BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Deuteronomy 20:4 – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Whatever it is you are battling, may I remind you God is right there battling with you, fighting for you. You question if you will ever win, but the victory has already been guaranteed. But goodness gracious, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, does it? This week I’ve spoken to several women who feel totally and completely defeated. They are exhausted from the battle. Do you relate? Are you growing weary of the struggle? You probably thought at this stage of life you wouldn’t be going through THIS (whatever this is). There are some things recently in my own life that have just shocked the crapola right out of me too. But this morning I want to give you a few truths. These truths will not get you out of the battle, but perhaps they will give you hope in the battle. First – YOU ARE OF TREMENDOUS VALUE. The enemy knows your potential much better than you do. He knows you have the potential to be the one to rise up and impact your entire family. He knows you are THE one who could create and influence and lead. And because you are so darn valuable with all this potential, honey you have a big target on your back. It is said the birthmark of a believer is a bullseye. Ever feel like you’re targeted? You are. Ever feel like there’s a battle inside of you and all around you? There is. All good things come under attack. That’s just the name of the game. So you know what your struggle means my sister … it means you are a GOOD THING. Oh yes you are – you are a good, good thing. It’s time you get on board and see the good in you too. You are overflowing with potential. You are ripe for progress. You are primed for a breakthrough. YOU ARE A GOOD THING, now stop tearing yourself down. Second, GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. He is for you, not against you. Whatever you are battling right now, please understand this … GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU VICTORY IN THIS. Not temporary victory – not kindof almost victory – FULL and complete victory. Victory that leaves you shocked and in awe. Victory that has you dancing because you are completely free. Victory that leaves no doubt God did something miraculous in your life. This is the victory God wants to give you. He wants to make you more than a overcomer – more than someone who just survived it – but someone who used every ounce of harm for good. This is where you find purpose. When what you went through is the motivation for the impact you make today. When God gets the glory because there’s no way you could have done this on your own. Yes, that kind of victory – that’s what is in store for you! The enemy can’t permanently defeat you, so he tries to give you a defeated mindset. Those feelings of embarrassment, that’s where they come from. You know that feeling of, “I could never tell anyone my family has struggled with addictions, alcohol, drugs, pornography, infidelity, depression, bankruptcy, corruption … aren’t those things only bad families face? So we hide behind our closed doors, creating our own private little hell. The victory has been won, but we live defeated. Embarrassed. I have a circle of friends that pray for one another. We can share anything and everything with zero judgment. In this circle I found tremendous confidence because it ends up my family wasn’t the only one who was really dysfunctional at times. It was all of us. It is all of us. In this safe circle I could drop the shame. And when the shame was dropped, the embarrassment no longer had the opportunity to infect my identity and cripple my progress. So you’ve screwed up. So you’re family is screwed up. So you’ve been knocked down. So you’re struggling. GOD CAN WORK WITH THAT!

Today’s devotional is specifically for screwed up people. If you are less than perfect, if you are coming to the midpoint of this month and see it didn’t go as you imagined and it’s kinda like 97% your fault, if you are a good starter – bad finisher, big talker – little doer, or somewhere in between, this is for you. If you’re living in a house with screwed up people, work with screwed up people, or share a highway with screwed up people, this devotional is for you. Okay great – we’re all here! Romans 3:23-24 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” I sin, regularly. I fall short, every darn day. And for this, through Jesus, I have grace. GRACE IS THE UNDESERVED FAVOR OF GOD Maybe you deserve God’s favor more than I do, but I’m going to be honest and tell you I’m banking on God’s grace because I have a very unique and special way of screwing things up. I can be so totally scattered that I drive organized, routine people insane (ask my leadership team.) Having a conversation with me is like having a conversation with 5 people at once because I can jump from one topic to the next at lightning speed with no warning. I can literally see my husband’s face jerk from left to right and back to left as he’s trying to chase my rapid thoughts. And for all of this I have GRACE. And for all of your screw-ups, shortcomings and totally random quirky ticks, you have grace too. God’s undeserved favor covers you. Ahhh, don’t you pretend like you’re not screwed up in some way. You don’t have to be all self-righteous with me. I know you’re jacked up too! I’ve spent enough time with enough people to know it’s not just some, it’s ALL of us! I consider grace like a blanket that just layers right over all the holes in my life and makes me worthy and holy. God has been offering you GRACE your entire life – have you accepted it? Or are you still trying to beat yourself into submission, trying to contort yourself into something you’re not, relentlessly seeking more, newer, skinnier, and perkier? How’s that working for ya? You’re exhausted aren’t you? Won’t you just surrender to God’s grace and let him cover all that for you? One of my secrets to success is my Daily Checklist. I’ve shared it with you before, my simple little tracking tool of the daily stepping stones to success. Each day has a series of boxes. A box for your wake up time, exercise, healthy meals, making your bed, devotional, and whatever else would be a daily step to your success. And each day you get to color in the boxes you complete. It takes us back to getting a star on our paper when we were in first grade and we can’t wait to show it to mama when we get home. We’re so proud of our little colorful boxes. Until we screw up … until we oversleep and that box is left blank. Until we fail to exercise and there’s another empty box. And dang that bed didn’t get made. One day goes by, then another of more empty boxes than colored boxes and pretty soon you know what we start doing … we start AVOIDING the checklist. What once helped us is now just an ugly reminder of how we screwed up again. The same thing happens outside of a daily checklist. When we don’t do what we know we need to do in life, we start avoiding LIFE. Relationships – we avoid relationships when we know we have failed. Finances – I mean who wants to look at the bank statement when we know we’ve been blowing our money? And so we avoid the areas where we’ve had a mis-step and what happens when you avoid it? Does it get better? No – of course not. It gets worse. Have you been avoiding something, only to watch it get worse? Covering your own eyes, pretending you don’t see? Well that’s a recipe for a pile-up in your own life!

There are countless devotionals out there, perhaps this is the first one ever titled like this one. We warned you we wouldn’t be ordinary or boring. So here it is “When Life Sucks”, because sometimes it kinda does, doesn’t it? In a specific time of the year, farmers often burn their fields. Yes, the fields they work so hard to protect. The fields which produce their precious harvest, they set them on fire. Everything is burned. Intentionally. Everything that was growing is set on fire to perish. It seems kind of counter productive. All growth is intentionally stopped. Everything is burned down to the bare ground leaving a charred black blanket. It wasn’t an accident. The fire was intentional. Sometimes we go through fires in our life. What we had is now lost. What once flourished is now a charred ground after destruction. And we’re left standing in the fields of our life wondering how it will ever be okay again. Why does this happen to us? Why does God allow the fires to strip us of the very things we’ve worked hard for? Why all the trials and stresses? Well, it’s not like God didn’t warn us. 1 Peter 4:12 says ” Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” While the setbacks and trials you’re facing right now seem senseless and overwhelming, this isn’t strange at all. It’s all by design. And you can trust that design is FOR you, not against you. Oh, it won’t “feel” like it’s for you as your fields are on fire and things go up in smoke, but ultimately it is for your good. You see, those fields that were burned by the farmers, the ones that were left as nothing but a charred black blanket, they will be florescent green just a few weeks later. Because the old has been cleared away, the new can grow in abundance. BECAUSE THE OLD HAS BEEN CLEARED AWAY, THE NEW CAN GROW IN ABUNDANCE. And isn’t it the same in our lives? We try so desperately to hold on to what has been when it’s season has already passed. Last year’s crop has died, let it be cleared away now. Let go of what was and embrace what God is doing in your life now. The fires you feel today are a sign God is about to bring growth and renewal to you. The devotional you hear today is now the number one women’s devotional podcast in the world … but oh if you only knew the fires it took. If you only knew how many times I’ve quit along the way. The times I’ve told God he picked the wrong person because the hate mail was just too much. Now, looking back I see each and every trial, each and every fire was burning off something I thought I was required, something I had worked so hard for and now it was gone … but it was all part of the process of growth. Part of the process of humbling. Part of the process of becoming. Part of the process of life. And it was worth it. 1 Peter 1: 6 says “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” There is wonderful joy ahead, but first trials. First fire. First the old must be burned away … then the new can flourish. I’ve learned to trust the fires in my life. Now it doesn’t mean I look forward to them, but it does mean I don’t fight them so darn hard anymore. Life is like the seasons. Constantly changing and evolving, growing and becoming. The more we fight it, the harder we make it for ourselves. Embrace the season of life you’re in now. There’s beauty around you. There are things you have today that you won’t have in the next season. Don’t miss it now. And when your fields get set on fire, know it is for a purpose. Don’t be surprised when some things go up in smoke. It’s all good. Say that with me,

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Guard your heart. Imagine standing guard outside a gate. As the guard, you decide what comes in and what stays out. And this is exactly what God’s word is telling us to do with out hearts. Guard it. Be diligent in care over what you allow into your life. Not everything that comes knocking on your door should be allowed entry. As the guard over your heart, you must carefully consider what enters in. Some translations of this scripture exchange the word heart for mind. Guard your mind. If you tell me what you think, I’ll tell you who you are and how you live your life. Your heart and your mind represent your power and both must be guarded. When we allow the wrong things to enter into our source of power, our very well being and futures are threatened. Why are we not asking, as the guard of our heart and mind, where does this thought come from? Who is the author of this story I’m believing? What is the intent of this person? Where will this lead me? Does this serve me? We’ve stopped asking these questions, and therefore as the appointed guard over our heart and mind, we’ve stood down and allowed entry into our control central by unholy and corrupted thoughts and actions. And just as this scripture says, everything we do is flowing from it. Could this be why we end up doing the very things we say we don’t want to do? Could this be why we don’t do the very things we know we should be doing? Could it be because we have failed to guard our heart and minds? Your thoughts are powerful. God warned us to take every thought captive to obey Christ. As the guard of your mind, when you become aware of a thought that is not in alignment with God’s grace, mercy and love then you take it captive. You arrest it. You bind it. You evict it from the sacred space of your mind. The truth is, sometimes we allow crazy thoughts to run wild in our minds. We allow painful reminders to have a rave in our hearts. And the result is chaos in our lives. We go to bed upset and we wake up overwhelmed before the day even begins. AND THAT IS NOT GOD’S WILL FOR YOU. That is not his best for you. He wants better for you. Don’t you want better for you? Everything you do is flowing from your heart and your mind. Guard it. Relentlessly protect what enters your life and what you accept as your truth. The enemy wants your heart. If he can’t get it, he will settle for your mind. And oh how often he wins that battle. He keeps you wrapped up in a plethora of your own thoughts, unable to take action. He keeps you confused and uncertain, bound in uncertainty and lack of confidence. He plants seeds of worry and doubt which create a harvest of depression and anxiety. All because you failed to keep guard. You let him in. You gave him access. Take back the authority over your own life. God gave you this life to live, now live it. Anything that is not in alignment with exactly who you were created to be has got to go. Banish it’s presence from your life. What are you watching? What are you reading? What are you listening to? Who are you hanging out with? Where are you going and what are you doing? How are you spending your time? Who is speaking into your life? Girl, you need to start asking for some identification from the thoughts knocking on your door. You need to ask for the ID of things which want to come into your life. Where are they coming from? Who sent them? Your ID please. You’re the guard. You have the power to allow or deny their entry into your heart and mind. And from your heart and from your mind, everything you do flows from them. Everything. If you’re not doing what you should be doing, struggling with making the right choices and taking action, then check what you’ve allowed to come into your heart and...

Galatians 5:1 – It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. I’ve titled today’s devotional “Ransom Money Honey” Ransom. It’s something we only see in the movies. A payment demanded for the release of a person being held captive. Maybe you remember the late 90’s movie with Mel Gibson where his little boy is taken and the kidnappers demand 2 million dollars in ransom. Using that movie as our visual, I want you to imagine, you have been taken captive. You are being held in a life you don’t want to live. The price demanded for you is higher than anyone can pay. You will never be set free, held prisoner for all the days of your life until someone pays the price. Then Honey, here comes Jesus. (Dom-dom-dom) I know that sounds crazy, but don’t you know that’s exactly what he did for you. He is the payment for your release. You have been set free and scripture tells me if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed. Are you living FREE? Are you waking up and living each day of your life free from the bondage of the chains which used to bind you? Or are you still caught up in old ways, old thoughts, old habits, old traps? Old guilt and shame. Old records that are still playing in your head. Think for a moment how insane that is. The ransom money has already been given to your old captor. The price was paid, you have been set free, and yet you keep returning to the dark cell where you were once held and you’re trying on the cuffs. You’re chaining yourself up. You and only you are doing that. How about we stop that. You don’t have to do the things you once did. Not with the ransom that was paid for you. Nor do you have to carry the guilt of the things you once did into today. My husband and I are raising 3 teens. 99% of teens mess up with some questionable choices along the way. My husband is a world class father. He handles their mess ups with tremendous love and understanding while being firm and steady. I’ve heard him tell our kids fresh out of a bad decision and now struggling with guilt and shame “there is no condemnation in Christ.” That’s Romans 8:1. Condemnation is the feeling of not being good enough or worthy. It’s that nagging self-sabotage of “I’ll never be good enough – I’m a loser – I’m a bad person – what’s wrong with me.” That is condemnation. And as a girl who has been set free, you are NOT meant to live with that condemnation. Condemnation is not from God – that is from your old captor. However, you will experience conviction. Conviction is the awareness of your mistake or shortcoming, given to us by God so that we are moved to change something. Conviction does not tie a stone around our neck and throw us in the ocean to drown. That’s condemnation. You don’t have to live as a broken woman. You don’t have to live with heavy guilt for all the times you’ve started and given up. You don’t have to carry the shame of your sins and shortcomings. That price has been paid. You have been set free. Don’t go back to the cell where you were once held and chain yourself up. That bondage is no longer for you. You are covered in the blood of Jesus and no one and no thing has power over you. Not your past, not your childhood, not what he did or she said, not your biggest mistake or greatest regret. Not even your failures of yesterday. It’s all been paid for. Shake off the shackles of condemnation, and walk yo-self out of that mess. Live FREE today. Free to start again. Free to think new thoughts. Free to make things happen. Free to be happy and whole. Free to go after your dreams. Free to be exactly who you were created to be. The self-sabotage of trash talking yourself, giving up, hiding in the pantry eating crap, looking in the mirror with disgust, wasting your days, wallowing in misery, denying yourself of the simple things that make you happy ̷...

When is the last time that your heart just beat out of your chest with the possibility of wild success or epic failure? You see, those two things come hand in hand. If there’s a possibility of wild success, then there’s also a possibility of epic failure. And if there’s a possibility of epic failure, then there’s a slight chance of wild success. And I want to know, when was the last time that your heart was just racing? Maybe it’s been a long time, or maybe it’s been never. Have you forgotten what your racing, thumping, beating heart really is? It’s the beating of your own drum. Have you forgotten to follow it? God places desires within our heart and those desires are to be pursued. There’s a great story in the Bible that I would imagine included a heart that was racing. (You know when you can literally hear your heart beat in your own ears.). That story is when the disciples were out in a boat, on the water, and there’s a storm. They look out across the waves and there’s Jesus walking on the water. And you see, I think Peter saw Jesus and his heart was just a racing. Because in front of him was a possibility of wild success or epic failure. Peter was bold. They say fortune favors the bold. He was the only one bold enough to take action. The only one bold enough to respond to the beat of his own heart. Peter said, “Hey Jesus, call me out to you on the water.” And Peter takes a step out of the boat, and he starts walking on the water. Was that at all safe? Oh no it wasn’t! Was that a chance for epic failure? You bet it was! In fact, Peter got scared and started sinking. But Jesus was right there. I wonder what Jesus could do in your life if you were bold? I wonder where he would take you and what he would empower you to do if you really trusted him like Peter did? I wonder what waters he has for you to walk on? I wonder what would happen in your life if you honestly told Jesus you were willing to step out on the waters with him. If when everyone else played it safe and sat in the boat, you were willing to go. You see, you and I like safe today don’t we? We build our lives within this sweet little comfort zone that’s insulates from disappointment and failure. We may not be real happy in here, but at least we’re comfortable and safe. Our soul is dying where it’s comfortable and safe. Our relationships are dying, our hopes and our dreams are dying, and our potential is dying. 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 says, “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’re living them in a small way. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.” Hey, the good stuff happens out here! Outside the walls of your comfort zone, out here where life is risky and failure and disappointment are a big possibility. But it’s also the land of fulfillment and happiness like you’ve never known. Why do we do what we do? Because it’s the way we’ve always done it. Well if you don’t like the results, maybe you should try something different. So what I’m asking you to do is take a risk. I’m telling you, anything is possible in your life if you’re willing to take some risks. Bet on yourself, be willing to fail. Be willing to be bad at something long enough to get good at it. Be willing to totally suck! Be willing to step out of the boat and begin sink. That’s the only way you’re going to get an opportunity to even take one step on the water. A wise man once said “a ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships were built for.” You weren’t created for a safe life. If your life has become stale and stagnant, that’s because you’re sitting still. You weren’t created for a boring life sister. The truth is a boring life is the result of a little life lived within the confines of our comfort zone.

  Ephesians 2:10 – For 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. Do I have any listeners who are art collectors? I don’t hang out in art galleries, my most expensive wall hanging was likely $69 on sale at the local Hobby Lobby. Art galleries make me itchy. The thought that a single nail holds something of greater value than my car and I could potentially knock it off. Yeah, I can only keep my hands in my pockets for so long. If you’ve seen me, you know … my mouth doesn’t work without my hands and I really, really like to talk. Loud conversations and joyfully flailing hands aren’t welcome in artsy fartsy places, at least that’s what I tell myself. But I have an amazing friend. His name is Bob Goff. Perhaps you’ve read one of his books. ‘Love Does’ is my favorite. (I guess I should add, I’m friends with Bob but he doesn’t really know who I am, and I’m cool with that … I still call him a friend and it makes me sound kinda awesome to mention him as a friend.) So my friend Bob doesn’t really collect art either, but he fell in love with a magnificent oil painting hanging in a gallery. The piece was called ‘The Puppeteer.’ It was a painting of an old guy with his family gathered around and he’s dangling a marionette from strings, making everybody laugh. The artist was an 80 year old master painter from Europe who was going blind, making this piece pretty much priceless. Again, me and priceless pieces of art can’t really be in the same room … but my friend decided he had to have this painting. For 1 year Bob saved up and finally bought the painting. When he walked into the gallery there were 2 paintings waiting for him to pick up. 2 paintings which looked exactly the same. Now how could this be? This was an original painting, how could there be 2? The gallery owner explained, when you purchase a priceless piece such as this one, you get the original, but you also get a copy. Because it is a priceless masterpiece you don’t want to take the risk of having it damaged or stolen, so you lock it away in a vault and you only display the copy. What the actual what … I’ve never heard of such a thing. It’s like a 2 for 1 special. But the really mind blowing part to me is you put the fake one on display and you hide the original masterpiece. Ahhhh … you see where I’m going with this don’t you? Scripture tells us we are God’s masterpiece. There is no one like you. No one with your fingerprints. No one with your gifts and talents. No one with your passions and dreams. No one with your potential and possibilities. You are in fact hand crafted by the master artist, a work of pure perfection. Are you living your life as the original – or have you put the fake version on display? I’ll let that resonate for just a moment. Uh huh, I’m pausing for effect. Please someone tell me I’m not alone in this. There’s the real me … then there’s the fake me. That fake me plays it safe. That fake me that intentionally shrinks back as to not be too much or too loud or too happy. Gosh, it almost sounds ridiculous even coming out of my mouth. I am guilty of intentionally hiding my happy because my sheer happiness seems to make some people uncomfortable. The real me – the original me – the priceless masterpiece me is often locked away in a vault, kept hidden from the world because: 1 – People might not like the real me and it’s easier to handle the rejection if it’s just the imitation of me. 2 – If the cheaper, fake version of me is the one on display, then the real me can’t get hurt. Maybe your act looks different than mine. Maybe you don’t worry about being too much, but being not enough.

Several years ago I read a book called “The Traveler’s Gift.” It’s an excellent little book and I highly recommend it. There’s a chapter where the main character visits a storehouse in heaven. He describes this storehouse as enormous in size. He says he was unable to see from one end to the other and it was as tall as the eye could see. As the angel gave him a tour of this storehouse in heaven he saw degrees hanging on the walls, and deeds to houses, and piles and piles of photos. And then a photo of a boy with very familiar eyes fell in front of him. Curious, he asked the angel who this little boy was. The angel said, “Well he was yours. You and your wife prayed for him, you begged for a son. But then you gave up. So here’s his photo, in the storehouse of heaven, which holds all the hopes, dreams, and goals that the children of God gave up on too soon.” All the hopes, dreams and goals that the children of God gave up on too soon. Now, I have no proof that such a storehouse exists, but Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” So I’m left to wonder, what good thing did I quit doing just before a breakthrough came? What was just around the corner if I would have dug deeper and pushed through? What harvest have I missed because I have abandoned the garden? I let the weeds take over. I stopped caring for what was actually beginning to grow. What hopes, dreams, and goals were totally possible if I would have kept going? There’s a quit in me. A quit that has robbed me of more dreams and goals, blessings and opportunities than the devil ever has. This has been my doing. My quit. I’ve given the devil way too much credit. It’s been my quit. What about you? Do you feel the sting of regret? The pain of “what if”? Listen to me now, God doesn’t want you to live in the perpetual loop of what could have been. His mercies are brand new this morning and new beginnings are being offered right here today. The quit in you is being introduced to the never ending, relentless love of your savior! Your garden still welcomes your hands. Your breakthrough still awaits. Growth may have grown dormant over a long hard winter season lacking your care, but you bring the spring with your willing spirit and working hands. Perhaps there’s not a lot of glory in your daily grind, it’s just a lot of hard work. Life seems to be an endless cycle of do this and that, then repeat. And let me tell you this is exactly what is being used to grow you! Our God uses tough times, hard work and a daily grind to test our persistence. If your daily grind is wearing you the heck out, if the quit in you is screaming out, this verse from The Message translation is for you, 2 Corinthians 4:16 “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” Things may not look like they’re changing around you, but something is changing IN you! Sister, I want to tell you, God is more interested in who you’re becoming than what’s happening to you. He often allows trials, problems, and trouble in your life to teach you diligence. To teach you determination and build your character. The trial that you’re going through right now, maybe it’s a test of your faithfulness. Life often tests us to see just how bad we really want it. What if that’s exactly what this is about … about you actually being ready for that which you seek. About you proving you really want it by not giving up when the going gets tough. About you becoming the person you were created to be by first being humbled, tested and refined in the fire. Living well isn’t easy.

There’s one song we sing in church I most dislike. In fact I dislike it so much, there’s a part of it I refuse to sing. And I refuse to sing it because it scares me. The song is “More Like Jesus” by Passion Music. Sounds all nice, warm and fuzzy until it gets to the chorus and it says “If more of you, means less of me, take everything. Yes all of you is all I need, take everything.” Nope. That’s some scary stuff right there. Come on admit it, the thought of God taking everything you have brings some pretty nasty fearful thoughts. Up until yesterday I’ve only mouthed those words in Church. You know, like lip sync it because lip syncing words doesn’t count. Jesus I didn’t say it, so nope, I don’t want you to take everything. In my head that’s the most ridiculous song. No one wants everything they have to be taken, right? No one willingly says, sure come on in and strip me of it all. I bet you’re like me and you’ve worked hard for what you have. You didn’t just wake up and find yourself where you are in life, you’ve had to work your way up, and it hasn’t been easy. Starting over … ahhhhh, no thanks. But there I stood in our church yesterday, cringing as we once again sang “yes all of you is all I need, take everything” practically shaking my head saying “nope, you can have some God, but not everything” … and it hit me … I’m a control freak. I never knew I was a control freak. I mean I’m an adventure junkie. i like the feeling of being on the edge. I enjoy the surprise of the unknown. I refuse to book a hotel room in advance. I’m the one who uses Priceline when I’m an hour away from our destination and chooses the “Express Deals” for a surprise hotel with a special rate. I pay only knowing the star rating and the general location of the hotel … then it’s like opening a fortune cookie and finding out what you got. I love it. So for me to realize I’m a control freak was sorta shocking. But I’m wresting, battling, rationalizing, whining, throwing a 43 year old fit over all the reasons why I’m not willing to say “take everything” in the middle of church. Then in the middle of this WWE worthy throw down happening in my spirit, God said to me “you’ve forgotten I’m for you.” In my accumulation of stuff and status, I’ve forgotten God is SO NOT AGAINST ME. His goal is not to strip us of everything to punish us. His goal is to remove anything in the way of our promotion. His desire is to take everything we have and make it better. Don’t you know EVERY THING is better in God’s hands. EVERY THING works better in God’s hands. EVERY THING. Acts chapter 9 tells the account of Saul having an encounter with Jesus. Saul was a vicious relentless man on a mission to stop the movement of Christ followers by taking them prisoner or killing them one by one. He was a bad mammojamma. But you see, he thought he was doing right. He thought he was fighting for the right reasons. AND THEN HE MET JESUS. In this encounter, you know what Jesus did … he took Saul’s sight. He made him blind. See, that’s why the words of that song scare me. I like my eyeballs. After 3 days Saul was healed and he was forever changed. God gave him a new name. Saul became Paul, and Paul was the mighty crusader for Christ who went on to write the majority of the new testament bible we read today. God took from Saul what he had, and changed his entire world by giving him something so much better. His vision is what hindered him, so God took it. His vision is what needed changed, so when God restored him he saw everything differently. Would you be so bold as to pray and ask God “what is holding me back?

“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” (Proverbs 21:23) How many of us remember the last family roadtrip where the kids were driving you crazy with the repetitive question of “are we there yet?” Then what follows that question? Another question. What is it? Come on you know it …. “How much longer?” When our kids were younger they would start this 1 hour into a 19 hour drive to the beach. Soon the “are we there yet” would turn into “she’s touching me” and “he took my headphones.” And you know what would happen next? Daddy would pull that car over! Then the sentence comes from your mouth you swore you would never say … “I’ll give you something to complain about!” Now you sound just like your mother! As if a 19 hour drive wasn’t long enough, now we’re stopped on the side of the road to adjust some attitudes. Complaining creates delay. Kids just want to be there already. It doesn’t matter where they’re going, let’s just get there. It’s all about the destination for them. And aren’t we much the same? We’ve now moved up to the front seat, sometimes even the driver’s seat, but we still fail to enjoy the journey as we should and become hyper focused on the destination. We too just want to get there already. And all the waiting brings out the worst in us and we start complaining. I gotta wonder if Jesus has pulled the car over on us! “Girl, you will straighten yourself up before we drive one more mile!” But you just want to get there already … and I’m not talking about roadtrips to ski in the mountains or lay on a white sandy beach. I’m talking about life. We want to “arrive”. Arrive at our goal weight. Arrive at that happily ever after state. Arrive at that stage where little people aren’t fully dependent on you. Then we get our little people all grown and out of the house and what are we wanting … when will they come home to visit … when will they bring us the grandbabies. Think about it, we’re on a perpetual really long trip of wondering how much longer. And when the answer comes that it’s still a long ways away, we start complaining. AND COMPLAINING CREATES DELAY. Are you enjoying this journey? Your entire life is one big journey. You reach those milestones and destinations only to find there’s now something else to worry about and somewhere else to go. And if you’re not careful, you will never enjoy a darn bit of it. And what’s worse is, you complain about it. We’re now one month into this brand new year of life, and some of us have already decided the journey to being happier, healthier, and debt free is just too dang long, so we’ve settled back into our easy chair of little life living and opted to let those stupidly ambitious people to keep going, because you’re NOT! If you’ve been listening to the BIG Life Devotionals for long, you know I love to study the story of the Israelites traveling from Egypt where they were slaves, to their Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. What was between slavery and the promised land … desert. Lots and lots of desert. Oh the same is true for you and I. Our journeys take us through our fair amount of deserts. It is in the desert we are tested. It is in the desert we are reliant upon the provision of God. It is in the desert our God proves himself faithful to provide in ways only he can. Just as he rained down manna from heaven (manna is bread) to feed the Israelites, He will provide for you in unspeakable ways. Unspeakable ways sometimes means a you find a $20 bill in your coat pocket just when you were out of gas money. And sometimes unspeakable ways means doing things you just didn’t imagine you w...

Psalm 46: 1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” There’s a personal note which awaits you today. A note which says “I always want to help you with everything.” A note signed by Jesus. He WANTS to help you today, and he wants to help you with EVERY THING. Understand there’s nothing too big or too small for him. Every detail of your life is under his care and authority. What uncertainties do you face? It is NOT uncertain to God. He knows it all. From beginning to end he knows every detail concerning you and he is taking all things in consideration for your best future. You don’t see it all. What you see is the tiniest sliver of the whole. There’s still so much hidden from you, but not from God. Hebrews 4:13 says “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” You don’t know what’s around the corner, but God does. He will not be surprised by anything and he is preparing you for everything. You can trust that. Never once in all of history has God been shocked. Never has he said, “well, I didn’t see that coming.” Girl, you may be shocked, but he isn’t. He knew it was coming before it was even created … and he’s made a way through that which has shocked the crap out of you. He’s even using this shocking thing to work as part of a good thing. It’s like baking soda in a cake. Baking soda alone is unfavorable. However used in a cake, it brings the rise. Without it, you have flat cake. And without some seemingly unfavorable ingredients in your life, you have a flat life. You want to rise … well there are special ingredients for that and they don’t seem so awesome when singled out. There may be a lot of things about your future that are up in the air … but remember that’s God’s air. That’s God’s domain. It all falls under God’s power. You can rest assured in that today. You can find peace in that shelter. Everything is all coming together for your ultimate good. Every detail is aligning to bring you closer to who God intended you to be. All that you can see, and all that you cannot see, is under the authority and direction of your creator, guided with great precision into your life. Just like in a movie, every character is for a specific role. If there’s an interruption in the scene, it’s part of the bigger scene. If there’s a plot twist it’s for the purpose of a bigger story. Even that which seems random isn’t random at all. And so it is with your life. None of this is random. Everything is by great design. Every thing in your life has the fingerprints of God on it because he’s in the middle of it. If we only knew the behind the scenes action happening on our behalf. All the opportunities being aligned. All the details being fit together. All the goodness in store. All the divine connections, infinite moments, and heavenly assignments being aligned specifically for us. But we don’t. All we know is we woke up to a Wednesday, and for the majority of us, it’s the ridiculously cold bitter day of winter that quite honestly we would rather wish away. We don’t see how today is hand crafted and specially designed as part of our bigger picture. We don’t see how God has orchestrated the events of today to bring us to a better tomorrow. We just have to trust it. We must show up today with a deep faith knowing that all we think we know is nothing. That there is greater. That there is bigger. That there is so, so, so much more. And it’s all working together. It’s all be whipped up for us. Mixed together so we don’t have a flat life. God isn’t some evil genius trying to twist your days in a way that force y...

Today, you have the beginnings of greatness. Today the steps before you lead you to your destiny. But it won’t look like it. Just as the tiny acorn doesn’t resemble the potential for a mighty oak, it’s still in there! Are you missing the potential of today just because it doesn’t look like destiny, it looks like a Tuesday? Understand, God will use exactly what you already have, exactly where you are, exactly who you are, to create everything you will ever become. Why? Because he’s already placed it within you. Scripture tells us the story of Moses leading an entire nation to freedom. He’s in the battle of his life and all he has is a staff used to prod stubborn sheep, but with God it held the power of one of the greatest and most memorable miracles of all time. Moses’ staff would be used to part the red sea, make the waters stand on their edge so thousands and thousands of people could safely escape the Egyptian Army which pursued them. But look back at the beginning of the story to Exodus chapter 4 where God is preparing Moses for this miracle. This is the part we often miss. We just see Moses standing at the edge of the sea, knowing his purpose, leading his people, holding his mighty staff, and boom the sea parts. But what happened BEFORE the sea is what you and I need to know about. This is what we need for today. First, there was an unsure Moses who felt powerless. There was an overwhelmed Moses who felt inadequate. A man who felt quite certain God was choosing the wrong man. He brings his list of excuses and reasoning to God as to why he was not the right choice and God’s reply is 6 simple words that changed everything. God said, “what is that in your hand?” What is that in your hand? What do you already have? Today … what do you have … because that’s exactly what God will work with! You think you need something you don’t already have. You’re searching for your answer when sister, you are the answer. What can you do today … that’s exactly what you need to do. Where are you at today … that’s exactly where God wants to use you. We become so focused on the next destination and forget right here, right now. We’re consumed with more, more, more, and we miss what we have is all God needs to work our miracle. All Moses had was that staff. The stick used to guide and direct sheep. Seems there’s only one real use for that. But with God, that’s a sea parting, people rescuing, life changing, never forgotten miraculous rod!!!! And it all started with God simply asking Moses, “What is that in your hand.” And so it is with you. You’re on a journey. Maybe you know where you’re going, or maybe that hasn’t been quite revealed to you yet. But today you’re showing up for duty. You’re showing up for your life, ready for the next step. Ahead of you are impossible situations and here’s what you need to know … you’ll think you can’t do it. You’ll think you’re not good enough. You’ll think you’re not ready yet. But you have been equipped. Everything you need is already in you, it just needs to be fully surrendered to God’s power. What you have today is exactly what God will use to do your impossible. But it may take a while. Exodus chapter 4 is where God asks Moses “what is that in your hand”? It’s an entire 10 chapters later before the sea partin’ party happens! 10 long chapters filled with hardships and plagues and stubborn Egyptians that refused to let God’s people free. 10 chapters of Moses still holding on to what he had in his hand, knowing somehow someway God was going to use it. Then finally in chapter 14 God says “Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk throu...

Joel 2:25 “The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.” Locusts are insects much like a grasshopper which bring great destruction. They show up in masses and consume all that is living. In this scripture God is speaking to his people who had just endured years of hardship. Years of loss. Years of destruction. Now he is saying, I’m here to give back to you what you lost. Four kinds of locusts are mentioned. The swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts and the cutting locusts. I wondered, what has swarmed and overwhelmed you? What has hopped in and walked all over you? What has stripped you of your confidence and your peace? What has cut you deep and left you wounded? This is your locust. Whatever loss it has caused will now be repaid. Whatever hard times you have endured, good times will be multiplied. If you will remain faithful, if you will continue to trust in God, he will right every wrong in your life. He will bring it full circle. You may not know how and you will not know when, but he will work on your behalf and make it so. Do you believe that? What have you lost? How many years have you spent hurting or stressing over that which has happened to you? I assure you, it has not slipped by God without his notice. He has not been amiss in your pain. He has not been absent in your suffering. He knows it all. He has seen it all. He has heard you. And through it all he has had a plan to restore you. A plan to rebuild you. A plan to take all that isn’t right, and make it right. More than right. Will you let God do that in your life? That’s a genuine question, because often after a season of destruction, we lose our trust. We become jaded and cynical. We’re just waiting for the next thing to fall apart, the next thing to go wrong, the next delivery of bad news. Expecting it. Accepting it. Believing that life is against us and God has forsaken us. But a new season is here. A season of the tables turning and wrongs being made right. A season of restoring that which was lost. A season of repayment. Oh yes, repayment! But understand, you’re not the one getting anyone back. God’s not calling you to get back at those who hurt you. It’s not ‘get even’ time. It’s restoration time. For restoration to fully take place we have to stop replaying the story in our head of how bad it was. How wrong they were. How innocent you were. Will you release that story for an opportunity to live a new story? A story of wholeness? A story of purpose? Will you let God do the repaying and you do the releasing? You must quit tearing down that which God is now ready to restore. You are being restored. Various translations of this scripture say “I will repay you, I will restore you, I will give you back, I will make up to you what you have lost, what has been devoured, that which has consumed you.” Oh there it is … that which has consumed you. Have you ever been consumed with something? Something that has taken your peace, filled your thoughts, plagued your happiness, and seeped it’s way into every corner of your heart and mind? I certainly have been. I’ve been consumed. I’ve been hurt to the point of believing it would never be okay again. And I was wrong. God has been true to his promise. That which seemed would always hurt has been restored. Don’t you know that’s the power of our loving God? That’s the work of our infinite creator. He can do the impossible. Will you open up your life to receive this kind of restoration? This kind of healing? Will you let him make up to you what you have lost? Will you turn over that which has been consuming you and let God consume you instead? When scripture tells me God will take even that which was intend...

Isaiah 40:31 – “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Several years ago I was on about mile 20 of a marathon in Joplin, MO and we passed a church that was holding their worship service outside. Members of their congregation were holding signs to cheer on the runners. As I ran by one sign caught my eye and it said “you will run and not grow weary.” I burst out in tears. Okay, so I need to explain. I’m a crier. I don’t typically cry when I’m sad or angry, but rather when I’m happy. I will burst out in happy tears. I’m also a sympathy crier. I don’t even need to know you or know what you’re crying about, but I’ll cry with you. But I’m primarily a spiritual crier. I rarely make it through an entire church service without tears. Worship music gets me. Prayer gets me. 7 years ago when God instructed me to start hosting a live morning devotional call my first response was “God, you know me – you know I can’t quote a single scripture without crying. I can’t pray in front of people without crying. This will be a huge mess.” And he said, yes. So cry your way through it and I will strengthen you as you go. I’m here to tell you that very first live devotional I hosted last a whole 5 minutes and I was choked up the entire time. But still for some reason God chose this crier to be strengthened so I could show up every day and help put a pep in your step. Now, back to the story. I’m running. Mile 20. Church is on the side of the road with a worship service. Man holding a sign that says “you will run and not grow weary”. Me, burst into tears. Because you see, I was tired. My legs felt like they couldn’t keep going. Lord, my hope is in you, please renew my strength because I’m not sure how much longer I can keep running. Now, trying to run when you’re exhausted, hot, sweaty, and emotional … whew, that equals hyperventilation. Not a combination I recommend. But it’s exactly what I needed. You see, I FELT weary. That was my truth. I felt it for sure. But I didn’t have to GROW WEARY. I didn’t have to let that tiredness seep into my mind and my soul. Maybe you feel weary too. It’s the final week of January. Maybe things have been a little harder than you anticipated. Those big goals you wrote three weeks ago have gone untouched and at this point are pretty much impossible. What’s a girl to do when she feels weary? Answer – stop paying so much attention to how you FEEL. Those feelings will get you in trouble. Your feelings will talk you out of doing the very things you know you need to do. Your feelings will seep into your every thought and then right into your spirit and guess what, then you will GROW weary. You don’t want to grow that. Imagine a crop growing in a field, multiplying and producing. Are you a worry farmer? Are you a sadness farmer? Are you a “worst case scenario” farmer? Are you a “tired and exhausted” farmer? You’re growing that! That means it will multiply in your life. If you’re growing weary, before you know it you won’t feel like doing a darn thing. Now that’s a dangerous place to be. So, you may feel weary, but you don’t have to grow weary. Now, let me point out this scripture says you will run and not grow weary. YOU WILL RUN. This means you still gotta show up. You still have work to do. God’s not gonna run for you. You still have running to do. Maybe literally and maybe not. But you have things you need to be doing. What are those things you need to do today? No one else is going to show up and do it for you. Run your own race. You.

You are a walking talking contradiction to yourself. You are complex and confusing. Oh come on and admit it you’re a strong independent woman who says “I can do this on my own” – yet you’re wondering why no one is helping you. You want one thing – you say another thing – and yet you do something totally different than both of those things. Girl you are complicated. And God totally gets you. He gets you. He knows your thoughts before you think them. He knows exactly what brings you happiness and he knows what trips you up. He knows the number of hairs on your head. And he is working hard for you. He is working to bring out the best in you. Working to grow you and strengthen you to walk in your full potential. While you may have forgotten who you were created to be, God knows exactly who he created you to be and HE IS NOT GIVING UP ON YOU. He is relentlessly pursuing you all the days of your life pulling strings, rearranging plans, creating roadblocks to slow you down so you don’t miss it and planning setups to launch you to new levels of living. You are not on your own. No matter how alone you may feel. Got gets you and he is with you. Besides God there is likely only one other who gets you. It’s not your husband, your mama, your bestie or even you. You don’t even really get you. You surprise and dismay yourself sometimes with your stubborn ways and stupid choices, huh? We’re all in that boat. The one besides God who gets you is not for you, he is against you. He is your enemy. Listen to me, please, this is important – Satan gets you. He knows exactly what brings you happiness and how to steal it. He knows what trips you up and has his finger ever ready to pull the trigger to make you fail miserably. You have the power to either slam the door on the enemy, or swing it wide open for him to run rampant in your mind, in your relationships, in your finances and in your health. Have you left your life open to the attacks of the enemy? Has the one who is against you been playing in your head? Has he been running the show and making your decisions for you? For many of us, the answer is yes. We’ve just been going through the motions of life and allowed the negativity to overtake our thoughts and actions and as a result we are living far below our potential as just a shell of the women we were created to be. That’s not God. That’s not his plan for you. That’s the result of an open door of access to the enemy and the destruction in your life is a result of his access. So, are you ready to close that door? Are you ready to reclaim the life and blessings God is offering you? Awesome, I’m really glad you are listening this morning. In James 4:7 the bible says Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. And this is exactly what we will do. We will submit ourselves to God and we will resist the devil. How about a breakdown in exactly how to do that today? First, submit yourself to God. There isn’t a 10 step detailed plan with a ritual you must follow. God is so accessible. He is personal. He is your Papa. To submit yourself to him you can simply quiet yourself and say God I am yours. My favorite way to surrender to God is to sing to him. I turn on some Hillsong music while I’m working and I belt it out to my Jesus. I tell him you are mine and I am yours. I need you. I want you in my life. I surrender every detail to you. Please guide me. Remember, he gets you. He understands you. And he still loves you wildly. He loves you even more because he gets you. Now, how do you resist the devil? First resisting the devil is a natural bi-product of submitting yourself to God. When you are submitting and surrendering to God, you are resisting the devil. You are clinging to truth instead of his lies. Focus your attention on the submission instead of the resistance. If you focus solely on resisting the devil, you’re focusing on him.