, we’ve gradually warped into women we are not. We’ve faded away. Our zest for life and our passion for living slowly evaporates. One tiny piece at a time, we literally become a shell of the girl we were created to be.
Here’s the big question this morning …. have you gotten so busy that you’ve forgotten to ENJOY LIFE? Have you missed that the very purpose for the breath in your lungs is to BREATHE IN LIFE? Not in a forceful “I have to be here and do this” rigid way, but in the natural way you were created to be.
You were made to live life. You were made to enjoy the beauties of your life. You were made to venture, to wander, to explore. You were made to capture and create. Don’t miss who you were created to be because you’re so busy doing what you feel you have to do, to get more of what you really don’t need.
Job 37: 5-6 “God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”
There is so much freedom in this scripture. God says to the snow, fall on the earth. That’s it. Just do one thing, just fall. And then he says to the rain shower, be a mighty downpour. Yes, just do the one thing I created you to do, and do it well. You’re rain, so rain. Come on down. You’re snow, so snow.
And my sweet sister, you are YOU. Totally special and unique you, and all you have to do is you. Just do you. And do it the best you can. You don’t have to try and be something you’re not. Stop trying to contort and twist yourself to match the pictures in the magazine. And don’t you dare play little and shrink back into the corner. Do what you were created to do. Be you. Fully you, not a watered down, held back, house-broken, tamed version of you. Be the FULL version of you. Passionate and powerful.
This is your mission. And that’s it. Take the weight off your shoulders. All God’s asking you to be is the one thing he’s already created you to be. Let what’s in you come out and play. Let the real you step forward and start running the show.
Trade your exhausting quest of more for the replenishing, refreshing, renewal of who you already are. Peel back the layers of expectation and pressure, and find the girl God created you to be.
Can you enjoy the life you have been given to live? Can you do what you were created to do? As the snow is just supposed to fall and the rain is supposed to be a downpour, you were created to live. Live as only you can. Give the love only you can give. Show up exactly where you are with exactly what you have and give it your all.
So start living. Living bigger. Living more intentionally. And ON PURPOSE be the girl you were created to be.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
I have chosen to live a very unique lifestyle. Yes, I’m homeless. I have no idea where I will sleep beyond tomorrow night. I not only vacation that way, I live that way. Permanently. And yes, it’s by choice.
You see, many years ago, I woke up in the big house I had worked so hard to buy and fill, and I realized I felt quite empty. All I had ever wanted was now mine, and yet there was a deep ache of boredom within. There had to be more to life than mopping all that square footage. There had to be more than seeking the next piece of furniture to perfectly fill that space. There had to be more than a week long vacation I was living for.
So, we sold it all and gave the rest away. Homeless. Wanderers. Adventurers. Nomads. Gypsies. Crazy. We’ve been called all the things.
But more than anything, I would say, I live with my eyes wide open. No day is the same, so I can’t afford to sleep through it, worry it away, or stress out in the middle of it. I’ll be missing something I’ve never seen before. I’ll be wasting something that may never come again.
Isn’t the same true in your life. There are things happening today that will never, ever happen again. Things you will miss if you worry your way through this day. You’ve been given a life you can’t afford to miss, but maybe you’re missing it and don’t even realize it because it’s all so normal now.
I could show up for a night in your hometown and have a radically different experience. Why? Because it’s different to me, but all the same for you. I have the gift of fresh eyes where the eyes of the locals have become a little glazed over with the repetitiveness of life.
As much as you may think you want a predictable, predetermined, safe life where nothing ever changes and all things are guaranteed to stay the same, YOU REALLY DON’T WANT THAT. Your soul is craving change. Your eyes are desperate for new and exciting. And yet we cling to what “has been” with a death grip and fight change like the devil himself.
Let me tell you something, the very change you’re fighting may not be a work of the enemy, it may be the design of our almighty God to keep you fully alive in this life. To open your eyes once again, to snap you out of robotic living. To give you days you will actually REMEMBER instead of weeks, months and years of your life passing in a gradual decline.
It is time for change.
And oh how we serve the God of change. He created the seasons to continually change. He created our bodies to be in a constant state of change. He created this world to evolve, grow and change. So of course things are going to change. You can hate it and fight it, or you can embrace it and flow with it.
The truth is, God throws us some curveballs.
Have you ever been thrown a curveball in life? Things didn’t go the way you imagined. You thought it was going one way, then it changed and went another way. Yeah, me too. What does it mean when life seems to get out of control? What does it mean when the bottom drops out of your plans and you’re striking out?
How do you receive change? Do you flip out? Do you panic? Do you begin imagining your ultimate failure and demise immediately? Do you quit? Or do you TRUST? Do you trust that change is God’s curveball to keep you IN THE GAME. It’s not to strike you out; but rather so you can hit it out of the park.
Change is God’s curveball to give you fresh eyes, to wake you up, to keep you from growing so comfortable that you just drift through this week, this month, this year where things are stagnant and unimpressive.
CHANGE IS FOR YOU. For your benefit.
What is your curveball? What is your unexpected change? What is your disappointing pitch right now? Life isn’t in control, God is. Let me say that again. Life isn’t in control. Your life is totally out of control. All your planning and work will NOT control your life. God is in control. Complete control.
Proverbs 19:21 “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”
Make your plans. Your plans are not a bad thing. In fact God wants to conspire with you. Imagine God sitting down to dream with you and imagine all your life could be. Imagine God sketching plans with you and working to connect all the dots. Imagine God seeing your plans and then saying “that’s good, I like it, BUT WATCH THIS, I can do even better.” And that’s where the curveball comes in.
God not only allows curveballs, he stands on the pitcher’s mound and he throws them. And while you may not always understand God’s ways, you can always trust his heart. Always. He is always working everything out for your good. You can bet on that. He’s not out to destroy you or punish you. You can let go of that bad story now.
He is making you better. He is making you stronger. He is making you into the woman he created you to be, so much more than you ever imagined.
Trust the change in your life. Don’t fight it. Lean into what God is orchestrating.
Maybe this change is here to change you. To make you exactly who you were created to be. What if this change is a tremendous blessing in disguise? I promise you, you don’t want to miss that! Allow God to work. Allow him to move you. Invite him to shake up your world so you have fresh eyes. Understand that if things always stay the same, you’ll become robotic in your own life. Glazed over by the repetitiveness. You’ll miss the beauty if you resist change.
Now, listen to me closely and let me give you a word for today. You’ve been thrown a curve ball. Right now it seems like the thing you are striving for is NOT working. It seems to be going away from you instead of to you. But you keep standing in faith. Keep your eye on what you want. It’s a curveball and it’s going to turn and come RIGHT TO YOU. That’s what curveballs do. They turn. Just when you’re thinking it’s out of your reach, it turns and comes your way.
Where we mess up is we give up before the turn. How many times have you put down your bat and walked away just before the turn?
Be faithful. Keep your eyes fresh. Don’t grow lazy. Don’t allow disappointment to lessen your grip on the tools you have been given. Get ready. Get ready. Get ready. It’s a curveball and it’s going to turn and come right to you.
Whenever God throws you a curveball of change, it’s not to strike you out; but rather so you can hit it out of the park. That’s because he is for you, not against you!
Stay in the game. Pray for fresh eyes to see what you’ve been missing. Allow change to come into your plans and see what God has designed just for you!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Proverbs 31: 17 & 25 “She is energetic and strong,a hard worker. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”
Proverbs 31 gives us much of an outline of the woman we were each created to be. In both of these verses, our strength is referenced. Let me tell you something, you are a STRONG woman. You are fully capable with the power of God in you. Whatever it is you are facing, YOU CAN DO THIS.
The enemy wants you to believe you are weak. He strips you of your confidence and tells you that you can’t. He tells you that you will fail. He tells you that you’ll never change and you will always struggle. He tells you what you did will never be forgiven. He tells you it’s too late. But the devil’s a liar. I challenge you to choose carefully who you believe today.
This scripture says “she is energetic and strong.” You. You are energetic and strong. You do have energy. Energy to do exactly what you need to do today. Strength to show up and live well today. God has supplied it, now it’s up to you to use it. The funny thing about energy and strength, it rarely shows up when you’re wearing your “giving up on life pants.” Yes I said it … girl get dressed today. Today is not the day to wear you “giving up on life pants.” Maybe they’re pajama pants or yoga pants or sweat pants … those pants that are so comfortable they make you want to sit in comfort all day. Today is not the day for those pants. Show up for this day of life like you’re ready to live it.
God tells us that the woman he created us to be is a hard worker. I bet you have a mama or a grandma or perhaps an aunt that was a hard worker. Did you ever notice that she did more in 1 day than we do in an entire week, and yet she didn’t complain?
My grandma was a single mother to 3 girls, all born right in a row, less than 1 year apart from each baby. She woke up every morning and milked the cow and gathered eggs before she got on a bus to go to her full time job. When she came home from work she would kill, pluck and cook the chicken herself. And the laundry, all done by hand and hung on a freezing clothes line in the winter to dry as a block of ice. And every morning she would get up and do it again. Without complaint. Grandma was a hard worker.
And me … whew, do I ever have my perception of hard work tainted. Really, did I work hard yesterday? Do I have any resemblance of this kind of hard work in my days? Do you?
But it’s not just the work we do, it’s how we do it. God is calling us to be the kind of women who show up and do what needs to be done, without complaint and without resentment. Do you know why? Because hard work makes us feel good about ourselves. When you EARNED that paycheck, when you EARNED that clean house, when you EARNED that progress and success, you FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. God designed you to NEED to work hard. He designed you to be strong and use every ounce of energy he supplies to you to do good work.
Will you do good work today? In real clothes. Without complaint?
Let’s go back to our scripture in Proverbs 31 again. “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” The woman God created you to be laughs without fear. What a concept. Laughs without fear. A woman who doesn’t care what everyone else thinks. This is a woman who is confident. Confident in who she was created to be, confident in the good work she does, and confident in her mighty God.
This is who God wants you to be. He wants you to be able to find joy today, then actually ENJOY it. Enjoy it without fear that it may not last forever. You can get over that fear because girl, I can promise you, it won’t last forever. Your kids will never again be as young as they are today. You will never again be as young as you are today. So you know what, we need to laugh without fear today. We need to soak this up because it’s all going to pass.
How sad would it be to look back one day and realize we didn’t fully live this season of our life. That there was a preciousness to it that we simply missed. We were too busy complaining about all that has to be done, all the places we need to be, all that is unfair and too hard. AND THIS IS NOT WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU.
You are God’s girl. Now show up for life and live it today. Live it as the strong woman you were created to be. Use the energy God has given you. The first measure of energy can be used to get dressed like a woman who is excited to be alive. Be a hard worker today – not a disgruntled worker. Meet every task with a “can do” attitude and a sense of gratitude that you GET to. Behind every burden is a big ol’ blessing. Don’t miss it.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
There are no limits on what God will do for you. I’m here to remind you this morning that God wants to give you a ridiculous story. Have you been coming to him with your requests to seize the ridiculous story and wildly unreasonable life available to you?
Yesterday was a special celebration in my my world. Coach Lonnie and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. We have a ridiculous story. One of those “against all odds” stories. Maybe you’ve heard our story, well here it is again.
I grew up in a tiny little country town in Missouri. When you live in a town with the population of 2,000 people, by about the 7th grade every boy in your school is either your cousin, or you already dated him … or worse … he’s both – he’s your cousin and you already dated him. So, each summer before school would begin, I would gather a few girlfriends at my house, we would stand in a circle holding hands and pray the following prayer – “Dear Lord, please bring new boys to our school. Amen.”
At the young age of 15 God clearly heard my prayers and uprooted an entire family from Dallas, TX and planted them smack dab in the middle of Douglas County. Our population jumped from 2,000 to 2,004 and rumor had it one of the new residents of Ava, Missouri was a 17 year old male. Can you say heart flutters and radars set on high sensory. We didn’t even know his name – we referred to him as new boy. There were more girls than just myself on the quest for new boy’s attention, but I walked away the proud winner of his affection and I promised I would one day marry that boy.
That one day came 6 days after my high school graduation. Yes, somehow my parents let me get married immediately after graduating HIGH SCHOOL. And new boy was forever mine. We married, went on a 1 week honeymoon, then very unlike all the fairytales he flew away to Germany to finish his tour in the Army there for 1 more year. After that 1 year apart we were finally able to be together. A few short months into the dream life of living on love and ramen noodles, surprise surprise, trouble hits. A blood clot was lodged in my brain stem, causing a major stroke. I lost my ability to walk or talk and my newlywed husband was prepared for his bride to never be the same. He never left my side. He never broke down and cried. He was just there. A strong and steady rock. He fed me, he bathed me, and he even shaved my legs.
And God healed me.
We have since ran marathons together, adopted children together, and made life one big old adventure together.
And it all started with a ridiculous prayer. A prayer for God to bring new boys to my school.
God gets all the glory for this ridiculous, big, beautiful story that was against all odds.
I believe our God is the God of the ridiculous.
The bible is filled with ridiculous stories. Stories of floods and rainbows, stories of wine made out of water, dead men raised, the blind made to see, a man in a whale’s stomach, a talking donkey, and people walking on water. And you know what I think … I think God wants to give you your own ridiculous story.
Won’t you be willing to pray ridiculous prayers out of ridiculous faith? Won’t you invite God to move mountains for you? God loves to show up and do the impossible. He loves to do things that only he could do so we all stand in awe and give him praise and honor.
If as a teenager who didn’t even know Jesus yet could ask for God to bring new boys to my school, what could a girl like you ask for today? Could you ask him for your special person? Could you ask him for your own family? Could you ask him for that business? Could you ask him for that opportunity? Could you ask him for that healing? Could you ask him for your own ridiculous story?
God simply wants to know if you will give him the glory when he does? Will you remember it was him that did that for you? Will you still give him the credit 29 years later?
The greatest, most ridiculous story of all is that the maker of the universe would give his one and old son for you and I. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He sent him to Earth for us, knowing he would sacrifice his life. He died because he didn’t want to live without us. That’s ridiculous. I don’t understand that kind of love. I may love you and I may be willing to sacrifice for you, but I’m sorry there’s no one I would be willing to give one of my 3 children for you. Sorry bout ya … that’s not happening. But it happened for us. The most ridiculous love story included YOU.
In John 10:10 Jesus says “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The PDC translation (that’s the Pamela Dee Crim translation) says Jesus came so that you could have a ridiculous life!
Ridiculous – that means absurd and wildly unreasonable.
Will you be willing to pray a bold and totally unreasonable prayer to a big God who loves you wildly? A God who loves you so much he gave his son for you? Hasn’t he proven there are no limits on what he will do for you? So why wouldn’t you come before him with your requests and seize the ridiculously absurd, wildly unreasonable story available to you?
A story of mountains only God could move. A story of the impossible happening right before your eyes. A story of miraculous proportions. Get out of the boat and step out on the water where God has a ridiculous story and big life waiting for you.
Then just make sure when you tell the story, give him the glory. It’s all because of him. I’m an ordinary girl, living a ridiculously good life because my mighty God heard the prayers of a 15 year old girl asking for new boys to move to school. And so it began. And it continues in the most ridiculous, unlikely ways because that’s how our God works.
Against all odds.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
One of the most powerful prayers I know to pray is the wreck it prayer. God, here are my plans, if you have something better in mind, wreck it. And often he does.
I can spend days creating an elaborate plan of action, I can even be in the middle of working the plan, and here’s God just like Miley Cyrus warned … he came in like a wrecking ball! Boom, what I thought would work, doesn’t. Bang, how I imagined it would be, isn’t. Crash, when I thought it would happen, it didn’t.
Disappointment is a strong possibility on this journey of faith. I still don’t understand why God allows some things that seem so bad, and yet prohibits other things that seem so good. If I didn’t know better, I would think He just doesn’t care. I would assume He was just too busy. I would believe He was punishing me. But I know better. I know better, but sometimes I don’t “feel” better.
I once had a turning point in my faith. It wasn’t one of those turning points of God shows up and does something miraculous in a fashion he can’t be denied. No, my turning point was a moment of raw honesty after being knocked to my knees.
We had built a successful business, then we left that business to help start a Church. In my head, I believed our faithful sacrifice for God’s work would be met with his miraculous provision. In my head I had it all worked out. I would go in faith and God would go before me with open doors. To my absolute shock, I went in faith and my faith was met with slamming doors and dead ends. Every day I woke up believing today would be the day it would all change … and it didn’t. It just kept getting worse.
We were completely out of money and as self-employed individuals we knew the pipeline of our business had absolutely nothing in it. We were in trouble. But you see, I’m naturally an optimistic person. I believed. And I was disappointed. That disappointment crushed me.
One day, sitting on the couch, my husband looked at me and said, “why don’t you just admit you’re mad at God.”
To me, that was absolutely absurd. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t say it. I mean, he’s God. What if I hurt his feelings? He has lightening bolts in his hands, I really don’t want to insult him.
My husband continued to push and he said, “Pamela, you think God doesn’t already know how you feel? Just say it!”
And then the words came out of my mouth … GOD, I AM SO MAD. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY FAITHFULNESS.
That day began a change in me. That change only came after a crushing.
There have been many crushings since then. Prayers that seemed to go unanswered. Pain that feels unresolved. Restoration I am yet to see. And God has been working in every detail. Looking back I see it. I see now what he was doing, but I sure couldn’t see it then. So today, I must trust he is once again working and the crushing is for a purpose.
Your crushing is for a great purpose as well my friend.
What doors have slammed in your face? What dead-ends have you come to? Where have you been disappointed with the payout from your faithfulness?
It’s okay to be disappointed. It’s okay to be mad. God can handle your emotions. You don’t have to feel guilty for honest feelings over the crapfest you woke up to today. You won’t hurt God’s feelings with yours. God doesn’t expect you to always like it, but he does expect you to trust Him anyway. And here’s what no one tells you about trust; it still feels scary even when you fully trust. Just because you trust doesn’t mean the ride is easy. I trust if I jump from an airplane with a parachute on my back, the parachute will open. Trust allows me to jump, but my hands will still sweat and my legs will still shake. I’ll still feel the drop before I’m caught.
In Philippians 4: 12-13 the apostle Paul writes “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
If the man God chose to write the majority of the bible was in a mess, I guess that means we probably will be too. If his chosen messenger would experience disappointment, persecution, hardship, and hunger … I guess we too are qualified for the same. How else will we know the gift of God’s strength if we are never subjected to being out of our own? How else will we know the power of God’s healing if we are never sick? How else will we know the provision of God if our own ways don’t meet defeat? How will we ever know God’s better plans if ours don’t first fail?
God doesn’t insulate us from real life. He doesn’t place us in a bubble of protection and let us live perfectly peaceful lives. Nope, he lets crap happen, then he uses that crap as fertilizer to make us grow.
THE CRAP OF YOUR PAST IS THE FERTILIZER OF TODAY.
The disappointments you’ve faced have crushed you, but there was purpose in the crushing. Think about it, grapes must first be crushed to become their most powerful form of fine wine. If you’re being crushed, it’s because something better is coming. Your life is being transformed into a more powerful, more potent, more valuable form.
A pound of grapes is $2.49 at the local WalMart. A bottle of wine can be hundreds of dollars. Those grapes were crushed.
Your life may look okay right now, but you see, your creator put so much more than just okay in you. Okay is not enough. He sees your potential and knows you have awesome in you. So, he allows the crushing to elevate you to your higher form. You’re a fine wine sister. Fine wine requires crushing … and it requires time. Don’t give up in the process.
The process isn’t always pretty. Wrecking balls aren’t gentle. They’re destructive and destroy what once was. But there’s always purpose in the process. Our God is in the details. He is using all things for good, yes even those things which make absolutely no sense right now. Yes, even our good plans that we have all worked out, when they get wrecked it’s for a purpose. So God, wreck our plans for your better plans.
If it’s for me, bless it. If it’s not, block it.
And when God does some blocking, keep the faith that it’s not because he’s mad at you. You can be mad at God without him being mad at you. You can be at your wits end, without God being at his. You can be stuck and God can move those mountains. Or he may choose to make you into a mountain climber. Either way, he will see you through. You won’t stay here. He has somewhere he is taking you and it’s beyond this mountain. He has a master plan he is working.
He crushes grapes to make fine wine.
He crushes our plans to give us something more valuable.
He turns crap into fertilizer that promotes growth.
He uses our crappy, hopeless mess as the very thing that causes us to grow bigger, better, stronger, faster.
If you have long hallways with slammed doors, my sister it’s because God has something very specific for you and you must keep going down the hallway. When it’s the right door, it will open, you just haven’t found it yet.
If you are knee deep in a mess and can’t seem to find your way out, oh girl … what a harvest you will have when the season is right because that’s a lot of fertilizer for your growth!
I take myself back to that couch where I sat so many years ago and finally let out my disappointment in God. He was so faithful to me, even when I wasn’t. He never gave up on his plan for me, even when I did. I’m grateful he didn’t allow me to enter the doors I thought were best, because I was wrong. He had better in mind for me. So much better.
He has better in mind for you too. If it’s for you, he will bless it. If it’s not, he will block it.
God, here are our plans, wreck them if you have something better. We’ll try not to be spoiled brats in the wrecking. Help us be obedient daughters in the mess, and grateful girls in the process.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
In this life you will have battles to fight. It’s guaranteed. We were never promised a trouble free life. But we were promised victory through Christ Jesus. There will be victory! Whatever you’re facing, whatever your struggle, somehow, someway, there will be victory. Sometimes our human eyes and limited understanding struggle to see it because God’s ways are far above our own, but there will be victory.
A few years ago I hosted an adventure retreat on a ranch in Oklahoma. Opening night was a surprise adventure. We were all go ziplining … in the dark! Now, not everyone was as hyped about this as I was, so first we had a pep rally to set the mood and get us fired up. You know, sometimes courage has to be stirred, and I was the stick to stir it up. Here I was with my face painted like an NFL football player, decked out in camouflage. The back of my shirt read “BUT DID YOU DIE? No … then it was an adventure.”
I spoke about chances and opportunities. I talked about fear and courage. I taught about the game of life and the dangerous sidelines. I told them about the battle required for the life they were created for. Then the music started playing. Our battle cry. It goes like this:
I believe (repeat)
I believe that (repeat)
I believe that we will win (repeat)
The voices of over 100 women roared “I believe that we will win” as we huddled in close, jumping in unison and pumping our fists.
Oh can’t you just feel the energy and excitement? Can’t you feel the power and passion? Can’t you just feel the warmth running right down your leg as you jump and shout?
Oh yes, we are women who have given birth to babies and in the excitement of it all, I had forgotten my bladder ain’t what it used to be. I legit peed myself in all the excitement, and I looked around to find I wasn’t the only one who had paused in mid jump to cross my legs to regain composure.
We walked out to that telephone pole that stretched high into the pitch dark of the night, and we each climbed that pole. One by one, we disappeared into the darkness as we climbed above the trees to a tiny platform. Then, with no lights and no knowledge of what was below or what was ahead, we jumped.
It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. And anytime you come to the end of the night wearing camouflage, with your face painted and pants smelling a little bit like urine, you know you just had yourself a victory.
You and I are in a battle. Every day we are fighting. We’re fighting to live the life God has created us for and we’re fighting against the enemy who’s only goal is to steal, kill and destroy everything Jesus died to give us. But you and I are champions. We are more than conquerors. And understand when you are MORE THAN A CONQUEROR this means you have a habit of winning. You show up and win over and over again. You win when no one thought you would win. You win when everyone else counted you out. You win when everything was stacked against you. You win when you get knocked down because you simply won’t stay down.
I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!
Get an image of this sister, because this is who God made you to be. This is MORE THAN A CONQUEROR. A champion. You were created to be a champion in this life. Whatever battle you’re up against, may I remind you that God is for you, not against you. He has made a way for your victory.
Exodus 14:14 says “The Lord himself will fight for you, just stay calm.”
Who needs that reminder this morning? Everything in you wants to freak the freak out right now. But God is saying, stay calm, I’m fighting for you. God is with you. You are not alone in this.
Who doesn’t feel quite like a champion? Who feels more like a loser … or even more so like a quitter. Understand, that is NOT who you were created to be. You’re so much better than this.
You have more in you. The reason you feel bad is because the potential within you has gone unused and you know it. That doesn’t feel good and it’s not supposed to. Let that discomfort move you to action.
The life you were created for is BIG and beautiful and it requires your fight. You can’t sit this one out. You can’t keep delaying your action. WILL YOU FIGHT TODAY? WILL YOU FIGHT FOR THE LIFE YOU WANT? WILL YOU FIGHT TO BECOME EXACTLY WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE?
We have been equipped for the battle, so suit up my friend, THE ENEMY IS ON ATTACK.
And of course he’s on attack – he only attacks that which he is threatened by. The attack you’re under right now only reveals your value. You have something precious and it’s worth fighting for. Your marriage, your health, your family, your career, your dream, your goals – they will all come under attack.
Ephesians 6: 10-11 “God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.”
God is strong. We don’t have a wimpy God. He’s not powerless over any situation in your life. He’s not stuck. He’s fully capable of moving any mountain or parting any sea.
And you are created in his image, in his likeness. God wants you to be strong too. You were never intended to live this life powerless. You are not incapable! You are not broken and unworthy. If you’re stuck, you have chosen to be stuck. You have focused on perfecting the next 10 steps and been frozen in overwhelm, instead of just taking the step that’s right in front of you. You have been offered strength for today, will you take it? Will you use it?
You want it, go get it.
You believe in it, fight for it.
You love it, protect it.
Our God is BIG, and he is BIG in you!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Just how perfect do you have to be before God walks with you and guides you? How much more cleaning up do you have to do before Jesus wants to hang out with you? What would need to change in your life to get God to listen to you. Gosh, and then imagine how much more you would need to do to get God to not only listen to you, but answer you.
How many times have you tried to get it all together in the past with no success? You’re trying to get all your ducks in a row and girl, your ducks are on a rave. You always seem to be a minute too late and a dollar too short. You are notoriously a mess.
Well let me tell you something, Jesus likes to hang out with people like you!
Luke 15:1-2 “Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!”
Back then tax collectors were the scum of the earth. They were greedy, untruthful men that everybody hated. But then there were these other notorious sinners. Not just sinners, but notorious sinners. They were KNOWN for being a sinner. Everybody knew these guys were messed up basically. People who didn’t hide their problems real well and everyone was aware of their struggle. And these were the people Jesus was drawn to. These were the people Jesus chose to hang out with and sit down at a table with.
These are the people that needed Jesus.
Are you someone who needs Jesus? Are you a notorious sinner? We typically fall in one of two categories … either knowing we’re a notorious sinner, or feeling like we always have to share space with notorious sinners who just can’t seem to get it right.
So to the first group – those who know you’re really not getting this thing all right.
Are you notorious for starting and never finishing?
Notorious for running late?
Notorious for over sleeping?
Notorious for being lazy?
Notorious for talking big and not showing up?
Notorious for being in the middle of the drama?
Notorious for stretching the truth?
Notorious for big excuses?
Notorious for playing little?
Notorious for speaking before you think?
Great. Jesus wants to sit down at your table with you. He shows up where he is needed. That little bit of “notorious” in you is like a magnet to Jesus. I don’t know how long you’ve been trying to fix this bad habit or character flaw of yours, but Jesus is not ashamed of you. He’s not turning his back on you. He’s not shaking his head in disgust that once again you’ve failed. He’s not waiting until you clean yourself up before he has a relationship with you. No, he’s drawing in closer to help you.
Where is your notorious mess? Where is your impossible? Where is your continual struggle with yourself?
Introduce your notorious to your Jesus.
Here’s what I really love about Jesus, he can see right through our layers of mistakes and missteps and see the person God created us to be. He sees the REAL YOU. The you that’s been stuck inside, and here he comes to set you free.
You are loved wildly by your creator and his son who died to save you. There’s nothing you have done and nothing you could do to change that fact. Nothing. And there’s nothing too big, too hard, too shameful or too far gone for him to radically change in your life BEGINNING TODAY.
You don’t have to wait until you’ve got a handle on your bad habit or cleaned yourself up for Jesus to show up. He’s drawn to your imperfection. He’s drawn to your struggle. He can’t stop thinking about YOU. And no matter what the rest of the world says about you, he wants to pull up a chair and sit right next to you. YOU ARE THE ONE HE WANTS.
And to the second group. Those of us who us who for some reason feel like we have our life more together, as if our works are better, as if our crap doesn’t stink. Still notorious. Notorious of being judgmental. Notorious for being self-righteous. Oh wait, we’re no better than anyone else. Girl, your sin stinks too.
Just because you can finish what you start, just because you wake up on time, just because your pants zip … you’re still a notorious mess in areas of your life. May we remember the people we are judging and talking bad about are the very people Jesus is drawing in close to. We better check ourselves.
Those people you think you’re better than … uhhhh yeah, well Jesus is standing right beside them. I don’t think you want to throw around those judgments and insults when he is by their side. Nope, I’m pretty sure we’re going to want to show up with some love knowing Jesus is standing up for them.
Isn’t it funny, we’re either in group 1 beating ourselves up or we’re in group 2 beating someone else up. And somedays we switch groups, depending on the previous days failures and successes.
Understand if you could have gotten this thing right on your own, you wouldn’t have needed a savior. Understand your entire life is simply a journey to becoming more of who you were created to be, and today you get to mindfully practice patience with your own journey and patience with the journey of others.
Jesus isn’t running away from anyone’s sin, he’s running right for it!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Today, lets talk about something all the ladies want to talk about. Eyelashes. Yes, those big beautiful lashes we all want.
Fake eyelashes are my one guilty pleasure. I straight up love me some big long lashes. They’re all the rage. Hey for a few hundred bucks you can go get you some lash extensions applied that will last a few weeks – or you can be like me and spend a whopping 3 bucks on the Salon Perfect or KISS brand at the local WalMart and practice becoming a master at gluing them on.
I’ve had 15 years of practice so I nearly have an unfair advantage. You see, I started wearing fake lashes when no one else knew they still existed in stores, probably still hanging there from the 60’s when American women were last obsessed with lashes.
Hang with me – I’m going somewhere here folks.
It was like my 2nd day of wearing lashes and a beautiful young girl in my office looked me in the eyes and said “wow … are those YOUR lashes?”
Obvious answer – no. However my answer was – yes. Shamefully I said yes. Then our conversation turned into “what brand of mascara do you use and can I come over sometime so you can show me how to do that?”
I avoided her from that day on. No joke.
Why did I do that? I had literally just faced a spiritual battle. I knew the truth was better, but I just wanted for a moment to take credit for something that wasn’t mine. I straight up lied. No beating around the bush about it. I claimed those lashes to be homegrown when they were as fake as the $3 bill that bought them.
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
Every ounce of goodness in our lives is from the storehouse of Heaven, given to us as a gift by our loving Creator. The question is, are we giving him the credit he deserves?
Life is always going to give us an opportunity to take credit for things we have no business taking credit for. The applause and the compliments are almost addicting. The spotlight feels good. We all crave to be recognized. But are we keeping the glory for ourselves, or are we turning the spotlight right back to God where it belongs?
What have you been taking credit for with your puffed up ego, that had really NOTHING to do with you, and everything to do with a loving, merciful, generous, relentless God who chased you down and blessed you?
Answer … everything. Like literally everything! It wasn’t you, Sis, it was God!
The average person in the world earns $2 per day. TWO DOLLARS. It’s amazing to me how quickly we can blow $2 and the average person had to put in a hard days labor (I’m talking labor like you and I have never experienced before) for the same $2 we loosely spend on a chapstick we’ll lose tomorrow.
So here we are with our money and our luxuries and our 1st world problems and we think it’s all because we’re good people. It’s because we are deserving somehow? It’s because we earned it. Give me the spotlight and let me show you how good I am and how deserving I am of all this goodness.
Pshhhhhhh – girl listen to me. None of the glory goes to us. Just as those weren’t my lashes and it was all a result of a $3 box of pixy wings affixed perfectly to my eyelids, all the goodness in our life is simply a result of God’s grace and mercy. Every good and perfect gift is from above, NOT FROM YOU.
Every success in our lives is all a result of God. I mean sure you worked – you put in some good effort. But don’t forget it was God that gave you the ability and the opportunity that TRULY made it happen. The credit goes to him. Make your life a stage which gives God the spotlight.
Let me tell you something, that spotlight is dangerous and intoxicating. Look at our celebrities today. How hard is it to live a good life when that spotlight shines so brightly on you and everyone knows your name? We think that’s what we want, but I honestly wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. Spotlights bring out the haters. Spotlights highlight our flaws. Spotlights fluff our ego, then our ego chokes us out. All because the spotlight was never meant for us. It’s God’s. Only God’s.
Love God so big and so out loud that your gratitude for all he has done in your life acts as a magnet to others. Pull them in to know your God by giving him the credit. It really wasn’t you. It was God.
In Philippians chapter 3 Paul encourages us to stop bragging about ourselves and start praising God. I love how he puts together this impressive list of all his accomplishment and then he says they’re like “dung” – you know dung, manure, crap, a big pile of du-du – compared to what Christ is in his life.
And that is us too. I don’t know how awesome your accomplishments are – perhaps your list of successes will be mighty long this month, and I’m so proud of you – but please please remember this – God is the foundation of all those things. All good and perfect things are from above. Give him credit. The opportunities came because of Him. The connections were orchestrated by him. The strength is because of Him. The ability because of Him. Every ounce of your value, worth, talent and treasure are because of Him. Your time … that is Him. It starts with Him and it ends with Him.
Taking the credit for all the good things in your life like you’re all that and a bag of chips is like me claiming those eyelashes were mine.
Give glory to God for every good and perfect thing in your life today. All of it. Recognize his fingerprints are all over your life. It’s really not about you … it’s about him, because he’s a good good Father, and you’re his beloved daughter. Make this day of your life a stage which gives God the spotlight.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Where are my people that like to shoot it straight? Don’t beat around the bush, don’t give me fluff, just tell it like it is? Well I hope you’re listening this morning, because today’s devotional is for you. We’re reading in Matthew 22 and Jesus is being trapped with a trick question by people who wanted to make things more difficult. The truth is “difficult” serves some people. Some people make a living by making simple things really difficult. And some people make their lives miserable by making everything more difficult than it really needs to be. So an expert in religious law (enter my own gagging motion here) lays out his snarky question to Jesus “Teacher, tell us, which is the most important commandment in the law?”
And Jesus’ reply in verse 37 & 38 – “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Well that’s not what they wanted to hear. And the truth is, that’s hard for us to hear today. Honestly it would be a whole lot easier to have a list of specifics like “wake up at 5 am – make your bed – and keep your toilets sparkling clean at all times.” But this whole “love God with your everything and love others as much as you love your own self” – oh dang, that’s hard.
But Jesus’ reply is still true today, here’s the line up for this Monday. If you want to do this day right, LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE.
This is the most important thing. Love God and love people.
And here’s where we’ve potentially gone wrong. We’ve covered up the 2 most important things with all the details and routines. We’re just going through the motions and we’ve lost our heart to love. Maybe you’re even listening to this right now more out of obligation than out of an act of love for God. Are you seeking to check that “devotional” box on your daily checklist, or are you here to draw close to your creator and love him more?
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of our routines and habits and make everything seem like an obligation – ALL WHILE WE ARE LOSING THE HEART OF IT.
God doesn’t need your devotional time. He wants your heart your soul and your mind. ALL OF IT. He wants all of it, all of you. Why? Because he ultimately wants what’s best for you and he knows YOU NEED HIM. Why do you need him? Because you were created to need him. You can never get this thing called life right without him. Maybe you’ve been trying to do this without him … and you wonder why it’s not working. It never will. The relationship you’ve been trying to fix won’t work without him. The business you’ve been trying to start, grow or save won’t work without him. The goal won’t work without him. The dream, the hope, the change won’t work without him. Exhaust yourself trying, but you’ll see it’s true.
Revelations 2:4 says
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
Remember when you were once hungry for God? When you would sit down and get lost in your Bible? When you would pour out your heart in prayer? Have you forgotten how you used to love Him? How you used to worship? Remember back when you weren’t so DISTRACTED. Ahhhh, yes, that’s a big word. Distracted. Are you so distracted that you’re unable to love the way you used to?
Now let’s talk about our love for others. Do you remember a time when you used to do things for people from a loving genuine heart? When your yes was truly yes and you didn’t regret it 5 minutes later? Remember when you didn’t dread doing those loving deeds and acts? And now, it’s all a big chore.
You have to cook for them.
You have to clean for them.
You have to wait on them.
And wives, you have to uhmmm with him.
Oh it once was all an act of love, now the routine and habit of it all has grown old and we’re no longer acting in love, we’re acting in obligation.
STOP THAT. Stop it right now. Snap out of your routines and sticky details that turn everything into an obligation. You don’t have time to waste here sister. You can’t live today as if it’s an obligation. This is an opportunity. This is a gift. Let’s get it right starting now.
Love God, love people. Come back to your first love. I remember 25 years ago being a newlywed and feeling the excitement of getting to wash my husbands clothes. It was pure joy. I want to wash his clothes like that today. I remember the sheer excitement of hearing our son’s voice on the phone the first time he called home from the Army. If he calls today, I want to answer like that. I remember when I used to open my bible to a random page and consume every word with such hunger. I remember when I used to pray daily on my knees, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I want to do that today.
Let us come back to the heart of it – Love God, Love People. Let us not get lost in the routines and habits of it all. Let us not act out of obligation of all we HAVE to do, but a deep sense of gratitude for what we GET to do.
This is the most important thing you can do today. Get it right and everything else seems to fall in place. Get it wrong and welcome to another day of missing the mark. Love God, love people.
It makes me think of the lyrics of one of my favorite Hillsong worship songs titled “So Will I”. It says:
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love them so will I
Jesus gave his life to love the people around you today. Don’t you think you can just love them? You don’t have to give them a dollar. All you have to do is love them. Jesus died to save them. Now you love them. Love them with your whole heart. Love them by seeing the good in them. Love them by seeing God’s fingerprints all over them.
And remember, it always starts at home. Not because you have to, but because you get to. Not out of obligation and routine, but because it’s an HONOR to get to love because first God loved you.
Don’t make it more difficult than it really is. Today you love.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
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Ahhh, the struggle is real. Morning time can be tough. When that alarm rings and you know you have to get up… The day is starting and you’re already behind…
The general consensus among Americans is, most of us hate mornings. If we could skip the wee hours of the morning, we would. If we could sleep away a few more hours of the day, we would. If we could delay our start, we would. In fact, you were calculating the amount of sleep you would get last night when you went to bed and you had already determined it wouldn’t be enough … am I right?
The first hour of your day impacts all the hours to follow. For many of us, we’re losing before our feet even hit the floor. Why? Because we’re laying in bed not ready to receive the new day. We’re dreading the morning and we’re wasting this most precious time. And we’re forfeiting our strength without even knowing it!
Maybe you think I’m just saying this because I’m a morning person. Yes, I generally wake up farting rainbows, but do you know why? Because I grew up in a home where I was taught the rising sun is to be celebrated, not dreaded. Because as an adult I discovered something was waiting for me the moment I woke up. And something is waiting for you the moment you wake up too. And this something is more valuable than anything else you could ever receive. Unfortunately many are missing it.
What is it?
Mercy.
Lamentations 3: 22-23 says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
God’s mercy is new every morning. What is his mercy? His loving goodness, kindness and compassion. And when do you receive it new? Every morning.
This is worth waking up for my friends! The creator of the entire universe wanted to pour out his best on YOU this morning, regardless of how you did yesterday. Did you wake up excited to receive it? Did you wake up in anticipation of this goodness, kindness and compassion?
All good things come under attack. It’s the way of the world. You plant a beautiful garden and here come the weeds. Every morning you are offered the best of the best in the form of God’s mercy and as a result of this goodness coming your way, there’s a full on attack. The weeds come growing up around his love and kindness being offered as your alarm rings, ready to choke out every ounce of compassion you’re about to receive.
If the enemy can keep you in bed, he wins. If he can delay your feet hitting the ground, he has more time to grow his nasty weeds. And while you snooze and dread the beginning of your day, here’s what happens … God’s mercies are being traded for the enemy’s condemnation.
God offers you love and grace and compassion. He offers you energy and passion and purpose. But when you don’t wake up to receive it, you start trading all his goodness for the condemnation of the enemy. You feel defeated before you even get up. You dread the day. You are disappointed that once again you’re running behind, your morning has been ruined, and clearly there’s something seriously wrong with you because you just can’t seem to get up in the morning. That’s what condemnation sounds like. You’re broken. Everyone else can do this, but you can’t. You’re a disappointment. You’re wasting your life. This is condemnation and it only makes you feel worse, right. And that’s NOT from God.
Romans 8:1 says “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” As a follower of Jesus, there is now no condemnation. What the enemy is trying to put on you is NOT yours to receive. Stop letting him win your mornings. Stop letting him steal your blessings. Every morning God is offering you his mercy (his loving goodness, kindness and compassion). Start receiving that and stop accepting the enemy’s condemnation that comes with dreading your morning and not getting up. God says “come on girl, wake up I’ve got something great for you!” The enemy says, “you’re not even good enough to wake up on time.”
Psalm 30:5 says “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Joy is here to greet you this morning. And you know what joy is? Joy is your STRENGTH. When you are lacking joy, you are weak. This is where we get overwhelmed and depressed. This is where life becomes dark, when we lose our joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says “This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
If joy is your strength, and joy comes in the morning … don’t you want to wake up and receive it?
Don’t you understand why there’s such a battle for your morning? Because this is where the power is my friend. When your feet hit the floor to receive your joy, your strength, and that mercy that is being offered for you each morning, the enemy knows HE JUST LOST. When you get up to receive and live, his condemnation and attack on your worth falls short. Laying in bed he can convince you of your worthlessness. He can whisper his lies in your ear and you will begin believing them. This is why most people hate morning time. Because there has been a battle and our laziness has been letting the enemy win. We’ve started to believe his condemning nonsense. We greet the day with dread and regret, surrendering to the loss.
And this stops now. No more letting the enemy take the most precious time of the day from us. No more allowing his presence in the morning when God’s mercies are poured out and strength is offered! God, please help us to wake up better! When you get up in the morning like you know you should, here come God’s mercies, his loving goodness, kindness and compassion to flood your heart, mind, body and soul.
Yes, bring it on God. We receive your mercies today. We find our joy this morning and we know our joy is our strength. This is a sacred day and we wake up to receive it, not because we have to, but because we GET to. We GET to live today! We GET to be surrounded by his creation today. We GET to experience life today. And it all started with the offer of a really beautiful morning! Aren’t you glad you got up for it?
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
How many times have we said, “If I only knew what God’s will was, I would do it!” We search and we wait for God’s will, promising we will be obedient if God will clearly tell us what his will is. What if I told you I know exactly what God’s will is for you today? What if I could direct you to a scripture that makes it so clear you can’t possibly miss it? Are you ready for this?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Did you get it? THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU, always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances.
Those three things are God’s will for you today, tomorrow and always. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “God’s will”, think of God’s sovereign plan for your life. God’s will is his ultimate desire for you. Most of us spend our entire lives wandering around, dabbling here and there, wondering what God’s will is. And what we find is this truth … God is so much more concerned with HOW you live than WHAT you do.
What if this entire time you’ve been praying about WHAT to do and God is saying ‘girl, it’s not what you do, it’s HOW you do it.” It’s not where you live, you can live anywhere. It’s how you live. It’s not where you work. God can bless you anywhere you work, it’s how you work. We get so caught up in the details of what … have we missed the importance of how? How are you living? How did you wake up this morning?
God is so so so good to us. He knows we are hardheaded. He knows we are distracted, always focusing on the wrong thing. And so he breaks it down for us. He gives us 3 simple ‘how to’s’ for us to follow today.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances.
JOYFUL
Will you be joyful today? Quite simply, will you choose to be happy? Yes, I said choose because happiness is always a choice. Just as you choose what clothes to put on today, you can choose to be joyful. Imagine in your closet hangs 3 shirts. One is your joyful shirt. One is your worried shirt. And another is your grouchy shirt. Which one will you choose to put on?
Why would we ever intentionally put on our grouchy shirt and choose to go through our day agitated, irritated, disgrunteled and generally grouchy butt about life? While you put on that grouchy shirt, you mite as well go ahead and reach behind you and pull your panties up in a big ol’ wad and walk sideways too!
You tell me, “but Pamela I have so much to be worried about … today is a day I really need to wear my worried shirt.” Hmmmm … I wonder, does that really help anything? Has worrying about a single thing ever made it better? That track record sucks!
Scripture tells me that God’s will for you is to ALWAYS be joyful. I’m pretty sure always includes TODAY.
NEVER STOP PRAYING
So, you’re dealing with some less than perfect circumstances? Gotcha. Me too. And God’s will has that covered. His second instruction is to never stop praying. John 7:38 says that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ shall have living waters flowing through him. So imagine water flowing through your heart, mind, body and soul. Now imagine that living water flowing through you touching every burden, every worry and every depressing, hopeless thought you may have and allow that water to sweep them away. This is FLOWING WATER. It is MOVING. It is not stagnant. So imagine releasing your death grip on those burdens and worries and negative thoughts and watch them drift away in the flowing water of Jesus. Release them. It is God’s will for you. This is what prayer does. When you pray about something, you release it and let the living water carry it away. You don’t have to sit and drown in your worries. Pray about it and release it.
BE THANKFUL
And finally, be thankful in all circumstances. Easier said than done, right? Maybe you’re going through something right now that seems so incredibly impossible, so overwhelming difficult that you can’t possibly be thankful for it. So you carry around this guilt trip thinking how disappointed your God must be in you because you just can’t be thankful for this cancer diagnosis, you can’t be thankful for the pink slip that told you your husband’s job of 20 years just ended. You can’t be thankful for you child’s illness, or your pending divorce, or your family’s suffering. And you don’t have to be. God’s will is for you to be thankful IN all circumstances, not FOR all circumstances.
Some things you just can’t be thankful for. And that’s okay. You don’t have to be. However, IN all circumstances you can be thankful. It’s a perspective shift from ‘have to’ to ‘get to’. It’s an attitude of gratitude. It’s an intentional highlighting of any little thing that is good and right in a season of dark gray. Find something, anything, to be grateful for today, and dwell on that.
Does your family have food to eat today? Do you have a car to get to where you need to go? Do you have people who love you? Then be thankful.
This is God’s will for you always, and always includes TODAY. Always be joyful. Never stop praying and Be thankful in all circumstances.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Today’s devotional is for the women who have been hurt. Those who woke up disappointed today. Those who feel overwhelmed. Those who are beginning to believe it’s too late and they’re loosing hope. For you, the one who is disheartened by the journey right now with not a lot left to give.
In Isaiah 61:3 God reminds you He will give a crown of beauty for ashes.
What are your ashes? Ashes are the evidence of a fire that destroyed. The remains of a dream that went up in flames. The remnants of a woman who is burned out. These are ashes.
We all have them. We’ve all been hurt. We’ve all messed up. We’ve all been scorched by the fires of life … but we don’t have to live as women who are just a pile of rubble after the destruction.
No, God promises beauty for ashes.
What does this mean? This means you can take your heaping pile of all you’ve ever given up on in life, all that seems too far gone and hopeless, all that appears to be ruined and EXCHANGE IT FOR BEAUTY. Something magnificent for something malfunctioning. Something beneficial for something broken. Something desirable for something destitute. Something worthy for something worthless.
Beauty for ashes.
A beautiful life for a burned out life. What a deal.
That’s like trading in your 20 year old junker Honda that barely runs for a brand spanking new Range Rover with after effects. If you heard that deal advertised on TV wouldn’t you drop everything you were doing and get yourself to the car dealership? Oh you bet you would. Trade out your old used up car for a beautiful new one.
And listen to me here, God is offering something worth so much more than a car. Imagine the adds, TODAY ONLY YOU CAN TRADE IN YOUR OLD DISAPPOINTMENTS AND FAILURES FOR A BRAND NEW EXCITING PURPOSE FILLED LIFE.
Wouldn’t you find a way to get yourself wherever you needed to be to redeem that offer? Will you today?
The offer is available to you right now. Beauty for ashes.
God does not leave your heartbreak unredeemed! He doesn’t leave your failure unforgiven. He doesn’t leave you! You, he’s coming back for you! You’re not being left behind. He’s coming back to take whatever you have left and create something beautiful, worthy, meaningful, and life changing with it.
Whatever your ashes are, God is offering you beauty in exchange today. But that means you have to GIVE UP the ashes. You have to give up being a victim. You can’t hold on to your ashes and carry them around for everyone to see. You have to make the EXCHANGE. Beauty for ashes. Turn over your heartache. Turn over your failure. Turn over your disappointment. Turn over your hurt. Release it. It no longer belongs to you. And you know what’s really powerful about this. When the pain no longer belongs to you, YOU NO LONGER BELONG TO THE PAIN. And with your release of the ashes, God gives you beauty.
He gives you purpose. He gives you a passion. He sets your feet on a path to use every ounce of struggle for good in this world.
Beauty for ashes. What a deal. Girl, you gotta get in on this. Make that exchange today. God, here’s my pile of ashes. I give them to you and I thank you for giving me beauty in exchange.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
This storm you’re in right now … this mess, this stress, this uncertainty, this hardship … it’s causing you to see something. What are you seeing here?
Are you seeing all that is wrong? Are you seeing how unfair this is? Are you seeing the threats?
If you are, I bet you’re sinking, huh? You’re stressed. You’re confused. You’re overwhelmed. You’re scared.
But, my sister, if you look for something else, you will certainly find something else, and that something else will radically change how you go through this storm, as well as how you come out of it.
For the disciples, every storm they faced brought an encounter with Jesus. And the same is true for you and I. Our storms bring us to Jesus. I have to believe it’s why life is full of storms … God wants our lives full of Jesus.
And here’s what we must remember: In the middle of the storm, Jesus is doing amazing, miraculous, glorious things. If all you ever want is to get out of the storms of your life, you may just be missing what Jesus is doing in the middle of the storms. Right here, right now, today, in the face of all that is wrong, there is so much more that is so right. Jesus is working here. All you have to do is look for him.
One of my best friends is at home with her 50 year old husband who is on Hospice, likely living his final days of this life. They’re not fearful. They’re not overwhelmed. They’re not miserable. The storms are raging, but they have found peace, joy and immeasurable blessings going through it. Why? Their focus is on Jesus and all he is doing. It’s a choice each moment, and that choice has them walking in the miraculous provisions of Jesus.
For Peter, the storm brought an opportunity to step into the miraculous. It was an invitation to do the impossible. To walk on water. Yes, to stand on the waves that threatened. To rise above the storm and see that Jesus was always more powerful than the circumstances, and with him, he could be too.
Matthew 14: 24-33 “The disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
“Yes, come,” Jesus said.
So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,”Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.
What was Jesus doing in the middle of the storm? He was walking on the waves. What’s he doing in the middle of your storm right now? No doubt, walking on the waves. The waves are the very thing that threaten you. It’s the lost job, the diagnosis, the failing marriage, the wayward child, the bad news. These are your waves. And Jesus walks on top of them.
What does he invite you to do? Walk on top of them too.
Not to be overwhelmed by them. Not to drown in the problems. Not to be consumed by dread, misery and sadness in this storm, but to rise above and walk on this.
Won’t you ask Jesus if you can walk on this with him? You’ve been asking if it will all just go away, but maybe instead what Jesus wants to show you is that the BIG Life he came to give you rises above these waves and proceeds even in the face of them. Maybe this isn’t about calming the storm, this is about you getting out of the boat with Jesus.
Why has our joy become so circumstantial? Why is our peace dependent upon calm seas and good weather? What, you can only be happy when everything is perfect? Dang, that must mean your happiness is saved for that 1 week of vacation, then it’s a huge disappointment when the family acts like jackwagons on that vacation and you still don’t get to be happy.
The problem is, we’re looking at the circumstances instead of Jesus! Here in these less than favorable circumstances that we just want to escape, Jesus is doing mind blowingly awesome things for us, and he’s inviting us to join him.
Imagine that moment, in the middle of the storm, when Jesus told Peter to come on out on the water with him, and in verse 29 it says, “So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.” In that moment, he was perfectly fine in the storm. In that moment, he was walking on the waves that had threatened him in the boat. In that moment, he was focused on Jesus.
But, what happened when he looked at the storm instead? Verse 30 says, “he was terrified and began to sink.”
The only thing that had changed was what he was looking at. Looking at Jesus, he was walking on the waves. Looking at the storm, he was sinking in the waves. Jesus didn’t begin to sink, Peter did. Jesus was still doing miraculous, awesome things and the opportunity for Peter to join him was still there. However, when he looked at the storm, he was overcome.
My sister, what are you looking at today? If you will look at Jesus instead of all that is wrong, you will find he is doing something amazing right here and he’s inviting you to be part of it. But if you continue to dwell on the problem, you will continue to be terrified and you will get absolutely nowhere, as you sink in your problems.
Doing impossible things with Jesus requires two things: Keep your focus on him, and go in radical obedience.
Being overwhelmed in your problems and living in fear requires one thing: Focus on your storms.
We have a bad habit of thinking about, talking about, and posting about our storms. We have become habitual complainers and mega whiners. And so we sink. So we are scared. So we are stuck. So we are oblivious to the fact that Jesus is walking on top of all of this, and the invitation is there for us to do the same.
No, we don’t need the storm to go away, we need to throw our legs over the side of our boat and walk on the water to Jesus.
It’s time to get out of your comfort zone.
It’s time to focus on Jesus.
It’s time to stop complaining.
It’s time to harness your thoughts and make them obedient.
It’s time to get over your excuses.
It’s time to go afraid.
It’s time to overcome your waves.
Jesus is doing something absolutely marvelous for you, despite this storm. But if all you do is wish the storm away, and hunker down to just try and survive it, you will miss all he is doing for you and your opportunity to join him.
If the winds and the waves of your storm have stolen your attention, willfully turn your eyes back toward Jesus. Look for what he’s doing even while these things are going wrong. The simple act of looking at Jesus as you go through this will radically change your experience. He will bring you peace. He will show you joy. He will strengthen you. He will supernaturally guide you.
Yes, sometimes Jesus calms the storm, but sometimes he wants to calm his girl instead and invite her to walk on the waves with him.
Be aware of your focus today. Are you looking at your waves, or are you looking at the master of the waves? Are you looking at your problems, or are you looking at Jesus who is above your problems with a good plan for your life?
If you’re sinking, call out to Jesus, and he will immediately rescue you. Guaranteed. Every time. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed in this boat ride and been overwhelmed by the same storm. Call to him. Focus on him. Notice all he is doing even in this storm, and you will be strengthened to walk on these waves.
Jesus is more powerful than your circumstances. With your focus on him and your radical obedience to his call out of your boat, you can be more powerful than these circumstances too!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
You were created to be an overcomer. This means you have the ability to get OVER anything that may COME your way. Get it – Overcomer – Get OVER anything that may COME your way. You have been given a specific set of skills and experiences that have strengthened you for your journey.
You are STRONG. Have you forgotten this?
But this morning, I also want to point out something you’re likely fully aware of. You have weaknesses. We all have strengths, but we also have weaknesses. We don’t need to shy away from our weaknesses, cover them up or wish they weren’t there. Our weaknesses are crucial to our journey.
Listen to me here sister, this might be worth writing down: A weakness is not a weakness when God fills that gap with his strength.
When are we the weakest? When we are suffering.
I’m talking about suffering when a relationship is falling apart.
Suffering when sickness has hit our home.
When there’s no more money and the bill collectors won’t quit calling.
When we’ve lost someone we love.
In those times of suffering our weakness is magnified.
Maybe that’s you right now. You are suffering and therefore you are weak.
I want to speak to you this morning my sister … God’s power is made perfect in your weakness. When you are weak, then you are strong.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 God has a personal and direct message for you: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In response, you can say the same thing as Paul: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
When I am weak, THEN I AM STRONG. Overcomer.
I’ve heard it said this way – We often treat suffering like a game of dodgeball. When anything hard comes at us, we jump out of the way. We duck, dive, and hide. We spend our whole lives trying to avoid anything painful or hard.
But there’s a better kind of life—a deeper, more fulfilling kind of life—a life that isn’t about avoiding pain. Around here we like to call it BIG Life.
This BIG Life is about finding God faithful and sufficient in the midst of whatever trials or storms He allows. There’s something about our weakness that opens the flow of God’s strength.
Your weakness in this hardship has opened the flow of God’s strength.
In the midst of a trial, there’s a power coming into your life that you’ve never experienced before, because you never needed it so desperately before. Only when you’re personally weak can you experience this supernatural strength.
When you see a hard thing coming your way, stop trying to dodge it and maybe try a different reaction: I may not want this, I certainly didn’t choose it, but I can accept it and be content even now. I know God’s grace is sufficient to get me through it. I’m going to see the power of Christ in my life in an incredible way. I’m weak, but He’s strong.
You likely sang similar words as a little girl. Jesus loves me this I know – For the bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but HE IS STRONG.
God never allows a thorn without providing sufficient grace and strength in our weaknesses. Sufficient grace is not just enough to survive, but enough so that we can have supernatural joy in the midst of anything He allows us to go through. That’s strength.
Today you will see the power of Christ in your life in an incredible way because God is drawn to your weakness and his strength is displayed.
An overcomer is not without weaknesses. An overcomer gets knocked down too, but an overcomer keeps getting back up!
An overcomer regains strength from their weakness they keep getting better.
YOU are an overcomer. Your weakness serves as an opportunity for God’s strength to flow through your life. Your suffering is God’s que to step in and supply everything you need to overcome.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Through mentoring thousands of women, it seems there’s a common thread among us … we all want to know our purpose. We’re searching for that deeper meaning. WHY DID GOD CREATE YOU? WHAT SPECIFIC WORK DOES HE HAVE FOR YOU TO DO? Some people have clearly discovered their purpose and you see them living it out so perfectly. Dang, ever wonder how it happened? Want it to happen for you?
Today, I’ll show you how! This is going to blow your mind, make sure you’re ready for it. The hidden secret for discovering and fulfilling your purpose is found in Genesis 1:29: “Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth.”
Boom! Blew your mind, right? Not really? OK, give me a minute.
The secret is the SEED. God created one time and he never had to create again. Every living thing has been given a seed to produce again. God didn’t have to keep making oak trees, the seed for the next oak tree was in the first one. Nor did God have to keep creating people. The seed for the next generation was in the one before. All big things began with a small seed already in them.
You were a seed that formed within your mother while she was still in her mother’s womb! Yes, the egg that God would use to create the one and only YOU was formed 2 generations before you! You began microscopically small. But no matter how small, you were still there.
The potential would grow!
And here it is, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it ….
That big purpose that you’re searching for in your life, the answer to what you were created for and what you’re supposed to be doing STARTS WITH A SEED.
A seed of purpose. God already put it in you. It’s already there! The purpose you’re searching for is already in you!
But that seed of purpose doesn’t look like you thought it would. Think about it, why would it? You’re dealing with a purpose seed right now, the start of something bigger.
You’re expecting it to look like what it will one day become, but it doesn’t! The oak tree seed doesn’t look like an itty bitty tiny oak tree now does it? No, an acorn doesn’t look like what it will become. Nor does an apple seed look like an ity bitty tiny apple. Wouldn’t that be cute if it did.? But it doesn’t. The seed looks insignificant. It doesn’t look like what it will grow to be. But don’t miss it.
And so it is with the seed of your purpose.
Just imagine with me for a moment your specific purpose in life is to build an orphanage. That’s a noble purpose. But what does the SEED of that purpose look like? Does it look like an itty bitty orphanage? Nope.
Let me tell you what the seed looks like … it looks like getting up early today, 20 years before the orphanage is ever built. It looks like making your bed today. It looks like giving your best effort in the job you’re currently in just answering phones and filing papers.
That’s what a purpose seed looks like.
And God wants to know, will you be faithful with this little bit today? Will you be faithful with waking up on time? Will you be faithful with making your bed? Will you be faithful with this seemingly insignificant job? Will you be faithful with this seed because before I grow it into something big, I need to know if you’ll be faithful with little.
Are you really ready for bigger things? Were you faithful with your purpose seeds yesterday?
Every hour of your day has a purpose. An intended use for that 60 minutes. There is something you are supposed to be doing. Are you doing it well? Are you fully there for that hour of purpose? Are you giving it your best effort? Or are you just kinda there? Kinda faithful.
Today is nothing but a series of 60 minute purposes. Consider each 60 minutes a little purpose seed. Will you be faithful with it? If you are, it will grow. Your faithfulness will be noted, and more will be given.
What’s your purpose during breakfast time? What’s your purpose during work? Are you actually there, fully, fulfilling your intended use during those 60 minutes?
Will you fulfill your purpose for even 60 minutes?
You are being tested in the little purpose.
And you may be saying to me, “Pamela, I don’t want to mess with the little stuff. I want to know what the big purpose of my life is. I want to know what big thing I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t want to mess with this little stuff.”
So, you’re ready to move on to the big stuff, but have you really been faithful with the little stuff?
Every living thing has the seed within it. The seed for your big life purpose is the small 60 minute purpose that appears as simple as sitting down with your family without your cell phone, looking them in the eye, and carrying on a conversation. That is your seed.
The seed for your big life purpose is already in you in the form of your 60 minute purpose. If you’re not willing to fulfill your little purpose for one hour, what makes you think you would ever fulfill your big life purpose?
God knows better. He’s testing you. He’s not going to throw you into your big life purpose until you can nail a 60 minute purpose.
Maybe you’re like me and you have failed at that test, a lot. Well my sweet little acorn, you seed of possibility and great potential, today you try again. Remember, all big things start small. This is why a goal of making your bed or drinking water today is huge. It’s huge! It’s a seed!
So brush off the guilt of yesterday. I don’t want to hear about all you didn’t do yesterday or all you can’t do today. Fresh start right here, right now. Plant your seed of purpose 60 minutes at a time. Prove yourself faithful with one hour of life purpose, then bigger plans of purpose will grow. Pass the test today. Plant your purpose seeds.
Yes, cleaning your house is a purpose seed. Yes, creating a peaceful and joyful environment for your family is a purpose seed. Yes, earning that paycheck and paying those bills is a purpose seed. And these all lead to a bigger purpose.
Are you willing to start small? Will you be faithful with your seed today, or will you sit with unsewn seeds in your hand dreaming of a bigger harvest of purpose?
You’re sitting there thinking, “God, show me my big life purpose. Show me, I will do it!” and God is saying, “Girl! You won’t fulfill your purpose for 60 minutes! You’re not doing the small things. You’re not planting the seeds I have given you, I know you’re not going to take care of your big purpose.”
I think a little light bulb just went off. Think back to those people so beautifully fulfilling their life purpose. I dare you to ask them where they started! I bet they had a totally different job that looks nothing like what they grew into. I bet they had a whole lot of days of proving themselves faithful with little. I bet they mastered getting up and making their bed. What you see in them today is a result of purpose seeds that were well sown, that grew and flourished and became all they were intended to be.
You want that in your life? Now you know exactly what to do. You don’t have to sit and wonder any longer, wishing you knew what to do to fulfill your purpose. It’s right in front of you. Be faithful with your seeds, you have no idea what they can become!
All big things start small and today we will pass the test. Today we will plant our purpose seeds knowing they will bring a bigger purpose harvest. We will plant those seeds today, we will be faithful with a 60 minute purpose. Then God can look at us and say, “That girl right there, she’s ready to step into her bigger purpose because she’s taking care of her seeds of purpose.”
Continually ask yourself, “what is the purpose of this 60 minutes? What do I need to be doing?” Then make a commitment to be faithful to that 60 minute purpose. And plant that seed well!
Told you I’d blow your mind today!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Have you been exhausting yourself trying to do what you were never meant to do alone? Have you been showing up in your own power and might, and wondering why you always come up short? Girl, have you been trying to do what only God can do? Have you slipped into your super woman suit, trying to do all the things for all the people, and failing miserably?
Take off the cape, Sis. That was never yours to wear.
I have a friend who’s about 10 steps ahead of me on her journey with God. Her faith is inspiring and God literally shows off through her acts of radical obedience. Recently she had asked me to pray over a situation with her. I responded with, “Yes, I will pray. Tell me what else I can do.” Her response was short and it was powerful, and it totally blew me away. She said, “God will do it.”
Oh, GOD will do it. Not Pamela. It’s not Pamela’s wise words that will help the situation. It’s not Pamela arriving on the scene to push on the mountain and make it move. Pamela needs to get over herself and recognize, GOD WILL DO IT.
Something totally unexpected happened in that moment. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. I felt pressure released. A burden was replaced by a blessed assurance that my job was to talk to God about it, God would do what only God can do.
Come on, I can’t be the only one who immediately assumes they’re supposed to fix everyone and everything. I can’t be the only one who thinks every problem is my responsibility to get in the middle of with some sort of solution.
I’m beginning to realize that all this time I’ve placed entirely too much value on what I have to offer in my works. And in the process, I’ve assumed burdens that were never mine to carry. I’ve taken on missions that were not my own. I’ve tried to fix what I could never fix. This isn’t about me, and it’s not about you. It’s about our God being mighty and sovereign, with all the power in the world to do exactly what needs to be done.
You don’t need to fix anyone. Instead, the best thing you can do is point them to the one who fixed you.
If someone needs saving, you are not suited for that job. That’s a job for Jesus. Your job is to point them towards Him.
You are not dismissed from being his hands and feet when he prompts you, however you are dismissed from thinking this has absolutely anything to do with you. Some of us are walking around with a Savior Complex, thinking we have to save everyone. And guess what … we are exhausted. We’re like the little girl trying to walk in her mama’s high heels that are 7 sizes too big. You’re not getting anywhere very fast, now are you? Girl, you’re going to hurt yourself. Step out of the shoes that are WAY TOO BIG FOR YOU.
What is the situation you’ve been trying to insert yourself into as the answer? YOU’RE NOT. You are not the answer. You are not the solution. You are not the savior here. God will do this. If he invites you to partner with him, then yippeeeee, but remember, it’s still not your show.
Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.”
Well that’s pretty clear now isn’t it? GOD WILL DO IT. What’s your role in this? Commit your way to him and trust him. What’s his role? HE WILL DO THE DOING! He will make happen whatever needs to happen. He will move the mountains. He will change people. He will heal what is broken. He will make a way. Not you.
The Message Translation of this scripture says, “Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done.”
You know the parts of your life that you’ve been holding back? The parts you’ve been trying to do all on your own? The parts where your pride and your control are held tightly? The part where you have these big lofty dreams and ideas that constantly discourage you because they’re not happening. Yeah … that’s the exact thing keeping God from doing what needs to be done here. Girl, get out of the way!
When our way is committed to God, with each step, we are made right with God. We walk in supernatural alignment with the good plans of our Heavenly Father, leading to destinations we don’t even know about yet. He is doing it, we’re just choosing to stay committed to him.
Will you commit to God? Will you lift your foot in faith and trust him to guide your next step? Will you respond to his promptings with radical obedience, always remembering it’s not you who will be doing big and powerful things, it’s God. He does the doing. Sometimes we’re so blessed to be a vessel for what he is doing, but may we always remember the vessel is empty and useless without the substance inside.
Here’s the thing. God doesn’t need another pretty vessel sitting on a shelf empty. We’ve somehow made our entire existence about our appearance, when I assure you, God wants to use you whether you look good in your stretchy pants or not!
But remember, when God chooses to use you, it was NEVER about your talent, your looks, or your goodness. It is always and only about you being an available vessel for his power. GOD WILL DO IT, NOT YOU.
Yesterday, I mentioned a book I read over 10 years ago called “Heaven Is For Real”. Interestingly enough, now I realize I really never read the entire book, I sped read through as much of it as I could back then standing in a Target. What I did read has forever impacted me. Yesterday I came to realize there was so much more for me to read about this 4 year old’s account of going to Heaven, then returning to tell about it.
Leslie listened to the devotional, she got the book immediately and started reading. Then, she sent me screen shots of a few pages. What I read once again blew my mind. The little boy shared how he saw Jesus shooting down power to his Daddy. His Daddy was a preacher who continually prayed before speaking, saying, “God, if you don’t help this morning, this message is going to fail.” Sounds simple, but Jesus’ response was a shot of power and this little boy saw it! That power being shot down is the Holy Spirit. Now, think about that for a second.
Jesus shoots down power through his Holy Spirit to enable us. It’s not us, it’s HIS POWER.
Have we been taking on the responsibility and pressure thinking it’s us that has to show up and do all these things? Have we become puffed up in our own pride and position, and in the process layered on pressure and weight that is literally killing us?
Girl, drop it. This isn’t about you. God’s going to do what only God can do. And if he wants you to do something with him, he’s going to supernaturally shoot down some power to you!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
I know you’ve asked God before, and you’re still waiting, but go ahead and ask again. I know you’ve prayed before and you feel like your prayer was unanswered, pray again. I know you’re growing discouraged. I know you feel like this is never going to change and it’s never going to happen. The answer may have been no before. It may have been wait. Or it may have been silent and left you confused. But today, God has prompted me to tell you, ASK AGAIN.
This morning I was led to Luke 18. Jesus was teaching his disciples, telling them stories they could understand. First, a story of a widow who continually asked a judge to be fair to her and give her justice against her enemies. Jesus said this judge neither feared God nor cared about people. Again and again, the widow would ask the judge for justice. Time and time again, the judge would ignore her. But Jesus says eventually the judge, although he didn’t care about this woman or anyone else, grew so tired of her incessant asking, that he eventually gives in. Verse 5 the judge says, “this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!”
Now the teaching from Jesus so that we can understand. Verse 6-8 “Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!”
Jesus is telling us to always pray and never give up. Maybe you prayed before, but now you’ve given up. Maybe you used to ask, but you grew tired of asking, and you sit in defeat and disappointment. Maybe out of self-protection you don’t talk to God about this anymore. But hear Jesus loud and clear. “God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night.”
Keep asking. Keep praying. Keep coming back and talking to God about this situation over and over again.
Many years ago I read the book “Heaven Is For Real”, before they made the movie. There are a few things I remember most about the account of a 4 year old little boy who died, went to heaven, then came back to share the most amazing details a 4 year old couldn’t possibly make up. I believe it with my whole heart.
He talked about meeting his sibling. Yes, the baby he didn’t even know his mother had lost, yet he met her in Heaven. All those lives gone before they even began, they’re lived fully in Heaven. He talked about the animals in Heaven, which sure makes this dog loving mama’s heart happy. And he talked about his conversation with Jesus where Jesus said the little boy’s daddy just wouldn’t stop bombarding the throne of heaven with his request to bring his son back. So, Jesus was giving him back.
Are you really bombarding the throne of Heaven with your requests, or are you whispering a shallow and distant passing request not really expecting much. Girl, you have the ear of God Almighty. The creator of the Universe is listening to you. What do you want to talk to him about? And what will you keep coming back to talk to him about again and again?
Remember, always pray and never give up. You’re giving up too easily. You’re treating prayer like a one and done. Pray again. Ask again. Don’t you stop bringing this to God.
When I pray about something, I say God is going to know all about it because I’m just not going to stop talking to him in detail about my request. If I’m praying for you, God is going to know your name. He’s going to be like, “here comes my girl Pamela again to talk to me about Bill and Diane and their business.” Yip, it’s me again, God. Let’s do talk about this again!” God knows I’m here again at his throne with my requests for Nicky and Stacey, for Olivia and Lori, for Gail and Heather. He knows I’m coming in again to talk to him about those marriages that are struggling and those kids that have gone astray. I’m just not going to quit. Why? Because Jesus told me to keep praying and don’t give up.
Hey, if God answers my request for you because I’m driving him crazy, cool. If Jesus wasn’t serious about us bombarding the throne with our requests, then he wouldn’t have told us this story of the widow and the judge. I’m getting my butt back to the throne today, how about you?
Luke chapter 18 ends with the detailed account of Jesus responding to a cry others tried to hush. Verses 35-43, “As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
“Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”
And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.”
If someone has told you to quit asking, you just ask again. If someone has shamed you for seeking healing, boldly seek again today. Hey, nobody puts Baby in the corner, and nobody tells me I can’t ask God again.
Your cries bring Jesus close. Now as he draws near today in response to your cries, he is asking, “what do you want me to do for you?” Be ready to tell him. Tell him exactly what you want. Tell him again and again. With boldness, you approach that throne.
Remember, Jesus can do for you in an instant what you could never do in a thousand lifetimes. It doesn’t have to make sense. I doesn’t have to even be possible. With man, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible.
Ask again. Ask continually. Bombard the throne of Heaven with your requests, and keep asking.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
When we’re going through the storm, it’s easy to forget that God is up to something. When our good plans are falling apart and nothing else seems to be coming together, it’s easy to forget that God is up to something. When it’s bad news, when we’re wandering through the darkness, when we’re overwhelmed with hurt or loss or sadness, it’s easy to forget that God is up to something.
So, wherever you are and whatever you’re going through, maybe what you most need is a little reminder that, Sis, God is up to something for you. He’s working behind the scenes in the details you don’t yet know about. He’s aligning the right connections and the right circumstances, all in the right timing, to bring you to a place where you step into all he has been working on for you.
I’ve been praying over a family who lost their job, and as a result had to sell their large family home. In the process of looking for a cheaper home to rent within their new tightened budget, they encountered one closed door after another. They would find a home, but it would be gone. They would find another home, and the owner wouldn’t accept their dogs. They would then find another home, and at the last minute it wouldn’t work out either. Time was running out with nowhere for them to go. This morning I woke up to a text that said “God provided us a rental home that fits us all! We are sooooo blessed!”
Isn’t that interesting. They’ve lost their job and were forced into selling their home. That’s not a good situation. Yet, they are celebrating and recognizing how blessed they are because after all the nos, they finally have their yes. All this time, God was up to something for them. Before, were they waking up in their large home with their comfortable job feeling this blessed? Probably not. It was all they’ve gone through that makes them realize how God was working for them.
And all that you are going through now is leading you to a place where you will look around and realize how God has been working for you. Your time is coming when you too will say, “God has done it, and I am soooooo blessed.”
I often think about Jochebed. Maybe that’s a woman’s name you don’t know, but I bet you know her story. This is the woman who was desperate to save her baby from Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the baby boys, so she hid him for 3 months. When she couldn’t hide him any longer, she placed him in a basket made of papyrus, and set him to float down the Nile river.
Imagine how hard this would be. Imagine the fear of hiding a baby when the king has issued a decree that all baby boys were to be drown in the river. While you’re hiding this baby, you know the dangers of being caught. Your entire family would be killed. Now imagine the baby growing too big to hide, and you’re faced with the only option of floating him down a river and hoping someone finds and saves him. Jochebed had to let go and trust God.
So do you. You have to let go and trust God. When you’ve done all you can do, there’s only one thing left to do, let go. Will you trust God enough to provide? Will you trust God enough to do what only he can do? Will you trust God enough to believe he is making a way even when you can’t see it?
This baby boy floating down the river in a basket made of papyus is Moses. God had great plans for Moses. Pharoah’s plan to kill all the baby boys would not stop God’s great plans. In fact, it would perfectly position Moses right in Pharoah’s house to do God’s great work. We know all this now because we know the end of the story. But living in the middle of the story, you just know as a mother you’ve put your 3 month old baby in a basket floating down a river and you can’t save him.
Baby Moses’ sister, Miriam, watches as he floats down the river to where the King’s daughter was taking a bath. When she sees the baby, she rescues him from the river. Now this is my favorite part of the story that just show’s God’s goodness in the details of a massive mess.
Exodus 2: 7-9 “Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother. “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.”
So, get this, Jochebed’s baby wasn’t only saved, but she was PAID to bring the baby back home with her, no longer in hiding, deemed completely safe, to care for him. Only God can do that. Only God can show up in the middle of an impossible situation and not only make a way through it, but turn it for your good.
God had great plans for Moses. He was the one who he would place within the palace to then set his people free. He would rise to become a mighty leader of millions of people. But first, he was a helpless baby floating down a river in a basket because his Mama let go and trusted God.
All this time, God was up to something. He was up to something when Pharaoh tried to kill all the newborn baby boys. He was up to something when Pharaoh then tried to drown all the boys who had survived his original attempt to kill them at birth. He was up to something when Jochebed had no other option left than to put her baby in a basket in the river. He was up to something when the Pharoah’s daughter found the baby. He was up to something when the baby’s mother was then paid to bring him back home and care for him. He was always up to something.
A plan of provision. A plan of freedom. A plan of protection.
And you can trust, no matter how bad things look right now, God has a good plan for you.
I have to think sometimes God allows things to come down to the wire, down to the last minute, down to the very last option, and then he opens the floodgates on the goodness he always had aligned. Not that God is into being dramatic (or maybe he is … look at his creation, it’s pretty darn dramatic), but more so for us. For us to fully realize only God could have done this for us.
Only God could have brought you to that house. Only God could have made that connection that has brought you back to life again. Only God could have aligned every little detail that saved you and brought you here today. Only God could have done that.
And when we’ve gone through something so totally hopeless, and so totally impossible, then we make it through it and look back to see God’s fingerprints all along, we are left KNOWING God was always up to something for us.
Will you trust God enough to let go today? Let go of the worry. Let go of the stress. Let go of the overwhelm. Let go of the details. Let go of the control. And trust he’s been up to something for you. The day will come when you see all he has aligned in great providence to bring you to a place greater than you could have imagined.
This will be a place of deeper trust than you’ve ever had before, because you’ve personally experienced God’s provision.
This will be a place of a deeper connection with God, because you’ve personally experienced his protection.
This will be a place of a deeper love of God, because you’ve personally experienced his peace when it made no sense to have peace.
God is up to something. When it looks like it will never work out … When it feels like this will never get better … When it seems like there is no possible way … God is up to something, and you can trust what he is doing here.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
When is the last time you screwed up and fell short? No one likes to admit it, but we’ve all been there, and we’re not talking majorly past tense. I failed, and y’all it was super recent.
God gave me a tremendous gift in this regrettable failure of mine, he allowed me to watch the unfolding affects as if from a distance. Almost like an out of body experience, I watched myself in response to my own recognized shortcomings. Now, I understand the tactics of the enemy to defeat us even better. I see it. I felt it. And God showed me exactly how to overcome it.
So, if you’re carrying around a failure you’ve been trying to hide, but it’s been eating you up inside, this one is for you, Sis!
The details of my failure are not necessarily important, but it’s much the same as yours. You do the thing you don’t want to do, and minutes later you wish you could go back and undo it, but you can’t. You’re left to face the fact that once again, you didn’t do what you know you were supposed to do and you regret it. And now, you’re so sorry.
We’ve all felt it. In fact, Paul certainly felt it and wrote about it in Romans 7:15, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”
That’s regret. Regret over what we did, what we said, how we behaved, how we reacted. I don’t understand why I do these things, and I bet you don’t understand why you do either. Dang, I hate it, don’t you?
So, here I was hating myself for my failure, and I saw the domino affect within me. I shrunk back in shame. I replayed the event over and over in my head, each time with greater guilt. And right there, I began dismissing my calling to be more because I felt less.
Sound familiar? Anyone else caught in this same trap? You’ve been called to be so much more, but you’re dismissing that call because you too feel less. I get it. But God says something different.
Step 1 is to confess and ask for forgiveness. I hit my knees. I told God exactly what I had done, although he already knew. I genuinely asked for forgiveness.
Then, let me tell you exactly what happened. I’m going to be completely honest with you. I laid down in bed and replayed the same event on a perpetual loop, sinking lower each time.
Is this what forgiveness looks like? Really, is what Jesus did for us not enough to cover our sin? What would be enough? Do we want Jesus to crawl back up on that cross and hang there again?
My Sister, what Jesus did for us IS ENOUGH. WE ARE COVERED. The moment we ask for forgiveness, it is given freely and fully. There’s nothing you have ever done, or ever could do, that is not covered by the sacrifice of Jesus. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God, and all of us are offered complete forgiveness. Not a single one of us is disqualified.
So, what’s the problem here? Why are forgiven girls walking around burdened by guilt and covered in shame? Why can’t we stop the story from playing out in our head over and over again? Why can’t we just stop beating ourselves up and fully accept what Jesus has offered us? If we have confessed our sin and asked for forgiveness, why are we still struggling with it?
This is where I was. I could see it playing out. Fully forgiven, yet not free. Falling victim to the ploys of the enemy who loves to play in our sin. His tactics are always the same, screw up and beat up. You screw up, then he beats you up. Over and over again, he reminds you of your failure. Each time you replay the story, you sink lower and feel more defeated.
In my low, beat up defeat, this time I heard Jesus. He said to me, “My girl, this is over, let’s move on.”
I was sulking in condemnation. Condemnation says what you did was bad, so that makes you a bad person. Condemnation says you’re guilty and you deserve punishment. Condemnation says there’s a price to pay, but the problem is you can never quite fully pay it off. There’s always an indebtedness to your shortcoming held over your head.
But let me tell you what my Bible says about that. Romans 8: 1-2 “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
The Spirit which now lives within us has freed us from the power of sin which once ruled us. I can overcome this. I can move forward. I can let this go, turn off the replay, stop the screw up and beat up cycle, and walk in forgiveness and wholeness.
I can. You can. Will you?
The enemy would love nothing more than for you to dismiss yourself from this offer. He would love for you to reason why you’re too far gone. He would love for you to stay stuck in regret and shame while forfeiting the good plans God still has for you. Is that what you’re going to do? Are you going to let the enemy do that to you? Will you let him win?
There is NO condemnation for those who belong to Jesus. Stop picking it up and putting it on your back. That’s not yours to carry.
What God does give his girls in conviction. Conviction is that little voice inside that says you can do better than this. Conviction says rise up and leave that behind you. Conviction says let’s make this right and move forward with our head held high in victory over the very thing the enemy tried to use against us.
How do we make it right? After we talk to God about it, we confess and apologize to anyone who may have been affected by our failure. We don’t hide it in dark places where the enemy can poke at us. We bring it out into the light where all the enemy was trying to do is revealed and rendered powerless.
Here’s what I found … the step of confessing to those I had hurt was awful one second, and beautiful the next. The moment you do, you release all ties the enemy held on you. The chains are broken. The darkness is gone. Guilt and shame have left the building. And now, full forgiveness sets in.
James 5:16 “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Well isn’t that the last thing the devil would want us to do? He would never want us to be healed. He would never want wonderful results in our lives. So he plays on guilt and shame and tells you your sin could never be revealed to another. But this keeps you stuck in your cycle of defeat and darkness.
Who can you talk to about this sin the enemy has been beating you up with? Who can pray with you so that you may be healed? Anyone who has faith in God has been declared righteous, and it is their earnest prayers that have this power!
I’m available. Seriously, message me. I’ll pray with you. Let’s get it out so the enemy can’t play in it for one more day. You are God’s girl, and God’s girls have no right to carry guilt and shame. What Jesus did on that cross is fully sufficient for every sin, every shortcoming, and every failure.
You’ve been sorry long enough, let’s move on to healing now!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
How hard is it for you to get up when your alarm rings in the morning? How many times do you hit the snooze button? Have you noticed how accustom you have grown to an ignored alarm, that you no longer even wake up to it? Seriously, you can sleep right through your blaring alarm because you’ve trained your mind and body to dismiss it.
You don’t hear it. You’re not moved by it. You don’t respond to it.
Why? Because over time, you’ve ignored that alarm and avoided it, so it no longer moves you into immediate action.
Anyone see where I’m going with this?
God has given you his Holy Spirit within to guide you. It is not God’s desire for you to wander around aimlessly and perpetually confused. He’s not playing some sort of guessing game where he knows everything and you’re left to just worry and wonder. His Spirit prompts you like an alarm, but if you’ve been dismissing those promptings, you’ve likely stopped even noticing them.
Honey, God’s been trying to wake you up and divinely guide you to walk in his great purposes, but you’ve been hitting the snooze button. After you hit that snooze button on his promptings for so long, you stop even thinking about taking action. You’re perpetually dismissing the alarm that says, “wake up and do this”, then you wonder why you no longer feel led by God at all.
You’re still being led, it’s just you’ve gotten into the bad habit of dismissing his leading.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve discovered I can’t be trusted with “later.” I’ll do that later. I’ll make time later. I’ll get going on that later. NO I WON’T. Me and later mix like water and oil. I have a proven track record that shows if I push what I’m being told to do now into later, it won’t be done.
Are you the same? Can you be trusted with “later”, or do your good intentions slowly dwindle into inaction? You do understand inaction is disobedience, right? When God prompts us to do something, and we hit the snooze button on it, delaying our action, we are stepping into the dangerous grounds of “later” which soon turn into disobedience.
Stop dismissing what God is telling you to do. He is guiding you. He is leading you. The problem is, we’re turning off the alarm.
Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”
Let me flip that. Are you a child of God? Did God create you? Do you acknowledge him as your Heavenly Father? Yes? Then YOU ARE LED BY HIS SPIRIT. That’s plain and simple. He is speaking to you. He is calling you. He is guiding you. He is leading you. Constantly and continually.
The alarm has been ringing. Maybe you haven’t been getting up. Maybe you’ve been hitting snooze on his promptings. And maybe you’ve hit snooze so many times, it’s become an automatic subconscious response to dismiss the alarm without you even being aware. You think God isn’t speaking to you, but he is. You’ve just gotten used to ignoring it so you no longer hear it.
I spent this past weekend at our BIG Life Mission Retreat. There, I was surrounded by impossible things being made possible. Totally unrealistic things becoming reality. Children with such traumatic pasts that they had been thrown away and never expected to be capable of leading whole lives, walking in full restoration, being made totally new, and stepping into greater purposes than ever imagined. Girls rescued from unimaginable situations, coming to us and asking if they could pray for us. Yes, pray for us … the women who came to help them, they turned and helped us.
Why? Because God was ringing their alarm, and these girls are learning to respond to the alarm and be radically obedient instead of hitting the snooze button.
Can we do the same? What would happen if we did? What would happen if we took the next step when God says go? What would happen if we reached out when God stirred us? What would happen if we showed up feeling totally unequipped and incapable, but we believed in a greater power working within us?
Let me tell you what would happen … Impossible things. Unrealistic things. Things no one thought possible.
The mission we partnered with is 99+1. It’s a humble family who have taken Jesus seriously when he said in Matthew 18:14 “It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
They don’t have the money or the means to accept every broken child whom foster care has failed. It’s totally unrealistic for them to take on the 18 year olds who have aged out of foster care and have no where to go. It’s the most ridiculous thing for them to think they could possibly have a huge beautiful facility that gives these precious souls not only a place to call home, but to have the most gorgeous coffee shop to work at and gain valuable skills for their future.
None of that is even slightly realistic. But it’s exactly what we are witnessing unfold. God rang the alarm and all he needed was for his children to wake up and answer in faith. Every time God has said, “do it”, they have done it, and the impossible has unfolded. Every time God has said, “yes”, they have believed and it has happened.
It doesn’t make sense. There shouldn’t be another bed available in their home. There shouldn’t be enough money, time, or help to pull off such a huge project. There shouldn’t be such a huge unfolding of God’s power in the middle of absolutely Nowhere, Oklahoma, but there is! Why? Because God’s people have gotten up and responded to his Spirit when it rings. And God’s Spirit isn’t limited by any law.
Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
We’ve created all these laws which say if you reach this point, you’re too far gone. We have rules that tell us this could never happen because it’s way over your head and out of your reach. We have guidelines which tell us we can go so far, but only this far, but then we stop. So, our laws, rules and guidelines of realistic expectations limit what can and can’t happen.
BUT WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW! We are led by the Spirit of God Almighty, and that Spirit doesn’t play little! That Spirit isn’t limited by limited resources. That Spirit isn’t confined by stories of the past. That Spirit isn’t restrained by what is realistic.
If you want in on the big, impossible things God is doing, start by saying yes to the little promptings today that you’ve been dismissing. If God says, “message this person”, then girl, message that person. If God says, “take this next step”, immediately lift up your foot in faith.
Remember, you likely can’t be trusted with later. Later is your snooze button. Later has taught you to dismiss the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Later is cheating you out of opportunities aligned by your gracious Creator who has nothing but good plans for your life.
If you’re no longer hearing the alarm after years of ignoring it, then ask God to give you another chance today. Ask him to prompt you today, then you be rip roaring ready to do exactly what he directs you to do.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Who woke up today carrying a heavy load of uncertainty? Who is walking into work today unsettled? Who is at home today concerned over something specific? For some it’s something small, and for some it’s life-altering. God’s word instructs us very clearly on what to do with these worries, both big and small. 1 Peter […]
Somewhere in your life fear is holding you back. There’s your fear of what may never happen for you, and then there’s your fear of what could happen to you, so basically there’s fear around everything. Where does that fear come from, what is it doing to you, and how do you overcome it? First, […]
God isn’t looking for the strongest, the smartest, the most experienced, or the most qualified. None of the things we place such importance on are on God’s list of expectations of us. God asks for one thing from us … believe. Simply believe he will do what he says he will do. Believe he can […]
Do you have a choice to make, but you don’t know what the right choice is? Have you been delayed, waiting for the clear answer, afraid to get it wrong? When you make a choice, you stand a chance of being wrong, and who likes being wrong? I’ve never met a single person who enjoys […]
Do you have something in your life that you continually battle, yet can’t seem to overcome completely? Something that constantly creeps back in and pesters you? Sometimes you think you get rid of it, then here it comes again. Maybe it’s a bad habit or addiction. Maybe it’s a choice you keep making that you […]
What is that little voice that tells you you’re not good enough? Why are you continually held back by the fear of falling short or lacking what it takes? And why do you question if the REAL YOU would be liked? You’re not alone if you feel this way and have this internal battle. It […]
The life you’re living is the story which will outlive you. Each day of your life is a sentence. Each month a paragraph. Every year is a chapter. I wonder how the story we’re living would compare to the one God had in mind for us? I wonder if it’s too late to change the […]
I heard it today while walking on Sunset Beach in Hawaii. A mother turns to her young son and says, “Stop, no and don’t.” The way those words flowed so freely from her mouth told me this is something she says often. “Stop, no and don’t.” It’s a triple shut down. I can just imagine […]
Have you ever been on a boat in a stormy sea? Have you ever seen waves so big they can swallow your boat? Have you ever felt the panic of beginning to sink? I haven’t, and I must say, I’m quite grateful. I love living through an adventure to get to the other side with […]
Easter is officially over, now what? What happened after Jesus rose from the grave, and what should we be doing now after the celebration of Easter? I find it interesting that we rarely talk about all Jesus did after coming out of that tomb. Why is that? We can’t leave Jesus on a cross, we […]
Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. The personal sacrifice of One for all. For me. For you. On this day we remember Jesus carrying that cross for us. We remember him willfully stretching out his arms as they nailed him to that cross, signifying “this much.” This is how important you […]
Imagine words or deeds you can’t take back, and those becoming the defining moments for your legacy. A failure. A disgrace. A mistake. This was Peter. He’s the one who denied Jesus. The one always remembered for his failure. The one who, for his own benefit, denied he ever knew Jesus, and never got an […]
What does the cross symbolize to you? That’s Jesus, right? God’s redemption on display as Jesus stretched out his arms and died for you and I. The cross represents the most important and valuable thing that has ever been done for us. So, we wear a cross around our neck. We hang a cross on […]
God’s plans for you are good. His promises are steady and true. His intentions are to bless you. Yes, even with what you are going through, he will bless you. Even in this uncertainty, God is sure. Knowing this, you can continue. You can keep moving forward. You can keep showing up. You can keep […]
Is there an area of your life where you were once doing so good, now you find yourself on the struggle bus and unsure how to get off it? Why do we do that? We do good, we get better, we grow … then we stop. That’s exactly what we do. We just stop. We […]
From where you stand today, you cannot see what God has already done in preparation of your next step. You have no idea of the miracles in motion at this very moment on your behalf. But you can move forward in absolute confidence knowing that God is working specifically for you and he has aligned […]
Through the Holy Spirit of God, power is available to you and I. Power to do what we alone are not strong enough to do. Power to go far beyond our own limits. Power to know that which we cannot possibly know otherwise. God’s desire is not for us to struggle our way through this […]
Do you ever find yourself listening to a song you’ve heard a hundred times before, yet somehow it hits you different? I happened to me twice this past weekend while at the BIG Life Hawaii Retreat. I drove the Red Roxy Jeep which was a non-stop dance party everywhere we went. With the top off, […]
You have been chosen, hand selected, set apart by the almighty God to do his work. God had his eye on you this entire time, preparing you for a time such as this. A time for you to be who he created you to be. A time for his power and his love to work […]
Whatever God orders, he pays for. Wherever he has a purpose, he has a plan, and provision for that plan. He sees the end from the beginning and the way has been made for all he desires. What has he ordered in your life? What has he aligned for you? What did he specially design […]
In the book of Exodus God commands Moses to go to Egypt and rescue the Israelites. Moses was like “Okay God, but you know, like what should I say?” Basically Moses is saying, “Yo, I don’t want to look all crazy when I get there.” You know sometimes when you tell people GOD spoke to […]
You’ve likely heard of the fruits of the spirit. The 9 things that naturally come in our lives as a result of Jesus dwelling within us: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Today, I present the fruits of the spirit in a different way through the Message Translation of the Bible. […]
Are you currently facing something in your life that seems ridiculous? Ridiculously hard. Ridiculously impossible. Your solution will likely seem ridiculous as well. Perhaps what God is asking you to do will make NO SENSE. Will you be obedient and do it even when you don’t understand? God may have been prompting you to do […]
Have you ever been truly hungry? I don’t mean “lunch was an hour late” hungry, I mean like day 8 of a 10 day juice cleanse hungry. Hungry like your belly button is gnawing on your back bone. When you’re truly hungy, you have an elevated sense of smell. This elevated sense of smell through […]
Luke 13:10-13: “On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set […]
When did life become all about us? Really? How have we made this about ourselves? Even when we arrive to this place of living with generosity and love, the truth is, it’s still about self because we hold back. We don’t fully dive in and do the things God has prompted us to do … […]
Living under the direction of God’s mighty Spirit, and being guided by his divine promptings, creates a life of great adventure. With God, we have a boldness and confidence to take risks. With him, we experience freedom from the fear of others’ opinions and our unsure next steps. Do you live in that faith place? […]
As a follower of Christ, you have power. Power you may not be accessing fully. What if you don’t have to struggle as much as you’ve been struggling? What if there’s a better way, and that way has been made fully available for you, you simply have to choose it. Would you choose it today? […]
We are here to fall in love with a Holy God. That is the purpose of our lives. To grow closer to him, to know him, to discover his good plans for us, and to walk in his ways which lead to a total surrender with radical obedience. As we fall in love with God, […]
As you await that big thing in your life to happen, are you missing the million little priceless moments happening now? Have you become generally unimpressed with the sheer miracle of your life, with glazed over eyes, a distracted mind, and a disconnected spirit? The truth is, most of us have. We don’t mean to, […]
How To Know It’s God Very rarely does God bring me back around to the same topic and prompt me to teach on it again, just 2 weeks later. I typically wake up with something new and fresh, but this morning, it was different. This morning, all I can think about are the amount of […]
Do you ever talk yourself out of something that may very well be awesome? You have an opportunity to go somewhere or do something, but the little voice within pipes up and starts telling you all the reasons why you can’t, so you don’t. You make plans, but you cancel the plans. You have good […]
What’s happening in your life right now seems like one thing, but what if it’s actually something different. This feels like disappointment, but what if it’s simply a divine reappointment? This feels like a mountain you will never climb, but what if it’s the beginning of greater heights than you ever imagined? Many times in […]
If you were to watch yourself from a distance, what would you see? If the thoughts inside your head were no longer the driving factor, no longer justifying your every move, or layering your actions with emotion, and you could see yourself from a 6 foot distance living your life, what would you see? Would […]
If you’re like me, you feel like God must have lowered the bar a little to accept you with all your flaws. Like he must be bending some sort of rule to give you another chance when you weren’t faithful with the last one he offered. Like God must tolerate you, but he doesn’t really […]
How do you stop worrying? I mean really, you’ve got a mess on your hands and you can’t just turn off your thoughts about it. Is it even realistic to think you could ever not worry? I assure you, it is. In fact, when has worrying ever been successful for you personally? Really, has worry […]
What would you do if you really believed God was in it with you? What would you do if you knew for certain God was 100% for you? What would you do if you were totally confident it would work? These are questions that have been stirring within me since hearing Steven Furtick’s sermon this […]
As you seek God more in your everyday life, you will begin to hear God more. You will become more and more aware of the promptings of his spirit, which are like little nudges in specific directions. For me, promptings of the spirit aren’t audible words spoken for my ears to hear, but more so […]
Sin. What is your view of sin? Is it a list of everything you can’t do? A list of restrictions and rules on your life? Honestly, that’s exactly what sin has always been for me. It’s the potential offenses I could be charged with as guilty, creating shame and regret. But, what if all that […]
What if your happiness in this week has nothing to do with your circumstances, and everything to do with your thoughts in your circumstances? Just as you can train your body to run a race or compete in a sport, you can train your mind to see the good in everything. Will it be easy? […]
Maybe you’re seeking God’s direction in something specific right now, but he seems to be silent. Why isn’t he answering you? Why isn’t he making this clear? Why can’t he just tell you what to do next? It’s like Google maps on your phone withholding the next turn from you, and you’re growing anxious thinking […]
I wonder how many times we’re standing smack dab in the middle of God’s holy provision, and we totally miss it. I wonder how often God’s detailed answer to our prayers is surrounding us, yet we are oblivious in our continual state of worry. Are we much like Jacob when he wakes up in Genesis […]
The pursuit of living well can leave us barely living at all. We are rushed. We are distracted. We are addicted. And today, on the first day of the Lent season, God takes our face into his hands and says, “Look at me.” “I am your answer. I am what you need. I will guide […]
Something has happened to you. Something unfair. Something unfortunate. Something you weren’t prepared for. However if you focus on what has happened to you here, you will lose sight of how God can now use you for his ultimate good. Honey, this is bigger than what went wrong for you. This is bigger than the […]
As believers, we are referred to as the “bride of Christ.” I’m going to be straight up honest with you, that never made sense to me. I’m marrying Jesus? Some religions have twisted and perverted that, and we’re left with a bad taste in our mouth wondering what it would mean to be the bride […]
Jesus came to give you a wide open spacious life. A life of freedom being exactly who you were created to be, confident in doing exactly what you were created to do. But somewhere along the way we went about fencing ourselves in. We believed what “they” said over what God said. We allowed lies […]
When it’s hard to love yourself, you’ve believed a lie. When you don’t want to look at yourself in the mirror, you’ve believed a lie. When you dismiss yourself from goodness, you’ve believed a lie. When you play little, you’ve believed a lie. When you feel hopeless, you’ve believed a lie. Your heart has believed […]
Has life become all work and no play? All dread and no joy? All waiting and no now? What are you waiting on? What are you dreading so badly? Honey, what are you working for? This one life you have been given is going quickly, and the day will come when you look back on […]
Today is a day of love. It’s the one day of the year, here the the US, set aside for intentionally giving and receiving love. It’s Valentine’s Day. The day where most every man in America woke up feeling already not enough for the woman he loves. The day women across the country wake up […]
If you watched the Super Bowl last night, you likely saw the great commercial about erasing the mistakes out of your photos. The words on the screen said, “For years, our phones have captured our memories.” Images of candid, in the moment photos begin to roll, then you begin to notice the flaws in each […]
Look around today. God created all this out of nothing. He started with absolutely NOTHING. The first sentence in our Bible says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Guess what was in the beginning … nothing. Nothing was there to work with. Nothing was there to grow. Just nothing. I most […]
There are some things in your life you can do something about, and you should. There are other things, no matter what you try and how long you keep trying, it’s simply not happening. You’re going to wear yourself out trying. So, how do you know the difference? How do you know when the ball […]
Do you ever feel like God is taking entirely too long to show up? Like he’s delaying, and as he is delaying, things are only getting worse? Have you ever watched life completely fall apart and felt like God was absent in the process? Knowing he has the complete power to turn every detail around […]
What this world most needs is people showing up for every day life being their true and best selves, doing the things that make them come truly alive. Yes, this world needs you truly alive, doing the things you were created to do. Your family needs you alive like this. Your life is desperate for […]
Every day of your life is held in the mighty hand of God. Every moment of your future is securely protected by the One who knows everything. Even when the enemy’s intended harm touches you, God says that harm will be turned around and used for good. Even when fire comes in and destroys your […]
Sometimes does it feel like you do everything right, yet things still don’t go right for you? You follow the plan, and the plan doesn’t work. You do the work, but you’re not rewarded for the work. You give extra, but extra never seems to come back to you.
Oh, girl, do I ever have a message for you today!
This is a message to my sisters who feel like they are under appreciated. Like their slow progress doesn’t equal their continued effort. Like their time will never come.
Maybe you’re discouraged this morning. Maybe you’re just tired. Tired of doing all these things that seem to never be good enough. I get it. Me too. I’m on a passionate journey to health this year. I’ve committed to losing 25 pounds, returning to running, completing a half marathon, and treating this body like the temple it was created to be. Each Friday I weigh in to track my progress. Y’all, after a full week of staying 100% on plan, running, denying my cravings, and busting my butt, I gained .7 pounds.
Sometimes don’t you want to just scream, “what the actual heck is this?!!!!”
You clean all day, and in a matter of 15 minutes the house is a mess again.
You show up early to work and you’re the one who always stays late, yet someone else gets chosen for the promotion.
You do everything for your family, yet someone else is always the favorite.
You have been nothing but kind, and your kindness is taken for weakness and you’re taken advantage of again.
You do the work, but you don’t get the praise.
You do the same thing someone else is doing, while you watch them succeed and you stay stuck.
What the actual heck?!!!!
Don’t you just want to give up? I mean really, what’s the point? If you’re not going to be promoted, if you’re not going to be chosen, if you’re not going to be appreciated, if you’re not going to move forward, why would you keep working so hard?
I get it. I think those same thoughts and feel those same feelings. And here’s what our sweet, sweet God does for us right when we need it most … He leads us to a story in the Bible we’ve likely never even noticed before, and he shows us how HE is always watching and plans to honor our commitment.
It’s the story of a young woman named Rebekah and a bunch of camels. A story of a woman who was willing to do the hard work without expectation of anything in return. A woman who was ridiculously kind, not because of what she would get out of it, but because of who God created her to be. And what happened as a result.
Abraham was the father of Issac. Issac was a prized and precious son because his parents had waited on him their whole lives. His mother, Sarah, was barren. When Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100, God miraculously gave them the son he had promised. When you have a child like that, and that child grows up, you don’t want them to marry just anyone. You’ve got one shot at getting the right daughter-in-law to give birth the next generation.
Abraham desired a wife for his son from his homeland. So, he sent his servant on a journey with 10 camels hundreds of miles away to find the woman God had set apart for his son. This woman would return to Canaan to marry Issac, but it would be no easy task finding the right woman who would be willing to leave her family and travel with this stranger for hundreds of miles on camels to spend the rest of her life.
Now the servant has arrived in Abraham’s hometown after his long journey and we pick up in Genesis 24: 11-20:
“He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.
“O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.”
Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.”
“Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels.”
Admittedly, when I read this story, I envisioned setting out a dog bowl for the camels to have a little drink. That’s not what happened here. What Rebekah offered to this complete stranger was hours of hard work. I did the research. Thirsty camels after a trip like they had just made, can drink 20 to 30 gallons of water. There were 10 camels. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Do the math. Rebekah has offered to carry anywhere between 1,600 and 2,400 pounds of water from a well to a watering trough.
And we know there was running involved. It says she RAN back to the well to draw water for ALL of his camels. And she would give them not just a sip, but water until they had had ENOUGH to drink, meaning all they wanted. And she did all of this for a man she didn’t know with zero expectation of anything in return. She gave because it was who she was.
And sis, when you give because of who you are, who you are will be recognized. Maybe not immediately, but eventually all you do from this genuine place of who you are, will come to light. God sees everything you do. He knows your effort. He knows your kindness. He hasn’t missed seeing a single thing you’ve done. And honey, your time is coming!
Rebekah did all of this because of who she was. And that was exactly the kind of woman Abraham’s servant had prayed to find as the perfect wife for Issac.
Verse 21 “The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission.”
What if today, there is someone who has prayed God would show them who to choose for a fabulous opportunity, and what if God is showing them YOU! What if all you have been doing is about to come to light and be seen? What if all your efforts that seem to have been in vain are for a time such as this … a time when your character will be on full display showing who you are.
Rebekah returns to Canaan with Abraham’s servant and marries Issac. Verse 67 “He loved her deeply.”
She was chosen. She was loved. She was set apart to be part of something special. 40 generations later, from this woman who was simply willing to water a stranger’s camels, came Jesus!
God is looking for someone who will be faithful, someone who will be kind, someone who will be generous, someone who will keep showing up even when progress is slow … and when he finds that someone, he has a special invitation to make her part of something she simply can’t imagine.
Let it be you.
Let it be you that keeps working. Let it be you that keeps giving. Let it be you that keeps being kind when others aren’t. Let it be you that does good because of WHO you are, not because of what anyone will say or do in return. Let it be you that keeps doing the right thing while surrounded by the wrong things.
I wonder how many times Rebekah had gone to extreme measures to show kindness to others and absolutely nothing happened for her? God had been watching. All this time, God knew, she was the one who he could trust to be in the lineage of Jesus.
And all this time, God has been watching you. Watching you through the disappointment and the delay. Watching you through the hurt and the hardship. Watching you through the struggle and the setbacks. Let him see you are faithful through it all!
So, whether you’ve been working your butt off and the scale still isn’t moving …
Whether you’ve been giving your all and no one says thank you …
Whether you’ve been making major sacrifices and still see no benefit …
Whether you’ve been stepped on while you’ve been kind …
None of that matters. God is watching. You keep doing the right thing. You keep showing up because of WHO YOU ARE, and just when you least expect it, God is going to bring an opportunity to you that will blow your mind!
Water the camels today. It might just lead to a life greater than you could have ever imagined! God does awesome things like that for his faithful girls.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
What is the point of life? Is the point of your entire existence to accumulate stuff and make yourself as comfortable as possible? Really, at the end of your life, will you look back and say, “Wow, I sure felt comfortable.”
How much of life are you sitting it out on all in an effort to protect your comfort and safety? You sit in your little bubble, doing the same exact things you’ve always done, only seeking that which is guaranteed to be safe, going after the low hanging fruit of life that is easy to grab, then wondering why you feel an empty ache within you that desires more.
Girl, you weren’t designed for comfort and safety. Your bones heal. Your hair grows back. Your heart skips a beat, then starts back up. Your entire being was made for risk and change, overcoming and rising above. It’s who God decided you are, and how he decided your life would be. Risk takers. Change makers. Dreamers and doers. Chain breakers. Water walkers. Impossible things made possible because of the space God designed within you to hold his Spirit.
Then here comes the enemy. He can’t defeat you because of the Spirit that is within you. He can’t lessen your power. So, here’s what he does … he tries to make you forget your power.
Do you realize how the Devil makes you forget your God given power? One way is, he makes you comfortable!
As you become comfortable in life, you become soft. You experience a little ease, then you crave more ease. And here in this place of comfort and ease where threats seem to be held back, the real threat is happening within. Within, you are atrophying.
Atrophy: The wasting away of a body as a result of not being used.
You have muscle. If you stop using that muscle, it will atrophy and eventually get to the point of no longer being usable. You have strength, you have courage, you have willpower. But Honey, if you don’t use it, you lose it. And you better believe your enemy knows that!
Let me tell you what the enemy did to me. He offered me the promise of a guaranteed paycheck, while the prompting of a greater purpose wasted away within me. He offered a big beautiful home with a maid, while my adventurous spirit quietly died in the corner. He offered comfort on my couch, while my confidence was smothered by my lazy weight gain. He offered buy it and have it now, while I dug deeper ruts of debt that would hold me back from the freedom I desired.
The real me, the woman God created me to be, was at a total state of atrophy. I was wasting away with a big paycheck, a big house, a comfortable life, and all the stuff a girl could ever hope for.
Understand, this is why you can sometimes arrive to the destination in life you were working so hard for, only to feel empty inside. This is why everything can look so darn good on the outside, while you’re wasting away on the inside. You weren’t designed for a comfortable, easy, safe, plannable life. You’re trying to plan it all out, and Sis, that’s simply not the way it works! Your plans are sucking the life out of you! Your pursuit of safety is creating misery in the process.
God created those bones of yours to heal because he knew they would get broken along the way. Just because something can get broken doesn’t mean you put it on a shelf and never use it. Your life is here for living, and if it gets a little messed up, you have a Creator who is also a Healer, a Redeemer, and a Restorer. Go ahead and take a risk, make a change, step out in faith. Your hair will grow back!
Where are the stories in the Bible of people who played it safe? People who didn’t take any risks. People who chose comfort over a calling. There aren’t many, because the truth is it’s the ones out there living and taking risks that are written about! It’s the ones showing up and doing things that we read about.
We read about Moses, we read about Peter, we read about Daniel, we read about David. Their stories live on. We know their names!
But there is a story of an unnamed man in the Bible. A man who missed his opportunity. You need to know about him. In Matthew 19, there was a rich young man who encountered Jesus, and Jesus told him in verse 21, ““If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The next verse says, “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
And that was the end of his story. We never hear about him again.
Do you realize Jesus was giving this man an invitation to be his disciple? It was the same invitation he gave to all the others, “Come, follow me.” Because they were willing to leave everything they had, they experienced life with Jesus like no one else. They not only saw the miracles, they were part of the miracles. They were vessels used to write the words we still read today! But this young man just couldn’t accept the invitation and went away sad. Why? Because he had so much.
Let me tell you something, the enemy doesn’t just come to take from you, he also comes to give you so much that you miss the entire point! If taking it all away will get you stuck in a dark pit of depression, then he takes. But if giving you comfort and ease will get you stuck in the busyness of life while refusing the invitation to the purposes of God, then game on, he gives!
He gives you a comfortable job where you completely lose your identity.
He gives you the money that makes you greedy to only focus on getting more.
He gives you so much to take care of that you miss God’s sweetest opportunities.
And we are tricked with ease. We are tricked with comfort. We are tricked with safety. We are tricked with more.
But honey, “more” from the pits of Hell cannot possibly compare to the “more” from the heavenly realms!
Yes, the devil has more for you. More to distract you. More to overwhelm you. More to make you settle in to a little existence where life has become predictable and comfortable. All for the purposes of making you miss out on Jesus’ invitation to life.
Jesus says, “Come, follow me.” Well, girl, what’s holding you back?
What could life be without those ties? FREEING!
What could life be without those comforts? UNCOMFORTABLE …. And soooooo much bigger.
Jesus said in John 10:10 “I came that you might have life, and have it to the full.”
Life with Jesus is fulfilling. It is not easy. It is not comfortable. It is not predictable. It’s more like a wild ride where you are holding on tight with whiplash. But dang, is it fulfilling.
There’s no atrophy in a life with Jesus. There’s risk and chance and change. There’s uncertainty and challenges and a few broken bones that are promised to heal along the way. And there’s a fullness to life like you’ve never experienced in that bubble you’ve been trying to find and hide in.
If you’ve been missing the excitement in life, could it be because you’ve opted for safety over fully following Jesus? That rich young man turned away from Jesus and went back to his life of comfort and stuff. He had no idea what he was missing out on. He missed out on water walking lessons. He missed out on healings, and miracles, and a calling that would radically change the trajectory of his life.
You don’t want to miss out on this, Sis.
Is God prompting you to let go of something to pursue him more? Is he stirring a desire within you that will require a change? Is he extending an invitation to you right now for something more, but it will require you to make space first?
Remember the WWJD bracelets we used to wear? What Would Jesus Do? Jesus took risks. Jesus sought his calling over his comfort. Jesus chose eternal over easy. That’s what Jesus did. Now, what will you do?
When you’re old and dying, don’t you want to look back and say “Wow, I’m glad I went for it”, instead of “Wow, I’m glad I was so dang comfortable.”
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What significance is this day of life for you? Is it of any value? Of any great importance? Will today’s date be remembered in any way in your lifetime?
For some brand new souls taking their very first breath, today is the beginning of life for them. Babies are being born today. Life is beginning. All that God has been creating in unseen places is being revealed today, and their existence will be seen. It is the day God assigned for their birth, and here they are. How absolutely glorious!
But that’s not you. You’ve already been here for a while. This is my 17,277th day of this life. Go ahead and go to daysold.com and discover what day of life this is for you. Today’s date does not mark the beginning for you.
For some souls who have completed their journey on Earth, today is the end of this life for them. They will take their final breath today. I was there with my Daddy as the veil between Heaven and Earth grew so thin. I heard him letting out deep belly laughs and saying “Oh, Jesus is so funny.” Then he would smile with such peace and say, “everyone is so happy here.” And then came his final breath with us, followed by his first in an eternal paradise. It was his end date. Today’s date will be that end marker on some lives.
But what about the rest of us? If this isn’t the day life begins, or the day life ends, is this day just somewhere in the middle with no tremendous value or importance? Is this day lost in the dash between the beginning and the end?
No, let me tell you exactly what this day is for the blessed souls who have a little living already under their belts, but haven’t arrived to the end yet: Today isn’t the day we begin, and today isn’t the day we end, today is the day we CONTINUE.
We continue to live. We continue to show up. We continue to receive and give and allow life to flow through us.
It can all get lost in that dash between the two big dates our lives will be remembered by, but today is the day we CONTINUE. If you are alive today, which I know you are because you’re hearing this, today, you continue!
Oh, how important it is for you to continue. No matter what the circumstances may be, your life continues today.
Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and exist.”
What Paul was saying in this scripture is our God is a living God. He is not some statue or idol that sits still. He is alive, he is moving, and it is in him that we live. This word ‘live’ is a translation of the Greek word for the physical vitality of life. There is a distinctive energy of God that rises up and gives us life. We don’t move and we cease to exist without God. Your entire existence depends on the one who Created you. The only way you CONTINUE to exist today is because God has declared this exact day of life for you.
This means there’s meaning and purpose to this day. It’s not just a blank dash between the day you were born and the day you die. It’s a precise day ordained by God for your very existence. It’s a day God declared your life would continue because he wants you here.
So, how could you ever declare your life as unimportant? How could you ever dismiss yourself as not enough or unworthy? You are wanted by the Almighty. You are specifically chosen by the One who created the entire universe to be here today. He has breathed life into you and presented a new day with opportunities this morning, with the intention that you would live, move and exist in him.
Today, your life CONTINUES!
Deuteronomy 30 has 4 paragraphs with the title “Choose Life or Death” in my Bible. This is a book written by Moses. Remember, baby Moses floating down the Nile river in a basket, rescued by the Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter, then raised in the palace. Remember, Moses who stood up to Pharaoh and demanded “let my people go”, then led the Israelites out of captivity to take them on a journey to their Promised Land. Moses who God used to part the Red Sea. Moses who went up on a mountain and came back down with 2 stones inscribed by the very finger of God known as the “Ten Commandments”.
Yeah, that Moses. He knew a thing or two about life and death. He had experienced a whole lot of God’s promptings leading him to very uncertain and uncomfortable places to do things he didn’t feel qualified to do, and he had seen God’s power doing impossible things right before him. And Moses says, let me tell you about this dash you have between the day you’re born and the day you die.
Verse 11 and 14: “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.”
Basically Moses is saying, what I’m about to tell you is not impossible for you. What you need to do today is already within you. It’s not something you have to go search for. Your Creator has already made this know to you. You’re not dismissed because of any of your problems or excuses. THIS IS FOR YOU TODAY.
Verse 19-20: “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses, between prosperity and disaster. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.”
Today, this day, you have a choice to make. It’s a choice between life and death. Yip, right here in between, in your dash called your lifetime. Here sits today with a choice between blessings and curses. Between prosperity and disaster. Which do you want? What do you choose?
If you want life that comes with blessings and prosperity, there is a key, and that key is the choice to love God, obey him and commit yourself firmly to him.
It’s a choice, Sis, and it’s a daily choice. Today, as your life is offered to CONTINUE, will you choose to love God? Will you choose to obey him? Will you choose to commit yourself firmly to him?
It’s when we act like greedy, spoiled brats that we create chaos in our lives. It’s when we demand our way, and our way right now, that we make a mess of things. It’s when we fail to seek God first and start making choices under our own power, then we realize we weren’t not possbily obeying God because we weren’t asking God. It’s when we make a commitment, but we don’t stick to that commitment and we waiver because we just didn’t “feel” like following through with that commitment today.
This is the curse. This is the disaster. And we miss that today, in the middle of life, we have a choice. That choice determines our experience.
Remember, Moses was sharing this lesson with the Israelites who he was leading out of captivity in Egypt to the land God had promised them. If they would just CONTINUE living by loving God, obeying him, and sticking with their commitment to him, they would live in blessings and prosperity.
But, they didn’t. They didn’t obey. They grew impatient. They grew grouchy. They grew ungrateful. They grew fearful. And even though God had made a way for them to continue, they didn’t. They stopped on their journey before their destination, and there in the desert, they died.
Why? They forgot the key to life. The key to life God had given Moses to teach them, and now teach us so we don’t make the same mistake.
And it’s not a command that is too hard for us. It is not out of our reach. We literally have no excuses. God has already put the ability within us to live exactly as he has told us. We not only have the ability, but honey, it’s what we were built for. We were built to love God. Our very existence depends on him. We were built to obey God. It’s why there’s a little something within us that makes us feel yucky when we don’t and great when we do. We were built to be committed firmly to him, because we are held so perfectly in the palm of his hand every single day of our lives.
So today isn’t the beginning of life for you, and if it’s not the end of life for you, then you’re in the all important “CONTINUE” part of your life. You continue living today. Today is of tremendous value and importance, and you have the key to living it in a way that brings blessings over curses, and prosperity over disaster.
Love God.
Obey God.
Stay committed to God.
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It’s the final day of the first month of this year. You made it. And maybe you not only made it through this month, but you actually made progress. Oh girl, good for you!
I had a zoom call last night with some women who shared their breakthroughs in the month of January. Big battles fought and victories won. Major obstacles overcome. Hard work creating success and new found confidence. Oh there is simply nothing more beautiful on a woman than the sense of knowing she just did what she said she was going to do. I saw it on their faces in that zoom. A new spark. A revived purpose. A powerful force.
And maybe that’s you. You showed up this month and you did what you said you were going to do. Now maybe it wasn’t perfect, but you’ve made progress. You’re ending January better than you began. Sis, that’s a victory.
Now, first, I want you to recognize anytime you end a month better than you began, you’ve been beating the enemy. His plan is to always hold you back and make you sink a little deeper into that rut. His plan is always to make you feel a little worse, and a little more stuck in little ways of living. He’s done that to you before, right? You know that feeling. So honey, if you’re not more stuck than you began, you’ve been winning. If you’ve even made a little progress, you held him back.
But, you need to know, there’s so much more in you. God has put more in you than just the strength to hold the enemy back. He put the strength in you to defeat him. Remember Romans 8:37 says “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
OVERWHELMING VICTORY is God’s plan for you. This is what he has equipped you for. This is what he set you up for. And until you’re walking in overwhelming victory where the enemy’s attacks are completely demolished, you’re still on your victory journey. On this journey, don’t stop and settle for just holding your ground. Don’t assume small wins are all you have in you. No, you have been set apart for overwhelming victory.
You know what overwhelming victory looks like in your life? It looks like you not only overcoming this attack from the enemy, but it looks like you then turning that attack on him and using your victory to help others in the same battle. It looks like you overcoming so you can show others it’s possible. It looks like you being a totally different person living a radically different life because you overwhelming beat this!
Overwhelming victory is God’s plan for you in this. However, that victory requires something of you. It requires you to keep showing up. It requires you to not back down when the next attack comes. It requires you to keep fighting for the purpose for which you were created, and settle for absolutely nothing less along the way.
For many, we started this new year of life with a resolve to change some things. And I’m seeing proof of a whole lot of people still showing up for those commitments. I’m seeing evidence of victories won and progress made. But, now what?
What do you do after you’ve made progress? What do you do after month 1 where you managed to overcome some bad habits, but you know the threat of their return is always on your heels? What do you do when this month is over and a whole new one begins? A new month with circumstances you have not yet navigated. Problems you’re not prepared for. Temptations stirred up in the pits of hell to derail you.
Yeah, you need to know it’s coming! Just because you won a little in January doesn’t mean the devil is waving the white flag and forfeiting the fight for 2023. It means he’s scheming the next attack because he knows your continued growth, your continued change, your continued forward momentum will be an even bigger threat, so he’s gotta shut that down! Get that girl back in bondage. Get her back in the darkness of depression. Get her back in the overwhelm of her excuses. Get her back in that regret and shame.
Yes, Sis, Satan wants you back! He wants you back where you were stuck. Back where you didn’t know the power you have within you to fight his temptations. Back where you were playing little in your own life. Back where you never felt enough or worthy.
After this month, are you going to let him take you back?
YOU CAN’T!!!!
This morning I began studying the battle stories of Elijah. 1 Kings 18, God had rained down his power for Elijah through fire and given him a great and impossible victory. After this victory, verse 42, “Elijah bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.” He knelt in prayer.
If you’ve had any amount of victory here this month, kneel in prayer. Give honor and praise to the one who is worthy. The one who has strengthened you. The one who has given you every single opportunity you’ve ever had. The one who made a way when there was no way. You are here with your little spark again, with your confidence growing, with your progress, now remember you didn’t do this alone! God enabled you to overcome. He empowered you to make those changes. He guided you in your choices. Bend down to the ground, put your face between your knees, and thank him!
Seriously, that needs to happen TODAY!
This is what we do at the end of a month when we’re realizing even the tiniest victories in our battles. Thank you God, I know I couldn’t have done this without you.
My mentor told me there’s a lesson in everything. A lesson in what to do, and a lesson in what not to do. Both are valuable.
Elijah showed us what to do after a victory. But what comes next is a lesson in what not to do. Let’s learn the lesson so we don’t dare repeat the mistake. I believe you will quickly see this is a mistake we’ve made in the past that has stopped our progress.
After God’s power had literally rained down in fire giving Elijah victory over Baal and in his prophets in 1 Kings chapter 18, we read a very different story in the very next chapter. Chapter 19 tells us of an evil woman named Jezebel who threatened Elijah. And this time, instead of calling on God for victory, verse 3 says, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.”
He ran. Forgetting the power that came through fire he had just seen giving him an overwhelming victory, he ran with the next threat.
Why do we do that?
Why would we forget all God has brought us through in the past? Look back. See what he has gotten you through before and know he will get you through anything that is next. If God strengthened us in January, he can strengthen us in February! If we overcame negative circumstances this month, why would we worry about what might derail us next month? Why would we run? Why would we assume we can’t overcome this threat too?
Elijah ran and hid in a cave. But God didn’t want him hiding from his problems, just like he doesn’t want you hiding from yours.
Verse 9, God says, ““What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Essentially he’s saying, boy, haven’t I given you victory before? What are you doing here hiding from this threat? Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know what I can do for you and through you?
Verse 15, God says ““Go back the way you came.” God called Elijah out of that cave and told him to go back. Go back to the problem you ran from. Go back and face this. Facing it is the only way you will receive your victory. And remember, God doesn’t have just any victory planned for you, he has overwhelming victory aligned for you!
Will February be easy? Probably not. Will you always feel like doing the next right thing? Nope. Will the enemy come at you and make you want to run and hide? Yes. But God is continually calling you out. Out of the pit where you got stuck last time. Out of the cave where you want to hide from it all. Out of the darkness where you just sit it out and let life pass. Out of the excuses that have been sucking the joy right out of you. Can’t you see what the enemy has been doing here? GET OUT OF THIS! You can beat this!
God has an overwhelming victory planned for you here and you will need to show up for it! Claim what is yours by using what has been given to you!
You can keep moving forward in victory. You can overcome every obstacle in your way. You can continue to get better, change, grow and improve in February. Make the commitment now that no matter what threats the enemy may bring, you won’t run and hide. You will remember what God did for you this month making these little victories possible, you will thank him for it, and you will proceed with confidence!
You can beat this! God is already showing you how.
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If you will change the way you perceive things, your entire experience will change. At this very moment, you have immeasurable goodness and blessings in your life, however if you’re not intentionally recognizing them, they go unnoticed.
The enemy has been working overtime on your perception. What is your perception? By definition it is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through your senses. He has you so overstimulated with all the distractions of your noisy world, that you’re numb to the constant quiet presence of God. You’re chasing without recognizing you already have what you think you still want.
You and I are much like Eve. Eve lived in literal paradise. Every day was pure delight. She had never needed or wanted for anything. In one moment, the enemy came in and messed with her perception. He changed the way she saw her paradise. With one little twisted suggestion, he made her want the one thing that was never meant for her.
Genesis 3 in my bible is titled “Paradise Lost.” How was paradise lost for Adam and Eve? How did the enemy trick them, and is he tricking us still today?
Verse 1-13 ” The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
The serpent was the devil, our enemy, and he tricked Eve. Notice verse 6 says “The woman was convinced.” She was convinced what she had wasn’t good enough. She was convinced what she couldn’t have would be better.
The truth is, today we have little pieces of paradise, immeasurable goodness and blessings, and if we’re not careful, we too can be tricked into the enemy’s twisted plan. Tricked into trading all we have already been given, for what we think would be better. Where has the enemy been trying to convince you?
You have a husband, but you think a different husband would be better. Oh, Sis, be so careful. Is that the enemy trying to convince you into overlooking all you have and make you want what is not yours?
You have a house, but that house is already not good enough.
You have clothes, but Amazon and Shein surely has something you must have.
You have family, but Facebook shows you a better family and suddenly yours doesn’t look as good.
You have the job you once prayed for, but now you dread getting up to go to that job.
You were saved from God only knows what, healed from diseases you didn’t even know were a threat, and now you look at your body in the mirror with harsh and unloving eyes.
There are people who have poured into you, now your expectations of the continual pouring have made you bitter towards them.
Your prayers were answered and you have what you asked for, but now your blessings have become a burden and you just want a break from it all.
You have been convinced. Convinced what you don’t have is what you need. Convinced what you can’t do is what is still missing in your life. Convinced if you could just change this one thing, then life would be good. But the truth is, honey, we’re just like the woman we came from. We are about 120 generations from Eve, and we’re still struggling with the same exact thing. We’re losing paradise.
If absolutely nothing changed in our lives but our perception, most everything would change. You and I could receive the same exact thing, but the difference in our perception would create a radically different outcome. Here’s how ….
Every single one of us received a new day of life today. It’s the great equalizer. No matter where you live, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, you received 24 hours today, just like me. But, how you received today from the moment you woke up has changed your entire experience.
If Monday is greeted with a sense of anxiety, overwhelm, and dread, then those senses create your perception. Proof of every reason to be anxious, overwhelmed and filled with dread flood your awareness. With this perception, your energy levels respond, your mood aligns, and you show up to today looking for proof of what you suspected from the moment you woke up. And sis, “seek and ye shall find.” You will find it!
However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Just because the enemy points it out to you doesn’t mean you have to be convinced. Just because the temptation is there doesn’t mean you have to take a bite. Honey, paradise is here for you today, you don’t want to lose this!
You can literally train your brain to dwell in gratitude. You can direct your thoughts toward the proof of paradise, and if you do, your entire experience will be different. You will be so convinced of your blessings, that the enemy’s offer of burdens simply has no space to dwell. You can be so focused on the immeasurable goodness in your life, that the lure of what you still don’t have is completely overshadowed.
Eve’s mistake was allowing the enemy to trick her into believing what she didn’t have would be better than what she already had. Oh, Eve, you live in paradise, but if you take a bite from this one forbidden tree, you will be even happier in paradise. WRONG!
You and I woke up to the promise of God’s mercies being brand new today. We woke up to a world held perfectly in the palm of God’s mighty hand. We woke up to more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine being miraculously aligned for us.
But, if our perception is off, we woke up to another reason to be offended. We woke up to something that is totally unfair. We woke up to work we have to do with people we just want to change. And Sis, we become bitter! Bitter women, living little lives, teaching the next generation to do the same.
And this perception has become our reality.
God is all around us, but we no longer perceive it. It’s all being made possible, but we’re not stepping into it. We’re wildly rich and ridiculously blessed, but we don’t feel like it.
We have been convinced.
Convinced people are bad, so we miss just how good the souls around us really are.
Convinced we don’t get what we want, so we miss we already have so much of what we wanted.
Convinced life isn’t fair, so we miss how darn lucky we are that we don’t really get what we deserve.
Convinced this is too hard, so we miss the unstoppable power we have been offered.
No, Satan, you will not convince me. You will not cause this girl to lose the paradise she already has!
Life is good and I’m preparing for an eternal future of perfection.
People are good because they carry Jesus in them.
Here is good because I know all God brought me through to get me here, and I know he’s not finished with me yet.
Today is good because this the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it, regardless of circumstances.
This paradise is protected with a mind set on the immeasurable goodness and blessings I already have!
Genesis 3:23 “So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.”
We woke up in our garden this morning. A garden that may not be perfect and we may not have it all, but dang girl, look at all we do have. Let’s not be banished from our garden because of our jacked up perception. Let us not be convinced by the enemy’s tricks which twist our blessings into burdens.
I’m here in my garden this morning, and I’m so grateful. Aren’t you? With the right perspective, it really is paradise.
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
Exactly 10 years ago today I was getting ready to step out in faith and do something simply because God told me to. Not because there would be financial gain, popularity, or increase of absolutely anything. I felt I had nothing to gain by doing what I was about to do, but I knew God has asked me to do it.
What was I doing 10 years ago today? Preparing to host my first ever devotional. And I was NOT excited about it in the slightest.
Our 3 kids were in middle school and we had just sold everything we owned and moved to a little beach cottage in Southern California. We had drastically simplified our lives and stepped away from the cluttered rush life had previously become. The last thing I was looking for was something more to add to my plate. The last thing I desired was a long term commitment that would stretch me so far beyond the confines of my comfort zone that I would lose sight of what was once even comfortably normal.
But that’s exactly what would happen.
It was one of the few times I can tell you I heard the voice of God. Not in an audible sense, but it was deep within my spirit, and it said something I know I would have never said. This voice within said, “Start leading devotionals.”
Now you see, I wouldn’t have said that because honestly, I didn’t even know what a devotional really was. I didn’t read them and I certainly didn’t write them. This didn’t come from me, but it was directed to me. Start leading devotionals.
I was 100% convinced it was God, and I was also convinced he was wrong. So, I made a deal. I agreed to lead a devotional call for 1 week out of obedience, with the intention of proving I wasn’t the girl for the job. I would dismiss myself from the calling as soon as God saw I wasn’t capable of whatever this “devotional” thing was.
One week, God, you get one week.
That day my husband took me to Barnes and Noble and I found the Christianity section. That was new to me. I had never been in that section before. A little green book with trees on the front stood out to me. It was a 365 day devotional by Joyce Meyer, titled “Power Thoughts Devotional”. I walked out with my example of a devotional in my hand, and I went home to figure out how I was going to write 5 of these for the next week, and be done with it.
I opened the book and found words I could have never written. Scriptures I didn’t know. Teachings that spoke to me, but I could never speak them myself. So, with a deadline of 5 am the next morning nearing for my first live devotional, I did the only thing I knew to do … I plagiarized.
That morning, 10 years ago, I dialed in to host the first ever live devotional on conference call. There were about 20 others on the call, waiting to hear what God had given me. I would love to say I at least added my own stories and examples to it, but I didn’t. I didn’t know how. I was in way over my head, trying to be obedient to answer a call I was certain had the wrong number.
I 100% read the first devotional, word for word, and cried my way through it. I prayed a prayer I felt totally unqualified to pray. After 7 minutes of sheer misery, I ended the call and said “God, I told you I’m not your girl. Do we really have to do this again tomorrow?”
I continued to plagiarizer from Joyce Meyer’s book for a few weeks. And let me tell you what eventually started happening … the words I was reading started getting down into my soul. Those “Power Thoughts Devotionals” started changing my thoughts, and I started believing maybe God wasn’t looking for the most talented girl in the room, maybe he was looking for the available girl in the room.
10 years later, I can tell you that is all God has ever asked of me. To simply be available. Not to know all the answers. Not to always get it right. Not to always feel like it or even be great at it, but to always be available.
What could God do in the life of a girl like you if you would declare your life as available? Oh, Sis, you just have no idea! You have no idea what he could strengthen and empower you to do. You have no idea what gifts he could stir up in you that you didn’t even know you had. You have no idea how his power could flow through you to do things you’ve never done before.
But, don’t you want to know? Don’t you want to know what your life could become if you were just available?
You may have been so busy telling God you’re not it, that you’ve completely missed the fact that he can make you it! God’s spirit within you can give you more confidence than you ever imagined possible. You could start seeing his Spirit at work within you, and you could be completely blown away that somehow this is coming through you!
Do you need a special degree? Do you need a long list of talents? Do you need experience? No, Sis, you need one thing … an available space for God to fill. That’s it, just availability.
Consider your life like a big building. You have different rooms in this building for different purposes. Now suppose one of those rooms is empty and you decide to lease it out. A tenant moves into the available room, now they are part of the building. If they’re blasting music, the whole building hears the music. If they set fire to their room, the whole building could burn down. That one room eventually impacts your entire building.
God is just asking for one room in your busy life. One little space to come in and occupy. That’s all I gave him. I gave him a 1 week commitment to do these devotionals, when I didn’t even know what a devotional was. I gave him 15 minutes of my day, with a short leash. And pretty soon, he took over my whole building. My whole life was changed. All because I made a little space available for him.
Hebrews 13:21 “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.”
I know this much for sure, every single time you make yourself available, he will equip you! He will produce good things in your life through the power of Jesus working in you, and they will be things you could have never done on your own.
Honey, this isn’t about how good you are, this is solely about how available you are! God is only looking for an available vessel for his power. His power will do the equipping in any life with space for him. Any building that offers him a room will be radically transformed, one space at a time.
And here’s the crazy thing, once you start experiencing God’s power working within you to do his good works, you actually start desiring those things. I had no desire to wake up at 4 am and write devotionals. I had no desire to speak to 20 people live on a conference call, let alone millions of people around the world at this point. I was NOT the girl to pray out loud because I would cry my way through the entire thing, and y’all, I’m an ugly crier. Now, 10 years later, only God could convince me to not get up and do this today!
No, I didn’t want to be doing this. I had no clue what in the world I was doing. (Well, actually that’s not true, I knew for the first few weeks I was plagiarizing off good ol’ Joyce, and I’ve repented of that.) I showed up for no other reason than to prove God had called the wrong girl. But every time I showed up, God proved he would equip this girl.
And my friend, he will do the same for you! Every time you show up, he will equip you. And as he equips you, the craizest thing will happen. Your desires will change!
Philippians 2:13 “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
I dare you to show up for God today! I dare you to declare available space in your life today! Watch and see him not only equip you, but to change your desires!
This is what changes the girl who once only desired another drink, to desire helping other women find their sobriety.
This is what changes the girl who once lived in bondage, to show others how to live in freedom.
This is what changes the girl who once never had enough to make it through, to be the girl living in abundance with the most ridiculously generous heart you’ve ever seen.
God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases him. And all he needs to do all this work is an available space in your life.
Won’t you simply declare, “God I am available.”
I have 15 minutes of available space for you. Start there. Let him occupy that space and rock your entire life!
That’s exactly what he did for me, and he wants to do it for you!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
You’re facing something right now that appears impossible, but God has already declared it possible. You’re wondering how in the world you will ever get through this, all while God has already designed the way.
But here’s the problem with the way forward for you … it may not look guaranteed. In fact, it may look highly unlikely and very uncertain. It may look sketchy and risky and totally not what you would expect from a God who parts mighty seas for his people to proceed.
I mean really, where’s your sea parting? Where’s your dry path to move forward? Where’s your certain way in the face of impossible odds? You’re not seeing it, are you?
And here’s why you’re not seeing it … you’re expecting to see God’s movement only after the end of the story has been revealed. It doesn’t look the same in the middle of the story. You want to know exactly how this is all going to work out. You want to know how long it’s going to take and how hard it’s going to be, before you ever take the first unsteady step. Life doesn’t work that way.
We know God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape from the Egyptians who were chasing them down to kill them. We know they walked through an impossible dry path while the sea stood on it’s end on both sides of them and they made it safely across. We know their enemies were swallowed by those same waters as they followed them. So we stand at our own impassable seas with threats chasing us down and say “God, where’s my escape? Where’s my rescue? Where’s my way through?”
But here’s what we may have missed in the story of the parting Red Sea. We missed the uncertainty of it. We missed the excruciating amount of time it took. We missed how dark and scary it must have been. We just know the sea parted and they passed.
Exodus 14: 21-22 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”
Miraculous indeed, and easy for us to wish God would do the same in our lives, but we’ve been seeing this story with such confidence because we know the end. What if you were in the Israelites shoes and you didn’t know the end? What if this really looked like a death trap, because really, wouldn’t it?
Scripture tells us there were 600,000 men, plus women and children who followed Moses out of captivity in Egypt. That’s a crowd of about 2 million people. 2 million people on the run from an enemy chasing them down in chariots with the sole intent of killing them.
Imagine being a mama in that crowd trying to protect her children while fleeing. Imagine the fear and exhaustion. Now, here it is late at night, and you come upon an impassable sea. Not only a sea, but a wild wind blowing the water.
I’ve spent this month on Pensacola Beach where the waters are the prettiest color of turquoise and the beach is the softest white sand. It’s paradise. Paradise, until a storm blows in. The wind turns these calm waters into a raging sea of ferocious power. I wouldn’t get in that water. I certainly wouldn’t lead my family into that water.
But here you are, in a crowd of 2 million people with your family, running for your lives, and you come to the edge of the Red Sea when the winds are wild, and you see the crowd in front of you is entering the waters! They’re walking in! What would you do?
Standing on the beach looking at the horizon, you see approximately 1 mile. That’s on a clear and calm day. This wasn’t a clear and calm day. This was at night with a wind so wild it caused the water to stand on it’s edge. The Israelites had over 4 miles to travel to the other side of the sea. They couldn’t possibly see what was ahead of them.
My friend, this is what God making a way looks like. We have it all wrong in our head. We imagine a 6 lane highway magically appearing with flashing signs directing us. No, it looks like a death trap. It looks like total uncertaintity. It looks terrifying. It looks like the craziest possible option, and you’re walking in with no guarantees.
Now, think about this, with a crowd this size, there’s no possible way everyone could have seen the moment when Moses stretched his hand over the sea causing this clearing. There’s no possible way everyone could have heard the instructions to move forward. Let’s do the numbers. With 2 million people, if the crowd was moving forward in a group that was 100 people wide, that group would be 20,000 feet long. 20,000 feet is over 4 miles of people. This means even if they were walking through the sea bed at 100 people shoulder to shoulder, crowded with only 1 foot between one person’s chest and the next person’s chest, that line would be over 4 miles long. People would literally be just stepping onto the sea bed while others had already crossed.
You think there wasn’t panic? Heck, have you seen people fighting in line at the Chic-Fil-A? Imagine a 4 mile long crowd thinking at any moment that water will come crashing down on them. Crashing down on you and your family, in the dark, surrounding and overwhelming you. Imagine that for a moment.
They hadn’t seen the miracle for themselves. They were 4 miles away from the sea when the power of God worked through Moses to make it part. They weren’t there when they heard Moses with complete confidence give the orders to march on. They were just following along in the dark, doing really crazy things, with absolutely no promise they would make it to the other side.
And this is exactly what it looks like to step into the miraculous guidance of God.
Total uncertainty. Total risk. Total dependence. And a whole lot that simply doesn’t make any sense.
It looks like taking a job on the other side of the country and moving your family when it was so comfortable where you were.
It looks like stepping up and doing the right thing, when you know the right thing will cost you greatly.
It looks like showing up when you feel totally inadequate, with a complete dependence on God to do what you know you can’t do.
It looks like staring down the odds and deciding to live fully any way.
It looks like going unsure, proceeding scared, moving forward while still questioning, and knowing there’s absolutely no way this will work if God doesn’t do something big here.
It’s so easy for us to read the short story, “So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”
And then we wonder where our short story is. Why is this dragging on and on? Why is this taking so long? Why is this so hard? Why am I still so uncertain of the way? Why won’t God just tell me for sure what to do and how this is all going to work out? Well honey, you’re not reading your story yet, you’re living it. You’re in the long story where you don’t see the end, you just have to trust there is one.
You have to trust when it’s finally your turn to go, there will be enough for you. You have to trust God will hold those seas on their end for you to pass too. You have to trust in the middle of the darkness, there’s a way through it, so take the next step.
What next step, the one he guides you to. Yes, even when that step looks uncertain and unreliable. Even when you don’t understand it or see it all. Even when there are absolutely zero guarantees this will work. You move forward with God. This is how you pass through impassable seas in your life. And you won’t see it until you look back, but this really is all working together for your good.
God’s guidance and provision often looks like “Holy crap, what am I walking into!” If you’re seeking to follow God, sometimes you just have to walk right into it!
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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
At some point, you arrive to a stage in your life when you look back and find the greatest discovery. The discovery that all this time, God was the author of your destiny. That through it all, he was leading you to his good plans, and they are plans you couldn’t dare to dream.
If you’re there, you know. You know the sweetness of looking back and seeing how God’s promise of working all things together for good were absolutely true for you. You see exactly how the hardest of times lead to unexpected growth, and that growth brought you to opportunities you would have totally dismissed yourself from.
I mean really, if you would have known all the details, you would have been too scared to show up, so guess what your loving Creator did just for you … He hid the details and revealed just enough to get you to take the next step. All while having a destiny aligned that you would have never felt worthy enough to pursue. One step at a time, he nearly tricked you into living a life bigger than you ever imagined.
Now, you look back and see all he did to bring you here, and it’s so clear he was always the author of your destiny. He was always writing your story with such beautiful detail, even when it appeared so hopelessly messy.
Some of us are there and we see it. We know it. We live it.
And some of us are still on that journey and we haven’t quite gotten to the reveal.
And most of us are a mixed bag of seeing it and living it in some areas of our lives, and still deep in the messy process in others.
I don’t know where you are, Sis, but I know this one thing is for sure, God is the author of your destiny.
Psalm 139: 16-17 “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”
Before your very first step, the step you are questioning today was already aligned. Before you ever knew what you were doing, the wisdom for you to do what is next right now was allotted for you.
Every day of your life has been recorded in God’s book, including this day. Including this season of your life. And God’s precious thoughts about you have all of this covered. He knows exactly what you’re facing. He knows every emotion you are feeling and every fear you wrestle with. He’s already thought about all of this, and per-written the way through it to a destiny promised to be good.
Sometimes, that’s exactly what you must cling to. You cling to a destiny promised by God to be good. A destiny that will one day make sense of today’s journey through the wilderness. A destiny that will be more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine, and make it all totally worth it.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Ephesians 3:20 “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
And honey, if you can’t see it in your life yet, you’re guaranteed it’s coming! How? God’s power working within you to align you with his plans for your future!
Sis, you’ve got to get that down deep in your soul. God’s power is working within you to align you with his ridiculously good plans for your future. Plans that are more than you could ever ask, think or imagine. That’s always been his plan, and his plan hasn’t been cancelled.
Realize God went all in for you. He bet EVERYTHING on you. He gave it all for you, confident that his good plans for your life would be worth it. How could he know? Oh honey, because he’s already written it all. He’s the author of your destiny and every day of your life has already been written in his book.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you’re a puppet on a string, or a robot programmed to take predetermined action. You have a part in this. You accept his invitation, or you don’t. You step into all that God has declared as possible in your life now, or you delay it greatly as you hesitate and question.
This life you are living is a partnership between the creator and his masterpiece. You are the masterpiece, he is the creator with a good plan. The masterpiece has a destiny, and the creator has aligned everything to bring the masterpiece into that destiny.
The masterpiece may get a little broken along the way. The creator is okay with that. He still knows her value.
The masterpiece may get a little lost along the way. The creator will always come looking for her. He’s willing to leave everything to rescue her and bring her back.
The masterpiece may stop feeling like a masterpiece, but that never changes anything. The creator has declared her worth from the very beginning and given his best to rescue her.
Isaiah 43: 1-4
Listen to the Lord who created you.
The one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
4 Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.”
The same God who created you gave his son Jesus for you, all because you are precious to him and he loves you. All because he will stop at nothing to bring you to the destiny he has planned for you. All because he knows how this story ends, and he will go through anything and everything with you to get you there.
In some areas of my life, I can look back and see everything he brought me through to bring me to the fullness of today. I can see his hand at work in the details. I can see how he had to trick me into the next step, because if I would have known then what I know now, I would have totally dismissed myself from every opportunity because I didn’t feel worthy of these big plans.
I bet you can look back and see the same in your life, can’t you?
There are other areas of my life that are frustrating and confusing and honestly still a hot mess. I don’t see where all this hardship is leading. I don’t know how in the world God is going to work it all together for good. I’ve seen no progress. But in this, I am reminded God will go right through it with me, and he is leading me to a destiny that is more than I could ask, think, or imagine. I’ll get there and I will then see how he was always in every detail. Until then, I choose to trust him in the process.
Won’t you do the same? Won’t you trust him with all you can’t understand right now? Trust he’s done it for you before and he will do it for you again. He’s made a way when there was no way, so he will make a way here too. He’s opened doors before, he will open doors again. He’s turned the enemy’s intended harm and used it for good in your life in the past, he will do it again in your future.
Isn’t it an amazing discovery to realize God has always been the author of your destiny, and he’s still working!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
How good does your life look on the outside, and how increasingly empty is it feeling on the inside?
Do you feel stagnant in life, having lost your passion and energy?
Are you an all-or-nothing type of person, and lately it’s been more nothing?
Have you been so busy just living that you’ve forgotten to be ALIVE?
Have the tasks and chores and the things on your to-do-list overshadowed the sheer fact that you woke up to the greatest gift today? The gift of a new day of life.
So the challenge is to find balance. To be living and be fully ALIVE. To be productive while being grateful. To care as much about your zest for life as the appearance of your life.
It’s easy to lose our balance, in fact I would venture to say it’s darn hard to maintain our balance. When life is out of balance, we quickly experience burn out. Hey sister, if you can’t find joy on the journey to your goals, you’ll likely never make it. And if you do, you’re going to be miserable and how long will you be able to force yourself to continue on in misery?
I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my happiness for a goal weight. I’m not willing to be miserable for the next 11 months to achieve anything. I’m not willing to skip out on living now to become someone I think I want to be next.
And here’s the great news … we don’t have to! We can achieve our goals, we can become more than we ever imagined, we can walk in the fullness of life like never before, and we can do it all without misery.
What’s the secret?
BALANCE.
Most of us are either too focused on work and forget the play, or we’re all about the play and the work doesn’t get done. Which one are you?
Do you recognize how this imbalance is not serving you? Do you agree that becoming your best will require both work and fun? What good are the size 8 jeans, the $20,000 in savings, and the clean house if you forget to be ALIVE? You can’t just go through the motions here. You gotta throw your whole body into this thing.
Many of us are walking around feeling stagnant. Our lives on the outside are beautiful, picture perfect, you may even have all the things you once prayed for – but inside we’ve lost our passion and energy for more. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had women come to me and say, “my life is really good, I just can’t figure out why I’m still not happy.”
For my girls here at the retreat with me, life has been ridiculously good together the past 5 days, right? We’ve lived big, we’ve created memories that will last a lifetime. We’ve done things we’ve never done before. We’ve breathed in life. We’ve laughed and cried and had tremendous breakthroughs. And today, you go home. You go home to a home that hasn’t changed. You go home to a family that is still the same. This energy and zest you have within you today will be met with a reality threatening to suck the life out of you. Plus you carry home a bag full of dirty clothes, no chef to cook for you, and quite possibly crappy weather.
How will you protect this feeling you have inside right now when it comes crashing into your real life that hasn’t experienced the same?
For everyone that’s at home, everyone that hasn’t had an adventure in a long time, everyone that wakes up to the same boring reality on a merry go round that lost it’s merry a long time ago, let me say this … it doesn’t have to be this way. If life is boring, you’ve just gotten busy living and forgotten to be ALIVE.
Maybe on the outside things look good, but on the inside, are you losing your passion and energy?
This is how the enemy often attacks us. He allows things to look good on the outside so you will silently struggle alone. Perhaps even worse than having nothing is having most everything, and still feeling empty. Guilt and shame set up shop inside and convince you something is deeply wrong with you in the middle of a life that looks so darn good on the outside.
No one knows to reach out to you because you look like you’ve got it all together. All while the enemy is working away at you on the inside, attacking your passion and zest for life. Teasing you with the easy way out. Tempting you with checking out of the game and settling for watching everyone else, convinced you’re just not good enough. And so the game goes on and on, he wins and you lose, and your potential goes untapped. Life may look good on the outside, but on the inside, this isn’t working.
And so the very thing you were created to do in this world goes undone. The impact only you can make sits on a shelf and your worth goes down the drain. The blessings destined for you become burdens, and you just can’t figure out why you’re not happy.
Jesus warns us in John 10:10 that this enemy of ours came to kill, steal and destroy, and you must understand he will attack you on the inside just as much, if not more, than on the outside. He will take all that is good, and make it overwhelming. He will take all that is a gift and make it a task you just have to get done. He will create imbalance so you’re too exhausted to enjoy the very thing you once prayed for.
So my question to you today is, do you see where the enemy has been working on you? Working to keep you unbalanced? Working to steal your passion and energy? Working to make you dread your reality? Working to turn your blessings into burdens? Working to just keep you bored and unaware of the gift of life?
Job 33:4 tells us “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
The spirit of God made you, my friend. It is the breath of the Almighty that gives you life. His breath gives you life. Have you been breathing shallow lately? Going through the motions, feeling drained? Skimming? Staying surface level in your own life and rarely ever digging deep? I know exactly what we need … we need the one who gives us life to breathe life back into us! We need the breath of the Almighty to do some resuscitation in our lives and bring us back in balance.
Won’t you ask God to breath life back into you? Won’t you ask him to bring back your passion and energy? Won’t you ask him to open your eyes to the beauty of life so that you may soak it in fully today?
Take a big deep breath with me right now. Mouth closed as you breath in through your nose, then release through your mouth. Again.
Almighty, breath life into us.
Do you realize the very air you breathe is the breath of God? He wants to fill you up. He wants to help you create balance in your life.
Your goals are fantastic. God is excited about your goals. Yes, go for it. But don’t forget to live and enjoy this gift.
God, help us to create and maintain balance in our lives.
No more stagnant days. No more walking around in a life that looks good on the outside but feels so empty on the inside. No more allowing the enemy to poke around in your blessings. This is your life, and it will be balanced by the Almighty.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com
There may be things you have done before that simply have no place in your life now. There may be old thought patterns that served to protect you back then, but honey, they gotta go now because they’re really limiting your ability to step into the big, beautiful, overflowing plans God has for your life.
You were created with the unique ability to learn, grow and change. Unlike other creatures, you have been given the divine right to abandon that which is no longer beneficial, and do something totally new. And you can do that today. Now, let me give you 6 words of pure power to speak in the face of every single bad habit, negative tendency, or hurtful pattern you’ve got going on in your life.
I DON’T DO THAT ANY MORE.
I don’t need to justify it. I don’t need to examine or explain it. I’ve just decided I don’t do that any more.
It sounds like this:
I used to give up at the first sign of struggle, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to drink to cope, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to jump into relationships to avoid being alone, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to make impulsive decisions, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to say the meanest things to my own self, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to believe the whispers of the enemy that tell me I’m not enough, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to play little over fear of rejection, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to over-commit and completely exhaust myself, but I don’t do that any more.
I used to fret and worry, but I don’t do that any more.
I SIMPLY DON’T DO THAT ANY MORE.
Why?
Romans 12:2 – I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind.
When you decide you don’t do what you used to do, your life begins the process of transformation. That simple decision allows healing to begin, chains to be broken, patterns to be changed, and a totally new path to be formed. That path leads to the abundance of the life your Creator always envisioned for you. The life he so desperately hoped you would choose.
Honey, it always starts in your mind. When your mind is renewed, you change. When you change, things start changing.
Do you know the definition of insanity? It’s doing the same thing, expecting different results. If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you will certainly keep getting what you’ve been getting. It would be crazy to assume anything different would come from the same patterns.
Yet, that’s exactly the thought process the enemy tries to keep you stuck in. Keep thinking these same thoughts, and lose another piece of your soul as absolutely nothing changes. Keep doing these same things, believing one day it will all be different for you, then dwell in sheer disappointment when the same old stuff you’ve been running from chases you into every tomorrow.
At some point, you have to stand up as the chosen daughter of the King and say, I DON’T DO THAT ANY MORE! Reclaim your mental space, reclaim your daily choices, reclaim your dreams and desires, and stop letting them be bombarded with the ploys of the devil.
YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH.
YOU ARE CAPABLE OF CHANGE.
YOU CAN FINISH WHAT YOU START.
YOU ARE DESERVING OF GOOD THINGS.
And all that crap you used to believe, you used to do, and you used to fall victim to … well, you don’t do that any more.
There are some families that need to gather around a table and declare, the fighting stops. We don’t do that any more.
There’s a sister who needs to look in the mirror at the girl she has allowed to be so beat down and declare I don’t do that any more.
There’s someone who needs to log out of Amazon and stop wasting her money and declare I don’t do that any more.
There’s someone who needs to pour out the alcohol that’s slowly been gaining a hold in her life and declare I don’t do that any more.
There’s someone with a toxic relationship you know is going no where good, and declare I don’t do that any more.
There’s someone who has been hitting the snooze button and creating chaos in their mornings, and they need to declare I don’t do that any more.
Use the power God has given you to change what needs to change, and decide it changes now! Decide no matter how long you’ve been doing it, and regardless of the deeply ingrained habit it has become, through Christ, it STOPS NOW.
You need to get fired up and spicy about all the enemy has taken from you. How dare he invade your mornings and bombard you with such negativity. How dare he step foot in your home and attack your family from within. How dare he poke at old wounds thinking he can hurt you all over again. No, girl, you are healed in the name of Jesus! The devil deserves absolutely zero space in your head, evict him with aggressive authority!
You’ve been wrapped up in those negative thoughts, bombarded by whispered lies from the pits of hell, convinced what you’ve done is what you will always be stuck doing and nothing will ever change for you … WELL YOU’RE WRONG. YOU DON’T DO THAT ANY MORE!
You have that power in Christ. The power to change. The power to stop. The power to receive truth. The power to evict lies. The power to be positive. The power to take action. The power to go in a radically different direction and never look back.
Now, how about a firey little song to go along with that new 6 word sentence?
The song is called “Hey Girl” by Anne Wilson and it goes like this:
Letting everybody and their mother try to tell you what you’re worth
Oh, what you’re worth
When did you forget that the one who made you told you what you’re worth?
Repeat after me
I’m a blood bought, battle fought, all my shame long gone
Made new child of the King
I’m an amen, testify, holy water baptized
Went down and came up clean
I’m a soul been saved by that amazing grace
And now there ain’t no way, girl, can’t take that away, girl
Don’t forget you’re free
It’s who you’re made to be, hey girl
Oh yes, you used to believe you weren’t worthy, but you don’t do that any more.
You used to give up on the things you really wanted, but you don’t do that any more.
You used to make some world class screwed up choices, but you don’t do that any more.
You used to be stuck in worry, indecision, and overwhelm, but you don’t do that any more.
Your life is being transformed by a renewed mind!!!!! You simply don’t do what you used to do. That’s over!
Colossians 3: 9-11 “You have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us!”
Hey girl, remember your worth comes from the one who made you, and he has already declared you are worthy! Worthy of goodness that will blow your mind and good plans you can’t possibly imagine. And everything that has held you back in the past, well you simply don’t do that any more!
The enemy will try to convince you that you don’t have that power, but girl, you do!
What do you need to declare YOU DON’T DO ANYMORE, then receive power from God to be radically renewed?
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Why does God allow our struggle? Why does he watch from above, knowing we’re about to face a problem, and not unleash his power to prevent it? The struggle you’re in right now could have been avoided. The problem you’re dealing with today could have been solved before it ever got to your doorstep. You […]
I read a great analogy on life that really puts everything into perspective. It’s deep. Grab your pen, I think this is for you today and you will want to write this down. Life is like a helicopter.I don’t know how to operate a helicopter. Gosh, life can be complicated and confusing sometimes. There has […]
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. January 18th – the day Lonnie and I celebrate our anniversary. Not our wedding anniversary, but our becoming a couple anniversary. 32 years ago, on this day in 1991, with my big poofy bangs and him with the stripes shaved in the side of his […]
Your problem is big. God is bigger. Your faults are great. God is greater. It seems impossible. God does the impossible. Have you forgotten the power which resides within you? You are HIS creation. His spirit lives within you. Through him you ARE capable and you will be MORE THAN a CONQUEROR. What problem are […]
The threat may be pressing in, but there are unseen boundaries protecting your life. God has determined where these waves can touch, and where they cannot. He has established protections over you which absolutely nothing can break through. You are safe in his arms, you just can’t see his arms. God has clearly defined how […]
Smells Like Hell You are on a mission, yet you’re battling distractions sent by the enemy. God has called you to live different, yet you’re being taunted by the same ol’ things. Check the source of the things stealing your attention and occupying your mind space. Honey, if it smells like Hell, recognize that’s likely […]
Sometimes you’re straight up not going to see it, or feel it, you will have to just believe it. Sometimes the mess you have on your hands today is in the beginning process of becoming something greater than you could have ever imagined, but first you will deal with the mess. God has this worked […]
What if that uncomfortable situation in your life is exactly where Jesus wants to release his power? You’ve been running from discomfort for so long, avoiding any hint of awkward and unknown scenarios, that you now find yourself in a wilderness God never intended for you. You’re lonely, you’re bored, you’re unfulfilled, and honestly all […]
Are you listening today with a frustrating situation in your life that seems hopeless? Are you listening today from a broken place that doesn’t make sense? Are you listening today in a state of dread over the reality ahead you must face? I believe God wants to redeem this for you. He wants to make […]
As a little girl, I watched The Price is Right with my grandma. The audience would be filled with hopeful people wearing big name tags, eagerly anticipating the next name called. The camera would pan over the crowd as if looking for just the right person, then Rod Roddy would announce one lucky name. Pamela […]
Have you ever noticed your track recording of screw up and beat up? You mess up, then you dwell in that mess and convince yourself you can never do better. You miss one day, and that one off day creates a downward spiral that leaves you worse than when you started. Your inner critic is […]
Within you is greatness. Sheer, utter, mind blowing, greatness. You have the ability to do great things. You have the power to change hard things. You have the strength to get through any thing. This is who you are and how you were created. When God formed you, he designed you as a vessel to […]
If you getting better and living bigger in this new year is all based on you, this is going to be a struggle. If it’s all about who you are, what you have, what you can do, and what you want, you are gearing up for an impossible battle. This isn’t all about you. This […]
This year was given to you to be different, now you have to do something different with it. God has been prompting you to make changes. He has been stirring your spirit to shift how you’re showing up for life on the daily. But, if you’re not on alert, this prompting will quickly fade to […]
A new year of life is here for you. It’s a year unlike any other. A year you have never lived before. It’s overflowing with potential and possibilities aligned by a good, good Father, all for his girl! If you could just get a glimpse of all God has signed off on for you in […]
Here you are today, at the very end of a year of life marked by the numbers 2,022. What title will you give this year? If this year were a chapter in the book of your life, what would the title of this chapter be now that you’re on the final page? The funny thing […]
This Saturday is our annual BIG Life Goal Setting Broadcast. You have the potential of writing goals that will radically change your life, and I will be your guide. I will show you in very practical steps how to dream, how to plan, and how to take action without being overwhelmed. This could be a […]
Are you ready for what God has made available to you in 2023? Have you prepared yourself for the next level of living? Think of your life like a video game. There are levels of the game. No one ever gets through a level in one try. You try, you fail and you try again. […]
There will always be something standing in your way. There will always be a reason why now isn’t the best time for you to take the next step. There will always be a problem you’re dealing with. There will never come a day when you wake up feeling like now is the optimal time for […]
The day after Christmas…The day you wake up 5 pounds heavier to a big mess…The day after all the excitement…What do you have after the excitement? I assure you, life is a series of ups and downs. There will be things to look forward to, then those things will pass and there will be a […]
This is my 47th Christmas. The majority of them I struggle to remember much of anything. I look back for moments that have become priceless, and you know what is funny … every memory that stands out are the Christmases that were far from perfect, yet so very memorable. Think about it … it’s the […]
Give yourself a point for each one that describes you today: You still have to wrap gifts. You still have to plan a big meal. You still have to buy a crapton of groceries. You still have to clean your messy house before company arrives. You still have to buy a few last minutes gifts. […]
Today is just one day, what could possibly happen in one day? What difference could one day make? This isn’t Christmas Day, this isn’t New Years Day, today seems to be just an ordinary Wednesday in a busy week. One day that seems insignificant and ordinary, but what is this one day? In the hands […]
If this year of life were a color, what color would it be for you? Think about that. What color describes your 2022? Sadly, the memories of an entire year of life often turn to a dull gray. Life so easily slips into the gray. The nothingness. Not great, not horrible… just unimpressive, unremarkable, and […]
It’s the week of Christmas. The week the presents need to get wrapped. The week the meals need to be planned. The week travels will be made. The week you’re freaking out because the package hasn’t showed up yet. The week school is out and time moves in slow motion for the kids. When is […]
hat would your life look like if you went all in and stopped holding back? What could happen in one year’s time if you lived every day like it’s the only day you’ve got? What if you stopped wasting this, just in case it’s your last shot? We’re talking about no regrets in the end. […]
What happens after you get through what you’re going through? What do you do on the other side of this battle? How will you live when this threat is gone, you have overcome, and victory has been awarded? For many of us, we jump right into the next thing without skipping a beat. We no […]
It’s hard to see this valley you’re in right now as a blessing. It’s hard to embrace this hardship as goodness. It’s hard to see potential victory in this battle. But, Sis, you have not seen what God has seen on the other side of this valley. You have not yet even dared to imagine […]
What you have sure seems like not enough, so the question becomes, what are you doing with what little you do have? Have you dismissed what’s here because it’s not all you imagine is needed? Who are you to say how much God will require? Who are you to assume what you have won’t be […]
Just how exhausted are you right now? How completely overwhelmed and overstretched have you become? You woke up more tired than you were when you went to bed, and you’re not sure how your already depleted level of energy will ever be enough to get you through this day. You’ve already made peace with the […]
God is making what you have now to be enough until he brings what is next for you. What you have will be enough, you don’t have to fear this lack any longer. What you can do will be enough, you don’t have to be overwhelmed another day. Who you are is enough, you never […]
Sometimes where God leads you is temporary, but it’s still where he was leading you. Sometimes where God last brought you won’t last forever, and it’s not a work of the enemy when you are forced to move on to what is next. We’re so quick to assume when the thing we have now stops […]
Sometimes God is silent. His timing is not our timing. His ways are not the way we would have chosen. We don’t understand what he is doing. We look around and see things only getting worse, and wonder where is God in all of this. What are you doing in this waiting? What are you […]
You have no idea what God has available for you. You have not seen what he has decided in advance to make possible for you. You haven’t dared to imagine what your future will one day hold, that is currently being held in waiting with God. But I assure you, God wants it for you. […]
You think this setback was a cancellation on your dream, but Sis, you’re wrong. This isn’t a cancellation. This is an opportunity for you to see what you couldn’t see before. A chance to tap into the creativity your Creator has placed within you, and do something different. Did you know many of the great […]
Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with fear? Something within your spirit says things aren’t right. You’re unsettled. Uneasy. And totally unable to go back to sleep. Maybe that was you last night. That was me. A bad dream woke me up and I just couldn’t shake it. It’s what […]
What do you do with the pieces you have left from this brokenness? What do you do with what is left over after everything you had planned has fallen apart? It feels like life will never be okay again. It feels like this can never work out. It feels like you will always be hopeless, […]
Coming to the final month of this year, maybe you’re a little weary. You didn’t get as far in 2022 as you had hoped. Your progress isn’t as great as you had planned. You’re disappointed that your reality doesn’t measure up to your goals for this year. I don’t know, maybe you didn’t show up […]
What you are thinking today will grow. What you imagine will get bigger. The thoughts in your head will outgrow your head space and flood your life space, then you will be surrounded by the things you were thinking of. You see, Sis, that little worry you’ve been entertaining won’t stay little. It will grow. […]
What would today look like if you were faithful? Faithful to use what you have been given. Faithful to appreciate what you already have. Faithful to follow through with what you know you should do. Faithful to be who you were created to be. Jesus tells us we should strive to be called faithful. Is […]
Can you work on a maybe? Can you proceed with a perhaps? God is asking if your faith will be in action when you’re not 100% sure of the outcome. Will you move forward when there’s a 50/50 chance it won’t work out? Often we’re waiting on the definite green light from God. That light […]
Every morning when we wake up, we get to choose our attitude. Any attitude we wish is available for the taking. We can put it on and wear it the entire day, and just like the right pair of shoes can change the outfit, the right attitude can change your experience. Most days we wake […]
Don’t you wish you had clear direction from God on the decisions you need to make? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be certain. Wouldn’t it be helpful to just know yes or no so you didn’t have to sit and wonder and worry. Who remembers the Magic 8 Ball of our youth? You would ask […]
In scripture, mountains represent the problems in our lives. The hardship, the difficulty, the impossible. What is the mountain in your life today? Think of it now. Got it? Now here’s what your mountain needs to know today: Psalm 97:5 says “The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.“ Nahum 1:5 says “The mountains quake […]
God has made promises over your life. He always keeps his promises, that’s never in question. So, why are you still waiting? Why the frustrating delay in your life? Here’s a thought … maybe God has already said yes, he’s already made a way, it’s already completely possible, HE’S JUST WAITING ON YOU. Now the […]
Today’s episode are two short lessons in one. No notes, no outline, no transcript, just a 5 am chat about what God showed me yesterday and asked me to share with you today. 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory […]
I wonder how often we simply settle for far less than God has available to us? We settle for less than our best and less than His best. Where have you settled in your life? I’m talking about an area where you’re playing little when you were created for BIG.An area where you backed down […]
What is God calling you to? What is he doing? Where is he taking you? And what is he taking you through to get there? Oh how we all want the promise, but we don’t want the process. We want the success but we don’t want the journey to success. We’re seeking instant, immediate, right […]
What if fulfilling your purpose will be really uncomfortable? It will. What if answering your calling will take you outside of what is easy for you? It will. What if living up to your God given potential will stretch you and push you? It will. Oh it will. God never promised this would be comfortable, […]
If you knew what to do here, it sure would make things easier, wouldn’t it? If you knew how to raise her, how to love him, how to work through this, and how to handle that … but you feel like you don’t know. You don’t know for sure what to do. You don’t know […]
How did you wake up this morning? Did you wake up with anxiety, or excitement? Are you anxious about this day? Are you overwhelmed before it even begins? Are you dreading all you have to do, already assuming you won’t have enough of whatever it requires? Dang, that’s exhausting, isn’t it? I assure you, regardless […]
Standing where you are, you cannot see what God can see. You see right now, God sees forever. You see right here, God sees where you haven’t been yet. Maybe you’re freaking out about what you see. You didn’t ask for this, you didn’t want it, and you can’t control it. You can’t see beyond […]
I trust God, but sometimes I like to give God suggestions. You know just in case he was 50/50 on what to do, I like to interject by bright ideas and tell him how he could make things work out really good. I occasionally even tell God how he could do “cool things”, as if […]
Everything you need to fulfill your life’s purpose has been given to you. The path to your destiny has been laid before you, and you have been equipped for the journey. You are lacking absolutely nothing. But your very first thoughts this morning were likely on lack. You didn’t get enough sleep. You don’t have […]
When you’re trying to get somewhere, you want all green lights, right? Give me the go, and let me get there fast. Oh you feel like God is really on your side when every light turns green for you. Ohhhh, look at me moving forward with favor. Ohhhhh girl, the Lord must be delighting in […]
Sometimes life simply isn’t fair. We can sit and sulk in that and lose all hope, or we can lift our eyes to heaven where our help comes from. Help is here for you today. Hope is here for you in this moment. Strength and courage are here for you, my sister. And although it […]
What is alive within you, but it has never gotten to live anywhere outside of you? God has given you something. He’s given you a dream. He’s given you a vision. A passion. A gift. And it’s been secretly tucked away inside of you. You think you’ve been saving it. You’re protecting it. But do […]
When was the last time you stopped in your tracks and thought “wow, I’m living my best life”? When do you know you’re in alignment with who you were created to be and what you were created to do? Where do you find that sense of fulfillment and completeness that confirms, yip, this is it, […]
Today we wake up to the offering of a new month of life. November 2022 has never been seen before. It’s all brand new. You’ve never had a month like this one. You haven’t lived this yet. And maybe that’s really good news to you, because the truth is, October was rough. Life went a […]
What an exciting morning it is in the houses of many families. A day when you get to dress up and be someone else. A day filled with candy and treats, and extended bedtimes. I remember the Halloween mornings with my kids still at home. I remember the fuss, and trying to get that makeup […]
How many plans do you have going at this very moment that haven’t first been brought to God? How many bright ideas are you counting on that haven’t first been filtered through the Almighty? I tell you with absolute confidence from personal experience, if God is in it, absolutely NOTHING can stop it. But if […]
This week, I’ve gone to two funerals. I’ve witnessed the grief of two families. And I’ve heard of the impact of two lives, seemingly cut short. These are the gut check moments that silence the noise, cancel the nonsense, and bring you back to what’s truly most important. At sweet little Joy’s funeral, the pastor […]
As I sit in my tiny hometown today, I’m reminded coming back to where you’re from isn’t easy. People know you here, and when they know you, they dismiss you. You know that saying, “you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.” Yeah, I’m […]
What can God do with that which is too far gone? How can he show up where it seems too late and make it right on time? Really, how can he work all things together for good? If ever my eyes have seen proof of God’s power, it was this past weekend. Everywhere around me […]
Here in BIG Life we endeavor to help people live the life they were Created for. Setting goals, making plans, taking actions, holding each other accountable and growing through each version of this process to get better. And it never fails. Time and time again the one aspect of this process that is the most […]
Your relationship with your creator isn’t a result of your works, what you’ve done or chosen not to do. You’ve been offered a relationship with God almighty because of his relentless pursuit of YOU. His grace has simply drawn us deeper into the life he created us for. The bible is filled with countless stories […]
What if there’s a level of living beyond how much you’re currently living? What if there’s a deeper sense of purpose, a greater impact, and more joy available to you, and it’s up to you to tap into it. I believe it’s true for each of us, but it’s easy to miss. It’s easy to […]
God was up all night lining up opportunities for you in this day. Will you be faithful with those opportunities? Or will you be too busy? Will you be distracted? What will you do with the opportunities which come your way today? And how about your commitments? Will you be faithful with that which you […]
Gosh, wouldn’t it be great to know for sure how God is going to show up and fight for you? Wouldn’t it be amazing to know how God is going to work all this out? Wouldn’t you just love to be assured God is opening this exact door, and you don’t have to knock on […]
Wouldn’t you agree, God shows up in the strangest of places, in the craziest of ways, and does the coolest of things for us. You cannot predict what he is going to do and how he is going to do it. It’s going to be unexpected. It’s not going to be what you thought. And […]
How do you receive a gift? What is your response to a wrapped box before you even know what’s inside? Today is my birthday and I am one proud woman to be 47. I’ve waited my whole life to be forty-seven! That’s 17,176 days of life, and God has given every one of them to […]
Something powerful happens as a result of loving God. Something unspeakable comes when you trust in Him. Life changes. Your thoughts change. The way you view circumstances changes. Your priorities change. A broader view of a bigger picture is before you, and little things are easily overcome. Psalm 91: 14-16 “The LORD says, “I will […]
How you look at your own life matters. How you see yourself is either propelling you forward, or it’s holding you back. I assure you, there is tremendous power in your own view of yourself. You may be missing some of life’s greatest opportunities all because you don’t see yourself as worthy. You may be […]
Have you ever seen a child try to walk in their parents shoes? This weekend, my friend Sharon sent me the cutest video. It was her grandson in a diaper, walking in his Daddy’s big tennis shoes. Oh how he was proud of himself, wanting to ensure everyone could see him in his Daddy’s shoes. […]
Do you ever feel like most everyone else has their crap together, and for the life of you, your crap refuses to be anything but scattered? Are you pretty sure that deep down you’re not good enough, you don’t have what it takes, and you will never be qualified for anything better in life? Gosh, […]
Do you ever feel like you got your chance, and you blew it? You had something good, then you lost it. You had progress and momentum, then one little bump in the road threw you so far off the wagon you have been freaking lost in the wilderness since? What happens to those of us […]
God has given you something, and it’s exactly what you need for what you are facing. You have what it takes. Did you hear that? You have what is required to make it through this. You already have the beginning of everything you desire. The start to your outcome is already in your hands. But […]
Someone is doubting you right now. Someone is counting you out. Dismissing you. Thinking you will never have what it takes to do what you’re trying to do. They would never think you’re capable of moving forward on this path before you, so they assume you won’t take the next step. They would never believe […]
For some of us, God is offering the very thing we’ve been seeking and he’s waiting for us to take it. But the truth is, now you’re afraid to take it. You’ve been waiting for so long that you’ve grown accustom to life as it is now, and receiving what you’ve been seeking would be […]
Over the weekend, I started reading the story of creation like I had never read it before. I let fresh eyes see the words and receive the awe and wonder of all God did to make all there is. We’ve all heard about God making the sun and the sky and the land and the […]
Have we been piling up tasks for “later”, assuming later actually belongs to us? Have you tricked yourself into believing one day you’re going to ‘feel like it’ more than you do today, and until that day comes, you’ll just delay. I’ll say those things later. I’ll take care of that later. I’ll get that […]
Let me set the stage for today’s devotional. I’ll be sharing a story I talk about often, but maybe today you will see yourself in this story. Let’s look for you here in the details. In the book of Exodus we read about the Israelites being freed from captivity in Egypt, led by Moses. They […]
God has promised he has good plans for you, but wouldn’t it be nice if you knew the way? I mean really, I need to know how to get to those good plans. I need directions, and I don’t mean a foldable road map. I need step by step, GPS instructions that reroute me when […]
Did you know God has given you something specifically to guide you at this exact point in your life? Did you know what he offers will not only guide you, but it will keep you from going crazy here. It will bring you peace and help you calm your wild, anxious thoughts. It will open […]
This morning, I woke up to a real mess. I mean a 6 digit grand style mess that turns major plans all the way upside down. It’s not what I had planned for my Monday, but there’s not anything I can do about it. So, what do you do when you find yourself in the […]
Don’t you wish this whole “following Jesus and living fully in God’s will” thing could be easier? Why can’t it be easy? Why does it all have to be so hard, so impossible, and such a struggle? You would think if God is for you, then everything would just magically fall into place and you […]
What if the thing you’ve been worried about could be prayed about and resolved? What if the thing that’s been standing in your way could be prayed over and be moved? What if all that has been holding you back could be prayed about and those chains would be forever broken? I have a friend […]
Today is day 264 of the year 2022. You’ve woken up to 264 days of this year of life so far. How fast has this gone by? How much living do you have to show for these days you have been given? Are you where you thought you would be? We’re coming into a new […]
Do you ever feel like no matter what you do, you’re just kinda bumping along through life? You’re doing good for a bit, then bump. You get back on your feet, then bump. Each bump sends you in the other direction. A little too far this way, bump. Move on, then a little too far […]
Do you need God to get up in the middle of a situation in your life and fight for you? Do you need him to swoop in and rescue you? Do you need him to intervene? Now maybe you don’t really WANT him to, but my guess is, Sis, you NEED him to. Did you […]
Have you been trying, yet not succeeding? Have you been giving your best effort and not receiving your best results? Are you frustrated with the process? Disappointed in your progress? Disheartened by your position? Worried about what will happen next? What do you do now? What you do now can be best guided by the […]
Let’s talk about all you have coming up. All you’re preparing for. All you have to do to get ready for what is next. Whew, the weight of what’s ahead and all it will require of you is almost overwhelming isn’t it? Y’ALL, NEXT WEEK HAS BEEN EXHAUSTING! Is that the way you feel? You’re […]
Those images you see that make you wish your life were more like theirs … oh honey, their grass isn’t greener, they’re using a filter. The girl from high school that’s reverse aging, maybe she was just born with it … maybe it’s a filter. We’re looking through filters and seeing things in distorted ways. […]
My husband and I have been on a binge lately watching the reality show ALONE. Unlike most reality shows, it’s true reality. 10 people dropped off in separate points within the absolute wilderness of places like Vancouver Island or Patagonia. They are left there to survive all alone, to film and document their own journey, […]
God has good plans for your life, and no matter how far you have strayed, no matter how long you have delayed, he has not forgotten his plans for you. Not even for a second has he ever said, “oh, now she’s gone too far, I can’t bring her back.” Never has he looked at […]
Why does God allow the struggle? Why the continual battle, when he could end every conflict with one word? Boom. It could all be over. It could literally disappear just like that. But it doesn’t because he doesn’t. Why is that? Imagine for one moment the story of Joseph. Imagine it reads like this: Joseph […]
The enemy has counted you out. He’s sure you’re giving up this time. You won’t get up again. You won’t push through. The darkness will close in. But girl, get yourself on up today and disappoint the devil! Oh he had crappy plans for this day, but you’re not buying them. He had intended harm […]
You think it’s taking too long, but actually it’s aligning for perfect timing. It feels like God has forgotten you in your wait, but actually he is saving up for the sweetest reveal just for you. Imagine that God, in all his majesty and power, is holding on to the sweetest gift for you, hiding […]
Do you ever feel like there’s just something holding you back? Something keeping you from your breakthrough. Something preventing you from overcoming your obstacles and rising to new levels of living. God created you with a great big, beautiful, abundant life in mind. Jesus said in John 10:10 that he “came to give you life, […]
Sometimes we can work so hard at something and never see progress, so we begin to lose hope. Sometimes we pray and never see a breakthrough, so we stop praying. Sometimes those old dreams are so darn painful to continue to imagine, so we let go of them and settle for less. Where have we […]
If you’ve listened to me for long, you know I have a slight obsession with P words. It’s as if God allowed all the best words in the English language to begin with P, then he plops them in my lap on the daily as a little gift that makes me smile. I mean come […]
When you’re traveling, do you ever wake up confused about where you are? Nothing looks or feels familiar, and because you’re still half asleep, you’re looking around in complete confusion as to your current location. Where the heck did I just wake up? Now, imagine my life. Over 2 years ago, hubby and I packed […]
God does his greatest work in the face of the impossible. Show me your impossible and I’ll show you the area of your life primed for God’s intervention. Are you ready for God to intervene? Are you ready for him to rescue you from your mess? This is what God wanted me to tell you […]
I’ve always told my kids, everything is a lesson. A lesson on either what to do or what not to do. We all like the examples of what to do, show me what works. But I believe even more powerful are the lessons on what NOT to do. Let me know in advance what doesn’t […]
Where are you about to give up? Where has your hope been wavering and your resolve grown weary? I know it looks like things are only getting worse, but God is doing something on the inside of you that cannot be seen. I know it feels like this is only getting harder, but God builds […]
God created you with a BIG Life in mind. A BIG Life with a mission. One thing stands in the way of your mission … you. You with your doubts and fears. You walking around fully equipped, yet totally questioning your value and worth every step of the way. We like to think we’re being […]
What is one bold prayer you are praying right now? Are all your prayers vague, surface level, timid requests? Girl, you’re missing out on the Almighty King’s invitation to partner with him in his power being unleashed in your life. I worked in sales for many years. Honestly, I was a super crappy salesman because […]
In the Roman Forum, there is a Main Street lined with arches. Each arch represents a triumph by the Romans over their enemies. After victory, the leaders would return to Rome for their triumphant parade and celebration. People would line the streets and praise the Caesar and the Generals for their success. The praises was […]
This morning I walked the streets of the Roman Forum outside the Coliseum in Rome. I saw magnificent structures built before the birth of Jesus. But, my favorite was a church. Not the biggest church, not the oldest church, and not the most beautiful church, but a church built on top of an old prison. […]
There are things in your life of tremendous value, but their value has not been revealed to you yet. Today, God wants to show you the value of all you have been overlooking, dismissing, and discounting in your life. Oh you’re about to see the treasure you have, and you will never look at the […]
God doesn’t need you, but he wants you. He is completely whole, lacking nothing, eternal and all-powerful, yet he has chosen to WANT YOU. In my twisted way of viewing this God who created me, I sometimes think he needs me and my human acts to perform his miracles. He needs my submission. He needs […]
This week, our travels through Italy by train bring us to Sicily. I chose this destination because it was as far South as we could possibly go, and in my mind, Sicily always sounded exotic. The deep blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea with the colorful homes built on the tall seaside cliffs. Sounds magical, […]
Your God is being awesome today. He has straight up awesome plans and works in mind for this day! You need to know that. God was up all night getting this day ready for you. He has aligned every detail in divine ways and perfectly positioned you in the middle of it all to see […]
James 1:17 “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.: 1 Peter 4:10 “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” Romans 11:29 “For God’s […]
Luke 13:10-13: “On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set […]
When God created you he placed within you unlimited potential to live a ridiculously good life. He placed within you talents and gifts, making you a totally unique individual in this world. And he left a hole in you. At first glance this hole would seem to be an imperfection. A mistake. A flaw in […]
Would you define the way you wake up as glorious? What if you could? What if I could tell you how? By definition glorious means having a striking beauty that evokes feelings of delighted admiration. Ahhhhh yeah, wouldn’t you like to wake up like that? Wake up to striking beauty and feel absolutely delighted? But […]
For everything we have ever done, there is an ample measure of God’s grace to cover us. For every doubt we’ve ever wrestled with, for every wrong path we’ve wandered down, for every fear we’ve allowed to sideline us, God has unmerited favor perfectly sized to fill the holes created by our shortcomings. Sis, can’t […]
I John 1:5 – In him there is LIGHT, there is no darkness at all. God doesn’t have a dark side. He’s not trying to punish you or get back at you. He’s not out to get you. He’s not angry at you. Nor is he ignoring you. Everything God does is for a purpose, […]
Have we traded pleasures which come from the hand of God, for pleasures which we try to create with our own hands? Is this why we work so hard and feel so empty? Is this why we get more, but are left only wanting more? Really, how long are you satisfied with today’s Amazon delivery […]
Yesterday during an unexpected and unplanned full day at the Paris airport, I witnessed other traveling families experiencing rushes and delays. Babies crying and children throwing hissy fits in strollers because this isn’t what they wanted. For children, this is acceptable. For us, this is not. Yet, don’t we do it in our own way? […]
Welcome to a totally normal day of life. Yip, just your average Wednesday here, sandwiched between a Tuesday and a Thursday that may seem totally unremarkable. Hmmmm, nothing really special about this day? Nothing to really get all rip roaring excited over? It’s all just normal. Normal can become boring. We have our routines, and […]
The life that you can live was all first imagined by God. Look around at God’s creation and see, he doesn’t limit what he says can and cannot be. He makes mystical creatures like the seahorse. Did you know the seahorse mates for life, and the males have the babies? All because God was feeling […]
If you’re in a bad mood, stressed or frustrated, understand that you likely had to step right over the favor of God to get there. For real, you had to shuffle around God’s favor to get yourself to this bad mood today. You had to avoid a collision with God’s goodness to dwell here in […]
When God looks at you, what does he see? He sees who he created you to be. He sees your potential. He sees his beautiful creation on a journey to becoming all he imagined … and girl he’s moving heaven and earth to help you get there! Today I’m here to help you lean into […]
I recently read “your new life is going to cost you your old one.” That’s a really scary thought … and so true. The new you are seeking will require your release of the old you’ve been clinging to. God says in Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; […]
There are times when we straight up feel under attack. It seems that everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. And sometimes those attacks feel quite personal …. yeah, because they are. Yes, the enemy is after you and everything good in your life. Yes, as a follower of Christ you wear a target, […]
Have you ever felt like surely there is something wrong with you because you struggle hard core to simply do what you know you should do? Like when God was passing out willpower, you must have overslept? We like to complicate things and make them seem harder so our excuses are covered, but the truth […]
You may feel like you’re facing all new problems and you’re filled with uncertainty, but actually Sis, haven’t you been here before? Maybe not precisely here, but you’ve been hard pressed before. You’ve struggled before. You’ve been overwhelmed before. You’ve been uncertain before. And what happened before … well one way or another, you got […]
Oh to be a girl who’s living her best life. Is that you? Are you walking in your fullest days, meeting your greatest potential, living your best life? How exactly do you do that? I will tell you plain and simple how a girl like me, and a girl like you, lives her best life […]
What if the big things you desire start with the little things you can do today? What if at this very moment you’re holding the seeds to the harvest you dream of, and what you do with those seeds determines your ability to ever walk in growth and abundance? Sis, listen up, here’s your word […]
Sometimes we can get stuck doing the same things for so long, we begin to believe that’s all there is in life for us. But my Sister, you are listening today by the great design of the Almighty, to come crashing into this truth today … the truth that there is MORE for you. There […]
God is our protector. Right now, he’s protecting you from dangers you’re not even aware of. Threats of the enemy you’ve never seen are being slayed by heaven’s armies on your behalf. Occasionally God allows us to see those threats so we’re aware of all he has done to protect us. I spent an entire […]
Yesterday on a flight from Springfield, MO to Dallas, TX, I was seated near a 6 year old boy with absolutely zero filter. If he thought it, it was coming out of his mouth, for good or for bad. It made for a rather entertaining flight and I was glad he wasn’t my responsibility. Boarding […]
There’s nothing in your life God can’t work with and through. There’s nothing in your past he can’t use, and nothing in your future he will be shocked by. He knows the end from the beginning, and while you are given free choice in your life, you can’t screw this thing up beyond God’s repair. […]
All the potential for the life you most desire is right inside of you. It’s there because God put it there. And your desires are there because God put the real ones there too, guiding you to your purpose. You are purpose filled my sister, and where there is purpose, there is all the potential […]
When God formed you, he had an imagine in mind. A picture of who you could be and the life you could live. He envisioned it, then created you. He formed you with the greatest of intentions. I’ve always wanted to form a piece of clay at the potter’s wheel. It’s probably since watching that […]
A few years ago I read a book that changed my perspective on prayer. It explained prayer as allocating God’s power. So imagine when you pray over a specific situation or person, you’re sending God’s power in that direction. Sometimes I don’t know the words to pray, so I simply call out to God with […]
God can use anybody. Anybody can be used by God to show his power, to prove his majesty, to fulfill his divine plan. You with your past failures, your current problems, your list of what you can’t do or don’t have, your limitations, your insecurities and fears … all of these things are tools for […]
You have a rescue story. A story of what could have been, but you were miraculously rescued from it. A story of a path you were on, then an intersection that changed everything. A story of despair, now exchanged for a story of hope. This is your rescue story. Some of us know the story […]
What do you have today my sister? Understand that is exactly what God wants to use. Understand the solution to your problem lies in what you already have. 2 Kings chapter 4 begins with a story titled ‘Elisha Helps a Poor Widow’. Within this story is something for you today. Let’s read together starting in […]
I have a confession … I am an heiress. I’m not sure that I’ve ever really shared that publicly before, but I owe you the truth. The truth is, I stand to inherit a ridiculous amount one day. I mean like a life changing amount. It’s coming to me. Now please don’t treat me differently. […]
What if God’s not making your problems go away, but he’s providing for you right in the middle of it? What if as you struggle, he has supper served? What if in this destruction, he has dinner delivered? What if in your overwhelm, he’s inviting you over? David wrote in Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a […]
What if you’ve come up empty handed here, feeling like everything you’ve tried has been nothing but a loss, but it’s completely redeemable by the Almighty? What if this is empty, but it still has value? What if it didn’t work out, but it is working to guide you to what God has for you […]
Today, we woke up to not just a new day of life, but a new month of life. And last night while you slept, something really remarkable happened whether you knew it or not … the second half of this year began. First half, done. Over, Gone. The second half of 2022 begins now. We […]
What has God shown you before that you need to cling to today? How has he worked in your life in the past? How has he provided? How has he worked things together for good before just for you? What little thing has he done to keep you coming back for that big thing now? […]
Is it a fair statement to say, you really don’t know what to do here? You don’t know how this is all going to work out. You don’t know how this is ever going to be okay again. You don’t know where this next step is going to lead, but you know if you don’t […]
Have you been praying, but wondering if God has heard your prayers? Have you been giving, offering, sacrificing, serving, but feel like the memo maybe isn’t getting through to God that you are being faithful? I once believed if God knew you were being faithful, it would result in immediate and ridiculous overflowing abundance in […]
You’re right and they’re wrong … so what are you going to do about it? They have treated your poorly, talked about you, taken advantage of you, and come back to do it again. They want to fight. They want to argue. They want to stir up trouble and get you upset. Is that what […]
Have you ever felt like you’re trying so freaking hard, but not really making the progress worthy of your effort? Like dang, why am I not further along than I am? Why is this taking so long? Why am I so tired? Why isn’t what I’m doing working? Well, have you stopped to see what […]
Imagine this, the same One who created the majestic mountain tops, is the same One who created the neighborhood you would live in. The One who formed the entire Universe and held it in the palm of his hand, is the one who formed your career path and where you would work. Just as God […]
Are you burned out? Straight up stinking tired? Exhausted from all the effort, all the work, all the pressure, the stress, the expectations, all the time, and you feel like you just have nothing left to give? We’ve all been there. Some of us are there now. Trying to drag our butts through another day […]
God is working in the details of your life you are yet to understand. He is guiding you to places you do not yet know about. He is preparing you for purposes you have not even yet imagined. And God does all of this, choosing you as a vessel for his power to flow through […]
You’re sitting here discouraged, about to dismiss what could be made possible for you. You’re overwhelmed by the threat and you’ve forgotten the promise. Today, God has asked me to be the one who reminds you of his good plans for you. He’s asked me to be the one who tells you although it looks […]
What could you do today that would really make the Lord pleased as pickles? What could you do that would bless God’s socks right off? (I mean, if God even wears socks. I never thought about that before.) How could little ol’ you do anything that would impress big ol’ Him? I’ve always imagined living […]
If you knew what you were doing, it sure would make things easier, wouldn’t it? Like for real, wouldn’t some divine wisdom come in handy about right now? Wouldn’t a definite destination with turn by turn GPS instructions really help a girl out? But we don’t know, do we? We’re not sure what we’re doing, […]
Are you consuming Life or Destruction? I’m a simple man – Que Lynyrd Skynyrd. I believe the keys to living well, the life God Created us for are simple and most people get stuck in or hide out in complexity. Let’s pick some low hanging fruit here – pun intended as we will be talking […]
I talk about crap a lot around here. You know why, because we’re all going through something. We’re all dealing with tough stuff, facing situations that straight up stink, wishing it were different and yet waking up to more of the same each morning. But, we’ve learned to shift our perspective on the crap in […]
What if the way has already been made, but it’s up to you to take the next step along the way? What if the victory is already yours, but the battle will still be required? What if God is totally FOR YOU in this, and your fear is the only thing holding you back? I […]
What you see today are your problems and threats … what you do not see yet is your rescue and your redemption. You see what the enemy is doing, but perhaps you do not see how your God is going to use it all for good. The real problem here is, sometimes we can become […]
Has the vibrant, lively soul you’re created to be been overwhelmed by the circumstances of life, and now you’re barely living? Have you been burdened by a problem that instead of getting better, it just continues to get worse, and this problem hinders you from living the life you once imagined? Well Sis, it’s time […]
I recently heard a great truth: Courage is knowing it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that’s why life is hard. How do you know the difference between walking in courage, and being just plain stupid? The problem is, they both look and feel a whole lot the same. Your […]
Genesis 2:7 “God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!” (MSG) Let’s make this personal. When I say so insert your own name into this scripture. God blew into your nostrils the breath of life. ___(say your name)____ came […]
Who is waiting for something, and struggling with the timing of it? Who is stuck in uncertainty, unsure of how it’s all going to work out? Who feels stretched and pulled in a million different directions and losing themselves along the way? Who is maybe even excited about what the future may hold, but you […]
Where are my girls at that feel under pressure right now? Are you facing an intense, scary situation? Maybe you would say this place in your life genuinely stinks. Well I’m really glad you’re listening this morning, because I have an escape plan for you! You want to get out of this … today you’ll […]
Who remembers the show “Extreme Home Makeover”? At the end of the miraculous makeover of a home, the family would stand on the street with a bus blocking the view of their new home. Then Ty would yell, “move that bus!” In the same way we’re yelling today, “move that mountain!” There’s something blocking your […]
I wonder what God sees in you, that you don’t see in you. I wonder what purpose you’ve been perfectly aligned for, but in your eyes it just looks like one big mess you want out of. You have no idea who you really are and what you can really do … but are you […]
Here we are waking up to another day filled with tasks, chores and expectations. It’s a Tuesday and we have places to go, things to do, boxes to check. That seems uninspiring, unimpressive, and honestly unfulfilling. We live for those grander days of more exciting plans, but today may not be one of those days. […]
When you understand the price paid for what you have, a higher level of intentional living is required. When you realize the sacrifice for what you typically take for granted, these ordinary details of your life become extraordinary. The truth is, we run around acting like spoiled jackwagons because we forget the price of our […]
Do you ever just not pray because you don’t know what to pray? Are you ever just tired of praying the same thing over and over again, so you opt to stop praying? Do you sometimes feel like there’s more you should pray, but you don’t even know how? Understand your prayers aren’t a magic […]
Can you trust that God is doing things on your behalf right now that you cannot see? Can you trust that your prayers have been heard and the power of God has been unleashed, but it has been unleashed behind closed doors you are not to enter yet? What is God doing behind the closed […]
What is it you’re waiting for? We’re all waiting for something. We’re waiting for something to change, something to improve, something to happen, someone to pick us, promote us, buy from us, help us. We’re waiting for the sign, the ah-ha, the breakthrough, the shift. Please something start clicking. Ultimately, we’re waiting for OPPORTUNITY. We […]
Have you heard of the disciple whom Jesus loved? There is one who is referred to 5 times in scripture as THE person Jesus loved. Who was he and why was he the one identified as loved? John 13:23 “One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side.” John 19: […]
Oh girl, what is God up to today? What has he been working up for you? What have all the days of your life brought you to in this day? Oh, you thought you were waking up to just another Monday where you have to drag your butt through the day, but you would be […]
Only God can take what once caused shame and turn it into something that creates praise. Only God can take what once held you back, and use it to propel you forward. But that’s exactly what he does … and that’s what he wants to do in you now. My Sister, God wants to use […]
I’ve said it for years, and I believe it even more now, God is tricky. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I mean he will do whatever it takes to get us to see we are capable of more than we ever imagined. Sometimes, that requires a little trickery on his part. We […]
God has heard your prayer. He has a plan. He knows what you’ve been through. He knows where you’re at. He knows what lies ahead. He sees it all. Every detail is within his vision. Nothing is hidden from him, not even the things you refuse to speak of. He knows your deepest fears. He […]
If you want to see God, look in the valleys. Look in the deserts. Look in the tough climbs. Look in the impossible journey you believe there’s no way you can continue. There, you will find him. You will find him revealing his power to you in divine timing and supernatural details only he can […]
God created you with a BIG Life in mind. A BIG Life with a mission. One things stand in the way of your mission … you. You with your doubts and fears. You walking around fully equipped, yet totally questioning your value and worth every step of the way. We like to think we’re being […]
When God created you, he had the BEST in mind for you. He placed all the potential in the world inside of you, made a space for his Holy Spirit to dwell within you, then went about dreaming of the life you could live and the impact you could make. He imagined the partnership of […]
God is more interested in changing your mind than your circumstances. Within your mind are thoughts that control your life. Your thoughts are either propelling you toward your destiny in Christ Jesus, or your thoughts are holding you back in a little life far short of what you were created for. Which is true for […]
Do you ever feel like the odds are stacked against you and honestly you don’t have a shot at coming out on top? Do you feel dismissed, and discounted, sometimes unworthy and unqualified, so you settle for a ‘lesser than’ position in life? Less than you really hoped for. Less than your heart desires. Less […]
There’s an ending to the story you struggle your way through today, but it’s an ending you do not know yet. You can’t see what’s ahead, but God has already aligned it for you. Here’s the problem … the opportunities to step into alignment with God’s story for your struggle don’t quite look the way […]
If God did it before, he can do it again. Did you know God didn’t just part the Red Sea for the Israelites, but he did it for them AGAIN when they came upon the Jordan River! No one talks about the second time God did the impossible for them. Honey, God has done impossible […]
Why are you holding back? Why are you assuming you aren’t good enough or could never do this? Have you forgotten the power which dwells within you? Do you not realize what is inside of you, Sister? Paul wrote to the Corinthians and asked a question. Now this question is for you today. 2 Corinthians […]
There’s one way to go through what you’re going through, and not completely stress yourself out. There’s one way to walk this uncertain path before you, and not make yourself sick with worry. One way. Only one. Is this timely for you? Do you find yourself in the middle of such uncertainty that you’re struggling […]
Do you realize all of this has been training? Training that will prepare you for greater opportunities. Training that will allow you to live bigger. Training by the Master to follow his commands, and then you can be trusted with off-leash adventures. Any good dog left untrained becomes a bad dog. An untrained dog cannot […]
Do you find yourself in a dead end place where rescue is your only option? Is the fire growing hotter with no exit door in sight? Nobody likes these fiery trials in life. No one wakes up seeking dead end situations with no way out. No one desires this, but let me assure you God […]
Life is habitually unexpected. If you’re trying to avoid the interruption of the unexpected, you’re letting a whole lot of living pass you by. Opportunities are flying right by you because you’re not sure. You think once you’re sure, you will dive in, but you won’t, because, Sis, you will never be sure. There is […]
What can God do in this valley where you find yourself? What can he bring back to life? What can he begin again? What can he make new? What can he restore? Girl, I have no idea … but we should start talking about it! Seriously, it’s time to start talking about what God can […]
You think just because you’re going through a valley, a low time, a hard time, that you’re under attack. Oh but Sis, what if this isn’t an attack at all? What if this valley has been designed by God for a greater purpose. A purpose you do not currently see, but you will. We all […]
Do you call it an accident, or is it a divine mystery? Did you stumble here on your own, or were your steps being direct by the Almighty all along? In life you have a choice. A choice of how you view the details of your unfolding journey. Is everything a miracle, or is nothing […]
What if you already have what you’ve been searching for? What if you literally woke up with the very thing you’ve been seeking, but you just don’t realize it? What if your life is already overflowing with purpose and you never have to go out and hunt for it or dig for it again? It […]
Can you make peace with having what you have, and not having what you don’t? Are you content with life as is, or is there something more you cannot bare to live without? What is it that you want, and what are you going to do about it? David wrote in Psalm 23:1 “The Lord […]
Once you know who you are and why you’re here, the days of your life begin to fall into place. The question is, do you know who you really are? Have you become friends with this gal God created you to be? Is the gap between how you’re living and how God says you could […]
How do you rest when there is so much to do? How do you find rest when things are in complete chaos? Girl, if you’re exhausted and worn out, overwhelmed and unsettled, God has a word for you today! If you’ve prayed asking how in the world you’re supposed to get through what you’re going […]
Are you waiting? Waiting for God to reveal to you what is next. Waiting for something to happen, something to change. Well, what are you doing while you wait? I believe it’s what we do while we’re waiting that can make a radical difference in our lives. Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the LORD; be strong […]
Could the rejection you’re experiencing be God’s guidance to something different? Could the attack ultimately be his protection? Now I know it doesn’t look like it, and it certainly doesn’t feel like it, but honey, God works in seemingly negative situations for positive impact in your life. Check this out … the Israelites were God’s […]
What if today, on this very day of life, Jesus is in your midst, working in the details of your life? What if he is going before you? What if he is with you? And what if you just don’t recognize him? You think you would recognize Jesus … but would you? Yesterday morning I […]
Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. The personal sacrifice of One for all. For me. For you. On this day we remember Jesus carrying that cross for us. We remember him willfully stretching out his arms as they nailed him to that cross, signifying “this much.” This is how important you […]
Have you ever had to do something you really didn’t want to do? Maybe you’re facing a situation like that right now. Everything within you wants to run and hide, but you know you have to face this and deal with it. You would rather God just make it all disappear, but he isn’t, so […]
Did you know you have an emotional habit, and that habit is determining your reaction to most everything in your life? And let me assure you, your reaction to life often determines your experience in life. You can spend your days stressed, anxious, frustrated and overwhelmed, but that would be your choice. It’s your choice […]
God wants to use you. He wants to radically change and bless your life, not just for you, but for your entire family. And this is why the enemy works so hard to stop you, it’s not just about you. You see if the enemy can just keep you stuck, depressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, and too […]
Sometimes life hands you some real crap and you’re left to deal with it. Am I right? Sometimes you look at what you got and you wonder how you’re ever supposed to step back into a good life again. But Sis, you have been given a promise, and that promise covers every detail of your […]
I guess you know you’re “old” when you catch yourself saying things like “that’s what the kids say these days.” But, have y’all heard what the kids say these days? I hear it all the time. They say, “I’m going with …” It’s not even a complete sentence. It’s like they just drop off mid-sentence […]
I heard a question on a podcast this morning that kinda stopped me in my tracks. A question I’m not sure I’m bold enough to really ask others yet, but even just asking myself has been revealing. So I present a question to rock your whole world today. Ask: “What’s it like to be around […]
Do you know exactly what happens to you after your final breath here? Do you float? Do you fly? Are you transformed? Are you teleported? How do you get from here to Heaven? How exactly do we step into eternity? How do we receive our new body, our new name, and our new home? Honestly, […]
Did you come here expecting to hear from God today? Do you expect to see him working in your life? Do you expect him to respond, to move, to deliver? What are you expecting from the one who holds the whole universe in his hand, the one who makes the sun to shine, and the […]
Today is one of those days on the calendar I generally like to avoid. If I could skip right over it, I probably would. It’s a reminder of a loss that still doesn’t make sense, a life cut so short and the void that has yet to be filled. Oh but it’s also a reminder […]
I’ve heard bad things happen in 3’s. I’m not superstitious, but I am also fully aware when the Poop Parade shows up in your life, things start to stink. You know, the Poop Parade. The Crap Circus. The Sh*t(aki) Mushrooms Show. It’s one thing after another, going wrong, falling apart, and piling up against you. […]
As followers of Christ, we know our souls are saved. But does your life suck? You’re guaranteed heaven, but what about your life on Earth? Does it matter? Are we supposed to just endure this life, somehow drag our miserable butt through our days here while we just wait on heaven? Does God care about […]
Sometimes you’re afraid. Afraid you’re not good enough. Afraid you’ve screwed this thing up beyond repair. Afraid you’re in over your head and can’t make it work. Afraid you don’t have what it takes and this is as far as you will ever go. Afraid if your truth is told, bad things will happen. Afraid […]
Where were you on this day 2 years ago? Think back. Do you remember. You, like the overwhelming majority of us, were likely at home. The kids were home. Spring break plans were cancelled, and you weren’t going anywhere. 2 years ago was the beginning of the lock-down, shut-in, quarantine at home. Everything changed in […]
Wherever you are and whatever you are going through, God is right there with you my sister. He is here with you in this. He is by your side, comforting you, guiding you, providing for you, and making a way through this. You are never alone. You are never without help. You are never, not […]
You have forgotten your power, my sweet sister. You have allowed past failures and current struggles to dim your light, now you’re not shining in the full strength you could be. Today’s message from the Almighty is the perfect and simple wrap up of a big week of God speaking directly to each of us. […]
Jesus forgave you, why haven’t you forgiven yourself? Jesus deemed you as worthy, why have you demoted yourself to unworthy? Woman, what are you hanging over your own head or dragging around as a dead weight behind you? Why is that thing in your past being brought into your today? It’s time to let it […]
Do you have God all figured out? Do you understand the way he works? Do you know exactly how he is going to answer your prayers? Do you even know for sure that he will? Are you shelfing the life you could be living and the purpose you could be walking in, waiting until you […]
Today, I’m taking you back to the seed of BIG Life. I’m taking you back to June 2009. Hubby and I had taken a little break from our crazy busy lives and overwhelming business, and we were on vacation in Belize. I was reading the book ‘The Shack’ on the beach, and although it had […]
What beauty do you have in your life right now? You know who to thank for it, right? God is the giver of all good things, and every ounce of goodness you have is from his hand. He is squarely behind it all. He orchestrated these blessings. He aligned this next level for you. He […]
Every morning while I’m up early and getting ready for the day, I receive a text. This text is from a podcast listener who I now mentor. As part of her morning routine, she texts me her word for 2022 and her mantra. She is faithful and always right on time. This is how she […]
How hard is it for you to believe in things you cannot see, control or understand? I had one of my world-class adventure ideas this week that resulted in the worst night’s sleep ever. Why? Something I could not see, could not control and could not understand. We went camping. In fact, I’m coming to […]
There’s a God given purpose living inside of you. A designed purpose for your days using your experiences, your talents, and your passions. We often go on a search for our purpose. Maybe I’ll find it over here, as if purpose is some sort of object hidden in the bushes, waiting for you to find […]
I made a terrible mistake last night. I savored my last cup of coffee at 8 pm before beginning a cleanse. The reasoning was good, one it was my last chance at caffeine for the next several weeks, and two, I was preparing to teach a live mentoring session and I was dragging butt. I […]
You are no longer who you used to be. You have changed. You don’t do the things you once did, you don’t think the thoughts you once thought, you’re not that person anymore. And it’s not that you have arrived and now you’re perfect, because honey your entire life is simply about this journey of […]
Do you ever feel like you’re failing? I mean like you’re trying but it’s not working? No matter what you try, you just keep screwing this thing up somewhere along the way? And then just knowing God sees it all. He sits high upon his throne with a view of every single thing we do, […]
Today we’re going way back to the best days … the days of the 80’s. The days of big hair, neon legwarmers and cut t-shirts. And no doubt, the days of the best music ever. I’ll start the song, and I know you can sing it. 1988. The big hair band Poison. Every rose has […]
We refer to Jesus as the Great Physician. He is the one who heals the sick, restores sight to the blind, makes the lame to walk, and gives life where there was none before. No where in our Bible do we find an account of a sickness too great for Jesus’ healing powers. Never once […]
This God of ours who holds our lives in the palm of his hand, this God who delights over the unfolding of our days, this God who knows all, sees all, and can do all, he is the God of details. He is in every detail, leaving nothing out and nothing wasted. Be assured, he […]
Exactly how does God do the impossible? How does his power appear in your life? How does he move? How does he flow? How does he appear? Today we will go on a little journey through chapters 3 & 4 of Exodus to see how God works. Oh I just know this will speak to […]
What is your direction? Have you allowed the distance you have to go to discourage you from the directional change you need to make? Ahhhh, I’m so far gone, why even try? Oh Sis, when you don’t even try, you continue in the wrong direction. What would happen if you would just decide to change […]
There’s a space between who you are and who you are becoming … God dwells in that space. As you become more like who you were created to be, you get to experience more and more of that space which God fills. His presence is felt every time you lean into his desires for you. […]
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lent season which leads to Easter. In some religions ashes will be received as a mark on the forehead today. In this episode I will guide you in a deeper understanding of this tradition so whether you receive ashes today or not, may you receive the grace […]
You weren’t supposed to make it, but you did. You were supposed to stay stuck back there, but you got out. You were never supposed to change, but here you are changing. The forces of hell were fighting to hold you, but Hell lost another one and this time, it was YOU! Hell lost you. […]
Think about the way you wake up. Besides feeling sleepy maybe, what are your other thoughts? Are you dreading the day? Are you anxious about the day? Or do you feel grateful for the gift, ready to step into all God has for you today? Why do you feel the way you do? What can […]
Have you ever been in this place where you know God could have stopped this thing from happening, but he didn’t? Maybe you’re in that place right now. Why didn’t God step in and stop this? If he knew about it, and if he cared about it, why did he allow it? As a person […]
You’re on your way, but you haven’t arrived yet. You’ve been purchased, but you’re still in transit. You’re not there yet, but you’re getting closer. Closer to what? Closer to becoming who you were created to be! On your way where? To the life you were created to live. Today is part of the journey […]
Has the story you tell yourself become more valuable than the breakthrough you used to seek? Have you grown so accustom to the pain of disappointment that the thought of it ever being different no longer even excites you? Yip, me too. I hate to admit it, but dang it, me too. I’ve prayed so […]
Today is not just any old ordinary Tuesday. You woke up to a monumental, memorable, once-in-a-lifetime day. This is 2-22-22. It’s all 2’s day on a Tuesday, today! What do you do with a 2’s day like this … well, you decide you’re going to live TOday. (Get it?) I had to wonder if perhaps […]
If you could understand how God works, you wouldn’t be stressed about what is happening right now. You would know God’s hand is over you and he is working in the unknown on your behalf. But understanding how God works is beyond our human imagination. Therefore, we’re simply called to trust. Can you stop trying […]
What could cause a life to seem no longer worth living? What could cause a miraculous creation to decide one more day just isn’t possible? It would be so easy to dismiss ourselves from this conversation, assuming our families are immune from that darkness. It would never happen to us. We’re too happy, too blessed, […]
It is natural to avoid hardship. No one wants to struggle. No one wants to suffer. But what are we sacrificing in our avoidance of the struggle? What are we forfeiting as we make where we are comfortable enough to stay, instead of moving forward to where we are called? What holds you back? Ultimately […]
You may think you’re alone in this, but you’re not. You may think the odds are stacked against you, but the truth is, that which is for you is so much greater than that which is against you. You may feel like you will never win this battle, but winning has always been your destiny. […]
I wonder what Jesus would empower you to do, if you only asked him for the power to do it. I wonder what Jesus would willingly say yes to if you were so bold to ask. I wonder what impossible would be made completely possible for you if you believed enough to ask God for […]
If you know God has good plans for your life, what are you doing? Are you negotiating on those plans and settling for something less? Are you discounting your purpose? Are you taking detours then dismissing yourself from going further? STOP ALL NEGOTIATIONS HERE. There’s no need to question this. There’s no point in trying […]
I woke up in the early hours of this morning with today’s message. It was so clear, and I’m just here relaying the message. God told me that His girl is going to be listening today (that’s YOU!) and he wants you to hear these words from him: “You can, because I am.” You can […]
Let me tell you what we’re doing today. The game plan is simple … we’re running back to Jesus. We’re running back simply to tell him thank you. To show him what he has done in our lives. To express our gratitude. To give our praise. Yes, it’s time to run on back now to […]
Jesus is continually inviting you into a life beyond your wildest dreams. If you’re not living it, there’s one reason … you’re holding on to the things that are holding you back. When you’re ready to let go, then God is ready to take you to higher levels, deeper impact, and greater things than your […]
You have a calling on your life. You were designed for a purpose and equipped perfectly to walk in that purpose. The problem is, you’ve been a little stuck. And while you’re sitting there stuck, you began to question. You’re questioning if God can really do impossible things through you. You’re questioning if you really […]
Can God be found in your current circumstances? Can he be found where you are and what you’re going through? Is God in this? Sometimes I don’t really have to know how it’s all going to work out, I just need to know God’s working in it. Don’t you just feel a sense of peace […]
When you love and trust God, a holy exchange is made. An exchange of your love for his rescue. An exchange of your trust for his protection. Your perfection is not required here. Your performance is not necessary. God knows the real you because he made you, and he declared you are enough just as […]
We each have a unique way of screwing things up if we’re left unchecked. Me, well I rush into everything and leave a mess in my wake. Maybe you’re like me, or maybe you’re more the opposite. You wait too long on everything and generally watch life pass you by and get a whole lot […]
There are a whole lot of places to turn for answers today. The google knows practically everything. Heck, you can google your symptoms for an earache and walk away with a list of possible diagnoses that will make you get your life right in a hurry. You can post a question on Facebook and within […]
Why do we dismiss ourselves from the absolute goodness God has for us? Why do we assume we are on the outside when God sent his son to bring us on the inside? How can we read the promises of God and believe they don’t apply to us right where we are? Girl, every single […]
Today is the final day of January. The first month of this year will be complete with this last day. Looking back, can you say you were faithful with it? Were you faithful with the time you were given in this month of life? 31 days, 744 hours, what do you have to show for […]
We best glorify god by being FULLY ALIVE. Not just a human being going through the motions, kinda sorta there, a little in and a little out, dabbling at life. No, fully alive living this one life we have been given all-in with every ounce of our being. This is how we glorify our creator. […]
You’re in a battle. A battle for the life you were created for. There are forces seeking to hold you back in a life less than all that is possible for you. There are voices that tell you you’re not worthy of more, not capable of more, and certainly not created for more, so this […]
Today’s devotional is specifically for screwed up people. If you are less than perfect, if you are coming to the end of this month and see it didn’t go as you imagined and it’s kinda like 97% your fault, if you are a good starter – bad finisher, big talker – little doer, or somewhere […]
Something is being held over your head. Something you’ve done in the past now threatens to darken your future. You have been held back from your God-given potential because of your past mistakes. Now, understand, it is not God’s will for you to be held back, he’s not the one doing the punishing. It is […]
Job 37: 14: says “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.” I always find it most powerful to personalize a scripture by inserting your own name. For me it’s “listen to this, Pamela; stop and consider God’s wonders.” Now it’s your turn – “listen to this, (insert your name); stop and consider God’s […]
God is calling you forward. He’s calling you boldly onward to your destiny. A pursuit of your purpose is ahead, will you go forward? They say fortune favors the bold, therefore those who sit and stew, those who get stuck in their own head, those who delay and defer are often passed over and left […]
You’re facing a situation you think is terrible, but sister, it’s not what you think. You’re stepping into this assuming one thing, but God wants to reveal to you another. God is asking you to stop fighting this and trust him here. Trust this isn’t what you’ve built it up to be in your head. […]
God will do what he intends to do. Nothing can stand in his way. Nothing can stop him. The question is, will you accept his open invitation to be part of what he’s doing, or will you miss out? This is your opportunity to be in partnership with the Almighty. To to be divinely led […]
My sister, there are good plans for your life. Ahead of you are good things just waiting to come together. Goodness awaits your faithful next step. When you start tasting this goodness and seeing for yourself, that darn devil will no longer be able to trick you into settling for anything less. He won’t be […]
I once heard everyone is an example. An example of what to do or an example of what not to do. You can learn from every person you ever come in contact with, and let me tell you, knowing who you don’t want to be is pretty priceless. Use it! Nothing goes to waste here […]
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” This is one of the most memorized and quoted scriptures. Empowering, motivating, reassuring … yes … and it’s a call to action. Notice it doesn’t say, “I can do all things through Christ who does it for me.” Unfortunately, many times we […]
Today I had a light bulb moment. A moment of complete clarity to see where we’ve been holding on to what needs to go and throwing out what we need to keep. The throwing of one thing and holding of the other brings great peace when we get it right, but when we switch the […]
Do you sometimes feel less than impressed by your new day of life? Like you’re just going through the motions, showing up to do the work, but feeling no joy in the process? You know what really sucks … knowing you have every reason to be happy, but still not feeling happiness. That just wears […]
If you knew God’s plans for you this year were to prosper you, wouldn’t you wake up a little different? Wouldn’t you show up for your Tuesday a little different if you knew prosperity was your guaranteed destination in 2022? But you fear prosperity isn’t in your destiny, so you hold back. You don’t show […]
We will never know the awesome power of God until we go all-in. We will never know what was truly possible in our lives as long as we’re tip-toeing in the waters. We will never, ever reach our full God-given potential standing on the shore second guessing everything. You will never know every single goal […]
Yesterday I had a zoom call with a new group of women I get to mentor. They are all podcast listeners who have decided they are ready for more of what God has for them in their lives. One by one, they shared how they had been listening to this podcast, seeking what God had […]
You are turning a corner. Things are changing for you. It’s finally unfolding sister. But here’s the thing about turning corners, you can’t see what’s around that corner until you turn it. You have no idea just how good everything really is all coming together for you. You don’t even realize how the very thing […]
You woke up this morning to another fresh start. Yesterday is gone and today is here. Here for you to live. Here for you to try again. Here for you to be better than you were before. Our God is the God of a million chances. Day after day he says, “let’s try this again.” […]
Think about this, anytime you’ve given your day to God, strength and joy have been certain, haven’t they? Any time you really sought God for guidance, he guided you through. Any time you made God your priority, he put everything else in order for you. It’s true and it happens without fail. So why do […]
A new year of life has been offered to you. This is a year you’ve never seen before. You haven’t been this way. You don’t know this journey. It is new and different, and unlike any other year before. To fully receive this offering, you will be required to use all you have learned before […]
Tomorrow is our annual BIG Life Goal Setting Broadcast. You have the potential of writing goals that will radically change your life, and I will be your guide. I will show you in very practical steps how to dream, how to plan, and how to take action without being overwhelmed. This could be a moment […]
You’re here. You’re now at the line separating two years of life. The end of this year and the beginning of a new year. God has extended an invitation for you to step into all that has never been before. 2022. Unspoiled. Untouched. Completely unseen and unlived, just waiting for you. Waiting for you to […]
God always saw what is coming next in your life. He has been prepared for the new year coming, literally FOREVER. And God, in all of his wisdom, decided he wanted YOU here for precisely this time. He placed you here for a purpose. And that purpose has a plan. God is about to do […]
Dwelling within us is the Spirit of God. Y’all, we often walk around with all the power in the world inside of us, feeling helpless. Feeling stuck. Feeling lost. All while already having everything we need. YOU ARE LACKING NOTHING. A purpose greater than you ever imagined is calling you on. The next step is […]
What if in this New Year, you had a single mission. A focused objective to align your steps every day. And what if that mission was solely to become who you were created to be. With each day, a little more like who God envisioned when he designed you. More and more like the authentic, […]
This is my 46th Christmas. The majority of them I struggle to remember much of anything. I look back for moments that have become priceless, and you know what is funny … every memory that stands out are the Christmases that were far from perfect, yet so very memorable. Think about it … it’s the […]
God has favor for you. That means approval, complete acceptance, unmerited kindness and ridiculous goodness is directed at you from the Almighty. However, faith is required to receive favor. Favor doesn’t always show up looking like something you should be giddy over. Favor often first begins with frustration. Sometimes being highly favored by the Almighty […]
Do you hold back your best, fearing if you give your best there will be nothing left to give? If you reach the peak, what will you do afterwards, so unknowingly you stop your climb. You don’t even realize you’re holding yourself back, but you do. We all do. I often feel like I’m going […]
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com This Is Joy? Give yourself a point for each one that describes you today: * You still have to wrap gifts. * You still have to plan a big meal. * You still have to buy a crapton of groceries. * You […]
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com The Unfolding Mystery How disappointed do you walk around on a daily basis? How frustrated are you that things haven’t worked out the way you wanted them to? Have you become rigid with your plans, forceful with your ways, and demanding of […]
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com Because You Said You Would Within you is strength to do every single thing you need to do, and do it well. Honey, you are lacking nothing. You’ve got what it takes because God has equipped you. You are so much stronger […]
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com Tearing Down Walls God has a life of fullness available for you. He has abundance for your future. He has opportunities for your today. But sometimes we are held back from living in this fullness. The abundance that is for us does […]
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com Within you are dreams and desires, and if you haven’t settled along the way quite yet, those dreams and desires currently seem unattainable. Oh girl, did you know that … it’s actually a really great thing that what you want seems out […]
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com We all struggle, we all fall short, we all fail to live up to the potential placed within us. We’ve all been called to greater things and settled for something less along the way. Every single one of us have that in common. […]
There are things happening in your life right now that you don’t understand. Things you can’t control. However, there are clues all around you to remind you of who is in control. Reminders of how you’ve always been taken care of. Leftovers of what has happened for you before. What leftovers do you have? Leftovers […]
I know you’re staring down some really big, overwhelming stuff right now. I know you’re already thinking this really isn’t likely for you. I know there’s a part of you that really wants to dream and imagine it being possible, but there’s an even bigger part of you that discounts the possibility and brings you […]
If you bring me your problem, I feel the need to fix your problem for you. If you tell me you’re hurting, I want you to immediately feel better. If you’re struggling, I want you off that struggle bus this instant and marching down the path of purpose. I just want to fix it all, […]
Have you become so destination minded that you’ve missed the purpose of the journey? Are you so focused on where you think you’re going that you’ve lost where you are now? Working to make Christmas perfect, but forgot December 8th is a beautiful gift along the way. Working to get those kids raised, but missing […]
You may be facing impossible circumstances right now. You might be in over your head with no way out. You may have tried everything before and nothing has ever worked. You may be a day late and a dollar short, with absolutely no way to make up for what you don’t have. … BUT GOD. […]
Sometimes life feels like a battle. We’re always struggling with something, right? We overcome one thing only to face the next. Why does life feel like such a battle? BECAUSE IT IS. Heck yeah you woke up to a battle today, and if you’re not fighting it, you’re losing it. This world will pull you […]
When you get in alignment with who God created you to be, you don’t have to force your way into places. When you start living up to your fullest potential and tap into all your Creator put inside of you, you don’t have to beg for anyone to recognize you. When you understand who you […]
Who you are is unique in this world. What you have to give can only be given by you. There is a role only you can fill. The question becomes, are you holding out on us? Seriously, are you holding back that which you were created to be? Are you robbing us of who you […]
Our 1000th Episode. Thanks for the ride! No show notes today. Lonnie joins for a casual conversation about the journey to 1000. Follow Pamela: Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Follow Lonnie: Twitter – https://twitter.com/biglifer (mostly Crypto info) Instagram – https://instagram.com/fullazz Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lonnie.crim.3
If God calls you, something big should happen in your life, right? If you’re anointed and appointed by the Almighty, then big stuff will immediately unfold, right? Everything changes and everything changes fast once you’re chosen, once you’re called, once you’re anointed, right? Says who? Who said circumstances were guaranteed to change immediately after your […]
Do you ever hear something that just resonates in your soul and starts a chain reaction of insight within you? It’s as if the Spirit says ‘yes, I wanted you to hear that, and now hear this too.’ This morning I read a quote about David being chosen by God and it started that chain […]
I have a confession to make. A confession of something I was doing on a regular basis just a short time ago that could have led to absolute disaster. Something so incredibly dangerous, but I couldn’t see the danger in it. Sometimes we’re doing things and we are oblivious to the danger it could bring. […]
Every morning when we wake up, we get to choose our attitude. Any attitude we wish is available for the taking. We can put it on and wear it the entire day, and just like the right pair of shoes can change the outfit, the right attitude can change your experience. Most days we wake […]
Are you seeking, but not seeming to find yet? Are you trying, but not having success? Are you fishing, but not catching anything? My husband is a fisherman. He will fish in any weather under any conditions. Me on the other hand, I discovered I like catching a whole lot more than I like fishing. […]
Sometimes I just want to know why things are happening. I want to know why it feels like I’m under attack. I want to know the purpose of the problem, the source of the struggle, the meaning of the madness. Maybe you’ve been asking why. Maybe you’ve been trying to understand what is happening right […]
What if you’re operating from an old identity when a totally new you is in the offering? What if who you used to be has absolutely nothing to do with who you are becoming? What if God has declared you’re now a different person and the things that once defined you will no longer be […]
A girl who is going to do big things cannot let small things get to her. A girl who is ready to live the BIG life she was created for, ready to step fully into her potential, ready to live in divine partnership with the Almighty, that girl cannot be shaken by little things. She […]
When the time is right, God will make it happen. So, when will the time be right already? If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting on something. Waiting for that shift, waiting for that breakthrough, waiting to see the good God is going to do from the harm the enemy intended. But maybe right now, […]
Watching a movie, you know if you’re only 45 minutes in, the story still has a long way to go. Where are my Yellowstone fans at? Season 3 just began, so you know there’s a whole lot of crap to still go down. More trips to the train station, more blowups at the family dinner […]
I once heard we were each created with a God-sized hole only he can fill. We’re all searching. Searching for meaning and purpose. Searching for that thing that will confirm we’re on the right path or making progress towards a greater calling. And actually, that’s what has brought you here today. Whether you could articulate […]
The right hand of God is his hand of righteousness, power, and victory. And did you know, this is the hand that holds you? He has surrounded you by his power. He has covered you by his righteousness. He has placed you in his victory. This is where you are today. In his right hand. […]
God designed life with a great balance. Where there is darkness, he brings light. Where there is struggle, he creates growth. Where there is bad, he promises good. There is not one without the other. It’s the yin and yang of life. The pull and the push required to help us become who we were […]
Have you ever noticed how one thing leads to another in your life, and you end up in places you never imagined in the beginning? Something small and seemingly insignificant can be the segway to something so much greater in your future. But when you’re in the small stuff only longing for the bigger stuff, […]
There is a great conflict within each of us. We all want wonderful things for a wonderful life. However, we also want to understand everything and have some sense of control over our future. This creates conflict. A wonderful life is full of wonder, wonder-full. Wonder is all that you don’t understand, cannot predict, and […]
I grew up in the Bible belt, but no amount of yelling “repent or go to hell” was going to bring me to a personal relationship with Jesus. It might scare me, but it wouldn’t change me. One thing changes us, and one thing alone. Jesus. It is an understanding of who we truly are, […]
What if the very thing you’ve been asking God for is right in front of you, but it doesn’t look like you imagined it would? What if his answer is here, but it’s not the answer you thought you would get? What if the way has been made, but dang this just isn’t the way […]
We are all too familiar with the voice that tells us we’re not good enough. When the voice says ‘you can’t …’, we complete the sentence ourselves. I can’t change. I can’t wake up. I can’t overcome this. I can’t break this habit. I can’t do this. Well here’s a new ending to that […]
Have you been talking yourself out of the greatness you were created for? You get ready to take the next step, you’re staring down moving forward, then you freeze. Suddenly a terrorist takes over your thoughts, fear fills your body, and negotiations begin. Negotiations to delay. Negotiations to settle. Negotiations to be less, have less, […]
Do you think God doesn’t understand why you struggle with the things you struggle with? Do you think he can’t understand this thing holding you back? And do you think he’s angry at you for the hurt it causes or the distance it has created? Honey, our God is so much bigger than the box […]
We know Jesus healed the lepers. We know he gave sight to the blind, caused the deaf to hear, and made the lame to walk. But do we know he heals the lepers in our head today? Do we know he opens our eyes to see what we have been missing, guides us to listen […]
In a movie, there are certain parts you wouldn’t dare leave and go to the restroom. In a book, there are pages you just can’t put down. What are those parts? Think about it. What are the best parts of the story? The parts where something is about to happen, but you don’t know what […]
There was a time I was so busy giving up on myself, I couldn’t see what God was offering. A time when my failures were on display, and frustration was my lead feeling. No matter how hard I worked, no matter what I tried, it simply wasn’t working. So I gave up. I quit. I […]
You’ve got what it takes to live a ridiculously good life. Within you is impact beyond your imagination. The ability to do great things is within you. Honey, you are lacking nothing. Nothing at all. You may feel like you don’t have what it takes. You may feel inferior or insignificant, but the truth is, […]
Well dang if sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is just against you! What you want you do not have, and what you have is not what you wanted. It’s as if good things elude you and are continually within sight, yet out of reach. I know you’ve been asking why. I know you’re wondering […]
You were created for a BIG Life, but are you living BIG? Are you living free? Free from anything and everything that serves to hold you back? Is there anything causing you to live a life short of the life Jesus came to offer you? What is it that keeps pulling you back in? What […]
There is a battle within each of us. A battle between faith and fear. Faith inspires you to keep moving forward, while fear paralyzes you from taking future steps. One says ‘maybe this will be awesome’, while the other says ‘this could never possibly work.’ Which voice are you listening to? There’s an old fable […]
Yesterday I met a woman named Gigi. She approached me while at the Oceanside harbor and asked me for help. Her request led to a long walk together, some deep conversations, and lunch. Let me start by telling you Gigi is no less than me or you. She is a beautiful child of God, created […]
What could happen in your life if you prayed about it, then let God just have it? Seriously, talk to God then receive absolute peace and assurance to walk in his divine plan. Did you know that’s possible? Did you know God cares about every single thing you’re going through, every decision you’re about to […]
Let me talk to the girls who are frustrated on their journey. Let me talk to the girls who woke up dang tired this morning. Let me talk to the girls who gave up last time and feel like giving up again. Let me talk to the girls who are questioning if they can, and […]
Does your life feel like it’s on hold? Like there’s this big plan for your future, but it’s all been delayed? Why is God stalling? Why would he make you wait here when he holds the power to move you forward immediately? Leaning to trust the flow of God’s plan is the journey we’re all […]
There’s a whisper within your soul. A whisper calling you on to discover more. More of who God is and more of all he created for you, and more of what he created you for. This whisper from the Almighty says “I have something to show you.” Have you heard it? God is trying to […]
Isaiah 40:12 MSG – “Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger?” I’m currently on a 6 week cross country trip, savoring some of God’s wide open, vast creation and stunning beauty. In fact right now, as you listen, I’m off grid in […]
How do you receive a gift? What is your response to a wrapped box before you even know what’s inside? Today is my birthday and I am one proud woman to be 46. I’m determined to absolutely rock this year of life like only someone with ridiculous gratitude can. Because it’s my birthday I’m starting […]
There are just some people you know are going to succeed. People you can trust to show up, do it, and do it right, without fail. People who can have all the odds stacked against them, and somehow come out of it ahead. These are the people you would bet on. Now the question is, […]
What could be holding you back? What hinders you from stepping fulling into the life you are destined for as the person you were created to become? It’s different for each of us, and changes with the stages of our life, but there is always something threatening to entangle us, trap us, and hold us […]
If you could remove the bad in your life right now, you would, wouldn’t you? If in an instant every threat, every hardship, and every uncertainty could be erased, you would get to erasing. We all would. We all would chose a life void of struggle, but would that be best for us? Or does […]
Has the repetitiveness of life lulled you to sleep? Are you pretty much bored with all of this? You wake up, you do some crap you don’t want to do, you have a little joy here and there on occasion, you go to sleep, then you wake up and to do some more crap. Our […]
How do you get to live the life you want? How do you get to step into your fullest potential and live in your greatest purpose? How do you get there? What are the step by step directions to get to that place? How do you become that person … the person God envisioned when […]
What is the story you tell yourself? We all have a story that plays in our head, a story about why we are the way we are, and why things happen the way they happen. This story impacts how you feel about every event in your life, and how you think about yourself. Change the […]
There’s a tragedy happening in your life. That tragedy is affecting just how much of your God given potential you realize. It’s impacting every area of your life and just how much of God’s good plan for your lifetime you experience. What’s the tragedy? What is this horrible reality hindering you? It’s you not realizing […]
Sometimes we’re making things a whole lot harder than they need to be. Sometimes we’re struggling hardcore all while there’s a solution to make this better. We left the island on Friday and are now traveling all across the country in areas void of turquoise waters and palm trees (I’m not bitter, I’m just missing […]
Look around, there are some crazy things happening in this world. The theories are plenty, but the reality is, we’re going through some tough times. But what if this isn’t all happening against you? What if the threats are not there to harm you, rather to help you? What if this isn’t a punishment, but […]
Sometimes it feels like we don’t have enough. There’s not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough help. Sometimes we feel like we’re not enough. We’re not good enough. Not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not anything enough. So, we walk around looking at our life as if nothing is enough. We’re always lacking. Always […]
How do you get from where you are to where you want to be, when the journey there is so dang hard? How do you overcome everything that has happened? How do you get through what you’re going through right now? The answer is simple, and the answer is the same for each of us […]
How do you shift from misery to happiness? Is it possible to be in your current circumstances with your reality, and not be miserable? Is misery a choice, or is it a natural byproduct of your situation? And how about happiness? Is happiness a guaranteed state dependent upon the right conditions, and without those conditions […]
There are doors that have been opened for you to go through. Opportunities to step into the very life you were created for. The door is there, and sister you’re not going to have to knock this one down, it’s already open. I’ve tried to knock down closed doors before, have you? I start thinking […]
Our God is a good, good father who loves to give his girls good things. His storehouses in heaven have an abundance of all things, and his desire is to share his abundance with us. But can he? Can he share his abundance with you, and still have you? The problem is, we allow our […]
The way you think about things affects the way you see things. If you think something is a blessing, it will look a whole lot like a blessing. If you think something is a burden, it will feel like a burden all the way deep down in your bones. The power is in how you […]
Today, the sun came up. Whether you chose to sneak a peak at it or not, it happened. Faithfully, the new day began. It began because God directed it to do so. That is all. Simply nothing else matters beyond God’s direction. Nothing can stop, delay or change what God has directed. And with the […]
God is the great multiplier. His math doesn’t make sense. It stretches what could never be enough and makes it more than enough. God takes what is grossly insufficient and makes it magnificently abundant. That’s just the way God does it, however you have a role in this. God multiplies whatever you bring. If you […]