BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

God is in covenant with you. He has spoken a promise over your life, one he will not break. He is in agreement with how he will care for you, how he will bless you, and the future he has waiting for you. The crazy thing is, you may not be in agreement with him – you may be fighting him. You may not even believe him. But that does not change God’s covenant with you. We really don’t talk about covenants much today. Now, we sign contracts for our agreements. And we often break our contracts and cancel our agreements. Yeah, I thought I wanted to stay here for a full year, but now I don’t, so I’m breaking this lease. I thought I wanted to be married to you for the rest of my life, but nahhhh, I’m not feeling it now, let’s get divorced. Contracts are now something we scroll through to simply get to the bottom of the page, click agree, and submit a digital signature. They don’t even mean anything to us anymore. But a covenant – a covenant was sealed with blood. A covenant is irreversible and forever. And God has a covenant concerning YOU. He made that covenant with Abram, and it was a promise for all his descendants. 4,000 years later, you and I are his descendants. We are among the counted stars God promised him so long ago. My sister, YOU ARE INCLUDED. You were included then and you are included now. A blood covenant was a seal of a promise, and while the scene of a covenant would look quite gruesome to us today, in the day of Abram, it was quite familiar. Animals would be killed, and their carcasses would be split in half. The two halves would then be laid out on the ground with a narrow path between them. So, essentially, you would have the left side of cow on one side of the path, and the right side of the cow on the other side. The same with a goat. Each animal split in half, divided with a narrow path between them. Then, the parties going into agreement with one another would walk that path together, often holding hands. They would recite the terms of their agreement together as they passed through the slain and divided animals. Each would make a commitment that if they broke the promise to the other, they themselves would be torn apart like these sacrificed animals. Blood would be on them and their families if they broke their promise. A covenant was never made with the thought of breaking it in the future if something changed. A covenant was never a decision made in the moment like a midnight wedding in front of Elvis in Las Vegas. A covenant wasn’t a “let’s give this a whirl and see if we like it” kind of thing. A covenant was an all-in commitment with agreed upon non-negotiable terms. If you and I walked hand and hand through a path of split animal carcasses, making a covenant to go into business together – You and I were in business together forever. No loop holes, no expiration, no addendums. Done deal. Hmmmm, imagine if weddings today looked like true covenants. Animal carcass is a very different color choice than most are going for these days. And that level of commitment is hard to find too, huh? So, remember how God makes a promise to Abram that his descendants will be as many as there are stars in the sky, and while Abram and his wife are now old and can’t have children, he dared to BELIEVE GOD, and because of his faith he was counted as righteous. That was an awesome moment of faith. Wow. Then, God makes another promise to Abram. (And that’s really how God works. If you can believe him for one promise, then he’ll make more promises to you. If you trust God with one thing, he will trust you with more.) So God sees that Abram will trust him with something as impossible as children at this point in his life, so God starts making more promises. Genesis 15:7, “Then the Lord told him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur to give you this land as your possession.'” This land was the sought after land of Canaan. Abram had no way of obtaining this land. No way of fighting for it, buying it, or claiming it. So he couldn’t understand HOW God was going to give it to him. And that’s when Abram says, “Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” Remember, it’s okay to have questions. It’s okay to believe and have unbelief at the same time. God can handle our questions. He can handle our fears. He can handle our tendency to over-think. And he will handle it if we give it to him! Just give him those doubts. That’s what Abram did. He didn’t pretend to understand what he couldn’t understand. He didn’t try to manufacture a feeling that wasn’t there. He didn’t hide behind fake faith. No, he honestly said, “Lord, how can I be sure?!!!!” And now, you have to know what God does next! This is how God responds to the questions of our heart. This is how God responds when we bring him our fears and doubts

Do you have something you’re believing God for, but you’re still battling for it to make sense in your mind? Some days it’s easy to believe what could be, and other days you wake up to current reality so hard that you can barely get out of bed. What do you do on those days? On the days when what you believe God CAN do and what is happening right now seem to be a world apart. On days when the gap between what you’re believing for and what you’re going through is a massive divide. What do you do on those days? You get real with God. Yes, just be honest. God wants to fill that gap, so don’t hide it from him in shame, invite him into it! Lord, I believe you can do anything, but right now nothing seems to be happening, so come fill this gap. I hear you, Lord – but I don’t see you, Lord. I need more help from you here. That’s the kind of relationship God is calling you into. A real one where you’re honest and you hold nothing back from him. There was once a father who’s son suffered from convulsions and seizures. The father brought his son to Jesus for healing and says, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” Can’t you hear the desperation in the father’s plea. Have mercy. Please, if you can help us, I’m begging for your help. And Jesus says this in reply, “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mark 9:24, “The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'” There it is. That’s what you do on those days. On the days when you’re believe what could be, but your reality nearly cripples you. On the days when you believe what God CAN do but it’s a world apart from what is happening right now. On the days when there’s a massive divide between what you’re believing for and what you’re going through. On those days, you cry out to Jesus with all your belief and all your doubt, all your knowing and all your questioning, all your surrender and all your desire to still control it – “Jesus, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” What? You think God would be disappointed if you admitted you struggle with part of you not believing he can get it right? You think God would be hurt by your questioning? Girl, God knows exactly how you really feel. He knows precisely how you’re struggling to fit his promises and your reality in the same box. He knows about that gap between what you’re believing for and what you’re going through, and all he wants is for you to stop hiding it from him and invite him into it. Lord, here’s the gap I’m struggling with – the things I don’t understand – the things I can’t see even being possible at this point – and I’m inviting you into this gap where my unbelief resides. Here’s my unbelief, help me to overcome it. I believe you, God, but I’m still struggling. You don’t have to hide in shame over your unbelief, you have to ask God to help you in it. You don’t have to be ashamed of the desires of your heart that are a far cry from current reality, you just have to invite God into the gap between the two. The father cries out to Jesus in honesty, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” And do you know what happens next? Jesus commands the spirit to come out of the boy, takes the him by the hand and helped him stand. As the father was struggling with holding both his belief and unbelief, Jesus healed his son. Jesus doesn’t need your belief to be perfect and without wavering. What he’s asking of you is to acknowledge the part of you that still struggles to believe and just invite him into it. Help me here, Jesus, where I still don’t get it. I believe you can get it right, but I’m still holding part of this back. Help me to surrender it all to you. In our study of Genesis, we see the 75 year old Abram who was married to his barren wife Sarai, and they couldn’t have children. All Abram wanted was a family. But the reality was, it was impossible. What’s the point in continuing to hope for something that is totally impossible? And that’s when God takes him outside and says, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” WOW! Amazing. In that moment, Abram believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. Then when God told Abram what was next, Abram went from a place of believing to a place of doubting. He was back in the gap of reality not aligning with God’s promise, so he questioned. And that’s what we’re supposed to do. Questioning is okay – but it must be correctly placed. Questioning doesn’t stay in your head. Questioning doesn’t stay in your heart. Questioning doesn&#

What do God’s rewards look like? They look like impossible things being made possible. They look like things you could have never even dreamed up in your own mind. God’s rewards are bigger, better and sweeter than what you even asked for. They are exceedingly great. And God rewards the ones who have messed things up. He rewards the ones who have failed along the way. The ones who thought their plans were better than God’s instructions, so they did their own thing their own way. God doesn’t cancel his rewards for the less than perfect, he leads them right to his rewards with grace and mercy. He covers us, forgives us, guides us, teaches us, and redeems us. Again and again, he rewards us in ways we could never be good enough to earn. Yesterday as I was wrapping Christmas gifts for my family, I realized God’s rewards in my life. Is my life perfect – no. There are some messy uncertainties, hurts and unhealed wounds. There are some struggling relationships and painful distances. Each of those gifts will be shipped in boxes today because no one is coming home … and I’m okay with that. We will be alone for Christmas, but fully aware of God’s exceedingly great rewards. I don’t get to share everything with you here because some things are private. But sometimes things need to be shared so God’s glory is made known. In the past year, we’ve walked a path with both of our daughters that seemed hopeless. Just this last Christmas, not only did they not come home but they wouldn’t even call. I didn’t tell you that. Every morning I was charged with the task of showing up here with a new devotional to share in pure delight as our family was broken. God has taught me how to walk through hard times and still be filled with joy. He’s taught me how to walk through the dark valley while talking about beautiful promised mountaintops. And let me tell you, HE’S NEVER FAILED ME ONCE. Last year at this time, one daughter’s marriage had fallen apart and she was walking away from her husband and her 2 year old son. That’s the truth. It didn’t look like it could EVER be okay again. The other daughter was going her own way in darkness, leaving a trail of disaster behind her and blaming us for most of it. She was caught in a world of chaos, bouncing from couch to couch and struggling to buy food. But God did not fail us. He didn’t walk away and leave us to try and fix it. In fact, we had nothing to do with fixing it. We prayed – God worked. We’re still praying – and he’s still working. But let me tell you how radically different our family looks this year. In one year, the daughter who was leaving her husband and 2 year old son is with her little family, they’re in Church and they’re seeking God. She sent me 2 texts this week. 1 text was of the 3 of them in matching Christmas pajamas all piled up on the couch together. That’s a miracle! Their divorce is cancelled! The 2nd text was telling me how they caught their little boy talking to himself and then realized he was praying. He was saying, “Thank you for Poppy and Franny.” (I’m Franny!). She told me they’ve been praying together as a family, and he’s started repeating them. Y’all that’s an exceedingly great reward! I didn’t do that – GOD DID THAT! My other daughter now has a baby girl of her own, and she’s the most perfect thing you’ve ever seen. Their life is not easy, but they have their little family together and they’re trying to give their baby girl the best they can. Yesterday she sent me a video of my smiling grandbaby as she absolutely lights up over her mama’s voice. It’s a miracle. I didn’t even know this was possible 1 year ago! And here I am, wrapping presents to ship to the homes of my children which God is working in. Here I am walking in the middle of undeniable miracles and exceedingly great rewards. Last year I never imagined this could be our family because it all looked so impossible. That’s what God does – you need to know that. You need to know that, because maybe this Christmas is dark and hopeless for you. Maybe you’re walking through the unimaginable and you don’t see how it can possibly get better. My friend, God can work in this, he can work through this, and he can work with this. Invite him in. Believe him. That’s the key – don’t just believe IN God, but truly BELIEVE GOD. Believe he is unlimited in power. Believe he sees every detail of your life and cares. Believe he knows the desires of your heart and is responding. Believe nothing is impossible for him. Read his promises and believe they are for you, they are for your family, they are for your future. BELIEVE GOD. This week, in our study of the book of Genesis, we’ve seen how Abram failed to trust God fully and

Whatever problem you are facing right now, whatever the threat may be on your future, know this – GOD WILL PROTECT YOU. He will come through for you. God will meet your needs and you will be taken care of. You likely don’t feel worthy of that because maybe you’re not 100% innocent in the problem you’re facing. Oh come on, can we be real for a minute? This might not be all your fault, but you weren’t perfect and you have some level of responsibility here. You put your trust in the wrong people. You allowed your priorities to get out of line. You willfully overlooked the red flags because you just wanted it so bad. You stopped showing up as your best self. Maybe you don’t deserve this problem, but you’re part of it now. BUT GOD WILL STILL PROTECT YOU IN THIS. God will still come through for you. God will still meet your needs here and you will still be taken care of, even when you’ve been a little (or a lot) wrong too. Yesterday we read about Abram creating unnecessary problems on his journey because he didn’t trust God to be enough. But God didn’t cancel his promises over Abram because of it. God was still there. God was still working. God’s good plans for Abram still stood, even through the problems he had part in creating. Now, after Abram’s self-created problem, God speaks to Abram in a vision. Genesis 15:1, “Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.'” Did you know God has a reward for you? A reward you don’t deserve, so you can’t earn it. A reward of sacred gifts and favor, goodness and mercy. A reward of Heaven’s open storehouse. A reward of breakthroughs and blessings in miraculous proportions. And it has nothing to do with what you do, it has to do with what has been done for you. This is about God. God WANTS to reward you, and his reward will not be stopped. God blesses because he is good – not because you are good. How can God do that? Won’t his blessings be wasted if he gives to us even when we aren’t deserving? Oh honey, you’re viewing this from a limited perspective. God is unlimited. Nothing is wasted in his hands. Here’s what he knows – his blessings will always draw you back to him. When God shows up and does a miracle in your life, you can never forget it. When God gives you what you could never be good enough to deserve, you are forever grateful to him. Something happened in Abram when he saw God’s faithfulness even after his self-created mess caused by his lack of trust – he never had to doubt God again. When you know God is faithful, you become more faithful to him. Has God shown himself faithful to you? Doesn’t that make you want to be faithful to him? Has God proven you can trust him with those little things and those big things alike? Doesn’t that make you want to trust him fully with EVERY thing? God had told Abram to go to a land he would show him, and he had specifically told him NOT to take any of his father’s family with him. But, Abram took his nephew Lot. It made sense to him to bring along help. It made sense to him to have strong arms for the long and uncertain journey. Abram had trusted what made sense to him more than he trusted what God had told him. And this created problems. Abram’s nephew Lot (the one God told him to leave at home) was captured in war by enemy armies, so Abram had to go rescue him. Once Lot was rescued, a King wanted to reward Abram with great riches. These were things Abram didn’t need for his journey, but it must have been tempting. I mean for real, girl, if someone is offering you a designer purse and those famous red bottom shoes by Christian Louboutin, you want it, right? You don’t need it, but wow, it would be nice. But what if God had been teaching you the lesson of TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU. TRUST ME ENOUGH TO REFUSE EVERYTHING ELSE. Abram is offered a great reward by the King, but Abram was fresh off some self-created problems to learn a hard lesson, so he refused the reward. He says to the King in Genesis 14:22, “I solely swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you.” That’s a man who has learned the lesson. That’s a man who is no longer tempted to take along what God told him he doesn’t need. And THAT IS A MAN WHO GOD HIMSELF REWARDED. This is when God says, “Your reward will be great.” In fact the KJV says your “exceedingly great reward.” Not just great, but EXCEEDINGLY GREAT. Now that’s exciting! When you start trusting God more than you trust what you can earn, what you can collect, what you can buy, or what you can create, God starts offering HIS EXCEEDINGLY GREAT reward. I’ve al

How good do you have to be to live in the promises of God? Where’s the cut off line for that? Do you wonder if you could ever be good enough for God to really love you? Do you fight to get yourself in that good positioning, then struggle to stay there? And when you’re not there, when you know you’re falling short, do you fear God’s promises over your life being withdrawn? Well, listen closely sister, this one is for you – God’s promises depend on GOD, not on you. God alone is good enough. God alone fulfills his promises. Jesus has made you forever good enough and you don’t have the power to undo that. God’s promises for you are true whether you believe them or not. His promises are at work all around you in every detail, even when you fail to remember them. You can’t cancel God’s promises, but you can create unnecessary problems when you forget them. In our study of Genesis, we started with Adam and Eve, then 9 generations later we have Noah. 9 generations after Noah, we have Abraham. Abraham’s birth name was Abram, so don’t be confused when you read scripture and you see both names being used. In Genesis 12, Abram received a mission and a promise from God. First the mission in verse 1, “Leave your native country, your relatives, your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” Now, the promise in verse 2 & 3, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Imagine knowing with absolute certainty that God is blessing your mission. Imagine knowing you will most definitely succeed. Imagine knowing God himself has promised to take care of you and clear out anyone that might come against you. That was the promise Abram received. But Abram was not perfect. He was chosen, but not perfect. He was blessed but still flawed. He didn’t always get it right. God specifically tells Abram not to take any of his father’s family on this journey, but he takes his nephew Lot. Why would he do that? Maybe he thought he would need help for the journey. You see, sometimes we think we need help and we start grabbing people to take with us, forgetting that God alone is all the help we need. This nephew of Abram’s causes him many troubles on the journey, and that’s what happens when we don’t trust God enough to follow him completely. Does God remove his blessing when we fail him? No. But we create unnecessary problems for ourselves. What unnecessary problems are you living in right now because you didn’t trust God to be enough? What stress here is self-created? What overwhelm was formed with your own choices, not God’s hand? Do you see it? Yeah, you did that. You can’t go back and undo it, but you know what you can do – You can learn the lesson and move forward. God’s blessings are still on you and you can trust him fully. One thing I’m learning about God is how incredibly patient he is with us. Wow, I’ve been so slow to learn the lessons. It’s taken me YEARS of unnecessary problems to see God is all I ever needed. It’s my lack of trust in him that creates my worry. It’s my lack of full obedience to him that builds my overwhelm. And yet, he blesses me. Still he guides me. Still his good plans for me stand. He is patient with me. He was patient with Abram. And oh honey, he is patient with YOU! Abram’s journey of faith with God takes him to Egypt where he faced the power of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. And this is where fear struck Abram. He knew his wife Sarai was beautiful and she would be noticed by the Egyptians. And he feared the Egyptians would be jealous of him and kill him so they could have his beautiful wife. So, Abram concocts a plan to protect himself from harm. And here’s his plan: “Sarai, tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” And sure enough, the plan works … for a little while. That’s the thing about our plans. They work … temporarily. God’s plans work … eternally. Our plans eventually fail and then we’re left with a mess. God’s plans are without fail and are guaranteed success. Abram is working in his own plan instead of God’s plan now, and temporarily it worked. Pharaoh loved the beauty of Sarai and took her into his palace and married her. To impress Abram, believing this was his sister, Pharaoh sent him many gifts. But this was NOT God’s plan – this was Abram’s plan. Abram’s plan of self-protection soon turned into a problem. Verse 17-19, “God sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharao

Your identity is a definition of who you are to you. It’s how you see yourself. It’s the value you place on your own life. Identity. The world wants to twist your identity so you never see yourself for the truth of who God says you are. God does not see you as a failure because he never saw you as a performer. (Hmmmm, let that soak in for a second.) God is neither impressed by your performance or distraught over your missteps. He is sovereign. He is mighty. He is great all alone, just by himself, and he simply invites YOU into HIS goodness. Let me tell you who you are, my sister, so you start seeing yourself a little differently. You are a funnel. You are a vessel through which God pours his blessings. A funnel’s purpose is to allow a flow from a larger thing to a smaller thing. If I’m pouring grease from a big skillet into a little bottle, I need a funnel. You are the funnel. God pours out his blessings, but he uses a funnel for his flow. His people are his funnel. And the funnel is constantly being filled, even as it gives, because the source never runs out. When you are the funnel receiving from God, you can fill a million different bottles while never running empty yourself. But the moment you stop the flow through you and try to keep it all for yourself, you create a mess. Yip, you know that. Now think about this. As the funnel, the moment you start trying to give solely from yourself, you run dry. The moment you start trying to create the blessings on your own, you fail. The funnel does nothing but allow the flow through them from the source. The funnel can’t get puffed up with pride, thinking they’re great and every little bottle receiving from them should be grateful. No, what the receiving bottle does with what has flowed through the funnel is of no concern. The funnel is to allow the flow, not measure the response. You’re the funnel. And funnel, it’s really not about you. Just let God’s blessings flow through you. Here’s a statement for your identity. It’s one I’ve clung to for the past 16 years. I’m blessed by the blessor to be a blessing. God is a blessor. All blessings come from him. Ephesians 3:1 reminds us that it is God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Every good thing you have came through the hands of God. It’s all his and he poured it out on you – and I bet he used a funnel to get it to you! He used someone to bless you. Someone spoke into your life. Someone gave you a chance. Someone opened the door for you. Someone made space for you. Someone showed you love. They were your funnel! They were blessed by God to be a blessing to you. And once you’ve received a blessing from God, you become the funnel. Now, you let the blessings flow through you onto the next person who needs the goodness of God. The divine giver never stops giving as long as the funnel keeps the flow open. We’ve been studying Genesis and we saw how the whole earth had been infected by Satan and his demons and become evil – all but 1. That one was Noah, and Noah was different. So God started over with just Noah and his family on the ark. Now, 10 generations after Noah comes Abraham. Abraham is know as the “father of faith”. We first learn how to be faithful through the life of Abraham. Abraham was an ordinary man who had the identity of a funnel. He knew everything he was given and everything he could do was for the purposes of God to flow through him to others. Let me tell you, it takes FAITH to receive a blessing from God and not hold on to it. It takes faith to allow the best stuff to just go right through you. God tells Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” Blessed by the blessor to be a blessing. God is saying – Abraham, your fame will not be for you. This won’t be about you. This will be about my power working through you. Your blessings will not be yours to hold on to. You’ll be asked to surrender your blessings over and over again. Sacrifice them, release them, trust me with them. And as long as you do, my blessings will never run out. But God is not only saying this to Abraham, but my sister, he is saying it to YOU. He will bless you beyond measure, but it can’t become about you. It can’t be about your followers or your numbers. It can’t be about the purse you carry or the car you drive. It can’t be about your comforts and your cares. As a funnel of God’s blessings, you have to have a continual openness that never holds back. A faith that says, “God, if you give it to me, it’s not mine to keep – it’s yours to pass through me onto others.” Abraham was blessed to be a blessing. Your blessings are for one purpose – for you to become a blessing. But have you gotten that a little twisted? Abraham’s birth name was Abram. A

There is a divine design over your life. The divine designer behind it is God. He wanted you, so he designed you. He used generations before you to perfectly align to bring the world YOU. Now, here you are in your lifetime. My friend, what are you doing with this one opportunity at life? It’s so wild to think about how incredibly short our lifetime really is in relation to creation. We are truly here but a moment, then our life is over and the world continues on without our existence here. But while we are here, our existence is for a purpose. We’re not here by chance, we’re here by CHOICE, and that choice was God’s. You continue to be here by choice. Every day of your life is a choice for God to continue to sustain you with his breath. His desire is that you not waste what you have been given. Live this one life you have been given in a way that it matters. Think about this – someone’s future flows from you. Someone’s life depends on your life. You’re being used to impact eternity. It’s easy to dismiss ourselves as too ordinary for that kind of impact, but I assure you, God uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes. Isn’t it true for you? You’re here today because of someone else. God used someone in the past for your today. Someone grew you in their womb. Someone fed you when you couldn’t feed yourself. Someone may have spoken a word that forever changed you. Someone may have shown you Jesus for the first time and changed your eternity. Weren’t they ordinary people? Your mom was quite ordinary, maybe even quite flawed. That teacher was quite ordinary. Maybe it was even an ordinary stranger, but what they did made a difference in your life. Now, you get to do that for someone else. You get to be that mom, or that teacher, or that friend, or that stranger. Do something that matters! Noah and his wife had 3 sons and their wives on the ark. After the flood, they were the only humans alive. And from them, God would repopulate the Earth. Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. And from one of them came … YOU. Without one of them, we don’t have you. Your exact DNA required either Shem, Ham or Japheth – the sons of Noah. And remember this, Noah was just an ordinary man but he lived DIFFERENT. He wasn’t said to be the best looking, the strongest or the smartest, he was just said to be different and God liked what he saw in Noah. And THAT is who you come from! You come from someone who was willing to be different. Someone who was radically obedient to God. Someone God used to change everything. That is your lineage! That’s where you come from. One life led to your life, by design. When Noah and his family left the ark, God did something very specific. Genesis 9:1, “Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.'” Guess what – that involved YOU. God knew you would come from 1 of Noah’s 3 sons. Your life would depend on them. And their life was blessed by God personally. My sister, you flow from blessings. You were designed by fruitfulness. Countless miraculous things have had to happen over all these generations just to ensure your life is here today. And here you are, not understanding the full impact of your lifetime. You’re failing to understand that someone’s future flows from you. Someone’s life now depends on your life. God wants to use YOU to impact eternity. I remember the very first person I ever heard pray for me. He was an ordinary man named Bill. He was the father of my middle school best friend Sarah. While at Sarah’s house, she and I got into one of those 13 year old girl arguments. Who knows what we were upset about – but looking back I’m sure I was at fault – I was far wilder and brattier than she was. Sarah’s dad sat us both down in the family room and talked to us. I don’t remember what he said, but I remember he said it out of love. He didn’t condemn either of us. He didn’t shame us. He lovingly talked to us. Then, he prayed for us. Right there, in that living room, I heard the very first person pray out loud for me. He spoke my name to God. And quite honestly, it planted a seed in me that never stopped growing. I’ve never told him thank you. He’s probably never thought of me again since then and doesn’t even remember that day. But that man, Bill Henry, made a forever difference in my life. He was different and he did something different for me. One life that impacted my life. Now it’s my turn – who’s life will I impact? This is how God works. He uses one life to create the next life. One life to impact the next life. One life to save the next life. And my friend, if you don’t show up in the fullness of who you were created to be and walk out the life you have been given, there will be more than one

As good as you are, or as flawed as you are, you are 100% dependent on God’s faithfulness. Without his faithfulness, you don’t wake up today. Without his faithfulness, the sun doesn’t come up. Without his faithfulness, things are never made right. You are surrounded by constant proof of God’s faithfulness and your every breath depends on it. HE WILL NEVER FAIL YOU. God has made promises over you. He is in covenant with you, and God does not break his covenants. You may fail, but he does not. You may doubt, but God is always 100% certain. He’s certain he loves you, he’s certain he chooses you, he’s certain he wants to bless you. Imagine that for a moment – the creator of the entire universe WANTS TO BLESS YOU. He wants to make something happen just for you. With one word from him, it can happen. Doors can open, circumstances can change, the impossible can suddenly be made possible. He never stops wanting to bless you. After Noah comes out of the ark with his family and the animals, they start life over again in a world that has been renewed by the flood. And God creates a sign in the sky of his promise over all life on Earth. What was the sign of God’s promise? What was the signature of his covenant? IT’S THE RAINBOW. Genesis 9: 11-16: God says to Noah, “Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will flood waters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. (That means me and you because we are part of the generations to come from Noah! We are the recipients of this covenant with God). I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again with the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Did you know, a rainbow is actually not the arch shape we see? It’s actually a full circle – we only see half of the circle. Okay, why hasn’t someone ever told me that before? I was flying over a tropical island one time and looked out of my airplane window to see the full circle of a rainbow over the entire island and I flipped out a little thinking Jesus was surely coming back in that moment. It’s a full circle. Complete. Whole. God’s promise is full circle. It isn’t just a half promise, it’s a complete promise. Remember that when you see a rainbow. Why are we anything less that absolutely impressed by the miracle of a rainbow? Why do we look at those perfect colors circling our sky and dismiss it as the result of something ordinary happening. GOD MADE THAT HAPPEN. It didn’t have to happen just because that’s what light does through the rain, no it happens because God designed it to happen. He sends us signs of his promises. But, notice God says here, “I will remember my covenant with you and all living creatures.” Then he says “When I, God, see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember.” God remembers you and he remembers his promises. He is 100% faithful. He will follow through. Sometimes we’re blessed with this magnificent reminder in the sky. And if it’s anything less than magnificent for you, you’ve allowed life to numb you. Be the one who stops everything to stand in awe of God. Be the one who makes a BIG DEAL out of the wonders of God. Girl, be IMPRESSED BY GOD! Be blown away by his power and majesty. Be amazed by his works. That rainbow in the sky didn’t just happen because of some scientific truth, it happened because God ordained it to happen and he created it. Now you get to behold it for a moment. But ultimately, God created the rainbow as HIS REMINDER. He says I WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT WITH YOU. God says, “When I SEE the rainbow, I will remember.” God remembers you. He remembers his promises. And not just when it rains and the sun hits it just right – he remembers you and his promises over you eternally, non-stop, all the time. Sitting on his throne in Heaven, he is reminded, and here’s how – his throne is circled by a rainbow. Literally. The apostle John was gifted with a little visit to Heaven to see things we cannot see. This is John, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. He was a fisherman who Jesus invited to leave his nets and come follow him, so he did, and his whole world changed. He was there by the cross when Jesus was crucified. He was referred to as “the one Jesus loved”. John is the author of the book of Revelation, and he wrote that book because God revealed to him the things of Heaven and what is to

God is your remedy. He knows how to solve your problem. He knows precisely when your problem will end. He has a plan, his plan is good, and he will perfectly fulfill that good plan. My sister, God has not forgotten about you. He hasn’t overlooked you. He hasn’t dismissed you. He hasn’t turned a deaf ear or a blind eye toward you. You are seen. You are heard. You are loved. You are remembered. Genesis 8:1, “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat.” God remembered Noah. God even remembered the animals. They had been in the ark while it rained nonstop. They had been floating while absolutely everything else was wiped out in the flood. Imagine being on the boat you’ve been building for 120 years and watching every living creature outside of that boat not survive. Wouldn’t you be glad you were crazy enough to build the boat?!!! Imagine watching the trees be covered with water, the hills be covered with water, and eventually every single mountain peek on earth being covered with water. That’s where Noah was. For 150 days, exactly 5 months, Noah had been on that floating boat with his family and all those animals. It must have been a long 150 days. It must have felt like forever. He must have asked if they would ever make it out. Would this flood ever come to an end. And exactly at that point is when we’re told BUT GOD REMEMBERED NOAH. God had not forgotten about him. He hadn’t left him floating in a problem without a rescue plan. There was always a plan. Right now, you may feel like you’re floating in a problem without a rescue plan. Oh, but God has a plan. That plan is good, and that good plan will be perfectly fulfilled. This will not continue forever. An end to your problem is already in the works. After 150 days of floating with no land in sight, the ark came to rest on the mountain of Ararat (ehh-rr-at). The Bible is actually very specific about it’s location, and let me tell you what has recently happened. The ark is believed to have been found – and guess where. On top of the mountain of Ararat (ehh-rr-at)! It is a dormant volcano, sitting at 17,000 feet tall, making it still the highest point in Turkey. There are new findings released just this year that scientists believe to have found petrified wood in the shape of a boat, measuring exactly 450 feet long and 75 feet wide, on the top of Mount Ararat. Nothing grows at this elevation. Those peaks are covered in snow. And yet, here is this wood and the remains of tar. How absolutely amazing is that? For Noah, the rain stopped after 40 days, but the floating didn’t stop for 5 months. Now, after 5 long months, they sat lodged on top of the tallest peak in Turkey, still surrounded by water – and they waited. Waiting isn’t easy, but sometimes God has us wait. Why? Because he’s doing something. There’s a purpose in the wait. Sometimes he’s doing something to prepare the path for you, and sometimes he’s doing something to prepare you for the path. But he’s always doing something in the wait. My friend, you can trust the wait. Psalm 27:14, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” David wrote that in one of the hardest seasons of his life. He was hiding from King Saul who had turned on him and was hunting him down to kill him. David was on the run, hiding in caves, and living in the wilderness. He was without a home, without shelter, without help. And he is somehow writing, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Notice how his writing is repeated. He’s telling himself. Wait patiently, David. You have to be brave here. You have to be courageous. YES, wait patiently for the Lord. He was saying this because every ounce of him wanted to give up. Every emotion within him wanted to freak out. Anxiety wanted to overtake his mind. Panic wanted to set in. Hopelessness was knocking at his door. So he wrote his prayers and he trained his mind in the waiting. And God would provide for David while he ended the threat of his enemy, but it wouldn’t happen quickly. The wait was about 13 years for David. And David came out of that wait as a man primed to be used by God. You’re waiting, but you’re not forgotten by God. You’re being primed, prepared, shaped, molded, strengthened into the fullness of who God knows you can be. Just like David, you need to remind yourself to wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, girl, wait patiently for the Lord. And just like Noah, you need to not break down the doors of your boat and try to run out too soon. Noah is in the boat, surrounded by a pair of every species of animal, now stuck on top of a mountain. It’s been 5 months, and still he waits. He’s waiting for the waters to recede. He’s wait

God is asking you to follow him in a way that will require your faith. You’re not going to understand it. You’re not going to be in control of it. Can your mind make peace with the unknown? Can your hands remain open in full surrender? And girl, will your feet move forward to destination UNCERTAIN. Faith would not be required if you had a complete plan with confidence in the next 37 steps. Faith would be unnecessary if your future were certain and the steps there were clear. But that is NOT the life you were created for. That is not the future you’re being called to. Faith will be required here, my friend. Why? Because Hebrews 11:6 says, “It is impossible to please God without faith.” So, these uncertainties you face and the struggles with control you feel are your path to pleasing God. This is your path to faith. You are called to a place where you can’t see everything, you don’t understand it all, and it’s beyond your control … all for the purpose of growing your faith. Look around, you are in the faith growing field. The uncertainties and struggles are God’s divine recipe for your faith to grow. You can’t do this on your own. You don’t have all the answers. You can’t see how it’s going to work. But you have a God who is calling your next step. Will you take it in faith? Next steps are quite practical. The next step is always right in front of you. It’s quite literally doing what you can, where you are, with what you have … and (this is big) … not allowing what you can’t do, what you don’t know and what you don’t have, to keep you stuck. Our last devotional together was episode #2006, “Will You Be Different”. Studying the story of Noah, we see how Noah was different and God was pleased. Humans had become evil in thought and action, but Noah was faithful to God. Noah had a close relationship with God and sought to walk closely with him. God tasks Noah with a job so big that it would take him 120 years to complete – build the ark. This ark would house the only living breathing things through the flood which God would use to start over again. And this is what God says to Noah in Genesis 6: 17-19, “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat – you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal – a male and female – into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.” Imagine receiving this kind of impossible mission. God, how do you expect me to do this? But, Noah lets God continue. He doesn’t interrupt him with his questions. He doesn’t insert his own emotions. He listens. And here’s what God says next – verse 20, “Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.” God gives Noah a task he can do – he can build a boat. Right where he is, with what he has, he can start building. But, what Noah couldn’t possibly do is gather a male and female of every single air breathing animal. How would he ever do that? They didn’t even have tractors and trailers back then. There were no semi trucks to make a route to gather up these animals. This was beyond anything Noah could do. But God didn’t expect him to do the impossible. What God expected was for Noah to get busy doing what he could do in building, and trust God to do the impossible work. Girls, I can’t stop thinking about that. Who else has been prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something, but you’ve talked yourself out of it because step 5 is so far out of reach that it overwhelms you. So, you never moved beyond step 1. Maybe you started step 1, but you gave up. You got discouraged. You got scared. And instead of finishing that step in faith, you never completed what you could do. You could have built that boat, and if you would have built that boat, God would have brought the animals. IT WOULD HAVE COME TO YOU. You wouldn’t even have to go out and chase it, God would have brought it to you. But you stopped building, honey. And when you stop doing what you can do, using what you have where you are, then God withholds those impossible steps from coming right to you. You don’t have to chase what God has for you. It will come to you. But you do have to do the work to prepare for it. For my single ladies, you never have to chase the man God has for you. God will bring him to you. It will literally happen … but there’s work for you to do right where you are first. And that work is ON YOU. Your faith, your space, your priorities. If you will put in the work where you are, God will align the best things for you next. For my g

God has a purpose for you, and it will require you to be different. To be different, you must do something different. Different than what you’ve always done. Different than what everyone else does. Different than what is easy for you. If you’re willing to be different in the new year of life coming to you, then God wants to use you for greater purposes than you can imagine. But if not – if you’re not willing to be different, then you simply miss it. You miss what could be. You miss what you could do. You miss the potential of things you haven’t even dared to imagine yet. Genesis chapter 6 tells us of a world gone wrong and one man who was different. That one man was Noah. The world had gone wrong because Satan and his demons had contaminated the earth, literally. I never understood this until I really stated digging in and studying, but verse 2 says, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” What exactly does that mean? The sons of God are heavenly beings. They’re angels. But scripture also tells us that angels do not marry, so what angels are marrying the human daughters? Answer: The fallen angels. When Satan rose up in jealous competition against God, he was banished from heaven and thrown down to Earth. The Book of Revelation says 1/3 of the angels fell from glory with him. Those fallen angels are what we refer to as demons. So, what has happened on earth here in Genesis, is Satan’s demons have married the women and they’ve infected the human population. Of course this was Satan’s plan. He wanted absolutely NOTHING good left here. If he had fallen from Heaven, he wanted to ensure no one else could be there either. As the women had the children of demons, the world got worse. Genesis 6:5, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” God’s heart is broken over the condition of his people. Evil was everywhere. So, God decided he had to destroy everything. BUT, one man was different. God saw that one man and knew because he was different, something different could happen for the future. When we are different, we create different. When we are different, something different can flow from us. God is looking for different. God saw something different in Noah. Verse 8 from the MSG translations, “But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.” Noah stood out because he wasn’t willing to do what everyone else was doing. Noah wasn’t infected by the wickedness around him. He hadn’t settled for what had become normal. Verse 9 says, “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” Was Noah perfect? No. The only perfect one to ever walk the earth was Jesus. Noah wasn’t perfect, but he was righteous and considered blameless. He sought to do what was right. His heart was pure. He sought God first and fully. How did Noah do that when the world had become so wicked all around him? He walked in close fellowship with God. He had a relationship with God. He made space for God. He talked to God. He listened to God. And that is our very clear and simple answer for today. How do we navigate our way through a very fallen world full of things that have gone wrong? Answer: We have a relationship with God. We talk to him and we listen for him. Once again, we’re back to MAKING SPACE FOR GOD. One week ago today we talked about the final 40 days of 2025. We declared we would make space for God in these final 40. How are you doing with that? Is God getting space, or has life naturally crowded him out again? My friend, if you’re going to be different in 2026, then you have to do something different now. What makes you different is your relationship with God. Give him priority in your life. The world doesn’t get to crowd him out, He crowds out the world. You don’t have to find a space for him in your busy schedule, your busy schedule must bow to God. His space comes first. Nothing gets done and nothing happens until God gets his space. Well that’s different, isn’t it? Yes, it is! And different is what God is looking for. Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah. God is looking for a girl who will live different in these final days of 2025 and pave the way for a radically different new year. Will you be different? You’re being called to something different, my friend. It’s time to do life different. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to seek God first and look to him to do what is right. You need to give him time and space so your relationship grows. Because Noah was different, God decided to save

Every morning when we wake up, we get to choose our attitude. Any attitude we wish is available for the taking. We can put it on and wear it the entire day, and just like the right pair of shoes can change the outfit, the right attitude can change your experience. Most days we wake up unaware of this choice. We wait and see how others are acting, how our hair looks, and what the weather is. Good day, good attitude. Bad day, bad attitude. Average day, average attitude. We allow our experience to dictate and determine our perspective. But within us is the power to change our entire experience, regardless of circumstances. Within you is your choice of attitude, and your choice changes everything you experience. Today we have the extreme gift of waking up to a day when the preferred attitude is predetermined. It’s Thanksgiving, and what do we do on Thanksgiving besides eat a feast … we give thanks. Yes, we knew to wake up with an attitude of gratitude today. The calendar tells us today is the day to wake up to thanksgiving. What would your life look like if you continually gave thanks? I mean in the presence of real life, less than perfect scenarios, would things begin to look and feel different if they were covered in the gravy of gratitude? Yes, the gravy of gratitude – let it cover everything! Gravy on that turkey, gravy on those potatoes, gravy to soak your bread in. Yum. Where do you get that gravy? If you’re not a true cook, you may not know where gravy comes from. Honey, you don’t buy that gravy, you make that gravy from what you already have. You use the leftover grease or broth to make gravy. The gravy of gratitude is made from what you already have. You can’t buy gratitude. You may think once you have what you really want then you’ll be grateful, but I assure you, that’s not the way it works. You’ll always want more or something else. Gratitude comes from what you already have. Melody Beattie said “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” I don’t know who you might be missing around the table this year, but I’m truly sorry. I’m deeply sorry for your loss. I’m sorry for the division. I’m sorry for the dysfunction. I’m sorry for the distance. For whatever has caused the empty seats around your table, I’m so sorry. I’m missing important people too. No kids. No family. No friends. It’s just my husband and I. But God has given me so much bacon in my life already that I have all this leftover bacon grease from what he has given me before, that I can make the gravy of gratitude today. I have everything I need to be grateful, and now everything I have will be better because of that gratitude. Today, may you see what is here over what isn’t. Unlock the fullness of life today with your thanksgiving. We truly have so much to be grateful for. Let me throw my favorite absolutely overwhelming statistics at you, like I do every year on Thanksgiving: If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world. (Is that you? Do you have food in your refrigerator? Do you have clothes on your back? Do you have a roof over your head and a place to sleep? You are wildly rich, my sister!) If you have any amount of money in the bank, in your purse, or even some spare change hidden in your couch cushions, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealth. (Is that you too? You may not have a lot, but you have a little. You are ridiculously blessed, my friend!) That’s me. I qualify for both of these categories. Isn’t that you too? Girls, do you know what this means …. this means we are wildly rich and ridiculously blessed! Even in our current less than perfect life scenario, we have so much to be grateful for. Recognize it now. This is you. Wildly rich and ridiculously blessed. And you know what, you’re entitled to absolutely none of it. When you’re entitled to nothing, you can be grateful for everything. You are wildly rich and ridiculously blessed. That is your truth. Now, what will you do with it? Who will you thank? Luke 17: 11-19 tells us a story of 10 men sick with leprosy who met Jesus. Jesus healed all 10 of them, but only 1 came back to thank him. Now Jesus was literally shocked by this and says “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?” And Jesus said to the one who had returned to thank him, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” All 10 men had received healing, but to the 1 who returned to thank Jesus, he received more than healing of his illness. The Greek word Jesus used was ‘sozo’. Your faith has ‘sozo’ you. This w

Adam and Eve were God’s first creation in which he said it was “VERY GOOD”. He made them in his own image and placed them in the middle of paradise to live closely with him. We know they failed, but God covered them in grace with the first sacrifice and clothing made in animal skins. Then he blessed them. You see my friends, our shame is covered by grace and we are wrapped in blessings. God doesn’t keep going over the wrong that has happened, he moves forward in blessings and the good plans he has for our future. Adam and Eve were first blessed with two sons. Cain and Abel. The first babies ever born. The first siblings. And do you know how that turned out? I’m not sure why we feel so disappointed when we experience family struggles for ourselves – the very first family had complete dysfunction. God never promised us perfection in our families, in fact, his word gives us example after example of problems and struggles in families God has chosen and blessed. Mama, you can quit feeling sorry for yourself now – you’re not the only one who is dealing with chaos. Cain was the oldest son and he became a keeper of the land. Abel was the youngest son and he became a keeper of sheep. Yes, they had jobs. Why? Because work is good for us! We are designed to need daily purpose. We are also designed to serve God with our best. Genesis 4:3, “When it was time for harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. (Notice, what did Cain give God? SOME of his crops. Circle ‘some’.) Verse 4, “Abel also brought a gift – the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. (What did Abel give God? The BEST portions. Circle ‘best’.) So, Cain gave some of his harvest, but Abel gave the best of his harvest, and God knew the difference. He knew the heart, he knew the intent. So, here’s what happened – Verse 5-6, “The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. ‘Why are you so angry?’ the Lord asked Cain. ‘Why do you look so dejected?’ The world sees comparison and jealousy for the first time. And God gives a warning. Verse 7, “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Woah – that is a powerful warning and it still stands today. The moment you stop doing what is right, then sin tries to come in and control you. The Passion Translation says it like this, “If you refuse to do what is right, sin, the predator, is crouching in wait outside the door of your heart. It desires to have you, yet you must be its master.” Here’s the lesson – Offering less than your best leaves an open door to the enemy. And where does the enemy attack? Your heart! You know when you’re not giving your best. You know when you’re just checking a box. You know when you’re just punching the clock. You know when you’re going through the motions, and showing up because you have to. AND SO DOES GOD. God didn’t accept Cain’s offering for one reason, and one reason only – it wasn’t his best. God wants our best and he’s not fooled. But why does God want our best? Does he really need anything from us? Everything is his, and if God wants something he can either take it or he can create more in one word. He most certainly doesn’t need our best, so why does he only accept our best? Here’s why – Because God knows our best is what’s best for us. God knows the moment we start holding back and checking out, we are in danger. When we get lazy, we leave the door to our heart cracked open. That’s how sin slips in and attacks. And it attacks the heart. It hardens our heart, turns our heart away from God and to the things of the world. It builds walls around our heart to keep others out. This is why God asks for your best. Not because he needs your performance. Not because he needs your money, or your work, or your time. But because he knows it’s best for you to offer your best. You were designed to give him your best. And when you’re not working within your design, you’re not living your best life. When you’re not living your best life, you’re settling for less and less is what you get. God invites Cain to recognize where he was giving less than his best and fix it. But Cain doesn’t. Here’s what he does instead – he attacks his brother Abel, and he kills him. The very first couple with their very first children, and this is the family chaos. Yip, it’s real and now maybe your family chaos doesn’t look quite as bad. If you want to end the chaos, the answer is to give your absolute best. God has given us the power to overcom

Do you carry any shame? Is there shame for what you have done? Shame for your past? Shame for your failures? Shame is a feeling of worthlessness. Shame is a disgrace you assign to yourself. It’s a fear of the worst of you being exposed, and that fear makes you hide. But don’t you realize there’s absolutely NOTHING you can hide from God. He sees it all and knows it all. You don’t sneak behind God and get away with things. He’s fully aware of that secret. One of my best friends has a coffee mug that’s a picture of Jesus peeking over a pair of sunglasses he’s wearing and it says, “I saw that.” My friend, Jesus saw that. More than anything he wants to say about it, he wants to DO something about it. Jesus wants to cover your shame. In Genesis when Adam and Eve are disobedient and ate the fruit they were told not to eat, their very first feeling was of shame. Shame caused them to hide. But do you know what God did in response to their shame? Chapter 3, verse 21 says, “The Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” I’ve never noticed that before. God himself made the first real clothes to cover their shame. God doesn’t desire his sons and daughters to walk around in shame. Shame separates us from him and all he ever wanted was a close relationship with us. This is exactly why the enemy works so hard to cover you in shame. Shame separates us from God. We naturally hide in our feelings of worthlessness and self-assigned disgrace. The devil wants to poke at those unhealed wounds within to make that shame ooze from you. It’s all an attempt to keep you from God. But know this – Jesus saw it and he did something about it! God made the first clothes to cover the first shame in preparation for the coming covering for ALL shame. Notice what God used for the clothes. He used the skin from animals. Those animals had to die, they were sacrificed. Adam and Eve had originally made coverings from fig leaves in the garden to try and cover their shame, but that wasn’t good enough. God sacrificed animals and used their skins to cover them. That sacrifice was required. Shame is only covered by sacrifice. And there’s nothing we could ever sacrifice enough to make us righteous. We can’t change ourselves to be good enough. You could spend every day for the rest of your life trying to perform and earn your righteousness, but you would still fall short. A sacrifice beyond you is required. A sacrifice made by God. God made a covering for shame of Adam and Eve – and God has made a covering for your shame. That covering is the blood of Jesus. His sacrificed life is what makes you forever good enough. Yes, Jesus saw what you did and in response, he did something about it. He died for you. Now girl, you have absolutely zero right to be walking around in that shame. That’s already been bought. It’s already been covered. The high price was paid for you to feel love instead of worthlessness. A huge sacrifice was made for you to be covered in grace where there was once disgrace. That grace will radically change your life. RECEIVE IT! But then, don’t waste it. Don’t waste the grace offered to you. Don’t keep replaying the story. Don’t allow the enemy to poke at those wounds – no girl, bring those wounds to Jesus and let him completely heal you. Grace isn’t a bandaid to just get you through. Grace heals you perfectly. Grace takes your absolute worst and turns it into a testimony. My friend, you have a testimony of how God can meet you in your pit of shame, save you and change you – now what are you doing with that testimony? Are you telling it? Are you using it to help others? Is God getting any good out of the grace he has offered you? Or are you wasting that grace? I’m a girl who performed for so long that I sought the applause of people more than I appreciated the grace of Jesus. On most days, I honestly didn’t even feel like I needed grace because I was really good at performing. I could make things work. I could grind it out until it happened. And people really liked me. It all looked so good on the outside, but something nasty was happening on the inside. God loved me enough to see that and not turn away from me. I must have been disgusting to him in my self-righteous performance while using his name. But instead of disgust, he gave me grace. Grace I didn’t even know to ask for. Grace I didn’t even appreciate at the time. Grace for all I was doing wrong and time to turn it around and get it right. I’ve gone through a few years of deep humbling. It’s been a process of holy conviction that turned my performance into a heavy load I couldn’t carry. Pressure that made me crack. Stress that left this strong willed girl finally giving up. And that’s when grace came in! Grace that made me hate the stage and no longe

I once thought living in full surrender to God would mean my life would become boring. I thought all my fun would end. So, for years I held back. I offered parts of me, while my hands were clinched tightly on my greatest desires. I just knew if I offered it all to God, he would take the best parts away and leave me with a life I didn’t love. Wow – was I wrong. This life lived in wild abandon and total trust in God is the greatest adventure I’ve ever been on. My hands are wide open and I’ve let go of everything, and somehow my life is absolutely overflowing. Those desires I was so afraid to surrender have been changed into even greater things and made realities. Why didn’t anyone tell me how good this would be? Instead, I lived so many years of my life fearful of what God might take away from me and suspicious of what he was withholding from me. Does God hold back the good stuff when we trust him? Can the best stuff only be found on your own, apart from a life of surrender? Do you have to make things happen for yourself? Do you have to look out for #1? Do you have to question God? Let’s be very clear – living like that will cause you to fall. You will fall for the tricks of the enemy of your soul when you begin to think God is keeping something from you. You will fall right into the traps of Satan when you try to get what you want in your own ways. When what you want takes first place and God is put in second, the door is open for absolute destruction in your life. My friends, that’s precisely what happened to Eve in the garden. She was tricked into believing God was withholding the best stuff from her. She thought there was something better for her that God had been hiding. And that’s exactly how it happens. A seed of doubt is planted, questioning if God is holding out on you, so you’re willing to go around him to get what you think you want. What is sin? It’s what God says you shouldn’t do, right? Actually, no. This isn’t about what you should and shouldn’t do. Sin is so much more about what falls short of God’s best for you. Sin isn’t just the forbidden things you’re not supposed to do, sin is what will harm you. Sin is the very thing God is trying to protect you from. Not because he’s withholding the good stuff from you and labeling it as sin. Actually, quite the opposite. God is protecting us from the things he knows would harm us the most. The things that cause shame, guilt and regret. The things that separate us from him. The things that confuse us, bind us, create addictions and separation. But do you know what Satan says? Satan says it’s only called sin to keep you from experiencing more in life. It’s not that bad. It won’t hurt you. You’ll just get to see what you’ve been missing. We live in a fallen world where Satan and his demons roam around like a roaring lion, trying to kill, steal and destroy everything that is good. You are good. Your life is good. The purpose for which you were created is good. The plans God has for your future are good. And it’s all under absolute attack. Everything good has a bullseye for evil. To fight this battle, it is crucial for you to know how the enemy attacks. How does he trick us? What does he say? Here it is – Satan quite simply TWISTS God’s words in a way that makes you feel like something is missing. He twists what isn’t good for you into looking like something that would make you happy. And he tricks you into doing things that will make you hide in shame. You see, once you know Satan’s game, you can quickly see his nasty moves. In a nutshell, the devil tries to make you think sin is not bad and God is not good. Sin is considered sin because God says it’s not good for you. Sin will hurt you. Don’t you think your creator knows what will hurt his creation? I have a Nutribullet blender in my kitchen. On the cord is a permanent tag that reads, “Never immerse in water.” I trust the manufacturer of that blender knows what isn’t good for their product. I don’t need to throw it in my kitchen sink to see if they really know what they’re talking about. Wouldn’t it be absolutely ridiculous for me to believe, “hmmmm, maybe this blender can do even greater things if I immerse it in water and maybe the maker doesn’t want me to know that. Maybe they’re holding out on me, so I’m going to have to try this on my own.” Splash. Stupid. That would be so stupid. The maker knows what isn’t good for their product. You must trust the warning label. Adam and Eve were given one warning label. Just one. They were put in the middle of paradise in the Garden of Eden and given everything they could ever want. And then the warning label, Genesis 2:16, “God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden –

Forty. As of tomorrow, November 22nd, we have 40 days left in this year. Just how fast has this year gone by? Wasn’t it just Summer a few weeks ago, and now here we are with only 40 days left in the entire year? 2026 is a brand new year of life on it’s way to us. It’s filled with promise and potential and if you will be consistently available to God, he will fulfill you in ways you never imagined possible. But … we’re not there yet, my friends. It is not time to begin focusing on a new year, it’s time to finish this one right! 40 days separate us from this new year of life, and those 40 days matter significantly. God wants to prepare you, equip you and mold you in the next 40 days. Forty. 40 is a critical number in the Bible. 40 often represented new life, growth and transformation. God worked in the 40 to prepare a way for the future. God changed people in the 40. The preparation for a breakthrough of change happened in the 40. My friends, that’s exciting!!!!! This 40 belongs to God and he’s preparing you for a new year of life in the next 40 days. 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. How many days were between Jesus’ crucifixion and his return to Heaven? 40! Forty. Then, completion, then renewal, then victory. In the next 40 days before 2026 comes, God wants to do a work in YOU! Will you partner with him in the transformational process that brings victory? Will you let him have his time and space in your life for the next 40 days? What have your past 40 days been like? Do you even really remember them? 40 days ago it was October 12th – what do you have to show for those days? Were they significant? Did you grow and get better, or did those days just pass with little to show for them? 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 to wake up with intention and live on purpose. 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? In the early days of Christianity, before someone could be baptized as a Christian, they were to wait 40 days. For 40 days they would simplify their life down to the basics and focus fully on living for Jesus. After 40 days, if they still wanted to commit their lives to Jesus, then they would be baptized. What if the next 40 days was an intentional simplifying of our lives with a focus on Jesus to prepare us for 2026? What if we took these final 40 days of this year and allowed God the space to work in us so we step into the new year changed. What if this is your renewal and re-commitment to Jesus. 40 days of focusing on Jesus. That sounds special doesn’t it … and basically impossible in your busy life. Especially the next 40 days of holidays, travels, gatherings and functions. It’s the busiest time of the year, certainly not the time you can slow down to focus on Jesus. That would be a huge struggle for the next 40 days, wouldn’t it? And do you know what God says about that – Okay, struggle it out! Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” That doesn’t mean you have to work to earn salvation, that’s a free gift given to you by Jesus, you simply accept that gift. But you do have to struggle to live like you’re saved. Work that out. Fight for it. Struggle with making time for Jesus in your daily life. Did you know it’s okay to struggle with finding time to pray? Did you know it’s okay to have to work to read your Bible and not really feel like it 97% of the time? That’s okay – work that out. Using the next 40 really busy, over-scheduled, cram packed days to re-commit to Jesus would be a struggle for you – AWESOME – work it out! Do it afraid that you might fail. Do it uncertain of how. Here’s what you’re feeling right now – you’re feeling a battle between your flesh and your spirit. Your flesh wants to pretend like you never even heard this. Your flesh is reasoning with why you don’t have time and how waiting until January would just make more sense. BUT YOUR SPIRIT is saying something else. Your spirit is saying, “Wow, I need this.” Your spirit is craving space for Jesus. Your spirit is willing to work this out! Right now,

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG – “I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’ve been living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.” Romans 2:4, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sins? 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.” Isaiah 50:4 MSG, “God has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders.” Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Isiah 6:8-9, “Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’ And he said, ‘Yes, go …'” BE CONSISTENTLY AVAILABLE. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Have you ever wondered why God would create a tree and place it in the middle of paradise, but not allow Adam and Eve to eat from it? Why would God make it possible to mess up? Wouldn’t it have been better if the option to sin were never even there? God, why put the tree there if it would cause so many problems? I’ve often wondered this. Why mess up paradise with the ability to sin? What was the point? Well, it was CHOICE. Free will is only free when there is an opportunity to do as much bad as there is good. Free will must include a choice. God desired for his greatest creation to choose him from their own free will, so he designed an opportunity to listen and obey him, or not. Unfortunately for us, Adam and Eve chose to not listen. But, the truth is, we would have all done the same. If you’ve ever made a wrong choice in your entire life, if you’ve ever messed up, then you would have eaten the apple too, my friend. But do you realize there are actually two trees in the middle of the garden where Adam and Eve were? There wasn’t just the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, but there was another tree, the tree of life. The tree of life offered eternal life to live forever. The fruit of this tree was not off limits, it was fully available. But the other tree which held the knowledge of good and evil was the one and only limitation given to them. One thing, Adam, don’t eat from that tree. And Adam, tell Eve too. Tell her not to eat from that tree, it will change everything. But, they fail. The temptation to do what they were told not to do is too great and they eat that fruit. Suddenly, their eyes are opened and shame comes into the world for the first time. The other tree stood untouched, the tree that offered life forever. Instead they chose to eat from the tree that brought guilt, shame and regret. It was the first sin. Sin is choosing what we think we want in life over what truly gives life. And guess what … we’re still doing it today. We’re still choosing the wrong tree. We’re still choosing the things that aren’t good for us. We’re still making messes. We’re still leaving the offering of true and abundant life just hanging on the branch. The first mistake was not filling up on the good stuff. They could have been so full eating from the tree of life that there was no room for the forbidden fruit from the other tree. The second mistake was eating the fruit they were told not to eat. The third mistake was hiding in shame. Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.” Shame was never part of God’s plan. Hiding from him was not the design of his masterpiece. But that’s what sin did. And that’s what sin still does. When we do what we know is wrong, we hide. My grandson is 3. When he gets quiet, we know there’s a problem. He’s either eating play-dough, drawing on a wall, or sneaking candy. He hides when he’s doing something wrong. Here we are, grown women, essentially hiding while we eat play-dough. Sneaking around hoping no one finds out. Pulling away from God because of the guilt we feel within. But imagine if Adam and Eve wouldn’t have hidden. Imagine if they would have ran straight to God after that first bite and said, “Oh no, we messed up! Help us!” Imagine if we did that! Wouldn’t everything change? The first mistake was not filling up on the tree of life. The emptiness created space for what wasn’t good for them. The second mistake was choosing to do what they knew was wrong. The third mistake was hiding in shame. Now, their fourth mistake was casting blame. Genesis 3: 9-13, “The the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the Lord God asked. ‘Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit and I ate it.’ (Not only is Adam blaming Eve, but he’s blaming God because God is the one who gave him this woman who messed things up. Hmmmmm, I wonder if we do that too?) Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ ‘The serpent deceived me’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it.’ The first sin was also the first opportunity to confess and repent. The first sin was the first opportunity for forgiveness. But shame caused them to hide and blame. Girls, now that we know better, we can do better. It’s not IF you mess up, it’s WHEN you mess up, don’t hide in shame. Don’t pull away from God. And don’t cast blame on anything or anyone else. Take responsibility fo

As a woman, you are specially designed and created to be a servant. Before you stone me, understand that being a servant is not a lowly position. According to Jesus, the greatest is called to be the servant. By divine order, to be great, you must be a humble helper. If you cannot be a humble helper, you will never be great. You will never live in your fullest potential if you are not willing to be a servant. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12, “The greatest among you must be a servant. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” My friend, there’s absolutely no wiggle room in this. There’s no gray area. If you’re going to get better and live a great life, you MUST humble yourself as a servant. Every time you assume the position of being better than someone else and above helping them, you have missed your calling. Here’s the question – do you trust God? Do you trust his design? Do you trust he knows what you don’t know and has a better plan? YES? Then trust your positioning as a woman. You are the helper by God’s divine design. Not because you’re lesser than, but because you’re chosen as God’s girl. After God created the first man, he saw it wasn’t good for man to be alone. Genesis 2, the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Then the Lord God made a woman from his rib, and he brought her to the man. GIRLS, WE ARE THE JUST RIGHT HELPERS. Think about that. It’s you. You are specifically designed to be just right. To fit perfectly in partnership with one who needs your help. It’s part of your design. This isn’t something to hate. This isn’t something to fight. This isn’t something to resent. This is something that makes you great. Again, according to Jesus, the greatest among you must be a servant. It is an honor to be the helper. It’s fulfilling to be the helper. The helper is who you were created to be in your greatest and fullest potential. Think about when Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist and knelt down to serve his disciples by washing their feet. Serving didn’t make him beneath them. It didn’t make him weak. It made him great. His humility showed a life-changing love. AND SO DOES OURS. Now again, if you’re pulling away and ready to fight, come back to trusting God. If God designed it, can you trust it? If God aligns it, can you walk in it? God designed the woman to be the JUST RIGHT HELPER for man. I’m blessed to have a wonderful husband. He’s easy to help, quite honestly. And he’s easy to help because he’s good to lead. If he were not a good leader, serving him would be extremely difficult. I must believe this is why the enemy attacks our men with such aggressive intent – if the man isn’t worthy of being followed, then the woman cannot follow and serve. If the woman cannot serve as the just right helper, then she is left unfulfilled by design. If you don’t have a good man to help, what should you do? PRAY FOR HIM. My sister, he’s under attack. He’s hurting. He’s been confused. The way you can be the ‘just right helper’ to a man who is not leading well, is to pray relentlessly for him. You can’t change him, you can’t fix him, but God can! Do you believe that? If you have been given a good man who is worthy of following, then HELP HIM. It is your role. Again, not because you are less than him, but because Jesus has called the greatest to serve and he showed us how. When we fight against this and rise up in with our feisty selves, refusing to be the chosen, called and equipped helper, then we quite simply miss the fullness of our design. We’re actually fighting against the very thing that is missing within us. We’re refusing our blessing. It is a blessing to serve. What an honor it is to be that just right helper. When sin entered the world through that first man and woman, struggles were created. Do you know that one of those very specific struggles is the fight over roles between men and women? It’s the discord and dysfunction in our relationships. To the woman, God says in Genesis 3:16, “You will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” That was NOT God’s design. That’s what sin did. Are you trying to control your husband? Is your husband trying to rule over you? That’s not within either of your designs. He is called to lead you towards God, and you are called to help him on the journey with God. If he’s not leading and you’re not helping, then it’s dysfunction. Lord, please lead us back to our blessed design in partnership. And start with me. Go to work on me! Let the change begin in me. If you don’t have a husband, you are still designed to be the helper. You’re no

Today, my retreat girls will go with me to the largest natural gathering place for manatee in the world. The cold of winter is beginning to set in, so the manatee have traveled for hundreds of miles to come to their winter home in the warm springs waters of Blue Springs State Park and Crystal River. We will kayak with these massive, marvelous creatures in the wild. We will swim with them. And every single one of us will be in awe of their beautiful and perfect design. GOD DID THAT! In fact, God did that on day 5 of creation. Genesis 1:20, “Then God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with fish and other life’ … So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water.” God created that manatee, uniquely designed it just as he desired, and you know what he said about it – he said it was GOOD! But really, have you see the shape of a manatee. They’re like a big ol’ baked potato with a round tail. And yet we will all be in awe of them. After God designed the manatee, do you know what he did the next day? Something even better. Something he said was not only good, but it was REALLY GOOD! Imagine this scene – The Father God, the son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all come together for a brainstorming session. They’re gathered to do their most creative and impressive work. Together, they will create YOU. They imagined you, designed you, then formed you. Just as they wanted for the purposes of your life. That’s precisely what happened. The Holy Trinity designing you! Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let US make human beings in our image, to be like us.'” You have always been seen. You have always been wanted. You have always been enough. Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” Let’s make this personal. When I pause insert your own name into this scripture. God breathed the breath of life into _________, and she became a living person. The purpose of life is to live it. Not just survive it, or endure it. Not sleep it away or wish it away. But live it. In order to LIVE this life you have been given and fulfill your purpose, you must be ALIVE. This breath of life God has breathed into you comes with a single expectation. That you would open your eyes, experience life fully and be ALIVE with life. Our scripture today says you came ALIVE – a living person. Not a miserable person. Not a tired person. Not a worried person. Not a stressed out person. But a LIVING person. Will you be a LIVING person? There is no time to waste. We can’t afford to wait until next month to wake up and start living. We can’t sleep away today. James 4:14 puts the brevity of life into perspective with “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” BUT YOU’RE HERE TODAY. You have a chance to live today. What a gift you and I have been given. And remember, with all great things comes great responsibility. Not everyone received the gift of life today, but you did, and you have a responsibility to live it. Today, let’s fulfill our purpose. Let’s do with this day exactly what we’re supposed to do. Let’s LIVE it! The dictionary uses 3 words to define ALIVE: Alert, Active and Animated. We will use that as our gauge and intentionally go to work. Today, we will be ALIVE by being ALERT. Wherever we are, we will actually BE THERE. Repeat to yourself, “right here, right now”. Hey, you will never get this back. Every moment today is a once in a lifetime moment, don’t miss it. Taste your food. Hear the sounds of life. Open your eyes and see life unfolding all around you. You are surrounded by unspeakable beauty. There is beauty before you, beauty behind you. Beauty to your left, beauty to your right. Beauty above you, beauty below you. Beauty within you. God’s creation is begging for you to notice. Today you will savor it because you are alert. Continue to bring your mind back to the state of right here, right now. Second, today we will be ALIVE by being ACTIVE. We refuse to sit and wonder and worry. If we are stuck in a rut, we won’t be by the end of the day because today, we’re taking the next step. We will be in action. We will get up and get going. My Daddy used to see the buzzards circling in the sky and he would say, “Sis, you better look alive!” The morale of the story – buzzards are always looking to prey upon the things just sitting still. Maybe you’ve been sitting still, just thinking about making changes, worrying about all that needs to change, making plans for change, that the buzzards are circling you. Girl, you better look alive. Be ACTIVE today. And third, today we will be ALIVE by being ANIMATED. This means be excited, energetic and lively. Put some pep in your step. You say you don’t have anything to be excited about … ah girl, that’s the

Our God is a God of details. He has literally thought of EVERYTHING. There’s not a single thing he has overlooked. There’s nothing that he hasn’t accounted for. He has a plan and a purpose for all things. To see his attention to detail, look at his creation. This week, we’re studying Genesis 1, the account of creation. We see his glory in the details of this world he imagined, designed, formed and filled. How did God think of making snow falling from the clouds? That didn’t just happen because of an accidental atmospheric condition – no, that happened because God designed it. How did he think of lightening flashing from the sky? What made him create the colors of the Northern Lights or leaves on trees that turn to brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow before letting go? He thought of it all and spoke it into existence. Details – God is not only in them all, he is all up in them. He’s not only over all the details, he’s all over them. Nothing just happens because of coincidence. God knew how brilliant the skies would be. He knew how a stunning sunset would make his creation pause. Someone sent me a video of a sunset savoring dog. This golden retriever would go outside every evening at just the right time, then sit and watch the sunset with intention. This dog’s eyes were fixated on the setting sun as he sat in apparent awe and contentment. Then, after the setting of the sun, the dog would go back inside. And he did it every evening. My sisters – why aren’t we doing that? Why aren’t we enamored by the display of God’s power? My friend Kimberly gets completely giddy when she sees a fall leaving floating through the air. She breaks out in full song and dance, watching that single leave float it’s way down to the ground. She receives that little detail as if it were a special display of God’s love just for her. Now, why don’t we do that? Pick a detail of nature that could be God’s signature sign of love for you. For me, it’s a hot pink sunrise or sunset. I know God is thinking of me with that, because I’m thinking of him. My friend Nicole finds rocks in the shape of hearts, that’s God’s signature for her. I’m pretty convinced that God created mangoes just for me because he knew how much I would love them. What’s your thing? A little detail of creation that will be your and God’s special thing? And when you witness that special thing, will you give God praise for it? One time, as Jesus was riding through a crowd on a donkey, his followers began shouting praises. They declared his glory with their voices, giving him honor. When the Pharisees in the crowd heard the people, they said to Jesus, “Rebuke your followers.” Essentially, tell them to be quiet. Jesus replied in Luke 19:40, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” Someone or something is going to praise God for the details of his work. Will it be you, or will you let the rocks cry out in your place? God is putting his marvelous works on powerful display all around you, but you’ve been so busy that you’ve failed to even notice. One of my favorite songs right now is called “This Won’t Take My Praise” by Blanca and Taylor Hill. It talks about being down, being attacked, being surrounded as the weapons of Hell form against you, but declaring: This won’t take my praise I won’t let a rock cry out for me And this won’t take my joy Jesus, I’ll lift your name up louder than the noise This won’t take my praise What hardship or struggle has been taking your praise? Instead of joy, you have worry. God wants his praise back. Sometimes it’s not the hardships of life that take our praise, it’s simply the noise of life. We rush right past the details God designed to wow us, and we miss it. And when we miss those details in creation, then it’s easy to miss those details in the unfolding. Our lives are all unfolding one day at a time. Nothing is happening by chance. God is in the details of the unfolding. But when we’ve conditioned ourselves to pass by the details of God’s creation with glazed over eyes and distracted minds, we naturally miss the details of God’s divine workings in the details of the daily unfolding of our lives. We fail to give him praise and we let the rocks take our place. Is there a rock crying out to God because you’ve failed to do so? Is there a rock praising God because you’ve been to busy for that? Something unspeakable happens within us when we start intentionally noticing the details of God’s creation – we start recognizing the details of his work in our families, in our homes, in our lives. When you learn what God’s fingerprints look like on the details of the universe, then you are able to see those same fingerprints

If God says it, it happens. If he speaks it, it’s done. No further preparation is required. Impossible becomes possible. What has never been before will JUST BE. The creation of the entire universe is revealed in 6 days. Genesis chapter 1 says on day 1, there was light. Day 2, space. Day 3, land with trees and plants. Day 4, sun, moon and stars. Day 5, fish and birds. Day 6, animals and human beings. Now my friends, THAT is a work week! You think you get a lot done in a week, you’ve got nothing on God. How did he do it? He spoke it into existence. Every single thing was spoken into existence by the word of God. Some think these are 6 literal days – Some say each day represents an entire age of time – but what does it matter? God did it and you now see the proof of it today. We can be divided over the details of it, or we can stand in awe of the wonder of it. Science says the earth is billions of years old. Some Christians say you must ignore all science and follow the timeline of genealogy back to Adam and Eve, which is about 6,000 years. That’s a box, my friend. God doesn’t fit in our boxes. Don’t get hung up on details of division, instead, get swept away in the wonder of his creation. The creation of the world declares the glory of God. His mighty power is on display in creation. His glory is being declared all around you. Open your eyes and see it. His mighty power is on display in the sun that is shining, the snow that is falling, the trees, the waves, the mountains, your dog and cat, YOU! How absolutely marvelous. Look at what God did with what was formerly empty, deep darkness. As the Spirit of God was hovering over the deep dark waters, he speaks words of tremendous power. Genesis 1:3, Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The original Hebrew writing of this is even more powerful. It says “Light be: light was.” No further explanation. No delay. No struggle. Just BE, and it BECAME. What was this light? We quickly assume it’s the sun, but we would be wrong. The sun, moon and stars were not formed until day 4. This is day 1 and there is light that separates the day from the night. The former darkness was now lit up. This is the first thing God did in creation, and it’s the first thing he does when working in our lives. He brings light. The light is the presence of God. He’s there. God is the light. Revelation 22:5 tells of the future time when there will be no more sun and the light will go back to it’s original source. It says, “There will be no night there – no need for lamps or sun – for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.” The Spirit of God is hovering over the darkness and he brings the light of himself. Before anything else, he brings light to the situation. Where is there darkness of confusion, chaos, anxiety, depression or dysfunction in your life? Our impulse is to hide it. But my sister, hiding the darkness only perpetuates the problem. The light of God must shine on that. Bring that into the presence of God. Lord, bring your light to this dark situation. Your light is the beginning of change. Your light is the beginning of something new. Your light is where it all starts. What have you been trying to hide? What has created guilt and shame in you and caused you to pull away and self-isolate. Let me tell you what self-isolation really is – it’s self-sabotage. It’s you sitting in dark corners where more of the same darkness festers. Bring it to the light. I remember when one of my children was a young teen and they went through a really hard time. What they went through was unfair. What they went through turned their whole world upside down. And what they went through made them want to hide in shame. So they did. And we as parents, were completely clueless. The smile was still bright and beautiful, but we had no idea what was happening in the dark hidden spaces, until one day that darkness consumed them and made life feel like their life wasn’t worth living anymore. That’s what darkness eventually does. It consumes us. It traps us. It casts a dark shadow on everything and everyone and makes you feel so alone. The answer is the LIGHT. Let there be light, and there was light. Light be: Light was. So, we set out to create a safe space where everything could come out of the shadows and into the light. There would be no judgment or punishment. No questions. Just empty it out. If it stayed hidden in them, it would continue to eat at them like a flesh eating disease. But if it was brought to the light and no longer hidden, it would all lose its power and healing would begin. Looking back, we realize the things that were still never talked about and remained hidden in darkness were the very things that continued to cause harm. Whew, let me tell you something, I could be such a better Mom now! But, that&#821

Genesis means origin. It’s the source, the beginning, where every single thing got its start. I’ve always loved the book of Genesis, for one simple reason … it was the book of the Bible I was able to flip right too. I always felt so proud of myself when a preacher would say, “Turn to the book of Genesis”, and boom, I would be the first one there. Genesis is not only the beginning of our Bible, it’s the beginning of everything. It is our origin. And really, it’s pretty wild that we get to read about God’s amazing and miraculous acts to create everything we see today. No human was alive to see these acts. We only have this account today because God revealed it later to the author to record for us. Moses wrote the book of Genesis, but he likely used much earlier writings to gather his information. Perhaps writings from the first human, Adam. And perhaps Adam received directly from God the account of creation there in the Garden of Eden. The words of God were written so that we could read them today. To understand the Bible, you must first understand one thing – You won’t understand everything. There are some things that won’t make sense. Some things that we have absolutely no proof of. Some things that seem totally impossible. Faith will be required on your journey through the Bible. I’ve found one thing that has greatly helped me in my studies – I believe 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.” As you commit to either begin studying your Bible, or continue your studies, remember ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD. Every word of our Bible is inspired by God and it’s useful to us. Lean into it with faith instead of pulling away in doubt. There will be things you don’t understand, don’t get hung up on them. There will be things you don’t agree with, but keep reading. There will be things that even seem contradictory to science or common sense – In those cases you must make a choice. Either believe that God is beyond our understanding, or struggle to make an infinite God fit in our limited little box. There’s a whole lot of the Bible I don’t understand – heck, there’s a whole lot of the very first chapter of Genesis I don’t understand, and I simply don’t have to. But there’s so much that can help me see the truth and help me realize what may be wrong in my life. Together, we’re going to dive all-in on the book of Genesis. Today is day 1. I’m sure God will take us on several detours along the way and we’ll be all over scripture, so it will never be boring or dull. Remember, it’s me – I don’t do boring! This isn’t your typical devotional. In every day of our study, let’s keep coming back to ask 2 things: 1. What truth am I learning? 2. How does this show me what may be wrong in my life? Now, let’s get started. Genesis 1:1-2 (go ahead and dare to flip there now in your Bible with confidence – you can find it!), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” God’s holy word literally begins with an opening sentence that challenges our human minds. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We will never understand a power that could do that. We will never know precisely when or how. It’s beyond our human capacity to even assign that thought a proper place in our inventory of historical events. Do you know how big the heavens and the earth are? This means EVERYTHING. Every distant galaxy, every unknown planet, every black hole beyond exploration or explanation. God created ALL of that in the beginning. When was the beginning and how did God get there in the beginning? I have absolutely no idea – and neither does anyone else. But does it even matter? Now, here’s the question – Can you BELIEVE Genesis 1:1? Can you believe, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Because if you can believe the opening scripture of the Bible, then you can believe every other verse in the Bible. Every other impossible thing, every other miraculous story, every other huge promise, every other thing beyond our human capacity – it’s all within reason if you can believe verse 1. So decide now – do you believe it? Did God create all that is? Is there a divine Creator behind all of this, or did it all just happen by chance? The God big enough for Genesis 1:1 is also big enough for every other verse and chapter of the Bible. He’s big enough to create you, know you, save you, redeem you, and offer you a place in eternity simply because you choose to believe his Word.

Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” God is the source of our hope. Hope means you have something to look forward to, something to cling to, something you’re counting on. You may not know how and you may not know when, but you know something good is going to happen in the future. That is hope. Hope that it’s all going to work out. Hope that you’re going to make it through. Hope that every promise will be fulfilled. Hope that the plans for your life are good. Your goals and good works are not the source of that hope. Your perfect plan and perfect follow through isn’t the source of that hope. What’s the source? GOD. I pray that GOD, THE SOURCE OF HOPE. Repeat after me, THE SOURCE. We’re currently dealing with termites in the darling little turquoise beach cottage we’re staying in. In literally one week we noticed the baseboard trim in 2 areas begin to crumble. This is a new house. Thinking it was some sort of water damage, my husband touched the affected areas of the wood and it caved in then termites began crawling out. Ummmmm yuck. Did you know that termites can completely chew through a 2×4 in 2 weeks? Did you know active termites can destroy your house from the inside out while your floors are clean and the candles are lit? The professionals came out to the house to look for one thing. THE SOURCE. Where were the termites coming from. If they could find the source, they could save the house. Less than 2 feet from the deck is a tall palm tree. In the top of that tall palm, they found the source. There was the termite nest and there sat the queen. Now, mission on to hide bait in the wall for the worker termites eating the house so they take it all back and poison the source. If the source is wiped out, the destruction ends. God is our SOURCE OF HOPE. All hope flows from him. If our connection with God is poisoned, all hope ends. How do we become connected with this source of hope? YOU TRUST HIM! “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace BECAUSE YOU TRUST IN HIM.” Repeat after me: Because you trust him. Your trust in God opens the flow of hope. Hope feels like joy and peace. Hope feels like happiness and burdens lifted. Hope feels like assurance for the future. Hope feels like a deep knowing you’re going to be okay. All of this flows from your TRUST IN HIM. My friend, if you don’t trust in the source, then you are disconnected from your hope. If you don’t trust God, then the whole world looks really scary. If you don’t trust in God, governments have the power to ruin you. If you don’t trust in God, that sickness could be the end. If you don’t trust in God, everything can come crashing down at any minute. I’m an adrenaline junkie. I love every adventure that takes my breath away. I’ll climb that. I’ll jump off that. I’ll ride that with my hands in the air the entire time. And I can do it because I trust I’m connected to something. There’s a bungee. There’s a parachute. There’s a rope. There’s a seat belt. I’m trusting there’s something securing me. And as I trust whatever I’m secured to, I can have extreme joy and complete peace as I’m flying or falling or hanging upside down. If I didn’t trust it, instead of joy there would be complete panic. Instead of peace there would be anxiety. When we are filled with panic and anxiety, could it be because we’re not trusting the source? Is there a disconnect with our source? When the connection with our source is severed, the flow of joy and peace is halted. My sister, that is NOT God’s desire for you. He does not wish for you to be filled with panic and anxiety. He doesn’t want you overwhelmed with fear. In fact, do you know how many times the Bible says, “DO NOT FEAR” or something similar like “don’t be afraid” or “don’t worry”. 365 times. That’s once for every morning of the entire year. Every day God is telling you, TRUST ME. God says, “When you trust in me, your worry, your fear, and your anxiety is replaced with joy and peace.” Life is not a kiddie ride. It’s not the carousel with the fancy horses. It’s the wildest ride in the park! It’s the wooden roller coaster that shakes you so hard you get a few bruises and walk away spinning. That’s life. And you’re going to need to be securely attached to something or you will never find joy or peace. When you know God’s got you, you can throw your hands up and enjoy the ride. But until you learn to trust him, there will be no joy or peace. Trusting in God doesn’t mean life becomes easy. It doesn’t mean t

Do you ever feel like you get a spiritual spanking? Well, God’s word does say, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” God doesn’t want his girls to be self-indulged, spoiled brats. So he uses his rod to protect and discipline us. A shepherd carried 2 tools, a rod and a staff. The rod was a wooden club used to ward off any predators seeking to harm his sheep. The rod was also used to correct a sheep that refused to listen. Why? Because the sheep would no doubt get himself in trouble if he didn’t stay close to the shepherd. The shepherd’s staff was a long stick with a curved end, used to guide and gently move the flock. So, when David says in Psalm 23, “Your rod and staff protect and comfort me”, he’s referring to the ways God shepherds us. Not because he hates us, but because he loves us. Because he knows the way to get to where we need to go. Because we are but clueless sheep and he is the great shepherd. The past few devotionals have felt like the rod of discipline, but they’ve been so much more the rod of protection. God is warding off the threats to our hearts. He’s beating down the dangled temptations of the enemy. Oh what beautiful work he has been doing for us as we stay close to him. We’re not being punished, we’re being protected. This morning, I asked God is there was a little more of a “staff” type teaching than a “rod”. Can we balance out the week with something sweet, something encouraging, something to cuddle up to along the journey. Girls, I’m telling you, God hears every prayer and he responds directly. Our God is absolutely so cool. The way he works is no doubt grand and mysterious, and also sometimes quirky and comical. Let me tell you how he answered me today. As you know, we’ve been studying the book of Romans. This morning, I sat down to that most highlighted and filled chapter in my Bible, seeking one last teaching to wrap up our study, but again hoping it would be a comforting staff instead of a rod for another spiritual spanking. And there I saw a scripture highlighted in my favorite color of pink, jumping off the page. As I read the scripture it came alive and I immediately saw the map to each point. See, that’s how it happens for me. God shows me how his word comes alive and flows to other scriptures and practical teachings. I see it. You know how in those crime documentaries police have a bulletin board with photos and clues and they start putting the pieces together. They put a push pins in each piece of the puzzle, then they connect them with red yarn, so it all links together visually. Well, yeah, that’s how devotionals happen for me! I read a scripture and it starts linking with personal stories, songs, movies, other scriptures. I can see the push pins and follow the red yarn. Then, all I have to do is sit down and start writing furiously as God’s Spirit guides me in putting in all together. 1 hour later, I’m recording live to share the findings with you in the day’s devotional. So today after asking God for a sweet, refreshing devotional, I open the book of Romans and see it there in pink highlighter, just waiting, and as I read the scripture, all the pieces start connecting perfectly. There’s red yarn everywhere, tying together the perfect devotional. So, I start writing. Writing what you’re hearing right now. And I get to this point to whip out that scripture God showed me so I can quote it word for word … and it’s gone. Like literally gone. I flip all through the book of Romans searching for those 2 verses highlighted in pink that got me so excited just minutes before, and I can’t find them. I’m on a timeline, God. We go live with our work together in 1 hour, now where did that scripture go? Finally, in desperation, I go to the Google and I do a search for key words I remembered from the scripture God had led me to earlier. Guys, it wasn’t even in the book of Romans. It’s 48 pages after where I had been reading. 3 entire books later. I have no idea how I was somehow in the book of Galatians, I promise you I had opened to my bookmarked spot in Romans where we left off yesterday. It’s so bizarre! I’ve learned when odd things happen, maybe it’s not odd, maybe it’s God. I asked God for a comforting sweet devotional today and he’s giving it to us in the sweetest of ways. Bizarre, but sweet. Not odd, but God! So, here’s the scripture he took me to in the wrong book, 48 pages beyond where I opened my Bible. Galatians 5: 24-25, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” I see push pins and red yarn going EVERYWHERE, y’all! Thinking about our own passions

Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” The Greek word translated into persecute was dioko which actually means to aggressively chase. Is anyone after you right now? They’re chasing after you for your money, for your position, for your reputation. Heck, maybe you don’t even know why they’re chasing after you. Maybe you’re in a lawsuit right now. Maybe you’re being attacked or talked about. How do you handle that? Well, according to God’s word, you do the opposite of what you want to do. What you want to do is talk about them. You want to tell everyone your side of the story. You want to be vindicated. You want the world to turn against them and stand behind you. But Paul says here, “Don’t curse them.” Paul’s not talking about putting a hex on someone, he’s talking about your ill wishes for them. The way you talk about them. Don’t curse them with your words. Don’t spew negativity about them. Stop trying to rally the troops so everyone else is against them. No, no, no – isn’t that what they have done to you? Paul also says later in Romans 12, verse 17, “Never repay evil with more evil.” It’s wrong of them to talk about you, and it would be wrong of you to talk about them. Don’t do it. Just stop it. It’s crazy how hard it is to control that, though isn’t it? There are certain stories of how incredibly wrong people have been to me that are almost fun to tell. It makes the other person look so totally absurd and it makes me feel good after what they tried to do to me. No, no, no, Pamela – God is not impressed. Stop it! I’m acting no better than them when I’m retelling the story to make them look bad. Instead, here’s what we’re supposed to do: Pray that God will bless them. Woah, now that’s over the top! That’s a radical shift. Could you even do that? For the sake of helping us all relate, let’s give this person a name. The person who is wrong, the person who is aggressively chasing you, trying to take something from you, the person who is talking about you and attacking you, the person making your life hard, let’s say their name is “Fool.” The bible often uses the term ‘Fool’ to refer to someone who is being ridiculous, so that’s the name we will give them today. They are your ‘Fool’. Imagine for a moment instead of retelling the stories of how wrong Fool has been, how mean Fool has been, how Fool makes you feel so angry and so hurt, that instead, you start praying that God would bless and help Fool. If you’re dealing with a real ‘Fool’ in your life, you may have felt your whole body just pull back in resistance. The more you felt that, the more attached you are to that negative feeling of fighting against ‘Fool’, and really the more hold they have over your life. YOU DON’T WANT THAT! God doesn’t want that. You need this! So, right now, let’s just start. Again, I’m going to insert the name ‘Fool’, but you know who your persecutor is. You know who is making your life hard. You know who is talking about you. You know who makes you feel this way. Right now, let’s pray for them. Lord, in obedience to your word, we want to stop the cycle of hurt and evil. We no longer want to be part of the continual talk and attacks. God, we don’t want to fight back. Father, bless my ‘Fool’. Bless the one who has hurt me. Bless the one who talks about me. Bless the one who has been ugly to me. Bless the one who has been unfair. Pull them in to you, cover them with your grace, heal what is hurting in them, restore them to your beautiful design and set their feet on your intended path. Today, unleash your undeniable blessings on them. Shower them with your goodness. Even while it is hard for me to speak these words, I release my feelings and emotions to you. I trust you God. In the name of Jesus, amen.” Do you feel the burden lifted off you? In this moment, you’re no longer carrying the heavy weight of anger, blame and bitterness. When you turn your ill feelings to prayers of blessing, something spiritual happens – you’re released! Jesus actually tells a story in Matthew 18 of what happens when we refuse to bless and withhold our forgiveness for those who have done wrong against us. It’s called the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. Starting in verse 21: Peter comes to Jesus and asks, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” I love that Peter is suggesting he forgive seven times, because seven sounds really generous. But there has to be a limit, right? And Jesus says, “No, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” That’s 490. Does Jesus mean literally you forgi