BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Sometimes hearing about God’s provision isn’t enough, you need to experience it for yourself. Sometimes reading about God’s movement, his power, and his presence isn’t enough, you need to feel it for yourself. And unfortunately, experiencing and feeling these things for yourself isn’t the sweet blessed moments you imagined. You find God’s movement in the hardest times of your life. You experience God’s power in the space between a rock and a hard place. God’s provision is in the week beyond the stretch of your last paycheck. His presence is in the dark times where you don’t see how it’s ever going to be okay again. It’s the storm, it’s the battle, it’s the odds stacked against you, it’s the outnumbered, outmatched, unprepared and unable moments. This is where you see, feel, and experience God. And maybe that’s exactly where you are today. You’re staring down the impossible and wondering how in the world you’re ever going to get through this. Well, this is where you get a front row seat to the movement of God! This is where you see things that change you forever. This is where you walk away never being the same again. You would rather avoid the hardship, but Jesus loves you so much he will lead you right into it, then show you who he really is while you’re going through it. The disciples of Jesus had a moment like this. A moment where they felt the pressure. They faced the impossible, and they were called upon to act in faith. The moment comes when they had a crowd of hungry people all around them, and nothing of significance to offer. But Jesus has the ability to take what is not enough and make it more than enough. He has the ability to use anything offered in availability to him, and work his divine multiplication to create an abundance. Most of us are familiar with the story of the “Feeding of the Multitude.” We fast forward to the miracle so fast in this story, but let’s sit for a bit in the disciples’ reality before the unfolding of the miracle. The reality was they were pressured to do something they could never do. A crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, had gathered to hear Jesus. They had been there all day and now they were getting hungry. Knowing they could never feed them, the disciples remind Jesus of the time and tell him to wrap this shindig up and send them away to get food for themselves. But Jesus wasn’t done here. Sometimes we’re asking God to wrap things up in our own lives. Lord, let this be over. Let this be the end of this struggle. Fix this, and fix it right now please. I’m over it, I’m ready to move on already, but God won’t seem to allow me step out of this. Things aren’t just getting better. Nothing is being fixed right now. Well, why is that? Could it be because he has more work planned here? Could it be because he’s been intentionally setting the stage for something bigger than you have planned and moving on now would cause you to miss this miracle? As the disciples are hurrying Jesus along, telling him they can’t feed all these hungry people, Jesus isn’t budging. The disciples are stressing, but Jesus is calm. The disciples feel pressured, but Jesus sits in perfect peace as if to say “you’re not going to believe what I’m about to do next!” God’s timing is perfect. It’s perfect the people have been here all day to hear Jesus. It’s perfect it’s now dinner time and the crowd has no food to eat. It’s perfect the disciples are right where they are and they get to see how little there r...

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2025

Wouldn’t it be nice to know what God wants you to do today? Like specifically, Lord, if you would be clear and tell me, I would do it. But, would you really? Today, we’re going to study a tiny scripture tucked away in a tiny book of the Old Testament which you may have never heard, but when you do, it will be so undeniably clear what God is asking of you. And when it’s this clear, then you’re left with only 2 choices: Yes, Lord, I will … or no, Lord, I won’t. I absolutely love that we can trust God so much to give him a blind all-in yes. If it’s what God is asking of us, we know it is best. If it’s an invitation from God, we know it will be for the ultimate good. Not all yeses are this easy. Just yesterday I called my red-headed Mama and I said to her, “Mama, I need you to clear your schedule for a weekend in September.” She said, “Oh really, why?” I said, “I’m not telling you, don’t you trust me?” She hesitated, remembered all the crazy adventures I’ve drug her into and said with great hesitation, “Sometimes …..” Sometimes she trusts me. But sometimes she doesn’t. Sometimes she doesn’t want to go where I’m inviting her. Sometimes she thinks my ideas are crazy and she would rather sit them out. All while I know what I’m inviting her into is something she will love … but she hesitates. Okay, I know you want to know what I invited her to, because actually, I’ll be inviting you too. I’m working on our September Retreat for this year and I’m thinking of going old-school with it. Yes, taking it back to where our retreats began so many years ago. A big ranch adventure retreat in Oklahoma! Think summer camp style with bunk houses, high ropes courses, canoes, horse back riding, camp fires, teaching sessions, and over 100 of the funnest and happiest Jesus girls you’ve ever met. Think cabin colors, paint fights, Thrift Store Formal night and hilarious games. I invited my Mama because she’s the funnest and happiest person you will ever meet, and I’m inviting you too because girl, I really want to meet you! (If you want to receive texts with retreat opportunities, text the keyword RETREAT2025 to 205-709-2582.) Now, back to God’s invitation. Do you trust him enough to offer an all-in yes before you know the details? He has a plan of action for you today, will you follow it? Here it is – Micah 6:8, “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: To do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Three things: * Do what is right* Love mercy* Walk humbly with God This is not some great mystery. God has made his requirements for you undeniably clear. And guess what, you CAN do this today! Wherever you are, whatever and whoever you’re dealing with, you can do this. * Start with doing what is right. How in the world do you know what is right? Well, you don’t have to figure that out on your own. Jesus promised each believer a helper, an advocate. This helper will always be with you. This advocate will always come along side you to guide you. My friends, that’s the Holy Spirit. That’s the gift you have been given. You already have the right way inside of you. The next right step is already known and already aligned, and to go even further, you have a holy guide for your lifted foot. You are literally being supernaturally guided to do what is right. Listen to that guide.

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

Maybe you’re facing this new week and you already feel overwhelmed and unequipped. Maybe you feel like you never have enough of everything you need and you’re always struggling to just keep going. Is that you? Are you wondering how you’re ever going to do all you need to do? Where will you get the energy? When will you have the time? You’ve counted and it just doesn’t seem to be enough. There’s not enough money, not enough people, not enough strength. But, here’s your truth today as you face a week you feel not enough for: When God is your direct source, you will not run out! God, you are my source. In you I find strength. In you I find resources. In you I find help. In you I find my next steps. And you never run out. Ever. Your supply is unlimited, overflowing and eternal – I’m tapping into you! When God so clearly spoke to me in January 2013 and said, “Start hosting a daily devotional,” I was only willing to make a 1 week commitment. Lord, I’ll do this, but only for 1 week. Why? Because #1, I was sure after 5 mornings of me trying my best at this thing, God would surely see I wasn’t the best pick for this and he would move on to someone else. And #2, I was certain I would quickly run out of new ideas and devotionals. So, God, I’ll commit to hosting this devotional thing for 1 week, then I’m off the hook. Y’all, over 3,000 live devotionals later and I’m still not off the hook! And here’s the crazy thing … the 2 fears that have been holding me back are my 2 greatest blessings in moving forward. #1, I’m still not the best pick for this, but every morning I’m humbled to know he still chose me. He doesn’t need me to be perfect, he just needs me to show up. My friend, I’m telling you if you will be consistently available for God, he will do things in and through you that you could never imagine in your wildest dreams. Consistently available. But #2, because I absolutely knew I had maybe 5 total devotional ideas in me, I know with over 3,000 now that is FAR BEYOND ME. I’m not the source of this. And once I realized I’m not the source, the pressure was relieved! It’s not up to me to produce on my own. It’s up to me to tap into the source and let it flow. I don’t know what you’ve been trying to do on your own and perhaps failing miserably at, but I’m pretty sure God is telling you you’re not the source. I don’t know what you’re doing that you think it’s all on you so the burden has become overwhelming heavy, but I feel a stirring in my spirit to tell you God’s got you, just tap into him. Yesterday I studied the final 3 tiny chapters of the Old Testament. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Each are visions and messages given by God to specific prophets. And while these visions are over 2,500 years old, they are given by an eternal God who saw you in this very day of life on the day the vision was given. There’s something here for you. Are you ready to receive it? Maybe you’ve been waiting your whole life to receive this, and here it comes. I’ll read the scripture which may seem a little confusing, then we’ll dig deeper to understand the vision and apply it in precisely the way God has planned for you today. Zechariah is a prophet of God and the Lord is speaking to him through an angel who is showing him visions. Zechariah 4: 2-7, “‘What do you see now?’ the angel asked. I answered, ‘I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. And I see two olive trees,

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2025

Grab your Bible and let’s dive deeper into the story of Jonah to see howGod works through the things we want to avoid to change our heart!Enjoy today’s unscripted Bible study time from Jonah 2. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Transcribed - Published: 7 March 2025

We all likely have heard the story in the Bible about Jonah and the whale. First, let me ask, do you actually believe it? Sometimes it’s hard to be a person of deep intelligence and faith at the same time because some things just don’t make sense. How did this real man end up in the belly of a real whale, and survive for 3 days? There are stories in the Bible that are known as parables and those are nothing more than teaching points made practical by made up stories. But let’s be clear, this isn’t one of them. Jonah lived 700 years before Jesus. He was a prophet of God. The book of Jonah in the Old Testament tells his story. Then Jesus reminds everyone of his story in Matthew 12:40 and says, “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Jesus is saying, “Yes, as unbelievable as that was, it really happened … and now, something totally unbelievable is going to happen with me too.” Jesus would be crucified on the cross and he would hang there for all to see he was dead, his body would be put in a secure tomb, and three days later women would come to the tomb and find the stone had been rolled away and Jesus was no longer there, for he had risen. It really happened. These are not made up stories. However, because they seem nearly unbelievable, faith is required here. Did you know there was recently a lobster diver off the coast of Cape Cod who was swallowed by a humpback whale? For real. It happened. He was on the news being interviewed from the hospital. Now that man has a testimony! How absolutely incredible! But, my guess would be it didn’t feel incredible while it was happening. Here this guy is swimming around on the bottom of the ocean catching lobsters and all of a sudden things just go dark. He never saw it coming. He initially thought he had been eaten by a shark, but in the darkness he realized he wasn’t injured. If it were a shark, he would have been shredded. So where was he? He could feel movement of his surroundings so he knew whatever he was in was moving in the water. He starts moving around as violently as he can. Hitting, kicking, desperately doing everything he can to get out of whatever he’s stuck in. And then, the whale surfaces, shakes his head and spits him out! INCREDIBLE! None of that felt incredible while it was happening. And really, that’s the thing about a testimony … going through it is not incredible. It’s dark. It’s scary. It’s likely the opposite of what you were hoping for or had planned for your day. But girl, when you make it out …. hallelujah! That’s your testimony. This man’s recent testimony reminds us Jonah and the whale is a real story. Yes, it happened … but have you ever asked WHY it happened? Why was this prophet of God swallowed by a whale? Do you know? We don’t have to guess because scripture tells us plain and clear. Jonah 1: 1-3, “The Lord gave this message to Jonah, ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I see how wicked the people are.’ But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.” Well, there’s the problem right there. Jonah was running from God. Running from God ended him up in the belly of a whale for a couple days where he could get his head and his heart right and try again in obedience to God. Girl, have you been running from God? Maybe you don’t really think so because you have valid reasons for doing the things you’re doing and not doing what you’re not doing.

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

Forty. It’s a significant number in the Bible, often representing new life, growth and transformation. That’s exciting and fantastic, but dig deeper. That goodness always came AFTER a time of trial, hardship and sacrifice. The fear-filled and disobedient Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, then God led a new obedient generation into their Promised Land. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days by the devil. After that temptation, Jesus began his ministry on Earth and changed eternity. It rained for 40 days, flooding the entire earth. All life outside of Noah’s ark was eliminated. Then the waters receded and life began again from only that which had been saved. The giant Goliath taunted God’s people for 40 days. Then, the little shepherd boy David slays the giant with his slingshot and a rock and wins them victory and freedom. Forty. 40 days, sometimes 40 years. But then, completion, then renewal, then victory. The next 40 days is known as Lent. It’s the time between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, leading up to Easter Sunday. This is our time of sacrifice and hardship, leading to new life, growth and transformation. Oh yes, God wants to do a work in YOU! We love the promise of transformation, but resist the refining work of the trial. But, God says this work he wants to do in you is entirely too valuable to be cutting corners! The transformation is coming, and it’s coming THROUGH the trial. The hallelujah is on it’s way, right behind this hardship. The strengthening happens because of the sacrifice. Now, Sis, face your 40! Don’t let the next 40 be like your last 40. It’s time to go deeper. It’s time for full heart surrender. It’s time for sacrifice. It’s time for repentance. On the other side of this 40 is that new life, that growth, that transformation only God has seen. God wants to do a work in you! Will you submit to the process? I didn’t grow up in Church. I only knew Easter as the special weekend where Mama made me a pretty dress and I sat quietly with old people for 1 hour while some man in a suit talked about things I didn’t understand … then we ate a feast at Grandma’s house. I most certainly didn’t know about Lent. I’ve had to do some studying to understand what all of this means. So, just in case you come from a background like me, let me give a quick rundown on what this season of 40 days means. In the early days of Christianity, before someone could be baptized as a Christian, they were to spend 40 days and 40 nights preparing. During this time, they were to sacrifice comforts and really consider if they wanted to commit their life to Jesus. This time of preparation was modeling the preparation of Jesus for 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4) Now, many Christian churches baptize as infants, so the 40 days of Lent is used as a time of renewal and re-commitment to Christ and the life he has called us to. So, to put it simply, that’s what this time is … This is your renewal and re-commitment to Jesus. A time specifically dedicated to focusing on Jesus. How many of you would confess you struggle with focus? Your mind is busy, your days are over-filled, and you are scattered. To focus, the excess must be eliminated, and only the source of our intention can remain. BUT HOW? How exactly do you put all of life on hold so you can focus on Jesus? I mean it would be really great if we could each go to our own private retreat where we have absolutely no worries and no obligations so 100% of our time can be spiritual. The truth is,

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

Recently God has lovingly asked me to adjust my conversations with him. Out of neglect, my prayers have become mostly a list of ways I want God to move and act. God, do that, then do this. I’m continually suggesting his next move. I push my preferred destiny on the one who holds the ultimate preferred destination for my life, as if I know better and he needs my help. Is that what you do too? Something I’ve noticed on my journey with God is he allows me to be wrong. He allows me to do it wrong. Then, with time as my trust in him grows, he begins to show me a better way. Now, he’s showing me Luke 6:45, “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” This heart was really full of supreme ideas and suggested ways. This heart was full of a need for control and everyone under my control to play nice, just the way I wanted them to. And from my heart, everything I said to God just flowed. “God, fix this. God, change them. God, stop her.” But, in a surrender of my heart, God is changing the words that flow from it. He’s simply asked me to give him more praise. Recognize his extraordinary power and my complete dependence on him. See his hand in everything, and trust him wholeheartedly. Give him credit and stop assuming my goodness was the force behind any of this. He is the force, I am not. He is the Creator, I am not. He is the healer, redeemer, provider, restorer, I AM NOT. And when my heart knows that, then what I say flows from that. I’m in a season where God has asked me to practice words of awe, wonder and praise over requests, pleas and demands. As God has been dealing with me on this change of my heart, he leads me to a tiny book of the Bible I’ve never studied, Hosea. I must admit, it’s a bit confusing because it starts out like this, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go and marry a prostitute.” Immediately my brain flips a switch that says, “Skim over this, it’s not applicable.” Some of the Bible is a hard read. I can’t pretend to understand it all, and if it were my book, I would have left a whole lot of that out. But it’s not my book. It’s above me. My guess is, it’s above you too. Good, it keeps us humble and it keeps us seeking. I think that was God’s plan. As I leaned into God’s word in the book of Hosea, there were things that started leaping off the page at me. Warnings and promises revealed, and to my surprise, they do apply to me. I bet they apply to you too. The Lord is speaking to his people. He refers to them as his bride. Don’t let that trip you up and don’t let the enemy twist that. Know that it means you are chosen, you are cherished, and you are adored. But as the Lord is speaking to his bride, he shows us there is a problem … she fails to recognize all God has done for her. Hosea 2:8, “She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has.” She has become ungrateful. She has become so busy with her blessings that she fails to honor the bless-or. She treats her provisions as if she earned them. She receives without acknowledgment or gratitude and only expects more. She takes it for granted. SHE IS ME. Is she you too? When we fail to realize it was God who gave us everything we have, we face an awakening that comes only through hardship. God says in verse 13, “I will punish her for all those times she forgot about me.” The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Honey, if you can’t be trusted with your blessings,

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025

Have you ever questioned if God hears your prayers? Oh honey, he hears you. But if he hears you, why isn’t he answering you? That’s a tough question. We often misunderstand the answers. There’s more than just yes, there’s also not yet, and no because I have something better for you. Now, today, we’re going to read about an experience Daniel had with an angel. Maybe this is a story you’ve never even heard, I know I certainly hadn’t. God wants us to hear this now so we can understand there’s more happening than what we can see, and we play a role in the outcome! To set the stage, remember Daniel was a man of God who had visions and could interrupt dreams. With faith, he had survived the lion’s den as angels had shown up and sealed the lion’s mouths to protect him. Now, in Daniel chapter 10, he has had a vision that he could not understand and it was disturbing to him, so he he’s prayed to God for 3 weeks for understanding. Now, after 3 weeks, this is what happens, verse 4-14: On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people. Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” Here’s what we need to know … what is happening behind the scenes in the spiritual realm is a full on battle! Behind every scene, the angels and demons are fighting. The demons are fighting to delay you, distract you, discourage you, overwhelm you, depress you, and destroy you. All the time. Every time. But God’s angels are battling them to protect you, deliver you, encourage you, strengthen you and move you forward. It. Is. Real. You can’t see it, but it is constantly happening. Paul knew that for sure and he wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” This angel, who looks like a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist and a body that looked like a precious gem with eyes that flamed like torches and a voice that roared has been in battle for Daniel. The battle was over the answer to his prayer.

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2025

As a little girl, I knew absolutely nothing about God. I wasn’t raised in church. Sadly when I was a toddler, my parents were hurt by church and simply never went back for 15 years. The only thing I knew about God were the pictures in our family Bible. Did anyone else have a massive Bible with foil edges and full colored pictures somewhere in their home as a centerpiece decoration? It really wasn’t to be touched, but to look pretty on the table in the foyer. But I loved to sneak in and look at the pictures. One of those pictures was of a man in a robe, surrounded by lions. The lions appeared to be tame and the man appeared to be quite calm and in complete control. I had no way of knowing why this man was surrounded by lions, perhaps he was some sort of circus performer. It literally took me over 40 years to actually study the story in my own Bible to understand the scene … and understand maybe that’s not what the scene really looked like at all. Maybe the lions weren’t tame, maybe they were ferocious and pacing the floor for attack. And maybe the man in a robe wasn’t in charge at all. Maybe there was something unseen in the room achieving the impossible. And what if, in the middle of your hardest times, there’s something unseen in the room with you too. Something holding back the threat, something shielding you with divine protection, something doing the absolute impossible for you … but you just can’t see it. Today, consider maybe that’s precisely what is happening. God has sent his angels to stand guard over you during this. No, he didn’t magically eliminate the problem, but in the middle of the problem, he is protecting you from the dangers. This is a story of Daniel. If you remember from an episode earlier this week, Daniel is a man of God with the gift of interpreting dreams and messages from God. He’s faithful in every way and earned a high position in the King’s house. A few Kings had come and gone during Daniel’s time, and now there was a new King, King Darius. This King loved and respected Daniel above everyone else and planed to place him over the entire empire. That of course makes others very jealous. What do jealous people do? They cause problems. Now Daniel didn’t have a single skeleton in his closet. He was faithful and good in every single thing he did, so his enemies could find absolutely no fault in him. So what did they do? They made something up! Let’s pause right there … My sister, it doesn’t matter how much good you do, your enemy will find something or create something against you. Always. Don’t be shocked by it. And don’t play pitiful over it. Have you ever heard Mother Theresa’s poem called ‘Anyway’? These were the words inscribed on the walls of her children’s home in Calcutta: People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;Give the world the best you’...

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2025

I recently heard adulthood is a never ending perpetual cycle of waiting for life to calm down, then you die. Is that you? Right now life is busy and hectic, it’s uncertain and stressed, it’s not what you envisioned it being at this stage … but when it calms down, whew doggies look out, you’re gonna live! You’re going to start really living one day. You’ll sit and sip your coffee in pure delight. You’ll have time and energy. You will be proud of yourself and walk with confidence. Oh yes, that day is coming, that day when life calms down and gets better and you can be truly happy, and when it does, you’re going to live! No. You’re. Not! The very heartbeat of life is a rhythm of ups and downs, when it calms down your ride is over sister. We’re saving up our happy for an imaginary destination in this life that doesn’t exist. Right here, right now, this is where you can live. Yes, this season of life, this one with it’s chaos and messes, disappointments and circumstances far short of perfection, this is where living happens. In the absence of calm is where you find the living. It’s a nasty ploy of the enemy to convince you that sometime in the future you will have the time, energy and resources to do the things you want to do with your life. When life calms down and things get better … then. The truth is, we’re living perfectly good days of life in survival mode, in the absence of a crisis. Hey listen to me, that crisis may come and you may need to just get through it, but if your life is free of an absolute undeniable crisis today, then you better be living! The enemy’s plan is to kill, steal and destroy. Never lose sight of that. Has he been killing your happiness, stealing your joy, destroying your TODAY with a focus on another day? Oh how he tricks us into missing today because of the worries of tomorrow, or missing today because of the hopes that somehow a future tomorrow will be better than the one we ended up with today. Ephesians 5: 15-16 NKJV, “See then that you walk circumspectly (carefully and intentionally), not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Redeeming the time … what an interesting phrase. The specific Greek word used here for time didn’t just mean day after day, it meant a specific portion of time where something should happen. THE TIME is a season of opportunity we must redeem. My sister, today is part of your season of opportunity and you’re supposed to be redeeming this. THE TIME is now. Do something with it. Don’t let this just pass. How are you using this specific time for the glory of God? How are you using this time for things of eternal impact? You can’t wait for better days. Here’s how we know for sure this is THE time we’re called to live intentionally – because indeed, the days are evil. There’s a whole lot of crazy, scary crap going on out there. That’s absolutely no surprise. This is THE TIME for you to live intentionally and redeem the time. How are you going to show Jesus in this? The NLT puts it like this, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” How do fools live? They miss opportunities. They don’t show up for life. Be careful how you live and make the most of every opportunity. Today is full of opportunities … what will you do with them? What if your response to today’s opportunities determine tomorrow’s offering? Yes,

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

Have you ever been humbled by life? You know, knocked down off your high horse and left to sit in your failure feeling incredibly human. It’s a deep seeded fear within most of us, and that fear often holds us hostage. We’re so fearful of failure that we fail to even show up and try. We would rather sit on the sidelines watching others than dare step on the fields ourselves and risk failure. But deep down, I’ve discovered there’s something I’m even more fearful of than failure. I’m honestly afraid of success. If I succeed, then what will I have to do to manage that success? What would be expected of me? Failing doesn’t come with a whole lot of pressures, but success comes with overwhelming pressure. The higher you climb, the harder that fall is. But God doesn’t want us to be failures, nor does he want us to be afraid of success. What he desires of his girls is to walk in the success he offers while remaining humble. If you can’t be humble in this, then honey, you can’t keep it. Do you have something you’ve worked hard for today and now you’re taking credit for it? Did you build that? Did you create that? Did you save that? Did you make that happen? Really, did you? Because if it was all you, I can tell you what’s coming next. Pie. Your pie is coming next. Humble pie. This week we’ve been reading in the book of Daniel about King Nebuchadnezzar. He didn’t believe in the one true God. He had his own gods, himself being one of them. He was incredibly proud of himself. So proud, he built that massive golden statue of himself and demanded everyone bow down and worship it when music played. And remember, there were 3 young men who refused to worship his statue, and as a result, they faced the punishment of death in a fiery furnace. Because of their faith while facing the furnace, then because of the King’s own sight of the fourth man in the fire with them, King Nebuchadnezzar became a believer of the true God. Well hallelujah, this man changed! Daniel 4:2-3, the King sends a message to all the people and says, “I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations.” Isn’t that just fantastic! But, here’s what happens next. Verse 4, “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity.” Que the music … dom, dom, dommmmmm. That’s a problem. We humans simply do not do well will comfort and prosperity. Have you ever noticed that? Our priorities get all jacked up. We start doing stupid stuff. And God gets put on the back burner. Is that what has happened to you? God got you through that crisis, and now that life is easier you’ve gotten comfortable. In your comfort you’ve gotten soft. You’ve grown just luke warm. You’re not cold, but you’re certainly not on fire for God anymore. Why? Because honestly, it’s just not required. That’s what comfort and prosperity often do. We become self-sufficient and self-centered. Dom, dom, dommmmmm. My sister, can’t you hear the music? Sitting in his comfort and prosperity, the King has a disturbing dream. Daniel was specially gifted by God to interpret dreams. The King calls Daniel in and says, “Now tell me what my dream means.” And well, it wasn’t good news. It was a warning. A warning that the King was going to lose his kingdom, lose his mind, and live in the field with wild animals for 7 years.

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2025

Sometimes God doesn’t prevent the fires in our lives that threaten us. Oh how we wish he would just put them out, and sometimes he does … but sometimes he doesn’t. We’re talking about the times he doesn’t. The times when bad things happen. The times when it’s unfair. The times when God doesn’t deliver us from it, but he sustains us in it. The truth is, God can prevent the fire or he can provide for us in the fire. I prefer the times he prevents, but we come out better when he doesn’t. In yesterday’s devotional, we began the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These were the 3 young men in Babylon who refused to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue. The punishment for refusing the King’s command was to be thrown into a blazing furnace, but they would not compromise. They said to the King in Daniel 3: 16-18, “We do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is ABLE to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” We are to never doubt God’s ability, but also don’t assume to know God’s will. I know what I hope God will do with this fire, but faith requires me to trust him even if he doesn’t do what I want. Even if my desires don’t align with his plans, I will trust in him. Does that mean we know for sure the fire won’t touch us or our family, that we won’t be burned, that we won’t lose everything … no, we have absolutely no promises of that. Our promises are eternal promises. Our fires in life must be judged by an everlasting God and an eternal life that awaits. Trouble was promised in this life and our Jesus has already overcome every trouble. Eternally, trouble will be no more. Here in this temporary life, trouble will come. If troubling fires surround you, I want you to know the rest of the story. I want you to hear what God can do even when he doesn’t stop the fire. Even when you feel the heat. Even when you fall into the flames, understand THIS IS WHERE GOD IS! Daniel 3: 19-28 – Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Sharach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes and other garments. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shardach, Meshach and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied. “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, official, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire h...

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

What if God doesn’t do what you want him to do here? What if he doesn’t make this all work out the way you think it should work out? Really, what if he doesn’t … where does you faith stand then? Where will your joy be found if your idea of good isn’t how this unfolds? God never called you and I to a life of certainty. He hasn’t empowered a single one of us to know or control what unfolds next. Here’s what we do know: We know Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world!” Your trouble will be overcome by Jesus. Now we don’t know when and we don’t know how, but we know somehow and someway Jesus is overcoming this trouble. But it won’t always look like it and it certainly won’t always feel like it. Faith requires you to accept that this may not go the way you want it to go. Faith requires a trust that reaches deeper than the circumstances and remembers there’s an eternity we have not seen. Will Jesus heal the cancer? I know he can and I know he will … but what we don’t know is if it’s healed in this temporary earthly body or if it’s healed in the future eternal state of perfection. Both are healing, we just don’t know which one it will be. Will Jesus save that marriage? Well, there’s a whole lot of human free will and choices involved in a thing like marriage. So honestly, I don’t know. Will Jesus save your job? Will he clear the rain on your beach vacation? Will he give you that baby? Will he open the doors to your dreams? Will he bless you with wild success? Answer: I have no idea! I know he can, but I can’t pretend to know his ways or his timing. In my earthly state, I can’t imagine the heavenly workings of all these details. And this is where we must quote Daniel 3: 18, “But even if he doesn’t …” I know what God CAN do … he can do absolutely anything. Nothing is impossible with God. I know some of the things God has done, and those things are miraculous, indescribable, and unpredictable. And I know the end game, Jesus has already overcome every problem in the world … literally! Today’s problem will not be a problem forever. However, I have no way of knowing exactly what God is going to do with today’s problems and uncertainties. How arrogant of us to assume we know the things only Heaven knows. God’s plans may be different than our desires. Faith requires us to live with open hands of surrender and find peace in the not knowing. The truth is, I don’t know if I wake up tomorrow … neither do you. The truth is, we don’t know what could come falling out of the sky today. We don’t know what news the next phone call may bring. But not a single one of us have to be disturbed in the not knowing. We are called to live in a state of balance where we never doubt God’s ability, but also don’t assume to know God’s will. Where is the trouble in your life? Really, think about the trouble you’re dealing with right now. It’s a trouble of uncertainty isn’t it? You don’t know if, you don’t know how and you don’t know when. Now, do you believe God really has the ability to change this trouble you’re facing? Can he heal this? Can he restore this? Can he stop this? Can he make it happen? YES. Absolutely! He can do it. This is not beyond his reach or outside of his power. Nor is it hidden from his eye. He sees and he knows. Now, WHAT will he do? That we do not know. My sister, can you make peace with simply not knowing.

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2025

Join us for an unscripted Bible study time together.God, if you’re in it, I want it … if you’re not, I don’t. Now, the even harder prayer: God if you want me to change in this, I’m willing to change. If you want me to change how I do it, I’ll change it. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” How do we become this new person? WE CHANGE! How does the old life become a new life? WE CHANGE! What if the change you are seeking for your child will begin first in that child’s mama? What if the change you’re seeking in your marriage first begins with your husband’s wife? Powerful Prayer – Father, help me to be the wife/mom they need right now. Give me a holy conviction for anything that needs to change, and special strength to change my attitude and my actions. God wants to do a supernatural work in you. His work is in CHANGING you. He doesn’t want to change you because he hates you, he wants to change you because he loves you too much to let you live this life in any way short of the fullness for which you were created. There’s untapped potential within you, change is required here. The MSG translations of 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Anyone united with Jesus gets a fresh start.” What a GIFT! You are being offered the gift of change in you today … not in anyone one else, and not in anything else … the change starts in YOU. This is a gift. The act of receiving the gift is up to you. Embrace any changes God is orchestrating. God, if you want to change me, I am pliable. Pliable: Ready to change, easy to work with. Receptive to correction and responsive to your lead. YOU ARE NOT THE POTTER. YOU ARE THE CLAY. God spoke to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18: 1-6 and said, “God down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” When Jeremiah gets to the potter’s show he watches him work at the wheel with a lump of clay. As he watches, he gets an image of how God works in our lives. The jar the potter was making didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, so he crushed it and started over again. And God said, “As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” God isn’t asking you to form and perfect yourself. That’s not your job. He’s asking you to remain pliable in his hands. Be ready to change. Be easy to work with. Be receptive to correction. Be responsive to the molding of his hands. Ephesians 2:10 says “You are God’s masterpiece.” And maybe you’re not there yet, but in his hands, it’s who you are becoming. He’s not done with you. He’s molding you, making you and changing you … LET HIM! We see the miraculous change in the caterpillar who becomes a butterfly. Ohhhhh, what is happening in that cocoon is internal work that cannot be see, but it’s happening. Isn’t that what God is doing to you too? He’s doing deep, internal work. He’s changing your heart. He’s changing your thoughts. He’s changing your priorities. He’s changing your habits. He’s changing your dreams. The process feels restrictive. It feels like he’s only taking things away from you. But this is your cocoon. This is your molding in his hands on the wheel. Change is required for you to become his masterpiece. Don’t go jumping out of his hands.

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2025

The enemy uses very specific weapons against you. Weapons meant to detour you. Weapons meant to defeat you. Weapons meant to destroy you. Depress you, deceive you, dismiss you, and disease you. Maybe you’ve felt the sting of his weapons. Maybe you’re living in fear of his weapons. And maybe you’re like the majority of us and you’re wondering where is God in this and why has he allowed it? We must remember that not everything comes from God, some things are formed in the pits of Hell. Some things are schemes of evil from the enemy. We can’t blame God for that. However, the hard thing is understanding absolutely NOTHING can touch our lives without God’s permission. We see in scripture the devil asking God for permission to attack, permission to sift, permission to harm, then it’s up to God to approve of disapprove. Anyone else honestly just want to say, “God, why did you approve of this attack? Why did you allow this weapon against me to touch me? Why didn’t you stop this?” That’s a fair question. I’ve learned on this journey that God can handle my questions. I assure you, he can handle yours too. Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” This does not say a weapon will never be formed. It does not promise you’ll never feel the pain of a weapon used against you. But it does say any weapon against you will not PROSPER. That weapon won’t be forever successful. It will not dominate over you always. The next part of that scripture in the MSG translation says, “God’s servants can expect that I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.” If you are surrendered to and serving God with your life, then you can EXPECT that somehow, someway, God will use the weapons formed against you for something good. But how? How can this ever be good? Well I stumbled across a very specific example while studying the book of Ezekiel. Now, first let me be honest and tell you if you’re new to studying your Bible, you really shouldn’t start with Ezekiel. It’s a tough read. It’s brutal battles and ignorant people not learning the lessons there for them. The majority of the time I’m reading and just saying, “Thank you Jesus for covering me and paying the price I couldn’t pay.” But in between the battles and the slaughters, you find little details that are like shimmering diamonds. Sweet reassurances of God’s goodness even when life has been hard and you’ve been under attack. Check this out in Ezekiel 39. God is angry with a prince named Gog. Gog had evil thoughts come to his mind and he began devising a wicked scheme against the people of Israel. Although Gog and his armies would attack Israel, their weapons would not prosper. In fact, look at what would happen to their weapons. Verse 3, God says, “I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless.” But then he goes even further, speaking against the evil prince Gog who had formed an attack against God’s people. He says in verse 9-10, “Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need.” And that, my friends, is what you call LITERALLY USING EVERYTHING INTENDED TO HARM YOU FOR SOMETHING GOOD. What if the weapons that have been threatening you ...

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2025

The enemy uses very specific weapons against you. Weapons meant to detour you. Weapons meant to defeat you. Weapons meant to destroy you. Depress you, deceive you, dismiss you, and disease you. Maybe you’ve felt the sting of his weapons. Maybe you’re living in fear of his weapons. And maybe you’re like the majority of us and you’re wondering where is God in this and why has he allowed it? We must remember that not everything comes from God, some things are formed in the pits of Hell. Some things are schemes of evil from the enemy. We can’t blame God for that. However, the hard thing is understanding absolutely NOTHING can touch our lives without God’s permission. We see in scripture the devil asking God for permission to attack, permission to sift, permission to harm, then it’s up to God to approve of disapprove. Anyone else honestly just want to say, “God, why did you approve of this attack? Why did you allow this weapon against me to touch me? Why didn’t you stop this?” That’s a fair question. I’ve learned on this journey that God can handle my questions. I assure you, he can handle yours too. Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” This does not say a weapon will never be formed. It does not promise you’ll never feel the pain of a weapon used against you. But it does say any weapon against you will not PROSPER. That weapon won’t be forever successful. It will not dominate over you always. The next part of that scripture in the MSG translation says, “God’s servants can expect that I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.” If you are surrendered to and serving God with your life, then you can EXPECT that somehow, someway, God will use the weapons formed against you for something good. But how? How can this ever be good? Well I stumbled across a very specific example while studying the book of Ezekiel. Now, first let me be honest and tell you if you’re new to studying your Bible, you really shouldn’t start with Ezekiel. It’s a tough read. It’s brutal battles and ignorant people not learning the lessons there for them. The majority of the time I’m reading and just saying, “Thank you Jesus for covering me and paying the price I couldn’t pay.” But in between the battles and the slaughters, you find little details that are like shimmering diamonds. Sweet reassurances of God’s goodness even when life has been hard and you’ve been under attack. Check this out in Ezekiel 39. God is angry with a prince named Gog. Gog had evil thoughts come to his mind and he began devising a wicked scheme against the people of Israel. Although Gog and his armies would attack Israel, their weapons would not prosper. In fact, look at what would happen to their weapons. Verse 3, God says, “I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless.” But then he goes even further, speaking against the evil prince Gog who had formed an attack against God’s people. He says in verse 9-10, “Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need.” And that, my friends, is what you call LITERALLY USING EVERYTHING INTENDED TO HARM YOU FOR SOMETHING GOOD. What if the weapons that have been threatening you ...

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2025

Are you faced with something that is simply too far gone? Something that has no hope left for the future. Something so broken there’s no chance of repair. Impossible. May I remind you of Luke 1:37, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” No thing … no, not even your thing. With God, it IS POSSIBLE. Without God, there’s no way. So, we’re left with a choice … are you going to give this to God? Are you going to bring it to the throne and surrender it to him? Are you going to seek his will, his way, and his timing? Are you going to trust him with the details? Are you going to be obedient? And by obedient I mean are you going to forgive? Are you going to let it go? Are you going to love? Are you going to trust? If you’re not willing to be obedient, then you’re not really giving it to God, so your impossible will remain impossible. My sister, has your hardened heart and wounded spirit gotten in the way of your obedience? Really, have you become bitter, vengeful, hateful, resentful and stubborn in your hurt and now you’re a road block for what God says is still possible? Let me ask you, is that what you really want? Do you really want to block the miraculous work of God in your life, in your family, in your future? I don’t think that’s what you really want. It’s what you’ve settled for in your hurt, but it’s not what you really want because it’s not God’s best for you. So, God wants to show us something today. “Us” as in those who are faced with something that seems simply too far gone. Us who have lost hope for the future of something. Us who are facing reality, and reality says this is far beyond repair now. Us who have been hurt by what has been damaged or lost. Let God show you something. Stay open to the power of his word. Ezekiel 37: 1-14 – the story of the dry bones. There’s a song by Elevation Worship titled “Rattle” about this story. Now as we read this, understand this is a vision given to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet who lived hundreds of years before Jesus. He was a spiritual watchman, which meant he was in charge of hearing from God then warning the people. This is one of Ezekiel’s visions from God that he was told to share. The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies.

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2025

Have you ever questioned how exactly you’re supposed to hear from God? If he is your guide, then how do you receive his guidance? Maybe you’ve heard people say things like, “The Lord told me this…” or “God asked me to do that …”, and you’re like, “REALLY … how does he do that?!!!” If you feel like you’ve never heard God tell you much of anything, you’re certainly not alone. If you’re unsure of how to receive his guidance, you’re in the right place to hear exactly what you most need to hear today. By the end of this devotional, you will finally understand the precise steps to hearing from God. To learn, we’re going to go to someone far more qualified than myself. Someone who has a track record of divine guidance from God that lead to one impossible victory after another. David. Yes, we talked about David yesterday. The youngest of Jesse’s 8 sons who was left out in the fields to tend to the sheep when Samuel showed up at the house and said the Lord had sent him there to anoint the next King. But even when he was in the wrong place, even when he was left out, even when he was overlooked, God specifically chose him. Then, after he was chosen, his life went back to much the same. He kept tending those sheep. He kept fighting off lions and bear in those fields. And all of this was his understated and unannounced training. Training for a destined battle and predetermined victory. Now I don’t know about you, but I have an in depth skill of avoiding battles. I don’t like confrontation. I would prefer to let you have your way and think you’re right than fight you over it. I want nothing to do with a battle. But some battles are destined. What if the battle you find yourself in today has a predetermined victory. And what if that victory will be a result of the years of training you went through in fields where no one recognized your work? GOD HAS YOU IN TRAINING NOW FOR A DESTINED BATTLE AND PREDETERMINED VICTORY. Be faithful in your field, my friend. In 1 Samuel 18, after David defeats Goliath, King Saul takes note of this young teenager, and finally, so did everyone else. The women start singing David’s praises over King Saul’s praises. So what do you think happens next … King Saul becomes enraged with jealousy. For the next several chapters we see the King constantly planning a sneak attack to kill David. David is always on the run, hiding, fearful for his life, all while King Saul is in relentless pursuit of the one he is so jealous of. And suddenly we start noticing a theme in scripture. Time after time, David asks the Lord very specific questions for his next steps and he receives very specific and clear answers. 1 Samuel 23: 2-5 “David asked the Lord, ‘Should I go …’ ‘Yes, go …’ the Lord told him. So David and his men went.” 2 Samuel 2: 1 “David asked the Lord, “‘Should I move …’ ‘Yes,’ the Lord replied. Then David asked, ‘Which town should I go to?’ ‘To Hebron,’ the Lord answered.” How was David able to ask God such specific questions and get such specific answers? Isn’t this what you want in your life? It’s most certainly what I want. I want to know that I know that I know God is directing me. I want to know for sure that prompting, that thought, that open door is from God … but I often don’t. The truth is, sometimes I question if that’s God speaking to me or just my vivid imagination making up things. I wonder if sometimes I want to hear from God so badly th...

Transcribed - Published: 18 February 2025

You don’t need luck, not when you have God. You don’t have to be in the right place at the right time. Nobody else needs to know your name when God knows your name. Everyone else can totally count you out, but when God has singled you out nothing can keep you hidden from his purposes. GOD HAS SINGLED YOU OUT. I don’t know what he had to do to ensure you’re listening at this moment, but here you are, and it’s not by accident. You will not remain stuck here living below your potential. There’s MORE for you. There’s MORE in you. David was nothing more than a little shepherd boy, overlooked and dismissed by everyone. When the Lord sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to find the one to be anointed as the next King, Jesse lined his sons up for the choosing. One by one, Samuel looked at the sons thinking surely this was the one the Lord was choosing. This strong one, Samuel thought – No, the Lord said. This tall handsome one, Samuel thought – No, the Lord said. Seven of Jesse’s sons were presented, while the youngest son stayed in the field watching the sheep. Jesse didn’t even think to bring in David, his youngest son, to be considered. He wasn’t the strongest, the wisest or who he considered to be the best. He was just the youngest of his 8 sons and considered the least. 1 Samuel 16: 11-13, “‘Send for him at once,’ Samuel said. ‘We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.’ So Jesse sent for him (David, his youngest son who was left out). He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, ‘This is the one; anoint him.’ So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.” David wasn’t in the right place at the right time … he wasn’t even invited to the right place. You know what else this shows us … You don’t have to be impressive to a single other soul. You don’t have to stand out. You don’t have to be the best. And really, you don’t have to be doing anything special to be chosen. What was David doing when he was chosen? His ordinary, every day work. He was out in the fields faithfully taking care of his father’s sheep. And the same is true for you and I. We just need to do our ordinary, every day work faithfully. Stop trying to be noticed. Stop trying to compete with everyone else. God sees you. And guess what … GOD WANTS YOU! When it’s your time, he will find you, align you, equip you, and send you. You can be overlooked by everyone else, and still be chosen by God. You can be left out by your family and your friends, but singled out by God. You can be passed over at work, forgotten by those who should remember you, and left waiting, and God will pluck you right out as the one he wants. Your job here is to be faithful where you are with what you have. You’re growing impatient in the wait. You’re getting anxious and jealous. My sister, God’s eye has never left you. He knows where to find you … let him find you faithfully working in the field he has given you until it’s time to step into more. Now here’s the thing, when God says, “YOU”, don’t dismiss yourself. Let your faith in God’s mighty power be so courageous that you actually believe he could use someone like you. He could use your story. He could use your skills. He could use every ordinary thing about you in extraordinary ways.

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2025

Do you know why you sometimes get overwhelmed? You’re focusing on things you can’t do a darn thing about right now. You’re allowing those things to come pouring into your mind and sink your spirit. Honey, the boat is taking on water and life is getting turned upside down. But how do you stop the flow of worries and the flood of negative thoughts? Some time ago I found myself overwhelmed. I had so much I needed to do and I didn’t even know where to start. My husband walked in the kitchen and found me in a moment of overwhelm and asked me what was wrong. I told him “I’m just really stressed.” Then he said 2 powerful words that changed the trajectory of my day. He said “Don’t be.” He’s a man of few words, but his words are powerful. Just don’t be. Ahhhhhhh, yes. The invitation for stress and overwhelm was knocking on my door, I can always choose whether or not I let it in. This is my house and not everything gets to come in. I just needed to be reminded of the power of my choice and declare it. That day I said no to overwhelm. I decided I wouldn’t be stressed. I decided I would make a list of everything I needed to do that day, then I asked God to help me get to work. One thing at a time, I made my way through a potential overwhelming day without sinking. God will give you what you need for today, TODAY. Jesus taught us exactly how to pray in Matthew 6. He said, “When you pray, pray like this. Part of that sample prayer is verse 11 “Give us this day our daily bread.” Why pray this way? It’s a focus on what is needed for just THIS DAY. This is an intentional turn away from the invitation of overwhelm, and instead a returned focus on today. Sure there are uncertain things in your future. There are things you will need to do that you don’t yet know how to do. Waters you will need to go through and a boat you don’t have yet. Work you can’t possibly do today. Needs larger than your current provision. But honey you’re running way ahead to places God hasn’t even called you to yet. You’re not there today and that’s why you’re not yet equipped for it. But where you are today, you have been equipped for this. YOU CAN DO THIS. Why? Because if you’ve asked God, he has given you exactly what you need for THIS DAY. Lord, give us this day our daily bread. Help me keep my thoughts right here on the work I’m to do today, the steps I’m to take today, the living I’m to do today, as you have provided exactly what I need to do it well today. Lord, help me do this right today. That’s my version of daily bread. Strengthen me for today. Guide me today. Provide for today. I trust you and I move forward, but I won’t run ahead. Isn’t that the great balance? Trusting God enough to move forward today, without running ahead. Yes, that’s what we need. Keep us here, but help us do “here” well. Have you ever moved houses? The packing process can be overwhelming. Where do you begin? How do you even start on a job that seems so overwhelming? If you sit and think about every single thing that has to be done for the move, you become overwhelmed. That’s running ahead. That’s totally unnecessary. Wouldn’t your time be better spent grabbing a box and starting in the kitchen? You know what you could do today … you could pack the kitchen. You can’t pack the whole house, but you could pack that one room.

Transcribed - Published: 14 February 2025

One day you will tell your story of how you overcame the exact thing you’re going through right now. The day will come when you look back on this season of your life and say “With God, I made it through that.” You will survive. You will overcome. You will make it through this. And guess what honey, your story will become someone else’s survival guide. This isn’t just about you … this is about the lives that need your example. This is about the people you don’t even know yet who will need to know you made it through so they can have the hope of making it through too. 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God will do this for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God is the one who will do it, but the story you’ll come out of this with is how you’ll work in partnership with Jesus. Your story will become a survival guide … and it will point straight to Jesus because he’s the only way you’re getting through! Remember that scripture in 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.” What was intended for harm in your life will not harm you forever. You will survive and you will thrive again on the other side. Then everything you went through will be used to save others. They will not be hopeless because your story will be a beacon of hope. Don’t you understand you have been trusted with this hardship to reveal God’s glory in the details and His faithfulness in the darkness. If you’re on the other side of the darkness now, look back. Someone is standing in that darkness today who needs the example of your light. A light that points to the only true help there is … Jesus! If you battled infertility, there’s a desperate woman yearning for a baby who needs to know you too battled and you made it through. She needs to know how God worked everything together for good. If you survived an ugly divorce, there’s a family today being torn apart by the fighting and words that cut like a knife. They need to know it doesn’t have to be this way. God is the source of peace in that storm. If you were once pacing the floors wondering how on earth you were going to make it through those hard years with your wayward son or daughter, and now that child is an adult making their way in the world successfully despite their wreckless path to get there, let me tell you there’s a mama who needs to know she’s not the screw up of all screw ups and she’s not alone in this. They need to know how God can use everything that was so totally wrong and use it for something right. What you went through cannot be wasted. Use it for good now. If you’re on the other side, use your story to help someone else. You have a story of God doing things only he could do … a story of pieces eventually coming together … a story of healing and redemption … a story of survival and now thriving … who is your story helping now? And if you’re not yet there, let me share some light with you because I know what it’s like to feel like God isn’t doing a darn thing in response to your prayers. I know what it feels like to see everything keep getting worse. I know what it feels like to have to pick yourself up to try and live another day when everything in you just wants to give up. And here’s what I can tell you on the semi-sorta other side of that … God is doing things you cannot see right now. He is working behind the scenes and in unknown places.

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

In scripture we see a pattern for God’s people. They face trouble, they seek God, then with time they go astray and return to their old ways. In their old ways, they seek things other than God. This continues until their replacement for God doesn’t save them, then they’re back on their knees crying out to God again. Over and over again, it happens. And really, it’s still happening. It’s happening with us. We’ve allowed something to take God’s place in our lives, something else or someone else has been put in the elevated position reserved for God. And when the elevated position in our lives is wrongly filled, everything becomes a mess. The truth is, we have IDOLS. An idol is anything I place above God. An idol is anything I find my fulfillment in above God. An idol is ultimately the reason I sin. Something is out of place in my life and it’s time to get serious about fixing it. Where are you looking for your answers? What do you turn to for guidance? Is it tarot cards, a horoscope, the TikTok, or your circle of friends? Anything you’re turning to before God is your idol, and let’s be clear, it’s a real problem. GOD SAYS THIS MUST ABSOLUTELY CEASE IN YOUR LIFE. 1 John 5:21, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” God’s place is your provider. God’s place is your guide. God’s place is your protector. God’s place is your healer. Now, what have you put in God’s place? Exodus 34:14 says, “The Lord is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” So what is it that gets your first thoughts every day? What is it that gets your moments of worry? What is it that gets your attention, your time, your energy? Honestly, is it really God, or does it look a whole lot more like a screen where you scroll, a screen where you call, or a screen where you text, post or search? Is God jealous of your phone? Oh I know he’s jealous of mine. How do I know? Because it sometimes takes his reserved and elevated space. That’s just the truth. It’s my golden calf. Do you know the story about the golden calf? The Israelites had followed Moses out of slavery in Egypt and God was showing up for them in miraculous and astounding ways. He was guiding them and providing for them. Finally, they were being set free by God, and they knew it! God called Moses up to the mountain with him and this is where he gave him the 10 Commandments. But while the Israelites were waiting at the bottom of the mountain, they got restless. They grew bored, and they began to question. Soon, they had given up on God working through Moses, and they decided to make their own God to turn to. They gathered all their gold jewelry, melted it, and formed a golden calf and began worshiping it. This would be their new god. This would guide them. This would protect them. This would give them their answers. And how do you think God felt about this? HE WAS FURIOUS! God said in Exodus 32:9, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them and I will destroy them.” They just couldn’t wait on God. They couldn’t trust him in the moments of silence. They couldn’t just be still. And we are exactly the same. The truth is, we’re having a really hard time waiting on God. We fill the silence with noise. Our eyes are constantly searching for something we can watch next. We crave entertainment and distraction. And we know better.

Transcribed - Published: 12 February 2025

What victories do you have in your life? What battles have already been won? Now of course I know you’re still in some battles, but recognize the victories you currently stand in. Ways that were made. Breakthroughs that happened. Changes you were about to give up on, then it all changed. Impossibilities that were made possible. Miracles that unfolded. I sometimes lose sight of all these victories because of my current battles, but this morning, God told me, “My girl, remember the victories.” I was once the 15 year old girl who prayed her first prayer and asked God to bring new boys to my little country school, AND HE DID, so I married that new boy 6 days after I graduated high school. We’ve been married 30 years now. That’s victory. I was once laying in a hospital bed unable to walk or talk after a stroke. God not only spared my life, but he radically healed me. I made a deal with God one day in that hospital bed. I told him if he would allow me to walk, then I would run marathons. To this day, that’s why I’ve laced up my running shoes. It’s not because I’m good at it or fast by any means. My body doesn’t look like it used to look and I don’t move like I used to move. But you know what … I’m not laying in a bed like I used to lay in a bed either! In that hospital bed, I also told God if he would allow me to talk, I would speak on any stage he gave me. And my friends, that is why you hear my voice today. Because God gave me my voice back (literally) and I have a commitment to fulfill. I actually did something for the first time ever this morning, I asked my husband for the numbers. I intentionally do not track numbers for the podcast. I never want to get lost in those numbers and forget I’m just speaking to YOU. You with your real life seeking a real word from God. But this morning I found out we have over 13 million plays from around the world. And here’s what that means to me – It means YOU are one of them. I’ve been trusted with YOU. That’s a victory. God says, “My girl, remember your victories.” We adopted our daughters from an orphanage in Mexico. After a few years of having them in our home as our daughters, our file fell into corrupt hands and we entered a battle that took not only years, but it took every penny we had to protect and keep our girls. But eventually, the victory came. And those are just a few of the victories I’m aware of. How many more battles were fought in spiritual realms over my life, my family and my future all while I thought it was just a normal day. Countless times I’ve walked in victory from battles I never knew existed. And that’s your story too. How many victories brought you here today? What battles have been fought and won for your life? Start with the ones you know. What did you get through? What did you survive to tell about? What did you make it out of? Remember the victories! Our scripture today is Joshua 24: 8-15. I hope you have a Bible so you can read along and highlight a few key verses. This is what the Lord said, “I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.” (Pause right there, in verse 8 highlight “I gave you victory” and “you took possession.” How did you get what you have? That came from God! Where did every single victory come from? GOD!) Now, continuing in verse 11 (this one will include some hard words...

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2025

Deuteronomy 20:4 – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Whatever it is you are battling, may I remind you God is right there battling with you, fighting for you. You question if you will ever win, all while WITH GOD the victory has already been guaranteed. But goodness gracious, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, does it? This week I’ve spoken to several women who feel totally and completely defeated. They are exhausted from the battle. Do you relate? Are you growing weary of the struggle? You probably thought at this stage of life you wouldn’t be going through THIS (whatever this is). There are some things in my own life that have just shocked the crap right out of me too. But this morning I want to give you a few truths. These truths will not get you out of the battle, but perhaps they will give you hope in the battle. Truth #1: YOU ARE OF TREMENDOUS VALUE.Is self worth a struggle for you? Do you often question your own value? Well, let’s set this straight once and for all. GOD DEFINED YOUR SELF WORTH WHEN HE SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR YOU. God says you’re worth enough to give his perfect son for and that pretty much settles it. You have no right to be thinking you’re worthless. It’s absolutely ludicrous to think your life has no value. Look at the price that has been paid for you. That’s where you get your value! I may not always get this thing right, but I know the price that’s been paid for me. And guess what, God has never once asked for a refund. He’s never regretted his choice. He confirms his choice again and again with new mercies each morning. I have no struggle with self worth because that truth has gotten down into my soul. Is this truth in your soul? Would you let it be? Would you dare to believe your self worth is defined by the God who gave his perfect son for you? My friend, when that truth gets in you, your questions of value are eliminated and you begin to see your true potential in God. The enemy knows your potential much better than you do. He knows you have the potential to be the one to rise up and impact your entire family. He knows you are THE one who could create and influence and lead. And because you are so darn valuable with all this potential, honey you have a big target on your back. It is said the birthmark of a believer is a bullseye. Ever feel like you’re targeted? You are.Ever feel like there’s a battle inside of you and all around you? There is. All good things come under attack. That’s just the name of the game. So you know what your struggle means my sister … it means you are a GOOD THING. Oh yes you are – you are a good, good thing. It’s time you get on board and see the good in you too. You are of tremendous value. You are overflowing with potential. You are ripe for progress. You are primed for a breakthrough. YOU ARE A GOOD THING, now stop tearing yourself down. Truth #2: GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.He is for you, not against you. Whatever you are battling right now, please understand this … GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU VICTORY IN THIS. Not temporary victory – not kindof almost victory – FULL and complete victory. Victory that leaves you shocked and in awe. Victory that has you dancing because you are completely free. Victory that leaves no doubt God did something miraculous in your life. This is the victory God wants to give you. But, can you be trusted with victory? What would you do with victory? Where would you go with victory? Would victory make you become more like the girl God created you to be, or a lot less like her?

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 2025

God has something for you, something divinely designed as your calling, your place, your territory … but you will still have to fight for it. Have you forgotten your fight? Have you decided this is far enough so you’ve stopped moving forward? Have you settled for where you are and therefore sacrificed the fullness of what God has called you to? I have a scripture for you today that will absolutely leave your jaw on the floor. It’s so personal, so direct and so perfectly timed. Are you ready? Joshua 18:3, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of what God has given you?” Now using other translations, let me put it this way: How long are you going to put this off? How long will you neglect to go? How long are you going to waste time? How long will you delay? How long will you be slack about going and taking possession of what God has already given you? If he’s told you to go, why aren’t you going? If he’s told you to make a change, why are you still waiting? If he’s told you to move forward, why are you just sitting there? If he’s told you there’s so much more, then honey, why in the world are you settling for less? Oh, I know why … it’s the exact same reason I too hold back and settle. Because I don’t want to really work for it. I’ve gotten lazy and easy has become more appealing to me than destiny. I don’t need the full promise, just this little bit of promise has become good enough for me. That’s just the truth. That’s where I am, and I bet that’s where you are too. BUT, MY SISTER, THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT YOU. This is bigger than you. This is about future generations. They won’t be where they’re supposed to be if you don’t go where you’re supposed to go and do what you’re supposed to do. You’re creating the gap. You’re digging the ditch where others will get stuck. In your selfish feelings of just wanting to coast and take it easy, you’re not only delaying what God has called you to, but you’re denying those behind you. MOVE GIRL, GET OUT THE WAY! (There’s a song for that … we won’t sing it today.) Okay, now context. Remember how God’s people were the Israelites who had been stuck in slavery in Egypt for 400 years. God raised up a chosen leader for them named Moses. Moses went to the King of Egypt, Pharaoh, and demanded he let God’s people go. Pharaoh didn’t want to lose his slaves, so he didn’t let go easily. God had to bring 10 different plagues on the Egyptians until they were so desperate and miserable that they finally set the Israelites free. But where would these people who had spent generations being slaves go and how would they get there? Where they would go would be the land God had promised them. A land about 250 miles away from their former captivity in Egypt. How they would get there would be nothing short of miraculous. God would part seas for them to walk across on dry land. He would guide them by day with a cloud and by night with a pillar of fire, showing them precisely where to go. He would make quail to rain down on their camp each evening for meat, and in the morning they would wake to manna (a stick bread substance) on the ground. Their journey was nothing short of absolutely miraculous. All leading them to a land God promised to be theirs. But of course, there were problems on the way. Doubt and fear crept in because of the battles they would have to face in claiming their promised land. They complained to their leader Moses and refused to move forward to step into their God promised destiny. Out of fear,

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2025

What would it look like to let God’s Holy Spirit truly guide your life? Where would you go? What would you do? And dang, what would he have you give up? That’s scary, isn’t it? Total release of control and full commitment to following a guide you can’t even see? I think that’s why we hold back. We’re afraid of where God’s spirit may lead us. We’re afraid of what highly uncomfortable thing God’s spirit may ask us to do. And we’re really afraid of what God’s spirit might ask us to give up. But, remember, God is an EXPERT GUIDE! He has complete control. He will not and cannot fail. He knows precisely what he is doing and what he is asking you to do, and it’s all for a greater purpose. Would you trust him? I’ve put my life into the hands of so many random people. Why? Because I’ve trusted them as my guide. In Southern California I strapped myself to a complete stranger and jumped out of an airplane with him. My life was in his hands. I didn’t ask to see his certification. I didn’t inquire to see how many jumps he had made. I simply trusted because he was wearing a jump suit that he knew what he was doing. I trusted his lead. We jumped. In Bali, I sat on a wooden swing with a itty bitty rope tied around my waist and let this tiny, very excited man, push me. But this wasn’t just any swing, it was a swing hanging off a cliff 20 stories high. Again, it was the equivalent of a child’s homemade swing tied on a tree, just slightly more dangerous and exhilarating. The tiny, excited man yelled, “let go, lean back”, and what do you think I did? I let go and leaned back with only a flimsy rope tied around my waist. Why did I trust him? Because he worked there. It may have been his first day, I didn’t ask. On the coast of Texas, I paid a man in a leather bomber jacket $300 and I climbed in his open air, WW2 bi-plane. We’re flying and he says, “are you ready for me to cut the engine”, I said yeahhhhh! Suddenly, the old airplane goes silent, it glides, then it goes into a nose dive and barrel roll. After a few seconds, I hear the cranking of the old engine trying to restart. Put, put, put … nothing. Try again. Engine cranking and it stops. After a few tries, it fires back up and we shoot back up in the air. I’ve done a lot of adventurous things, this was my favorite. After we land, my husband begins inquiring about the airplane and says, “How long have you had this.” The leather bomber jacket Tom Cruise look alike pilot says, “I just bought it last week. In fact, you’re my first people to take up. How in the world did you even find me?” Ohhhhhhh …… We simply trust who we believe to be the expert guide. This morning I learned about an adventure at Africa’s Victoria Falls, which is two times higher than Niagra Falls. At the very top of the waterfall, you swim out across the river, then an expert guide holds your feet as your allow the water to take you to the very edge of the waterfall and hang out over it. You have to trust the guide. Why would you trust them? Because it’s what they do. Would I do it? ABSOLUTELY! I don’t know, maybe you have trust issues. But maybe those trust issues are keeping you from some of life’s most beautiful adventures and opportunities. My sister, God is an EXPERT GUIDE, and he can be trusted. It’s not his first day on the job. He’s not reckless or careless. No one handed him the uniform and asked him to fill in for the day. If God says “let go”, you can really let go. If he says swim to the edge,

Transcribed - Published: 5 February 2025

You have tremendous power in your life. Power is simply defined as the ABILITY to DO SOMETHING. You have the ability to do something. The ability to change, the ability to begin, the ability to keep going. I believe within you is the power to do things that would simply blow your mind. A work of the enemy is to make you feel incapable of doing something, but you are so powerful. Understand this, God has given you the gift of his Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide you. While the Holy Spirit often sounds mysterious and honestly a little bit hookey, it is simply God’s power at work within you. In John chapter 14 verses15-31, Jesus is speaking to his disciples, preparing them for his own death and he explains that while he is going away and they will no longer see him, the Holy Spirit is coming to them to live in them. God is literally living IN them. Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you and later will be in you. When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” You and I don’t have to wander around like lost puppies in this world. Troubled and afraid is not your place. Perpetually confused is not your assignment. We have a guide who is always with us. He promises to teach us everything and lead us into all truth. Lies cannot stand against his Spirit of truth. Fear cannot remain in the presence of his gifted peace. We have within us power. Power working within us. Our God, the one who created us, the one who knew us before he knit us together in our mother’s womb, the one who has a good plan for our lives has placed his power within you and he is working. Ephesians 3:20 “to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” You are a power house. Like literally! Oh yes you are. I’m not just saying that to be cute. You are literally housing the power of God. That power is inside of you. The power that creates, the power that heals, the power that tears down walls and moves mountains. The power that parts seas. The power that supernaturally provides. The power that changes absolutely everything. That power is in you. You are a power house because God dwells within you. What stronghold have you battled? Is there an addiction or bad habit that has held you back? Is there something in your life you truly want to change, but feel it would be so darn hard to change? Well I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it will be easy. It likely won’t be. However, you were specifically designed to be able to handle tough things. You are not weak. No matter what the enemy tries to tell you, you are NOT WEAK. You have God himself living inside of you and NOTHING is impossible for God. Nothing. So you bring your impossible. You bring it right to the foot of the cross and you lay it down and tell God you don’t want to pick it up again. Are you really ready to change? Are you really ready to make it happen this time? Are you really ready to step up to the next level of living and start living up to your God given potential. AWESOME – within you is the power to do all that and more.

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2025

Some things are a straight up mystery. It’s a mystery how this is all going to work out for you. It’s a mystery when it will happen. You may think you know, but my sister, it’s all a mystery. You’ve been trying to understand things you were never meant to understand. And really, you’ve been trying to control things you simply aren’t equipped to control. If you’ve been trying to will and force your way through this, my guess is you’re 2 things: Exhausted and disappointed. Am I right? I don’t know how this is going to work out. It’s a mystery. Mysteries are God’s to handle, not mine to try and control. Revelation 10: 7, “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” What in the world does that mean? Well my friends, that is what you call a MYSTERY. That’s the secret thoughts and plans of God, and you’re not God so you’re not in on the secret. His position is to KNOW, your position is to TRUST. But sometimes a girl just wants to know WHEN … God, when are you going to make it happen? I know you’re going to use all of this for good, but when, God? Have you heard my story of my timeline with God? I learned one of my greatest spiritual lessons so far in my life with this one. I have a family situation that I’ve been begging God to fix. I’ve offered him so many preferred plans of restoration. I mean really, I’ve even done the hard part of putting it all together step by step in a way that would be absolutely fantastic and I’ve turned it over to him to use my plan. I would say, “Lord, by Christmas, make it happen.” Christmas would come and go with absolutely no progress. So I would graciously extend my deadline with God and give him more time. God was continually on an extension with me until finally one day the Lord said to me, “Pamela, take me off your timeline.” Then he asked me for 30. “I’ll do it in 30, will you trust me for 30?” I mean y’all, that could be 30 minutes, that could be 30 days … I’ve been waiting for nearly 6 years, so okay, I’ll make that deal. Lord, I’ll give you 30. Then, he revealed to me he was asking me for 30 years. Will I trust God if I have to wait for 30 years? If this heartache and disappointment continues for 30 more years, will I still wake up and choose joy? Will I still show up and move forward without misery? That day, I gave the Lord 30 … 30 years. And I’ve felt tremendous peace since. Nothing has gotten better, in fact in my human eyes, things have doubled down to be far worse, but it was not a battle for me to choose joy today because I’ve already embraced the mystery of it all. If you’ve been asking God WHEN, here’s your answer, Sis. Jesus said in Acts 1:7, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” LEAVE SPACE FOR GOD’S MYSTERY. How? When? Why? That’s all a mystery. That’s God’s space. Trying to fill the mysterious space of God will only discourage you, disappoint you, and disillusion you. Yesterday I was listening to a teaching of Lysa Terkurst and she said, “Leave room for the mystery of God”, and in that instant it’s as if the world stood still for me. I have a 30 year committed space for the unfolding of God’s mystery, and in that space the devil has been denied. He doesn’t get to play in my thoughts an...

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2025

God has a plan for your life, and we are told it is a good plan. Knowing God specifically created me for a plan that is radically good leaves me feeling both incredibly hopeful, and slightly panicked. What if I missed his plan? What if I screwed it up? What if I was supposed to go right and I went left? What if my past failures have disqualified me from future offerings? What if God’s plan will be too hard for me? Do you feel the same way? Slightly panicked trying to ensure you’re fulfilling these good plans for your life on the right path while continually feeling inadequate for something divine. Well, you haven’t missed it. Now, you may have been detouring and delaying, but you haven’t missed it. You may have wasted some major opportunities while you were sitting it out, but the Coach still wants you in the game to play this thing, so get yourself in there girl! Now that I’m in my late-40’s, I’m understanding what a mid-life crisis is. I once red a book that describes a man’s mid-life crisis as the red corvette in the driveway. Now I can’t see a man in a red corvette without having a giggle. Was this his scramble to get more out of life after realizing he may have been wasting his previous years? Is this his attempt to stay young and rewind time a bit? Or is it simply a man who worked hard his whole life and can finally afford the nice car he always wanted? That same book said a woman’s mid-life crisis could be starting a new career, running a marathon and going sky-diving. Check, check and check. It’s me … and it’s a whole lot of my friends too. Looking back, I see what I missed, and I don’t want to miss an ounce of it again. I’m not trying to be young again – No, at this age, I have eyes that continually search for where God is leading me. It’s the result of some wasted years with my head stuck in the sand. It’s the result of seeing exactly what God CAN do and being freaking hungry for more of that in my life. Mid-life crisis can be beyond red convertibles, new careers, marathons and thrill seeking adventures … it can be a spiritual awakening of wanting every single thing God is in, and absolutely nothing that he’s not in. It can be a deep hunger for God like you’ve never felt before. Is that where you are? Hungry for what God can do? Searching for where God is leading you? Have you lived long enough to know you can get caught in the rat race and miss the whole point of being alive? Really, why were we racing anyway? You do know the finish line is death, right? You’ve been rushing for this to all be over, and one day it will be, and guess what … you would give anything to go back to this season of life where you are now. You have things today that one day you will only wish for again. Don’t miss it while it’s here. What if where you are today is all part of that good plan you’re seeking? What if where you are is precisely what God can use best? What if being here fully in this phase of your life is the key to stepping into the next phase with more contentment and less regret? What if God’s good plans for you require you to surrender in partnership with him here and trust him fully with the future? What if you’re standing right in the middle of greatness but you’ve been choosing to rush through it? You don’t have to chase in desperation what God has for your destiny. If he has it for you, it’s there. Calm down girl. Look at the story of Joseph. I highly recommend you set aside 15 minutes today to read thi...

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2025

Living with yourself is sometimes frustrating. You kinda screw this thing up a lot, don’t you? It’s as if the “do good” button in you is broken and you can’t get it fixed. You do good, until you aren’t doing good anymore … then you’re back on the struggle bus where you seem to have an assigned seat. Were you created to always struggle? Were you designed to fail? Are you destined for this continual up and down, in and out, doing good/then stuck again routine for all your days? No honey, you’re just created to need Jesus. You’re designed to follow him. You’re destined to a relationship with the one who can guide you exactly where you need to go. Have you seen the video of the sheep who keeps jumping in the ditch? I’m including the link in today’s transcript (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ef7i1DdxW/ ). I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve watched this video because it perfectly summarizes my walk with Jesus. It’s hilarious and it’s painfully true at the same time. Just in case you haven’t seen it let me explain. Along a dirt road, there’s a long, narrow ditch dug out. In the ditch is a sheep stuck head first. A young man comes and pulls on the sheep’s leg to free him from the ditch. The sheep stands up, shakes off the dirt, and joyfully jumps and runs with the expression, ‘yahoooo, I’ve been saved.’ Exactly 4 seconds later, with one valiant leap, it lands itself squarely back into the same ditch. Head first, feet up, stuck again. Yip, that’s me. Is that you? In need of continual rescue. Always getting ourselves stuck in something. Free until we’re not free. Like I said, it’s exhausting living with our own selves sometimes. Didn’t we just get out of the last mess? Didn’t God just rescue us from our last fiasco, now we’re in one again? Seems to me like at some point God’s gonna get tired of pulling us out every 4 seconds from our ditch diving. And how about our children who continually get themselves stuck in ditches. Is God going to just leave them there? Ahhhh, do you remember the episode from last week titled “Sheep Not Pigs.” Let’s revisit. Jesus said in John 10: 14-15, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” We aren’t left alone to wander through our lives. We don’t have to figure this out on our own, which is really good news because if you’re like me, you still haven’t figured it all out. Guess what … you never will! You’re not supposed to know! Isn’t that reassuring! You’re not inherently broken with a messed up compass, you’re divinely designed to need a shepherd. Sheep don’t live without a guide, neither do you. Your guide is always with you. You are never alone. He knows the way and all you have to do is continually stay close to him. The Shepherd goes before the sheep to make a way for them. He ensures the path is safe, the way is clear, the enemies are removed. Just imagine a shepherd removing briars that would entangle the sheep. See him staring at the cliff knowing the sheep would surely stumble and fall, so he makes a path where it is safe instead. Envision him leading the sheep down that path, continually looking back to make sure all are staying close to him because he knows the dangers nearby. He knows how they could get stuck. He knows how they could fall. But he makes a way by going ahead of them, then calls them on behind him.

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2025

Your problem is big. God is bigger. Your faults are great. God is greater. It seems impossible. God does the impossible. Have you forgotten the power which resides within you? You are HIS creation. His spirit lives within you. Through him you ARE capable and you will be MORE THAN a CONQUEROR. What problem are you facing on this Wednesday morning? What impossible is knocking on your door? May I remind you of of the words our great big God tucked away in Jeremiah 32:27 – “I am the Lord … is anything too hard for me?” Nothing is too hard for our God. Nothing is beyond his scope. Your impossible is 100% possible with God. Why? Because God sees it all. He sees your faults. He sees your struggles. He sees your problem. He sees your impossible. AND HE LOVES YOU TOO MUCH TO LEAVE YOU ALONE. Hear God speak your name and his power over your problems today. God says: Marisa, your anxiety is not too hard for me. Karla, your finances are not too hard for me. Ellen, your sister’s healing is not too hard for me. Gina, your future is not too hard for me. Mama, your child is not too hard for me. Daughter, your problem is not too hard for me. So what will your response be to this amazing, loving God of yours? What will you do with your problems today? Oh there are many options. You can pile up your problems and take inventory. You can talk about them. You can wallow in them. You can magnify them. Those are always popular options. Or maybe you’re more like me and you tend to do the opposite; you ignore your problems. You try your best to pretend they’re not there, as if your avoidance of the truth will somehow change it. And so the problem grows bigger as we bury our head in the sand and life spirals out of control. Life is not perfect … let us not live in la la land.Nor is it hopeless … let us not live in doom and gloom. Within you is creativity, wisdom and strength and it’s EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TODAY. You can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU. Whatever it is you need to do today, you CAN do it because the spirit of God dwells within you and God has already made it clear, NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR HIM! Here’s what we’re going to bank on today. A promise from God in Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Do you have a problem you don’t know the answer for? Are you searching for the way, but you don’t know how to navigate this messy and unknown territory? God has promised if you will call to him, he will tell you great things you do not know. I find that promise to be so perfectly timed. I’m facing things I have no idea how to handle. Messes I don’t know how to clean up. Problems that are way bigger than me. I’ve know for a while now I can’t fix this, but now as the problem grows bigger, the worries threaten to overwhelm my mind. But God says to me, “Pamela, call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” The answers to my problems are unsearchable. They’re not found on the Google. But God has the answers and he promises to answer me when I call on him. Now I know exactly what I need to do. So here’s our action plan this morning girls: CALL TO HIM. Could it be that simple? Oh yes, it could be and it really is. The answers you seek are already in you. How do I know?

Transcribed - Published: 29 January 2025

If you knew without a doubt everything you needed to live out your wildest dreams was on it’s way, would you wake up a little different this morning? You bet you would! If you knew every detail was taken care of and you were getting ready to step into your destiny, there’s nothing that could keep you in that bed! Nothing could hold you back. There would be no struggle with your attitude, no battle with laziness, no delay in your action if you knew all you want is now barreling towards you. And I’m proposing it is! Right now, in this very moment, everything you need to fulfill the desires of your heart and step into your destiny is barreling towards you. It’s all in a beeline heading straight for you, you just don’t see it. You don’t see the connections God has aligned ahead of you. BUT THEY’RE THERE. You don’t see how every closed door is pushing you towards the right door. BUT IT IS. You don’t see how God has already gone before you and arranged to make it happen. BUT HE HAS. What if you’re already on the right path and you ARE doing the right thing? What if you’re not that far off at all? What if you’re one turn away from seeing the full, beautiful picture, and it’s bigger and better than you could have imagined? Ephesians 3:20 says that exactly what is possible, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think?” HE IS ABLE! And how does he do it? THROUGH HIS MIGHTY POWER AT WORK IN YOU!!!!!!! We’re so quick to give up at the slightest hint of delay or difficulty, when God is trying to instill within us perseverance and patience. KEEP SHOWING UP. God is reminding you this morning that you’re closer than you think! You only reap the harvest if you DO NOT GIVE UP. YOU ARE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. All that feels like a delay has actually served the purpose of propelling you forward. Remember, an arrow can only be shot forward by first pulling it back. If you’re currently being dragged back with difficulties, perhaps you’re being prepared to launch into greatness! Now is not the time to give up on that which God has whispered to your soul. There’s a fire within you. That fire is a purpose for which you were created. A desire to do something with your life. You may not be able to put words to it and define exactly what that purpose is, but you feel it. That feeling of longing for more, that feeling of desperate restlessness, that’s a holy stirring of that which God has placed within you. Pay attention to it. Give it breath and fan that flame. God is guiding you at this very moment to position you exactly where you need to be. It’s not too late for you. The enemy tells you your opportunity has already come and gone, but it hasn’t. The enemy tells you you’re lacking, but you’re not. The enemy tells you you’ll never be good enough, but he’s a liar from hell and he only whispers his worthless lies out of fear because he knows exactly what is in you. He knows that which God has whispered to your soul, and he knows you’re just the girl to fulfill her purpose and step into her destiny. So of course he fights you. He makes you believe the struggles are too hard, the mountains are too high, and the wait is too long. But what he doesn’t want you to know is, this is your time. THIS IS YOUR TIME. Although you feel unsure, you are doing the right thing.

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2025

There’s one animal you and I are most like. We are like sheep. There’s one thing we most need. We need a shepherd. If you study sheep, you see how helpless they often are. How they wander off and find themselves in danger. Yip, that’s us. We lose our way and we end up in a mess. Sweet little sheep we are. And this is why we have a shepherd. This is our Jesus. In John 10: 11-15 Jesus said “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. Jesus says the enemy will attack, but he will protect us. Jesus says others will come and go and not stay, but he will always remain with us. That’s Jesus, our good shepherd. To learn about a shepherd is to learn about our Jesus. I don’t suppose there are too many modern day shepherds around here out living with their sheep, so perhaps it would do us some good to have a little study to understand what Jesus is telling his sheep today. A shepherd lives with their sheep. He has 2 main jobs – Protect the sheep and guide the sheep. Sheep are rather helpless and without the shepherd guarding them, they will quickly fall prey to predator. I simply can’t imagine trying to go through this life without my shepherd. It is our personal relationship with Jesus that can give us peace in the middle of life’s greatest storms. Hey, if you’re trying to do this thing on your own, listen to me, you don’t have to. You were never made to do life on your own. You have a protector, and whether you acknowledge him or not, he has been watching out for you. Wow, if we only knew half the things God has protected us from that we never even saw coming. The enemy’s intended harm never even came into our awareness because our mighty shepherd was protecting us. I wonder how many disasters we were spared from just yesterday! Jesus is our protector, and he is our guide. A shepherd guides his sheep to pastures where they will find exactly what they need. Our shepherd guides us and it’s a good thing because much like sheep, we sure have a way of messing up directions, don’t we? Why don’t we just stick close to Jesus and follow him instead of running off and trying to make our own way? That just never ends up good, does it? But thankfully Jesus knows our tendencies and he has already prepared for our wandering nature. When we get ourselves in trouble, all we have to do is call out to him and he will find us. Isn’t it amazing to know he cares so much about us that he will come hunt us down and pull us out of whatever mess we’ve gotten into. He won’t stop until he finds us. There’s nothing he won’t do for us. I mean he’s already proven that – he died to save us. You’ve heard Jesus’ story about leaving the 99 to find the 1 lost sheep, right? Whether you realize it or not, you were once that 1 who got lost. You were straying. You were wandering. You’re only here listening and seeking today because he found you and brought you back. We are his sheep. Remember this. We are not his pigs. Here’s the difference between a sheep and a pig. A sheep and a pig can fall in the same mud,

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 2025

How comfortable is your life? Were you created for a comfortable life? Were you ever intended to seek such comfort? In today’s world we have an opportunity to be entirely too comfortable EVERY WHERE. Movie theaters now have reclining chairs and waiters, because my goodness, it just wasn’t comfortable enough to sit in the regular chairs and get yo own popcorn. Our cars have heated leather seats and engines that start with an app on our phone because dang it was hard going out the garage and starting that car yourself. Have our entire lives become about comfort? Seeking to make everything easier, cushier, fluffier? And what have we sacrificed in our lives of comfort? The Lord says in Deuteronomy 1:6 says – “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey.” Perhaps God has been saying, “Girl, you’ve stayed here long enough. It’s time to go now. Let’s go on a journey together.” But you’ve set up shop on this mountain and leaving would be so painful. You’ve bought all your pretties and made it ever so comfortable, permanently cementing yourself to a mountain that was only ever intended to be temporary. We’ve created a little bubble we live in filled with comfort … and it is trouble! The Lord told the Israelites to leave Mount Sinai and move toward the land he promised them, but where they were had become far more comfortable than the unknown they would have to travel through. In fear, they remained stuck. Is that you? Has fear caused you to stay where God has clearly told you to leave? Has fear caused you to delay your forward motion toward that which he has already promised you? Read the story for yourself, my sister, God is not pleased with our choices of settled comfort. The Israelites forfeited their promise and settled for far less than God’s preferred future for them. They were supposed to be in their blessed and bountiful Promised Land within days … but instead, they got stuck in a wilderness for 40 years because they left that mountain, but didn’t continue going. We create these little comfortable bubbles for ourselves, insulating us from the threat of failure and hardship. But, what are we forfeiting in our bubble? Let me be very clear … God didn’t create you for a comfortable, predictable life in that bubble. That was NEVER his design for his masterpiece. And remember, you are his masterpiece and you have been specifically designed to live fully. When we won’t move out of the bubble ourselves, sometimes God does the most gracious and loving thing possible, HE POPS THAT BUBBLE. If your bubble popped, it could be for your benefit. We lose that comfortable job and while it seems our world is falling apart we’re suddenly face to face with the opportunity to start the business we’ve always wanted to start, but were always too afraid to take that leap. The trouble was comfort kept us in that bubble, a bubble filled with boredom and little life living. And now the bubble is popped, we’re highly uncomfortable, AND TOTALLY FREE TO LIVE. Maybe it isn’t a job that has served as a comfortable bubble for you, maybe it is where you live or where you go to Church or your circle of friends. Maybe it’s your daily routine. While it is comfortable, let’s face it, it is BORING. It isn’t stretching you or growing you. In fact, you’re losing some of your talents and passions because you simply haven’t been using them. Don’t you want to break free of that? Don’t you want to wake up and be excited about living?

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

Can you be trusted with FAVOR? Favor for things to go your way. Favor for the breakthrough you’ve been seeking. Favor for next level living. Favor to be chosen? I think of favor as God taking a personal liking to you. He chooses you, picks you out of the crowd and says “You, I like you. I pick you.” And when God blesses you with favor, nothing can stand in your way! Have you ever watched the game show “Let’s Make a Deal”? Members of the audience dress in crazy costumes hoping to catch the eye of the host and be picked for a chance to play and win. They wave their hands, they jump up and down, they show off their flashy costume knowing the host is about to pick someone and they just hope it’s them. Well, let me tell you, God is looking for someone to pick. He’s looking for someone to bless with his favor. Have you ever wondered how you get his attention? How do you prove yourself trustworthy of his favor? Here it is: 2 Chronicles 16:9, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Your heart is your inner being. It’s your thoughts, feelings and decisions. He’s looking for the one whose thoughts are committed to him. Whose feelings are committed to him. Whose decisions are committed to him. These are the ones who are trusted with God’s supernatural strengthening. Favor comes here. The story of Joseph (found in Genesis 37-50) gives us the perfect example of HOW to be trusted with favor. God chose him, picked him and always showed him tremendous favor which caused others to like him. But that doesn’t mean life would be easy for Joseph. Joseph was favored by his dad, so his brothers got jealous and sold him into slavery. As a slave, Joseph found favor with his master and was put in charge. While in charge, he was falsely accused and put into prison. In prison he found favor with the warden and put him in charge once again. There he was noticed by Pharaoh the King, and was given rule over all of Egypt. Time and time again as things went bad, God showed his favor towards Joseph and caused bad things to become works for good. No doubt, he had God’s favor on his life and it came in the form of other people liking him. Other people continually chose Joseph and put him in charge. Genesis 39:21 says “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Yes, even with God’s favor, Joseph was in prison falsely accused. We assume God’s favor means smooth sailing and instant success. No, sometimes God’s favor means unfair, unjust and unseen things happening to you, and God using it all for good. Joseph was in prison and God’s favor didn’t miraculously break him out of prison. No, God’s favor simply made the prison warden like him. Maybe you’re stuck in a bad situation right now, maybe not prison, but a situation where you feel you can’t do what you want to do and everything is against you. Well I want to tell you God can give you favor right in the middle of it. He may not get you out of it tonight, but he can chan But first, you must be able to be trusted with favor. After all that happened to Joseph, HE NEVER GOT BITTER. He never set out to get even. In fact in Genesis 50:20 he looked at his brothers, the ones who started this whole domino effect of disaster by selling him into slavery because they were jealous, and he said “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done,

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2025

You’re thinking from a human perspective, but God is working on something bigger than you can see here. Do you hear me? There’s more to this than you can see. You’re putting limitations on this situation, while God in his unlimited power is at work in something bigger than you can fathom. You’re ready to settle in, surrender to resistance and give up the fight, while God is ready to push you on towards bigger places than you are right now. You’re frustrated with what you see happening, but my sister, you simply cannot see ALL that is happening. Your sight and understanding is so incredibly limited so faith will be required here. God has been speaking 2 words to me: Nahhhhh, bigger. This is bigger than you think and I’m bigger than you’ve allowed me to be. Isaiah 55: 8-9 VOICE, “8 My intentions are not always yours, and I do not go about things as you do. My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you, just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.” Sitting in your smallness, this seems overwhelming, impossible and pointless. But, my friend, you have a great BIG God who’s eye is on you while he holds the entire world in his mighty and capable hands. You cannot see what he sees, and you’re not supposed to. Now, he’s asking you to trust that whatever you’re in the middle of right now, it’s actually so much bigger than you realize and his power is over it all. What you SEE God doing in your life is a row boat in comparison to the ark he is actually leading you to. A row boat is tiny with extreme limitations. You’re not going far in that and you’re not taking very much with you. An ark is massive boat with the capacity for so much more. That’s what God is doing here … MORE. Think about your current struggle, your current uncertainty. Now, imagine God working in it to do something big and beautiful. Can you imagine that? See it. Nahhhhh, bigger. It’s even bigger than that. Even more beautiful. Honey, his work is eternal. It’s beyond the limitations of this world. Ephesians 3:20 MSG, “God can do ANYTHING, far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” And while you can’t see it right now, that’s what he’s actually doing in your circumstances. He’s doing more. And that’s what he’s calling you to … MORE. What you have imagined as your purpose is a row boat in comparison to the ark you were created for. But the truth is, when you’re without a boat and you know you need to get upstream, a row boat sounds pretty darn good. And so, we start praying for a row boat. We start trying to negotiate our way into getting it right now. And dang do we ever get disappointed when it doesn’t work. Why isn’t this working? I’m talking about your specific situation. WHY ISN’T THIS WORKING FOR YOU? Why is it everything you try is met with resistance? Why is every door closed? Why is every answer no? Could it be because this is bigger than you think? Could it be because God is directing you to something bigger than you’re about to settle for? Could it be that you are being protected in this time of disappointment? We ask for God’s will in our life, but we sure don’t like it when that results in a series of no’s. Why can’t this just work? Why can’t I just get a break? Why can’t this little thing just come together?

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2025

Sometimes life presents struggles and hardships that seem unfair, and certainly unwanted. Perhaps today as you listen, you’re in the middle of one of life’s struggles or you’re witnessing someone you love struggle, and more than anything you just want to find a way out. You want to break free. You want life to return to normal. You want the storms to cease and the calm to return. You want to fix this. Why can’t everyone just say sorry and fix this mess? I’ve been there too. Begging God to remove the struggle. And he didn’t. Why? In all his majesty and power, why wouldn’t he stop the raging storms in my life? I mean if I’m really his beloved and precious daughter, and if he’s the Daddy I thought he was, why wouldn’t he rescue us from this struggle? I’ve since learned the tremendous purpose in it all, the purpose today which was much bigger and greater than my struggles of yesterday. God wasn’t absent, he was omnipotent, and he was using his power in the greatest of ways in the middle of it all. Omnipotent means all-powerful. That’s our God! He alone holds the power to do absolutely anything.Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.”Isaiah 55:11, “It is the same with my word. I sent it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”Jeremiah 32:17, “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Even when you can’t see him or understand him, God is being omnipotent. His power reigns perfectly. There’s a story of a man rescuing an emperor moth, perhaps you have heard it. As I share this story, I wish I could give credit to the author, but it’s a 20 year old printed piece of paper titled “Struggles In Our Lives” my dear friend found in her mother’s belongings after she died. A letter which perhaps comforted her mother during a struggle many years ago, perfectly preserved and placed for her daughter to find as she struggled after losing her mama. Isn’t that just the way our God works? So mysteriously random, yet so strategically specific. A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck. Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth, expecting that at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What this man in his kindness and haste did now understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. FREEDOM AND FLIGHT WOULD ONLY COME AFTER THE STRUGGLE. By depriving the moth of the struggle,

Transcribed - Published: 17 January 2025

Do you remember being in middle school gym class and waiting to be chosen for a team? The coach would select 2 team captains, then those captains would take turns one by one building their own teams. Now I’m not sure who came up with this system, but I’m here as a fully grown 49 year old woman to tell you, that is traumatizing! I still remember just hoping someone would call my name early. Hoping I would be chosen to be part of a team. But my value as an athlete was rarely recognized and I stood just waiting to be chosen because I was the really fun peppy one. For those of us who have ever struggled with an unhealthy need to be liked and chosen, I believe it could have started right there in 5th grade PE! What if today, you’re being chosen FIRST? What if the team captain sees your value and worth and undeniably wants YOU on their team? How would you feel? Ephesians 1: 4-7 “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” Say what??? My sister, can you receive that as a personal message and confirmation from God Almighty? All the evil forces of Hell want to keep you from hearing this and believing it. Right now, you’re battling it. But the truth is clear. Hear it for yourself. Before this world was even created God was thinking of YOU. He was thinking of you, loving you, choosing you. Yes, the creator of the universe wanted you and he placed you in the middle of his creation because YOU bring him great pleasure. Girl, HE LOVES YOU! I’ve been studying the book of Leviticus. Whew, it’s a tough one. I can’t say I recommend it. Chapter after chapter are the offerings required to cover sin, guilt and shame. Rituals to be performed, sacrifices to be made, rules to be followed. It’s nearly impossible all that was required to redeem us before our Holy God. And that’s why he gave us Jesus! Jesus repays what we cannot. He redeems us wholly and completely. He is the offering, he is the sacrifice, he is our redemption. Because of Jesus, you are without fault in his eyes. Yes, that’s exactly what this scripture says. “He chose you in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Daughter, he doesn’t look at you with disgust. Nor does he look at you with disappointment. He sees you as the daughter he paid the highest price for because you were worth it. And this is what he wanted to do. God wanted to save you because you are worth saving. Your life is worth the sacrifice. And THAT is how God sees you. Maybe that’s a far cry from how you see yourself, and if so, you need to take another look. Take another look, because you have failed to see your value.Take another look, because you have failed to see your true worth.Take another look, because you have failed to see your potential. If you’ve been shrinking back, believing there’s nothing special about you, nothing outstanding about you, nothing remarkable about you … oh sister, think again! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN! God purchased your freedom with the blood of his Son and that blood covers ALL your sins. Not just a little. Not just some. Not a select few, but all. All your sins have been covered.

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2025

Within you at this very moment is some serious potential. Potential to not only change your life, but change the lives of others. Talents, gifts and strengths given to you by your Creator on purpose, for a purpose. Sadly we can live our entire lives without ever tapping into that potential and miss what it is we’re here to do. The thing about potential is, in the beginning it typically looks nothing like what it will grow to become. Just like the seed of an oak tree looks nothing like a tiny little oak tree, and apple seeds don’t look like adorable little apples. God created the seed of potential to appear unimpressive, but oh the mysteries it holds within. As a little girl, I planted flowers with my Grandma. In her pantry she kept brown paper bags with seeds from last year’s harvest. The bags were labeled with the name of the flower and the specific color. If she didn’t label the bag, she would have no way of knowing what she was planting come Spring. Her flower garden wasn’t random, it was designed specifically with intention. Imagine God working in your life with a storehouse of brown paper bags containing seeds of potential. Seeds that look insignificant and unimpressive. Seeds only he sees the label for, knowing what they can become. He sprinkles these seeds of potential in your life. Potential for who you can become, where you can go, and what you can do. Here you were thinking there’s nothing really spectacular about you and all this time God has placed seeds of potential in your soul. My question to you today is will you be daring enough to hone in on these potential skills, master your talents and share your strengths, and just see what God imagined when he gave you your potential? Oh girl, if you could only see the label on the bags he pulled from when he made you. Seeds of leading. Seeds of teaching. Seeds of serving. Seeds of wisdom. Seeds of strength. Seeds of grace. Seeds of patience. Seeds of perseverance. Seeds of prophesy. Seeds of miracles. Who could you become? Where could you go? What could you do? Well, it probably looks nothing like where you came from or who you started as. Why would you ever let who you used to be determine who you can become now? You’re in the process of becoming. Shed that shell and let’s see what you’ve got in you girl! When God said in Isaiah 43:19 “See, I’m doing a new thing”, don’t you know he was talking about YOU too? He’s doing something new in you. He’s allowing those seeds of potential to grow within you, and as they do, your life begins to take on a new shape and form. The apple seed is planted deep in the dark soil where it appears nothing happens for quite some time. That’s the way of potential, you can miss what is happening inside. You can miss what is to come if you’re staring at the ground. Eventually that seed breaks above the ground in a tiny sprout. Over time, that sprout becomes a tree. But that’s not all. There’s more to come, more that has yet to be seen. For most of us, that’s exactly where we are in life. We’re finally breaking out of the ground and growing, but we feel like there’s really nothing special about us. We just haven’t produced fruit yet, but it’s coming. This is where God is going to do a new thing … yes, new to you because you’ve never see your fruit before, but not new to him. He always knew your potential because he specifically chose it for you. You likely know the story of Noah. He’s man who built the ark and saved not only his family,

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2025

There’s a difference between a wish and a plan. A wish is a thought without action. A plan puts that wish into motion with a path to make it possible. God has more than just good wishes for you. He has good PLANS for you. This means he doesn’t just wish goodness for you, he has it in the works. He has it arranged. He has the way made. It’s in store. You know if you order something today on Amazon Prime and it shows in stock, it’s on it’s way. You expect delivery. God’s plans for you are in stock and on their way. You can expect delivery my sister. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” And whatever God plans, HE CAN MAKE HAPPEN. Who can stop the Lord? Who can out power him? Who could possibly get in his way, delay him, detour him, or defeat him? NO ONE. Isaiah 14:27 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken— who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?” So imagine this, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the one who has angels following his command, the one who controls all of heaven and Earth, has good plans for YOU and his hand is raised over you. Tell me again why you’re stressed. Tell me again why you are worried. Tell me again why you are overwhelmed. You have a good future ahead of you. There are not plans to harm you honey, there are plans to prosper you. I have good wishes towards you. I truly wish nothing but the best for you. But honestly, my wishes don’t change your life, do they? I don’t have the power or influence to change your future. But imagine the president of your company calling you today and saying, “I’ve noticed your work, and I have good plans for you.” Wow, would you get excited? Immediately you would envision promotion and a window office. A total breakthrough in your career. All because the boss has good plans for you. Imagine Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon and wealthiest man alive at a worth of 263 billion dollars sending you an email today and saying, “Your name came across my desk, and I have a ridiculously good future for you.” You would probably pee a little! Oh my goodness, what could this mean? The house on the hill without a single worry again. All because the rich man has good plans for you. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” So how is it you’ve heart these words of the creator of the Universe, the owner of all that ever existed, the one who holds the whole world in the palm of his hands, the one who makes the sun to rise and the earth to spin, the one who gives you the very breath in your lungs, and you’re not phased? HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE? How has your entire world not been shaken with this word from God? He has good plans for you! God is the boss. He is the richest of all. Anything he wants to be done, can be done. If he tells a mountain to move, it moves. If he wants the ocean to stand on it’s end, those waters will part. If he wants water to turn to wine, you should get your cup ready. If he wants little to become more, it will be so. If he wants donkeys to talk, their lips start moving. If he wants dead bones to come alive again, they start rattling. If he wants babies to come when all hope is lost, then someone better buy a crib.

Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2025

Join me for a time of Bible study together today.We will be reading:Luke 22: 3-6Luke 22: 31-32Hebrews 7:25John 16:33 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 2025

This week in BIG Life Mentoring, I’ve been teaching my girls about the gap. It’s the gap between the life you’re living and the life God designed you to live. Our goal is to lessen the gap. Many years ago, God gave me a vision of my future standing before him when the journey of this life is complete. There, he and I watched a movie of my life flash before our eyes. It was big, it was beautiful, it was thrilling and exciting, unexpected, wild, and overflowing with purpose and meaning. Oh, that life was soooo soooo soooo good. But there was one problem, if it was my life, why couldn’t I remember the best parts of it? In this vision, I could remember some of the movie of my life, but the best parts seemed to be missing. I saw them flash before me, but had no memory of them. That’s when God revealed this life-changing truth to me. He said, “My girl, all of this was available to you, aligned for you, destined as yours, but some of it you didn’t choose. You sat it out. You played little. You gave up. You dismissed yourself. So, the life you CHOSE to live fell short of the life I was prepared to give you. I’m showing you what could have been if you would have fully trusted me to work in you.” This vision allowed me to see the gap. The gap between the life I’m living and the life God says he designed for me to live. Now, my mission is to seek God every step of the way to lessen the gap. The gap is bad if left unfilled. However, the gap is glorious when filled by Jesus! That gap is the potential for Jesus to come in and fill your life with his power, his glory and his divine ways. Wherever you feel “not enough” in your life, God is working to show you HE IS. He is enough of anything and everything you’re lacking. The gap exists for his power to dwell. Jesus is our gap filler. Where is your gap? Where are you struggling? Have you asked Jesus to fill that gap with his power and make you more than enough? Paul had a conversation with God where he was assured his perfection was not needed. God told him his grace is all that was needed. He reminded Paul that actually his power works best in weakness. Remembering this, Paul then said “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) My guess is on this 9th day of a brand new year of life, you haven’t been perfect. Your efforts and your follow through may have been lacking at times. Your attitude may have fallen short. Your faithfulness may have wavered. Your pace may have slowed when you needed to move forward, or you may have rushed when you needed to pause. In response to all of this Jesus says PERFECT, I CAN WORK WITH THIS! Your lack of perfection is an open invitation for God’s power to inhabit your life and do what only he can do. Your part is to recognize your weaknesses as Paul did and invite Jesus to work through you. Remember, this is where his power works best. There are times in my life where I clearly see the hand of God. Times I know without a doubt my eyes behold his power on display working in every detail. Those times are laden with hardship, struggle and uncertainty. Times when I am not enough and God shows up and says, “I am.” Because HE IS ENOUGH and his power works in me, he makes me more than enough. He turns whatever I’m lacking into an ample supply to overcome and rise up. If I am all self-sufficient thinking I’m perfect with no gaps, I leave no room for Jesus. Whew, how he has humbled me to show me the gaps!

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2025

We are inherently afraid of not knowing what comes next. That fear drives us to a desire to make our lives predictable. We want to know what’s coming and what to expect. We want a sense of control. However, you were NOT created for a predictable life. Your design is not for settling into pattern and routine with guaranteed outcomes and known timelines.Why do you think God gave you the ability to create and change? So you would dare to believe you can be part of something bigger than just yourself.Why do you think he placed unattainable dreams within your soul? So you would have a pull towards something more.Why do you think he made scrapes and bruises to heal? So you would get up and keep going. At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry on Earth, he walked up to 2 brothers fishing at the Sea of Galilee and he simply said “Come, follow me.” An invitation into the unknown. An offering of adventures in uncharted territories. An opportunity to taste their destiny. Matthew 4:20 says “At once they left their nets and followed him.” Their nets represented the predictable pattern and routine of their life. They knew how to fish. Their identity was as fishermen. It was certain if they continued to throw out the nets, eventually they would bring in a catch. Their lives were predictable as fishermen. Leaving their nets to follow Jesus represented the unknown. It represented the unpredictable. It represented a sacrifice of the certain for a chance at destiny. They left their nets at once and followed Jesus. These 2 brothers were Peter and Andrew and their worlds radically changed in that moment. They walked with Jesus everywhere he went and took part in life changing miracles we still talk about today. 10 chapters after Peter left his nets and followed Jesus into the unknown, he is invited into the impossible with Jesus … he walks on water! It was likely only a matter of a few months, but the events and lessons of those few months filled 10 chapters. But think about this, my sister, you may be only a few months away from doing totally impossible things with Jesus. But it starts with the invitation today to loosen your grip on your control and step into the unknown where Jesus is leading you. Now, what about all the stories we don’t know? How many others received the invitation to “follow me”, but just couldn’t let go of a predictable life to accept the offer? Where in your life has Jesus said “follow me” and you totally missed the opportunity because of your busy calendar, your important job, your rigid routine, or the finely constructed walls of your comfort zone? You want predictable and Jesus doesn’t offer predictable, he offers purpose. We talk a lot about purpose, but here’s something you need to know … purpose is totally unpredictable. You may think you know the path of your purpose, but God may have some twists and turns you didn’t see coming. Purpose is always unfolding and revealing itself along the way. Purpose is a lifelong journey into the unknown, following the One who knows. The 2 fishermen had no idea where they were going, but Jesus did. They couldn’t take their nets with them, and you can’t take your security with you either. Whatever you’re clinging to is a total sense of false security. That job could end tomorrow. The house could be gone in an instant. That life is fragile, days are numbered, and you don’t know the count. You’ve been working to make your life predictable, but the truth is life is totally unpredictable and you’re right in the middle of it. Both faith and fear demand you believe in something you cannot see....

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2025

There are voices that tell you not to show up. Voices that tell you that you can’t do this. Voices that tell you, you will never be good enough. Voices that tell you this is too overwhelming and too hard. But my sister, check the source of those voices. Where is this coming from? If it’s not from God, then why are you listening? Why are you entertaining voices that quite possibly originated in the pits of hell? You have an enemy, and let me tell you what that enemy does … He talks. He talks and talks and talks. Day and night he is accusing you in the courts of heaven, and day and night he sends his demons to torment your mind. However, understand this one thing about your enemy that he does NOT want you to know. He is not like God. He does not have the ability to be everywhere all the time. He and his demons must be selective with their efforts of evil. When they find a cracked door, they will bombard it, but when they find that door is locked and sealed shut, they move on. Girl, your door is cracked! You’ve been allowing their taunts and pokes to enter your thoughts, so they’ve decided to hang out and torment you. If you slam that door and shut this down, they will move on! Oh yes, the enemy talks … what’s he been saying to you? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it? The Bible tells us about a giant of an enemy in the Philistine army who talked a lot as well. That giant was named Goliath. Scripture says he was over 9 feet tall and one threatening dude to look at. For 40 days Goliath did nothing but stand up and shout taunts at the Israelites, and when he did, they would all shake in terror. Until David, the little shepherd boy shows up with lunch for his brothers who were part of the Isratelite army. David wasn’t old enough to be a soldier like his brothers, he was kept home to take care of his father’s sheep and run errands. But while he’s there delivering lunch, he hears the giant Goliath. 1 Samuel 17: 23-26, “Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?'” All Goliath did every day was step out and say ugly things. And day after day, everyone was terrified by Goliath. But David was different. David says to King Saul in verse 32, “Don’t worry about this Philistine, I’ll go fight him!” Yes, the most unlikely person there that day decided they wouldn’t back down and hide when the enemy talked. My friend, if you’ve been backing down because the enemy has been talking ugly to you, you’re missing the victories God has already aligned. You’re forfeiting because you’re envisioning losing the battles God will equip you to win. You’re listening to the taunts of the enemy and accepting them as your truth. Girl, SHUT HIM DOWN! You know how the story goes, right? Little David refuses the King’s armor and shows up to face Goliath exactly as he is with nothing more than a few rocks and a slingshot. Goliath yells his ugly threats again and David replies (verse 45-47), “You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals,

Transcribed - Published: 7 January 2025

You have a need in your life right now. There’s something you can’t fix, something you can’t overcome, something can’t change. But it hasn’t been changing, has it? You’ve been waiting, but all that waiting has things left the same, and in some ways even worse. What do you do with that? Really, what do you do when there’s nothing more you can do? This is not where you pretend to be okay. This is not where you make peace with the problem and accept defeat. This is not where you settle, assuming this is all there is for you. My friend, this is NOT where you quit. This is where you get DESPERATE. Desperate for the one who can fix this. Desperate for the one who promised to already overcome this. Desperate for the one who can change the impossible. But you’ve been trying to avoid desperation thinking that is a broken weakness. Let me tell you something, desperation is a deep faith that moves Jesus. It’s time to get desperate! Let’s read a story in our bible about desperation. There are many to choose from because desperation is not a rare place to find yourself in. I’m there … aren’t you? Luke 18: 35-43: As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”“Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him.But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God too. This is a picture of desperation. This blind man knew if Jesus doesn’t do this for me, I will never change. He would not be silenced. He would not be shamed and hushed. Now, notice what he says. He says, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” Mercy is acknowledging you don’t deserve it. If you’ve been walking around entitled thinking Jesus owes you something, you’re missing the power of his mercy. We could never be good enough to deserve Jesus. There’s nothing we could ever do that would qualify us for forgiveness and redemption. There’s no possible way we could get ourselves into Heaven. Mercy is required here. Mercy, you don’t deserve. Mercy, you can’t earn. I heard the recording of an interview with a homeless man living on the streets. They asked him, “What do you think about God.” The man answered, “Why me?” But, not for the reasons I’ve ever asked “Why me?” I must admit, my ‘why me’ moments were pitiful and entitled. But this man says, “Why me, God? Why did you ever choose me? You’ve chosen ME for eternity? I get the mansion in heaven? I get to walk on those streets of gold? Me?!!!! For real? Wow!!!!!!! I’m the luckiest man in the world!” That is a child of God who understands mercy! Now think about it, you are chosen by God as well. He wants to give you a place in paradise for all eternity with him, and it’s not because of anything you have done or could ever do. It’s all because of his mercy. Stop for a moment and ask “Why me” with this perspective to...

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2025

In this special unscripted devotional, we learn to imagine each moment as if it were a beautiful invitation to return to this one ordinary day and make it extraordinary. See every person through the perspective of a label that says, “Only here for a little while.” Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” What you have today appears quite ordinary – it’s up to you to find, focus on, magnify, and create the extraordinary. And when you do, you start living your days as God says you should. Resources:Song – Counting My Blessings by Matt MaherDaysOld.com Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Transcribed - Published: 3 January 2025

Where you are is not where you will always be … at least not in God’s plan. God’s design for your life is to be ever changing and evolving, moving toward greater purposes on a trajectory you could never design alone. You were not created to arrive to this place and just stay here. In this new year, you are being called forward. Not backward, and not stagnant. Forward. Onward. Next step. Understand that when you refuse to move and instead choose your familiar comfort zone, that is sin. When God is calling you to what is next but you cling to where you are now, that disobedience is sin. And when you wait and plan to do it “later”, that delayed obedience is also sin. Sometimes we cling to where we are now because it’s our happy place. But quite honestly, that’s rare. You’re not really happy, you’re just familiar with this scene. Typically, there’s a void of happiness in the places we refuse to leave. It’s a familiar misery. A familiar chaos. A familiar battle. But honey, familiar is not the calling for your future. Yesterday, we studied the story of the son who wanted his own way and ran off and ruined his life in Luke 15. There, in the pig pens, he finally came to his senses and decided to return to his father. Can you imagine how hard that first step must have been for him? Although he was miserable in his mess, it was his mess. He was independent. He wasn’t answering to anyone. He was free to just be. The problem is, our pursuit of freedom often lands us in some world class wrecks and it’s hard to face the truth that no one did that to us but us. We made the mess. We screwed this up. This was my choice and I can’t just undo it. So, the son had to make a choice: Respond to the pull to humbly return home and admit his failure, or stay right where he was and avoid the dreaded journey back. His decision made all the difference in the world. Just as yours does here. Let’s say you’ve wandered off and created a mess in your health. You’ve been doing all the wrong things for a while now and you don’t recognize or like the girl you see in the mirror. But even more, that girl you see in the mirror is suffering. She doesn’t feel good. So, what are you going to do here? Returning to health will require a discipline you haven’t seen in a while. In your head, that’s a whole lot of days of denying yourself and that feels quite overwhelming. So, you could just stay here. You could remain in your un-health. You could make friends with your pain and downplay the problems this really causes. Or, you could listen to that still small voice within that says, “Please do better for me.” Your body is the vessel that carries your soul, and honey, if you’re not taking care of the vessel, the soul suffers too. You could start the return to health with the very first step. You could go buy some healthy food (and throw away the junk). You could take yourself for a walk. You could trade your morning soda or sugary coffee for a better choice. Your decision makes all the difference in the world. Why am I talking about health in a devotional? Because honey, your health has been under attack for a long time. The enemy of your soul knows if he can keep you stuck in not feeling good and not loving yourself, then you aren’t much of a threat at all. But if you chose to leave this pig-pen living behind and started your journey back to what the Father has for you … ohhhhhh, the devil is shaking in his boots! So, where’s your mess? Maybe it’s not your health,

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2025

Thoughts of change without action become your torment. My husband says it like this, “Girl, you don’t have a knowing problem, you have a doing problem.” You typically know better, you simply don’t do better. You know what to do, or atleast you know the first simple step in getting started, but the problem is you don’t take that first step, so you remain stuck in a life that is far less than you were created for. This morning, you miraculously woke up to the gift of a brand new year of life. Welcome to 2025. You have never seen anything like this before. Overflowing and limitless potential meets you here today and invites you into living bigger and better this year. With the new year, my guess is, you likely have thoughts of wanting to do better this year. There are a few changes you have been thinking about. Things you think you should really start doing, and things you should stop doing. We all have those thoughts. Those thoughts are an internal compass given to us by God to receive the promptings of his Holy Spirit. Now, we’re supposed to do something about those promptings! The thoughts of change are there, but my sister, if you once again fail to take the necessary steps of action prompted by those thoughts, your mind becomes a place a torment. Let me talk to you about the anxiousness you feel … Uh huh, yeah, we’re addressing that first thing this year because you absolutely cannot continue with the crippling affects of that anxiousness. You’re all torn up on the inside and tormented in your mind because you know better, but you’re not doing better. Your thoughts for change have been met with feet that won’t move in the direction necessary for change. That’s why you’re disappointed in life. That’s why you don’t like yourself. That’s why you’ve grown a little bitter and a little cynical. That’s why your energy is low and your butt’s been dragging. You can change, girl, you can turn around right now and start your journey in a radically different direction with one single step. You can, but the question is will you? Jesus tells us a story of a young man who knew better, but wasn’t doing better. He had thoughts of change, but without action, he remained in torment. He was overwhelmed with anxiousness because deep within his soul he always knew he was created for more than he had settled for. And whew, that is a nagging feeling, the feeling of knowing you’re created for more but you’ve settled for less. Maybe you’re familiar with that feeling. As Jesus tells us this story, he brings us to a monumental moment that can easily be overlooked. A monumental moment in this man’s life that looks a whole lot like a moment you are about to have right now. As we read the story, the monumental moment of change is easy to miss, but listen closely. Jesus says in Luke 15: 11-24: A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, “I want my share of your estate now before you die.” So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.A few days later this younger son packed all his belonging and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into this fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.When he finally came to his sense, he said to himself, “At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare,

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2025

Special New Year’s Eve podcast with my husband, coach Lonnie on his 51st birthday.(This was Lonnie’s basic outline for the podcast – but he doesn’t really follow a script) * The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prov 9:10-12 Wisdom begins here because it comes from a place of healthy respect for God and His way of life.Our Father who art in heaven…Hallowed by thy name… the son of God begins with acknowledging who He is and the nature of the relationship. We should be in awe of God and seek to live His Way…Vs 12Gal 6:7-8 Do not be fooled, God can not be mocked. For whatever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. God has a natural order to life. You can grow a nice crop by planting seeds, water seeds, tending the plants and when the time is right, reap a harvest. This scripture can apply in 3 different ways to different people. * The non-believer* The believer who is living foolishly. Immature* The believer who is stuck in fear. Fear of the Lord is the …. Beginning of wisdom – not the end. * 1 John 4:18-19 – There is no fear in love. As you mature in your relationship with God and His Way, you don’t do things out of obligation. You do them out of love, because you want to, because you Get To.It take time, patience and deeper understanding to get there – hence “The Perfecting”, making perfect process. (Heb 12:6) Love is not a license to live poorly. PERFECT love is about living our life WITH God and seeking His Way of living – because we want to. CONC –Matt 7:13-14 If you are looking for a good resource for the New Year – look at The Bible Project on Youtube. Very good short and longer studies available there. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamelaOr Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crimFind out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2024

What have you been complaining about this year? Really … what situation, what person, what problem has you complaining? Complaining means you are making it very clear what you’re not happy about. You give energy and words to the things you don’t like. Your complaining spirit ultimately reveals a lack of trust in God. Really, if you know God is working in this, why are you complaining about it? If you know God is bigger than this and has made a way through it, your complaints are nothing but a negative distraction from the positive power of God. Today, at the end of this year of life, God has made it very clear: If you continue to complain, you will remain. Oh, God has so much more for you beyond this. He has promises to fulfill and a destiny he’s aligning. He has every intended ounce of harm against you and your family being turned around and used for good. He has messages coming from the messes and testimonies rising up from the test. HOWEVER, you will dismiss yourself from everything divinely aligned for you on the other side of this if you continue to complain about it. Girl, you will get yourself stuck right here with your complaining. 2025 can be a year of absolute breakthrough for you, but you cannot breakthrough what you complain through. Your breakthrough requires you to BREAK THROUGH the habit of giving your energy and words to the things you don’t like. Your breakthrough depends on you BREAKING THROUGH this lack of trust that comes out of you as a complaining spirit. Girl, do you really believe God is in this with you?Do you really believe his promises of good plans for the future apply to you?Do you really believe nothing will be impossible with him? Yes? Then drop your complaining! Everybody goes through a wilderness season. You know, the wilderness, where everything is just plain ol’ hard. Where you can’t see anything beyond where you currently are. The wilderness is where you don’t want to be. You are not alone in your wilderness. If I could only study one story in the Bible for every life lesson I need, I would study the Israelites leaving Egypt, heading towards their promised land of overflowing blessings, but getting stuck in the wilderness on the way. Exodus 14 we read of the Israelites leaving Egypt after 400 years of slavery there, and God protects them from their enemies by miraculously making an escape through the Red Sea for them. The sea literally parts and stands on it’s ends for them to cross on dry land. Then the moment all 600,000 men, plus women and children, crossed, then the walls of water came crashing down on the Egyptians who were chasing them. Exodus 15, the Israelites begin to complain. They complain the water tastes bad and the Lord cleaned the water for them. Then he lead them to an oasis that had 12 springs and 70 palm trees where they could camp by the water. Exodus 16, the Israelites begin to complain about food. They literally moaned wanting to go back to where they were slaves. So, God graciously rains down food on them. Manna covered the ground each morning, and quail flooded their camp each evening. Exodus 17, at their new camp in the wilderness there were no springs, so again the Israelites begin to complain. So, God demonstrates his power in provision once again by causing water to gush from a rock. Later in Exodus 17, they face battles in the wilderness, and every battle they are equipped and given victory. But they have been delayed. The journey through the wilderness has taken much longer than necessary.

Transcribed - Published: 30 December 2024