BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

What do you do when you don’t know what to pray any more? When your spirit is weary, when your worries tower over you and your doubts come creeping in? When reality screams for answers and you’re without a single one? I know exactly what to do. I know because I’ve been there. I am there. You raise a hallelujah. You sing out to a God who is mighty and just, a God who is moved by your praise, a God who has an Army ready to fight for you as your hallelujah sends the marching orders to heaven’s angels. Your hallelujah is a praise to the Almighty, a cry of your spirit worshiping, trusting, surrendering, calling out to your Creator. Will you raise a hallelujah today over the things you don’t even know how to pray about? Will you raise a hallelujah in the middle of this storm? Louder and louder, will you let your praises roar? I fell asleep last night singing Bethel Music’s lyrics, and I woke up this morning as the sun was rising, singing them again … I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me I can think of nothing more powerful than praising the one who sees it all, knows it all, and is making a way through it all. This is our faith in action. This is how we climb the mountains and we cross the valleys. This is how we overcome … we raise a hallelujah. While the enemy is still present, you praise God. While the threat still looms over you, while the storm still rages and the answers are unknown, this is when you worship. Yes, we have an enemy – one who is out to destroy us. One who knows our potential even better than we do, who is threatened by our potential, the potential of our children and future generations, and comes to steal, kill and destroy. He uses the enemy of division, the enemy of rebellion, the enemy of sickness and depression, the enemy of desperation, the enemy of addiction, the enemy of bad thoughts and bad choices for absolute destruction in our lives. And here’s what we do in the presence of these enemies … we raise a hallelujah. We lift our praise to the one who can change it all, BEFORE it is changing at all. Before our eyes see evidence of a turn, we worship and praise. Hebrews 11: 1 says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” This is faith. You don’t see a change yet. There’s no evidence of this storm clearing. You see no way being made … yet. But faith is confidence to keep hoping for and believing in what you cannot see. I believe a way is being made AT THIS MOMENT. I believe tides are turning and breakthroughs are being made. I believe it, not because I can see it – not because there’s a shred of evidence that points to this belief – but because we serve a God who can be trusted. A God moved by our hallelujah. And let me talk to you about this belief … there is still unbelief. There are still moments of rational reasoning that say there’s no way. And listen to me, that’s okay. It’s okay to still question. It’s okay to look at the storm around you and be afraid. Remember when Peter boldly stepped out onto the water with Jesus, and Jesus invited him to do the impossible with him? Peter began walking on the water. It was happening. Peter was doing the impossible with Jesus. Mark 14: 30-31 says “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” You have received an invitation to do the impossible with Jesus. An invitation to walk through this storm. An invitation to climb this mountain and cross this valley. An invitation to go through the fire and not be burned.

Do you know that you are loved relentlessly by God? A relentless love is a love that is constant and never ending. A relentless love is one that will hunt you down and WAIT you out. A relentless love is one that will NOT quit trying. And maybe you already know that about God’s love for you. I hope so. But may I remind you of God’s relentless love for your child who has gone astray? They’re knocking on all the wrong doors and going down all the wrong paths, making more wrong choices than you knew any one child could make … and God is relentless in his love for her. Relentless in his love for him. RELENTLESS. You may be losing hope for this child, but GOD ISN’T! God has a relentless love for that loved one who is royally messing up their life. For that one who is running further and further away. For that one who you just can’t seem to help. Remember God’s love for them is constant and never ending, he hasn’t given up on them, he’s waiting, he’s using everything in their path to reach them, and he will not forsake them. Nothing can separate them from the love of God. Nothing can keep him from loving them. Nothing! Romans 8: 38-39 says “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That brings me great confidence. The one I love – the one who is running – the one who is living all wrong has NEVER been separated from God’s love. As moms, as wives, as sisters, as friends we grow weary in the chase, but God doesn’t. Let him do the chasing today, let us pray. We can back down from the nagging, pushing and reasoning role and we can surrender them to God and say, “God work. Just work.” God once called you and I out of darkness. He made our fight his own. AND GOD WILL DO IT FOR HIM TOO. GOD WILL DO IT FOR HER. God will use anything and everything to bring their heart to him. He will use their failure. He will use their disappointment. He will use their addiction. He will use their rock bottom. What we must do is get out of the way of the almighty and let him work. Hand over the battle to God today. Let the relentless love of God that chased you down and captured your heart do the same for the one you love who is wandering. Won’t you trust God with this? Won’t you trust that God will carry them and cover them, just as he has carried you and covered you? Maybe it’s hard for you to imagine redemption in this mess because you didn’t make the same horrible choices they’re making. Step down high and mighty one … you have no idea what God’s mercy has spared you from. His grace has covered you in ways you cannot imagine! God’s grace simply amazes me. He takes the most unfavorable and unlikely and turns them into legends for him. Paul, author of the majority of the new testament, a mighty crusader for Christ was formerly Saul. A mighty persecutor of all Christians on a mission to behead any follower of Jesus. Wow, God’s relentless love changed his life! Can’t he do the same for the one you love? Can’t he change their story? If he did it for Paul, he can do it again. David, just a little shepherd boy, too young, too little, too weak to even be in the army, just a boy delivering lunch to his brothers … and God chose him to conquer the giant Goliath. That’s what happens when God’s relentless love gets ahold of you. He changes your identity. He changes your path. He changes your future. Who has someone in their life that needs a new identity because they one they have adopted is all wrong? Who has someone in their life on the wrong path,

Psalms 18:39 For You have girded me with strength for battle; May I speak some powerful truth into your life this morning? YOU ARE A WOMAN TRAINED BY THE KING TO BE A WARRIOR. TRAINED TO FACE THE VERY BATTLE IN FRONT OF YOU! Every struggle you’ve overcome, every hardship, every setback and every trial has served to strengthen and train you. Nothing has been wasted. Just look how much stronger you are now than you were 10 years ago. Why are you stronger? Because you have been challenged. Life’s challenges train us. They train us for the next level of living. And make no mistake about it, the next level of living will not be free of challenges. Somewhere along the way we’ve bought into this fallacy that when we “arrive” in life – when we get that new job, when money isn’t so tight – or when we lose the weight – or when we move to that new place – then life will be easier. And wow are we ever disappointed to find new devils with our new levels. You weren’t created for an easy, cushy, comfortable life. If you were, then why would God make you a warrior? That would make no sense. Warriors are for battle. Listen to me, life is a battle. A battle of balance. A battle of the mind. A battle for peace. A battle for contentment. A battle for our potential. Do you know why things keep coming at you? Why there are continual setbacks? Why doors keep slamming shut in your face and why with every step forward you seem to take 2 back? Do you know why? Because you have an enemy in this world – His name is Satan and HE SEES YOUR POTENTIAL AS A WARRIOR. He sees your potential more than you see it. So he attacks to keep you from rising up. But do you know why God allows the enemy to attack you? Because he can use it all for your good. He can use it as your training, to strengthen his mighty warrior. All you’ve learned to overcome in the past will be used today. And all you learn in today’s battle will be used for tomorrow. YOU ARE A WARRIOR. God has strengthened you for battle. Living the life you were created for is a battle. Becoming your best is a battle. Holding your marriage together is a battle. Raising kids is a battle (can I get an amen mamas). You’ve got this because God’s got you. Whatever you are facing today, you have been equipped to march right through it. A warrior is a soldier known for their bravery. You have a mission, a mission to live this one and only beautiful life that you have been given. Live it bravely. Hold your head high, put your shoulders back and remember who you are. A beautiful woman trained by the king to be a warrior. To face the very battle in front of you today. Harness the strength God has promised you and provided you. In yoga there is a warrior pose. It’s a deep lunge with your arms stretched out wide to each side. A pose of power. We must remember this pose as powerful women chosen and strengthened by God. To take a stand in our life. No more backing down. No more quitting. No more shrinking back. Girls, we can’t play little in our own lives for one more day. Stretch out those arms, use the space you have been given, be bold and brave. Perhaps a little warrior pose in the mirror would be good today. Heck, stick a feather in your hair and remember who you are. You are girded with strength for the battle. To be girded means to be prepared, to be ready. And that is you. Rise up warrior. Rise up and fight for the life you were created for. Fight for the health God has offered you. Fight for your marriage. Fight for your kids. Fight for your business. Fight for your happiness. Get in there and get your hands dirty. Work today. Work hard. You can’t afford to be lazy. This day is NOT made for your “giving up on life pants”. I’m pretty sure warriors don’t wear those. Get dressed. You have a battle ahead of you today. And one final point for this morning … you don’t have to be miserable in the battle.

Romans 8:31 – If God is for us, who can be against us? Is God for you? Is he on your side? Does he really have a good plan for all of this? I’ve found these are the deepest core questions that guide my life. The answers determine my energy level, my attitude, my endurance and my actions. Let me have a moment of pure honesty here with you today. Just because I show up here every morning with joy and share the love of Jesus with excitement, doesn’t mean my life is perfect and without messes. I can show up here today with joy in the middle of a family crisis because I KNOW my answers. I know God is for me. I know God is on my side. I know he really does have a good plan for all of this. Circumstances cannot shake my truth. We can only see the surface level of eternal things happening in our midst. We only see the here and now, God sees the end from the beginning. Nothing is impossible for him, no one is out of his reach, no situation is too far gone, and it’s not too late for his plan. Not now and not ever. Oh the load we carry when we play God, assuming it’s all up to us. Girl, sit down and take a breath, God’s got you and he’s got this! When I started truly believing God is for me, my life changed. Do you know God is for you? Do you know that to be your truth? What if he’s disappointed in you? What if you have a past? What if you carry around secret shame and guilt that comes knocking on your door, reminding you that you’re simply not good enough? Is that from God? Is he sending you on that guilt trip? Is he picking at your scabs? Is he behind your anxiety? There’s a song called “God Only Knows”. I’ve heard it a hundred times, but never got it until this weekend. You see, I have a beautiful 17 year old Prodigal Daughter. You know the story of the Prodigal Son in the Bible who left his family to live on his own terms and his own ways and made a real mess of his life? Yes, that’s the truth of our story right now. Our daughter has been gone for over 2 weeks. She has left our family. But read the story of the Prodigal Son and you’ll understand why I have hope … I know the ending! So this song “God Only Knows” has a more personal meaning to me now because I don’t know exactly where my girl is or what she’s doing. But I trust God does. I trust he is for her and not against her. He has a plan in all of this and nothing will be wasted. Listen to these words: God only knows what you’ve been through God only knows what they say about you God only knows how it’s killing you But there’s a kind of love that God only knows There are things about you, about your life, about your past and about your right now that God only knows. You carry these things around in hidden shame believing if others knew, they wouldn’t accept you. If they knew about your mistakes. If they knew about your struggles. If they knew the truth behind your lies. If they knew the REAL you, no one could love you. But God knows. He knows it all. Honey he knew about your mistakes before you ever made them. He knows every detail of everything you’ve been through. God knows all about you, and there’s a kind of love that God only knows. The kind of love that doesn’t stop for even one second. The kind of love that never withdraws no matter how hard you’ve pushed it away. The kind of love that is in relentless pursuit of YOU. The kind of love that will be stopped by no one and nothing, ever. This is God’s love. It’s God’s love for me. It’s God’s love for my Prodigal Daughter. It’s God’s love for you. And his love is FOR you, not against you. The enemy uses fear to keep you in bondage. Fear that tells you there’s something wrong with you.

This weekend is Father’s Day. A time to celebrate the Daddies in our life. Will you make him his coffee, will you take him out to eat, will you buy him a new shirt (as your secret way to dress him properly)? What about your Heavenly Father? What will you do for him to honor the impact he has made on your life? I mean really, how do you properly celebrate God? Well I found it … the perfect gift for God. Scripture says “embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” And there is our Father’s Day gift to our Heavenly Father. Let’s take a look at this entire passage in Romans 12: 1-2 (I’ll be reading from both the NIV and the MSG translation): “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” What if we intentionally lived this day as an OFFERING to God? Yes, that’s our gift to God, how we live this day … I mean he already has everything else! What could I possibly give him that he doesn’t already have or that he couldn’t just create himself? HOW I LIVE THIS ORDINARY DAY – How I eat, how I go to work, how I walk around, all of this can be my GIFT TO GOD TODAY. And it can be yours too. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. What has God done for you today? Really, what has he done? He has given you a day of life. Now in return what we should do with this day is embrace it. That means hold it close with affection. Don’t let this day just pass you by. Grab it. Seize the day. Carpe diem my friend. How about a hearty “I LOVE THIS DAY OF LIFE GOD … oh, it’s a good one.” It’s a great day to go to work, to show up, to eat well, to breathe, to live. Then this scripture says “do not conform to the patterns of this world.” And here’s where our challenge comes in for the day. What are the patterns of this world? They’ve certainly changed over the generations, but without a doubt the pattern of today’s world is to be so constantly connected that in truth you’re totally DISCONNECTED. Do you too feel the pull of social media, the pull of entertainment and technology? Here’s a test – how hard is it for you to sit and wait for an appointment, or wait for your food, or go to the bathroom, or ride in a car WITHOUT being on your phone? Darn near impossible? Have you seen the app TikTok? You can create short fun little videos, share them online and be like an instant viral hit. I heard my daughter laughing uncontrollably this week … what was she doing … watching TikTok videos. Random people, doing stupid stuff, in 20 second video clips. Then the next video, and the next, and the next. 2 hours later she’s still fully entertained, entranced, and laughing. A full 2 minute video … oh heck no … no teenager is watching that! They’re now trained for 20 seconds of entertainment at a time. We’re literally creating ADD. And I’ll admit, I sat down with her to see what was so funny, and suddenly 30 minutes of my life was gone and I have absolutely nothing to show for it. It’s so sad. But it’s oh so normal. It’s just normal. It is the pattern of the world today. And unfortunately it’s become our pattern and we have done exactly what this scripture warns us about – we have fit into the pattern of the world without even thinking. I wonder how much of our day is spent not even thinking? We’re not being intentional. We’re just living out our habits of being constantly fed noise,

In the book of Daniel we read of 3 guys with funky names. Shadraq, Meshaq and Abendego. They were each about 18 years old, bold in their faith, and about to be put to the test. Their king had built a huge golden image and he declared at the sound of the horn everyone would bow down and worship this golden image. And if they didn’t, they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. Harsh! The horn blew, everyone bowed down and worshiped the King’s golden image, except for our 3 young men with the funky names. Shadraq, Meshaq and Abendego. They refused to worship anything or anyone other than their God. Now what happens when you disobey a rich and powerful king? He goes on a power trip! He has the 3 young men brought to him and threatens them. And their response is our scripture for the day. Daniel 3: 17-18 “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” My God is able to stop all this, but even if he doesn’t, I will do the right thing! How do you respond when you’re pressured and stressed? How do you talk when you’re accused or blamed? How do you handle the possibility of things NOT going your way? We can learn so much from Shadraq, Meshaq and Abendego. Their response was not “why God, why?” It wasn’t even anger towards the power tripping King who was undeniably WRONG. Their response was instead “we’re going to do this right.” What fire are you facing right now? What difficulty or hardship is pressing in on you? Will you trade your frustrations and worries for an intentional focus on this one thing … “God, help me do this right.” Help me respond right. Help me take the next right step. Help me control my tongue. Help me reign in my thoughts. I want to handle this right. God, I’m going to need your help here. Please help me do this right. Shadraq, Meshaq and Abendego were facing a fiery furnace of certain death, and yet their focus was on doing the right thing. So what happens when you do the right thing? Of course the clouds part from the skies and the sun shines down on you. Everyone starts playing nice and life becomes easy. Yeah, what Koolaid are you drinking? Who sold you on that idea? What Bible are you reading because mine tells a different story. What happened to our 3 young friends with the funky names after they did everything right? They were thrown into the furnace. God didn’t swoop down and rescue them from the dilemma. He let them walk right through it. And isn’t that how it is for you and I? We just wish God would snap his fingers and take it all away. Just fix it now. Heal immediately. Restore immediately. Bring on the magic numbers and the quick fixes please God … but nope, he says you’re going to walk right through this fire. Even when you do everything right. But here’s what we learn. Shadraq, Meshaq and Abendego were not alone in the fiery furnace. Jesus was right there with them. The King looked in the fire and he saw 4 men instead of 3 and he knew God was protecting them. They came out of the fire untouched. Scripture says not a single hair on their head was even singed. And because they choose to face their trial and not run from it, but handle it right, the King was moved by their faith and demanded everyone stop worshiping his golden image and worship the God of Shadraq, Meshaq and Abendego. That’s our God by the way! What impact could you make by doing the right thing in your fiery furnace of a marriage? In your fiery furnace of a family situation? In your fiery furnace of a traumatic childhood. In your fiery furnace of sickness? God is concerned about you, and he knows the impact you can make if you choose to do this right. Will you remain faithful?

My favorite song of Summer 2019 is “The Nights” by Avicci. A song about fully living life while you can. Listen to these lyrics: One day my father—he told me, “Son, don’t let it slip away” He took me in his arms, I heard him say, “When you get older Your wild life will live for younger days Think of me if ever you’re afraid.” A totally secular song that I hear God’s voice in. My father is telling me don’t let this life slip away. My father is telling me just think of him when I’m afraid, then boldly live this one life he has given me. Your father is telling you to DO IT WHILE YOU CAN. You will never be this young again. There are things you can do this summer that you may never be able to do again, do it while you can. When you get older your wild life will live for younger days. You’re here now, if you can climb mountains, CLIMB! If you can swim waters, SWIM. If you can go, GO. Don’t miss a single opportunity to live my friend. Your opportunities are numbered, your summers are limited, and this one will pass quickly. The chorus of the song is my favorite: He said, “One day you’ll leave this world behind So live a life you will remember.” A life you will remember. Are you living that kind of life? Are you living that kind of summer? One you will remember. Or are the days just passing by as you wait for the “next thing”, then the “next thing”, without ever fully tasting what is before you today? Sadly, that’s exactly how we typically live. Either in anticipation or in dread of what’s coming and missing the opportunity of a lifetime to live today. One day you’ll leave this world behind. A summer will come when you’re no longer here. Your time will be up and your chances will be gone. Will you have done all you could do? All you wanted to do? How many of your dreams will go unlived? How many opportunities are you willing to miss out on because you were too busy … then they’re just gone. What you CAN do today won’t always be available. The kids will grow up. You’ll grow old. Life will change. Don’t be left wishing you would have. Take the chances. Dare to go. Say yes. Not only yes, but HECK YEAH. Jump into the life you have right here, right now and don’t let this slip away. Live a life you will remember. That specific part of the song has a special meaning to me. Many years ago I had a vision. Not like a wonky “she might be 73% crazy” kinda vision, but like a dream while I was awake kinda vision. I saw myself standing before God at the end of my life, hearing him say “well done my good and faithful servant, let’s take a look back at your life.” And in a moment, my entire life flashed before my eyes like a movie. My childhood, my teen years, me as a wife and mom, me as a grandma, in a flash it was all before me. My life was BIG and wild and beautiful, full of adventures and excitement, purpose, passion and impact. But there was only one problem with the movie of my life, I didn’t remember the best parts. The biggest, most exciting, most thrilling, over the top moments weren’t in my memories. I couldn’t remember them. It seems these would be the parts of my life I would remember most, but I didn’t. So, in this vision, I asked God why those parts were missing from my memory, and he said, “my daughter, you didn’t choose them. They were all available to you, every adventure, every opportunity, it was all there. I made the way for you, the path was paved, you had everything it took inside you to live all those moments, but you chose not to. You don’t remember it, because you didn’t choose it. You sat it out. You said no. And so you missed some of the best of what I had available to yo...

What this world most needs is people showing up for every day life being their true and best selves, doing the things that make them come truly alive. Yes, this world needs you truly alive, doing the things you were created to do. Your family needs you alive like this. Your life is desperate for you to show up and do these things and live like this. And when you’re living anything short of truly alive, giving your true and best self, you feel unfulfilled. You feel empty. You feel bored. You’re left wanting and searching for something more. If you feel a tinge of unfulfilled longing wondering if there’s more to life, this could be a sign you’re not living fully alive doing the very things you were created to do. Romans 12:5 (MSG) “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.” What were you made to be? What did the creator have in mind when he made the one and only you? On the journey to discovering and living your life’s purpose, you must first discover YOU. Who are you? If you don’t know YOU, how will you ever know your specific purpose? Have you been so busy trying to get through life that you failed to realize the shoe of purpose you’ve been trying to wear doesn’t fit you? Oh what misery it is to wear a shoe that’s too small for you. And how awkward and clumsy we are in shoes too big for us. But a shoe that fits … ahhh, yes Cinderalla it feels so good. And so it is with your life purpose, it’s not a one size fits all. You must first know YOU so you know what fits you. You were created for a purpose. The definition of purpose is the reason for which you were created. You didn’t come off an assembly line. You weren’t mass produced. You are a hand crafted, one of a kind masterpiece and within you are special gifts and talents that make you the perfect gal to fulfill a specific purpose. Does anyone else hear Liem Nieson in Taken saying “But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.” Girl I’m here to tell you that what you do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills that make you the ideal girl to fill your specific purpose in life. Skills, gifts, talents and passions given to you by a creator with a great big beautiful plan which you fit so perfectly. Who you are today is a result of your life experiences, and none of it is being wasted. Without God it’s all just a series of random unfortunate events, with a few disasters and a few beautiful messes along the way, where nothing makes sense. But with God, it’s all part of a great big design to equip you for your life’s work. Preparing you to become YOU. Each of us have a different design with a different purpose. We weren’t made to be the same. All this time you’ve been trying to fit in when you were made to stand out. You can spend your entire life searching for your big purpose, but what you must remember is it begins with WHO YOU ARE. Romans 12: 6-8 “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” So God has given us different gifts and talents for doing certain things really well. AND MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT … you weren’t left out. You weren’t skipped over and somehow missed when God was passing out these abilities. What are you good at? Don’t tell me you’re not good at anything.

Do you ever feel like God is taking entirely too long to show up? Like he’s delaying, and as he is delaying, things are only getting worse? Have you ever watched life completely fall apart and felt like God was absent in the process? Knowing he has the complete power to turn every detail around in this very moment, to radically change every circumstance in your life, and set stagnant things in motion … and yet he hasn’t … that leaves us to question. Does he not hear? Does he not see? Does he not care? Faith requires us to trust what we cannot see. We cannot see how he is working. We cannot see what he is doing in the middle of our mess. We cannot see the eternal impact of the very things we’re trying to pray away. But we must believe he is here. He is in action. He does care. And nothing, not one detail has been overlooked by our mighty and powerful God. I spent this past weekend at a funeral, and at a hospital. Two places I didn’t want to be. On Saturday I supported a dear friend as her Daddy’s life was celebrated, then I sat beside my own Daddy as he clings to his life. I’m going to be honest with you here, THAT SUCKED. Where’s God in that pain? Where’s God in that loss? Where’s God in this confusion and frustration? Answer … HE’S ALL OVER IT. God is at work using every single detail for good. He wastes nothing. Someone’s life is being positively impacted in the midst of our hardship. Eternal repercussions are in our midst and this side of Heaven, you simply cannot fathom what your hurt has healed for someone else. You can’t imagine it, but you can trust it. And for me personally, I know I can go through Hell if I know it’s for something good. If there’s a purpose in the pain and a destiny in the delay, I can stay in the game. The enemy works hard to cloud our minds with the overwhelm. He tries to frustrate us in the continual waiting game. But all he’s doing is trying to distract you from the mighty and eternal work of our God through your circumstances. Listen to me … God isn’t out to punish you. He’s not withholding his power or his healing out of punishment. He’s not trying to be mysterious or difficult. God is simply being MERCIFUL. In everything God does, he is being merciful. The delay is because he is giving time. And in that time he is working. Work you cannot see is happening as you walk in circles over this delay. God can make things happen in an instant, however he’s dealing with free willed spirits that are defiant and rebellious, and he responds with such mercy to give us time. Time to get it wrong so then he can help us get it right. Time to experience all we don’t want in life so we will then turn the other way and fight for what we do want. All while God is being merciful. Not forcing his children, but lovingly guiding his children. He is here today with his mercy for you, for your spouse, for your children, for your loved ones. While I’m frustrated saying “God, fix this – change this – this needs to happen now!” God is saying, “my mercy is at work here.” It is his mercy that creates true change. It is his mercy that we need, not a quick fix. I’m here today saying I DON’T WANT A QUICK FIX – GOD I WILL WAIT. Will you say the same? Will you trust God’s timing in this? I’m over quick fixes. I’m not looking for a bandaid. God, I will wait for the real deal. Lamentations 3: 22-23 says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” God’s love is steadfast. It is resolute, it is unwavering, it is relentless. While you’re playing stupid, God’s love will wait you out.

Have you ever felt distant from God? Has it ever just been straight up hard for you to pray? As believers we know God is there but our spirit feels so disconnected. And the more time that passes with this distance, the more disconnected we feel. Maybe this is exactly how you feel right now. You’re not alone. I believe we all go through a season in our life where for one reason or another we just fall away from our Creator a bit and our spirit has an emptiness. Make no mistake about it, God hasn’t pulled away, it’s us … always us. We’ve created the distance and the reasoning may be very just. Sometimes when we’re struggling our most and life just doesn’t seem to make sense and everything is going wrong, we become so disappointed that we pull away from God. And with each day, the distance grows. But for me, the times I’ve found myself far from God and without my connection to my creator was quite the opposite … it has been when life is going so well I almost forget that I need Him. Several years ago I was in one of those seasons of life. I was at my goal weight and my health was a picture of perfection. I was running marathons. Both of my businesses were growing and booming. And we were living out our dreams on the beaches of Southern California. It’s hard to admit, but that’s when I created a distance between me and God. I never took time to talk to him or listen to him because my days were so filled with all the good stuff. I had no need. I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t seeking. And so the distance grew. In God’s perfect timing, he brought me a sweet friend Suzanne who was a walking, talking shining light for Jesus. And although I had everything I thought I ever wanted in life, I saw something in her that I didn’t have. She had this beautiful connection with God. Not only a connection, but a RELATIONSHIP. It was then she taught me the 4 sentence prayer. And this simple prayer clicked with me. I began going into my closet each evening before I went to bed, dropping to my knees and praying the 4 sentence prayer. Within a week I felt totally connected to God again. And within 2 months God had full on taken over my empty spirit, filled me up with a hunger for him and told me to start hosting live daily devotionals. Yes, I went from NEVER giving God a moment of my busy, beautiful life and feeling so totally disconnected, to praying the 4 sentence prayer daily and after 2 months hosting daily devotionals for hundreds of women every morning. AND PRAYING PUBLICLY. Yes, this is exactly how this podcast all began … an empty spirit just seeking to get close to her Creator again. Jeremiah 29:12 – Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And this is the way our God works. If we will take one step towards him, he will take a thousand towards us. One step starts it all. Do you need to take that one step towards God today? I know with every ounce of my being if you will take that one step towards him, he will indeed take a thousand steps towards you. So allow me to teach you the 4 sentence prayer. There are no fancy words or magic formulas here. It’s so simple. Sentence 1 – What you’re thankful for. Sentence 2 – Confess where you’ve messed up & ask for forgiveness. Sentence 3 – What you’re worried about. Sentence 4 – Ask for help. God wants to hear from you. He wants to hear what you’re thankful for. Oh how he wants to know what you love about your life. And there’s no question he already knows where you’ve messed up, so the confession is for you, not for him. There’s no need to carry around your failures and sins with such heaviness and shame. Bring it to your loving God, tell him about it and ask him to forgive you. He is so ready to forgive you fully. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

Jesus came to give you a wide open spacious life. A life of freedom being exactly who you were created to be, confident in doing exactly what you were created to do. But somewhere along the way we went about fencing ourselves in. We started playing little, and in the process, we’ve gotten stuck. Stuck in the monotony of a routine that was never intended to be our entire lives. Stuck as slaves to our habits of watching people live on a 2×5 inch screen, and missing our own lives happening here and now. We’re chained to a rhythm that’s exhausting and unfulfilling, and Jesus is here today to break those chains. How far have we drifted from our potential? How much have we atrophied from who we were created to be, because we simply haven’t been using what we were given? You know you can sit around choosing not to use a perfectly good leg, and eventually that leg will stop working. The ability to walk will be lost. What God given abilities have we lost because we simply haven’t been using them? Jesus did some pretty dang amazing things on this earth in front of the disciples, then he looked at them and said in John 14: 12-14 – “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” Through Christ Jesus, we are to be doing the same works he did here on earth, and even greater! He healed the sick, he showed people the way, he restored hope, he loved the unlovable, he made people believe, he radically changed lives … are we doing those things? Have we forgotten we have been entrusted with this power and full access to Jesus who is waiting to move on our request? Like a perfectly good leg going unused loses it’s ability to function, our ability to fully step into our God given potential and power is diminished when we don’t step up and use it. Jesus said ASK ME. Have you been asking? He responds to your request. His power is allocated with your prayers. Where do you want to send his power today? Don’t waste what you have been given here. What a shame for the relationships in your life to sit stagnant because you won’t pray over them. Jesus didn’t sacrifice his life for you to play little with yours. It’s time to show up for your life and live it as your best self. How long has it been since you showed up for a day intentionally as your best self? Maybe so long you’ve forgotten how? Let me tell you how you can get back to that today … it’s your attitude. Show up today to do whatever you need to do, wherever you need to go, with whoever you need to be with, with your best attitude. An attitude of grace and gratitude. An attitude of passion and purpose. This is who you were created to be and how you were intended to live your life. Not this watered down, lazy, passive version. And not this negative, pessimistic, cynical version. No, this grace filled, loving, passionate, grateful version. That’s you. That’s the real you. Show up and live today as her. Unleash the power you have within you, the power of a living God who redeems, restores and renews. Walk in confidence today knowing every gift, every talent, and every ability you use today will be strengthened and multiplied for tomorrow. Be faithful with the little you have and it will increase. No more atrophy in your life. No more wasting and withering away because of untapped potential. Nope, we’re showing up and we’re using it all. We can do better, we know we can, and today, we will do better. Jesus is breaking the rhythm we’ve been chained to, and he’s setting a new rhythm. Hear that beat and follow that beat.

My first encounter with God was in the Fall of 1990. I was a 15 year old freshman in high school and my best friend Sarah had invited me to her church for a lock-in. If I’m being honest, I’ll tell you I went for the boys. But God met me there. Or more accurately, I met God there. There was a man in his late 20’s who spoke to us that night. I’m sure he said many wonderful things, but I only remember one thing. He told a story of being in college and having a professor who didn’t believe in God. He was singled out in the class and challenged. He was the only believer in the room, or at least the only believer bold enough to stand up to the professor. The professor held a raw egg in his hand and said, “is your God strong enough to keep this egg from breaking if I drop it on the floor?” The student said yes, my God can keep the egg from breaking. So the professor dropped the egg. The egg didn’t even crack. The next day, my friend Sarah and I were picked up from the Church lock-in by my parents and all we were concerned about was if my mom had eggs in the refrigerator. We went through an entire dozen of eggs that day, each one meeting the fate of a hard tile floor. We would say, “we believe, we believe, we believe” then it would shatter and we would say, “darn it, I knew it would break.” What a mess we made. I never could drop an egg without it breaking. I’ve never tried again. Do you know why, because a few months after that first introduction to God, I met his son Jesus. I asked him to come into my heart and change me and save me. And since that day, life has never been the same. I’ve had plenty of quote-unquote “eggs” break since then. Plans blow up in my face. Major let downs and setbacks. Hardships I never imagined came our way. Real life messes I found myself in the middle of. Yet, the one thing remained. My God, the same God who didn’t let that speaker’s egg break, was guiding my life. He could be trusted. Psalm 37: 23-24 says “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Every step, God has been directing you. Now the truth is, we don’t always follow his direction. Lord knows sometimes we are defiant with a spirit of rebellion and we run off in the wrong direction, missing out on God’s plan. However our God is so big and so gracious, ever meeting us right where we are, offering guidance back to his best plan for our lives. He never gives up on us, and he never gives up on our children, and that brings me tremendous hope. No matter how far we may stray, no matter how far down the wrong path we may roam, no matter how jacked up our choices may be and how wrong we may be living, HE CAN FIX THIS! What’s your mess? Where are your broken eggs? He will not only fix it, he will redeem it. He will use it all for good. And all this time, in my messes and mistakes, what I didn’t realize is God has been delighting in every detail of my life. Did you know God has been not only watching over your every detail, but he has been taking delight in the details of your life? What you see as a mess, God sees as an opportunity to make himself known. All the times you have stumbled, God has picked you up and held you in his hand. Nothing has been wasted here. Nothing. He’s using it all. I want you to look back over the last 10, 20 years of your life. Can you see how God has guided you? Can you see how He has used every broken egg to sustain you? Can you see scrambled eggs? We want the unbroken egg. The egg that survived the fall without a crack. But God wants to break that egg wide open … do you know why? So you can be fulfilled. So you can grow. So you can get better. Have you ever tried to eat an egg still in it’s shell? I didn’t think so! God breaks your life wide open so that you can EXPERIENCE it.

There is a battle over your ground. A battle you aren’t even aware of. You think you just have a tendency to quit – you think that relationship is just strained – you think you’ve just stepped into some bad luck, but girl, it’s so much more than that. This is a battle. A battle over your ground. And the question is, what are you going to do about it? The devil is trying to make you lose your footing. He is after your ground. He wants you to be distracted. He wants you to be discouraged. He wants you to waver. Why? Because THE ENEMY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO GROW. If you grow, then you become more powerful, more of the unshakable woman God created you to be. So he fights your growth. He attacks your ground. Psalm 92:13 says “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Those who are planted shall flourish. This means if you want to grow, you must be grounded. If you want things to get better, you must be steady, unshakable, relentless, and refuse to give up here. Are you grounded? Will you be still? Will you remain focused? Will you follow through on your commitments? God is getting ready to do something in your life, but sister you’ve got to be grounded. No more dabbling here and there, changing your mind every 10 minutes, doing a little of this and a little of that with no long term commitments. I’m telling you dig in and plant yourself so you can flourish. Be grounded so you can grow. You want to get better? Get grounded, focused, committed, on purpose. Be still. Exodus 14:13 says “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” Stand still. You don’t have to run around any longer. You need to get some “I refuse to move” down deep in you. I refuse to lose my focus. I refuse to quit. I refuse to get discouraged. I will stand right here through the storms. Yes, of course devil is trying to make you lose your footing. He is after your ground. He wants you to be distracted. He wants you to be discouraged. He wants you to waver. Why? Because THE ENEMY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO GROW. Well, doesn’t that just make sense? Your growth is being attacked because of the potential you have. If you’re in the middle of a struggle, hey congratulations that means there’s something in you worth fighting for! My ground has been under a full on rage. There’s a battle going down, and I know exactly why. The enemy has gotten a glimpse of the potential God placed in me, he knows what I am capable of, and he’s relentlessly attacking my ground. He wants me to back down, he wants me to surrender, he wants me to give up on what God is doing because of his attacks. BUT I REFUSE TO GIVE UP MY GROUND. It’s mine. Back off Satan! I refuse to move. Will you do the same? Will you refuse to move? Will you fight for the ground God has given you? This is your family, your career, your home, your dream, your future, your health, your body, your joy … don’t be shaken! Psalm 62: 2 says “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN.” This morning, I’m encouraging you to boldly stand firm. Refuse to back down. Resist the urge to quit again. You’ve made some progress, now is not the time to be shaken. Now is the time to be grounded. Dig in deep and stand your ground. Stand there until you get your breakthrough. Stand there until the door opens. Stand there until you see change. Stand there with focus and intention knowing growth comes when you are grounded. Your ground is where you make your impact. Your ground is where you make a difference. Your ground is where you live up to your potential, your BIG Life. Your ground is where you flourish. Your ground is where you achieve your goals. It is your platform, your stage, your territory. And the last thing the enemy needs is you, the powerful woman you are, with a platform.

Romans 8: 14-16 MSG This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. Oh to be adventurously expectant! Did you wake up this morning expecting adventure from a Father who loves you? Did you wake up remembering he is for you and not against you? My sister, did you remember that he has already gone before you and made a way? If you didn’t, you may feel stressed or overwhelmed, worried about your future and dreading the day. You have received a resurrection life, that means a life that has been raised up, a life that is new and fresh, a life that can break free of overwhelm. When God’s spirit touches your spirit, you know who you are. If you’ve lost yourself along the way, I would like to stop right now and pray over your spirit so you know your truth and can return to the true you. When you know who you are, then you know God is your Father and you are his beloved daughter. This world is hard. Living well is dang hard. But when you know who God is and you know you are fully his, that is when you can be ADVENTUROUSLY EXPECTANT greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” Perhaps your translation of the bible says “Abba Father” which translates to our most affectionate and intimate term for a father, Daddy. What’s next Daddy? God, you’ve given us this Monday – this new day, this new week and this new month, so what’s next? I’m pretty darn excited to see what we’re going to do together! How do you sound to God when you pray – A beggar or a child? Are you coming to God as his confident daughter trusting in his very best for you … or do you come to him as a beggar feeling you really have no right, just hoping to maybe catch him in a good mood? Or maybe, you stopped coming to God at all because you’ve lost your belief in his personal love for you? The enemy wants you to view God as the angry gray bearded untouchable man with a big stick ready to strike you. But God wants you to view him as your Daddy. And there’s a huge difference here and it all comes down to a personal relationship. My friend and BIG Life Theresa sister shared over the weekend she is reading a book titled “Two Chairs.” I know nothing about the book other than the title implies you pull up an extra chair for Jesus and you have a chat. I immediately imagined sitting on my dock with Jesus in the extra chair, anxious to just sit with me. I hopped on my paddleboard last night at sunset and invited Jesus out on the water with me. He came. He healed some things in my heart that have been hurting in our time together. Where are you? Will you give him an extra chair? Will you invite him to sit with you? Sometimes the best friendships don’t even require constant conversation, they just require your presence. Don’t be overwhelmed with what to say in your prayer, just be in the presence of God. And that can be anywhere you choose. Pull up an extra chair and say “Hey Papa, what’s next? I’m ready!” Did you know God wants a personal relationship with you? He wants to be the first one you talk to about your joys. He wants to be the first one you come to with your worries. He wants to be your FIRST. He wants to be your comfort and your power. He wants to be your shield and your sword. Your Papa. Your Daddy. There is no relationship more important. But for many of us, our idea of that loving Father figure has been deeply damaged and stained by an earthly father who fell short or fell absent. And for even more women today, that loving image of a Father has been further damaged by raising our own children with a man who falls short or falls absent.

How busy is your mind? How rapid are your thoughts? How hard is it for you to be calm and find peace right now? Last night I was trying to pray and my busy overwhelmed mind was bouncing from concern over my Daddy’s healthy, Traci’s marriage, sweet little Joy in the hospital, Jessica’s husband, Paula’s health, my boy in Korea, back to my Daddy and in circles until I fell asleep. That’s what my prayer life often looks like. Dizzing. And me and meditation are a constant battle. Are you like me, literally bouncing through a dozen random thoughts in the first 3 seconds of trying to be still? Are the squirrels having a rave in your mind? I get you bo … I would often describe my busy, cluttered, scattered mind like a stormy sea. Thoughts go crashing into one another like big waves, one after another after another. And here I am in the middle of all my thoughts on a little bitty boat that’s getting overwhelmed by the waves of my thoughts. Are you seasick from the rapid waves of thoughts crashing in your mind? Remember in Matthew chapter 15 the section titled “Jesus Walks on Water”? Starting in vs. 24 says “The disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Let me tell you something, Jesus loves to show up in stormy seas. He loves to walk right on top of those big crashing waves. And HE ALONE has the power to say “hush, be still” and the winds and the waves will obey him. And this is the answer for our crazy waves of thoughts, stirring up our minds and keeping us in turmoil, distracting us from our mission … invite Jesus to calm your sea. Are you like the disciples, fighting heavy waves? Jesus, will you walk right into your mind, on top of the waves of your thoughts, and bring peace and calm. Jesus, will you still my mind? Will you tame these waves of worries, seas of sadness, uproars of uncertainty? The winds and the waves obey him in the sea, and they will obey him in your mind. How long have you been trying to do this on your own? How exhausted are you? James 1:6 – “The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” Yes, this is what indecision and uncertainty looks like. Blown and tossed around, getting nowhere. Is this you? Yesterday I was working on a particularly difficult scenario with several potential options, trying to find the best possible route to pursue and I just couldn’t make up my mind. The more I worked on it, the more frustrating it became. If I do it this way, then that is messed up. If I go that route, then this is effected. Back and forth I would go, rewriting the plan again and again. Doubting my ability to make an effective decision. And the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Me in my little boat, being tossed about by all the possibilities and “what ifs”, rendering my power over the situation. Sound familiar? Do you have some decisions to make and you’re just not sure of the correct one? Has your doubt got you seasick, tossed all over the place, overwhelmed by the options and the what if’s? INVITE JESUS TO WALK ON THOSE WAVES. Jesus, come calm my mind. I can’t do this on my own. Without fail, he brings peace. He may not bring an immediate clear answer, but he calms those waves so you can move forward. We don’t have to go through life chasing our squirrels. We don’t have to be tossed about by the chaos. We can be focused. We can be efficient. We can be centered. And with the help of our water walking, wind rebuking, sea calming Jesus, we can quiet the noise in our mind, and be CALM. This is how we find our peace.