Our God is a healer, redeemer and restorer. His desire is to guide you to living the best life he imagined for you from the very beginning.

His answer to your request for healing and restoration is YES. Do you believe that? Yes, he will heal you. Yes, he will restore that which is so broken right now. Yes, he will redeem that which seems too far gone and beyond hope. Yes he will, and yes he is.

Right now, at this very moment, he is healing and saving. He is doing a work you cannot fathom and you do not yet know. Just as you can’t see God, but you believe he is real, you cannot see what he is doing on your behalf here, but you can believe it to be true.

Jeremiah 17:14 says “Oh Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!”

As a response 13 chapters later in Jeremiah 30:17 we hear from God when he says ” ‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord.”

It’s not a question of WILL HE. Will he provide? Will he guide? Will he make a way? Will he heal? Will he save? Will he restore?

ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, HE WILL.

What you do not know is how or when.

Jesus is unlimited, so stop limiting his power in your life to do things when and how you believe they should be done.

I’ve seen some of his miraculous works in my life, and they totally were NOT how imagined they would be, nor were they when I thought they would be best. But Jesus is not limited to my human concepts of restoration, or my timeline apparently. While it all seemed to be growing worse, Jesus was behind the scenes doing things I could not see, in ways I could not imagine. Now I see my role was never to know and understand, my role was to trust and hold tight to his promises. My role was also to get the heck out of the way and stop blocking his work.

Jesus is a healer. But how he will heal may be different than you imagine. Will you have enough faith to take your Jesus out of the box and let him work in your life?

Of course we know Jesus healed by touch. When he laid his hands on someone, his healing power would be transferred. I often pray for his touch.

We also see that Jesus healed by speaking. With one word, sickness would be gone. He told the crippled man to get up and walk, and with his word, he did. He still has that power in your life. He can speak one word over you, and your entire world can change.

But if I’m being honest, I don’t believe I’ve ever physically felt the hand of Jesus or heard him speak. But I know without a doubt he has healed me more than once and worked in miraculous ways on my family’s behalf. How did he do it? In ways we may often miss. In ways that don’t look miraculous at all.

In your bible are all the different ways Jesus healed and they’re all unique and bizarre in their own way. He spit in the mud and used that mud to give sight to a blind man. He put his fingers in a deaf man’s ears to make him hear again. He told 10 lepers to walk down the path to go see the priests and as they went they were healed on their way. He told another man to take a bath in the dirtiest of waters to receive his healing.

And here’s the thing, none of these had any magic healing power. It wasn’t the mud that healed him. It wasn’t the path. It wasn’t the water in the pool. It was a step of obedience in accordance to faith.

Your movement of FAITH unleashes the power of Jesus.

For some,

Today is Memorial Day here in the US. It’s a day set aside to remember and honor the lives of our military sacrificed to serve and protect us. All gave some, but some gave all. We wouldn’t have what we have and live the way we live if not for their all that was given. So today, we remember them. We mourn them. We honor them. We pray for their families. Let us not be ungrateful brats bickering over our differences of opinions, becoming so divided in a country that was paid for with precious blood to be united.

Today is also celebrated as the unofficial start of Summer 2023. For my sisters who have endured a long, hard winter of ridiculously cold days, your blessed Summer time is here. You spent the entire winter dreaming of that warm sunshine, now it’s finally here. School is out. The kids are home. Vacations are happening. The swimsuits are going on those bodies that have been wrapped up in layers. (And this is a PSA to all my sisters dreading the swimsuits … please know your loved ones just want you in on the fun, so please don’t sit this out! You can’t afford to declare you won’t be partaking in the summer fun because you aren’t happy with your body. Let’s work together to love our bodies, care for our bodies, and stop hating ourselves into a sad, lonely, hot corner, where we refuse to get in on the fun because we insist on wearing pants. It’s ridiculous.)

Summer 2023 is here! And this will all be over in just 98 days. You get 98 days of unofficial summer this year. 98 days from today, Memorial Day, to Labor Day, the ceremonial end of summer.

And here’s what I know from experience, and you do too, these 98 days will go fast. Time will not slow down. The days will come and they will go, and they will pass quickly whether you’re living them or not. So Sis, God’s suggestion is for us to LIVE THEM!

Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

What if this could be our prayer for Summer 2023? Lord, teach me to number the days of this summer so that I live each day well and waste nothing.

Moses is asking God for wisdom to account for our time. To know what’s important and what is not. To spend our precious days on things that will matter. To value the moments in the days God has given us.

Only God can give us the divine wisdom to best live this summer. Only he can show us the value of these 98 days. Only he can open our eyes to the preciousness of this specific summer. So today, on day 1 of Summer 2023, we pray, “Lord, teach us to number the days of this summer so that we live each day well and waste nothing.”

What if you started a countdown of Summer? Today is day 1. Tomorrow is day 2. July 4th is day 37. August 1st is day 65. September 4th is the final day, day 98. This is numbering our days so we gain wisdom. This is acknowledging life is passing and this is precious.

What if we could consider every 24 hour period of the Summer 2023 as something valuable God has entrusted to us? Each day is not only a gift from God, but a responsibility to take the 24 hours and live them in a way that honors their true value. How can we live each numbered day of this summer in a way that honors the graciousness of our God for giving us the opportunity to even be here? How can we be faithful with our 98 days?

I remember when my kids were home, how summer would quickly turn into a messy house, bored kids that wanted to bicker, and a grouchy mama yelling more than I wanted to admit. And now, I realize just how numbered those days were. How precious they were. I only got 18 summers with them. Just 18. Then they were gone.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Consumed? Did you know this is NOT God’s plan for you? He never intended for you to be consumed by stress and worry. He never intended for your schedule to be so busy that you’re frazzled. Nor did he intend for you to be consumed by a career, cars, clothes, a clearance rack or a cell phone. He didn’t create you to be distracted or divided. His plan for you is to be grounded, balanced, centered, focused, committed. That is your best life. This is your truest potential.

So how do we get back to that? How do we snap out of the overwhelm? How do we keep from being consumed?

God has a treasure for you in his word today. Words written by a broken hearted man named Jeremiah. A man who was surrounded by destruction, yet knew the secret to not being destroyed. In Lamentations 3: 21 he says “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this …”

He’s saying circumstances threaten to overwhelm me. Stress and fear are constantly knocking on my door. Darkness may threaten my happiness, yet I still DARE to HOPE.

Today, will you still dare to hope? Dare to hope when it seems hopeless? Dare to hope when the time has run out? It’s easy to hope when it’s sunny and 75, but someone is listening today who is in a winter season in their life that doesn’t seem to end. A season of loss. A season of hardship. A season of dormancy. And hope means you must dare. You must take a chance. You must muster up all the faith you have and say I still dare to hope.

Jeremiah gives us his secret to still daring to hope in the next 2 verses (Lamentations 3: 22-23) “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Do you know why he wrote these words? He was intentionally snapping himself out of it. Pain and sadness, worry and stress would threaten to consume him, then he would snap himself out of that sad state by meditating on a positive truth.

What a valuable lesson this is for us. This is how we SNAP OUT OF IT.

If you continue to dwell on all that is wrong, that is all you will see. Let us be like Jeremiah and regardless of the circumstances, meditate on God’s great love, compassion and faithfulness.

Meditate on it. Did you know to meditate means to murmur to yourself. To repeat something to yourself over and over again. I imagine that’s what Jeremiah was doing. In the middle of a bad situation he was saying, “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness God.” Again – “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness God.” Over and over again. This is his focus. He has intentionally set his mind on God’s love, his compassion and his faithfulness.

What a great thing for you and I to do today. Meditate on God’s love for you.

I believe if we could ever really grasp the truth of God’s unending, immeasurable love for us individually, we would never be the same. GOD LOVES YOU. Oh how he loves you. I’m not sure if God has a need for a refrigerator up there in Heaven, but if he does, your picture is on it. He loves you, he loves you, he loves you.

His compassion NEVER fails. This means God always cares. He cares about everything. There’s nothing too big or too small for his attention. He is moved by your circumstances and conditions and his desire is to help you. He hurts when you hurt.

Part of compassion is sympathy. I guess I never imagined God as being sympathetic, but he is. Maybe God is like me, he’s a sympathy crier. If I see you crying,

When God created you, he had greatness in mind. He formed you as a masterpiece, equipping you with every single thing you would ever need. He had a vision for your life, a good plan for your days. In his marvelous ways, he created you to be marvelous. Now … let’s get back to the girl we were created to be.

Somewhere along the way of trying to keep the house clean, put food on the table, and raise decent human beings, we’ve gradually warped into women we are not. We’ve faded away. Our zest for life and our passion for living slowly evaporates. One tiny piece at a time, we literally become a shell of the girl we were created to be.

Here’s the big question this morning …. have you gotten so busy that you’ve forgotten to ENJOY LIFE? Have you missed that the very purpose for the breath in your lungs is to BREATHE IN LIFE? Not in a forceful “I have to be here and do this” rigid way, but in the natural way you were created to be.

You were made to live life. You were made to enjoy the beauties of your life. You were made to venture, to wander, to explore. You were made to capture and create. Don’t miss who you were created to be because you’re so busy doing what you feel you have to do, to get more of what you really don’t need.

Job 37: 5-6 “God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”

There is so much freedom in this scripture. God says to the snow, fall on the earth. That’s it. Just do one thing, just fall. And then he says to the rain shower, be a mighty downpour. Yes, just do the one thing I created you to do, and do it well. You’re rain, so rain. Come on down. You’re snow, so snow.

And my sweet sister, you are YOU. Totally special and unique you, and all you have to do is you. Just do you. And do it the best you can. You don’t have to try and be something you’re not. Stop trying to contort and twist yourself to match the pictures in the magazine. And don’t you dare play little and shrink back into the corner. Do what you were created to do. Be you. Fully you, not a watered down, held back, house-broken, tamed version of you. Be the FULL version of you. Passionate and powerful.

This is your mission. And that’s it. Take the weight off your shoulders. All God’s asking you to be is the one thing he’s already created you to be. Let what’s in you come out and play. Let the real you step forward and start running the show.

Trade your exhausting quest of more for the replenishing, refreshing, renewal of who you already are. Peel back the layers of expectation and pressure, and find the girl God created you to be.

Can you enjoy the life you have been given to live? Can you do what you were created to do? As the snow is just supposed to fall and the rain is supposed to be a downpour, you were created to live. Live as only you can. Give the love only you can give. Show up exactly where you are with exactly what you have and give it your all.So start living. Living bigger. Living more intentionally. And ON PURPOSE be the girl you were created to be.

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I have chosen to live a very unique lifestyle. Yes, I’m homeless. I have no idea where I will sleep beyond tomorrow night. I not only vacation that way, I live that way. Permanently. And yes, it’s by choice.

You see, many years ago, I woke up in the big house I had worked so hard to buy and fill, and I realized I felt quite empty. All I had ever wanted was now mine, and yet there was a deep ache of boredom within. There had to be more to life than mopping all that square footage. There had to be more than seeking the next piece of furniture to perfectly fill that space. There had to be more than a week long vacation I was living for.

So, we sold it all and gave the rest away. Homeless. Wanderers. Adventurers. Nomads. Gypsies. Crazy. We’ve been called all the things.

But more than anything, I would say, I live with my eyes wide open. No day is the same, so I can’t afford to sleep through it, worry it away, or stress out in the middle of it. I’ll be missing something I’ve never seen before. I’ll be wasting something that may never come again.

Isn’t the same true in your life. There are things happening today that will never, ever happen again. Things you will miss if you worry your way through this day. You’ve been given a life you can’t afford to miss, but maybe you’re missing it and don’t even realize it because it’s all so normal now.

I could show up for a night in your hometown and have a radically different experience. Why? Because it’s different to me, but all the same for you. I have the gift of fresh eyes where the eyes of the locals have become a little glazed over with the repetitiveness of life.

As much as you may think you want a predictable, predetermined, safe life where nothing ever changes and all things are guaranteed to stay the same, YOU REALLY DON’T WANT THAT. Your soul is craving change. Your eyes are desperate for new and exciting. And yet we cling to what “has been” with a death grip and fight change like the devil himself.

Let me tell you something, the very change you’re fighting may not be a work of the enemy, it may be the design of our almighty God to keep you fully alive in this life. To open your eyes once again, to snap you out of robotic living. To give you days you will actually REMEMBER instead of weeks, months and years of your life passing in a gradual decline.

It is time for change.

And oh how we serve the God of change. He created the seasons to continually change. He created our bodies to be in a constant state of change. He created this world to evolve, grow and change. So of course things are going to change. You can hate it and fight it, or you can embrace it and flow with it.

The truth is, God throws us some curveballs.

Have you ever been thrown a curveball in life? Things didn’t go the way you imagined. You thought it was going one way, then it changed and went another way. Yeah, me too. What does it mean when life seems to get out of control? What does it mean when the bottom drops out of your plans and you’re striking out?

How do you receive change? Do you flip out? Do you panic? Do you begin imagining your ultimate failure and demise immediately? Do you quit? Or do you TRUST? Do you trust that change is God’s curveball to keep you IN THE GAME. It’s not to strike you out; but rather so you can hit it out of the park.

Change is God’s curveball to give you fresh eyes, to wake you up, to keep you from growing so comfortable that you just drift through this week, this month, this year where things are stagnant and unimpressive.

Proverbs 31: 17 & 25 “She is energetic and strong,a hard worker. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

Proverbs 31 gives us much of an outline of the woman we were each created to be. In both of these verses, our strength is referenced. Let me tell you something, you are a STRONG woman. You are fully capable with the power of God in you. Whatever it is you are facing, YOU CAN DO THIS.

The enemy wants you to believe you are weak. He strips you of your confidence and tells you that you can’t. He tells you that you will fail. He tells you that you’ll never change and you will always struggle. He tells you what you did will never be forgiven. He tells you it’s too late. But the devil’s a liar. I challenge you to choose carefully who you believe today.

This scripture says “she is energetic and strong.” You. You are energetic and strong. You do have energy. Energy to do exactly what you need to do today. Strength to show up and live well today. God has supplied it, now it’s up to you to use it. The funny thing about energy and strength, it rarely shows up when you’re wearing your “giving up on life pants.” Yes I said it … girl get dressed today. Today is not the day to wear you “giving up on life pants.” Maybe they’re pajama pants or yoga pants or sweat pants … those pants that are so comfortable they make you want to sit in comfort all day. Today is not the day for those pants. Show up for this day of life like you’re ready to live it.

God tells us that the woman he created us to be is a hard worker. I bet you have a mama or a grandma or perhaps an aunt that was a hard worker. Did you ever notice that she did more in 1 day than we do in an entire week, and yet she didn’t complain?

My grandma was a single mother to 3 girls, all born right in a row, less than 1 year apart from each baby. She woke up every morning and milked the cow and gathered eggs before she got on a bus to go to her full time job. When she came home from work she would kill, pluck and cook the chicken herself. And the laundry, all done by hand and hung on a freezing clothes line in the winter to dry as a block of ice. And every morning she would get up and do it again. Without complaint. Grandma was a hard worker.

And me … whew, do I ever have my perception of hard work tainted. Really, did I work hard yesterday? Do I have any resemblance of this kind of hard work in my days? Do you?

But it’s not just the work we do, it’s how we do it. God is calling us to be the kind of women who show up and do what needs to be done, without complaint and without resentment. Do you know why? Because hard work makes us feel good about ourselves. When you EARNED that paycheck, when you EARNED that clean house, when you EARNED that progress and success, you FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. God designed you to NEED to work hard. He designed you to be strong and use every ounce of energy he supplies to you to do good work.

Will you do good work today? In real clothes. Without complaint?

Let’s go back to our scripture in Proverbs 31 again. “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” The woman God created you to be laughs without fear. What a concept. Laughs without fear. A woman who doesn’t care what everyone else thinks. This is a woman who is confident. Confident in who she was created to be, confident in the good work she does, and confident in her mighty God.

This is who God wants you to be. He wants you to be able to find joy today, then actually ENJOY it. Enjoy it without fear that it may not last forever.

There are no limits on what God will do for you. I’m here to remind you this morning that God wants to give you a ridiculous story. Have you been coming to him with your requests to seize the ridiculous story and wildly unreasonable life available to you?

Yesterday was a special celebration in my my world. Coach Lonnie and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. We have a ridiculous story. One of those “against all odds” stories. Maybe you’ve heard our story, well here it is again.

I grew up in a tiny little country town in Missouri. When you live in a town with the population of 2,000 people, by about the 7th grade every boy in your school is either your cousin, or you already dated him … or worse … he’s both – he’s your cousin and you already dated him. So, each summer before school would begin, I would gather a few girlfriends at my house, we would stand in a circle holding hands and pray the following prayer – “Dear Lord, please bring new boys to our school. Amen.”

At the young age of 15 God clearly heard my prayers and uprooted an entire family from Dallas, TX and planted them smack dab in the middle of Douglas County. Our population jumped from 2,000 to 2,004 and rumor had it one of the new residents of Ava, Missouri was a 17 year old male. Can you say heart flutters and radars set on high sensory. We didn’t even know his name – we referred to him as new boy. There were more girls than just myself on the quest for new boy’s attention, but I walked away the proud winner of his affection and I promised I would one day marry that boy.

That one day came 6 days after my high school graduation. Yes, somehow my parents let me get married immediately after graduating HIGH SCHOOL. And new boy was forever mine. We married, went on a 1 week honeymoon, then very unlike all the fairytales he flew away to Germany to finish his tour in the Army there for 1 more year. After that 1 year apart we were finally able to be together. A few short months into the dream life of living on love and ramen noodles, surprise surprise, trouble hits. A blood clot was lodged in my brain stem, causing a major stroke. I lost my ability to walk or talk and my newlywed husband was prepared for his bride to never be the same. He never left my side. He never broke down and cried. He was just there. A strong and steady rock. He fed me, he bathed me, and he even shaved my legs.

And God healed me.

We have since ran marathons together, adopted children together, and made life one big old adventure together.

And it all started with a ridiculous prayer. A prayer for God to bring new boys to my school.

God gets all the glory for this ridiculous, big, beautiful story that was against all odds.

I believe our God is the God of the ridiculous.

The bible is filled with ridiculous stories. Stories of floods and rainbows, stories of wine made out of water, dead men raised, the blind made to see, a man in a whale’s stomach, a talking donkey, and people walking on water. And you know what I think … I think God wants to give you your own ridiculous story.

Won’t you be willing to pray ridiculous prayers out of ridiculous faith? Won’t you invite God to move mountains for you? God loves to show up and do the impossible. He loves to do things that only he could do so we all stand in awe and give him praise and honor.

If as a teenager who didn’t even know Jesus yet could ask for God to bring new boys to my school, what could a girl like you ask for today? Could you ask him for your special person? Could you ask him for your own family? Could you ask him for that business? Could you ask him for that opportunity?

One of the most powerful prayers I know to pray is the wreck it prayer. God, here are my plans, if you have something better in mind, wreck it. And often he does.

I can spend days creating an elaborate plan of action, I can even be in the middle of working the plan, and here’s God just like Miley Cyrus warned … he came in like a wrecking ball! Boom, what I thought would work, doesn’t. Bang, how I imagined it would be, isn’t. Crash, when I thought it would happen, it didn’t.

Disappointment is a strong possibility on this journey of faith. I still don’t understand why God allows some things that seem so bad, and yet prohibits other things that seem so good. If I didn’t know better, I would think He just doesn’t care. I would assume He was just too busy. I would believe He was punishing me. But I know better. I know better, but sometimes I don’t “feel” better.

I once had a turning point in my faith. It wasn’t one of those turning points of God shows up and does something miraculous in a fashion he can’t be denied. No, my turning point was a moment of raw honesty after being knocked to my knees.

We had built a successful business, then we left that business to help start a Church. In my head, I believed our faithful sacrifice for God’s work would be met with his miraculous provision. In my head I had it all worked out. I would go in faith and God would go before me with open doors. To my absolute shock, I went in faith and my faith was met with slamming doors and dead ends. Every day I woke up believing today would be the day it would all change … and it didn’t. It just kept getting worse.

We were completely out of money and as self-employed individuals we knew the pipeline of our business had absolutely nothing in it. We were in trouble. But you see, I’m naturally an optimistic person. I believed. And I was disappointed. That disappointment crushed me.

One day, sitting on the couch, my husband looked at me and said, “why don’t you just admit you’re mad at God.”

To me, that was absolutely absurd. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t say it. I mean, he’s God. What if I hurt his feelings? He has lightening bolts in his hands, I really don’t want to insult him.

My husband continued to push and he said, “Pamela, you think God doesn’t already know how you feel? Just say it!”

And then the words came out of my mouth … GOD, I AM SO MAD. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY FAITHFULNESS.

That day began a change in me. That change only came after a crushing.

There have been many crushings since then. Prayers that seemed to go unanswered. Pain that feels unresolved. Restoration I am yet to see. And God has been working in every detail. Looking back I see it. I see now what he was doing, but I sure couldn’t see it then. So today, I must trust he is once again working and the crushing is for a purpose.

Your crushing is for a great purpose as well my friend.

What doors have slammed in your face? What dead-ends have you come to? Where have you been disappointed with the payout from your faithfulness?

It’s okay to be disappointed. It’s okay to be mad. God can handle your emotions. You don’t have to feel guilty for honest feelings over the crapfest you woke up to today. You won’t hurt God’s feelings with yours. God doesn’t expect you to always like it, but he does expect you to trust Him anyway. And here’s what no one tells you about trust; it still feels scary even...

In this life you will have battles to fight. It’s guaranteed. We were never promised a trouble free life. But we were promised victory through Christ Jesus. There will be victory! Whatever you’re facing, whatever your struggle, somehow, someway, there will be victory. Sometimes our human eyes and limited understanding struggle to see it because God’s ways are far above our own, but there will be victory.

A few years ago I hosted an adventure retreat on a ranch in Oklahoma. Opening night was a surprise adventure. We were all go ziplining … in the dark! Now, not everyone was as hyped about this as I was, so first we had a pep rally to set the mood and get us fired up. You know, sometimes courage has to be stirred, and I was the stick to stir it up. Here I was with my face painted like an NFL football player, decked out in camouflage. The back of my shirt read “BUT DID YOU DIE? No … then it was an adventure.”

I spoke about chances and opportunities. I talked about fear and courage. I taught about the game of life and the dangerous sidelines. I told them about the battle required for the life they were created for. Then the music started playing. Our battle cry. It goes like this:

I believe (repeat)I believe that (repeat)I believe that we will win (repeat)

The voices of over 100 women roared “I believe that we will win” as we huddled in close, jumping in unison and pumping our fists.

Oh can’t you just feel the energy and excitement? Can’t you feel the power and passion? Can’t you just feel the warmth running right down your leg as you jump and shout?

Oh yes, we are women who have given birth to babies and in the excitement of it all, I had forgotten my bladder ain’t what it used to be. I legit peed myself in all the excitement, and I looked around to find I wasn’t the only one who had paused in mid jump to cross my legs to regain composure.

We walked out to that telephone pole that stretched high into the pitch dark of the night, and we each climbed that pole. One by one, we disappeared into the darkness as we climbed above the trees to a tiny platform. Then, with no lights and no knowledge of what was below or what was ahead, we jumped.

It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. And anytime you come to the end of the night wearing camouflage, with your face painted and pants smelling a little bit like urine, you know you just had yourself a victory.

You and I are in a battle. Every day we are fighting. We’re fighting to live the life God has created us for and we’re fighting against the enemy who’s only goal is to steal, kill and destroy everything Jesus died to give us. But you and I are champions. We are more than conquerors. And understand when you are MORE THAN A CONQUEROR this means you have a habit of winning. You show up and win over and over again. You win when no one thought you would win. You win when everyone else counted you out. You win when everything was stacked against you. You win when you get knocked down because you simply won’t stay down.

I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

Get an image of this sister, because this is who God made you to be. This is MORE THAN A CONQUEROR. A champion. You were created to be a champion in this life. Whatever battle you’re up against, may I remind you that God is for you, not against you. He has made a way for your victory.

Exodus 14:14 says “The Lord himself will fight for you, just stay calm.”

Who needs that reminder this morning? Everything in you wants to freak the freak out right now.

Just how perfect do you have to be before God walks with you and guides you? How much more cleaning up do you have to do before Jesus wants to hang out with you? What would need to change in your life to get God to listen to you. Gosh, and then imagine how much more you would need to do to get God to not only listen to you, but answer you.

How many times have you tried to get it all together in the past with no success? You’re trying to get all your ducks in a row and girl, your ducks are on a rave. You always seem to be a minute too late and a dollar too short. You are notoriously a mess.

Well let me tell you something, Jesus likes to hang out with people like you!

Luke 15:1-2 “Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!”

Back then tax collectors were the scum of the earth. They were greedy, untruthful men that everybody hated. But then there were these other notorious sinners. Not just sinners, but notorious sinners. They were KNOWN for being a sinner. Everybody knew these guys were messed up basically. People who didn’t hide their problems real well and everyone was aware of their struggle. And these were the people Jesus was drawn to. These were the people Jesus chose to hang out with and sit down at a table with.

These are the people that needed Jesus.

Are you someone who needs Jesus? Are you a notorious sinner? We typically fall in one of two categories … either knowing we’re a notorious sinner, or feeling like we always have to share space with notorious sinners who just can’t seem to get it right.

So to the first group – those who know you’re really not getting this thing all right.

Are you notorious for starting and never finishing?Notorious for running late?Notorious for over sleeping?Notorious for being lazy?Notorious for talking big and not showing up?Notorious for being in the middle of the drama?Notorious for stretching the truth?Notorious for big excuses?Notorious for playing little?Notorious for speaking before you think?

Great. Jesus wants to sit down at your table with you. He shows up where he is needed. That little bit of “notorious” in you is like a magnet to Jesus. I don’t know how long you’ve been trying to fix this bad habit or character flaw of yours, but Jesus is not ashamed of you. He’s not turning his back on you. He’s not shaking his head in disgust that once again you’ve failed. He’s not waiting until you clean yourself up before he has a relationship with you. No, he’s drawing in closer to help you.

Where is your notorious mess? Where is your impossible? Where is your continual struggle with yourself?

Introduce your notorious to your Jesus.

Here’s what I really love about Jesus, he can see right through our layers of mistakes and missteps and see the person God created us to be. He sees the REAL YOU. The you that’s been stuck inside, and here he comes to set you free.

You are loved wildly by your creator and his son who died to save you. There’s nothing you have done and nothing you could do to change that fact. Nothing. And there’s nothing too big, too hard, too shameful or too far gone for him to radically change in your life BEGINNING TODAY.

You don’t have to wait until you’ve got a handle on your bad habit or cleaned yourself up for Jesus to show up. He’s drawn to your imperfection.