I once thought living in full surrender to God would mean my life would become boring. I thought all my fun would end. So, for years I held back. I offered parts of me, while my hands were clinched tightly on my greatest desires. I just knew if I offered it all to God, he would take the best parts away and leave me with a life I didn’t love.
Wow – was I wrong.
This life lived in wild abandon and total trust in God is the greatest adventure I’ve ever been on. My hands are wide open and I’ve let go of everything, and somehow my life is absolutely overflowing. Those desires I was so afraid to surrender have been changed into even greater things and made realities.
Why didn’t anyone tell me how good this would be? Instead, I lived so many years of my life fearful of what God might take away from me and suspicious of what he was withholding from me.
Does God hold back the good stuff when we trust him? Can the best stuff only be found on your own, apart from a life of surrender? Do you have to make things happen for yourself? Do you have to look out for #1? Do you have to question God?
Let’s be very clear – living like that will cause you to fall. You will fall for the tricks of the enemy of your soul when you begin to think God is keeping something from you. You will fall right into the traps of Satan when you try to get what you want in your own ways. When what you want takes first place and God is put in second, the door is open for absolute destruction in your life.
My friends, that’s precisely what happened to Eve in the garden. She was tricked into believing God was withholding the best stuff from her. She thought there was something better for her that God had been hiding. And that’s exactly how it happens. A seed of doubt is planted, questioning if God is holding out on you, so you’re willing to go around him to get what you think you want.
What is sin? It’s what God says you shouldn’t do, right? Actually, no. This isn’t about what you should and shouldn’t do. Sin is so much more about what falls short of God’s best for you. Sin isn’t just the forbidden things you’re not supposed to do, sin is what will harm you. Sin is the very thing God is trying to protect you from. Not because he’s withholding the good stuff from you and labeling it as sin. Actually, quite the opposite. God is protecting us from the things he knows would harm us the most. The things that cause shame, guilt and regret. The things that separate us from him. The things that confuse us, bind us, create addictions and separation.
But do you know what Satan says? Satan says it’s only called sin to keep you from experiencing more in life. It’s not that bad. It won’t hurt you. You’ll just get to see what you’ve been missing.
We live in a fallen world where Satan and his demons roam around like a roaring lion, trying to kill, steal and destroy everything that is good. You are good. Your life is good. The purpose for which you were created is good. The plans God has for your future are good. And it’s all under absolute attack. Everything good has a bullseye for evil. To fight this battle, it is crucial for you to know how the enemy attacks.
How does he trick us? What does he say?
Here it is – Satan quite simply TWISTS God’s words in a way that makes you feel like something is missing. He twists what isn’t good for you into looking like something that would make you happy. And he tricks you into doing things that will make you hide in shame.
You see, once you know Satan’s game, you can quickly see his nasty moves. In a nutshell, the devil tries to make you think sin is not bad and God is not good.
Sin is considered sin because God says it’s not good for you. Sin will hurt you.

Forty. As of tomorrow, November 22nd, we have 40 days left in this year.
Just how fast has this year gone by? Wasn’t it just Summer a few weeks ago, and now here we are with only 40 days left in the entire year?
2026 is a brand new year of life on it’s way to us. It’s filled with promise and potential and if you will be consistently available to God, he will fulfill you in ways you never imagined possible. But … we’re not there yet, my friends. It is not time to begin focusing on a new year, it’s time to finish this one right!
40 days separate us from this new year of life, and those 40 days matter significantly. God wants to prepare you, equip you and mold you in the next 40 days. Forty.
40 is a critical number in the Bible. 40 often represented new life, growth and transformation. God worked in the 40 to prepare a way for the future. God changed people in the 40. The preparation for a breakthrough of change happened in the 40.
My friends, that’s exciting!!!!! This 40 belongs to God and he’s preparing you for a new year of life in the next 40 days.
Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days by the devil. After that temptation, Jesus began his ministry on Earth and changed eternity.
It rained for 40 days, flooding the entire earth. All life outside of Noah’s ark was eliminated. Then the waters receded and life began again from only that which had been saved.
The giant Goliath taunted God’s people for 40 days. Then, the little shepherd boy David slays the giant with his slingshot and a rock and wins them victory and freedom.
How many days were between Jesus’ crucifixion and his return to Heaven? 40!
Forty. Then, completion, then renewal, then victory.
In the next 40 days before 2026 comes, God wants to do a work in YOU! Will you partner with him in the transformational process that brings victory? Will you let him have his time and space in your life for the next 40 days?
What have your past 40 days been like? Do you even really remember them? 40 days ago it was October 12th – what do you have to show for those days? Were they significant? Did you grow and get better, or did those days just pass with little to show for them?
Don’t let the next 40 be like your last 40. It’s time to go deeper. It’s time for full heart surrender. It’s time to wake up with intention and live on purpose. On the other side of this 40 is that new life, that growth, that transformation only God has seen. God wants to do a work in you! Will you submit to the process?
In the early days of Christianity, before someone could be baptized as a Christian, they were to wait 40 days. For 40 days they would simplify their life down to the basics and focus fully on living for Jesus. After 40 days, if they still wanted to commit their lives to Jesus, then they would be baptized.
What if the next 40 days was an intentional simplifying of our lives with a focus on Jesus to prepare us for 2026? What if we took these final 40 days of this year and allowed God the space to work in us so we step into the new year changed. What if this is your renewal and re-commitment to Jesus. 40 days of focusing on Jesus.
That sounds special doesn’t it … and basically impossible in your busy life. Especially the next 40 days of holidays, travels, gatherings and functions. It’s the busiest time of the year, certainly not the time you can slow down to focus on Jesus. That would be a huge struggle for the next 40 days, wouldn’t it?
And do you know what God says about that – Okay, struggle it out!
Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
That doesn’t mean you have to work to earn salvation,

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG – “I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’ve been living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.”
Romans 2:4, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sins?
1 Corinthians 1:9, “God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Isaiah 50:4 MSG, “God has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders.”
Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Isiah 6:8-9, “Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’ And he said, ‘Yes, go …'”
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Have you ever wondered why God would create a tree and place it in the middle of paradise, but not allow Adam and Eve to eat from it? Why would God make it possible to mess up? Wouldn’t it have been better if the option to sin were never even there? God, why put the tree there if it would cause so many problems?
I’ve often wondered this. Why mess up paradise with the ability to sin? What was the point?
Well, it was CHOICE. Free will is only free when there is an opportunity to do as much bad as there is good. Free will must include a choice. God desired for his greatest creation to choose him from their own free will, so he designed an opportunity to listen and obey him, or not. Unfortunately for us, Adam and Eve chose to not listen. But, the truth is, we would have all done the same. If you’ve ever made a wrong choice in your entire life, if you’ve ever messed up, then you would have eaten the apple too, my friend.
But do you realize there are actually two trees in the middle of the garden where Adam and Eve were? There wasn’t just the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, but there was another tree, the tree of life. The tree of life offered eternal life to live forever. The fruit of this tree was not off limits, it was fully available. But the other tree which held the knowledge of good and evil was the one and only limitation given to them.
One thing, Adam, don’t eat from that tree. And Adam, tell Eve too. Tell her not to eat from that tree, it will change everything.
But, they fail. The temptation to do what they were told not to do is too great and they eat that fruit. Suddenly, their eyes are opened and shame comes into the world for the first time.
The other tree stood untouched, the tree that offered life forever. Instead they chose to eat from the tree that brought guilt, shame and regret. It was the first sin. Sin is choosing what we think we want in life over what truly gives life. And guess what … we’re still doing it today. We’re still choosing the wrong tree. We’re still choosing the things that aren’t good for us. We’re still making messes. We’re still leaving the offering of true and abundant life just hanging on the branch.
The first mistake was not filling up on the good stuff. They could have been so full eating from the tree of life that there was no room for the forbidden fruit from the other tree.
The second mistake was eating the fruit they were told not to eat.
The third mistake was hiding in shame. Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.”
Shame was never part of God’s plan. Hiding from him was not the design of his masterpiece. But that’s what sin did. And that’s what sin still does. When we do what we know is wrong, we hide.
My grandson is 3. When he gets quiet, we know there’s a problem. He’s either eating play-dough, drawing on a wall, or sneaking candy. He hides when he’s doing something wrong. Here we are, grown women, essentially hiding while we eat play-dough. Sneaking around hoping no one finds out. Pulling away from God because of the guilt we feel within.
But imagine if Adam and Eve wouldn’t have hidden. Imagine if they would have ran straight to God after that first bite and said, “Oh no, we messed up! Help us!”
Imagine if we did that! Wouldn’t everything change?
The first mistake was not filling up on the tree of life. The emptiness created space for what wasn’t good for them.
The second mistake was choosing to do what they knew was wrong.
The third mistake was hiding in shame.
Now, their fourth mistake was casting blame.
Genesis 3: 9-13, “The the Lord God called to the man,

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

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

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

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

Genesis means origin. It’s the source, the beginning, where every single thing got its start. I’ve always loved the book of Genesis, for one simple reason … it was the book of the Bible I was able to flip right too. I always felt so proud of myself when a preacher would say, “Turn to the book of Genesis”, and boom, I would be the first one there.
Genesis is not only the beginning of our Bible, it’s the beginning of everything. It is our origin. And really, it’s pretty wild that we get to read about God’s amazing and miraculous acts to create everything we see today. No human was alive to see these acts. We only have this account today because God revealed it later to the author to record for us.
Moses wrote the book of Genesis, but he likely used much earlier writings to gather his information. Perhaps writings from the first human, Adam. And perhaps Adam received directly from God the account of creation there in the Garden of Eden. The words of God were written so that we could read them today.
To understand the Bible, you must first understand one thing – You won’t understand everything. There are some things that won’t make sense. Some things that we have absolutely no proof of. Some things that seem totally impossible. Faith will be required on your journey through the Bible. I’ve found one thing that has greatly helped me in my studies – I believe 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.”
As you commit to either begin studying your Bible, or continue your studies, remember ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD. Every word of our Bible is inspired by God and it’s useful to us. Lean into it with faith instead of pulling away in doubt. There will be things you don’t understand, don’t get hung up on them. There will be things you don’t agree with, but keep reading. There will be things that even seem contradictory to science or common sense – In those cases you must make a choice. Either believe that God is beyond our understanding, or struggle to make an infinite God fit in our limited little box.
There’s a whole lot of the Bible I don’t understand – heck, there’s a whole lot of the very first chapter of Genesis I don’t understand, and I simply don’t have to. But there’s so much that can help me see the truth and help me realize what may be wrong in my life.
Together, we’re going to dive all-in on the book of Genesis. Today is day 1. I’m sure God will take us on several detours along the way and we’ll be all over scripture, so it will never be boring or dull. Remember, it’s me – I don’t do boring! This isn’t your typical devotional. In every day of our study, let’s keep coming back to ask 2 things:
1. What truth am I learning?
2. How does this show me what may be wrong in my life?
Now, let’s get started.
Genesis 1:1-2 (go ahead and dare to flip there now in your Bible with confidence – you can find it!), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”
God’s holy word literally begins with an opening sentence that challenges our human minds. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We will never understand a power that could do that. We will never know precisely when or how. It’s beyond our human capacity to even assign that thought a proper place in our inventory of historical events.
Do you know how big the heavens and the earth are? This means EVERYTHING. Every distant galaxy, every unknown planet,

Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
God is the source of our hope. Hope means you have something to look forward to, something to cling to, something you’re counting on. You may not know how and you may not know when, but you know something good is going to happen in the future. That is hope. Hope that it’s all going to work out. Hope that you’re going to make it through. Hope that every promise will be fulfilled. Hope that the plans for your life are good.
Your goals and good works are not the source of that hope. Your perfect plan and perfect follow through isn’t the source of that hope. What’s the source? GOD. I pray that GOD, THE SOURCE OF HOPE. Repeat after me, THE SOURCE.
We’re currently dealing with termites in the darling little turquoise beach cottage we’re staying in. In literally one week we noticed the baseboard trim in 2 areas begin to crumble. This is a new house. Thinking it was some sort of water damage, my husband touched the affected areas of the wood and it caved in then termites began crawling out. Ummmmm yuck.
Did you know that termites can completely chew through a 2×4 in 2 weeks? Did you know active termites can destroy your house from the inside out while your floors are clean and the candles are lit?
The professionals came out to the house to look for one thing. THE SOURCE. Where were the termites coming from. If they could find the source, they could save the house. Less than 2 feet from the deck is a tall palm tree. In the top of that tall palm, they found the source. There was the termite nest and there sat the queen. Now, mission on to hide bait in the wall for the worker termites eating the house so they take it all back and poison the source. If the source is wiped out, the destruction ends.
God is our SOURCE OF HOPE. All hope flows from him. If our connection with God is poisoned, all hope ends. How do we become connected with this source of hope? YOU TRUST HIM!
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace BECAUSE YOU TRUST IN HIM.” Repeat after me: Because you trust him.
Your trust in God opens the flow of hope. Hope feels like joy and peace. Hope feels like happiness and burdens lifted. Hope feels like assurance for the future. Hope feels like a deep knowing you’re going to be okay. All of this flows from your TRUST IN HIM.
My friend, if you don’t trust in the source, then you are disconnected from your hope. If you don’t trust God, then the whole world looks really scary. If you don’t trust in God, governments have the power to ruin you. If you don’t trust in God, that sickness could be the end. If you don’t trust in God, everything can come crashing down at any minute.
I’m an adrenaline junkie. I love every adventure that takes my breath away. I’ll climb that. I’ll jump off that. I’ll ride that with my hands in the air the entire time. And I can do it because I trust I’m connected to something. There’s a bungee. There’s a parachute. There’s a rope. There’s a seat belt. I’m trusting there’s something securing me. And as I trust whatever I’m secured to, I can have extreme joy and complete peace as I’m flying or falling or hanging upside down. If I didn’t trust it, instead of joy there would be complete panic. Instead of peace there would be anxiety.
When we are filled with panic and anxiety, could it be because we’re not trusting the source? Is there a disconnect with our source? When the connection with our source is severed, the flow of joy and peace is halted.
My sister, that is NOT God’s desire for you.

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

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

Following God is not a list of laws and rules that must be obeyed in order to be deemed worthy of salvation. We would never be worthy if that were the case. God knew that. Jesus came to fulfill all those laws and rules for us. He met the requirements on our behalf. His blood forever covers us, making us forever good enough. Now, we live in freedom because of Jesus.
Our burdens are now light. We are not subject to laws so extreme that we can’t fulfill them. We are not under restrictions and rules that prevent us from living lives of joy. Actually, quite the opposite. Our guilt and shame has been lifted. We are invited to enjoy the fullness of all God has created, covered in a undeserved blanket of grace and forgiveness.
It all sounds too good to be true. But it is true – if you accept it. Freedom in Jesus is yours.
But humans struggle with freedom. We struggle with grace. We make things messy, then we drag others into our mess. Without extreme rules, we begin making our own rules. Rules that overlook the heart and just begin checking boxes. All while God isn’t concerned with the boxes, he only wants your heart. If your heart is right, then he is pleased, regardless of the box.
But dang we like our boxes of right and wrong, don’t we? And we create enemies out of those not in our same boxes. We judge and condemn anyone who’s box looks different than ours. But really, the question is – where did the box even come from? Did God give you that box? Is your box now creating harm in the life of someone who’s looking for Jesus, but all they can see are your boxes they don’t fit in? Are we tearing about God’s work over laws and rules Jesus has already fulfilled for us?
I have a family member who is so smart that it hinders his faith. He is distraught that most churches meet on Sundays and that’s not the appointed Sabbath day according to God. So, he wants nothing to do with Church because it’s the wrong day of the week.
I met a young man who believes all Christians hate him because he’s gay. And if the followers of Jesus are against him, then wouldn’t Jesus be against him too? So, he has never met the saving power of Jesus because he feels he wouldn’t be loved. He doesn’t know God is for him because no one representing God has ever been for him. (He happens to be the young man on the airplane I gave my Bible to last year. It was the most valuable gift I could give him to show him love.)
The 28 year old guy with a long pony tail who does the best pedicures on the island struggles to believe there is a God because bad things have happened in his life. He’s hurting and questioning and running, all while making some bad decisions.
What would Jesus do in these situations? Wouldn’t Jesus say, “Hey, if you want to hang out with me on Saturday, that’s really cool too! The day of the week doesn’t matter to me, they’re all mine.” Wouldn’t Jesus say, “I know everything about you. I knew you before you were even knit together in your mother’s womb. I loved you then and I love you now. My good plans for you haven’t been cancelled. I can work in your life.” Wouldn’t Jesus say, “I know you’re hurting and I’m hurting with you. Let me sit with you.” Wouldn’t Jesus say, “There’s nothing you could ever do that would separate you from my love?”
And whatever Jesus would do, he’s asking us to do it too. Jesus sat at tables others would be ashamed to be see at. He hung out with the unpopular. He pursued the unlovable, the untouchable, the undesirable. He tore down every wall and every excuse and made the path for the broken and the hurting to come to him.
The leper who Jesus touched hadn’t been touched by a single living soul for years. He was an unclean, forbidden outcast.

God demands that we both love and hate. We’re actually not supposed to be all love all the time. There are things to love and things to hate. The problem becomes when we confuse the two. And honestly, it’s really easy to get them confused. It’s easy to start hating what we’re supposed to love and start loving what we’re supposed to hate.
Romans 12:9, “Don’t PRETEND to love others. REALLY LOVE them. HATE what is WRONG. Hold TIGHTLY to what is RIGHT.”
Jesus says there’s one way we will be known as his disciples, OUR LOVE. When we follow Jesus, we begin to love like him. Who did Jesus love? Everyone. So who are we supposed to love? Everyone.
That’s hard, isn’t it? Is there someone in your neighborhood, your office, or your family, that’s really hard to love? Everything about them absolutely rubs you the wrong way. Yeah, God doesn’t want you to keep pretending like you love them, as you so easily do with your shallow hellos and fake caring. God says you are to REALLY LOVE THEM.
That difficult person is someone Jesus died for. They’re someone God designed with great intention and put them on Earth for a purpose. They’re someone who has gone through real things, struggling with real feelings, and desperately need real love. And YOU ARE CALLED TO LOVE THEM.
But why? Because your love reflects Jesus. Not your judgment. Not your correction. Not your avoidance. Not your gossip. Just your love.
Does it mean you could get hurt? Yip. Does it mean you could get rejected? Yes. Does it mean your efforts could be a waste? Yes. Just like Jesus’ love got him hurt, made him hang there in rejection, and with all he gave it was a waste to some – but he did it anyway. And now he calls his girls to do the same. LOVE THEM. Get over how you feel about it and lead with love. Stop building your walls out of self-protection and be vulnerable with your love.
The truth is, we give love with strings of expectation. We expect our love to be received, appreciated and reciprocated. And when it’s not, we stop really loving and we start to ‘pretend’ love. We keep the peace, but we replay the battle. We smile to their face, but we talk behind their back. We text all the sweet emojis, but those emojis are the opposite of our true emotions. Fake. Fake. Fake. In fact, scripture tells us we could do all sorts of great and impressive acts, but if we don’t have love behind it, it’s absolutely worthless.
God is not impressed by your fake love.
Lord, help me to REALLY LOVE. Forgive me for hiding behind fake.
Could God help you love that person that you find so hard to love? Absolutely. And here’s how – he could help you see that person through his eyes. God loves them because he knows the potential he placed within them. God loves them because he knit them together with purpose and he knows that purpose is still possible. There’s goodness within that person because God’s fingerprints are all over them. He formed them. If you love the Creator, you can love his creation.
But that doesn’t mean you have to love the wrong they do. In fact, Romans 12:9 says, “HATE WHAT IS WRONG.” But here’s what it doesn’t say – It doesn’t say ‘hate the person who is wrong.’ Nowhere are we told to hate the person. We are to LOVE the person because they are God’s creation and Jesus died for them. We want God’s best for them. We want them to heal. We want them to be restored. We want them to live well.
We love the person, while we hate what is wrong. Separate the two.
I can hate the addiction while I still love the person. God does.
I can hate the ugly actions and hurtful words while I still love the person. God does.
I can hate the division and confusion while I still love the person.

God was on a mission to love and save someone. His chosen people were the Israelites, the Jewish people. But, the Jews turned on Jesus and didn’t accept the love and salvation offered by God. So, here’s what happened – Jesus made room for US!
God’s love would not be stopped. His offer of salvation would not go unclaimed. So, God sent Paul to reach the Gentiles.
The Gentiles were people who worshiped many gods. They had a god for practically everything. They were not the original chosen ones from the lineage of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. But space was made for them in the family of God and they were grated in. That’s who we are! We are not the originals – we are the grafted in girls, the ones who could have been left out, but saved by grace and given a place in the family!
Paul teaches this miraculous process of being grafted in by using the example of an olive tree in Romans 11.
Olive trees represented peace with God and fruitfulness returning to the earth. Remember after God flooded the earth and wiped out everyone outside of the ark, the rain finally stopped and Noah sent a dove out to fly over the waters in search for dry land. One day the dove brought back an olive leaf in it’s beak, signifying the waters were receding and the land was coming back to life again. It was time to begin again.
There were two kinds of olive trees. The pure, cultivated olive tree – and the wild olive tree. The cultivated olive tree grows slow, but produces great quality olives. The wild olive tree grows fast, but produces poor quality olives. The olive farmer learned to cut off the old branches from the good quality tree and graft in the lively branches of the wild tree. This grafting wouldn’t change the cultivated olive tree itself, but it would change the grafted branches and therefore change their fruit. The life from the original tree would begin flowing through the wild branches and produce fast growing, quality olives.
This is a picture of what God does for us and through us.
We were not part of the original tree, but we’ve been grafted in. Space has been made for us. His love would not be stopped, so he searched us out, called us to him, and removed us from the life we once lived and now lets his life flow through us. How absolutely miraculous! As a result, our life produces radically different fruit. We are changed because of the life source we are attached to.
My sister, we get to share in what we don’t deserve. God makes us part of something so much better. As a wild olive tree, there’s nothing we could have ever done to be good enough. We could have never self-produced anything of good enough quality. We couldn’t have worked our way in. But God so graciously removed us from what we had been growing in, and grafted us into him. We’re now growing in God’s family tree. His life flows through us and we are forever changed.
Every promise ever made to the original tree of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, now belongs to us because we have been grafted in! God’s favor and blessings are now ours.
But, there’s a warning. When the chosen ones stopped trusting God, they were cut off from the tree. And the same thing can happen to us. Romans 11:22, “But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.”
When we stop trusting in God, we are cut off from peace. Have you noticed how upset, worried and overwhelmed you become when you stop trusting God and start trying to control everything on your own? Yip, that’s what it feels like to be cut off. There’s no peace.
When we stop trusting in God, we are cut off from his guidance. God wants to guide you, but he will not force the foot that will not lift in faith. So, you become stuck and confused and feel like you don’t know what to do next. That’s what it feels like to be cut off.

There’s one thing that helps me when going through a problem. One thing that gives me permission to still find joy on the journey when the journey is darn hard. This one thing is knowing down deep within that there’s a purpose. There’s a purpose in my problem. There’s a purpose in my pain. There’s a promise being fulfilled and a purpose being developed.
We can take a lot … as long as we know it’s not all for nothing. As long as we know somehow or another it’s going to be used for something good. As long as we know this long hard road is leading somewhere worth the journey.
Time and time again in the hardest parts of my life, there has been a single scripture I’ve repeated. When someone comes to me struggling to live a good life today because of a nightmare childhood, there is a single scripture I share. When someone comes to me in the middle of a crisis that doesn’t make sense, there is one scripture. Today, in the middle of a season that doesn’t make sense, I come back to that scripture. Today, perhaps as you feel stranded in a desolate land of disappointment and defeat, I share that scripture.
Genesis 50:20 – “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
There is a purpose for everything you’ve gone through. How God is going to use it all may still be unknown to you, but you can trust nothing will be wasted.
What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you? God wants to use it.
What painful thing has happened to you this year? God wants to use it.
Your problem is positioning you.
My family has gone through some hard times in the past 7 years. We have survived every storm. Every day, God has given not only strength to keep going, but he has given joy for the journey and peace in the process. I’ve not been miserable one single day. Never. And I see how God is using our story to help other families.
Do I believe it was ever God’s DESIRE for my daughter to become suicidal, to struggle and leave our family, for us all to go through so much pain? Absolutely not. I do not believe God designed or desired that. But it happened. And when bad things happen and we invite God into the process, God goes to work using it for good.
I bet your family has a story as well. A story of struggle. A story of storms and mountains. Are you still clinging to that heartache? Are you replaying the story over and over again in your head of how unfair and painful it was? Or have you surrendered it to God and let him work? Can God use it? Oh you bet he can!
You likely know the story of Joseph in the Bible. He was the favored son of Jacob. Out of 12 boys, Joseph was like the golden child. Now favoritism never sets a family up for unity does it? This was a recipe for disaster from the beginning. Joseph was highly favored by his Daddy and his 11 brothers were highly jealous of him. They were so jealous of him they threw him in a pit and left him to die.
That wasn’t good. Of course this was intended for harm, but God saw it all and said “I’m going to use this for good.”
Joseph had to be set apart because God wanted to use him to save the lives of his entire family in the future. He was being positioned. Positioned by a problem. Then Joseph goes to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. And again it was all used as part of God’s plan for good to him and his family. Nothing Joseph went through was wasted. There was a bigger purpose in everything.
And my sister, the same is true for you. You are being positioned for God’s favor. You are being placed in alignment with your purpose. Could your problem be positioning you for alignment with a greater purpose?
Funny, I always thought favor and purpose would feel a whole lot different.

Today I return to my warm and sunny Florida Keys after traveling for the past week, but I’m returning with something extra. Something so special and so extremely valuable. Let me tell you about the gift I was given while traveling.
Yesterday, I met a man named Steve. Steve was a successful business man for 35 years and while on a mission trip to Venezuela, God saved his life from a deadly snake and then spoke to him in a voice he could not ignore. The voice of the Lord told him he would feed the hungry and house the orphans. He had never done either.
That was 25 years ago, and he now runs an organization called SERV International which produces millions of meals for starving people, rescues abandoned children out of the bush in Africa, and has changed the trajectory of an entire village through the power of Jesus. Their work is truly inspiring.
Steve is just an ordinary man who gets overly excited when telling the stories about each of the children he loves so much in his orphanage, and choked up when telling the stories of God’s invitation to work with him and watch the impossible unfold.
In Steve’s office, there’s a shelf where a small, handmade, straw broom sits. It fit in with all the other unique pieces from Africa, but this was special. Steve then told me the story of the broom:
At a church service in this desperate and destitute African village, they created an altar for the offerings of the people. A widowed woman came forward and laid this small, handmade, straw broom on the altar. It was literally all she had.
Let that set in for a moment. She was so moved by the Word of God and the hope offered by Jesus, she gave her broom when it was the only thing she had to give.
I crumbled hearing this story. Oh how selfish and self-serving I am. I have so much and offer so little while patting myself on the back for being a good person.
I’m immediately reminded of the woman Jesus witnessed making an offering in the temple. Mark 12: 41-44, “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
What happens when you give to God? I’m going to tell you what happens and it’s very literal. YOU OPEN THE STOREHOUSES OF HEAVEN.
Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is KIND to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” I believe that for one reason and one reason only – it’s God’s word. I don’t believe it because some fancy preacher on TV has told me I’ll be blessed if I send money. I don’t believe it because I’m playing a game to see how much I can get out of the deal. I believe it because it’s God’s word and God’s word DOES NOT FAIL.
God sees everything we do and he knows our heart. He knows when we’re being kind for show and when we’re being kind because of love. He knows the intent behind everything we do and give, and when we’re truly doing it for the Lord, he personally rewards us. All God ever wants is our heart to be fully aligned with his, and when our heart gets in the right place, our hands naturally open and you just can’t keep them closed.
I promise you this, God doesn’t need your money. He owns absolutely everything in this world. If he needed your money, he could take it away from you in an instant and use it as he wished. God doesn’t even need your works. He has an army of Angels who could do the work better than you. But he does desire your heart,

Do you ever wonder how you could really be used by God? Ordinary you. Could God use you? Could he work through you?
Let’s be clear – God does not need you. He really doesn’t. He has the power to do anything he wishes completely on his own. However, God still chooses to use you in his divine and life changing work if you’re available to him. You GET to be part of God’s work. You get to work in the family business with Jesus, making eternal impact on real lives.
But HOW?
Today, I get to share a story with you of how one life radically changed because of the simple acts of a follower of Jesus. Several years ago, a beautiful woman named Addie was struggling. Addie had been in an arranged marriage with a loveless man. Her only introduction to God was through the family’s Muslim beliefs. One day, while in a gas station, Addie heard a radio station being played. On that station, a scripture was shared. Jeremiah 29:11.
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
And when Addie heard this scripture for the first time, she began to question if God might have good plans for her too. Was there a future beyond what she knew? Could there be hope for her.
She turned and found there in the gas station a book by Joyce Meyer. She bought that book and began reading. For the first time, Addie learned about the saving grace of Jesus and it changed her entire life. Now, her beautiful daughter who loves Jesus comes on my retreats!
All of this because she was in a gas station that played a Christian radio station. FOREVER CHANGED FOR COUNTLESS GENERATIONS!
Now, what’s wild is the owner and manager of that gas station have no idea of the difference they made. They may think their choice to play Christian music is totally unnoticed and pointless. But one day in Heaven, they will learn of Adie who met Jesus and it all started with their choice to honor God in their gas station.
How could God use you? Oh honey, he could put you in the right place at the right time, simply playing the right music! You could put on your tshirt that says “Jesus Loves You” and feel a little awkward wearing it in the grocery store, but someone could see it and dare to believe it’s true for them for the first time ever. You could put a scripture on the bumper of your car and never know who might desperately need to read it just when you pass.
Here’s what we often miss – Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Faith in Jesus is the only thing that saves us, but how will we come to faith if someone doesn’t TELL us about Jesus first? Our job is not to convince anyone, our job is to be a vessel that shares the Good News of Jesus. How? Turn on music about Jesus at work. Wear jewelry or clothes that point to Jesus. Hang a canvas print of scripture on your wall. You simply never know who might see it at just the right time and come to faith.
Faith begins by hearing about Jesus. Anyone else’s faith is not your responsibility, but God wants to use you in spreading the word about Jesus. Just share it, play it, wear it, say it, write it, print it, hang it, display it, show it. The rest is not up to you, so don’t make it about you.
I wear a necklace that has the numbers 29:11. It represents Jeremiah 29:11, which is again the scripture that beautiful woman in the gas station first heard. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” I wear it as a personal reminder to myself of God’s good plans, but I also hope someone might ask me what it means – then I have an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with them. It really is that simple.

God has a plan beyond the reality you see today. He has a purpose specifically for you that reaches beyond the circumstances of this season. Beyond this pain, beyond this struggle, beyond this uncertainty, God has goodness for you.
The enemy plays in the darkness of your uncertainties. Uncertainties that ask how much longer will I have to wait … how much more can I take … why is this happening to me … how will this ever be okay again? But remember my friends, we can boldly step into the unknown with our all-knowing God.
You don’t have to be certain of timing. You don’t have to be certain of details. You may never know how and when until one day you’re standing in a new reality where you see with your own eyes this new, purpose-filled season of your life. Make friends with the uncertainty on the way there.
Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6 “And I am CERTAIN that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns,” and you can now claim it as your personal truth. In a world filled with uncertainties, be certain of this … GOD’S NOT DONE HERE.
God sees you and he is working all things together for good. His eye is on you. He has heard your prayers. He is moved by your petitions. AND HE IS WORKING. Let all the uncertainties remain uncertain because the greatest of all things is absolutely CERTAIN: GOD IS AT WORK.
When everything is unfolding as you planned, it’s actually hard to see God at work. It’s easy to assume these good times are the harvest of all those good seeds you’ve been planting. We’re quick to even say, I deserve this. My hard work, my persistence, my will-power earned me this. UNTIL IT ALL STOPS WORKING. THEN WHAT?
Have you ever been there? When what worked before stops working. When you’re humbled to realize the absolute truth that without God’s mighty hand in it all, girl, you’re not getting anywhere. If it worked before, if it was good, it was always because of God. You never did it on your own.
And this is where our roll is slowed so we can once again see God at work in everything. Yes, he works in the hardship. He works in the delay. He works in the no just as much as he works in the yes. And he is all up in your current circumstances working to bring you to to a destiny better than you could have ever worked out on your own.
This past weekend at our BIG Life Retreat in Tennessee, we had a hiking adventure day planned. Split up into 4 cars, we would drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park which is in full blown fall color, park at the trailead of Grotto Falls and hike together to the waterfall. That was the plan … until it all fell apart.
I was in the lead car with 4 other girls and because of traffic, we ended up about 15 minutes ahead of the other cars. As we drove through the National Park on a one way road, we quickly realized it was absolutely packed and there were no parking places anywhere. Like AT ALL. Not for one car, let alone all 4 of our cars carrying the 23 of us.
So, our only choice became to keep driving through the park and skip our planned hike to the waterfall. I sent out a text to everyone letting them know we would meet at the end and make other plans for our hike and picnic. BUT … no one had cell service. So now we’re all split up.
My car finally finds a parking spot toward the end of the road, several miles from our original destination, and we stopped, thinking we would see our other cars coming through to regroup. But hours passed, and we still don’t see the rest of our group.
So, here’s my car with just 5 of us at a totally random place in this massive National Park, walking down by the river, and a woman and her family see our retreat shirts. She asked if BIG Life was there right now.

A girl who is going to do big things cannot let small things get to her. A girl who is ready to live the BIG life she was created for, ready to step fully into her potential, ready to live in divine partnership with the Almighty, that girl cannot be shaken by little things. She cannot let an off day become an off month. A girl who is rising up to a higher level of living can’t fall victim to petty nonsense and disruptions that simply won’t matter 5 years from now.
Is that girl you? Are you the one ready to rise up, level up, elevate, and become more?
Yes, yes you are. You are THAT girl.
That’s you. A girl God started something in. A girl primed for good works. A girl who has been prepared for what is next. A girl filled with the power of God who cannot be shaken by these little things.
There was a day when you couldn’t function without your coffee.
There was a day when a kid with a bad attitude would stir up your bad attitude.
There was a day when sharing the road with a bad driver would bring out the nasty Nascar in you.
There was a day when a stressful day at work would follow you home and create a tense night where your whole family is just trying to stay out of your way.
You’re like that half blind little 15 year old dog biting at everything within 10 feet.
Oh, there was a day … but God’s been doing something new in you! Oh yes he has!
He has been working on you from the inside out. He’s been shifting your perspective. He’s been building you up, stronger, more grounded, and aware of your priorities in life. Convicting you of what’s not right and where you can get better.
Now you know better, so you can do better.
One of my very best friends will tell you there was a day when she was a little witchy with a B, if you know what I mean. She was difficult and negative, quick to point out all that was wrong and shoot you down fast. It’s just who she was, she would say. BUT THAT’S NOT WHO SHE WAS CREATED TO BE.
God didn’t create a single one of us to be a difficult butthole. He didn’t say, “this one … well, this one will be difficult, this one will be unbearable in the mornings, this one will be a grouchy bear in the afternoon, and this one will be a complete jerk all the time.”
No one is a jerk by design. But we can become a jerk by default. No one is a nag from birth. But we can become a nag out of habit.
My friend changed. She’s not who she used to be, she’s more like who she was created to be. Whew, and I love that girl! How did that change happen? God helped her see a different way.
We see a different way when we’re no longer surrounded by people doing the same thing as us. God places us in an environment with people who aren’t settling for just “good enough”. We see, through their example, there is a different way. A way to be positive. A way to be happier. A way to get better. And you’ll know it when you see it because something deep within you says “gosh, I want to be more like that.”
You know what that is … that’s who God created you to be speaking up! That’s what’s really inside of you, beyond the bad habits and default pattern, this is who you really are. That’s the Christ-like character in others calling out the Christ-like character in you. This is calling out greatness.
Colossians 3:10 says “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
If you want to know your Creator, you can hang around his creation. We are his creation. We have been given the responsibility of showing off our Creator in the way we live our lives.
How well are you showing the heart of your Creator? How well are you displaying his love and his power in your life?