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Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women
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1638 - 1639 Don’t Waste the Grace
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- 1638 - 1639 Don’t Waste the Grace
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!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.comFri, 17 May 2024 - 17min - 1637 - 1638 The Cure For Anxiety
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.Thu, 16 May 2024 - 14min - 1636 - 1637 You Can’t, But I Am
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 WillNo, 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.Wed, 15 May 2024 - 14min - 1635 - 1636 Yes, You Can!
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.Tue, 14 May 2024 - 16min - 1634 - 1635 God Sees It
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.
Mon, 13 May 2024 - 13min - 1633 - 1634 What God Did
Unplugged Friday bible study…
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.comFri, 10 May 2024 - 15min - 1632 - 1633 In the Blank Spaces
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.Thu, 09 May 2024 - 13min - 1631 - 1632 That’s Our Jesus
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 be...Wed, 08 May 2024 - 13min - 1630 - 1631 Intentional Storm & Personal Encounter
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.Tue, 07 May 2024 - 15min - 1629 - 1630 This Takes Jesus
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 ...Mon, 06 May 2024 - 12min - 1628 - 1629 Share Your Story
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!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.comFri, 03 May 2024 - 22min - 1627 - 1628 That’s God Confidence
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 ...Thu, 02 May 2024 - 17min - 1626 - 1627 Rock This Month
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.Wed, 01 May 2024 - 15min - 1625 - 1626 Lean On God
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.”
Tue, 30 Apr 2024 - 12min - 1624 - 1625 You’re a Nobody
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,Mon, 29 Apr 2024 - 20min - 1623 - 1624 Going Through It
This week’s unscripted and unplugged Friday Bible study time togetherfocuses 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 anopportunity 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 yourendurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needingnothing.”
John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me youmay have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! Ihave overcome the world.”
You can watch the video of this devotional on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.comFri, 26 Apr 2024 - 17min - 1622 - 1623 Have You Settled?
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 ...Thu, 25 Apr 2024 - 12min - 1621 - 1622 I Am, Lord
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.Wed, 24 Apr 2024 - 14min - 1620 - 1621 Shake It Off
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, playAnd the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hateBaby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shakeI shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, breakAnd the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fakeBaby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shakeI 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.Tue, 23 Apr 2024 - 13min - 1619 - 1620 Jesus, Keep the Wheel
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?Mon, 22 Apr 2024 - 16min - 1618 - 1619 What God Provides
Join Pamela for this Friday morning Bible study of Exodus 25-40.
You can watch the live recording from Bali here:https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.comFri, 19 Apr 2024 - 16min - 1617 - 1618 What God Is Doing
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,Thu, 18 Apr 2024 - 12min - 1616 - 1617 In the Battle
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,Wed, 17 Apr 2024 - 13min - 1615 - 1616 I Wanna Quit
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.
Tue, 16 Apr 2024 - 10min - 1614 - 1615 Your Offering Today
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.Mon, 15 Apr 2024 - 16min - 1613 - 1614 God Will Do It
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.
Fri, 12 Apr 2024 - 13min - 1612 - 1613 It’s Off the Table
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!Thu, 11 Apr 2024 - 19min - 1611 - 1612 Forfeited In Fear
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 st...Wed, 10 Apr 2024 - 14min - 1610 - 1611 Ask Again Today
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.
Tue, 09 Apr 2024 - 12min - 1609 - 1610 Don’t Waste the Grace
My time here in Bali has been nothing short of life changing. I’ve witnessed a devotion to family, a kindness to others, unparalleled driving skills, and a reverent faith in action. While their faith is different than my own, I’m moved to love like they love, serve like they serve, and recognize God in every detail of life. The driving … well, that’s just not going to happen.
Each morning here in Bali, the women of the family wake up early and complete a morning routine. They first clean the entire house, then they wash themselves. Most locals bathe in the small rivers flowing through the alleys. Afterwards, they prepare the offering for their entire family. Colorful lowers are gathered along beautiful fresh fruits and placed in meticulously hand woven small baskets. These offerings are placed in their homes, in their yards, in their businesses, in their driveways, even in their cars. It’s a way of thanking God for their provisions and protection. A way of honoring his place in their lives. Then, the women cook the meals for the entire day. Each meal is the same, and each day is like the other. Fried rice or fried noodles with an egg. And finally, they go to work for the day.
The homes are like family compounds. Generations live together and share every meal together. Their home is centered around the family temple which honors God.
Through deep and beautiful conversations with the locals, I’ve come to realize, they worship the same God you and I worship. They simply have many names for God and many rituals to honor him and make themselves righteous before him.
And through all of this, I’ve recognized the beautiful gift we have been given only through Jesus that changes everything for us. We no longer have to strive to be righteous. We no longer have to perform rituals and ceremonies. God hears even our simplest of prayers no matter where we are because of the GRACE offered to us through Christ. This grace changes everything for a Christian.
Paul wrote to the Israelites in Romans 10: 2-4, “ I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.”
What is God’s way of making you right with him? Is it chanting in a temple? Is it a daily offering? Is it burning incense or sacrifices? It used to be. And for some beautiful people I’ve met here in Bali, perhaps it is still their way. I’m not here to judge that, just as they do not judge me. But I personally recognize Jesus replaced every ritual and overcame every obstacle with his ultimate sacrifice. Now, it is only the grace offered through Jesus that makes us right with God.
Honey, if you have Jesus, God fully accepts you as righteous. You’re forgiven. You’re covered.
Now, here’s the problem … If I can be completely honest, we often waste the grace.
Romans 11:6, “And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”
When we are given something free and undeserved, we often grow to take it for granted and forget it’s even there. My sister, I pray we remember what we have been given by Jesus. I pray we are absolutely blown away by God’s kindness to us, without our necessary works. I pray God’s grace would never grow old on us, but change us from the inside out.
Mon, 08 Apr 2024 - 9min - 1608 - 1609 On His Mind
Our scripture for today is I Peter 5:7. You’ve likely heard this scripture before “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” In my studies I came across this scripture using The Living Bible and honestly it rocked my world with a whole new meaning. “Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.”
WHAT?!!!!!!!! In all my years, somehow no one has ever told me that God is actually thinking of me. I’ve always known God could hear me. That he could see me. But THINKING of me? His thoughts are filled with me? Oh this takes it to a whole new level doesn’t it?
He is always thinking about you. God, the almighty creator of the entire universe, the master of all, the one who holds the whole world in his hand is THINKING OF YOU. You really must be someone special!
At this very moment, God is thinking of you. Amber, I know you’re listening, God is thinking about you. Sarah, God is thinking about you. Heather, God is thinking about you. Sandy, God is thinking about you. Amy, Kim, Laura, Dana, insert your own name and know with confidence God is thinking about you. You are on his mind. As he put the plans for this day of life into motion, he considered you. He thought about what would be best for you. He thought about what you need.
Don’t you know you are THIS loved and valued? Don’t you know the almighty has his mind set on you? Let this bring you confidence. God wants you to know he is always thinking about you so that you can have complete confidence in WHO you are.
He is not only always thinking about you, but he is watching everything that concerns you. You don’t have to fret and worry, God knows everything that is coming your way. Every possible thing about to touch your life has to first go through him. Know this so you can experience the REWARD of knowing he sees you and thinks of you in every detail. Truly, this is a reward. Wear it like a badge of honor. God is thinking of ME!
Two of my children have gone through Basic Training is the US Army. Months of the hardest, most intense training away from every living soul they knew. When each of them left, their Daddy told them something of immeasurable value. He said, “you’ll be up early every morning (03:00 in fact). Every time you see that sun rise, know your Dad is up thinking of you and praying for you at that very moment.” Without fail, every morning as the sun came up, my husband was sitting on the deck thinking of his kids during their training. And this brought them confidence. The drill sergeants may have been barking down their throat, they may have been hating life, exhausted, missing home, and dreading the day, but they knew without a doubt when that sun was coming us, their Dad is up and thinking of them.
Did you know when the sun comes up every morning, your God is thinking of you? Did you know the colors in the sky are a result of God thinking of you? What if that hot pink sky was a message with your name on it, a reminder of your creator’s love for you specifically? When the wind blows and you hear the rustle of the leaves, that’s God thinking of you. It’s all God thinking of YOU.
And did you know while Jesus hung on that cross, sacrificing his life, he was thinking of you. I know that’s hard to imagine. You weren’t even born yet. But try to wrap your mind around this. Since the beginning of time, God has known you and loved you. He has always had you in his thoughts and plans. And when his son Jesus was on that cross, his thoughts were on you. It was for you.
God is watching everything that concerns you today.
Thu, 04 Apr 2024 - 11min - 1607 - 1608 Go On Your Journey
Just how safe are you playing it? I know when you’ve been let down before it’s hard to trust. I know it’s easiest to settle into accepting what is instead of seeking more. But honey, if you’re not seeking it, it’s not going to come knocking on your door. Whatever you’ve settled for in your life will surely be your destiny. Not the destiny you were created for and not the destiny God has available for you, but the one you opted for by playing it safe to avoid disappointment.
Think about this, in pursuit of the life you most desire, the one where you’re living up to your potential and stepping into your greatest purpose, who has let you down the most? Isn’t it you? As a grown woman, you’re the one steering this ship. You’re the one putting the food in your mouth. You’re the one choosing the relationships. You’re the one showing up or not showing up. You’re the one cheating a little here and a little there and halting your own progress. How you live your life now is your responsibility.
God is here today partnering with you on this journey with an invitation to rise up from the ashes, shake off past disappointment and take a risk that this time it will be different.
Are you willing to take a risk? Are you willing to try again? Are you willing to go all-in on this one life you have been given and dare to see exactly what God has placed within you? I promise it’s more than you ever imagined.
There was a risk taker in the Bible who showed us how to experience more than everyone else in the boat. One person bold enough to say “hey Jesus, I want it.” That was Peter.
Peter was in a boat with the other friends of Jesus in a storm. And up comes Jesus, just walking on top of the waves. Oh my sister, don’t ever miss that Jesus comes walking out to you in the storms of your life. If you’re in a storm right now, look around, he’s close. His eye has been on you and he’s never lost sight of you.
Now the question is, what do you do when you see Jesus in the storm? Do you beg for him to just make it all go away? Do you hold your breath until you’re safe on the shore again? Or do you take a risk?
WILL YOU TAKE A RISK MY SISTER?
What are you seeking here? Are you seeking the easiest, safest, quickest way out of your hardship? If that is all you seek, you may be missing your opportunity to experience more of what God has for you here. More living is HERE. More breakthrough is HERE. More strength is HERE. More potential is HERE.
Stop seeking the shore. Seek what is possible out here in the deep where you find yourself now.
Peter was a risk taker. It was his willingness to take a risk that allowed him to experience all Jesus said was possible. And you know what happened next right … what happened?
Peter sees Jesus walking on the water and says “hey Jesus, I want to do that with you.” Call me out so I can do the impossible with you. In Matthew 14:29 “Jesus said ‘Come.’ So peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.”
And now, it’s your turn. Jesus has already walked through your storm. He’s made a way for you. He has strength and provisions available for you that you’ve never tapped into yet. AND YOU WON’T SITTING THERE IN YOUR BOAT. Sitting in the safety of your boat seeking the shore you will never experience what God has made truly possible for you.
This is where you take a risk. This is where you stop playing it safe. This is where you dare to believe the almighty God has put some almigh...Thu, 04 Apr 2024 - 12min - 1606 - 1607 Love Like This
When Jesus walked this Earth, he was God in human form. He was still all-knowing and all-powerful. He had the power of Heaven and an army of angels at his fingertips. He was lacking nothing, yet he chose not to walk his path alone. He gathered friends and shared the journey with them.
Have you ever thought about that? If Jesus needed friends on his journey, don’t you think you’re going to need some on yours? We were designed to need one another. Designed to walk together. Your life works best when shared with others.
Jesus chose 12 people and those people became his disciples. They went everywhere together. He wasn’t a one man show trying to do everything on his own. He understood his impact was greater, and his journey was better, when shared closely with others.
Who are you sharing your life with? Who have you let inside the walls and shown your true self? Or are you still keeping people at a distance and pretending you don’t need anyone?
Is it possible that perhaps your load is too heavy to bare because you’re trying to carry it on your own? You’re exhausted trying to pretend like everything is okay when the truth is you’re barely hanging on. How about you let someone else carry that for a bit?
Jesus, on his way to Golgotha to give his life, could no longer carry his own cross. A bystander named Simon then carried the cross, literally, for Jesus. We don’t see Jesus fighting him on it. So, why are you refusing help with your cross, your burden, your heavy load to carry?
Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
I’m not to go through hardships alone, and neither are you. We’re here to carry the weight of each other’s burdens. Christ has called us to make things easier for each other instead of harder. But dang if we aren’t in a time where we just make it harder for each other. We come in with our opinions and views and we post crap our fingers have no business typing. We have become cynical and self-righteous, adding onto the weight of someone else’s burden instead of helping them carry it.
Every time you add to the burden instead of help carry it, you are failing to fulfill the law of Christ. You are breaking his law. What is that law? Back up to chapter 5 of Galatians and it’s clear.
Galatians 5:14 “The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love each other. Love each other the way Jesus taught us to love. He shared his life fully. He washed the feet of others. He cared for a crowd of people who would be missing dinner. He was concerned for those who had a concern. Jesus MADE time. He stopped, he looked, he connected, he shared. Then he tells us to do the same.
Now maybe this hasn’t worked out so good for you in the past. Maybe you’ve tried to have a close circle of friends and it ended in bickering, then you decided you were better off doing this thing on your own. I’ve been there too. I’ve shut it all down after being hurt and pushed others out. THAT IS THE WORK OF THE ENEMY. Don’t let him win this. Don’t let him convince you everyone is bad and eventually you will just be hurt again. His goal is to isolate you for his attack. Get back in a circle sister!
Jesus knew Judas would betray him before he ever invited him into his circle. He knew Judas would fail, but he chose him anyway.
Yes people will fail you. Yes they will hurt you. But share your life anyway.
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER. United we stand.Wed, 03 Apr 2024 - 13min - 1605 - 1606 Ordinary Is Extraordinary
How much of your world is quite simply ordinary and slightly boring at this moment? Did you wake up to another day of life where everything is just normal?
How absolutely EXTRAORDINARY!
Don’t miss the fact that uneventful days are a tremendous blessing in disguise. These are days when a million events COULD go wrong, but none of them did. These are the days when everything goes so right, you don’t even notice it.
And really, isn’t that the majority of your days? Days that seem unimpressive and unremarkable, all because everything just worked. The lights turned on. The heater worked. The clothes fit. The car started. The food was available. Your people are breathing. You are functioning.
How are you not impressed by that? Holy balls woman, this is all totally remarkable.
Do you not understand all it required for you to have a normal, ordinary, boring day of life? Have you missed the fact that God was up all night aligning all of these things on your behalf, as he always is?
Can we just thank God for the absolute miraculous in our every day? For all that goes ridiculously right on a daily basis, and it typically always does so we don’t even acknowledge it? Can we send up a praise for all that could be wrong, but it isn’t?
We never acknowledge when the car is running well … until it isn’t. We never notice how our back feels perfectly fine … until it doesn’t. We never realize just how ridiculously blessed we are … until those blessings are threatened.
It’s easy to go through our entire lives with the cruise set trying to get to some destination that is constantly moving. It’s easy to miss the fact that ordinary days are extraordinarily blessed days. It’s easy to save our gratitude, awe and wonder for those big days, and miss that big things are happening every moment of our lives just to make this all seem ordinary.
James 1: 17 “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father.”
There’s so much goodness in our lives, we could spend every moment of the rest of our lives trying to list it all. Let’s do that. Seriously, how different would your ordinary days be if you were busy acknowledging all that is good? All that is right? All that is working well?
Instead, we wait until the car doesn’t start to come to God and ask him to fix it. I wonder how many times he fixed it before you ever even tried to start it?
We wait until there’s a pain to pray for God to heal it. Oh honey, if you only knew how many pains he healed you of before you ever even felt it. All he has saved you from. The disaster heading straight toward you, that he diverted. Have you thanked him for that? Have you praised him for the peace there is, or are you waiting for the next round of chaos to bring to him?
All 3 of my kids are grown. That’s a miracle in itself! Seriously … there were years I wasn’t so sure we were going to get here. My favorite phone calls from them are the normal, non-eventful days they call just to tell me what they’re doing. To just share their ordinary day with me. Those are my favorite phone calls.
I have to believe God our father feels the same way about our prayers. He loves our “hey God, everything is working here today” prayers. Our “just checking in to say life is still good and I’m still fully aware of it” prayers. He loves our thoughts towards him, void of the crisis. He treasures our praise when others may have missed the opportunity because it’s all so normal.
Tue, 02 Apr 2024 - 14min - 1604 - 1605 My Head Got Saved
There is a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Golgotha or also called Calvary, both words meaning skull. The hill was given it’s name because of it’s shape of a skull. Do you think that was an accident?
It was here on top of this skull shaped hill that Jesus was crucified on the cross. Have you ever thought about the meaning behind this? Why there? Nothing was by accident. God was in every detail as he sacrificed his one and only son so that whoever would believe in him would have eternal life. I believe this place was strategic.
The cross was on top of the skull because Jesus wants to give you victory over your mind!
Did you know it’s not only your soul that has been saved, but your MIND has been saved as well. The victory was won over your mind by Jesus on the skull! How absolutely strategic.
The evil one fights to take back what Jesus has claimed and most often what he gets is our mind. How successful has he been in your life lately? Have your thoughts been victorious or have they been fear filled, anxious, negative, defeated thoughts?
Jesus paid a high price for your victory, why would you ever allow the defeated one to defeat you in your head?
Your greatest asset is your mind. Your mind paints a vivid picture and your body responds with every emotion and energy to create the picture. Every choice you make, good or bad, was first a thought in your mind. So, of course your mind is under attack. A relentless, violent, brutal attack, and it’s happening every minute of the day.
Whatever gets your mind, gets you. Your thoughts are the guide, so the important question is, who is the author of your thoughts? Scripture warns us of strongholds on our mind.
2 Corinthians 10: 4-5, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
The word “stronghold” comes from the Greek word ochuroma. This is a Greek word used to describe a prison. The “strongholds” scripture refers to are lies that the devil has ingrained so deeply in your mind and in your belief system that they now hold power over certain areas of your life. These lies create a spiritual fortress of wrong thoughts which becomes your prison. As a prisoner to these thoughts, you begin to view life through the illusion of bondage Satan has put on your mind. Thoughts of worry. Thoughts of fear. Thoughts of anxiety. Thoughts of lack. And eventually, these tangled and twisted thoughts begin to take control of your life.
Now, you can’t seem to dismiss those thoughts. You can’t just shake it off. This stronghold on your mind has overwhelmed you. And if we allow this stronghold to continue, dismissing it as who we are and what we naturally struggle with, it becomes a trap where Satan mentally seduces you and imprisons you with your own thinking.
My sister, does this sound familiar? Have your thoughts become twisted and knotted with worry, fear, anxiety, or negativity? This is a strong hold and it is holding you back.
Holding you back, you say … from what? Holding you back from the freedom of being who you were created to be and living the life God created you to live. Holding you back from the joy of the Lord. Holding you back from your purpose and your destiny.But remember, your mind is saved! Just like your soul has been redeemed, so has your mind. You are no longer a captive here. Any strongholds the enemy has established in your mind can and must be destroyed.
You have been equipped for this battle!
Mon, 01 Apr 2024 - 14min - 1603 - 1604 Why It’s Good Friday
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 are. This is how loved you are. This much, with arms wide open. And we remember his excruciating death, the pain inflicted, the burdens carried, the weight of it all which took his final breath.
What an incredibly sad day. The day the world fell dark and our Jesus was crucified for being nothing other than holy, righteous, miraculous and pure.
And yet, we call it Good Friday.
The worst day in history when evil prevailed and the son of God was unjustly put to death between two thieves. It was bad. Painful. Dark. Terrifying. Unfair. And yet it was Good.
It was the ultimate good.
It was the good the world could not see which God had planned. The good which would not be revealed without the bad. The good which would allow the worst to first unfold. The good which would require some time. (Maybe there’s some good in the works in your life, but right now it looks bad. Take notice of how God works.)
Let’s read the story of this day:
Mark 15: 22-39 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
**Do you know why the offering of this wine mixed with myrrh is important? Why such a specific, seemingly unimportant detail to be included in the record when Jesus refused it? It’s important because this mix was a drug which dulled the senses. An offering to the one facing an agonizing death by crucifixion, making it more bearable. But Jesus refused. He refused ease from the suffering. He wanted a clear mind while he hung on the cross. Why? So he could think of me and you. So he could give wholly of himself, enduring it to the full for us.
24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
***Could he have come down at that moment? Could he have called down an Army of angels from heaven to avenge him and destroy his accusers? Absolutely. It was all within his power, but it wasn’t within his purpose. His purpose was to pay the ultimate price for us. And because of that purpose, he endured. Because of that purpose, he took the insults, he took the pain and he took the punishment, so that we wouldn’t have to.
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 19min - 1602 - 1603 Repping Jesus Here
We have one last stop in our study of the final week of Jesus’ life here on earth, before arriving to the cross tomorrow. One more important lesson to teach this week. I so wanted to tell you all about the foot washing. I wanted to tell you about the last meal with Jesus. I wanted to tell you about the man who carried Jesus’ cross when Jesus was too weak from the beating to continue his destined journey. But I can’t. I can’t because these roosters will NOT stop crowing, y’all.
I’m in a darling little cottage high atop a mountain on the island of Oahu where it is very much like a jungle. It’s just us and the wild chickens up here. And this morning during my study time, more than ever, the roosters are crowing. Every time I begin to write about foot washing, the last supper, or the journey with the cross, another rooster crows and stops me.
Lord, I hear you. Today, we will talk about the part of the story I don’t want to talk about. The part of the story that gets really personal. How I too can deny Jesus. How I can fail to represent myself as a girl who hangs out with Jesus. How the rooster crows reminding me of my continual need for forgiveness and redirection.
Jesus had gathered his best friends for one final dinner together. He gave them the bread that represented his body. He gave them the wine that represented his spilled blood. He knelt down and washed their feet in humble service. He prayed over them and asked God to protect each of them from the evil one. He promised them the power of the Holy Spirit.
What a day they had shared! Then we come to Luke 22 where Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked to sift him like wheat. But Jesus says in verse 32, “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your bothers.”
Jesus prayed for Peter! He prayed that his faith would not fail. He prayed that after he failed, that he would return and then lead others. Jesus knew Peter would fail, but he had already talked to God about his return!
And Jesus already knew you would fail too. He knew you would get a little lost along the way. He knew you would get all fleshy and mess things up for a bit. But, my sister, he’s already prayed for your return. He’s already planned for you to come back! And when you do, you will be a strength and guide to others. That’s just the way Jesus does things! We see that in Peter.
Peter boldly says to Jesus, “Lord I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Then Jesus says in verse 34, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know me.”
Peter just couldn’t accept that he would fail his Jesus. He loved him. He had walked on the water with him. He knew he was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. No way would he deny him. It just couldn’t be.
I feel the same way. There’s no way anyone could make me deny Jesus. I know who he is and I know what he’s done in my life. Maybe you feel the same way. But let me tell you, Satan works hard on God’s girls to trip us up.
What caused Peter to deny Jesus? Yes fear. Yes weakness. But there were steps that brought him there, and they are the same steps God wants us to be aware of so we don’t get tripped up too.
Luke 22: 54-62:
“They arrested Jesus and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at hi...Wed, 27 Mar 2024 - 15min - 1601 - 1602 Midnight In the Garden
This week we’ve been looking at the final week of Jesus’ life. He knew this was it, so everything he did was with tremendous meaning and intention. On the final night, he prayed a prayer that my human mind has trouble comprehending. He asks if God can save me and you in any other way than the agony he himself faced. He grieved over what was to come, and he fully submitted to God’s will even when it was the hardest thing he would ever do.
Today, we will read that prayer together, then we will dive deeper into the feelings of Jesus on that final night. Through this, may we fully recognize the sacrifice Jesus made specifically for each of us, the unfathomable price that was paid for our souls, and the perfect example Jesus has set for us when facing hardships we wouldn’t have chosen.
What does Jesus do? He prays. He asks others to pray with him, but he himself prays. He goes to his father. He honestly lays his feelings down before God, then he surrenders to God’s divine will.
Will we do the same? Even when we don’t want to? Even when we’re facing unfair hardship? Even when we know it will hurt? Will we seek God’s will over our own and surrender in prayer?
Matthew 26: 36-46:
In the garden of Gethsemane, “Jesus bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”A second time he prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”Then he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.”
To understand the emotions of Jesus, I will share pieces of a reading from a website called Biblecourses.com.
Sometime around midnight, Jesus entered the garden of Gethsemane, a place were olives were crushed and pressed to process their valuable oil within. Jesus rarely spoke of the emotions that surged at times within his soul. Remember, Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully human. He felt. He hurt. In Gethsemane, we see the heart of Jesus as never before.
In this garden, Jesus experienced something that He had never before encountered during His earthly life and ministry. We cannot understand fully what was happening, but let’s try to imagine it.
The struggle Jesus experienced involved intense sorrow. He told the three friends He had taken with Him that His soul was “deeply grieved”. As He drew closer to the time when He would carry that awful burden of sin upon His soul at the cross, He became overwhelmed. The world’s guilt was descending upon His pure, innocent mind and heart with a crushing force. The weight of all my sin was on him. The burden of all your guilt was his to carry. It must have been overwhelming. It must have been so heavy.
The battle for the salvation of the human race loomed large, dark, and frightful. His humanity was depressed by it; His divine spirit groaned over it. He groaned over me. He groaned over you. We were on his mind.
His struggle was so severe that it began taking his physical body down to death itself. Matthew 26:38 says his soul was “deeply grieved, to the point of death,”. His sorrow and grieve were so consuming that there was a danger his body couldn’t bare it. An angel from Heaven came and strengthen him. Had he not received this strength, he wouldn’t have been able to offer his body on the cross for us. He would have collapsed before the cross.
I’ve always imagined the pain of the cross, but never had I been aware of the agony of Gethsemane. As Jesus prepared His soul for the conflict over the souls of men,Tue, 26 Mar 2024 - 11min - 1600 - 1601 Force Of Faith
We continue our journey through the Holy Week, seeking what was mostimportant to Jesus in his final week of life. Today we study thewithered fig tree and the mountain moved in faith. This is a veryspecial, unplugged devotional, so grab your bible and a cup of coffee,and let’s chat about these lessons taught by Jesus in Matthew 21: 18-22.
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.comMon, 25 Mar 2024 - 15min - 1599 - 1600 The Chosen Donkey
This is the week leading up to Easter. The final week of Jesus’ life … and he knew it.
What would you do if you knew it were your last week? What would you do on Monday? On Tuesday? On Wednesday? Who would you spend your time with? Where would you go? What would you intentionally do and say, knowing this was your last chance?
To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have done the same things Jesus did. Actually, I know I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have spent time with those I knew would betray me. I wouldn’t have willingly been in the wrong place at the wrong time to make everything right for people who would deny me. But, that’s what our Jesus did. He knew. And he did it all willingly.
To better know our Jesus, I’m spending this week digging deeper into his words and actions in his final week of life here on Earth. I believe you can really learn a lot about a person by seeing what they do when they know this is really the end. Think about what you would do if you knew it was the end … wouldn’t it reveal what was truly most important to you?
In that final week, every detail was intentional for Jesus. Just as your final week would be filled with very intentional acts if you knew. Not a single detail of that week is without significance, so, let’s study the details.
It all begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the place designed for his death. He knew every step toward Jerusalem brought him closer to the end. And how he entered would have significant meaning.
Mark 11: 1-7, “As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.”
Here we find intentional details. Details we are to study so we understand what was truly important to Jesus.
Jesus specifically asked for a donkey to ride into Jerusalem. The donkey was waiting, destined for it’s divine purpose of carrying Jesus for his entry. But why?
First, it was to fulfill the prophesy written 500 years earlier in Zechariah 9:9, “Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey’s colt.” Just as it was written, Jesus arrived riding on a young donkey. John 12: 16 says, “His disciples did not understand these things at first. However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him.”
As it was happening, it made no sense to the disciples that Jesus would specifically request a donkey to ride. But, looking back, they saw the fulfillment of the prophesy concerning the Messiah down to every detail. There would be no doubt, Jesus was truly the Son of God and the savior of the world.
This is how we see the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. We look back and we see everything he said has happened for us. Not as we thought it would, and not when we expected it would, but without fail, it happens and every detail is as God has promised. We can count on that.Mon, 25 Mar 2024 - 16min - 1598 - 1599 Not What I Asked For
Have you ever asked God for one thing and you feel like you get something totally different? Have you started to question Jesus’ word where he says “ask and ye shall receive”? Yeah Lord, I’ve been asking but what I’ve been receiving has been disappointing in comparison to what I was expecting.
The Israelites were hungry in the desert and they asked God to supply their needs and give them food to eat. The next day they woke up to manna. We know manna as this miraculous bread directly from God which sustained the Israelites where there was nothing else to eat. But let me tell you, THIS WAS NOT WHAT THEY WERE EXPECTING.
Exodus 16: 13-15 “In the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.”
I propose they woke up that morning and saw this white dewy, sticky substance all over the desert ground and they really said “What the heck is THIS?” I don’t know, maybe they were expecting Sarah Lee herself to appear at sunrise baking her fresh loaves of bread, but this … this is not what they were expecting. What is this and what am I supposed to do with it?
And this is why they called it manna. Manna to them meant “what is it?” It meant “now what do we do”?
Maybe you’ve been asking God for guidance and there hasn’t been a single flashing sign making the way clear yet. You’re just as confused as you ever were as doors continue to close and you wander along. But my sister, don’t miss the fact that closed doors are guidance. That no you received was in response to your request for guidance. Sure it’s disappointing, but you simply don’t know what God was protecting you from when he shut that down. Nor do you know the open door with something better than you ever imagined still awaiting you. The only way God guides you to it is to disappoint you by closing those other doors you were so willing to settle with.
Yes, this is what guidance looks like. It doesn’t feel miraculous, but it is. You just don’t recognize it for what it really is.
The Israelites didn’t recognize the white dew covering the ground for what it was either. It didn’t look miraculous. It didn’t look like loaves of bread, but they didn’t yet know what God had given them. There’s more coming here.
We all know better than to pray for patience, right? What happens when you pray for patience? You’re given complete chaos with an invitation to calm the heck down in the middle of it.
Patience isn’t developed in the calm, honey. Patience is developed in those moments where you have to bite your tongue so hard it bleeds. Patience is developed when you’re stuck waiting and every ounce of you wants to lash out, respond, fight back, and push forward.
Oh, that’s where you woke up? You woke up in the training grounds for patience today? You may not like this, but God sure likes what he’s developing in you here. He sure likes the lessons you will learn in this. He sure likes how much more you’re becoming like the girl he created you to be through this training.
So, he’s not going to get you out of it. He’s going to provide in miraculous and mysterious ways right in the middle of it … and you may not recognize it for what it really is.
Marriage doesn’t look the way you thought it would, does it?Thu, 21 Mar 2024 - 14min - 1597 - 1598 You Are a Warrior
Psalms 18:39, “For You have girded me with strength for battle.”
May I speak some powerful truth into your life this morning? YOU ARE A WOMAN TRAINED BY THE KING TO BE A WARRIOR. TRAINED TO FACE THE VERY BATTLE IN FRONT OF YOU!
Every struggle you’ve overcome, every hardship, every setback and every trial has served to strengthen and train you. Nothing has been wasted. Just look how much stronger you are now than you were 10 years ago. Why are you stronger? Because you have been challenged. Life’s challenges train us. They train us for the next level of living.
And make no mistake about it, the next level of living will not be free of challenges. Somewhere along the way we’ve bought into this fallacy that when we “arrive” in life – when we get that new job, when money isn’t so tight – or when we lose the weight – or when we move to that new place – then life will be easier. And wow are we ever disappointed to find new devils with our new levels.
You weren’t created for an easy, cushy, comfortable life. If you were, then why would God make you a warrior? That would make no sense. Warriors are for battle.
Listen to me, life is a battle. A battle of balance. A battle of the mind. A battle for peace. A battle for contentment. A battle for our potential. Do you know why things keep coming at you? Why there are continual setbacks? Why doors keep slamming shut in your face and why with every step forward you seem to take 2 back? Do you know why?
Because you have an enemy in this world – His name is Satan and HE SEES YOUR POTENTIAL AS A WARRIOR. He sees your potential more than you see it. So he attacks to keep you from rising up.
But do you know why God allows the enemy to attack you? Because he can use it all for your good. He can use it as your training, to strengthen his mighty warrior. All you’ve learned to overcome in the past will be used today. And all you learn in today’s battle will be used for tomorrow.
YOU ARE A WARRIOR. God has strengthened you for battle. Living the life you were created for is a battle. Becoming your best is a battle. Holding your marriage together is a battle. Raising kids is a battle (can I get an amen mamas). You’ve got this because God’s got you. Whatever you are facing today, you have been equipped to march right through it.
A warrior is a soldier known for their bravery. You have a mission, a mission to live this one and only beautiful life that you have been given. Live it bravely. Hold your head high, put your shoulders back and remember who you are. A beautiful woman trained by the king to be a warrior. To face the very battle in front of you today. Harness the strength God has promised you and provided you.
At retreat, I always have the women line up for one epic photo. They stand, hand in hand, legs shoulder width apart, shoulders back, head high. Strong. Powerful. Mighty. Warrior. But we do not stand alone. We are connected. Then, I have them all lift their hands, still locked together. We are victorious. Victorious together.
We are not weak. We are not defeated. We are not hopeless. And we are NOT alone! We are powerful women chosen and strengthened by God. Strengthened to take a stand in our lives. No more backing down. No more quitting. No more shrinking back. Girls, we can’t play little in our own lives for one more day. Stretch out those arms, use the space you have been given, be bold and brave.
I stand with you today. I stand with you in faith and I have that stubborn faith that simply won’t stop believing in God’s good plans over your life, regardless of circumstances.
Thu, 21 Mar 2024 - 15min - 1596 - 1597 Unleash Those Miracles
Mark 6 in my bible is titled “Jesus Rejected In Nazareth”
Was Jesus the truth? YesWas he who he said he was? YesWas he doing good? YesAnd yet he was rejected.
And you’re shocked that you have been rejected? Surprised that you weren’t chosen – Passed over again. Can’t believe someone said that about you. Oh come on. If Jesus was rejected, perhaps we should count it an honor to be rejected too.
What should we do? Keep being true. Keep showing up. Keep doing good.
Let’s read in Mark chapter 6 starting in verse 1 through 6:
“Jesus returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.”
Notice it says because of their unbelief, Jesus couldn’t do any miracles among them?
Are you praying for a miracle in your home? A miracle in your health, a miracle in your relationship, a miracle in your finances, a miracle for someone you love, and yet you don’t really believe? Your unbelief is shocking to Jesus and it is hindering the very miracle you seek.
Maybe it’s not that you don’t believe Jesus cares about you, and maybe you don’t even doubt his power, but you’re “keeping it real” and the reality says THIS THING AIN’T WORKING. Not only is it not working, but there’s no way it ever will. Because of the continual state of this situation in your life, you’ve lost your belief that it can change. Is that where you are? You’ve been stuck with nothing really ever changing that you’ve lost faith it can change?
Let’s be clear … your lack of faith is shocking to Jesus. He can’t believe that you don’t trust him with this. He can’t believe that you’re questioning his ability and desire to help you. Remember verse 6 of our scripture today, “he was amazed at their unbelief.” Other translations say he was marveled, he was wondered and greatly amazed by their unbelief. He just couldn’t believe their lack of faith himself.
But we’ve all been there. We’re disappointed. We’re frustrated. We’ve run out of time or money or patience and everything we’ve tried isn’t working. And maybe, just maybe, that’s right where Jesus wanted you all along. A place where his miracles are most needed. And my sister, all that is keeping it from happening now is your faith. God wants to know if you will BELIEVE today.
You know what else shocks Jesus? How little we have done with all we have been given. We haven’t really tapped into the potential God has placed within us. We haven’t really stepped into the life Jesus Christ bought with his own blood for us. We haven’t fully unleashed our faith to go and be and do all that God created us to do. And quite honestly, that’s shocking to Jesus.
Oh how he would move in my life if I just believed. And oh how he would move in YOUR life if you just believed. The situation that’s weighing heavy on your heart right now, what is it? What’s your impossible?Wed, 20 Mar 2024 - 14min - 1595 - 1596 Kept In the Dark
Our God is not only the God of miracles, but he is the God of the unexpected. The God of surprises. The God of unfolding goodness you could have never imagined on your own.
But, in order to experience this goodness, faith will be required. A strong stomach to handle the ups and downs that lead to the destination you do not yet know. God wants to take you on an adventure, but that adventure will include an element of uncertainty that will make you highly uncomfortable.
Will you still show up for it? Or will you sit it out?
Sometimes God doesn’t reveal all the details to us because he knows we would dismiss ourselves from the opportunity if we knew. He keeps the details in the dark, only showing us one step at a time, so we are willing to take that step even though the journey awaiting is harder than we anticipate. So, our loving and all-knowing, good, good father withholds some of the information so you will still show up. He doesn’t want you to miss what he has for you, so some things will just be kept secret until you step into them.
Kinda like my real life experiences yesterday. Y’all, it’s story time …
I’m here on the island of Oahu hosting the BIG Life Hawaii Retreat. Yesterday morning was our sunrise hike and mountain top worship experience. Sounds fabulous, right? You would sign up for that, wouldn’t you? You would want to be there for that.
We arrive to the trail head at the butt crack of dawn. 5:30 am. Do you know how dark it is at 5:30 am here? They say it’s darkest before dawn … well, it was before dawn and it was dark. As we get out of our cars, my retreat girls begin asking their very justified questions about this hike. How hard is it? How muddy is it? How long is it? How are we going to see?
These were all details I did not know. However, I had been told by several locals this was the trail we must hike for the ultimate sunrise destination. Lanaki Pillbox. They said we could surely do it. I believed them.
The trail begins in a residential hillside neighborhood. It looks very unassuming. Low threat. Unimpressive. Steps off the neighborhood street, we find a steep incline at the beginning of a small trail climbing rocks. There were ropes.
If you’re new to climbing, the sight of ropes is a sign. That sign is, “THIS ISN’T GOING TO BE EASY.” I think to myself, “Pamela, this may not have been the hike to have chosen for these girls. What have you gotten into here?”
The questions continue. Is this going to get harder? How much more are we going to climb? Woah, can we really do this?
My answer … I don’t know. Let’s take the next step and see.
With only the light of our cell phones, we can see nothing but the next step in front of us. And while sometimes on our hands and knees bear crawling, we were able to take that next step. We hoisted the one in front of us, and reached for the one behind us. Our progress was slow, and the dark remained.
We couldn’t see to the left or right. That was pure darkness. We could only see the rock in front of us, and the souls on the journey with us.
What had I gotten us into? My sense of adventure sometimes outweighs the desire of those with me to endure hard things.
We kept climbing. It was hard.
Then, the sun began to rise. The break of dawn. The most brilliant deep orange filled the sky just as we reached our first peak. We could finally see where we were and what we had just done.
And let me tell you something,Mon, 18 Mar 2024 - 17min - 1594 - 1595 Walls Around Your Heart
There’s so much goodness inside of you, there’s the potential to change countless lives. That goodness comes in the form of your love. Your love, and your ability to love are under attack. The enemy knows the impact your love could make so guess what does that nasty little sucker do … he works to shrink your heart. He schemes to make you cynical. He plots to make you hardened. He offers the bricks to build your walls. How successful has he been in shrinking your heart?
God wants you to live with a wide open heart, just as Jesus did. Jesus loved without concern of rejection. He loved without need for a thank you. He loved without strings, without boundaries. You do understand that Jesus shared his last meal with the very man he knew would betray him? He knew it, yet he loved him. Jesus lived out loud with a wide open heart and outstretched arms. And this is the life you and I are being called to.
2 Corinthians 6: 11-13 reading from the MSG translation says “I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!”
We were each created for a BIG life, but sometimes we are playing little because we have closed off our hearts and tied strings to our love. We may be justified in our tall walls and guarded hearts, but we may also be miserable.
You were designed to love. You were formed as a vessel of God’s love flowing through you, working as his hands and feet here on Earth. The creator never designed a single person with the flaw of a bad attitude and perpetually grouchy mood. He never made one human being with the intention of that person not being able to love others, intolerable of people.
God doesn’t work that way.But the enemy sure does.
One of Satan’s greatest works is to convince you that your way is the only way, everyone else is an idiot, and you can’t trust anyone. Is that the record playing in your head? Is that how you view others? A possible threat? A potential bad motive? An idiot in blue jeans? Have you become cynical and hardened with a closed off heart? Have you created hoops for others to jump through to get to your love?
Remember the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15. A man had two sons and one son had taken his inheritance early and promptly blew every dollar on wild living and ended up at rock bottom. This son then realized who he really was and that he was so much better than the way he had been living, so he began the journey back, back to his family and back to the life he was created for. Now notice what his father did. When the father saw his son returning home, did he stand there with his arms crossed? Did begin preaching saying how wrong the son had been? Did he make his son jump through hoops to come back? Did he make it hard for him? No! Quite the opposite. Scripture says the father ran to him with open arms!
The father didn’t chase the prodigal son, but when the son turned around and came back to his truth, the father welcomed him with love.
This is what we’re to do. Don’t chase, but if ways are changed, then we welcome. So someone screwed up. Someone has hurt you in the past. You have every reason for your walls. Your heart is calloused. You’re terrified to open back up because what if it happens again? Trust that God will take care of you if you will just love BIG. You don’t need to make it harder than it already is. Open up your arms and live with a wide open heart. Refuse to allow the enemy to shrink your heart again.
You may have been in a relationship with a horrible man before.Mon, 18 Mar 2024 - 15min - 1593 - 1594 You Should Be
Are you available? To be available means you are open to something. Open to receive. Open to go. Open to used. Are you open, or are you occupied? Occupied with the busyness of life and all you have to do.
God has a question for you today. He’s not concerned with your ability, he wants to know your availability. Girl, are you available?
God can equip you with anything and everything you need. He can supernaturally strengthen you, he can raise you up, he can enlighten you, he can give you wisdom you’ve never had before. Oh yes, he can equip you with an abundance of ability. But what he won’t do is force you to be available for what he can to do in your life.
Availability is up to you. How much of God’s goodness and provision have we missed because we simply haven’t been available to receive it? Have you been so darn busy, filling your days with duties and distractions, that maybe you’ve missed what God has been offering you? Won’t you just decide you don’t ever want to miss it again?
What can God do in a life that’s available to him? Oh, it’s easier to make a much shorter list of what God can’t do with an available life. It is our availability that serves as an open door to the greatest works of our Creator.
This week, I learned this little podcast that started out of my closet, and now travels around the globe with me on my portable microphone, is in the top .5 percent of all the podcasts in the world. TOP POINT FIVE. That’s the top half percent globally for all podcasts on all topics. What? If you only knew how incredibly ordinary I am. I don’t have a day of college education or professional training. I use the Google to look up everything I don’t know, and guess at a whole lot of other stuff. But this is what God has done with my availability over the past 12 years.
Every day, I wake up and I tell God I’m available. Every day, I ask him to use me to remind you that you are HIS girl. And the rest has been all God, all the time. My only credit is I made the space and I keep making the space. I’m just open. I’m ready to go. Excited to be used by the Almighty.
Now, what could he do with your availability?
For many years now, I’ve kept a black and white image with words that make my spirit leap. Check your spirit and see if it does back flips inside your chest when you hear this:
“God says, I need you to get excited again. I need you to remember you’re not in this thing alone. I’m working on your challenges, I’ve already assigned angels to you. So let go of the stress and just trust me; I’ve got a pretty incredible ending in store. In fact, that’s why you need to get excited again … because the happy ending I’ve got coming is going to ROCK YOUR WORLD!”
Did you feel that too? Did that just move something within you?
Get excited my sister … God is about to do something … if you will be available!
There it is. Just like a potential date, first you have to be available, then you need to be excited. Nobody wants to go on a date with someone who acts like they “have to.” I’ll go to dinner with you if I have to. I’ll be there if I can get everything else done first. Geeze, you wouldn’t be eager to date that one, now would you?
Well, how do you think God feels when he has all these things he wants to do in your life, all this potential he wants to stir up and unleash within you, all these breakthroughs and new levels designed just for you … but you’re simply not excited about it.
Fri, 15 Mar 2024 - 13min - 1592 - 1593 Help Me Drop It
Have you ever given up on something in the past and just wish you would have kept going? Where would you be today if you wouldn’t have given up? Oh dang! Healthier, stronger, further along perhaps?
It’s easy to imagine how life could be if we would have stuck with the things we gave up on, but today, I want you to imagine how your future life could be if you would give up some specific things today.
Yes, give up.
I mean let go of. Move on from. Surrender.
For many of us, we’re holding on to something that is no longer serving us. We’re dwelling on something that has held us back. We’re carrying something that is exhausting us. And in order to move forward to the life God has available for us, we must let it go. Drop it. Move on. Surrender your right to carry it into this next season of your life.
Something I’ve learned is just because you have the right, doesn’t make it right. You have the right to still be hurt over what happened in the past, but does that make it right? Really, does it change anything for you to still carry around this hurt? Does it make it better?
You have the right to be frustrated and angry, but honey if it’s not helping you it’s hurting you. You may be stuck in indecision today because you still don’t understand WHY what happened happened, so the question becomes, how much longer will you hold on to your incessant need to know as another day passes you by? A day of opportunity is here … will you miss it because you’re stuck in something that’s already happened?
Let it go.
You likely imagined by this point in your life, things would look a certain way. And the majority of us are here looking back with a few questions. Hmmmmm, why did it all work out the way it did? You didn’t imagine this loss. You didn’t imagine this hardship. You didn’t imagine this setback. You didn’t imagine this struggle, no, not this one. And yet you’re walking right through it. Gosh, I can’t believe this is happening to me … not at this point in my life. How can I be here?
You can deny it, but what good does that do? Let’s face the truth … some of our reality is a bit hard to swallow. Things happened you didn’t see coming. Other things didn’t happen that you had really counted on.
I have a smaller inner circle of 9 people from across the country. 3 out of 9 of us lost a parent over the last few years. 7 out of 9 of us are struggling with a wayward child. 2 out of 9 lost their spouses. 1 out of 9 of my inner circle lost her life. Every single one of us love Jesus, and every single one of us prayed these exact situations wouldn’t happen.
Where’s God in all of this? Where is he when you’re struggling to understand why and why not? Answer, he is here, with you.
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.”
Why would God need to tell us not to be afraid and discouraged if there weren’t very specific life circumstances coming our way that would make us FEEL afraid and discouraged? God wouldn’t need to strengthen and help us if there were never a struggle. He would have no need to hold us up if we weren’t first being pulled down.
This is an opportunity for you to lean into God and receive from him all you need. But make no mistake, this is also an opportunity for you to run from God, convinced he doesn’t really care for you … and guess who ...Wed, 13 Mar 2024 - 14min - 1591 - 1592 The Right One
God continually aligns opportunities for his girls … the problem is, his girls continually dismiss themselves from the opportunities. God isn’t dismissing you … you are. You’re talking yourself out of doing the things he is willing to make possible. You’re backing down from battles God has already assigned as a victory. You’re assuming you’re not good enough and overlooking that God never needed you to be anything other than courageous and faithful.
For every time you have gotten it wrong, God has covered you with one more time of making it right. Did you know God has been making right what you did wrong? For real, we have made some epic messes in our lives and look at how God has used those messes to become a powerful message about the love and redemption of Jesus? He made it right.
But God isn’t only taking what you did wrong and making it right, he’s making YOU right. Yes, God is making you right. God has called you righteous. Romans 3:22, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Your faith alone has made you right with God.
You have been made right. You’re no longer the girl who did it wrong, you’re the girl who God made right, and that my friend, is pure power! I want to hang out with you, because I’m that girl too.
You are the right one for the job. You’re the right one to raise these kids. You’re the right one to break generational curses and change the trajectory of the lives of your entire family. You’re the right one to rise up. You’re the right one to go first. You’re the right one to refuse to back down.
I was recently introduced to the term “stubborn faith”. It’s a faith that just won’t quit. A faith that stares down impossible odds and doesn’t flinch. A faith that keeps fighting, keeps believing, and isn’t discouraged by circumstantial details.
To the girl who has been chosen by Jesus and made into the right one, God says, “Now I want you to have stubborn faith!” Isaiah 7:9, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Don’t you back down now. You’re the one to stand here in stubborn faith and know God has called you to this assignment, and he has equipped you for this battle. Oh, you may have dismissed yourself from God’s opportunities before, but not this time! No more talking yourself out of the opportunity to see God work through you. No more backing down from a guaranteed victory in the Lord. No more assuming you need anything more than courage and faith.
Gather your courage and hold on to your stubborn faith, Sis … it’s time to show up as the right one!
David was the right one. It’s easy for us to say that because we know the story of David and Goliath, and we know David wins. But the day David showed up to the battle lines where the giant Goliath had been taunting the Isralietes for 40 days, not a single soul knew David could win. The giant was 9 feet 9 inches and a trained warrior. David was the youngest and smallest of his 8 brothers, not even old enough to fight. He was just there that day to deliver lunch to his brothers who were soldiers.
But David had a stubborn faith. David knew God could do impossible things, and those impossible things could happen through him. David knew the only thing needed to be the right one was courage and faith. He didn’t need a sword. He didn’t need armor. He didn’t need a cheering squad. He only needed courage and faith.
Take a few minutes to read the story for yourself today in 1 Samuel 17.Wed, 13 Mar 2024 - 12min - 1590 - 1591 Up For It
Morning. The beginning of a new day. A welcoming of things which have never been before. An opportunity for that which we have never, and will never, experience again.
Morning. The time when God’s mercies are new. A time when God responds to our human need personally, in a heavenly way. An offering of life.
Morning. When God says, here, this is life, I give it to you my love, go live it.
All things good come under attack. So of course our mornings are prime target for battle.
If we ever really recognized the offering of a new day for what it is, nothing could hold us down in bed. Nothing could wipe the smile off our face. Nothing could dampen our spirit or spoil our joy. And we all know a strong start is crucial for momentum to build. If we can’t start the day right, we often struggle to get going on much of anything.
No doubt there is a battle for your morning. A full on war being waged for your attitude, your energy, and your time.
Lamentations 3:23 tells us morning is when God’s mercies are new. Hey, that’s worth waking up for. Have you been?
If his mercies are being offered in the morning, what happens if you’re not getting up to receive them? Mercy is receiving goodness which we don’t deserve. It’s the opportunity to try again even though we may have failed yesterday. It’s the chance to do it right and get it right, regardless of our track record.
Understand, with every offer of new mercy in the morning, God believes in you. He believes you CAN get it right this time. He believes you CAN turn it around. You CAN make any change necessary because he’s already made a way, he’s placed the potential within you which holds every single thing needed for the change, and his mercy says ‘ahhhhh, today can be her day.’
Heaven is cheering for you with the beginning of each new day. Heaven knows what has been aligned for you is everything to both protect you and propel you.
Protect you … yes, random annoying delays like searching for your cell phone for 5 minutes and then finding it’s right where you left it. Like forgetting something and having to turn around to get it. Like the missed turn that took you on a detour away from your normal route. Oh it could be random, it could be annoying … or it could be divinely designed for you.
We gather here and pray for protection every single day, then we complain when we receive it because we see with earthly eyes delays and detours, while God provides a shield of protection. He’s so good at protecting us, we walk through our days completely clueless to what almost happened.
Can we just pause and send up a praise for all that ALMOST HAPPENED just yesterday, but God’s protection prevented it so well, we were completely clueless.
How shameful it would be to respond to God’s finest protection with our aggravation. His protection is so good, we don’t even see it. It’s like the home security system that shocks potential predators when they even think about breaking into your home, keeping them from ever stepping foot onto your lawn. That’s good security! But you don’t even know how good it is because you never even see the threat come near.
Ahhhhh, yes, isn’t that our God? We often don’t even know the ill intent of the enemy, the harm he had orchestrated for us, heading directly our way for a head on collision, but God heroically steps in with a shield of protection and removes us from that collision course. YES HE DOES.
Tue, 12 Mar 2024 - 14min - 1589 - 1590 Because You Say So
If you were to launch this year, what would that mean for you? If you were to go all-in, holding nothing back, really have your take off, and break free from the shallows of living, what would life look like for you?
Within scripture is a story of Jesus calling a fisherman to launch. Simon was a professional fisherman and he had a really bad day at work. You ever just have one of those bad days where nothing goes right and the things that should work don’t? Yeah, that was how it had been for Simon. Simon pulls his boat up on the shore and is washing his nets which means he’s done. He’s packing it up and going home. He had tried all he knew to try and was catching nothing.
Then comes Jesus.
Someone listening right now has tried all they know to try. You’ve done the things which worked in the past, and it’s not working now. You’re discouraged. You’re frustrated, and you’re ready to pull this boat up on the shore and call it quits. Then comes Jesus. Today, right here right now, to get in your boat. And when Jesus gets in your boat, some things start changing!
Are you ready for Jesus to get in your boat? Are you ready for him to help you make a change and have that change stick this time? Are you ready for your breakthrough? Are you ready to follow through? Are you ready to launch?
Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and says hey, let’s go back out. Now remember, Simon was frustrated after a long unsuccessful day fishing. This wasn’t fishing for leisure, this was fishing for livelihood. If Simon didn’t catch fish, Simon didn’t get paid. All his time, all his efforts for nothing.
I bet you’ve had a similar experience. You put in the time and you put in the effort, and it didn’t seem to pay off. You tried the relationship. You tried the diet. You tried being authentic. You tried biting your tongue. You tried to have faith. You tried to surrender. And no matter what you did, it didn’t work. So here you are today, disappointed with your progress. Frustrated with the delay. Questioning your ability to really make this year any different.
And what does Jesus say? Let’s get back in the boat.
So Simon takes Jesus out where he had been fishing all night long with no success. And Jesus says in Luke 5:4 “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Launch out into the deep.
And what happens next?
Don’t jump ahead in the story just because you know where it’s going .. because the truth is, in your story, you don’t know where it’s going yet. So let’s keep it real. What happens when Jesus says to Simon “launch out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch”?
Simon says “Come on dude, I’ve already tried this. It didn’t work. There’s no fish here man. But okay, whatever you say.”
That’s the reality of it. Jesus, what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. I feel like I’ve already tried this. I’ve been here before and it didn’t work for me.
This is the place where you start questioning if there’s something wrong with you. Why won’t this work for you? Why can’t you be successful? Why can you just not seem to make anything work? And sometimes this is where we get stuck.
God tells you to go back out and try again, but you’re not willing to try again because of past experiences that tell you it won’t work. But honey you’re dealing with God … you think he isn’t Lord over your situation?Mon, 11 Mar 2024 - 18min - 1588 - 1589 The Wrong Door
When you think about the future, do you feel anxiety? Well let me tell you, thinking about the future is not your problem … it’s trying to control the future that causes your anxiety. God has not given us the power to control what comes next, so assuming that false position over our future creates anxious thoughts and frustration. Honey, it’s not working!
Often times our thoughts about the future center on it being too late for what we had hoped would happen. We’re behind. We missed it. Now, we’re rushing, stressing, and pushing.
When we overwhelm ourselves with thoughts of being too late for the future we want, we can rush into open doors not meant for us. What, you think the enemy of your soul doesn’t open doors too? Dang right he does! All the wrong doors opened by the forces against you await down hallways you have no business even peeking down. But there they are, wide open. And if your thoughts about the future center on worries of being too late and falling behind, then you get sucked right into those wrong doors. Wrong opportunities. Wrong relationships. Wrong places and wrong times.
Single ladies, you know what I’m talking about. When the clock is ticking, and your man is still lost somewhere on the route to find you because he won’t stop and ask for directions, all the wrong men start looking a little better. You just need someone because the loneliness is killing you. So, you jump into that relationship that you know isn’t right, but it’s right now, so you settle.
We will settle for anything when we feel we’re running out of time. But God takes his time, and he wants you to trust his time!
We see this example in the story of Abraham and Sarah. They’re old, real old, and they have no children. Out of desperation, Sarah suggests that Abraham sleep with her assistant Hagar so they can have a baby. Now I’ve heard enough Maury Povich stories to know that ain’t gonna end well. And it didn’t end well at all.
Let’s read a bit of the drama in Genesis 16: 1-6 (don’t be confused by the slight difference in names. Sarah was Sarai and Abraham was Abram at this time. God had not changed their names yet to walk in their full purpose).
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife.So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
So … Hagar is an angry pregnant woman with hormones. Sarah gets jealous. Abraham is stuck in the middle. Ultimately, Hagar and her baby get thrown out.
And all this time, God had promised Abraham and Sarah a baby, but because their thoughts of the future were centered on it being too late, they tried to control the future and walked through an open door never meant for them. They rushed. They controlled. And they created chaos in the wait.
The truth is, it wasn’t too late for the future they had hoped for. God had always aligned for Sarah to miraculously become preg...Thu, 07 Mar 2024 - 14min - 1587 - 1588 No Avoiding This
You know those problems you’ve been dealing with your whole life? Problems maybe your mama dealt with, and her mama before her … Problems you really don’t want your children to have to deal with too … Well, God wants to tell you something about those problems. Something about those things that have been running in your family for generations. Something about the things that just never seem to go away.
THIS WILL STOP WITH YOU!
Oh, it may have run in your family … but it will only run in your family until it runs into you. God is making you into the person who demolishes this.
I’ve always known with faith we are girls who can move mountains. You’ve likely heard that too. The problems standing in our way can be moved with faith. That’s awesome … But then what … then aren’t those mountains left for someone else to deal with? Aren’t the mountains that once blocked us just moved on down the path for us to run into again? We’ve moved it, but it’s still there. We’ve avoided it for now, but we’ll deal with it again. We may get around it, but what about the one who’s coming next? Will they be left with the same mountain standing in their way?
I’m naturally an avoider. Like I’m seriously the most non-confrontational person you will ever meet. I would rather crawl under a table and hide than be part of an argument. But, I’ve learned the hard way, some things simply have to be faced. Some things you cannot continue to avoid. As we avoid the problem, the problem grows bigger. As we dodge the bullet, others are hit by that same bullet.
What God is showing me is, he doesn’t want me avoiding the problem. He doesn’t want me dodging the bullet. He doesn’t want me putting all my attention on moving the mountain in the way, he wants me to step into my God appointed role of mountain pulverizer!
Isaiah 41: 15, “See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board, new, with many teeth. You will thresh mountains and pulverize them and make hills into chaff. You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away, a whirlwind will scatter them.”
This scripture jumped off the pages of my Bible this morning and drew me in like a magnet. I want to know more about pulverizing mountains! To fully understand this scripture, I had to look up Youtube videos on threshing boards. If I’m going to be made into a sharp threshing board with all these teeth to pulverize the mountains that have been standing in the way, I need to understand what it is and what it does. So, I’m going to share with you what I learned. This is Biblical Agg class … are you ready?
A threshing board was a wooden board typically 3 feet wide and 5 feet long shaped much like a sled. On the bottom side of the board were carved holes which held sharp, pointed rocks or metal. The board was connected by a rope to a horse. A person would often ride on the board, adding weight to it, as it was drug over the harvest of wheat on the stone threshing floor. Again and again, it would go over the harvest. The sharp teeth on the bottom of the board would break the wheat into smaller pieces, crushing it, separating the grain from the stalk.
The threshing board ran over the grain time and time again, making it smaller and smaller, crushing it with it’s teeth, until only what was good was left, and the rest blew away with the wind.
Now, read this scripture again concerning the mountains you’ve faced your whole life. The mountains those before you faced. The mountains you don’t want to leave for your children to have to deal with one day.
“See,Thu, 07 Mar 2024 - 13min - 1586 - 1587 In the 40
We want it all right now, but right now is rarely God’s timing. God doesn’t require more time, yet he usually takes time. Why is that? Why does the God who CAN create anything and everything in an INSTANT with one word, take so much time to do the things we’re waiting on? Why does he have you still waiting on what he could have easily already done?
Answer: He is gracious.
In our human minds, making us wait doesn’t seem gracious, but in God’s eternal view of the beginning and end of our lives, he sees waiting from a different perspective.
Isaiah 30: 18 MSG “But God’s not finished – he’s waiting around to be gracious to you. God takes time to do everything right. Those who wait for him are the lucky ones.”
God is taking time to do everything just right for you. So, here’s an idea … how about we stop being a brat about the wait! How about we trust God when he offers us grace in the wait and promise for the future.
I’m currently waiting. Waiting for a breakthrough I’ve been praying over for years. I have no evidence of God’s grace at work in the wait because on the surface it looks like wasted years and worsening conditions. But 2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds me that I live by faith, not by sight. By believing, not by seeing. Here in the wait, I’m learning how to live. These are things I don’t learn in instantaneous results. When I don’t have to wait, I see what I want instantly, and faith is not required. Only God could orchestrate a wait that is for my benefit like this. Indeed, he is gracious.
And I bet God is being gracious to you as well. He’s making you wait. And here in the wait, he is showing you how to truly live. Live by faith because you certainly can’t see it. Live by believing because you have no evidence of the promises still to be fulfilled in your future. And this faith that is growing in you is making you righteous!
All of this is part of the process of becoming who God created you to be. He created you to be a girl of deep faith. He created you to be a girl who believes in the unseen. All this waiting has you growing into that girl! God started something so good in you and he will not stop until his work is complete. And he’s completely content taking his time in the work of you to do it just right. God’s not rushing, so you can stop rushing.
I would choose to rush through the wait and get to the part where my prayers are answered and we live in our happy ending … but I would be wishing away valuable years of life where God is doing his greatest work. Here, in the wait, he is working.
Here, in the in between … you know, in between where you once were and where you want to be, this is where God takes time to do everything right. We’re trying to rush it, but God’s timing is perfect. God will not cut corners on your life. He won’t skip steps that will teach you how to live in the fullness of life Jesus came to offer you. And what he really wants is for you to understand the wait is not being wasted and the future is not being delayed. This time is for a purpose and for your benefit.
Your 41 will come. Yes, your 41. Do you know about your 41? Oh you have to know! It’s on it’s way to you. On the other side of this wait when you have learned to walk by faith and not by sight, you step into your 41.
Until then, you’re somewhere in your 40. 40 is the wait. 40 is space between where you once were and where you want to be.
Have you ever noticed the reoccurring number 40 in scripture? 40 is a time of wait.
Wed, 06 Mar 2024 - 14min - 1585 - 1586 Pursuing Perfect Peace
If we don’t bring it to God, we don’t get peace. Why on earth would we choose to sit in our overwhelm and anxiety, holding on instead of bringing it to God? It doesn’t make sense, yet that’s what we do. We forfeit the gift of peace over and over again as we play the scenarios in our head and try to fix things on our own. But, it doesn’t work does it?
The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. No God, no peace. No surrender, no strength. No trust, no guidance. Yet here we are expecting to receive guidance, but we haven’t decided to really trust God fully. Honestly, we’re still holding back. We’re hoping to be strengthened, but we haven’t fully surrendered, so we’re exhausted.
Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
It’s one thing to have peace, but God is offering PERFECT PEACE to anyone who will trust in him and keep their thoughts fixed on him. What would perfect peace look like in your current ‘less than perfect’ situation? Wouldn’t it look like being able to sleep? Wouldn’t it look like waking up without the weight of your burdens? Wouldn’t it look like confidently taking the next steps instead of being stuck? Wouldn’t it look like being unshakable, unbothered and determined? Wouldn’t it look like strength and joy through it all? Yes, that’s what perfect peace looks like. Do you want it?
God will keep you in that perfect peace when you trust him and choose to focus on him. When your mind wanders off in worry, creating feelings of overwhelm and anxiety, you’re forfeiting God’s perfect peace. Girl, lasso your thoughts and get them back in the corral – they’ve been running wild again!
I don’t know about you, but I personally go through seasons of focusing on God, then seasons of my thoughts running down dark alleys of worst case scenarios and jumping off cliffs of utter destruction. It’s really not about the circumstances of my life, it’s simply a result of me getting lazy with my focus. When I get lazy, my thoughts run wild and wreck havoc on my peace.
As humans, our minds naturally wander off course. Keeping our focus on God requires intentional daily effort. What are you doing daily to get your thoughts zeroed in on the one who offers perfect peace?
I’ve found a few things that help me focus on God and trust him fully, maybe they will help you too:
* My Bible
For many years, I’ve used only a digital Bible searching for scriptures online. It worked for our vagabond traveling lifestyle, but it also felt impersonal. Since returning to a print bible that I can hold, flip through and write in, I’ve noticed a difference in my trust level and my thought pattern.
If you don’t have a print Bible, may I suggest you get yourself one? I use the Experiencing God study Bible which is on sale on Amazon right now for $37. I use the Mr. Pen brand pens and wax highlighters to make notes as I read.
If you have a Bible, but it’s been collecting dust, return to a daily commitment of opening it up and reading. Even for just 5 minutes. I’m telling you, it will make a difference. It will change your thought pattern and trust level. And with that trust in God and thoughts focused on him, you will be kept in perfect peace. Yes, the peace that helps you sleep again. The peace that helps you wake up without dread. The peace that helps you move forward and get unstuck.
* Prayer
Tue, 05 Mar 2024 - 19min - 1584 - 1585 I Can’t Afford That
What is the cost of worry? What price do you pay for negativity? What’s the fee for a little gossip and a little envy? Have you checked the price tag attached to that self-doubt? That stress is not on clearance. That drama is astronomically expensive!
Everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do comes at a price. This is all costing you something. Your heart bears the burden of it all and is buried with this debt. And when your heart is buried with the debt of worry, stress, envy, negativity, drama and self-doubt, you are simply held back from living the life you were created for.
Proverbs 4: 23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Has your heart been unguarded? Has it been gobbling up everything it can get on the buffet of negativity?
Yes, let me watch the news that tells me all that’s wrong in the world, then let me follow that up with a mini-series on serial killers. Let me read all the posts on the hot topics and drop a few condescending snarky comments here and there and watch the drama unfold. Oh, now let’s scroll through all her photos with envy as I declare surely her life is better than mine and it’s not fair. Why can’t I look like her? Clearly I’m not good enough. Then look around at your own life with that negative filter and be satisfied with absolutely none of it!
Oh you’re still sitting among piles of answered prayers, but your new jaded perspective hides it all. You’re literally dwelling in the things you once asked God for, but your unguarded heart is now ungrateful because it is overwhelmed with the price of all you’ve been buying into.
Girls, it’s time to put our heart on a budget!
Repeat after me: I cannot afford worry, stress, envy, negativity, drama, or self-doubt.
This crap is costing me my life! The very life I was created for, the life Jesus came to die to give me, I’m spending it on complete nonsense and I’m left with a life that’s off course.
Your heart determines the course of your life. This is why Jesus told us in John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be burdened.” A burdened heart is a heavy heart that drags you down and keeps you from moving forward. A burdened heart carries the load of all it has accumulated along the way.
What have you been accumulating? You’ve been picking up new worries haven’t you? Every day there’s something new added to your load. You’re like a worry magnet. Boom, another worry just stuck to you. New stresses are just piled on, and your heart sinks low. That heavy, burdened heart is susceptible to the drama and falls right into it’s trap. And while you’re here, your already wounded heart comes under the attack of the enemy and you believe his lies that tell you you’re not good enough. Now you’re low, really low.
That’s why our hearts must be put on a budget. The price of all of this is too much. It’s costing us all that Jesus came to give us in this life. Jesus said in John 10:10 “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
But here’s the problem, you can’t live that rich life because your heart bought up all that worry and stress. You spent all your heart’s resources on negativity. You’re not satisfied because your heart walked away with problems instead of peace, drama instead of delight, envy instead of energy, worry instead of wonder, self-doubt instead of self-worth. Girl, it’s what you’re buying!
Put your heart on a budget!Mon, 04 Mar 2024 - 13min - 1583 - 1584 What the Devil Knows
Within you is power you have never tapped into. Within you is potential you do not know of. Within you is a destiny you cannot imagine. Your entire life’s journey is discovering this power, living up to this potential, and moving towards this destiny.
But it’s not easy. It’s never a continual and steady pace in the right direction. It’s filled with detours, distractions and delays. It’s a continual barrage of self-doubt and a battle with your self-discipline.
But why? Why is it so darn hard?
If it’s your destiny, your God breathed, God imagined, God designed, God purposed position in life, then why are you being held back from it? Why do you continue to struggle? Why do you doubt? Why do you fail? Why do you get stuck? How is it possible that a girl like you, with the power of a God like ours living within you, struggles to wake up on time? How is it possible that a girl like you with all that potential, questions her value and worth? How can this possibly be?
Oh honey, you’re under attack. There’s a battle for your life, and when your life can’t be snatched from the saving grace of Jesus, then your confidence is targeted. You see, your confidence is up for grabs. Your courage is vulnerable. Your dreams are endangered. Your truth can get twisted.
While you may question your potential, there are two who know your potential every day of your life … your Creator and your enemy. This is why there’s a continual battle sister. God says ‘I’m not giving up on my girl. I know what I created her for.” And the devil says “I know what she’s capable of. I can’t let up on her.”
How sad it is that the devil knows our potential better than we do. He fears our power. He sees our value. He knows our worth. And somehow we don’t. He has tricked us into believing we are incapable of change, unworthy of more, and destined for failure. Because of this trickery, we’re saved but we’re not satisfied. We’re forgiven but we’re not fulfilled. We’re free but we don’t live in freedom. We’re set apart but we’re not stepping up.
What a shame it would be for the enemy to believe more about our potential than we do. Even on our worst days, he know we are daughters of God.
It’s not that the devil thinks you’re a worthless nobody … it’s quite the opposite. It’s that he KNOWS you are a valuable and powerful daughter of God. He was there in the beginning when God designed your life, remember he was the highest ranking angel before his fall. Satan had a front row seat to the formation of you. He saw your gifting. Your equipping. Your blessing. Your power and your strength. So now, he attacks you personally and directly.
There’s a story in Matthew 4 of Jesus going into the wilderness to pray and the devil met him there to tempt him. Satan quotes scripture to Jesus and tries to get him to react. After 40 days of fasting, he offers Jesus food. He offers him angels to rescue him. He offers him unlimited power. And here’s the thing, the devil really thought Jesus would cave to his offers. He really thought he could somehow trick the son of God to bow to him. He knew the power Jesus held and he attacked that power in an attempt to defeat him. But he would not win.
So now, he does the same thing to you. He lures you into temptation. He attacks you when you are weak. He twists the truth and makes it sound so convincing. He offers you the easy way out in exchange for your settled surrender.
Listen to me my sister … WE CANNOT SETTLE HERE. WE CANNOT SURRENDER.Thu, 29 Feb 2024 - 15min - 1582 - 1583 There’s So Much More
There is a powerful request we can ask of God that may just change the trajectory of our lives. This prayer could change how you see your entire existence and how you live your days. A prayer that gives perspective on the brevity and preciousness of life, and the eternity we were created for.
Here’s the request: Show me who I am.
Who am I really? Who am I created to be? What is at the core of my existence? Show me that. Peel back all the layers and show me who I really am.
What we find is we are not who we thought we were. We often think we are human beings here living on this Earth trying to just make it through another day without ruining everything. We think our days are numbered, our experiences are limited, and this is all we get. But the truth is, that’s not who we are and this isn’t all we get.
When God set out to create our world, he was intentional with every detail of its existence. The hanging of the sun and the moon and the stars. The spinning of the earth. The forming of the majestic mountains and the deep blue waters. The uniqueness of every species of animal from my favorite fish, the anglerfish which has a light dangling in front of it’s mouth to attract it’s prey, to the cheetah which can run 58 miles per hour (note to self, don’t be trompsing through cheetah territory, you can’t outrun that). God made all of this by his great design, then he decided his greatest masterpiece would be saved for last.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created the; male and female he created them.”
He didn’t just create us like he created the anglerfish and the cheetah out of his imagination. We are inherently different from all other creation. We are set apart because of this single fact … He created us in his own image. Meaning, he made us like him.
To understand who we really are, we must understand who God is because he is not only the one who created us, but he created us to be like him. But God is mysterious. And you know what I’ve figured out in my 48 years of life thus far … so are we! We’re all a freaking mystery. I don’t even get myself, let alone get you!
Could all this mystery be because God is something we cannot understand? Jesus tells us in John 4:24 “God is spirit …” There it is! God is spirit, and we are spirit as well. We look at life through our lens of limited human knowledge and forget we are first and foremost a spirit designed for eternity.
We believe we are just human. Humans live and humans die. We are here, then we are gone. But we’re not. We are spirit. We remain forever. We’re here to have our human experience before journeying on to more.
A few years ago, I had the tremendous honor of sitting with my Daddy during his final days on Earth. I heard him speak his final words and they were so powerful I will never forget them. 4 sentences that confirmed what I had before believed without proof. My Dad, free of all medication and naturally transitioning out of human form from a failing heart said these words:
Run to the light.We’ve earned it.Set the table.
And finally later in the afternoon he said, “I’ll meet you at 6.” I looked at the clock and thought perhaps he had an appointment with his Maker and 6:00 would be the time.
6 pm that evening came and went, so I assumed his appointment time at the Pearly Gates must have been 6 am. But at 3 am, Daddy took his final breath and his heart stopped. And then it hit me … duhhhh, heaven is in a different time zone silly!
Wed, 28 Feb 2024 - 13min - 1581 - 1582 Stop Expecting Hard
You’ve been playing out a big battle in your head, preparing for hardships that haven’t even happened and struggle you haven’t even stepped into. You’re gearing up for whatever it is you face to be hard and every scenario you imagine grows harder and harder. But my sister, what if it doesn’t have to be hard? Really, what if the battle has already been won and all that’s required of you is to stay close to Jesus and step when he directs?
Isaiah 43: 1-3, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, and the flame will not burn you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior.”
Where in this does God direct you to imagine overwhelming odds and ultimate defeat? Where in this does God warn you of debilitating failure and depressing setbacks? Where in this does God tell you prepare for every step to be misery? It doesn’t. Honey, the flame will not burn you! You will not be overwhelmed. God has called you, he has redeemed you and he has saved you. You have absolutely no reason to fear. And you have no grounds to build imagined stories of battles that are harder than they need to be.
Stop the stories now. Why have you assumed this will be so hard? Why have you already gotten yourself so worked up over scenarios that haven’t even happened yet?
On my own journey, here’s what God has told me: He wants me not only to choose joy regardless of circumstances, but he wants me to take responsibility for the stories I allow in my head.
Did you know 90% of what we worry about never even happens? What a waste of our precious time and energy. And what a disservice to our God who has promised redemption and commanded us to not live in fear.
I have to wonder if we have dismissed ourselves from pre-determined victories by telling ourselves stories that are harder than they have to be. God has given us a game plan and our next steps, but when the next step is “just go and trust me”, we get stuck in imagined battles God has already cleared on our behalf.
What if you get there and there isn’t even a battle waiting? What if you get there and the door is already wide open? What if you get there and the answer is already yes? What if the stories you’ve told yourself of how it’s going to be is an unnecessary hardship.
Girl, I want you to hear God right now … THIS DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HARD.
Why do we expect this to be so hard? Why do we prepare for a battle that may not even unfold? Why do the stories in our head always have to be negative? What if it’s not negative? What if it’s not hard? What if it’s not a battle? What if it’s unbelievably and miraculously simple?
Remember when Moses is leading the Israelites out of Egypt and their enemy is hot on their heels and they come to an impassable Red Sea? Guess what … it didn’t have to be hard! All Moses had to do was shut down the stories in his head and listen to what God was saying. Exodus 14: 15-16, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
There was no battle with the enemy. Verse 20 says, “Neither group came near the other all night long.” God had separated his people from their enemy. He did the impossible for them and it wasn’t even hard. There was no drowning sea,Tue, 27 Feb 2024 - 15min - 1580 - 1581 Pregnant with Promise
Have you ever wondered why Jesus did the specific miraculous acts he did during his three and a half years of ministry on Earth? How many supernatural acts of divine power were unleashed as he walked the streets and encountered the people? We have absolutely no idea. There’s no telling how many personal and private miracles he performed that were never revealed. So many things that were special for just one soul, and kept personal.
You know, some things God does for you are just between you and him. There’s no need to tell everyone about it. Sometimes we just get to be like Mary and receive a miracle that we get to treasure in our own heart and meditate on. Sometimes God whispers something to our soul and he says, “keep this inside of you and let me grow this just between us until the time is right.” Isn’t that so sweet of God?
I wonder if there’s something God has given you to treasure and meditate on. Something he has whispered to you and it’s not time to reveal it, it’s time to just sit with God on it. This is just between you and your God as he reveals more and more to you. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have treasured your word in my heart.” What does “in your heart” mean? In scripture your heart means where you make your choices motivated by your desires. If you keep the words God has spoken to you in your heart, then your choices are driven by his words because he has transformed your desires.
Will you keep the words God has spoken to you in your heart?
Yes, God has spoken to you. He’s stirred a dream within you. He’s given you glimpses of what your future with him can be. This time, will you hold on to it? Will you protect it from the doubts the enemy creates? Will you shield it from the critics and hide it away from the naysayers? This time, will you not give up on it? This time, will you just let it sit in your heart so it becomes your heart’s true desire and starts changing your choices?
Maybe you’re like me, and you have trouble keeping a secret. If I buy you a gift, I will likely tell you about the gift in excitement before I ever get to give it to you. If I have a bright idea, I often just blurt it out. Few things are kept within my heart. But, what God has impressed upon me today is that he wants to whisper something to us, and he wants us to keep it in our heart this time. He wants it to remain special just between you and him, where he will grow it, safe from the critics, the naysayers and the bombarding doubts.
Right now, tell God you are open to receiving a word from him and you will tuck it away in your heart to treasure. God, whisper to my soul. What do you want me to hear? Whisper your dreams into my being. Whisper your desires for my life into my heart now. I will treasure them there. I will protect them there. I will let them grow there. I will let these whispers change my desires, then I will let those desires determine my choices.
After Mary gave birth to baby Jesus, they were visited by shepherds who had been divinely led to them by angels. The shepherds shared all they had been told about this baby and people were amazed. But in the excitement of it all, we find Mary in Luke 2:19 being so still and quiet. “But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.”
She sat in the moment and didn’t rush to the next. She was open to all God had given her and all he was whispering to her. And she let God’s dreams and visions grow in her heart. They became a treasure to her.
A treasure is something you keep. You don’t let everyone know about your treasure. You tuck it away. You keep it close to you.Mon, 26 Feb 2024 - 16min - 1579 - 1580 Welcome to the Jungle
I’ve been studying the book of John this week. Every chapter is a new wild story of the next crazy thing Jesus steps right in the middle of. The accounts of Jesus healing the sick, making the lame to walk and the blind to see, raising the dead, miraculously multiplying food, walking on the waves, and causing a complete stink everywhere he went of people who were threatened by him and wanted to kill him. His entire life was wild!
Almost every chapter ends with someone trying to stone him, someone trying to arrest him, someone plotting to kill him, and others choosing to believe in him. Wild!
And now we’re invited into life with him, and what … we think it’s supposed to be calm? We think it’s supposed to be predictable? We think it’s supposed to be easy? Where did you get that idea?
Here you are, in the wild. Yes, life is wild. Things are continually changing. Where you thought you would be, you’re probably not, and what you think will happen next may not. Maybe your life has just been turned upside down, or perhaps it’s just now settling down from the last wild turn, preparing you for the next one.
When will all of this calm down? When you’re dead. Things get real calm after that final breath. But until then, you’re on a ride and while the ride is in motion, it’s going to be wild.
You may think you want a calmer ride. You may be craving a slow, meandering roll with long pit stops along the way. But all that equals is a watered down life absent of the natural wild you were created for. If God would have intended for you to live a tamed, tethered, tidy little measured out life, he would have cleared all the problems, removed all the troubles and plopped you by a bubbling brook where birds sing.
Look around … are you by a bubbling brook with singing birds? No! That’s because you’re not a Disney Princess! Your life is real and it’s meaningful and it is WILD.
Think about things that grow in the wild. They’re not forced, they’re natural. They’re unaltered. They’re precisely as they were designed to be. A wild rose is different than a greenhouse rose. A wild strawberry is different than a grocery store strawberry.
We keep trying to tame our lives, make them predictable and controllable, but God created us for so much more. Honey, welcome to the jungle! (que Guns N’ Roses.) If you’ve ever been in a real jungle, you know this is where things grow. This is where things flourish. This is where you find things you can’t find anywhere else in the world. And it’s wild!
Why did God design your life this way? Could it be because your eyes would glaze over with the repetitive nature of everything always going perfectly? Could it be because you would wander farther away from a connection with your creator if things were always good? Could it be because you would never grow to your fullest potential if problems didn’t plop themselves squarely in the middle of your path?
ABSOLUTELY!
Let’s go back to a scripture we studied last week, and dig deeper. Romans 5: 3-5 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
Have you run into problems and trials? This is for a purpose! This is the thick of the wild, and this is where you develop your endurance. Honey,Fri, 23 Feb 2024 - 18min - 1578 - 1579 Seeking Until Success
We’ve all heard the nightmare stories of child stars who become wildly rich and famous and grow up to live a wreck of a life. We’ve seen the stories unfold. In a world where kid’s primary goal in life is to become famous, we know where that road can lead. This is the result of the Instagram and the TikTok.
But wait … actually it’s not. God has been warning his children of the pit of ungrounded success for thousands of years. One of those stories is found within the pages of a book in the Bible I’ve never attempted to study. Chronicles … it’s literally lists upon lists of names and battles, births and deaths, none of which seem to really apply to me. But a recent episode on the Elevation Church Podcast brought me to the story of King Uzziah. If King Uzziah would have been living in the 21st century, he would have been Insta-Famous and a top TikTok influencer.
And his story is a lesson for every single one of us today. A lesson that meets us exactly where we are.
You’ll find Uzziah’s entire story in 2 Chronicles, chapter 26. It’s summed up in 3 headings in my Bible: Uzziah the King, Uzziah’s Achievements, and Uzziah’s Disease.
Uzziah became King of Judah at just 16 years old. Verses 4 & 5 say, “He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.”
Where did Uzziah’s success come from? God! How did he achieve success? He sought God. He put God first. God was his priority. He spent time with God. He asked God for help and guidance. He followed God’s promptings.
Now, the next section, Uzziah’s Achievements. Verse 7 says, “God helped him.” He fought battles and he won. He built cities and they flourished. He gathered armies and they became powerful. Everything he did was successful. Verse 15, “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.”
GREATLY HELPED. Oh, God can do that! God wants to do that!
Do you understand that God wants to GREATLY help you? He wants to do wonderful things for you. He wants to offer his supernatural powers to do impossible things for you. And he will, as long as you seek him. What could God achieve through you … well, there are no limits. We serve an unlimited God who’s powers cannot be contained and who’s plans are greater and bigger than our wildest imaginations. And the way he has so graciously chosen to work is THROUGH US! And he will work through you in this way, as long as you are seeking him.
But what happens after success? What happens after you get what you’ve been praying for? What happens when it all finally comes together? You’re grateful … right? You’re humbled … right? You’re happy … right? But do you stay grateful? Do you remain humble? How long until you need more to be happy?
I’ve lived that story of rags to riches. Now mine was less dramatic on the rags and less extreme on the riches, but still it was a journey from a nobody to a somebody in some small circles. And when I became the somebody with the house and the car and the closet full of clothes, I lost myself. God had helped me so much UNTIL I became successful. Then, in success, I no longer felt the daily need for God’s provision. I had bread for the day, I didn’t have to seek him for it.
And that’s the danger of success. When I no longer counted on God for my daily bread because I had plenty, I stopped seeking him like I had during the hard times. I know I’m not alone in this struggle.Thu, 22 Feb 2024 - 18min - 1577 - 1578 Come Talk With Me
Today I’m going to share with you the sweetest scripture I’ve ever read. A scripture so powerful in its sweetness that it stopped me in my tracks. When I read it yesterday in a post, I thought for sure it wasn’t really an actual scripture. This couldn’t have been in my Bible all this time and I never saw it. But indeed, here it is.
Psalm 27:8 “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.'”
Woah. Does that touch you the way it does me? God says to your heart “come and talk with me.” Let your heart simply respond “Lord, I am coming.”
On a weekly basis I receive messages asking about prayer. How do you pray more meaningful and powerful prayers? How do you find the proper words to say that bend the ear of the creator of the universe? What exactly do you ask him? Have we turned prayer into a formal communication for which we do not know the language? Have we complicated the connection and in the process disconnected from the Almighty?
David, the little shepherd boy who defeated Goliath, then grew to become a great King with the favor of God, is believed to have written this scripture. He knew. He knew the promptings within that bring him to his Maker, and he knew to simply respond.
God says “come and talk with me.” That’s not an agenda. That’s not a script. That’s not a formality. That’s an invitation to a conversation. A two way conversation. Talk WITH me, not just TO me. I have things I want to tell you, and there are things I want you to tell me.
Today, don’t you hear your Father saying to your heart “come and talk with me.” Yes, you do. Now maybe you’ve allowed the busyness to distract you, and maybe you would first have to tread through layers of guilt and shame before you could bow your head, but today all of that can be removed. Today you can respond “Lord, I am coming.” I’m coming to talk with you. I don’t know exactly what to say. I don’t even know how to start. I don’t even know how to listen for you and be sure you’re talking to me. But I am coming.
I didn’t always talk with God the way I do now. I felt distant from him, even unimpressed by him. I honestly felt like he was going to do what he was going to do, and my communication with him wasn’t going to change anything. But I was wrong. My communication with him changed everything.
After God saved me from a stroke at 19 years old, I found a relationship with him that created a hunger within me for more. I craved reading God’s word. I wanted to understand. I wanted to spend time with him. I had a green study bible at my work desk and I highlighted nearly every page as I studied. I prayed the promises I read and believed them to be true. I grew immensely. But somewhere in the midst of being completely well and life going on, I lost the sweetness of that relationship, and prayer became an obligatory 3 sentences I would repeat before my meals.
Then struggle hit in my early 30’s. Business failed, success ceased, doors closed, and my heart grew bitter. I was angry God had allowed these hardships. I had grown distant and distracted as I tried to fix these problems on my own. But nothing worked as it all fell apart. This was a turning point. This was the day I prayed for the first time in a long time and told God I was angry and disappointed at him. To my surprise, God didn’t turn from me. Instead he responded to my anger with a gentleness and peace I can’t describe. To return to that peace, I began spending more time with God. Instead of just whispering my prayers,Wed, 21 Feb 2024 - 19min - 1576 - 1577 Here I Am
God can blow your mind … but first your mind must be available for him to blow. God wants to show up and do the impossible on your behalf, but dang girl you’ve been so distracted and busy that’s he’s having a hard time getting your attention! He’s been over here doing miraculous works for you, but you’re not seeing it because you’re over there wallowing in what you should have moved on from a long time ago.
God says it’s POSSIBLE, so why does it still seem IMPOSSIBLE for you?
Really, why are you still stuck here? Why is a girl like you with a God like him still struggling with this same old crap? It’s so frustrating to know our potential but be held back by our problems. It’s so discouraging to know his promises but dwell in our poverty. Oh yes, poverty. I’m not just talking about money, I’m talking about the poverty of our thoughts. The poverty of our relationships. The poverty of our decisions. The poverty of our follow-through. It’s so poor when we were created for so much more.
How do we overcome our own poverty? How do we dwell in the richness for which we were created? Rich in joy, rich in progress, rich in impact, rich in fulfillment, rich in relationships. How do we live our lives in what God says is POSSIBLE over what our poverty stricken mind says is probable.
Yes, we have a poverty stricken mind. We continually tell ourselves it can’t happen for us. We can’t overcome this struggle. We can’t breakthrough this bondage. It can’t change for us because it’s just the way it’s always been for our people. It’s how I’ve always been, so it’s how I’ll always be. We settle in to the story we tell, and it’s a sad, sad story. I’m not a morning person, so I’ll never wake up on time and happy. I’m hot headed, so I’ll always blow up. I’m impulsive and my impulses will always get the best of me. I’m a snacker, so snacks will keep me chubby. I’m lazy, so I’m never going to fulfill a physical commitment. I’m a good starter but a sucky finisher, so I know I won’t finish this either. I lack self-control, so I’ll always spin out of control.
THAT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE YOUR STORY. That’s not the story God wrote for you. God wrote a story of a girl he created for good works and perfectly equipped to do it. God wrote a story of a girl he set apart, hand selected, and started a good thing within her, then plans to use all the days of her life to complete that good thing. God wrote a story of a girl who can overcome the impossible because of his spirit living within her. And that’s exactly what he intended for his girl to be doing!
I’m continually drawn back to the stories in the bible that tell us of ordinary people stepping into the impossible made possible by God. The story of Noah saving his family and every species of animal by building the ark in the middle of a drought. The story of Moses standing on the shore of the Red Sea, putting his staff in the water and witnessing the water part to create a dry path through. The story of Joshua following the most ridiculous marching orders around a city for 7 days knowing the walls would fall and victory would be theirs. Peter sitting in his boat frustrated after a night of fishing and catching nothing, throwing out his net one more time just because Jesus told him to, then hauling in a catch so big it nearly sank his boat.
How did they get to experience these miraculous works of God? How did they get to be the recipients of the impossible works being made possible by God?
Listen closely because it’s the same thing that will allow you to experience ...Tue, 20 Feb 2024 - 12min - 1575 - 1576 Out Of My Hands
Out of a desire to do great things for God, do you ever get a little jealous that some people get to do seemingly bigger and better things than you? Isn’t it funny how our servants heart can get a bit warped in serving and make it more about us than about God?
I’m going to be completely vulnerable here and honest about my twisted heart. I can be in it for the right reasons, then I attach my ego to it and I stay in it for the wrong reasons. If I started it, I want to finish it. If I planted it, I want to harvest it. If I had a part in the work, I want a part in the reward. And if it was mine, then I want it to stay mine. And what God has been showing me is my clinched fist on what he blessed me to be part of hinders the flow of what he wants to do next. And that leaves me to come to terms with what God does next might very well have absolutely nothing to do with me!
Am I the only person who gets attached to their role in a much bigger picture? Is it only me who can feel a little butt hurt when God takes what I have been part of and passes it on to the next person to continue? Nahhh, it’s you too, isn’t it?
What have you been holding on to that God has been asking you to let go of? Who have you been holding on to that God is trying to work on without you?
Will you hold on and hinder the growth, or will you let go so God can take this beyond your reach?
You played an active role for a season, but when the season changes, so does the work. Different work requires different people. Are you okay when God calls a different person to continue the work in a new season?
My husband and I adopted 2 little girls from an orphanage in Mexico. We brought them home with us when they were 4.5 and 6. I had absolutely nothing to do with planting them in this world. I didn’t birth them. I didn’t nurse them. I didn’t rock them to sleep. I didn’t teach them to walk or talk. That wasn’t my role. It wasn’t my season. God used me for something different. I took them to school. I tucked them in at night. I fixed their hair. I taught them to dance. I taught them to drive. I taught them to work. I taught them to trust, to pray, to love.
Now, our little girls are grown and God has shown me this is a new season. As our youngest struggles to find her way in the world and has been away from our family for many years now, I had a humbling conversation with God. He said to me, “Pamela, you won’t be the one who saves her.” But God, what do you mean? I’m her Mama. Why wouldn’t you use me to save her?
I held on so tightly in the beginning it caused more harm than it did growth. I not only wanted to be the one who would save her, I NEEDED to be the one who would save her. Looking back, I realize it became more about me than about her. My ego. My role. My broken heart. My need. Me.
The more I said, “Me, Lord”, the more the Lord said, “No, me.”
One of my spiritual mentors shared the lesson of 1 Corinthians 3: 5-9 with me.
“After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”
Mon, 19 Feb 2024 - 17min - 1574 - 1575 Now Forgive Yourself
How hard is it for you to forgive yourself? Are you carrying around the guilt and shame of something you did years ago, and it still eats away at you? Here’s what God asked me to say to you today: “My girl, I forgave you the moment you asked for forgiveness. Your feelings of unforgiveness toward yourself do not come from me. Those are not holy thoughts. My Son set you free from all of that, now I desire for you to walk in freedom.”
Guilt and shame bring us to God. However, continued guilt and shame make us hide from God. That’s why the enemy works overtime in reminding you of your shortcomings, because those reminders make you feel unworthy of God’s goodness in your life. We are NOT to accept the enemy’s reminders and allow our minds to be flooded with our past mistakes. See that for what it is … that’s Hell’s attempts to lessen the power of God’s complete forgiveness in your life. The next time Satan tries to bring up something you’ve already sought forgiveness for, you tell him with the authority given to you in Jesus, “NO, I’M FULLY FORGIVEN AND THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN FROM ME. YOU DON’T GET TO BRING IT BACK!”
Psalm 103:12, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Do you understand the distance between the East and the West? It’s not thousands of miles. It’s not even light years. It’s infinite. The east never meets the west and the west never meets the east. And this is the picture of how far God has removed your sins from you. They’re gone. All the way gone. Infinitely gone. Eternally gone. And you have absolutely no right to go digging for them again.
Girl, stop bringing it up.
I used to bring up the same old sin to God over and over again. 20 years later I was still allowing guilt and shame to eat at me. I would continually come back and ask God for forgiveness over the same thing and assume that any bad thing happening in my life was some sort of punishment for my old sin. One day, I was in the shower, rehashing my failure and disqualifying myself from future opportunities, and it was so clear … God said to me, “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I have no record of this. Please stop.”
Oh … God really DOESN’T WANT YOU TO WALLOW IN REGRET FROM PAST SIN. He removed it from you so you wouldn’t carry it into your future. So, we have to let it go! He’s already removed it. It’s already been erased from your record. You’ve already been washed clean. You’ve already been deemed “not guilty”. Stop brewing in the court room of condemnation, convinced you weren’t supposed to be forgiven.
Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because Jesus has set you free!” Condemnation is guilt with coming punishment. And God says because of Jesus, we are not guilty. Because of Jesus, we are not subject to punishment. Because of Jesus, we are forgiven. Now, we must forgive ourselves! Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Guess who is included in the list of people you should be kind and compassionate towards? YOU! Guess who needs you to forgive them as well? YOU! Why? Because Jesus already did!
Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is standing with you. Get that mental image. He is standing with you because he is 100% for you. There’s not an ounce of God that is against you, and nothing that could convince him to be.
But wait … there’s more! You not only have God standing with you,Fri, 16 Feb 2024 - 16min - 1573 - 1574 Going Through It
I once heard that God cares more about my character than my comfort. I’ve found that to be true. My sister, if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation right now, it’s because God loves you too much to let you stay the same. It is out of total and complete love for you that he makes you uncomfortable enough to keep you from settling for less than his best.
For many years now, I daily pray this prayer over my young adult children: Lord, set them free from anything or anyone that is causing them to settle for a life that is less than you have available for them. I’ve truly seen God work in that exact way in their lives. My children in their 20’s came to me and said, “Mom, I feel like God is telling me to stop settling and that he has more for me than this.” And I, as their mom. am having a secret party inside screaming YEAH JESUS, while holding a straight face and saying, “oh really, tell me more about that.”
But it’s not just our kids settling for less than God’s best … it’s us. We find comfort anywhere and we just settle right in. Relationships, jobs, circles … we settle for familiar comfort over uncertain opportunity. But God wants his girls totally unsettled. He wants us continually open to his promptings, ready to take action on the opportunities he brings our way. And there’s only one way for God to keep his girls from settling again … he allows problems.
Why would a good God allow problems? Because he’s so good he knows comfort threatens our character. It makes us less of who he created us to be. It forms ruts in our lives which turn into holes, and we get stuck in those holes. Then we pull a rock over our head and we hide in our holes where we’re stuck. This is an image of settling. Settling brought on by comfort.
The truth is, our continual quest for comfort and ease ultimately creates some of our deepest ruts and darkest holes. Enter PROBLEMS in your life to save you from forming that rut and digging your own hole. Yes, problems actually save us. They wakes us up. They makes us do something different.
My friend, what if the current problem in your life is much more of a saving grace than a nasty attack? We give the enemy so much credit. Girl, the problems in your life aren’t’t always an attack of the enemy. Sometimes that problem is the saving grace of God swooping in to rescue you from your own comfort seeking self that was heading right toward the next hole where you were going to get stuck.
Romans 5: 3-5, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
There was absolutely zero punishment in that scripture. Your problems aren’t always brewed up in the pits of hell. Your problems are tools God uses to bring you into the fullness of who he created you to be, living the life he designed you to live.
The Message translation of Romans 5: 3-5 puts it like this, “We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!”
Thu, 15 Feb 2024 - 15min - 1572 - 1573 This Is God’s Plan
What would you need to do to make God love you? What area of your life would you need to clean up so that God could bless you? How could you make yourself better so that God would choose you for something good?
These were questions that used to rule my days. I was always trying to earn my way into God’s good grace. Checking all the boxes was exhausting. I could do it for a little bit of time, but eventually I would fall short again and struggle. And when I struggled, I assumed God was disappointed in me again. And then, I would hide.
Are you afraid God is disappointed in you? Have you been hiding in your struggle?
My sister, God is not disappointed in your struggle. He’s disappointed that you would think your performance is what he’s looking for. Let’s get this straight. God is GOD. He’s like the hardest person in the world to buy for, because he already has everything. He’s hard to impress because he can already do everything. He’s hard to entertain because he already knows everything. And yet, Zephaniah 3:17 tells us God rejoices over us and delights in us.
You, as you are, are exactly who God wants. You are who he has chosen. You are the one he rejoices over and delights in. And there’s only one thing he is asking you to do. One thing that would make him happy. One thing that he wants from you. And this one thing will make everything else right.
The one thing God wants from you is your faith. Just believe him. Believe he is loving and he is good. Believe he is involved in the details of your life. Believe in his promises over you. And if you will simply BELIEVE, everything else is made right.
It’s not your performance. It’s not your consistently checked boxes. It’s not your wisdom to know what to do, then your ability to make yourself do what you know to do. Nope, none of that. If you could do this on your own, then you would actually deserve your blessings. And if you deserve the blessings, they’re no longer blessings, they’re payments. And if you can earn it because you deserve it, you could also lose it because of your shortcomings.
And through it all, we’ve taken the gift out of the blessing God offers us. Girl, you didn’t earn this. You couldn’t possibly earn this. The blessings in your life are the result of a good God who takes specific delight in YOU. He owed you nothing, yet he gives you everything.
Romans 4 recounts the story of Abraham told in Genesis. Remember, Abraham was this old man with an old wife, and they were unable to have children. There was nothing they could do to earn children. It simply wasn’t possible. But, God comes to Abraham and tells him, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”
What if God whispered a dream into your soul that made absolutely no sense? What if he gave you a peak at the works he planned to do simply because he delights in you, and what if those works were impossible? Would you dismiss them? Would you disqualify yourself? Would you try to hush that desire and opt for something more reasonable?
That’s exactly what we do! We disqualify ourselves because we believe it’s up to us to do it. Girl, this isn’t about you. This is about God. Abraham was receiving the promise of a God Plan, and when it’s a God Plan, only God can pull it off. You have 2 roles in a God Plan … believe it and get out of the way!
I have to wonder what God Plans we’ve gotten in the way of. What impossible dreams has God breathed into us,Wed, 14 Feb 2024 - 20min - 1571 - 1572 Battle For Your Thoughts
One of my earliest introductions to the power of God’s word came through Joyce Meyer. Up until then, it was just a book and I was supposed to WANT to read it, but I didn’t really want to. I read to check a box. I read to look the part. I read thinking it would make God want to bless me. Joyce helped me look at God’s word as a true guide to living my life. There were secrets hidden in the Bible, and I wanted to know the secrets.
Joyce taught on the “Battlefield of the Mind”, and the effects of our thoughts on our lives. The truth is, you simply can’t have a positive life with a negative mind. God didn’t create you with a broken, negative mind … that’s the attack of the enemy. Understand, today there’s still a battle going on in your mind, and it’s creating either defeat or victory in your life.
Ephesians 6:17 tells us to “Put on the helmet of salvation.” What does a helmet do? It protects your head. Do you see what the helmet of salvation is? This is Jesus’ protection for your mind! The enemy is after your thoughts. He’s after your mindset. Your mind is the full on battlefield. And Jesus says, “let me protect your mind!”
Romans 1: 28 warns of what happens when God’s creation no longer seeks Jesus for protection over their thoughts. It says, “And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right.” Their thoughts were wrong so their actions were wrong. Why were their thoughts wrong? Because they no longer gave any effort to seeking God and God gave them over to their worthless mindset. So the battlefield of their mind was lost to the enemy.
The Message translation says it like this, “Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose. They made life hell on earth.”
Who made life hell on earth? The people did. What caused it? Their unprotected mind and thoughts that ran wild.
Whew, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want God to quit bothering me. I don’t want him to quit waking me up. I don’t want him to quit convicting me. I don’t want him to quit giving me that icky feeling in my spirit when I’m out of alignment. Lord, don’t quit bothering me! Bother the heck out of me. Don’t let me sleep if I am wrong!
Have you seen a life where all hell broke loose? We all have seen that example. We’ve seen a life ruined because of a worthless mindset. We’ve witnessed the battlefield of the mind defeated by the enemy. A life filled with potential that falls so short. But understand, Jesus always wanted to protect that mind! Jesus always wanted to fight that battle. Jesus always had victory for them. But when we don’t choose Him, our minds go unprotected.
Girl, put on the helmet of salvation! Make time for God so he can protect you from the battle over your mind.
Our minds are wild little beasts. The moment you tell yourself not to think of something, what do you do … you start thinking of the exact thing you just said NOT to think about. I often teach how to harness the power of your thoughts using the example of a refrigerator.
Close your eyes and think about your kitchen right now. Think about all the details of your kitchen, just don’t think about your refrigerator. You can think about everything but your refrigerator. Think of your kitchen, just not your refrigerator. Your entire kitchen and it’s details are what I want you to think about, just as long as you’re not thinking about your refrigerator.Tue, 13 Feb 2024 - 19min - 1570 - 1571 Living In the Flow
This week, we’re going to do something different. Each day this week, we will be in the book of Romans for a deeper study. Over the past few days, God has been drawing me in to these specific scriptures and making them come to life like never before. I’m excited to share all of this with you!
Today, we will begin with my favorite verse in Romans. A verse that brings me the greatest comfort in troubles and hope in the future. But, we’re not going to just stop with this one often quoted scripture, we’re going to read the rest of the paragraph for even more. I’m telling you, what God has shown me in this one little paragraph in my bible has had me in a perpetual ah-ha for days.
How many of you would admit you over-complicate things sometimes? You overthink things and make things harder than they really need to be. Today, let’s let God drastically simplify a few things for us so we really get it.
Romans 8:28 (you might know this scripture): “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Other translations put it in terms we can really understand. “We are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good. We have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.”
My sister, EVERY DETAIL of your life becomes part of something good when given to God. He wastes nothing and uses everything. You don’t have to hide those struggles from him … hey, he already knows about them, and yet here he is today still pursuing you. In your hands, those struggles just eat away at your confidence and self-worth. In God’s hands, those struggles become a ministry! They become an open door for God’s power to flow through you! Of course the enemy of your soul wants you to hide in your shame and wallow in your guilt because he knows what will happen if you turn that over to God! He knows every ounce of harm he has thrown your way will be turned on him by God, and it will all be used for good. And this goodness is part of God’s designed purposes for your life!
But, it doesn’t stop there. I usually stop there. I read verse 28 and I’m off searching for my purpose. I’m digging through the bad things in my life and reminding God they’re not good yet. But today, let’s keep reading.
Romans 8: 29 & 30, “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.”
Woah, that’s a lot. We have an entire waterfall of promises here. Don’t choke on the overflow, let’s get in the flow. One leads to the next, then the next, flowing over our lives and flooding us with hope and assurance. Today, let’s get in the flow and receive everything God is offering us!
This flow begins with those God foreknew. Foreknew means to know before. And honey, God knew you before! He knew you before you achieved any level of success and before you screwed up. He knew you before you got it wrong and before you got it right. He knew you before. You are among the “foreknew”. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Oh yes, he definitely knew you BEFORE. He knew you before because he CREATED you with a great purpose in mind.
And with that, the flow over your life begins.
For those he foreknew, he predestined. Do you understand what predestined means? It means you are chosen. YOU. ARE. CHOSEN. God Almighty, the creator of the universe, chose YOU. He wanted you.Mon, 12 Feb 2024 - 24min - 1569 - 1570 Earthly Things
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 dealing with earthly things. You’re planning earthly things. You’re in the mix of earthly details. But God is high above it all in heavenly things. From his vantage point, he sees it all. But remember this, he not only sees it all, he can control it all. And if God steps in and rearranges a few things, don’t you think it’s because he sees what you cannot?
MAY HEAVENLY THINGS CONSTANTLY INTERRUPT YOUR EARTHLY THINGS.
This isn’t an inconvenience, this is a divine intervention! Dare to see it for what it is and receive it!
Many years ago I simply decided to change my personal philosophy from the victim mentality of why were things always happening to me, to believing things weren’t happening to me, they were happening for me.
This isn’t naive. This isn’t clueless. This is faith. This is trusting God is in every detail, and if the details change, then it was for my benefit. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” You either believe it, or you don’t. If you believe it, then you can trust this isn’t happening to you, it’s happening FOR you, because God is working all things together for good concerning you. Why? Simply because he loves you and you have chosen to love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
And because God loves us, he will interrupt us. He will intervene on our behalf. He will rearrange, delay, cancel, and create a total upheaval. All to bring us into alignment with these good plans he has prepared for us that are promised to be better than our own.
Now, here’s the wild thing about God’s interruptions to our plans, we can actually SEE them for what they are and KNOW it was him working for us. How? His Spirit that lives within us.
1 Corinthians 2, verses 10-12, goes on to say: “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.”Let me put this into simple terms. God works in mysterious ways, but we have been given the gift of understanding these mysteries!
The next time you lose your keys and you’re delayed leaving the house, check God’s spirit within you. Is he saying, “My girl, calm down, I did this FOR you. I’m protecting you from what you do not see.”
The next time things don’t work out the way you thought they would, check God’s spirit within you. Is he saying, “I closed that door because I have a better one for you?”
Take the exact disappointment you’re dealing with right now … that thing that has you still waiting … that thing that still hasn’t happened … what is God’s spirit within you saying? Is he saying, “This is so much bigger than what you currently see. Trust me, I’m working here.”
Seriously,Fri, 09 Feb 2024 - 15min - 1568 - 1569 You’ve Been Invited
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 and you will likely never feel quite good enough to step into it. But still, the invitation is extended to you personally. And here’s what I’ve come to trust … if God is the one doing the extending, he will be the one also doing the equipping, so I’m going to be bold enough to step on up!
But what if you don’t accept the invitation? Really, what if you just can’t believe the promptings within are really from God, so you dismiss them? What if you believe it, but your unbelief gets in the way every time? Are you letting God down? Will his work go undone because you lacked the faith to accept your role in it?
For the longest time, I put all this pressure on myself thinking if I didn’t do what God was asking me to do, then his work would go undone. That sounds humble, right? Wrong. Actually it was a total anxiety trip that created a performance mentality run by my ego. Let’s be real clear, God is God. He can do anything. We are human. We cannot. God doesn’t “need” you. Out of love, he has INVITED YOU!
Psalm 8: 3-4 MSG, “I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry. Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?”
God is totally self-sufficient, but he is also relational. He wants you to be part of his works, so he invites you to come and partner with him. Not because he needs you, but because he wants you.
You’ve been invited to be part of unspeakable miraculous works brewed up in the heavenly realms. You’ve been invited to carry the power of God within you and join in the partnership of moving mountains, parting seas, and feeding crowds. If you don’t accept the invitation, God will still do his thing, you will just miss the opportunity to be part of it.
Jesus tells a story in Luke 14: 16-24:
““A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
I’ve always read this story and thought it was only about Heaven. But, what God revealed to me is, it’s about here and now too.
God is doing something. He’s been preparing, and now he is inviting guests to come be part of what he has been working on. He’s invited you. He’s invited me. One by one, we excuse ourselves. But God’s work will not go undone. His banquet will be filled, so if you don’t accept the invitation,Thu, 08 Feb 2024 - 20min - 1567 - 1568 Best In Less
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.” She told me, “No, Pamela, it’s not. This is God’s math.” And she was right. God did the the most unrealistic, overflowing things, and he did it where there was practically nothing to begin with.
Did you know God does math? Oh, he loves numbers! He shows off in numbers. Especially the ones that make absolutely no sense. Let me show you.
Today, we’re going to look at two stories in the bible that often get confused for the same story, but they’re not the same. They are different. You’ve likely heard of Jesus feeding the crowd, but did you know he did it twice?
The first time is in Matthew 14: 13-21. A large crowd has gathered to see Jesus, and Jesus is healing their sick. Night time comes and Jesus has compassion on the crowd and wants to feed them. The disciples think he’s crazy and want to send the people away. But Jesus asks, “what do you have?” They have only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus says, “bring it to me”. He gives thanks, he breaks it and he gives it to the disciples and the disciples give it to the crowd. Everyone ate and was satisfied. Afterward, they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces. Those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.
The numbers here are important because we’re looking at God’s math. Did you know that’s why scripture passed down through all these translations and generations retains the numbers. God says these are my numbers and they’re important. He’s showing us his math. So, let’s pay attention. We have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish for 5,000 men. Then we have 12 baskets of leftovers. So, 5 for 5,000 with 12 leftover.
The second time is just one chapter later. We talked about this miracle earlier this week as we wondered why Jesus made them wait 3 days for healing when he could have healed them all immediately. Now we understand Jesus draws us in to do even more for us in the wait. But now, let’s focus on the math. Matthew 15: 29-38. Again, we have a large crowd gathering around Jesus and he begins healing their sick. After 3 days Jesus has compassion on the crowd and wants to feed them. Again, the disciples think he’s crazy and want to send the people away.
Now, isn’t that funny? It was just one chapter ago the disciples were actively involved in this tremendous miracle of Jesus feeding a crowd, but here they are going through the same thing wanting to just avoid it. Isn’t that us? We would rather avoid it than see Jesus work a miracle. No girl, don’t run from this. Remember what he has done for you before and watch him do it again!
Jesus asks, “what do you have?” This time, they have 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish. Almost word for word, Jesus does the same thing again. He gives thanks, he breaks it, and he gives it to the disciples and the disciples give it to the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward, they picked up 7 baskets full of leftover pieces. Now there were 4,000 men who had eaten, besides women and children.
The numbers are important for God’s math. This time, we have 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish for 4,000 men. Then we have 7 baskets of leftovers. So, 7 for 4,000 with 7 leftover.
The greatest miracle in God’s math is revealed when you look at these two stories together.Wed, 07 Feb 2024 - 19min - 1566 - 1567 Not Tomorrow, Today
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 day, we don’t even know what she looks like. We have no idea what that girl would do in a day. How does that even look? For some of us, the memories of giving our best effort have become clouded with the pile of days we offered less than our best, and we hardly even remember the girl who really tried.
Who wins in this scenario? Not you! The enemy of your soul wins! The one who wants you living short of your potential and overwhelmed in your opportunities. The one who always schemes to trick you into settling for less than you could do, then invites you to the party where you feel nothing but bad about yourself.
Has he been winning? Has he stolen your days?
The truth is, most of us aren’t even putting up a fight anymore. We’re not fighting to take our days back. We’re not giving our best effort. We’re not pushing hard to live up to our greatest potential. We’ve gotten really out of touch with that girl. That life seems foreign.
Nope, instead, we battle the day from the very beginning. Oh how we fight with that alarm clock. We delay getting up and we wallow in defeat with every hit of the snooze. We are literally dismissing ourselves from opportunities. Counting ourselves out from the beginning. Denying ourselves of the chance to feel proud of who we are and how we’re living.
And eventually, it all becomes a battle. We know what we should do, but dang we don’t do it. James 4:17, “So if you know of an opportunity to do the right thing today, yet you refrain from doing it, you’re guilty of sin.” Yes, the Bible calls what we are doing SIN! Name it for what it is. Knowing what we should be doing but then not doing it becomes sin in our lives. And Jesus said in John 8:34, “Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”
Ding, ding, ding. That’s what has happened here! The sin of not doing what you know you should do, when you know you could do it, is sin, and now that sin has you trapped as it’s slave.
Oh, Jesus, we need you to set us free! Here’s the good news, 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Let’s just come clean about this and let Jesus go to work on making us right!
We need to see the truth here. The truth of what the enemy has tricked us into by forfeiting all we could be doing with our days and settling for a mediocre existence of wasted hours. Scripture is brutally clear with this warning for us. Proverbs 6: 10-11 TPT “If you keep thinking ‘I’ll do it later’ or say to yourself, ‘I’ll sit back a while and take it easy,’ just watch how the future unfolds. By making excuse, you’ll see what it means to go without.”
And that’s precisely where many of us are. We’re going without. Without the relationships we most desire. Without the energy and health we want. Without the confidence. Without the joy. Without the growth. Without the change. And instead we’re stuck in this perpetual loop of dreading the day, dragging ourselves through the day, then regretting the day. And we do it over and over again. THAT IS NOT THE LIFE YOU WERE CREATED FOR!
What has caused this in your life? It’s the ol’ “I’ll do it later.” It’s the quest for easy. It’s the excuses you make up for yourself, then you accept them.Wed, 07 Feb 2024 - 17min - 1565 - 1566 Why We Wait
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, and that line isn’t moving? Will your turn ever come? Will God ever attend to your needs?
Matthew 15 tells the story of Jesus healing many people, but the people were gathered waiting. Waiting on their turn with Jesus. Waiting on his touch. And as they waited in a large crowd, they saw the miracles for many others. In fact this whole story is more about their need while they were waiting than the miracle they were there to receive.
Verse 29-38, “Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.”
They’re waiting on the touch of Jesus to the point of starvation. And Jesus miraculously provides an overflowing all-you-can-eat meal for thousands of people that day from only 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish. Yay, Jesus! That’s amazing. But, what I want to know is … why was Jesus making them wait?
Really, didn’t Jesus have the power to say in an instant, “everyone here is healed, now go home.” Jesus could have healed the whole crowd in the first 10 minutes of this gathering, yet here they are 3 days later without food, still waiting. This wait was unnecessary. This delay seems almost cruel.
And I bet your wait feels unnecessary. Your delay feels almost cruel. Why isn’t God doing what he can do immediately?
We know Jesus didn’t have to actually touch each person to heal them. In fact the story immediately before this in the same chapter is of a mother coming to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter who is tormented by a demon. The daughter wasn’t there, yet Jesus healed her with just his word and in a moment. Verse 28, “And from that moment her daughter was healed.” So, this crowd waiting to be touched by Jesus one by one wasn’t even necessary.
We also know Jesus can heal more than 1 person at a time. Luke 17 tells the story of 10 lepers who stood at a distance and yelled from their hiding places, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus healed all of them as they were walking away to the priest. He didn’t touch them. And the entire group received healing at the same time.
So, tell me again, why is this group of thousands gathered in the middle of no where with no food,Mon, 05 Feb 2024 - 17min - 1564 - 1565 Next Level Month
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 not a to-do list of all you have to do, it’s a gratitude list of all the ways you’re going to use the gift of time you’ve been given.
Since I started viewing my goals as gratitude in action, achieving those goals has felt a whole lot more like a blessing instead of a burden.
This revelation came to me several years ago after purchasing a wedding gift for my nephew and his new bride. I bought them a large wooden serving tray with handles. A few weeks later, I received a thank you card for the gift. The standard thank you card simply says, “thank you for the gift”. The great thank you card says, “thank you for the wooden serving tray.” But the next level thank you card is what I received, and it’s forever changed the way I say thank you.
The card I received said, “Thank you for the beautiful wooden serving tray. I’m so excited to serve breakfast on our patio on this tray. Our coffee morning dates will be so sweet with this special tray. It will be used and treasured and we will think of you every time.”
WOAH! See what I mean? That’s next level.
We are girls designed to live next level. We have been blessed beyond measure, now it’s time we show next level gratitude for the gift of life we have been given.
Today’s devotional is a continuation of yesterday. Yesterday, on day 1 of this new month of life, we considered what a true gift February is. Oh, the opportunities and the blessings it holds. While most receive this gift without an awareness of it’s precious nature, we are called to next level living, and we will rise to the challenge to receive it with full awareness.
This is LIFE, and it is being offered to us. Priceless days are here in the offering. Divine opportunities are aligned for us. Beauty designed in the mind of the Almighty and delivered by his gracious hands. It’s all here for us. Us next level girls will show next level gratitude!
There are four parts to this next level living:
* Seek God* Make Plans* Surrender Our Plans* Praise Him In Advance
So first, we seek God. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7, we’re asking, we’re seeking and we’re ready to try! God, what do you have for us here this month? We want what you want. We will work for it!
Second, we make plans. Those are our goals. Plans of how we will use these days given to us. Plans of how we will grow and get better. Plans of making the changes God prompts us to make to become more of who he created us to be. Plans of being faithful with all that has been given to us. Plans of putting him first and seeking everything he has available to us. And remember, we will see him in all of it. As we use the days he has given us, we will think of the one who has given it all to us!
And that brings us to today, parts 3 and 4 of our next level living of the extreme gift of life that has been given to us.
* SURRENDER YOUR PLANS
Sometimes we make plans, then plans don’t go our way. Why is that? Is God being cruel?
Let me tell you something, God doesn’t love sitting on his throne wrecking your plans. He loves conspiring with you to do ridiculously good things. He loves partnering with you in the impossible. With his power,Fri, 02 Feb 2024 - 16min - 1563 - 1564 The Gift of February
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 were chosen for this gift. Your creator decided you should receive this new month so here it is with a big bow on it this morning as the sun came up. How will you say thank you?
I want you to imagine you bought me a pair of socks. I received the socks in the mail and to show my appreciation I sent you a thank you letter. Now would you rather receive a thank you letter that said “Hey, I love the socks, thanks” …. or …. would you rather receive a letter that said “Those socks are absolutely perfect, I love them in every way. I’m going to wear those socks for my big run this week. Next week I’m going to wear them on a weekend trip to go hiking in the mountains. They are my favorite pair of socks and I’m going to use them and enjoy them over and over again. I’ll think of you every time. Thank you so much for these amazing socks.”
Now of course you would rather receive the second thank you letter because you know all the ways I’m going to use and enjoy the gift you have given me. And I bet that would make you want to buy me more socks, right? RIGHT!
So with this in mind, think about the gift of this new month of life God has just given you. Do you want to send up a little “hey thanks God, I really like February”, or do you want to give him a detailed list of how you plan to use this month and enjoy it to the fullest? You know the answer here. You know what’s best.
And this, my friends, is what we here in BIG Life call MONTHLY GOALS. Your list of goals for February 2024 are the ultimate thank you letter to the giver of this month of life. So you write that letter. Tell God all the ways you’re going to enjoy this gift and use this gift to live fully and get better. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do when you’re a ridiculously blessed girl. And you are. Goodness gracious you’re blessed. There are countless things that are miraculously right and working in your life, and even more things that are perfectly aligning and coming together that you don’t even know about yet. Showing your gratitude with these written goals is not only the right thing to do, but imagine how it will make God feel.
So few will even recognize today as a gift. Even fewer will write God a thank you letter that includes a list of the ways they’re going to enjoy and use the gift. Be among the few that recognizes the value of what you have been given.
It’s goal writing day. What do you want to do with this month of life? How do you want to spend your days? What do you want to achieve and accomplish? How do you want to grow and get better? It’s not a to-do list, it’s the ultimate thank you letter to God.
What could you do with this new month of life offered to you by your loving Creator? Oh, you could take photos that outlive you, you could create memories that surpass you, you could make shifts that change your entire future. You could … will you?
Just how much living will you do in this month of life? How much will you show up for and how much will you sit out on? You decide because it’s here for the taking.
God has done his part. He’s gone before you, he’s made a way, now his invitation is here for you to move forward. Step into the life available to you and start living up to your potential this month. Here it is,Thu, 01 Feb 2024 - 19min - 1562 - 1563 How You Remember
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 month of struggle for you. Maybe you’re experiencing the general letdown that 2024 isn’t magical and those goals you dared to write down a month ago didn’t just unfold for you. It’s still the same old you waking up in your life and nothing changed when the calendar did.
Here’s what I know, at the end of this first month of the year, most of us are drifting.
Drift happens when we stop paddling so hard for the direction which we want to go. Drift happens when life starts pushing us and we start going with the flow. Eventually drift gets us off course and far from where we intended. And this is how an entire year passes us AGAIN without the growth and change we had hopped for. Here it is and you can see it right in front of you. This is what drift looks like.
You see, I believe God breathed new life into you at the beginning of this year. He whispered hopes, dreams and desires into you, inspiring you to believe this year could be different. And this morning, on this final day of January he’s saying, “GET BACK ON COURSE, MY GIRL … REFOCUS!”
Pick up your paddle again, sister. You may have drifted a bit this month, but you’ve still got a lot of river ahead of you.
Today, we finish this month of life right. We follow God’s word in Philippians 4:8 in review of this month: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
You have two options today … think about everything that was wrong in January, or think about everything that was right. God says think about what was right. Think about what was good in this month. I bet tucked in the middle of these past 31 days, there was something excellent.
But here’s the problem, that drift, the bitter cold and boredom, the struggle and setbacks, they tend to overrule all that was good and we easily label the entire month as “BAD.” And here’s the danger … this becomes our habit. Yes, our habit.
Is this you? Do you rush from one month to the next, anxious to put it behind you and get it over with? You wish away this entire season missing the fact that your seasons are limited. One day, you may wish you had this back.
We run from our bad months, but those bad months pile up, creating what we then label as a bad year. Then we’re rushing through the years, trying to get to the next season of life believing it will somehow be easier or better, and before we know it, life has just passed us by and we’re nowhere near where we hoped we would be. We’ve drifted right into a life that falls far short of what we know we were created for.
Honestly, that’s where a lot of us are. We’ve been wishing away entire seasons of our lives thinking the next one will be better, and we’ve missed the preciousness of where we are right now. We drift until we crash upon some shore we never wanted to be on, then we realize we’re stuck.
That’s not God’s good plan for your life!
So today, we stop the drift. We stop the tendency of bad days becoming bad weeks and bad months. We review this month, January 2024, with tremendous care and intention,Wed, 31 Jan 2024 - 20min - 1561 - 1562 Believe You Will
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 that created every single thing in this universe within you. The Almighty God dwells within you. Now tell me again why you’re worried. Tell me again why you would ever settle for just enough and kinda good. Tell me again why you question your value, worth and ability.
2 Corinthians 4: 6-7 “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.”
As a child of God who believes in all he did for you through Jesus, you now have a treasure within you. That treasure is the great power of God. His spirit dwells in you. You are a vessel carrying the Almighty … now tell me again what you can’t do. Tell me again why you question and doubt. Tell me again why you would ever play little in your own life.
The enemy works overtime on you to cover this truth. He brings his deceit in the darkness and picks away at our scabs. Why? Because he knows the day you truly understand the power you have within you is the day you never bow to his deceit again.
One of my favorite songs that makes me dance and get all choked up at the same time is called “Say I Won’t” by Mercy Me. Listen to these words and let them resonate, because I believe this is us:
Today, it all beginsI’m seeing my life for the very first timeThrough a different lensYesterday, I didn’t understand Driving thirty-five with a rocket insideDidn’t know what I hadWhile I’ve been waiting to liveMy life’s been waiting on me I’m gonna runNo, I’m gonna flyI’m gonna know what it means to liveAnd not just be aliveThe world’s gonna hear‘Cause I’m gonna shoutAnd I will be dancing when circumstances drown the music outSay I won’tNot enoughIs what I’ve been toldBut it must be a lieCause the Spirit inside says I’m so much moreSo let them say what they wantOh, I dare them to tryI’m gonna runNo, I’m gonna flyI’m gonna know what it means to liveAnd not just be aliveThe world’s gonna hearCause I’m gonna shoutAnd I will be dancing when circumstances drown the music outSay I won’t I can do all things Through Christ who gives me strengthSo keep on saying I won’t And I’ll keep proving you wrong
What will it take for us to see our life through that different lens? When will we understand what we already have inside? How much longer will we wait to live all while our life is waiting on us?
This song was written for a man named Gary Miracle who worked for the band Mercy Me. In January 2020, Gary’s body went into septic shock and he was given a 1.7% chance of survival. His body shut down, he went into a coma, and against all odds, he woke up again. But he woke up after losing both his arms and both his legs. Imagine for a moment the life altering reality he woke up in. Everything you’ve ever done has now changed drastically. No arms. No legs. How do you do anything? He is featured in the “Say I Won’t” music video as he is now doing all things through Christ who gives him strength. He is doing all the things he was told he would never do again, and he is proving them wrong.
Why? Because he understands his life has been waiting on him and he&...Tue, 30 Jan 2024 - 15min - 1560 - 1561 Poison of Complaint
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 know about, that will block the generosity of our God. One thing that will lock away his blessings and delay his good plans.
That one thing is your complaining. Yes, complaining. Expressing dissatisfaction or annoyance about something. And the truth is, we do it far more than we realize. We complain about the weather. We complain about our bodies. We complain about our families. We complain about our job. We complain about our leaders. And every time we complain, we insult God.
God is at work in every detail of our lives. He sees things you do not see. He knows things you cannot possibly know. He never asked you to understand it, but he has asked you to trust him without complaint. Philippians 2: 14, “Do everything without complaining and arguing.”
For some of us, the habit of complaining runs so deep, that we couldn’t go through an entire day without complaining if our life depended on it. Well, Sis, I think God is asking us to get serious about this bad habit, because the truth is, his good plans for our lives do depend on it!
Your complaining has delayed God’s goodness in your life! And today’s complaints will delay it even more.
The Israelites give us a step by step account of promises and good plans being delayed because of a complaining spirit. They were rescued from slavery in Egypt by the mighty hand of God. He did miraculous things to set them free. He didn’t only show up for them, he showed off for them. There was no doubt it was God saving and guiding them. Everyone knew it.
When they saw the Red Sea parted and standing on it’s edge, they knew it was God for them.
When they saw the cloud by day and the fire at night to guide them, they knew it was God for them.
When they saw the quail just fall on the ground 3 feet deep at their camp in the wilderness providing miraculous dinner, they knew it was God for them.
When they woke up every morning to a dewy substance covering the ground like they had never seen before, and realized this substance could be worked into a dough for bread, they knew it was God for them.
Evidence of God working in the details absolutely surrounded them. But, the journey was still hard. Still the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness. Still they were tired. Still they were afraid. And all of that is fair. All of that is acceptable. But what became unacceptable to God was their complaining.
Soon, the Israelites complained about everything. They didn’t like how bitter the water was. They didn’t like how uncomfortable their camp was. The didn’t like how barren the desert was. They didn’t like the men who were leading them. And they really didn’t like eating the same thing every day. Oh it was impressive the first few days to find this dew on the ground and work it into a dough, but it grew old quick. The Israelites had been rescued, guided, and miraculously provided for, yet they complained.
Scripture gives account of them complaining over 14 different things. And finally, at 14, God had enough.
Maybe God has had enough of our complaining too. Maybe some of the problems we find ourselves in the middle of today were created by our own complaints.
Numbers 21: 4-9,Mon, 29 Jan 2024 - 18min - 1559 - 1560 Focus On the Victory
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 life.
But, is that you? Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you dreading the day and all that will be required of you? Has misery become your companion on this journey? God has prompted me to speak to you today. Here’s what he asked me to say. “My girl, focus on the victories.”
You are surrounded by countless victories. Some you know, some you don’t. Today, we will talk about the ones you don’t know.
There are battles God has won on your behalf that you knew absolutely nothing about. The truth is, God is so good at his job that you often completely miss the fact that he had to step in to save you. He’s that swift. He’s that faithful. He’s that good. You never even saw all he saved you from. You’re literally walking in victories today you didn’t know were being fought for on your behalf. God is asking you to focus on those victories today.
Have you heard about the door that flew off a 747 jet flying out of Portland a few weeks ago? They were 3 miles high, and suddenly a 4 foot side panel of the plane just ripped off. It sucked the shirt off a teenage boy near the gaping hole. But here’s the crazy part … the 2 seats closest to the missing door were empty! Yes, empty! The plane held 178 passengers and only 7 seats were empty. Two of those seats were 26A and 26B.
No one was sitting in the seats right where 4 feet of the plane blew off! What are the odds?
Now think about it … if you’re on an airplane that is 96% filled and you have a middle seat on row 27 sandwiched between two strangers, wouldn’t you look up to the row in front of you with an empty window and middle seat and politely request that window seat? Why didn’t anyone move to 26A? Was everyone completely content with their middle row seat?
No. No one is ever happy over a middle row seat. Yet, here is this plane with 2 side by side empty seats, 96% of all the other seats filled, and the guy sitting in the isle of row 26 must have been thinking he hit the jackpot!
There are reports of a passenger claiming they held the tickets to that seat and they had missed their flight. That hasn’t been confirmed by the airlines, but it’s very possible. Imagine holding the ticket to the seat where the side of the plane fell off, and just happening to miss the flight. Whew, wouldn’t you wake up different? But, you didn’t hold that ticket, so you didn’t wake up different today.
But, I want you to think about this … YOU COULD HAVE BEEN ON THAT FLIGHT!
Seriously, it could have been you.
Up to just an hour before that flight, you could have bought a last minute ticket and snagged that available seat. But you didn’t. Nobody did. The seat was empty. Missed flight or simply not chosen flight, the seat was empty.
That’s miraculous. That’s victory. That’s God being so darn good at his job you never even knew it could have been you!
I’m claiming that today! God saved me from that! Now, I had absolutely zero reason to be flying from Portland to Ontario, but I could have. Just because it wasn’t in my plan doesn’t mean I wasn’t held safe from it.
I believe God simply wants his girls living in such aware...Fri, 26 Jan 2024 - 15min - 1558 - 1559 Go and Doubt Nothing
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 the only Guide worth trusting is the Holy Spirit. He is the One who knows our pasts and our future. He knows God’s plan and purpose for us today and every day for eternity. He also knows what is good and right for us. He knows which way we should go, what we should do next, and where this is all leading.
We don’t know. Neither does any influencer you’re following, stars you’re waiting to align, or horoscope written in the paper. There’s one guide, and that guide is God’s Holy Spirit. This is why we have an undeniable need for the guidance of God’s spirit.
Jesus repeatedly referred to the Spirit as the “Spirit of Truth.” John 16:13, “He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” So, think of the Holy Spirit like this … it is like our inner compass – always pointing us toward God’s good plans for our lives.
God desires to make His will known to you. He wants you to know what to do and when to do it. Therefore, you can trust the Holy Spirit to be your daily Guide.
After the Lord poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples, they found themselves led in profound ways by the Spirit. What He did for them then, He desires to do for you today.
One example is in Acts 11:12. Peter says, “The Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing.”
Wouldn’t you love to have this type of direction in your life? An undeniable and clear prompting that leaves no doubt.
Well, you do. As a daughter of God and a follower of Jesus, you are offered the Holy Spirit for guidance. How God spoke to his disciples is how he wants to speak to you. And he is … the problem is, you’ve been dismissing it.
As long as you dismiss his promptings, you never realize the divine direction God has been offering. You never see how God was leading you. He was strengthening you. He was answering you.
Look back on your own life. Do you see how you were in the right place at the right time for the right thing to happen? What took you there? A prompting. You were prompted to go. Prompted to show up. Don’t dismiss that. You were guided by God to be there for that unfolding. It’s not odd, it’s God!
That’s how you ended up in this career. That’s how you met your love. That’s how you stumbled into your neighborhood. A loving, all-knowing and all-powerful God was prompting through his Holy Spirit, and you didn’t even know it! But look back on it and see it now. WOW, thank you God!!!!
Even think about this … how did you come to find this podcast? How did that happen? Was it a Spotify search and those red boots just jumped out at you? Was it a friend who shared an episode forever ago? Was it a random encounter that caused you to listen? That was it a prompting of the Holy Spirit who divinely guided you right here to receive what you needed! None of this is random. NOTHING. God is in every detail.
Here’s the thing, once you start recognizing God is in every detail, you start worrying and stressing a whole lot less. God is taking you on a journey, showing you that you can trust him. He’s leading you to a place where you can confidently say just like Peter, “The Spirit told me to go, doubting nothing.Thu, 25 Jan 2024 - 18min - 1557 - 1558 How We Limit God
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, he will do it through you. His power is unleashed when your feet hit the floor and you put that body in motion. When you show up, God shows off.
How does God provide for your family? He provides through the means of a job for someone, and that someone has to show up and earn that money, right? Don’t miss that’s God doing his job THROUGH YOU.
Your entire life is a partnership. A partnership between you and the Almighty. A partnership of his unlimited power and your willingness to be used. He is always faithful, he simply awaits your faithfulness.
What could begin happening in your life if you were to show up every single day, ready to do all you can with exactly what you have, where you are? What would happen is, the limits would be removed. Yes, the limits.
When we hold back, when we give less than our best, when we settle and complain, when we go through the motions and pair those motions with a bad attitude, we create limits on our life. Limits of how much of God’s goodness and favor we get to see. Limits on his unleashed power running through our veins.
Our limitless God is limited by our unwillingness to participate in our own life.
Yes, God has a job to do, and honey he’s trying to do it through you.
What, you thought it was just going to fall in your lap? You thought the job opportunity was going to seek you out? You thought your hidden talents would somehow be discovered while you continue to never use them? You thought that amazing man you’ve been praying for was going to magically show up on your doorstep? Girl, what if he did … you with that 3 day old messy bun, giving up on life pants, and disaster area of a house … you’re going to open the door and let him see that? Yeah, I don’t think so. You’re not ready.
Maybe that’s it. You’re not ready for what God has available for you. You’re not ready for the next level of living you seek. If you didn’t wake up and get dressed for it, then girl you’re not ready for it. Seeking means more than dreaming and wishing. Seeking means get out there and dig for it.
You want a better life? God has one for you sister. Oh, a life beyond your wildest dreams is in the design for you. A life filled with purpose, but purpose comes to people willing to play the hand they’ve been dealt. A life filled with breakthroughs, but breakthroughs come to people who first break, then they push through. A life filled with beauty, but beauty comes to people who see the bad and believe for better.
The story of Ruth in the Bible is one of my favorites. A woman who had lost her husband and now caring for her widowed mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth had every reason to be bitter. Every reason to believe life was unfair. But we read in Ruth chapter 2 of her willingness to go out and do everything she could to make life better.
Her only source of food was the leftover grain in the fields the harvesters had missed or dropped. When you’re picking up leftovers, you’re in for a lot of work for a long time with very little result. But she was willing. Willing to show up and work. Willing to be humbled. Her willingness allowed a limitless God to work in miraculous ways in her life.
She stumbled into the field of a very rich man named Boaz.Wed, 24 Jan 2024 - 13min - 1556 - 1557 There’s More To This
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 out of sight.
THERE IS MORE TO THIS. MORE IS HAPPENING HERE THAN YOU SEE. GOD IS PREPARING THINGS YOUR HUMAN MIND CANNOT IMAGINE. TRUST HIM HERE. YES, HERE IN THE UNKNOWN. HERE IN THE UNCERTAIN. SEE WHAT HE WILL DO.
Abraham and Sarah had waited decades to have a child. Miraculously at 90 years old, and Abraham at 100, they have their baby boy Issac. During this long wait faith was developed.
During your long wait, something is being developed in you as well. What’s happening in you as the thing you should have had a long time ago still eludes you? What’s growing inside of you as what you thought would happen isn’t happening?
Sister, have you lost your hope? Have you dismissed yourself from a miracle at this point?
I can’t promise how your miracle will show up, but I can promise you God will do things you could never do on your own if you will keep trusting in him.
Let faith grow here. The tip of the iceberg may be 100 feet tall, but there’s 700 feet of massive frozen ice below the surface. Below the surface of what is happening in your life, faith can grow. Faith in a God who can do the impossible. Faith in a God who cares about YOUR specific impossible. Faith in a God who is at work at this very moment doing things no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can imagine. FOR YOU SISTER. Because you are his beloved.
Is this what’s happening beneath the surface? Is your faith growing here?
The enemy will work hard to stop the growth of your faith. He will pick at your scabs and reveal your wounds with the replaying of the story that tells you life hasn’t been fair for you. Oh may we learn to recognize his voice and identify his lies so his nasty work is put to an end in our lives.
Abraham had learned to trust God. In every situation he knew God was good, God was for him and not against him. So, when God asked him to do the unimaginable and take his long awaited son, Issac, up to a mountain to sacrifice him, he never questioned God’s intent. He knew his goodness. He knew his faithfulness. And he knew his power.
How had he learned to trust God in such a real way? He had experienced hardship before. He had waited before. He had seen God do the impossible before.
Honey, the only way you know God’s power is to be in a completely hopeless situation first. The only way you know God is a healer is to first be sick. The only way you know God’s provision is to be in a place of need. God takes us through circumstances and situations so our faith can grow as we see him work.
And he’s doing it now because of where he will take you in the future. You will need the lessons of today for the opportunity of tomorrow. This is just the beginning of what God is going to do.
Genesis 22 tells us the story of Abraham taking his only son Issac to that mountain as God had instructed. It tells of him gathering the wood for the burnt sacrifice. We read of the journey there and Abraham’s unwavering faith in a good God that would do more than he could imagine on that mountain.
In reading the story there are 2 clues that tell us Abraham knew God would not allow him to lose his son here.
First, in verse 4-5 it says “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw th...Tue, 23 Jan 2024 - 16min - 1555 - 1556 Time To Rise
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 you from boldly stepping right into that potential and living up to all God put inside of you?
For some of us we are held back by our own laziness. It’s our over-thinking, our lack of action, our craving of comfort, and our procrastination that holds us back. For some it’s our need for control or perfection, and if you can’t control it or make it perfect, you just give up on it. Or it could be our lack of commitment, our disorganized scatter, or our perpetual mid-month fizzle. Maybe it’s that broken record that retells your past and continually reminds you of every single way you’re not good enough. Well that will certainly hold a girl back.
Have you done all you could with this new year of life so far? If not, what is holding you back?
I believe God has asked me to BOLDLY drop some truth here this morning, so prepare yourself now.
Would Jesus be defeated by your circumstances? Would he be delayed by your past or detoured by your habits? What would Jesus do in your situation?
Oh yes, remember those little bracelets everyone used to wear? WWJD: What would Jesus do? What would he do waking up to your reality on this third Monday of 2024?
Well, let me tell you exactly what Jesus did when everything went wrong. When the attacks were real and people were against him… When he had been nothing but good and he was treated bad… When the sky went dark and the grave closed in… What did he do then?
He rose up. Oh yes he did! He was dead and buried in that tomb. Everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong. There was no last minute rescue off that cross. Angels didn’t show up and save him from his crucifixion. It was as dark as dark could possibly be. But what did Jesus do … HE GOT BACK UP!
So, what would Jesus do with your current circumstances? I assure you my sister, he would get up! When life has been hard and things have gone wrong? Oh, he would get the heck up! He would rise above it all and be better because of it.
Here’s what we often miss … when Jesus was in that tomb for 3 days, he made a little trip. A little trip to Hades where he went on a mission to rescue me and you from every single thing that would ever threaten to hold us back.
1 Peter 3: 18-19 “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison.”
Who were these spirits in prison Jesus went and spoke to during his time in the tomb? We believe Peter is referencing the other fallen angels who joined Satan in his attempt to ruin all of God’s goodness. Jesus went to Hades and had a little chat with them. What do you think he told them? I think he told them Satan had been defeated! It was FINISHED!
And while Jesus was there, he did a little thing … he grabbed the keys!
Revelations 1:18 Jesus says “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
Understand Jesus now holds the exact key to set YOU FREE. The very thing the enemy has been using to hold you back from your greatest potential … well it has no power over you.Mon, 22 Jan 2024 - 14min - 1554 - 1555 Say Yes Now
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.comFri, 19 Jan 2024 - 17min - 1553 - 1554 Falling to Calling
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 plans he had for us and endure the spoils of a ruined life?
Let me tell you, that’s precisely what the enemy of your soul desires. But Heaven’s army is leaning over the rails cheering for you to see God uses every falling for his calling.
Yes, even your falling. Especially your falling. Everywhere you have fallen short. Everywhere your life has fallen apart. Everywhere you have stumbled and fallen. In God’s hand, falling is turned to calling.
Within the group of women I mentor, there are such powerful real life examples of this in action. A woman formerly addicted to cocaine, now leading a recovery group. A widow now guiding other widows to a life of joy after loss. A mom who walked through loss with her children after their father died, now working at a camp specifically for children grieving loss. A grateful recovering alcoholic, now starting her own non-profit to mentor women fighting the battle with alcohol. A couple who’s marriage was wrecked by an affair, now together helping other marriages heal after affairs. A woman whose 30 year marriage ended abruptly, now walking in her purpose as a divorce coach. A woman who lost her child to suicide, now speaking to schools about mental health. A woman who struggled with her weight and her health, now teaching others how to be naturally healthy as they lose weight. A woman abused as a child, now a therapist helping children.
Each examples of intended harm brewed up in the pits of hell. Addiction, affairs, brokenness, tragedy, despair. Falling. Falling short. Falling apart. Falling hard. But, in the hands of God, a calling.
Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
My friend, could it be that whatever was intended for harm in your life could become your calling when placed in the hands of God? Could you find your greatest purpose in the very thing that once hurt you the most?
Here’s what the enemy desires … he desires to not only hurt you, but he desires to keep you quiet in your hurt. Keep you alone in your pain. Somehow make you feel ashamed of the attack on your life and hide your story. But, God wants to use your story. He wants to use your fall. He wants to use your brokenness to bring healing. To you and to others. Don’t hide it, offer it.
When we first started having problems with one of our children, I immediately felt shame. If others knew our family struggled, we would be judged. We would be ridiculed. I mentor moms and give family advice. No one will want me! So, I hid in a quiet little hell of torture for a bit of time. Ashamed to admit the family that looked so good on the outside was losing one of our own. As I hid, the voices told me I should step down and stop sharing the promises of God because the promises of God weren’t even enough for my child. The teachings I shared weren’t enough for our family. We had failed.
But one day, God told me to be boldly honest and share our journey because others needed to know they weren’t alone. And you know what … shocker … God was right! Why would I hide in shame because the enemy had attacked? Why would I hide in guilt because darkness had crept in? Why wouldn’t I invite God into that darkness, shine his light on it, and invite him to illuminate everything the ene...Thu, 18 Jan 2024 - 12min - 1552 - 1553 Filled and Healed
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 God to fill you up today? I’m calling out to the God of Romans 15:13, the God of HOPE. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Oh yes, fill you up to overflowing.
The processes of being filled by God is often overlooked, because it looks a whole lot more like being emptied. It’s a process of emptying of self. Yes, God has to empty me of ME so I can be filled with HIM. What a humbling process. To be emptied of my grand ideas and big picture plans, to be humbled with my own reality, all so that I can be FILLED with God. Don’t miss that in the hard times, GOD IS FILLING YOU. The emptying is in preparation for the filling.
You thought everything was falling apart – honey, it’s all been preparation for something great God wants to do in your life.
We come to God with our empty spaces searching for answers and solutions, but he fills our emptiness with himself. HE IS YOUR ANSWER. HE IS YOUR SOLUTION. God himself will fill your empty spaces. God will complete you. God will make you whole.
Have you been looking to someone else to complete you and fill your brokenness? They’ve fallen short haven’t they? You’re disappointed in the relationship because that relationship was never meant to fill you. That’s God’s place. Oh how we set every relationship in our lives up for failure when we expect them to fill us and make us happy.
Have you been looking to your career to fill you up and make you feel worthy? Ahhhhh, that’s going to be a huge disappointment. You can search and search, and it may seem to be that missing puzzle piece in your life, but soon it will grow old and the “God sent job that you hoped would fill you up” will just be a means to a paycheck. And here’s why … your career was never meant to fill you up. That’s God’s place. The identity you get from your career will lead to exhaustion and burn out because you’ll always need more. More success, more growth, more recognition and when you’ve reached your capacity, you’re left wanting.
Oh the feeling of void that empty space creates. I know that feeling. I know that disappointment. I know that exhaustion. And looking back I realize it was a result of trying to be filled by people, a career, money and things, all of which were short lived and maxed out. So, God allowed the emptying to begin, and I’ll be honest with you, it was not a fun process. Everything fell apart piece by piece. What I didn’t know then is God wasn’t behind the failure, he was behind the filling. But the emptiness of failure had to happen first. I was so full of self. So full of my career. So full of my pretty stuff and an obsession to get more of it, there was simply no room for God. I had crowded him out.
Thank God for the emptying, because it brought me to a place of wholeness I never knew existed. A place where everything else was stripped away so God could fill me. Where every empty space and broken place could be filled and healed.
Maybe that’s where you are today. A space that seems empty … a place that appears broken … a primed life for God to show up!
May the God of hope FILL YOU. May he fill you with all joy and all peace so that you may OVERFLOW.
God wants to fill you up. All the way up. More than all the way up.Wed, 17 Jan 2024 - 12min - 1551 - 1552 Choose Your Party
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 … and these two are not equal.
You may think when you’re feeling miserable you want someone to come along and feel miserable with you, but what you really need is someone to invite you to a joy party. Joy is contagious. And you know what else joy is? Joy is STRENGTH!
Nehemiah 8:10 “This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
And that applies to today. That applies to every day. Every day God gives you is a sacred day. It’s special. It’s set apart. And in this day, joy will be your strength.
Now think about that, if joy is your strength, and the enemy of your soul wants to make you weak and ineffective, doesn’t it make sense that your joy is under full attack? And doesn’t it make sense that opportunities for misery and invitations to pity parties are in abundance? Of course! Without joy you are weak. If you are weak, you’re not living up to your fullest potential and showing up as the girl you’re created to be.
If the devil can’t defeat you, he will settle for discouraging you. If he can’t take you out, he will settle for taking you down. If he can’t turn you to evil, he will settle for exhausting you.
The devil resides in the pits of hell in misery. Misery loves company. He is continually trying to lure you into misery with him.
I once had a less than brilliant idea. Okay, I admit, it was more than just once. I’ve had multiple less than brilliant ideas. But one particular idea was to have a Colonoscopy Retreat. Why? Because colonoscopies really aren’t awesome and it seems easier to go through crappy things with others who are going through crappy things. (See what I did there). So, we all book a colonoscopy at the same hospital for the same day. I rent a retreat house near the hospital, we all stay together, we all go through the prep together, then we all recover together. Seems like a great idea to share the misery with others who are miserable. But there’s not a house out there with enough restrooms for that crappy retreat.
You know what you need when you’re going through that? Someone who has gone through it, understands it, but is on the other side of it! Not someone sitting in it with you! You’re useless to one another both miserable. It’s a pitiful party.
Joy is your strength. Get yourself around JOY! Draw from their strength.
But, what do we typically do instead when we’re struggling? We withdraw. We hide. We avoid anyone or anything that could be positive, and we gravitate to the negative. We throw our pity party and we invite other miserable souls to be miserable with us. Ohhhhh how the enemy of your soul loves to show up at that party with party favors. Here’s hopelessness for you. Here’s overwhelm for you. Here’s jealousy for you. Here’s bitterness for you. Check the party favors you’re receiving at your gatherings. Are you walking away worse?
Cancel that party and get yourself in the presence of joy. If you don’t have any joy of your own to bring, sit close to those who do. Again, it’s the opposite of our instinct, and you may have to force yourself to attend a joy party when you’re feeling anything and everything but joyful,Tue, 16 Jan 2024 - 15min - 1550 - 1551 Offer On the Table
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 you could possibly imagine. Honey, he won’t force you. You don’t have to … but God sure hopes you will trust him enough to say yes.
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.” I feel like I’ve read it so many times it’s become unimpressive. When did we stop being blown away by the fact that the creator of the universe has plans to prosper us and give us a good future? When did that stop being enough to calm your worried mind and troubled soul? When did that stop being the spark to your confidence? When did that stop applying to you personally?
GOD HAS GOOD PLANS FOR YOU. HE IS PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN THE DETAILS OF YOUR LIFE. ONCE AGAIN, HE IS GIVING YOU AN INVITATION TO STEP INTO THE FULLNESS OF HIS GOOD PLANS AND RECEIVE A FUTURE YOU COULD NEVER IMAGINE ON YOUR OWN.
First, will you believe it?
Will you somehow choose to believe that even a girl with your past, even a girl with your failures, even your bad choices, even a girl with your track record of strong starts and disappointing finishes, God hasn’t cancelled a single one of his good plans for your life. Oh, he’s had to get creative and rework the path there because you’ve been expert level at taking your detours and delaying your progress, but God still says, “with me, it’s possible.”
But he not only says it’s still possible, he also says, “I still want it for you, my girl. I still want you to live in the fullness of your life’s potential. I still want you to dream with me and watch me equip you to make it happen. I still want you to discover all the things I’ve put within you. I still want to completely blow you away with more than you’ve dared to dream before.”
Do you believe that? Can you believe that?
Oh, not because you deserve it. Trust me, you don’t. I don’t.
Thank God, we don’t get what we deserve. We’re not girls who get what we deserve. We could never deserve Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross. We could never deserve a mansion in paradise. I don’t care how hard you’ve worked, or how good you’ve been, you don’t deserve it. Yet, that’s what you’ve been offered.
You don’t deserve the offerings of God, but you darn sure can be the grateful recipient of them!
Stop dismissing yourself. No, you don’t deserve it, but it’s being offered any way. Will you receive it? Will you dare to believe God has deemed you worthy of good things? You can never be truly grateful if you don’t accept the fact that God declares you worthy.
Can you say this with me: “I don’t deserve it, but I’ve been deemed worthy.”
I want you to close your eyes for a moment and envision this with me. Envision you’re sitting across from Jesus at a table. Imagine Jesus lovingly telling you of the dreams God has for you. Imagine him telling you about the overflowing abundance God has aligned for your future. Imagine him telling you about the opportunities, the blessings, and the breakthroughs God has written your name on.
There’s so much. No, more than that. Even more. Bigger.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 - 14min - 1549 - 1550 Represent
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 is to make him known, but you refuse to fully love the one person you can simply never get away from … YOU!
I promise you this, you hating you is not an honorable representation of your Creator. You may cover it up as humility, but at its core, it’s hateful. You’re hateful to you. And you being hateful to you doesn’t make a single soul say, “Wow, I just gotta know her Creator. I want to connect with the one who has given her this total lack of confidence.”
Have you been poorly representing the one who created you, the one who saved you, the one who guides you? This problem isn’t just going to fix itself. You think when you are in a happy marriage you will like you, but you’ll be way to busy trying to like someone else then. You think when you lose the weight you’ll like you, but then you’ll have saggy skin and wrinkles. You think when you finally graduate you’ll like you, but then you’ll have that expensive degree and feel the pressures of performing. You think when you have a better job you’ll like you, but it will all become work too.
Everyone tells me how badly they want my job. I get to travel around the world and take beautiful people on beautiful adventures. But do you know what I did yesterday? I washed windows and dishes at the retreat house. We spent most of the past 2 days grocery shopping, spending thousands of dollars on food that my husband will then cook for the next 18 women arriving today for their retreat. I wake up every morning, whether I’ve been traveling or working, to sit and write the next devotional that people around the world are counting on to be there to begin their day. Whether I feel like it or not, it’s what I do.
You think you would like yourself if you had my job … but would you? I promise you this, if you can’t like yourself in your current job, you wouldn’t like yourself in any other job.
The problem isn’t your husband, your job, your house, your family, your finances, or your body. You are the common denominator in everything in your life. If you don’t like you, everything falls short of making you happy. It’s never enough. Why? Because you have this gaping hole in you that causes you to never be fulfilled. The hole … knowing and loving who God created you to be. It’s truly believing who you are is fully enough through Christ. It’s seeing, appreciating, and boldly representing the fingerprints of God that are all over you.
Do you see God’s fingerprints on you? He carefully considered your design. Everything was with great intention and purpose. Do you see it?
Now, will you appreciate it? Instead of hating you, can you appreciate your uniqueness? Yes, girl, you’re quirky, but God loves quirky. Look at that quirky butt pink flamingo standing on one leg. God loves that bird! Look at the female anglerfish. Seriously, google that thing! Talk about a quirky fish. It has a fishing pole like extension on it’s forehead with a glowing light on the end. It dangles, attracting its prey just inches from it’s mouth with razor sharp teeth. And the God who wanted that fish so he made it, wanted you, so he made you. Your creator is asking you to appreciate what he made in you.
Once you see your uniqueness and appreciate it, boldly represent!Fri, 12 Jan 2024 - 19min - 1548 - 1549 Trust and Try
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 better. He’s not changing.
Your happiest of days have already passed. It’s all just “getting through” from here.
Your dreams never happened and it sure seems silly to be dreaming about it still. Move on already.
The change you desired in yourself always stopped way short of anything that would last. It seems it’s just not meant to be for you.
Is any of this speaking to you? Oh I know it is, because I just spent a whole lot of time with women just like you and this is precisely what I heard. It’s a new year, but you know it’s still just you showing up in higher digits and the odds of things really changing are not in your favor. So, you hesitate. You hold back. You tip toe in. You dream with the lid on.
What would happen if you took the lid off? I mean really just dared to believe that trying again could bring different results. What if you got your hopes up and went all in for things to change this time? Sounds risky doesn’t it? You don’t want your heart to be hurt again. You don’t want to be let down again. You don’t want to look like a complete fool when it doesn’t work.
But is that faith? No, that’s fear. God is calling his girls out of fear and in over their head in faith.
There’s a story in your Bible that is precisely about this place you find yourself in with wanting change, but not seeing change. With hoping for something more, but knowing it’s ridiculous to get your hopes up again. Of facing what hasn’t been working and obediently trying one more time. Now, the lesson is disguised in fishing so we’ve often dismissed it as inapplicable to us, but lets look at it again.
Simon was a fisherman. He caught the fish to sell the fish and provide for his family. Fishing was his career. Simon knew what he was doing. He knew where the fish were and he knew how to catch them. But on this particular day, he had fished all night and caught nothing. Now he stood on the shore, washing his nets to put them away and try again later that evening when the fish would be caught in the dark of night. He must have been tired. He must have been disappointed.
This man Jesus walks up and hops in his boat, and asks Simon to row the boat out a bit from shore so he could teach the people who had followed him. Now, why would Jesus do this? It’s actually quite practical. Sound carries on the water. I know this because I used to live on a lake. There was a house all the way across the lake where a couple had their nightly conversations on their deck. Their voices carried hundreds of yards across the water perfectly. I could hear every word of their conversations, and it didn’t sound like things were going so well for them. I on the other hand, often taught lessons and recorded videos from my deck. No doubt, they heard me loud and clear as well. On land, we could have yelled from that distance and not heard one another. But over the water, our voices carried perfectly.
So, Jesus sits on Simon’s boat in the water and he teaches the people on shore. We don’t even know what Jesus teaches. There’s no account to the teaching, but after he finishes teaching, Jesus says something to Simon that is for every single one of us today.Thu, 11 Jan 2024 - 18min - 1547 - 1548 One’s Gone Missing
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 devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
You’ve seen the nature shows following a herd of animals. They’re wandering about, eating a little grass, laying in the shade, watching the babies play, all while they have no idea there’s a lion hiding behind the bush, planning his attack. Suddenly, the lion jumps from his hiding place and chases after them. The herd runs. They run for their lives. And then, there’s one … one that strays from the herd. One that wanders off away from the others. One that tries to hide alone. And this is the one the lion attacks.
The lion knew there would be one who would freeze in fear and hide. He knew there would be one who felt they just couldn’t keep up and opted to be alone. That was always the lion’s intent. Run after the herd, and wait for the one who tries to hide. When they’re alone, they’re vulnerable.
And your enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Who is most vulnerable to his attack? The one who is alone. The one who is hiding. The one who has dismissed themselves from their family, their friends, their church, their circle, their tribe, their people.
Is there someone in your family who has fallen away and no longer in the circle? I assure you, they’re under attack. The enemy is pouncing on their vulnerability.
Is there someone in your friend group who has grown distant, avoiding contact, and gotten quiet? They’re hiding. Maybe they’re hiding because they’re struggling. Maybe they’re hiding because they don’t feel good enough. Maybe they’re hiding because they don’t want to burden anyone with what’s really going on in their lives. Our enemy capitalizes on those feelings, isolates us from our people, and he attacks.
Who has grown quiet? Who has disconnected? Who has been hiding? THEY ARE VULNERABLE!
Ecclesiastes 4:12, “By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.”
Yes, round up someone to go with you, and bring that wandering one back. Together, find the one who is hiding and protect them from the one who is on the prowl. They’re not safe hiding out in their shame and isolated in their regret.
And you … you, yes you. Have you been hiding? Have you been just lurking on the edges and not truly engaged? Have you been dismissing yourself because the voices in your head tell you you’re not good enough? Have you been escaping behind your walls and isolating in your darkness? Oh the enemy will try to tell you that it’s best for everyone if you just stay quiet and alone. The enemy will try to convince you it’s best for everyone if you just stay back. Those voices will tell you that you were never really wanted, never really part of them, and you’re better off alone. But check those voices … they smell like hell to me!
Yes, I smell the smokey residue from the pits of hell here. This was hell’s plan to position you for attack.
Girl, stop hiding. Get back with your pack! Lock arms with your people again.
Maybe you’ve been so good at disconnecting and hiding that no one even ...Wed, 10 Jan 2024 - 13min - 1546 - 1547 Do Your Part
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?
In the book of Judges we read about a group of people who were guided and protected by God, yet they failed to remain faithful. They got lost along the way, caught up in the details, and didn’t do their part. I wonder where God has guided and protected us, but we haven’t done our part?
Judges chapter 2 verses 1 and 2, an Angel of the Lord came and spoke to the Israelites and said “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land …’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?”
God made a deal. I will rescue you, now you don’t break my covenant. A covenant is an agreement. An agreement to follow God and trust him. And these people failed. They failed to do their part.
Have you failed to do your part? Could this be why you’re still waiting? Could this be why things aren’t happening for you? Could this be the source of your problem, your stress, your mess? A failure to do your part? I can’t answer that question for you, so you will need to seek God in your answer. HAVE YOU DONE YOUR PART?
Sadly I must admit there are a few areas of my life where I became a little lax. I coasted, and as a result I drifted. I stopped doing all I could do and as a result I was not experiencing all I could experience. That’s just the cold hard truth.
When we stop doing all we can do, we will not experience all we could experience. We’re in a partnership with God. God does his part without fail, but when we fail to do our part there is a break in the covenant. And God says “Hey, you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?”
We made a deal. God gave us this life to live, now we’re supposed to be living it well. We’re supposed to take everything we have and do something with it. We’re supposed to be showing up with our best effort every single day. We’re supposed to multiply what he has provided. BUT ARE WE?
How about let’s get real clear on what God is expecting us to do today. 1 Peter 1: 5 reading from the Message translation:
“Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given …”
Are you building on what you already have, or are you just skimming the top? Oh dang we fall into the trap of just skimming. We’re just barely using what we have. We’re just barely trying. Barely showing up. And as a result we’re doing exactly what this scripture warns us about, we’re losing our minutes. Translation, we’re wasting time. You’ve only been given so many days to walk this earth and make your impact, sister you can’t afford to waste a single one. But if you’re not building on what you’ve been given, you are wasting time. You’re wasting opportunities. You’re not doing your part and God is saying, YOU ARE DISOBEYING ME. WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?
You have faith. You believe God will provide. You believe God will make a way. That’s great. Faith is your foundation, but girl you can’t just sit around with a foundation and not build on it.
1 Peter 1: 5-10 goes on to break down our part in 7 simple steps. 7 things you can do today to ensure you’re doing your part, which then unleashes God to do his.Tue, 09 Jan 2024 - 15min - 1545 - 1546 That’s A Problem
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 very specific person that is really hard to love. Someone you work with, someone you live with, someone you share a circle with. Whew, Jesus wants you to love them, but it’s stretching you to your limits.
Who is it that is most hard for you to love?
Oh, I know exactly who it is. Let me hit the nail on the head and give you your ah-ha moment early. It’s someone you live with. It’s someone you work with. And it’s someone in every one of your circles. It’s YOU. You are most hard for you to love. You have become self-critical and judgmental of yourself. And of course you have, because you spend a whole lot of time with you.
I’m a fan of long distance relationships. Our time together is short and sweet. It is savored and precious, then you go home. I don’t have to deal with your quirky self on the daily, and let me tell you, girl, you are quirky! You’ve got some weird things you do. Some of y’all label crap and alphabetize it. Some of y’all can’t sit and keep your hands still. Some of y’all eat popcorn really loud. And some of y’all come up with the craziest cock-a-mamey ideas that no one understands (oh wait, that’s me.) It’s cute for a short amount of time, but then we need some space.
And that’s the problem, wherever you go, THERE YOU ARE! You can’t get space from you! You intimately know your struggles. You have to put up with your own darn quirkiness 24/7. You had a front row seat to every one of your failures. You don’t even like the sound of your own voice. And let’s not talk about looking in the mirror or seeing yourself in photos. Oh mercy. It’s a real issue.
Do you have a hard time loving you?
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 is to make him known, but you refuse to fully love the one person you can simply never get away from … YOU!
I promise you this, you hating you is not an honorable representation of your Creator. You may cover it up as humility, but at its core, it’s hateful. You’re hateful to you. And you being hateful to you doesn’t make a single soul say, “Wow, I just gotta know what that girl is doing! I gotta know about the one who helps her hate herself so well. I just gotta know where she gets this deep critical spirit for herself from, because I really want some of that too.” Nobody ever says that.
Do you want to know why loving others exhausts you so much sometimes? Because you show up already worn out from the battle you’re fighting with yourself. Before you ever greet your family in the morning, you’ve already beat yourself up for how your body is aging, how your energy is never enough, and how you’ve secretly failed yourself. And maybe you put on a good show so no one else sees it, but you hear it. That little voice in your head just never stops.
It’s why we struggle with relationships. We’re looking for someone to fill that empty hole within us, but no matter how much they pour into us, it’s never enough because, girl, you keep poking at the hole. God wants to heal that hole in you. He wants to help you calm the voices. He wants to help you love yourself so you can show up in this world in a way that glorifies your Creator.
What’s your current favorite product?Mon, 08 Jan 2024 - 21min - 1544 - 1545 Take It Back
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 the enemy taken your joy? There was once a sparkle in your eye and a pep in your step, now you’re only half way present and mostly checked-out.
Has the enemy taken your confidence? You’re a shell of who you once were, now you question if you can ever get back who you used to be.
Has the enemy taken your peace? You’re all stirred up, filled with worry and anxiety, hiding in dark corners where your thoughts hold you captive.
Has the enemy taken your marriage? Your child? Your family? Your health? Your purpose?
Girl, it’s time to boldly march to the gates of Hell, and with the power of God inside of you, demand back what the enemy has taken from you! This is the year YOU TAKE IT BACK!
I have a song and a story to awaken the fight within you. Which do you want first?
Okay, the story. The story of showing up with the power of God and taking back what the enemy stole.
1 Samuel 30: 1-20, “When David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into Ziklag and they had crushed and burned it to the ground. They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. But David found strength in the Lord his God.Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?”And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”
They found the Amalekites spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of plunder they had taken from the Philistines and the land of Judah. David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. David got back everything the Amalekites had taken. Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back. He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. “This plunder belongs to David!” they said.”
You’ve been crying long enough over what the enemy has stolen from you. Now, find your strength in the Lord! I challenge you to ask God, just as David did. “Lord, should I chase after the enemy who has stolen from me and take it back?” Ask God about your joy. Ask God about your passion. Ask God about your energy. Ask God about your dreams. Ask God about your relationships. Ask God about your future. God, should I just let the enemy take it, or should I fight to get it back?
And the Lord says, “Yes, go after it! You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!”
David hunted down the enemy and fought. He didn’t get back just some of what had been taken from him. No, he got back ALL of what had been taken. All of it. Every great thing and every small thing. Every son, every daughter, every cow, every tool, every weapon. It was all there and he took it all back.
But not only that, he took the enemy’s flocks and herds as well.
Will you be the girl that not only fights to get back what the enemy has stolen from you,Fri, 05 Jan 2024 - 19min - 1543 - 1544 Do The Math
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 grounded in the truths of God. It’s not your success. It’s not your failure. It’s who you carry in you that makes you who you are. Romans 8:37, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
You are more than a conqueror. That’s who you are. And it’s not because you have a track record of winning. It’s not because you always get it right. It’s solely because of the power of Jesus that dwells within you through all circumstances. This is how you get up again after you’ve been knocked down. This is how you overcome that big setback. This is how you look yourself in the mirror after that disappointment … you remember who you are and the power in you.
But it’s also how you handle winning. It’s how you show up after a big breakthrough. It’s how you see yourself in the mirror after your greatest success. You are more than a conqueror through Jesus, and Jesus alone. Girl, that wasn’t all you. The good you did is because of the good God put in you. The win was first made possible by God. He did the biggest part, honey, you just showed up believing it. Good for you for showing up because not everyone would. But keep yourself in the rightful position here.
Oh the balance of humility and confidence. Knowing who to praise for the win and who not to hate because of the loss. When it’s good, God gets the praise, not you. When it’s bad, Jesus took the shame, so you wouldn’t have to.
The problem is, we let our circumstances get in our head. When it’s good, it’s because we’re good. When it’s bad, it’s because we’re bad. Girl, you take this all so personal. But it’s hard not to, because after all, this is your life. It feels personal. Those problems feel personal. Those successes feel personal too. But when it changes what you believe about yourself, then it becomes a problem.
Charles Swindoll said, “Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it.” I’ve spent the past 15 years of my life doing the math and keeping my thoughts right. I’m telling you, it makes all the difference when you do the math right.
Your response to the things that happen in life originate in this place of what you believe about you. If you believe you’re a loser, then you respond to the things that happen to you with disappointment, anger, disgust, and self-hate. If you believe you are a self-made success, then you respond to the things that happen to you with pride, arrogance and entitlement.
However, if you believe you’re a beloved daughter of a mighty God who is forever watched by his eye, held by his hand, and guided to his good plans, then you respond to the thing that happen to you with faith and trust.
If you want to change one thing this year, work on changing what you believe about yourself. Changing what you believe about yourself won’t change your entire life, because 10% is still just going to happen no matter what, but it changes the 90%. How you respond to the things that are happening to you, both good and bad, is the major factor in how your life works out. You respond according to what you believe about yourself and this life you’re living.
Psalm 23 is the perfect example of the 10% and the 90%.
Thu, 04 Jan 2024 - 16min - 1542 - 1543 Now You Change
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 who are doing well, you have to question how much longer you can keep up this level of effort. Can you really do this ALL year long? How long will that new willpower stay this strong? How many days, weeks, months can you force yourself to keep doing this?
Making a change is not easy. But what’s even harder is making that change stick.
I remember my very first attempt at change. It’s actually one of my earliest memories. I was 6 years old. My family had started going to a little country church, and my brother, who was 3 years older than me, had accepted Jesus. The whole church went down to Cowskin Creek for a baptism. I watched my brother, my best friend, my hero, be baptized as the pastor quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” In my 6 year old brain, I had just received a brand new brother.
He was walking 6 inches taller that day. He was so proud, and everyone was so proud of him. So, that day, I decided I too wanted to be a new person. I went home and made my bed. But, I not only made my bed, I made my brother’s bed, then I made my parents bed. Y’all these were waterbeds. This was not an easy task for a 6 year old. But I was determined to change and be this new person, and the new little Pamela was going to make everyone’s bed.
Strangely enough, no one seemed to notice. All eyes were still on my brother. So, I decided I would be the best little girl anyone had ever seen. But the problem was, I was a wild little barefoot country girl with an afro, and I preferred to be like my brother and not wear a shirt on most summer days. By the end of the day, I had gotten a spanking from my mom. And it was there in that moment, I realized, I hadn’t changed. I wasn’t a new person at all. The next day, I didn’t make anyone’s bed.
Isn’t it funny how we’re still doing the same thing? We’re trying to convince ourselves and everyone else that we have changed and we’re now doing this new thing, but when we fail, we come to the realization we haven’t changed at all. We’re not anyone different. And in frustration, we give up.
What I had missed then as a 6 year old, and what I often continue to miss over 40 years later, is true change comes through Jesus. I can’t do this on my own, but with Jesus I sure can!
Do you remember Jesus teaching about the camel and the needle? He said in Matthew 19: 24-26, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
How in the world could a camel go through the eye of a needle? Jesus chose the camel as an example because it was the largest animal in Israel. And the needle, well the eye of a needle was the tiniest practical example in that day. So the tall camel going through this tiny needle, well that’s impossible. But with God, nothing is impossible.How can someone who has so much in this life hold it loosely and keep their hands open to God? Nearly impossible. Highly unlikely. Totally not normal. But with God’s grace and mercy, it is possible.How can me and you make the changes we need to m...Wed, 03 Jan 2024 - 15min - 1541 - 1542 Run With It
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 to all God has for you. All he asks is that you be fully available and trust him. Tell him now. God, I trust you and I’m available. I’m making time for you. I’m seeking you. I’m surrendering to you. Show me what you want to show me. Guide me where you want me to go. My life is available, Lord, lead the way!
Where could God take you if you follow him faithfully? Gosh, I don’t even know! What could his power at work within you make possible? My mind can’t even imagine! What breakthroughs could he orchestrate, what generational curses could he break, what prison doors could he tear down … all of them! He could have every single breakthrough you need, right here this year. He could take every generational curse that has run in your family, and he could break them all with you so they are never passed down to your children and your children’s children. He could demolish every prison that has held you back and set you free. And it could happen this year!
Isn’t that what you want? Truly, don’t you want to be able to move forward in freedom? Don’t you want to overcome everything that has been blocking you? Don’t you want the changes to last?
It’s here for you. It’s been divinely aligned specifically for you by the hand of the Almighty. Your available life faithfully following his lead will experience it all. Receive it and run with it!
Ephesians 1: 17-18 MSG, “I ask God to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!”
My sister, God doesn’t just want to do a little work in you, he wants to do EXTRAVAGANT work in you! Do you know what extravagant means? It means exceeding anything that is reasonable. It is totally over the top. And that’s the kind of work God wants to do in your life. The kind of work that only he can do. The kind of work you could never afford. It’s extravagant.
God’s not interested in helping you just enough to get through. He’s not planning a future for you that is just kinda okay. He’s not going to put a bandaid on that wound. No, he wants to do EXTRAVAGANT WORK in the life surrendered to him in complete trust. He wants to heal you to your core. He wants to show you a future you could have never dreamed up on your own. He wants to give you energy that doesn’t run out and strength without limits.
Ephesians 1:20, speaks of “God’s incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.”
That’s ground shaking, dead raising, life giving power. And God gives YOU that power.
Girl, you can’t be playing little with your life when you have been given that kind of power!
There are no limits to this strength which God wants to give you. The energy God provides simply doesn’t run out. When you receive what God is offering, there’s absolutely zero reason to hold back, play little, and assume where you are is where you will always be.
Tue, 02 Jan 2024 - 15min - 1540 - 1541 I Will Not Be Discouraged
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 happening here. Seeds you thought were dead are about to breakthrough the ground. Yes, breakthroughs are here. Growth is here. Proof of all you have been praying for, working for, waiting for, is about to be seen.
And my sister, it’s all under attack!
Why? Because it’s good!
God is doing something sooooo good in you. He’s been moving in your life, working in the details, preparing you for this new year. You’ve felt it. You’ve felt dreams being whispered again, hope being stirred, strength being received. And now … things get noisy!
Your adversary, the devil, he is loud. 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.” He roars! He creates noise. What does the noise do? It distracts us. It creates fear.
If you were on the Goal Setting Broadcast live with me this past Saturday, we had a front row seat to the noise of our enemy. As we are discussing the potential God has placed within you, along with the power, love and self-disciple to make the changes you desire and live in the fullness of the BIG Life you were created for, suddenly there was noise. Literal noise. Noise that drown me out. Noise that created chaos and confusion.
Our live Zoom broadcast was hijacked, and let me make this very clear, it was hijacked by evil. They flooded our screen with images of absolute evil in the chat. If you ever questioned if the devil is real and actively on the prowl, question no more. We saw him. And we heard him.
Why did this happen? Because you are on the cusp of breakthrough. You are daring to believe the promises which God has spoken over your life. You are claiming the power, the love, and the self-discipline God’s spirit has offered you. And if the enemy of your soul can’t rob you of that offering, he will certainly try to distract you from it.
There is noise! Oh, you will probably hear the noise today. Sometimes it shows up in loud, chaotic roars that send shivers down your spine. But most times it shows up as the little voice in your head that tries to talk you down. The voice that says you can’t. The voice that says you’re not good enough. The voice that says you’re not worthy of the changes you desire. The voice that says it will never happen for you. The voice that says it’s too late. That is NOT the voice of God. That is the voice of darkness. That is goodness under attack.
After this jarring experience and encounter with evil, God led me to a story in scripture to serve as a guide for each of us encountering the distractions of the enemy as we step into our new year of life.
The story is of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was charged by God to rebuild the destroyed wall of Jerusalem. This was good, and remember, all good comes under attack. His enemies did not want him to rebuilt the wall and they tried to discourage him. But Nehemiah would not be discouraged. Say that with me, “I WILL NOT BE DISCOURAGED!”
Nehemiah 6:1-4, “When word came to our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it, my enemy sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great proje...Mon, 01 Jan 2024 - 22min - 1539 - 1540 Before 2024 Goals – Questions #7
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 open the flow of the Holy Spirit to prompt us in writing our goals. But, we’ve saved the best for last!
Today, we dream! But, we don’t dream alone, we dream with God Almighty!
Question #7 to ask God before writing 2024 goals: God, what awesome things can we do together?
Ephesians 3:20 TPT, “Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”
14 years ago I read a book that radically changed my perspective on life. The book is titled “A Million Miles In a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller. Strangely enough, it’s a book about a writer writing a book. He says, “a good storyteller doesn’t just tell a better story – they invite other people into the story, giving them a better story too.” Wow. Isn’t God the perfect storyteller? He tells the greatest story every told, but it’s not just for us to hear, it’s for us to jump into, be in the middle of, and within his story, give us a better story.
Think about this: God created the entire universe in all of its mystery and majesty, then he invited you to come create with him. The divine creator gave you the ability to create too! You can create something. You can build something. You can grow something. You can change something. You can direct something. You can impact something. But get this, not only CAN you do this, but God DESIRES you do this!
Accept your divine invitation to do awesome things with God in 2024!
What could it be? Well, Sis, go ahead and dream your wildest dreams. No, bigger. Still bigger. And God says, “Yes, but even better!”
God is not against you. Oh, the enemy wants you to believe God is the gray bearded old guy on a throne with angry eyebrows and a big stick just waiting to strike you over the head, but that’s not our God! That’s Satan’s version of God. That’s the unapproachable, untouchable, unloving God dreamed up in the pits of Hell. Our God, the true God, sends angels to fight for us, he extends his hand to guide us, and he covers us with unending mercy and grace through the redeeming blood of his son Jesus.
Please, please, please know this. When God created you, he didn’t say, “Gosh, I hope she will just settle for a little life.” Honey, that’s not the purpose for your lifetime. You’re not here to “just get through this” and make it to Heaven. No! Think about how Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God wants his kingdom to come and his will to be done here on Earth, and how it comes is through YOU! You carry Heaven within you, and you are here to partner with God in bringing Heaven and his will to his people here.
Being on a mission to bring a piece of Heaven to Earth requires you to be energized! And that’s really perfect because let’s go back to Ephesians 3:20 in the Passion Translation again and it says, “his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” You don’t have to manufacture this energy on your own, that’s exhausting!Fri, 29 Dec 2023 - 20min
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