Today you and I woke up to the opportunity to start again. An opportunity to step into the fullness of God’s grace and mercy and receive a fresh start.

But sadly, most will miss this opportunity. Instead we will receive the offer of the enemy to dwell on where we screwed up yesterday. The offer to stay stuck in the past hurts and failures. The offer to identify as a victim. And we belly up to the table time and time again to accept these worthless offers of the enemy which hold us back from our potential and have us playing little in our own lives.

What if that were to stop today? What if from this day forward we recognized the offerings of the enemy and saw them for what they are? What if we were completely turned off by settling? I mean repulsed, because we finally know the truth.

In 2017 I lost one of my best friends. Catina was 34 years old and larger than life. No doubt if you knew her, you loved her. She was diagnosed with cancer, given 1 to 6 months to live and sadly the shorter end of that scale became the reality. One month was all she had.

We immediately went into action mode when she was diagnosed grasping at anything, absolutely anything we could do to help her. This is when we came upon the research of the affects of sugar on our bodies.

Did you know sugar feeds cancer cells? If you eliminate sugar, cancer cells begin to starve. With this knowledge, I went from a brownie loving, sweet tea guzzling, closet lover of Little Debbie snacks, to completely eliminating sugar from my diet. And it was easy. You know why? Because I was completely turned off by sugar. I was repulsed because I finally knew the truth. I knew sugar could kill my best friend. I knew sugar could kill me. Now when I see the Little Debbie Nutty Bars that used to taunt me and call my name “eat me Pamela”, ahhhh no, I see them for what they are … that’s cancer food and I want nothing to do with it.

This is what I’m proposing. I’m proposing we see every worthless offer from the enemy for exactly what it is and let it repulse us. No, I’m not just talking about junk food, I’m talking about junky living! See it for what it is and know who it comes from. Be so turned off by his lousy offers that we are never fooled again.

If you could see how dwelling on yesterday’s mistakes only robs you of your strength for today, wouldn’t you let yesterday go?

If you could really see how today’s potential is only diminished moment by moment as you relive those past hurts and failures, wouldn’t you finally move on and promise to never ever go back?

I know this much, if you could really see how playing the victim makes you pitiful, you would never see yourself as the victim again. If you could see it for what it’s worth, you would never chose to be pitiful over being powerful. Never.

If you could see how being lazy is going to make you feel, no one could hold you back from taking action.

If you could taste even for a moment the life that is available to you, there’s not a person in this world who could make you settle for less. Your bad habits would be broken TODAY. Your laziness would vanish. Your procrastination would be left behind immediately. Nothing could hold you back from taking action if you could get a vision of your true potential.

God has a plan for you that will blow your mind. A purpose that is bigger than you could ever dare dream or imagine. Impact beyond anything you could fathom. He has a future available specifically for you that is big, bright and beautiful.

But you have to choose it.

Your brain is specifically wired to protect you. Protect you from harm and danger, and promote survival. The bad news is, honey, that brain was great for the time in history when humans were running from saber tooth tigers and killing lions for dinner. But that hasn’t been happening lately, now has it? 

You’re not being hunted and odds are, you’re likely not even the hunter. You buy that steak at the local Winn Dixie, or order it from the waitress wearing a black apron from your 7 page menu.

So here you are in this daily safe world, void of threatening ferocious beasts, and your brain has no danger to protect you from. So, guess what our powerful minds do void of danger and without the need for survival mode … they seek to keep us comfortable. 

Yes, your brain is continually working to just keep you comfortable and avoid all things that would be hard and undesirable. 

For real, your mind is now just working to avoid washing dishes and working out! Why? Because it might be a little hard or slightly undesirable and your mind has switched to comfort mode.

Now here you are walking around in this body that, in it’s greatest form, could battle lions, is now battling a messy kitchen. You don’t wanna clean the stove or put away the dishes. You don’t wanna take out the trash or empty the sink. Then what happens? Well your brain recognizes the signals as a threat to your comfort and starts shutting down any plan of action. 

AVOIDANCE – DELAY – PROCRASTINATION – DISTRACTION

All to keep you comfortable, honey.

Oh and this goes so much deeper than just your kitchen. This is about seeking comfort in your relationships, your career, your daily routine, and your plans for the future. Every area of your life is now touched by your brain’s desire for comfort.

Now the big question … how much is your comfort costing you?

Seriously, what is the cost here? What have you sacrificed to remain comfortable? Is your continual comfort worth all you have given up here?

Do you remember the BIG Life scripture I shared in Friday’s episode? 2 Corinthians 6: 11-13 (MSG) “The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way.”

You were created for a BIG life. When God designed you, he envisioned a full, overflowing, abundant life for you. Then, he equipped you with everything you would need to step into that BIG Life. But if you’re living your life small, then you’re missing all he has available for you.

This is what comfort does to us. We are comfortable, but dang have we missed all God has available for us?

Going for more would be uncomfortable. Daring to see what you’re really made of, and all you’re truly capable of, would set you up for potential failure. Does anyone really want to fail? Does anyone want to hurt? Does anyone want to try and fall short? Does anyone want rejection?

No!

So our brain reads that signal as a danger to our comfort and shuts down all further action. NO ,you will not go for that promotion, that would be risky. NO, you will not move, that would be hard work. NO, you will not try to lose weight again, that would be unpleasant. NO, you will not go on that retreat with strangers, you might feel awkward.

All while God has already said YES to you. Yes, he’s already made a way for you. Already equipped you for the battle. Already gone before you. Already aligned provision.

Does God want you to be miserable? Does he want you to wake up each day, dreading the life you have been given to live? Are his intentions to steal all your fun and joy so that you walk around overwhelmed and depressed, encouraging others to follow you to this God who gave you this crapfest of a life?

Oh girl, absolutely not!

Jesus was a fun guy here on earth. He was at the wedding party. He was at the lake building a campfire. He was playing with the kids. He didn’t attract all these followers by being boring! The life within him gave life to others. Now, with his Spirit living in you, is the life within you giving life to others?

He came to give you life, but even more than that, John 10:10 tells us he came to give us life to the FULL! Life overflowing. Life so rich, so abundant, so good, that it flows out of us onto others. The question is, are we living in the fullness of life Jesus is offering?

Today is the final part of this 3 part devotional on a Life Purpose Statement. Again, this is a way to simplify the purpose of your life into a mantra that quickly shifts your perspective and helps you live intentionally. I’ve been sharing the 7 words of my Life Purpose Statement in 3 bullets:

Love GodLove PeopleHave a Blast

The first two are not my own, they are directly from Jesus. Jesus made it very clear, the purpose of my life, your life, and every other life created by God, is to first, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 30-31)

Way to make it clear Jesus. Thanks!

And that brings us to the third bullet, which is your choice. Really, the question is, what do you want your life to be known for? This is where the desires God has placed within your heart come into play. This is where your personality shines. Simplify what you are here to do and what you want to be know for into 2 or 3 words.

Maybe you want to be known for making a difference. Great. Your Life Purpose Statement could be “Love God, Love People, and Make a Difference.”

Maybe you want to be know for the memories you’re creating that will outlive you. Oh dang, that’s good! I like that! Your Life Purpose Statement could be “Love God, Love People, and Make Memories.”

Maybe you want to be known as a girl who, regardless of circumstances, always had faith. Your Life Purpose Statement could be, “Love God, Love People, and Have Faith.”

Really consider, what do you want to be known for.

The problem is, we are often known for what we are against instead of what we are for. Really, do you want to be known for being the girl who was against tattoos, the girl who was against Republicans, the girl who was against yoga, the girl who was against curse words, the girl who was against skinny jeans or crop tops?

This morning, I went to the Google, on a search for what people are most often asking about Christians. I typed in my search, “Why are Christians so …” and I looked at the results. Here’s what came up:

Why are Christians so mean?Why are Christians so exclusive?why are Christians so hypocritical?Why are Christians so judgmental?Why are Christians so divided?Why are Christians so crazy?Why are Christians so angry?

I’m not kidding you. This was the entire first page of results!

This is what people think of the followers of Jesus.

What does it mean to love people? Does it mean to agree with them? Does it mean to think like them? Does it mean for them to be like you and you to be like them?

Jesus is our perfect example of love. Literally, perfect. And Jesus shows us he loved people he didn’t agree with. In Luke 15, it says Jesus was intentionally hanging out and eating with notorious sinners. Jesus wasn’t endorsing their decisions, he was loving them. He was without sin, yet he chose to sit at the table of those who were known for their sin. His thoughts were not their thoughts. They were not like him, and he was not like them, but he loved them.

And guess what, his love brought them in to hear his message. They gathered, not because they would be condemned and judged, but because they would be loved at his table. This love would transform their hearts and their minds, and change their entire lives.

And Jesus says in John 15:12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

That’s not a suggestion. It’s not a bright idea you should try on Sundays. It’s a command. Love as Jesus has loved. That’s a high standard, but dang it, we should at at least be trying.

Today’s devotional is part 2 of a 3 part series on a Life Purpose Statement. In yesterday’s episode, I shared my personal Life Purpose Statement which I use as a mantra to shift my perspective and help me see my overall life and it’s purpose more clearly. 7 words in 3 bullets:

Love God.Love People.Have a Blast.

So far, I hope this has you considering a personal Life Purpose Statement for yourself, and remember, mine is up for grabs if it fits you!

Yesterday I taught on bullet 1: Love God. If you missed it, go back and listen. It will have you thinking about God and feeling prompted to check-in with him every time you pick up your phone!

Today, bullet 2: Love People.

What is getting in the way of us loving as Jesus loved us? Is it their choices? Is it their attitude? Is it our differences? Well, the solution is very simple … GET OVER IT!

Seriously, get over it. Jesus did. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, willingly sacrificing his life to save ours, he wasn’t making a list of contingencies. You have to agree with me. You have to vote like me. You have to look like me. You have to live like me. Thank God he didn’t make any of those restrictions on his love for us. He gave one condition of salvation, believe in him and we would be saved. But even if we didn’t, he still loved us enough to die for us.

Who is it you find so darn hard to love? God’s word tells us what love is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Listen to these words and apply them to the people you struggle to love:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Let’s zero in on verse 5 using different translations to have a deeper understanding. New Living Translation: “Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable.” New American Standard Translation: “Love does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit, it is not provoked.” Message Translation: “Love doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others....

Do you have a life purpose statement? Like a mantra that shifts your perspective and helps you see your overall life and it’s purpose more clearly? I’m going to suggest that in the busyness of this life that gets really loud and chaotic, you get yourself a life purpose statement. One that remains true regardless of the season you may be going through, or the feelings you have about it. A statement that snaps your thoughts back in alignment with God’s purpose for your days.

Mine is very simple, and over the years it has evolved to 3 short bullet points for a total of 7 words. I share it with you today, hoping it inspires you to create your own life purpose statement, or heck, use mine. The truth is, mine isn’t even original any way. My Southern California friend named Bill who owns all the vintage VW buses I rent for my coastal camping adventures shared this with me. I proudly stole it and claim it as my own. You can do the same if it fits.

The purpose of my life in 3 bullets:

• Love God

• Love People

• Have a Blast

Every single day, this is the purpose of the time I am given, and this life purpose statement helps me keep it all in perspective. It’s Wednesday, June 21st, the alarm rings at the buttcrack of dawn … it’s time to love God, love people, and have a blast. It’s exactly why I am here and it’s exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.

Gosh, doesn’t it make this fussy complicated life a whole lot more simple when you already know what you’re here to do? That’s the power of your life purpose statement. Again, if you don’t have one, why not use mine as a template to get started!

Over the next 3 episodes, I’m going to teach one bullet at a time to tell you why this is my daily focus and what God is showing me in the process. Today, we will begin with Bullet 1: Love God.

Mark 12:30 tells us the greatest commandment of Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Okay, love God. Sounds simple. But how do you love someone you can’t see? How do you love someone you can’t sit down with for a cup of coffee? How can you love someone you can’t even talk to? I don’t know … that would be really difficult. I’m grateful our God can be seen, we can have a cup of coffee with him, and we can talk to him!

God can be seen, He is all around you. When you grow to see the sunrise and know that’s God, then you get it. When you look out on the green pastures, the turquoise ocean, or the towering mountains, you see God. When you sit and watch people and all their uniqueness, you see God.

Every cup of coffee you have can be a cup with Jesus. It’s simply a matter of your intentional awareness. His presence can be felt, when invited. You can talk your little heart out to him, and he will listen. But even more than that, he will talk to you too. When you learn to listen, your spirit will be prompted by his word and direction. The interaction is real!

A beautiful Texas gal I mentor named Debra shared a powerful thought yesterday. She said, “Can you imagine where we would be if we checked in with God as much as we check our phones?” Hello, SPIRIT CHECK! My phone gets countless check-ins from me at all times of the day. What does God get? The one who holds my whole world in his hands, the one who has the power to divinely direct my every step, the one who has every answer to the questions I haven’t even thought to ask yet … he gets a whole lot less check-ins from me than my phone.

God is working, and you’ve been overlooking it. He’s moving, but you’ve failed to see it. His power has been in motion, but you’re not seeing the effects. You think everything is just staying the same. You think nothing is happening now and therefore nothing will ever happen. But Sis, you’re wrong.

Oh, there is something happening. Something great! Something profound. Something miraculous. You just can’t give up in the process!

The Chinese Bamboo tree holds a Guinness World Record as the fastest growing plant. In one day, it can grow up to 35 inches. That equals 1.5 inches per hour. You can literally sit and watch this bamboo tree grow. Amazing.

Don’t you wish your life was like that? Don’t you wish things would change right in front of your eyes, minute by minute? Don’t you wish by the end of the day you would see massive growth and change?

But, you don’t, do you? You woke up today feeling like it’s going to be another day of maximum effort and minimal results. You dread what today will require of you, and already feel bitter about the results you have coming your way. You know no matter how much laundry you do today, at the end of the day there will still be more. Nothing ever really changes for you. And no, I’m not just talking about laundry.

You feel stuck. You feel unimpressed. And maybe you’ve checked out.

But here’s what you need to know about the fastest growing plant in the world … for the first 4 years, it did absolutely nothing. For 4 years, the seed of the Chinese Bamboo lay in the ground with zero signs of growth. It didn’t break through the ground, it didn’t sprout up, it didn’t grow AT ALL.

Year one, you water it and care for it, and you get nothing.

Year two, you still water it and care for it, and still you get nothing.

Year three, you question why you’re still watering and caring for something that isn’t growing, but you do it any way.

Year four, honey there is still absolutely nothing and people think you’re crazy. Nothing is ever going to happen.

But, after the fourth year, sudden and extreme growth happens. Where care had been given for four long years, suddenly results are seen.

What was happening all this time under the ground? A root system was growing. Preparation for breakthrough. Without this root system, the future growth of 35 inches a day could never be held.

Your change is coming, my sister. Breakthrough is on it’s way. You just can’t see it yet. Our prayer today is, “Lord, don’t let me give up on what you’ve been working on in the unseen.”

The Lord says in Isaiah 43:19 “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

It’s not that God hasn’t been working on this situation of yours all along, because honey, he has! He’s always been working on this. It’s just been underground, root system work. Core work. Soul work. But what God is saying is, I’ve already been doing the work, you just can’t give up in the preparation time where you can’t see it.

What has God been doing in the unseen for you? BIG THINGS! Things your mind cannot imagine. Supernatural changes are on their way. World record growth in the exact place where you’ve been watering the ground with your tears of frustration saying nothing is changing.

The time of your complaining has come to an end. The worry flowing from your mouth and filling your conversations has been put on order to cease. This is a Spirit of Shut Up. No more doubting. No more fearful ‘what if’ scenarios spoken about. No more negativity.

God says ZIP IT!

God is working in your life. He is in the process of fulfilling his every promise to you. He is actively moving mountains on your behalf and aligning miraculous details for your journey. Oh, you can’t see it yet, but it’s happening. Your mind hasn’t even dared to imagine the things God has planned for you, but the plans have been set in motion. Now, God is ordering your mouth to get in alignment!

I listened to a sermon yesterday from Elevation Church on the story of Zechariah from Luke chapter 1. In the early hours of this morning, God woke me up well before my alarm, with his request for me to dig deeper on this story. So, you and I are going digging this morning!

Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were good people. They loved and obeyed God. They did everything right, yet their prayers for a baby seemed to go unheard. They had prayed. They had asked. And nothing had ever changed. Now, the time for having babies was well past gone, it was too late. All hope was gone. Their delayed dream became an unanswered prayer sitting in the land of impossible.

Maybe you too have something that is too far gone. Something that you once hoped for and prayed over, but nothing ever changed. Nothing ever happened. And now it sits in the impossible. Just a reminder of a prayer that went unanswered for you. A flame of hope that went out. A big ol’ pile of disappointment that threatens to make you bitter.

But, my sister, God wants you to know HE HEARD YOUR PRAYER! Yes he did. He heard it from the moment you first prayed. He has heard it every time you brought it to his throne asking. There’s not a single time he hasn’t heard you.

And I get it, it’s hard to believe that when your reality doesn’t seem to align with heard prayers. It’s hard to continue to have faith that your every prayer has set God’s power in motion when you have no proof of what you’ve been praying for. But God wants you to know he has heard you and he has every intention on revealing to you his divine answer to your every prayer. I don’t know when, and I don’t know how, but you’re going to see he has always been at work for you.

So here Zechariah is, an old man with no children, and he has been chosen as the priest to go into the temple to burn incense. There, within the temple, Zechariah has an encounter that changed everything.

Luke 1: 11-19 “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

Why is it we suffer alone? Why do we struggle our way through life entirely more than is necessary? Really, why are you here today, silently battling whatever you’re battling, thinking this is just the way it’s going to be for you?

Girls, we are entirely too quick to make peace with our problem and settle into an existence that is far short of what God has available for us. And I believe it’s time for that to change.

Today, God led me to a very direct question for us each to consider. Now this isn’t a surface level, check the box and be done with it kind of question, rather, it’s a let God get deep in your mind and your heart and reveal to you what might me off. Here’s the question: Have you really sought God for this?

Yes, this. This problem. This thing you’re struggling with. This decision that needs to be made. This thing that doesn’t seem to be working for you. This change you’ve been seeking, but change that hasn’t happened yet. Are you genuinely, wholeheartedly, and persistently seeking God in this?

Or have you been trying to do this on your own? Have you dismissed your life and your struggles as too insignificant for a great big, powerful God? Have you assumed because it’s always been this way, that it will continue to always be this way and it’s just your lot in life? Well, what if it could be different?

I mean, what if you grew up poor and you continue to be poor so it’s what you know, now you assume money will always be a burden for you and living paycheck to paycheck is your destiny. But wait, your Daddy is referred to as the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills, and he also says all that he has is yours. Let me tell you exactly what those 2 scriptures mean. When God says he’s the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills in Psalm 50:10, he’s telling us he made it all and it all belongs to him. Everything is his. His resources are unlimited. And these unlimited resources which are all in his hands, he willingly offers to his children. When Jesus says, “All I have is yours” in John 17:10, his generous hands are open.

My sister, Jesus’ generous hands are open to YOU. Did you know that?

What if you’re stuck in indecision, without a clear direction on where to go and what to do next? You want to do what is right, but you’re just not sure of what is actually right. You’re so afraid of screwing this up that you’ve sat here and gotten stuck. Well, Sis, did you know this entire time you’ve had direct access to the one who knows exactly what to do next?

God says in Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” He knows what you don’t know, and he has the power to move any mountain in the way for you. And Jesus says in James 4:2 “You do not have because you do not ask God.”

Girl, it’s time to ask God. And not passively. No, it’s time to boldly ask. Again and again and again. Cry out to him and tell him exactly what you want and need. Stop settling for the way things have always been, your God is bigger than that!

God is calling you out of the corner where you’ve been hiding in your silent struggle. He’s calling you out of the shame of the problem you don’t talk about. He’s calling you out of the limited thinking you’ve been stuck in.

This morning, God led me to the story of Jesus healing a blind man, and he showed me something very specific to share with you. The story is in Luke 18: 35-43:

Has God been faithful to you? Do you have anything in your life as a direct result of his hand of mercy and grace over you? Does he know how you feel about it?

Seriously, does God KNOW you’re grateful? Have you told him?

Luke 17: 11-19 tells the story of Jesus encountering 10 men with leprosy. Of course Jesus does what Jesus does … he heals them. But what we need to remember is HOW he healed them and WHAT happened afterwards. Within this story is the “right stuff” for us today.

“On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus was going into a village where 10 men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.”

There’s more to the story, but let’s stop right here. Did you hear that … AS THEY WENT, they were cleansed. It was their act of faith in simply going in the direction Jesus told them to go. On their way, they were healed.

It’s not so much about our arrival to a specific destination in life, Jesus just wants us to go the right direction in obedience. And when we do, things change. Yes, our problems are often solved ON THE WAY when we turn and go where God wants us to go.

We have become so destination focused. “God, where do you want me to work?” “Lord, where are you taking our family in 10 more years?” “God, where exactly do you want me to go next year? I feel like I need to map this all out.”

Maybe God isn’t so much about the destination but the direction. What if our prayers became more about “God, help me to go in the right direction.” What if we were to release our incessant need to know how this is all going to work out and when exactly it will happen, and instead have a desire to simply be going in the right direction.

AS THEY WENT, THEY WERE HEALED.

The lives of the lepers radically changed when they simply pointed in the right direction and started going. Scripture doesn’t even say they ever made it to their destination of meeting with the priests. It was their act of obedience to turn in the right direction that brought their answers.

These were outcasts with a highly contagious disease. These lepers were supposed to hide on the outskirts of town while their limbs rotted off from this horrible disease. They were seeking Jesus for healing. Imagine their disappointment when his only answer was “go over there.”

Have you ever asked God for help, and received an answer you didn’t like? I once felt under attack by people who wanted to destroy me. I prayed and God told me he would defend me, don’t fight back. That’s totally not the answer I wanted. I wanted to fight back with a vengeance. I wanted to be proven right. His answer was one I didn’t like.

Do you ever get those kind of answers? Answers that don’t seem to fix anything or make any sense. That’s exactly what these lepers received. An answer anyone could have told them. Just go see the priest. That’s like the answer of “just pray about it.” NO DANG IT, I WANT YOU TO FIX THIS!

Have we forgotten what faith really looks like? It doesn’t require faith to do exactly what we feel like doing. It doesn’t require faith to follow proven steps. It doesn’t require faith for me to hop in my car and follow the directions of my GPS. I just follow the directions which are clearly taking me closer and closer to my destination.

Why are you holding back? Really, why are you withholding thinking you can’t give the very best of you? You’re not allowing yourself to go all in right here and now, because for some reason you’re convinced you’re going to run out if you give it your all.

I get it. I used to do it too. It showed up in my commitment. I wouldn’t commit to anything long term, because I feared not having what it would require of me in the future. If I give everything I have within me now, obviously there won’t be anything left for later. I mean that makes sense, right? I continually found myself in this awkward limbo of not wanting to give too much, and not wanting to commit to having to continue in the future.

And maybe that’s you. You’re showing up, but you’re not all-in showing up. You’re trying, but you’re not wholeheartedly trying. You’re working, but at the same time you’re withholding. You’re trying to save some of this for later thinking what you have is all you will ever have.

But, Sis, when you’re working from the flow of God’s Spirit, YOU’RE WORKING IN THE OVERFLOW! You simply won’t run out.

You’ll give it all today, then tomorrow there will be even more of you to give. You’ll do your best today, then your best gets even better tomorrow. You’ll do everything you can now, then miraculously you’ll find you’ve been equipped to do even greater next. The ideas keep flowing. The strength keeps coming. The next move keeps showing up. The doors keep opening. The path keeps going.

When God showed up in the living room of our tiny beach cottage in Southern California in 2012, and asked this girl right here to start hosting a devotional call every morning, I straight up told him he had the wrong girl. I didn’t know any scriptures. I couldn’t pray without crying. I don’t have the voice for this. And honestly, I didn’t even know what a devotional was supposed to look or sound like. God, I am NOT your girl.

But that day, he was relentless in his reminders, so I made a 1 week commitment. God, I will host these devotionals calls every morning for 1 week, and at the end of that week you will see I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m not qualified for this, I’m going to look like a fool and no one will listen. So, I set out to prove someone would be way better at this than me.

And y’all know the story, for that first week, I straight up plagiarized off good ol’ Joyce Meyer and basically read a page from her daily devotional book and cried my way through each prayer with 10 people listening live on a conference call. That first Friday came, and I took a deep breath and said, “whew, that’s over and I’m never doing it again!”

And that’s when God said, “That was great. Now write your own.” I thought I MIGHT have 5 devotionals in me, and even that would be a stretch. So, I committed for 1 more week, gave out the conference call number once again, and shared my own words in the most scattered, disjointed devotionals you’ve likely ever heard, but I was trying my best. I quoted every scripture that made sense to me. I told every Bible story I knew. And I was certain that was it. Mission accomplished.

But, here I am, 11 years later, still showing up writing new devotionals, because I learned I’m not giving from a limited source. My source of power, my source of inspiration, my source of creativity, and my source of energy, simply doesn’t run out. I work from the flow of God’s Spirit, and that means I’m working in the overflow.