There will always be something standing in your way. There will always be a reason why now isn’t the best time for you to take the next step. There will always be a problem you’re dealing with. There will never come a day when you wake up feeling like now is the optimal time for you to do exactly what you’ve been putting off all this time.

However, that optimal day has come.

It is now.

Isn’t that funny. You didn’t wake up expecting today to be the day, yet here it is, Sis!

Now, today, this day, this is your optimal time to do what you said you were going to do! Yes the very thing you’ve been delayed, detoured, distracted, or discouraged into doing absolutely nothing about … today is the optimal day to declare you won’t be stuck here any longer!

What if all this time you’ve been waiting, and all you really had to do was take a step and the mountain standing in your way would have moved? What if you’ve wasted all these days of your life convinced the door would never open for you, but all you had to do was boldly knock on it with confidence? And what if God has given you this day of life as an opportunity to seize all he has aligned for you and you don’t have to miss any of it!

Honey, when God has chosen you, you cannot be dismissed. When God has destined you, you can’t be lost. When God has declared you as victorious, you can’t lose. And make no mistake about it, God has chosen you. He has designed you for a destiny. And he has declared you as more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! THERE IS MORE FOR YOU!

Isaiah 45:2-3 are God’s words to a man named Cyrus, who was chosen. The Lord says “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches! I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”

This is what God says to the one whom he calls by name. And did you know, God calls you by name? Did you know he goes before you? Don’t you know he will level mountains before you? He will smash down every single thing that has held you back from his destiny for your life.

What’s your role? Acknowledge that he is God, and take the next step to follow his promptings.

As a chosen daughter of the Almighty, your spirit will receive promptings. Sometimes we call those gut feelings or bright ideas, but honey, you didn’t come up with that on your own! Your spirit has a direct connection with your Creator, and he prompts you within to turn in the right direction and make decisions that lead you in his divine design.

Lean into that prompting. You don’t have to understand it to be led by it.

Ezra 1:1 “The LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.”

This stirring of Cyrus’ spirit prompted him to make decisions he wouldn’t have otherwise made. It caused him to be in alignment with God’s great plans to see the unfolding of his promise. It lead him to mountains God promised he would move. It took him to gates that would be opened. And Cyrus had great victories simply because he responded to the stirring of his spirit by a mighty God who had great plans.

And God wants to lead you in the same exact way. He doesn’t want you to have to sit here stuck in indecision. He doesn’t want you to be overwhelmed by the ‘what if’s’. He doesn’t want you to constantly look back questioning if you were wrong.

The day after Christmas…The day you wake up 5 pounds heavier to a big mess…The day after all the excitement…What do you have after the excitement?

I assure you, life is a series of ups and downs. There will be things to look forward to, then those things will pass and there will be a lull. Almost an emptiness. A lost feeling. An uncertainty about where to focus your efforts next.

Have you ever heard of a “Goal Hole”? It’s the hole you find yourself in after reaching a big goal. It’s that unexpected loss of motivation once you’ve arrived to where you were striving to get. It’s the day after Christmas, when suddenly you’re regretting all the Christmas decorations you put up this year. Can I trick you into believing you “GET TO” take them down now?

What about the day after Jesus was born? This miraculous promise Mary had received was now a real life baby laying in a manger. Yeah, now what? I opened my bible this morning and began reading what came next, searching for a guide for each of us in this day of life. And here’s what I found.

Matthew 2:1-2 MSG “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”

That last sentence just jumped off the page and grabbed my heart. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.

This is what we do today. The day after Christmas, we are on pilgrimage. A mission, a journey, a quest to find and worship Jesus. We were thinking of him yesterday as we celebrated his birth, now today, we look for him!

Where will you find Jesus today? Where will you find evidence of his saving grace in your life? Where will you notice his fingerprints on the unfolding miraculous details that otherwise appear so ordinary? Where will you look and find, this is undoubtedly the work of Jesus in my life! There’s simply no other way to explain this!

This “band of scholars” we read about on their pilgrimage to worship Jesus are commonly referred to as the 3 wise men. They’re in the nativity scene, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, divinely led to Jesus by a star in the sky.

They found Jesus because they were looking for him. Just as we will find Jesus when we look for him. But, if we’re not looking today, we may overlook his presence in our lives. We may focus on the mess and miss the miracle. We may dwell on the burden of work and miss the blessing of worship.

Let’s go looking for Jesus today! Let’s go on this pilgrimage to find and worship him! Let’s set out on a journey to seek him in every detail as life unfolds. Let’s be on a mission to recognize his fingerprints on all that appears so incredibly ordinary, and realize how truly extraordinary it is.

Girl, you have no idea what Jesus did to make all of this possible for you. You didn’t even see the mountains he had to move to bring you here. You were never even aware of the seas he had to part to make this path for your next step. You were completely clueless of the battles he fought as you slept peacefully just last night.

But if you will dedicate your journey to looking for him, your whole life will change.

Sis, if you’re looking for a radical life change in 2023, decide this is the year you will go on a pilgrimage to find and worship Jesus! Everyday, make it your mission to look for him. Be on a quest to hunt him down and see what he’s worki...

This is my 47th Christmas. The majority of them I struggle to remember much of anything. I look back for moments that have become priceless, and you know what is funny … every memory that stands out are the Christmases that were far from perfect, yet so very memorable.

Think about it … it’s the Christmases that went sideways we remember most. Perfection is over-rated, and likely not on schedule for this year!

Our first Christmas together as a married couple was in a trashy German hotel room above a night club with a mattress on the floor and our only food was an apple and a few peanut butter crackers. Memorable.

Then the Christmas our travels home were halted with frozen roads and the kids woke up on Christmas morning in a budget friendly hotel with other stranded travelers. Unforgettable.

The Christmas we had no money for gifts, so our gift was a lobster we cooked and shared. Priceless.

The Christmas we had a crazy food gift exchange and you had to eat whatever you received. One person received sardines in mustard sauce and there was puking involved. Hilarious.

The Christmas our car broke down, so hubby and I pulled over and made out on the side of the road until help arrived. Really unforgettable.

These are the memorable Christmases. Sometimes we need to be stripped of all the extra to remember what is at the core of Christmas.

Perfection is not on schedule this year. Sis, drop that expectation now.

This Christmas my only wish was to have all 3 of my kids home for the first time in 4 years. We only got 1/3 of the way there. It’s not what I wished for, and maybe you’re facing a Christmas reality that isn’t what you wished for. Well, Christmas doesn’t have to suck for either of us, Sis.

Maybe this isn’t the Christmas you would have chosen. Maybe someone really important is missing this year and their empty seat creates a deep ache within you. Maybe relationships are strained, loved ones aren’t speaking, and half of you are walking around disappointed. Will you still show up as the best version of you? Will you still make the most of this? Will you make memories that will last a lifetime? Will you see the priceless moments as they unfold and savor them as they’re happening?

My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night. It’s one of those songs I sing every year during a candlelight service that gets me all choked up. It says:

“A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.Fall on your knees. Oh hear the angel voices. O night, divine. O night, when Christ was born.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. Our world is weary after past few years, it’s time to remember the thrill of hope.

Jesus came to this world on that holy night to offer you and I hope. A hopeless world received hope. You and I, hopeless in our overwhelm, hopeless in our bad habits, hopeless in our stress and mess, we received hope.

This is our gift. It is hope. Hope that there’s a purpose in all of this. Hope that we’re not alone. Hope that there’s a good plan and we haven’t missed it.

Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Understand our God is the God of hope. And hope comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

You are not hopeless. There is not a single situation in your life that is hopeless. God reigns over all.

Give yourself a point for each one that describes you today:

* You still have to wrap gifts.* You still have to plan a big meal.* You still have to buy a crapton of groceries.* You still have to clean your messy house before company arrives.* You still have to buy a few last minutes gifts.* You still have to make Christmas cookies and treats.* You still have to take family photos.* You still have so many things on the Bucketlist you have to do: You have to drive around and look at Christmas lights, you have to take a photo with Santa, you have to drink hot chocolate, you have to sing Christmas carols, and oh crap you still have to do some sort of random act of kindness.

How many points did you rack up? How behind are you on all the things on all the lists?

I’m at a zero. None. And ya’ll it’s not because I’m super organized and ahead of schedule. It’s because I’ve screwed up enough Christmases with all the things, to now understand I actually don’t HAVE to do any of this, I GET TO.

You still GET to buy a few last minute gifts for people you love? You still GET to go to a grocery store that has absolutely everything you need all at your fingertips without you having to kill it, pluck it, skin it, or harvest it? You just get to grab it off the shelves, buy it with money you’re walking around with, and take it home in your vehicle that runs?!! Oh my gosh, you’ve hit the jackpot sister!

You still GET to make cookies? You GET to prepare your home for company? You GET to wrap presents? You GET to go see Christmas lights and you GET to drink hot chocolate? Oh my gosh, best day ever! And you GET to take photos with beautiful people?

Look at all the joy you have still ahead of you. Look at all you have been blessed to get to do.

Why do we make this a chore? Why do we commit ourselves to doing things, then show up with dread to do them?

Y’all it is three days until Christmas morning, and if you’re feeling stress and overwhelm over all you still have to do, you’re in desperate need of a perspective shift. I’m pretty dang sure Jesus doesn’t want you rushing around miserable and exhausted for the next three days because of his birthday. That doesn’t honor him.

Girl, you may be getting all the things done, but are you nasty about it? You’re rushed, you’re uptight, you’re just pushing through. Pushing through what? The season of joy? The most wonderful time of the year? The gathering of precious souls you get to share life with? The celebration of the one who came to save you? You’re pushing through that?

How about we not?

How about we remember why we’re doing what we’re doing and the sheer blessing behind it all.

Let me tell you something, there’s not room for stress and overwhelm in a life of joy. Joy requires space. It expands and overflows the edges. It consumes hours and days. Joy takes over to-do lists and chores. Joy allows you to still get all the things done, but remain grounded in the blessing of why you do what you do.

Y’all I get to go to the grocery store and buy hundreds of dollars of groceries because my soldier boy is coming home tomorrow for the first time in a year! I get to wrap gifts because I had the ability to create something special my people will love. I was blessed to spend $180 on shipping to send boxes to my two beautiful daughters who don’t get to be with us this Christmas, but they will still feel our love. And all on top of all that, you know what I get to do … I get to help plan a wedding on the beach to happen in 5...

Today is just one day, what could possibly happen in one day? What difference could one day make? This isn’t Christmas Day, this isn’t New Years Day, today seems to be just an ordinary Wednesday in a busy week. One day that seems insignificant and ordinary, but what is this one day?

In the hands of God, today could change everything. Today will certainly pass quickly. It will come and it will go, and you will either do the things you said you were going to do, or you won’t. You’ll either live it well or you will sit it out. The danger is in our assumption that today doesn’t really matter, and tomorrow will always come.

But do you realized there are 1,000 years of heaven’s power wrapped up in this one single day of your life? 2 Peter 3:8 “A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.”

So here, in this single day of life you have been offered, God has the power to do what you couldn’t do in 1,000 years. 1,000 years of planning, work, divine timing and details have all gone into this one single day of life you woke up to today. And here you felt like it was all just ordinary.

Have you ever noticed when scripture starts with “One day …”, a remarkable story is about to unfold. “One day” signifies importance and distinction.

It was “One day” in Luke 5 that Jesus is standing by a lake teaching, and he asks to get in the boat with Simon, and what happened next would change the trajectory of Simon’s life and countless others. Simon, who we now know as Peter, became a disciple of Jesus that day, and it happened on an ordinary day where he was out fishing. It was “one day”.

Luke 8:22 “One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.” And this was the day they saw Jesus calm the wind and the waves. This was the day they realized even the storms of life were under the command of Jesus. It happened “one day”.

Acts 3:1-8 “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer. A man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.” How many days had this man spent laying at the gate of the temple, begging for money? How long had his life gone unchanged, merely hoping for “change” as in gold or silver, not “change” as in get up and walk. But on one day, everything changed. That one day was an alignment of 1,000 years in Heaven. A divine encounter that changed his whole world. And it just happened one day.

Doesn’t this change your perspective on this one day you have today? It’s not an ordinary day at all when you’re calling on an extraordinary God. What might possibly unfold in this one day you have, could just be the work of God in 1,000 years.

But what if you fail to show up on that one day? What if the man who had been lame from birth wasn’t at the temple gate on that one day when Peter and John were walking through?

If this year of life were a color, what color would it be for you? Think about that. What color describes your 2022?

Sadly, the memories of an entire year of life often turn to a dull gray. Life so easily slips into the gray. The nothingness. Not great, not horrible… just unimpressive, unremarkable, and then unmemorable.

These gray years are dangerous. You can’t afford another gray year. These are the years we lose our passion. The years we drift from a purpose and start going through the motions. These are the years where we wander away from who we were created to be, and the life available to us, and we find ourselves in a dull existence of gray where we’re checked out, perpetually trying to just get through this thing to get to the next thing.

Is this the life Jesus said he came to give us in John 10:10? Is this a full life? Is this an abundant life, filled to the full and overflowing?

If 2022 has become nothing but gray for you, it’s hard to imagine life in full color again. Those bright, hopeful days seem unreachable.

How could 2023 possibly be different? Reality says it will be more of the same. You’ll start stuff and not finish it. You’ll make plans and those plans will fall apart. Your one step forward will be followed by two steps back. You’ll be disappointed. And without knowing it, you’ve already chosen the color for this vibrant new year of life in the offering to you. It too will be dull gray.

You won’t get overly excited. You won’t be overly optimistic. You will hesitate to start. You will resist going all in. You will question your worth. You will feel like not enough. And you will settle for less than God has planned for you, because gray has become familiar.

But God is calling you out of settling. Another gray year is not his purpose for you. In fact, he never intended for this year to be gray. He filled it with opportunities and unspeakable beauty in full color. He so hoped you would seize those opportunities and go for it. But the dullness set in, and gray is where you found yourself.

Can’t you hear him whispering to your soul at this moment, “my girl, I have a bright future for you.” Can’t you feel him stirring your spirit, with the hope of something new and different? Don’t dismiss that! Don’t let the gray overtake his light. Don’t allow your disappointment to steal what God has offered.

The enemy has been playing in the dark corners of this dull gray. He’s been killing your energy. He’s been stealing your passion. He’s been destroying your desire. Your spunk has been replaced with a colorless, passionless, spiritless, emptiness and you’re a shell of who you once were.

Recognize it … this is why you feel the way you do. The evil one has taken your color. However, when the light of Jesus comes fully into your life, the enemy’s darkness is lifted and these gray years are banished.

2023 doesn’t have to be gray for you. There is no dullness in God’s good plans for you. There is a fullness of life, a purpose in the daily, a supernatural filling in the ordinary. This blanket of gray must be removed!

This new year of life has a vibrant color for you, and it is anything but gray!

God’s spirit is prompting you at this moment to CRAVE something more. Prompting you to CRAVE a fullness of life that won’t let you settle for less. Prompting you to CRAVE a vibrant existence that thrills and fills your soul.

You see, that’s the problem. You’ve lost your craving for all God has for y...

It’s the week of Christmas. The week the presents need to get wrapped. The week the meals need to be planned. The week travels will be made. The week you’re freaking out because the package hasn’t showed up yet. The week school is out and time moves in slow motion for the kids. When is it going to be Christmas already?

Mom, can I open one gift now? Just one? Pleasseeeeeeeeee. Is this one for me? What’s in this one? Can you give me a hint. I’m just shaking it.

Our kids are mega annoying the week of Christmas. You know what, you used to be mega annoying the week of Christmas too! We all were. As kids we were all asking if we could open our presents early. The thrilling anticipation was more than we could take sometimes. We knew something under that tree was for us, and we could hardly wait to find out.

I remember a Christmas in the late 80’s where I decided I wouldn’t wait. I just couldn’t. I had to know what was in those presents. So one day while my parents were at work, and I was home from school on Christmas break, I spent the entire day, painstakingly cutting tape and ever so carefully unwrapping presents. A wooden jewelry box, a yellow heart necklace, a flannel shirt, perfume, underwear and socks. Oh, it was so exciting to peek at each one.

But then, you know what I did next? I was so excited over the thrill of these presents, that I unwrapped everyone elses’ gifts too. My brother’s gifts. My Mom’s gift from Dad, and my Dad’s gift from Mom. I just had to know what was in every box.

Then, I spent the remainder of the day, carefully placing the paper back on each box, and taping over the previously cut tape. NO ONE WOULD EVER KNOW!

Did you ever peek at your presents?

It is a well known fact, to this day, you don’t give me a gift in a gift bag with tissue paper and tell me I can’t look. Oh, I’m gonna look. The trill of anticipation turns me into a kid all over again.

So, Sis, why have we stopped asking God what he has for us? Why have we stopped trying to peek at what gifts God has aligned for us? Why aren’t we anticipating his goodness? Why aren’t we annoying the heck out of God, constantly asking, “what do you have for me here God?” “Can I open it today?” “Can I at least shake it and guess what you’ve done for me?”

When is the last time your prayers included, “God, I don’t know what you’re doing, but I sure am excited about it!!!!! Show me!”

Mark 10 tells the story of people surrounding Jesus with their children. The disciples tried to usher the children away so Jesus wouldn’t be bothered by them. Jesus became angry. Not angry at the children, but angry that the disciples thought he wouldn’t want to be bothered by children and their questions and their energy. Verse 14-16, Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.”

You with all your grown up rules and boxes to check on the week of Christmas … you know what you need? You need some childlike faith! You need some childlike excitement. You need some childlike awe and wonder that believes there’s something good coming for you.

I mean, don’t you want to know what God has for you? You better show up expecting! Expecting God has been working behind the scenes.

hat would your life look like if you went all in and stopped holding back? What could happen in one year’s time if you lived every day like it’s the only day you’ve got? What if you stopped wasting this, just in case it’s your last shot?

We’re talking about no regrets in the end. Living with no what ifs.

A young man once came to Jesus and asked what he would have to do to have eternal life. Jesus first told him to follow his commands. The man proudly said, “I do follow your commands, but what else?” Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The next verse says the young man went away sad, because he had many possessions.

Why do you think Jesus told him he had to sell everything he had? Is that a requirement of heaven? Does your salvation require for you to give everything away? Jesus said this specifically to this young man because money and possessions were standing in the way of him fully following Jesus.

And that day, the man held back. He walked away, wondering ‘what if’. What if I did give up all of this to follow Jesus? What if I did let go of all that keeps me stuck here? What if that exchange would have been life changing with eternal impact? But he walked away sad, because he had so much to hold on to.

Does God need all your money? Nope. His resources are greater than anything you could ever imagine. It’s all his. If he needs it, he has the power to create it. Remember the story in Matthew 17 of Peter needing money to pay his taxes, and Jesus instructs him to go down to the lake and catch a fish, and within that fish’s mouth would be a large silver coin, enough to pay both of their taxes.

You and I have experienced something similar in less impressive ways when we found that $20 bill just when we needed it most. Where did it come from? Oh you could make up some perfectly logical explanation, I’m sure, but maybe it was just God providing in supernatural ways for his girl through his abundant resources. He can drop a 20 anywhere he wants.

So, why would Jesus tell this young man he had to give up all his possessions to follow him? Because his possessions were the one thing keeping him from following.

Imagine what this man must have felt when just 8 chapters later, he saw Jesus crucified on the cross, then hearing how he rose from the grave. Then he knew. He knew he should have followed him. He should have dropped everything and gone for it, but he didn’t.

So what was he left with? Regret. In the end, he had a whole lot of what ifs. What if I would have gone? What if I would have believed? What if I would have trusted?

Understand, this young man was receiving an invitation to become one of Jesus’ disciples. Think about it, that’s exactly what he said to the fishermen, Peter, James, Andrew and John. He said, “follow me.” But to follow him, they had to leave something. What did they have to leave? They had to drop their nets and walk away from the catch of a lifetime. They had just hauled in so many fish their boats were sinking. As professional fishermen, this was an abundance of provision. This was everything! The ultimate jack pot. And Jesus said, “come, follow me.” The same words he had spoken to the rich young man.

The difference is, the fishermen dropped everything and followed Jesus. No regrets, they went for it.

What if Jesus is inviting you into the adventure of a lifetime? The adventure of following and trusting him.

What happens after you get through what you’re going through? What do you do on the other side of this battle? How will you live when this threat is gone, you have overcome, and victory has been awarded?

For many of us, we jump right into the next thing without skipping a beat. We no more solve one problem before we’re focused on the next problem. Sometimes I think what God really wants of us is to look around and say “Wow, this is good. God has been faithful. I’m going to stay right here in the goodness of this space he has brought me to before I go running off into the next battle.”

The problem is, chaos is addictive. When you’ve lived in chaos, peace becomes foreign. Girl, you be stirring up crap just to have crap to worry about! Be still for a second and recognize God has brought you through. He has provided. That old threat has been removed, so you can quit reliving it.

AND, this is big, stop creating chaos for a future you haven’t even seen yet. You’re assuming hardship. You’re assuming disaster. You’re assuming people will be ridiculous, it will be unfair, and things won’t go well for you. You’re assuming what you just overcame is going to fall apart again. You’re still carrying the trophy from the last victory God gave you, and you’re already preparing for possible defeat next.

Don’t you know, when the enemy sees God is for you, he steps back and takes note. Why would he waste his time on a girl who has peace that can’t be rocked? Why would he focus his evil attempts on a girl who is clearly protected by the providence of the Almighty? Stop looking over your shoulder and assuming the worst. God has fought for you and your enemy knows you’ve been set apart.

Many of today’s problems are self-created because we have failed to recognize peace can be our new normal.

Yesterday we learned about King J facing armies from multiple enemies at once. But he didn’t have to fight this battle. He and his people began praising God and worshiping him, and this created confusion among the enemies and they fought and destroyed one another until they were all destroyed. King J was given victory through his worship.

Now, what happened after this battle? This will be our focus for today, as many of us have been brought through the battle and we need to know what to do from here.

2 Chronicles 20: 27-29 “Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord. When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.”

Ohhhh, rest on every side. Come on now, don’t you want some of that? Sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? You’re already assuming that couldn’t possibly be for you. Recognize, that’s you stirring up worry for the future that is totally unnecessary.

How did they step into rest on every side after the battle? First, they kept praising and after the victory was given they marched directly to the temple to honor God. Then, they lived in peace! Honey, keep praising God for what he has brought you through, and live in peace! The enemy fears you because God himself has fought for you, find confidence in that! Take a big, deep breath and know God has covered you completely!

How odd would it be for you to wake up with peace knowing w...

It’s hard to see this valley you’re in right now as a blessing. It’s hard to embrace this hardship as goodness. It’s hard to see potential victory in this battle. But, Sis, you have not seen what God has seen on the other side of this valley. You have not yet even dared to imagine the goodness he has planned. This battle will result in victory, but that victory will be out of your hands.

If the victory will be out of your hands, where will it be? It will be in your worship.

If the battle is too big for you, this battle belongs to the Lord. If there’s nothing you can do here, you’re standing on holy ground where God will do the impossible. If defeat seems to be the only realistic outcome in this valley, there’s one thing you must do to receive your blessing and step into victory.

WORSHIP.

Yes, right here, where all your mind has been able to do is run through worst case scenarios in a circle of panic. Here, where everything seems stacked against you and there’s absolutely no way through this or out of this. Here, where it has all fallen apart. Here, where darkness has surrounded you and you can’t seem to find you way out of it. This is your place of worship.

Worship will turn your valley of brokenness into a valley of blessings. Worship will turn your breakdown into a breakthrough. Worship will turn your vice into a victory. Worship will turn your hardship into a hallelujah.

Is there anything you can do about this? Is this out of your hands and over your head? Is this bigger than you and beyond your reach? You are being called to worship here.

Yes, girl, this is how you fight your battles. You worship.

Jehoshaphat was the King of Judah, and he was under attack. Not only one army was coming against him, but multiple armies. Kind of like you right now, under attack by multiple things all at once. I don’t know what you’ve got going on, but it might be your health and your finances at the same time. It might be your marriage and your job. It might be your past coming back to threaten you at the same time your future seems to be falling apart.

Multiple attacks from multiple enemies, all closing in. Is that how you feel right now? That was exactly what was happening to King Jehoshaphat. He was surrounded by enemies, and they were drawing in. There would be no winning this battle, it was impossible. 2 Chronicles 20:3 “Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.”

Well doesn’t that just describe you right now? Terrified by the news and begging the Lord for guidance. Well, did you come here today expecting to be guided, or did you come here expecting to wallow in how terrible this is? Be expectant for God to guide you now. Be expectant for him to speak directly to you and give you a battle plan to fight this.

But, don’t expect to understand the battle plan. Don’t expect for this to make absolutely any sense in your fight or flight brain. It won’t. This is on a spiritual level.

King Jehoshaphat was stuck in a valley facing multiple enemies he could not stop. He was outnumbered and overpowered. Yet, you have to know HE WON! You have to know at the end of the battle, we come to verse 24 and it says “Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.”

So, how did we go from being terrified and begging in verse 3, to every single enemy falling in verse 24? One simple thing, my friend. One thing brought them to victory, and it’s the same thing that will bring you to victory when the battle is bigger than you, it’s WORSHIP.