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There’s a story in the Bible titled “Fed By Ravens” in 1 Kings 17: 1-9. It’s a story of God’s miraculous provision to Elijah during a time of drought. Anyone going through a drought in life right now? A particularly rough time where everything seems to be harder … yeah, God’s going to provide for you, my sister. And it might just be in a very unexpected way.

Let’s read the story together.

Now Elijah told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.

Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

Elijah was a prophet who performed many great miracles of faith. This was a time when the government supported the worship of other gods. But Elijah’s name itself means “Yahweh is my God.”

To turn the people from their idol worship, God would send a drought over the land of Israel. You know, hardship causes us to return to God like nothing else. God knew their worthless idols wouldn’t save them when they prayed to them, but he could. He cares more about our character than our comfort, and this drought would make them very uncomfortable.

Elijah prophesied to the people of Israel that the drought was coming, so when it stopped raining, they of course blamed him. A drought was a serious problem for survival. Crops wouldn’t grow. Rivers would run dry. Animals and then people would die. And because they blamed Elijah for the drought, his very life was in danger with the people’s retaliation.

But God will provide. Don’t you know that’s true? GOD WILL PROVIDE. He will show up in the most unexpected places in the most unconventional ways, and he will personally provide for those who are devoted to him. To protect and provide for Elijah, God tells him in verses 3&4, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

Elijah had to go in faith. Faith that God would protect him. And faith that somehow, God would provide for him. When God said, “drink from the brook”, Elijah had to wonder when the water would run out. God didn’t promise him it wouldn’t run out, he simply told him to go there in obedience.

God isn’t promising you what he’s given you today will last forever. This entire life is temporary, it’s all going to run out. But can’t you see what he’s given you here for right now? Can’t you see how it’s enough? And don’t you know when this runs out, he will provide in a new way?

But what about those ravens? Ravens, not to eat, but ravens to carry food right to him twice a day. The Lord had commanded the ravens to bring him food. Ravens are large black birds considered at that time to be unclean. You couldn’t eat them or even touch them according to religious laws. So how absolutely bizarre this is God’s chosen means of bringing Elijah food. God could have had fish miraculously flop themselves onto the bank of the river, but no, he has ravens bring bread and meat to him each morning and evening. He could have arranged for kind travelers to secretly bring him a picnic, but no, God chose the ravens. The unclean thing. The forbidden thing by law. This is God’s chosen method of miraculous provision.

You know all those rules and guidelines you put on how things are supposed to be and how God can and can’t work … well, it’s time to drop that! God can use absolutely anything and anyone he wishes, and he can do it any how and any time. Your job isn’t to figure it out, qualify it or predict it, your job is to do exactly what Elijah did and live in trained obedience.

God was training Elijah to be obedient. He was training him to fully trust him when every day his very continued existence seemed so totally unlikely.

Then, guess what happened next. The brook that brought him water dried up. God’s provision ran out. What do you do when what God has given you runs out? What do you do when the blessing you were living on stops being a blessing? Will you trust him then?

Trained obedience teaches us that we must trust in God over his blessings. The blessings of finances, the blessings of health, the blessings of beautiful relationships … those are like a little brook that very well may run out in a drought. But God will always guide your next step to blessings when you are living in your trained obedience.

The Lord next told Elijah to go to a village where he had instructed a widow to feed him. This was equally as strange and unlikely as the ravens carrying meat and bread twice a day. Widows were known to not only be poor, but desperately poor. Going to a widow for food during a drought made absolutely no sense. I think God is trying to train his sons and daughters to be obedient even when it’s absolutely ridiculous.

There’s so much more to this story. In fact, my favorite part is coming when the widow receives miraculous provision that just wouldn’t run out. But for today, we’re going to just sit with those ravens.

The ravens, the unexpected carriers of God’s provision. Have you ever had a raven show up in your life with exactly what you need, just when you need it. That $20 bill you found in a pocket right when you needed gas. That loving word when you were at your absolute lowest. That boss that gave you the job when you weren’t qualified, but it was an open door for you. God’s ravens.

Now, consider how God is prompting you with this story:

“A little boy, having read the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 with his widowed mother one wintry night in Germany, as they sat in a fireless room, beside a bare table, asked her if he might leave the door open for God’s ravens to come in; he was so sure that they must be on their way. The mayor of that German town passed by and saw the widow and her son sitting inside. He entered the cold room and asked why they had left the door open as they did. When he learned the reason, he said, ‘I will be God’s raven; and relieved their need then and afterwards.”

Girls, God is asking us to be his ravens. And here’s the really great news … you don’t have to clean yourself up first. You don’t have to show up with all the right words or an abundance of anything. God’s just asking you to show up and then do whatever it is he asks you to do. Whatever it is you see you can do.

So yeah, you know all those rules and guidelines you put on how things are supposed to be and how God can and can’t work … we’re dropping that! God can use absolutely anything and anyone he wishes, and he can do it any how and any time. Your job isn’t to figure it out, qualify it or predict it, your job is to live in trained obedience and sometimes you get to be the raven.

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What do you do when you don’t know what you’re doing? What do you do when you don’t know how to do it or what to say? How quickly do you turn to the Google or ChatGPT for your answers? Your circle of girlfriends don’t know any better than you, so why are they always your source of guidance? Your all-powerful, all-knowing God has been just waiting for you to ASK HIM!

Have you asked God to help you do the right thing? Have you asked God to help you say the right thing? Have you asked God to help you navigate this to get to where you’re supposed to go? I assure you of this, God knows more than ChatGPT! He holds your divine answer … and he’s not trying to hold that divine answer from you.

King David had a son named Solomon. Solomon was chosen as the next king when he was only 20 years old. He had massive shoes to fill and an overwhelming job to be done, and he didn’t have the slightest clue how to do it. So here’s what he did: First, he made an offering to God in full surrender.

1 Kings 3:4, “The king went to Gibeon and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings.” Now understand, the sheer quantity of these offerings would have taken some serious work and several days. This sacrifice showed Solomon’s dedication to God. It reflected his true priorities. It revealed his absolute surrender to the Almighty. With his newly appointed high position, he didn’t have to do this, he CHOSE to do this.

And here’s what happens next: 1 Kings 3:5, “That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, ‘What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!'”

God’s offering of absolutely anything Solomon wanted came after his fully surrendered heart and aligned priorities. God responds to our sacrifice. He responds to our commitment to him. So really think about that before you start rambling off your list of requests … what have you sacrificed for God? Where are you offering your best? Does he have a prominent space in your daily life? Is there a set aside portion of you for him?

Imagine if God asked you this same question today. What do you want? God can do absolutely anything, now what would you ask him for. Ponder that for a second. Your answer reveals your heart. And maybe God hasn’t made the offer to us because he knows our hearts aren’t fully surrendered to him yet. We’re still holding back. We’re still divided. We’re still selfish and surface level.

But Solomon wasn’t. Solomon replied to God’s offer in verse 7-9, “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

Now THAT is a good answer! Give me an understanding heart. Verse 10, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.”

The prayer of asking God what to do, when to do it, and how to do it PLEASES THE LORD. He wants you to seek him for guidance over the Google, over ChatGPT and over your circle of girlfriends. God says, ASK ME!

James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” MSG translation says, “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help!” Oh, that’s you, isn’t it. Girl, you totally don’t know what you are doing. Then you should ask God for help with that! VOICE translation says, “If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it He will grant you all that you need.” Notice, God will grant you all the wisdom you NEED, and the truth is, sometimes you’re trying to figure things out that you really don’t need to figure out. Sometimes you’re delaying action because you’re trying to understand the details first, but your understanding of the details isn’t required. God will grant you the wisdom YOU NEED and you simply don’t need to know everything.

When does he give you that wisdom? When you ask him! Girl, have you asked God for help with this?

In my 49 years of life I’ve figured out one thing – I really don’t know what I’m doing the majority of the time … and I don’t have to. I’m just wandering around bumping into blessings and provisions. I’m stumbling into purpose and divine plans. Faith is required for this journey, otherwise I would full on freak out over the tiny thread my entire life hangs from. My need to know everything will only trip me up. All I need is a surrender to God and a relationship that stays in communion with him. God’s got my answers! I’m simply learning to be a good asker!

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.” Woah – does that hit you the way it does me? It’s not enough to ask once, keep asking. Again and again and again. What is the prayer you keep coming to God with? The one that you’ve prayed over and over again. God, please heal this. God, please fix this. God, please restore this. Yes, you keep on asking! That’s what Jesus said. No, God’s not tired of hearing you ask the same thing. He’s not offended by your continual request. He’s not burdened by you still praying about this. That’s obedience. That’s surrender. Keep praying, Sis!

Jesus also said in John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” Hey, guess what – Jesus actually meant that. He wasn’t just saying it to make you feel better. He’s serious. If you receive, believe, remember and meditate on the truths of Jesus, your desires will be aligned with God’s perfect will, then you can ask anything and it will be granted. When your life is saturated by Jesus, the prayers of your heart fall in alignment with God’s heart, and the answer is always yes.

My heart is still in the process of getting there.

1 John 5:14, “We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.”

So, back to Solomon, we see the prayer that always pleases God. The prayer for an understanding heart. Now, this is huge … Solomon did not ask for an understanding MIND, he asked for an understanding HEART. A heart that understands is different than a head that understands. This isn’t about head knowledge and things making sense. The things of God simply cannot make sense in our limited human minds, but they can make sense in our fully surrendered hearts.

Lord, give me an understanding heart. A heart that gets it. A heart that is tender to your ways. A heart that is broken by the things that break yours. A heart that is passionate about the things of your heart.

God has offered Solomon absolutely anything he wants, and Solomon has asked for an understanding heart so he can be a good king. The Hebrew word used for understanding in this scripture actually means “hearing”. Solomon wanted a HEARING HEART that would better listen to God. Now that is a game changer prayer.

Lord, give me a hearing heart that listens to you. A hearing heart is led by the Spirit. A hearing heart is obedient. A hearing heart trusts. A hearing heart does things that don’t make sense. Maybe that’s been our block – we’ve been trying to have an understanding mind instead of a hearing heart. We’ve been trying to wrap our brain around things instead of surrender our heart to those things.

God, if you’re saying it, my head doesn’t have to understand it for my heart to follow it. My heart is listening for you.

Oh, that’s good isn’t it?!!!!!

God is pleased with this prayer! Now, check out what God does next. 1 Kings 3: 11-13, “So God replied, ‘Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies – I will give you want you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! AND I WILL ALSO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU DID NOT ASK FOR – RICHES AND FAME!'”

Well, how about that! That’s just how our Ephesians 3:20 God does it – he does infinitely more than we might ask or think! He goes above and beyond, and then some!

And this is how it happened that King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. He first fully surrendered to God, sacrificing his best. Then, he asked God for a hearing heart that would better listen to God. And God did all that, and more!

Now, about those things that you’re struggling to know what to do – those situations where you don’t know what to say – the path you don’t know how to navigate – the things you don’t know how to fix and make right – will you ask God to give you a hearing heart now? Father, I just want a heart that listens and responds to you. I want to do this right and I want to do this with you.

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If God has called you to it, he will make a way to it, right? If it’s God’s will for you, then it will come to you, right? Impossible will be made possible. You’ll just step into it. It will just happen. You’ll see God’s miraculous works unfold right before your eyes when you’re standing in the right place at the right time.

Yip, that’s what I thought. I thought following God’s will would almost be easy. You see, I thought the whole impossible being made possible would feel magical in a way. I thought I would just show up and things would start happening. So, when I showed up in faith and nothing happened, I was sorely disappointed. When I worked and worked and everything I had was still measuring up short, I was deeply confused. Failure isn’t what I had signed up for. Struggle wasn’t my choice on the menu of faith. But it’s what I got.

So, where did I go wrong?

Just in case you’re struggling, I want to share a personally hard fought hallelujah with you. It’s one I would have never chosen for myself, but it was the one that most humbled me, then strengthened me.

Following God’s plan for your life will cost you something. Stepping into God’s purposes will require more of you than a little sacrifice … it will require all of you. It will take all you have, then more. And there will be times where disappointment threatens to stall you. You need to know that so you can keep going. Yes, God is calling you to something. Yes, he is leading you somewhere. Yes, he has a purpose in all of this. And NO, my friend, it won’t be easy.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, “The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” He wasn’t kidding.

The first time I knew God was really calling me was in the middle of my successful years. My husband and I had worked hard to build a business in Dallas, then we felt a prompting to move to El Paso, Texas to help start a church. My husband was reluctant. He knew how hard starting over would be. I was excited. Excited because of new adventures. Excited because I thought the palm trees in the pictures meant tropical instead of desert. Excited because I thought obediently following God would bring more success.

God rewards faithfulness, right? If I’m being honest, I liked the thought of being rewarded by God. I failed to read about the narrow difficult road that would be required.

We moved to El Paso to help build that church while rebuilding our relocated business. The building of that church was a disaster. The only bigger disaster was the rebuilding of our business. We struggled. HARD.

There was no money and no future prospects of that changing. This was not what I had signed up for. This is not what I thought following God would look like. I naively thought if following God required you to give up something, he would almost instantly repay you with double. Well, that ends up to NOT be the way it works.

A faithful God who loves me wildly watched me struggle. He watched me fail. He watched me hit my knees at a rock bottom and surrender in sheer disappointment. And he took all that brokenness and he rebuilt me in ways I didn’t sign up for. I had been cheap with my sacrifices. I had been selfish with my offerings. I was willing to follow God’s calling, but there needed to be something good in it for me.

It ends up God didn’t bring me to El Paso, Texas back then to build a church … he didn’t call me there to rebuild a business … he brought me to the desert to do a humbling work in me. He began showing me a faith that wouldn’t be easy. A sacrifice that would hurt. A life of obedience that would cost me something. A narrow difficult road that would lead to life.

Have you naively assumed following God will be easy? Have you thought walking in his purposes would always feel good? Have you believed some ‘name it and claim it’ teaching that tells you earthly rewards will immediately follow every obedient step? Well, are you disappointed yet?

I was. But I’m not any more.

Now, I see the work God was doing in the struggle and I see it simply couldn’t have been any other way. I see the preparation God was taking me through, and though it was painful, it was for greater purposes. Yes, we lost a lot in the process, and now I wouldn’t want any of it back! I no longer crave that easy path.

So, it ends up, God knows precisely what he is doing afterall! How about that? The God how created this whole universe and holds it all in the palm of his hand actually does know what he’s doing. He can be trusted. His ways are good, even when they don’t feel good.

Has God been calling you to something? Has he been prompting you with a deeper purpose? Let me save you some disappointment and tell you upfront, THIS WILL NOT BE EASY. It’s not supposed to be easy. It probably won’t work the way you thought it would. In fact, it will take far longer than you imagine and be more work than you think you’re capable of. Good … that’s God stuff!

Yes, go ahead and sign up for that. Sign up for what you can’t control and what you don’t have a perfect plan for. Sign up for being in over your head where God is the only answer. Sign up for it, then be ready to show up every darn day, whether you feel like it or not.

King David was told by God in 2 Samuel 24 to build an alter to the Lord on a very specific piece of property that didn’t belong to him. When David went to the owner of the property to obtain the land, the owner offered to just give it to David for free. Here David, you can have the land. Just take it. It will be easy. But David replies in verse 24, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.”

I insist on paying for this. I insist on showing up and doing the work. I’m no longer seeking the things that cost me nothing.

As I read this, I heard the Spirit of God say, “Stop looking for the cheapest and easiest way to please me.”

Your sacrifice for God will cost you. Pleasing God requires something from you. It requires your best. It requires your true sacrifice. It requires your work.

Have you been trying to short change God by only offering the easiest and cheapest parts of your life? God’s not impressed by your left-overs. He’s asking for more. He wants the commitment you can’t afford. The time you think you don’t have. The best of you, not what’s left of you.

And here’s what I know from personal experience – your sacrifice will be rewarded. Not immediately and not in ways you have imagined. God is bigger than that – let him out of your box. You will be rewarded with a radically changed heart and priorities. You will be rewarded with a changed perspective and vision. You will be rewarded with a purpose filled future that wrecks every dream you thought you ever had because it’s bigger and better than you ever imagined. That hard, difficult road leads to LIFE!

That’s just the way God does it. He is the God who Ephesians 3:20 describes as, “the one who works through his mighty power within us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Girl, you haven’t even thought to ask for the infinite possibilities God is working on in this. You’re not supposed to know about it now though. Right now, you’re being asked for a sacrifice. God is asking you to surrender, to trust him, to go, to give, to pay the price, without knowing the rest.

God holds the future, and that future depends on you giving everything you’ve been holding back here. It’s time for your sacrifice. What are you offering?

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela

I recently read a new book which has become one of my top 10 all time reads. It’s “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. If you’ve read it, you know the game changer, peace giver, and eye opener, the simple lessons of “let them” and “let me” are. I honestly cannot be the same after reading it and beginning to practice it. I’m no longer disturbed over the things that once upset me so. I’m not even bothered by my previous pet peeves. I’m just “letting them” left and right, and that’s “letting me” live in peace and joy!

Yes, I’m recommending the book. It’s absolutely brilliant.

But here’s what the book doesn’t reference … it doesn’t reference all the scripture that supports the Let Them Theory. So, I’m giving it to you now.

While studying more in 2 Samuel, I was blown away to come across King David speaking the words “let them.” David’s own son was scheming to attack him and take the throne. Others were cursing him and throwing stones at him. And to all of this, David says in 2 Samuel 15: 11, “Let him.”

Let him curse me.

David says, “Let them. Perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of the curses today.”

What a lesson. It’s not up to me to correct anyone. I don’t have to convince anyone to change. I’m not responsible for what they think or what they say. If God sees it is wrong, then he himself will handle it.

Revelations 22:11, “Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.” LET THEM.

You can’t make anyone else get sober. You can’t make them financially responsible. You can’t make them be nice. You can’t make them heal. They will only fight their battle when they’re ready to fight. My sister, it’s not up to you to change anyone. The convincing is not yours to do. Your judgment is not needed, nor is your correction. GOD CAN HANDLE THIS!

You can’t control them, so God says “let them.” Changing them is not your job. If they are not your child living at home, then correcting them is not your responsibility. Judging and condemning them is certainly not your calling.

People are continually showing you who they are – let them and believe them. Take all the energy you used to spend on trying to change and control them, and put it on letting yourself get better.

You do you … You can do you much better when you take the focus off what everyone else is doing and take a deeper look at what you’re doing.

Focusing on what you can’t control makes you stressed. Focusing on what you can control makes you powerful. You can control YOU, so God’s word says in Galatians 6:4-5, “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

It’s a trick of the enemy to be so focused on how someone else needs to change that you miss your own need to change. Then we’re all just a bunch of hyper-critical, broken people walking around thinking it’s always someone else’s fault. We’re carrying undue stress because we’ve taken on the burden of trying to change every one else.

Honey, you are NOT JESUS – you don’t change anyone. You don’t save them. You don’t fix them.

Jesus is working on YOU – focus on that. Pour your energy into the work he has called you to do and the changes the Spirit is prompting in you. I’ve found there’s so much work to be done on me that I simply don’t have time to be worried about the work God needs to do in someone else. That’s God’s job, not mine. And if someone is truly doing me wrong, God will handle it.

The Let Them Theory says, “When someone feels that you accept them as they are, they feel safe with you. The opposite happens when you pressure, change, criticize, push or expect someone to behave differently than they are. This pressure puts you and your love one in a battle for control.” Well dang, doesn’t that just explain a whole lot? Where was this when I was raising 3 teens and trying to force my good ways with control? I created a battle and left them feeling unsafe. I can’t go back and change it, but I can do better now. I can end the battle. I can offer the safe space.

You get to do better now too.

We’re called to be different in this world. As disciples of Jesus, he gave us a mission. Jesus said in Matthew 10: 16, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.” Now, let’s really understand this. We are to be smart while remaining innocent. Snakes have to be smart to survive because everyone wants to kill a snake. They’re skilled at avoiding conflict and danger. Be shrewd as a snake. But at the same time, be harmless as doves. Doves are innocent and full of love. They’re not forceful or pestering. Be peaceful as a dove.

Can you avoid conflict without being forceful? Can you be smart while remaining innocent? Can you change without thinking everyone else needs to change too? Can you remain humble as a sheep while walking among wolves? This is your mission assigned by Jesus. Show up for the mission and let him change you. Let everyone else have their space for Jesus to work his change in them too.

I’m not Jesus. I’m not here to change anyone. But I’m here to be changed by him.

Where he’s changing me is recognizing the need to “let them”. Just let them be themselves. Let them be wrong. Let them say what they want to say. Let them go their own way. Let them.

And let me. Let me continue to be strengthened and changed by the Holy Spirit so I can show nothing but love and joy on this journey. Oh what peace is here in letting them, so then I can let me.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela

Within you is the battle of what the old you wants to still do, and what the new you in Christ is being prompted to do. The old you went there, did that, and wore this, and you simply never thought twice about it. Now, with the Spirit of God living within you, you see things differently, don’t you? That little voice within is changing you. You no longer want to do those things you used to do. You don’t want to dress like that, talk like that or act like that.

Recognize this growth you are experiencing! This is the holy work of a loving God within you. He didn’t hate you the way you were, but he sure loved you too much to see you sacrificing the fullness of everything he had for you. As you’re growing and changing, you are seeing a bigger and more beautiful life right in front of you and God says it’s yours for the taking!

Galatians 5: 16-17, “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

I still feel the pull of my old sinful nature sometimes. I bet you do too. We’ve been warned the battle continues.

While in Bali, my eyes were opened to how we dress. The Balinese women are stunning in their conservative clothing. Then there’s us … often showing cleavage and cheeks. I literally felt a call to being more conservative. A call to be less about the show on the outside and more about the love on the inside. Really, is it my body that makes me beautiful or the light in my eyes?

What makes you beautiful? Did God tell you that or has the enemy tricked you?

The enemy constantly schemes to trick God’s girls into selling out to the cravings of our sinful nature. We crave to be seen. We crave to fit in. We crave to be liked. We crave to be wanted. We crave to be special. We dismiss it as “normal” and “harmless” but it’s a slippery slope we play on when we cave to those cravings. Suddenly we’re finding our worth in things that can be taken, or our value in things that only the world offers. It’s all gotten twisted and we’re left seeking, chasing and craving.

Hear God now as he says, “My girl, come back to the beauty and simplicity of what I have for you. You don’t need all of this.”

James 4:8 says, “Come close to God and he will come close to you.” And here, in the sweet closeness with our Creator, our desires change.

Lord, change my desires to align with the eternal plans you have for me. Untwist all the enemy has twisted in me. Release me from the ties of this world. Forgive me for my sinful nature and heal me of my brokenness.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been studying Old Testament scripture, specifically in the book of 1 & 2 Samuel. There you find the life story of David. He began as the little shepherd boy who defeated a giant, and he grew up to be a mighty and powerful king. But with all that royal power as king, came the power to royally screw up. Have you ever noticed the more you have, the more you can really mess up.

King David had been wildly successful in every battle he faced. God had blessed him with continual victory, but then all that victory left David unchecked. 2 Samuel 11:1-5, “In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittitie.’ Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message saying, ‘I’m pregnant.'”

This was a royal screw up, and it all started with David not being where he was supposed to be. Notice it says this was the time when kings go out to war, but David stayed behind in Jerusalem. He dismissed himself from being where he was supposed to be, so he subjected himself to a sight he should have never seen. Bathsheba. She was not only beautiful, but she was unusually beautiful, and David couldn’t resist her. And when he found out she was married, he used his power to get what he wanted anyway.

This is a picture of the cravings of our sinful nature. We want what we want … and when the desires of our flesh are allowed to take control, our life spins out of control. Now, here’s the king who has gotten a married woman pregnant. The lawful punishment of an adulterer was death by stoning, and the king’s job was to uphold the law. But, the King had himself broken the law with his abused power.

What do you do when you’ve really messed up? What you do next determines if you climb out of that pit, or the hole is dug deeper. King David dug his hole of sin even deeper.

2 Samuel 11: 14-17, after David learns that Bathsheba is pregnant, he devises a scheme to cover up his sin and get rid of her husband, Uriah. “David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. The letter instructed Joab, ‘Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.’ So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.”

What started as David not going where he was supposed to go, led to him seeing someone he was never supposed to see. Once he saw her, he wanted her. Once he had her, there was a sin to cover up. Now, an innocent man is killed because of the sinful cravings of David.

Verse 27, “The Lord was displeased with what David had done.”

Let me tell you something, deception NEVER pleases God. My deception is despised by God, and so is yours. Those secret little sins, those twisted little desires … they’re digging holes, my sister, and the holes are getting deeper. Deep holes where you get stuck.

Maybe no one else knows about it, but God does. God sees where you’ve been tricked by the schemes of the enemy that looked so little in the beginning. It was just a little flirting. Just one button left undone. Just a few drinks. Just a tiny cheat. Just a little lie. But it never stays there. It grows. And as it grows, you have to work to cover it up.

Doing one wrong leads to doing more wrong things to cover it up. And my sister, this will only get worse until you take accountability and start doing the right thing.

You can’t go back and undo what has been done, but you can decide right here today that you won’t do it again. You can seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to change your desires to be in alignment with God’s best for you. You can. It won’t be easy, but you can.

That’s what God is asking of you and I today. He’s asking his girls to get back in alignment with his very best for them. Living out of alignment, chasing these sinful desires of our flesh has us losing fiercely. We’re losing who we really are. We’re losing what we’re here to do.

Father, forgive us. We have been tricked and we didn’t know what we were doing. Bring us back now. Back to the fullness of your best for us. Back to who you created us to be. Back to our worth and value found in you. Give us the courage to take responsibility for our deceptions that are unpleasing to you, and give us the strength to do what is right. Change our desires as your Spirit guides us in the pursuits that are pleasing to you.

1 John 1: 8-9, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Forgiveness awaits us when we confess. Then strength fills us to change. 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

The evil one will continually scheme to trick you into his evil, twisted ways and they will never seem so awful in the beginning, BUT GOD will strengthen you to overcome the intended evil so you don’t fall into his trap again. Then, God will bring you back to Him.

2 Samuel 14:14, “God devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.” Oh what a good God he is, always bringing us back!

What needs to stop now?

He is faithful! Now is the time!

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Romans 12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2 TPT
experiencing all that delights God’s heart becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Romans 12:11-12 TPT
Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him.  
Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times.

14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

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Just how perfect do things have to be for you to feel happy? What is required for your motivation and inspiration? Are you waiting for a list of things to be bought, a list of things to come together, and a list of confirmations to make life better?

What if we’re waiting on things we were never supposed to wait on. And what if while we’re waiting, life is passing.

Time in Bali is truly life changing. You simply can’t be in the middle of the raw beauty here and not see the fingerprints of the Creator. But of even greater impact are the people. People God made. People God loves.

The Balinese way of life shines a light on our own way of life and stirs a desire to change. I see God here. I hear the Holy Spirit here. He whispers, “My girl, you are precious, but this life has become unprecious to you. It’s time to change.”

Has life become unprecious to you? It has to be perfect before you’re truly happy, and honestly perfection is really hard to obtain and impossible to maintain. Overflowing happiness is reserved for radically special days, so the ordinary days you go into robot mode, and robot mode has your face looking like you’re either quite miserable or you’re quite disgusted.

Honey, you don’t look happy. Your energy doesn’t reflect a girl who recognizes the preciousness of life all around her.

Have we become the girl who needs to have a plan and for that plan to be working in order to be happy?

Have we become the girl who is wrapped up in the details and missing the whole point?

Have we become the girl who is always trying to rush everything? We’re rigid, negative and nit picky.

Have we become the girl who cares more about how it looks than the purpose of it? We’re fake, we’re superficial, and we are forever in a hurry about something.

I make my own self want to gag, quite honestly. Oh how I’ve strayed. Have you strayed too, my sister? Want to come back to a better way of living where life is precious, God comes first, people are loved and we’re back in balance?

Me too. Let’s do this together.

1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Can I get an AMEN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a life moto! This is a daily guide to living. And this is what I see in Bali. I see people living this command in our Bible far better than us. The Balinese people are Hindu, but before you dismiss them, I assure you they are not so unlike us in faith, and they are lightyears ahead of us in living out this command.

Here in Bali, they are truly always joyful. In some living conditions we can’t imagine, they overflow with joy. With daily hardships beyond our experience, they exude genuine happiness.

They pray continually. God is their priority in every detail of life, not just in word but in action. We learned yesterday that at noon when the sun is high above you and you can’t see your own shadow, it is a call to pray. Oh let that set in for a moment – when you can’t see your own shadow, you pray.

But even deeper than that, we learned to pray in gratitude for not just the things that are good, right, working and coming together, but to pray in gratitude for the undesirable things, the hard things, the uncertain things, the painful things. Be grateful in everything because you trust God knows precisely what he is doing.

Yesterday here at the BIG Life Bali Retreat, we spent the day with our local drivers who taught us the deepest life changing lessons. Their teaching words were powerful and left us each deeply moved. But it was the behind the scenes moments we witnessed that hit me the hardest.

While driving down a tiny street in Ubud, we came upon a ceremony at a village temple where dozens of mopeds were parked on the road. There was literally only inches on each side of the car to pass – until there were no inches at all. You couldn’t pass. A moped was carelessly parked, blocking the road to our Retreat house. Our driver hops out of the car, carefully moves the moped and parks it correctly, and literally smiles as he returns to the car and says with undeniable joy, “Now we can pass.”

Perhaps this is the greatest lesson I will take with me. Truly unbothered joy. A natural free flow of happiness regardless of obstacles.

Imagine that scene for a moment on our streets. Imagine the frustration. Why? Because we were delayed in our rush? Because we were inconvenienced? Because we are so precious everyone else should know we’re coming through?

We forfeit our joy over the tiniest of things. We rush our prayers and we limit our praise. We live out of balance and wonder why things fall apart.

What if our mission today became living out 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

It is not God’s will for you to be so rigid. It is not God’s will for you to be so rushed. It is not God’s will for you to be so frustrated. It is not God’s will for you to be unimpressed by the beauty of his creation.

What is required for your praise? Really, how good do things have to be in your life for you to wake up with praise on your lips? Are you waiting for your problem to pass, then you will praise? Well let me tell you a little secret … GOD INHABITS YOUR PRAISE.

Your problem needs God in the middle of it, and the way to get him in the middle of it is to praise right here while the problem is still prominent and the answers are still unknown.

Praise him in the middle of this problem and you will literally feel the shift in your spirit. Unleash your creativity in the middle of the chaos and see what good can be created. Decide happiness will be your chosen mood even when things are so far from perfect it’s ridiculous, then you’ll be amazed by all the reasons to be happy.

Cut the strings and drop the expectations of what’s required. You’re giving all your power to circumstances. You’re putting too much importance in the “vibe” or the “feeling” when none of that is needed. What’s needed is your consistent action and your continual praise.

God is living inside of you. He doesn’t need circumstances to change to show his power in your life. He needs you to stop giving power to circumstances and stop waiting to feel different, and start doing something different. Start living different.

Make joy your default from which life flows.

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Imagine actually sitting with Jesus this morning and sharing breakfast. Like literally being at the table with Jesus himself, talking. Think of how his love would flow through his words. How his attention would be fully on you. How everything he said would be absolute truth guiding you to the life you were created to live. How his hands would bare physical reminders of what he endured for you, and how those hands would welcome you to come and sit with him. How time with Jesus would remind you of your value and your worth, and give you confidence in the good plans for your life. Wouldn’t your worries be lessened and your burdens be lightened after chatting with Jesus?

May I remind you, this is exactly what we have been called to be in the lives of others? 1 Corinthians 12:27 says “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” As the body of Christ here on Earth, we have been given work to do. Jesus said in John 14:12 “Anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

After Jesus walked this Earth, he declared you and I would continue his work and do even greater things. We are his body now, carrying his spirit, on a mission. So, what was it Jesus did while he was here that we are to continue and go even further?

He invited everyone in, even the ones others considered unworthy or unfit. He made time for others without rushing on by. He cared, he listened, he showed up, he gave. He healed the sick, he cared for the poor, he brought peace and mercy, he forgave. He made himself available. He did the impossible through the power of God.

Now, we are here at this exact time, filling our exact space, to represent Jesus in everything we do. It was once said “Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.” Sister, it is your eyes God uses to look at this world with compassion. It is your feet God uses to go about doing good. It is your hands God uses to reach out and bless.

How will you be Jesus today?

I once took a retreat group on a sail boat in the Florida Keys. The firstmate on that sailboat looked a whole lot like Jesus. I walked off that boat really feeling like I had spent a little time with my Jesus just because of this sailor’s hair, eyes and smile. It left me to wonder what part of Jesus we’re supposed to be representing today. I may not look like Jesus, but could I love like him? Could someone leave my presence and feel like they have felt the love of Jesus?

Could we care like him? Serve like him? Listen like him? Share like him? Lead like him? Could you bring some Jesus with you to work today? Could you bring some Jesus in your home today? Could you live in such a way that makes others feel like they just spent a little time with Jesus?

Could a car ride with you be like a trip with Jesus? Could a random conversation with you at the grocery store be like a chat with Jesus? Could a text from you be like a message from Jesus? I wonder what Jesus would say if he had your phone today? I wonder what his Facebook status would say? I wonder what his Instagram story would be? Well … represent him there!

Aren’t we here to be his hands and feet?

The feet of Jesus belong to those willing to be moved by God. The hands of Jesus belong to those willing to reach out. 
Have you told God you are available to him today? Available to be guided, lead and directed by his Spirit? Available to be wherever you are, and be there fully? Available to look around and see a need, and step up to meet it?

God is continually speaking to us. You know when you get that gut feeling or that little urge to do something kind that’s out of your character … that’s God. All you have to do is listen. Be willing to move your feet and go. Go over to that person and speak life. Go over to that chair and sit. Go see what mission God has for you. Honey, you may never know the impact your presence, your smile, your eye contact, your words have on someone, but my guess is when you get to Heaven there may be someone waiting to tell you.

Jesus had a tendency to dwell fully where he was and see the needs around him. In Mark 2, we read that Jesus was visiting a town and the house where he was staying became absolutely packed with visitors. Jesus didn’t send them away, he talked to them. While he was talking to them, 4 desperate friends brought a paralyzed man to Jesus but they couldn’t get to him through the crowd, so the tore a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down to Jesus on ropes.Jesus stopped everything and healed that man because of his friends’ faith.

Next, Jesus is on the shore of a lake talking to a group of people again and he’s invited to dinner at Levis’ house. Levi was a disliked, dishonest man, but Jesus went to his house without hesitation.

That’s our Jesus. As he walked through a town, he would learn of a need and then meet that need. He made time. Isn’t that what we need to do? We need to make time. Make time as we’re walking through. Why are you in such a rush that you can’t really listen to the reply of the person you just asked “how are you?” When you ask, “how are you”, will you ask because you care, then genuinely wait to hear their reply and respond?

This is your charge today … bring Jesus wherever you go. Represent him in every conversation. Bring his love to the room. Bring his care to the meeting. Bring his power to the table.

And remember, before you go running out into the streets with free hug signs, it always starts right in your own home. How can you show that kind of love, that kind of care, that kind of power to your family today? How can your conversations with your children or your husband leave them feeling like they just had a little time with Jesus? How can you build them up, encourage them, reassure them, strengthen them, and guide them today?

In everything you do today, remember you are the hands and feet of Jesus. He has strengthened and empowered you to continue his work and do even greater things. But maybe greater things are really simple things. Simple things that change the trajectory of a life without you even knowing it.

Let the car ride with you feel like a trip with Jesus. Let every text you send today be like a message from Jesus. Let a conversation with you be like the most encouraging, loving, day changing interaction the other person could possibly have … and let them feel like they’ve just talked to Jesus.

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Easter is officially over, now what?

What happened after Jesus rose from the grave, and what should we be doing now after the celebration of Easter?

I find it interesting that we rarely talk about all Jesus did after coming out of that tomb. Why is that? We can’t leave Jesus on a cross, we can’t leave him in a tomb, we must allow him to fill the space he has earned the right to inhabit. Today, we talk about that space!

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he spent 40 days walking among his believers, teaching, healing, and doing miraculous works no one could deny. Thousands of people came to believe in Jesus during those days. Even those who were part of wrongly convicting and crucifying Jesus were given the opportunity to see him alive again, witness his miracles, and even receive his forgiveness and total redemption over their lives. The apostle John ends his writings about all Jesus did in these 40 days after his resurrection with this statement in John 21:25, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

But even with all these miracles that couldn’t be contained in all the books in the world happening with Jesus back with them, he said it was best for him to leave. How could it be better than Jesus teaching and healing? How could it be better than Jesus walking with them and making himself known? One thing, and only this one thing … The Holy Spirit empowering us to do these things and even greater things!

Jesus says in John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

But what’s so good about Jesus going to be with the Father instead of staying here with us?

John 16:7 “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

The Advocate Jesus speaks of is the Hebrew word parakletos. Para means close beside and kaleo means to make a call. Put together, parakletos is an advocate who makes the right decision because he is close to the situation. WHAT? This is Jesus’ parting gift to us! Because Jesus leaves us to return to the Father, we receive one who is so close to us always that we are divinely guided with the right decisions!

John 14:26 “But the Adovcate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Yes, Easter is over, but girls, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit because Jesus has returned to the side of our Heavenly Father, and placed the third part of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, within us! How is it possible we are walking around as followers of Christ and recipients of this incredible gift, totally missing the power we have inside of us?

The Holy Spirit teaches us all things, meaning we don’t have to walk around in this life confused, overwhelmed, or unsettled. He is close to us and close to the situation, so he can perfectly guide us in making the right decisions. You don’t know what to do from here? You don’t know if you should stay or if you should go? You don’t know what’s best? You don’t know which way to turn? You don’t have to know, you just have to consult the Holy Spirit, then follow his promptings!

There’s one thing greater than understanding … trusting. Trusting the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Trusting the empowering of the Holy Spirit that if you will just show up, he will work in you to do impossible things. Trusting if you will open your mouth, he will supernaturally guide your words. If you will lift your foot, he will guide your next step.

But here’s the thing … if you won’t lift your foot, you’ll never receive his guidance for your next step. If you aren’t willing to open your mouth, you will never fully understand what he could speak through you. If you aren’t willing to show up, you have already dismissed yourself from being smack dab in the middle of impossible things unfolding for you and through you.

I don’t understand how Jesus dying on a cross, rising up from the dead to walk the earth for 40 days, then ascending to Heaven so he could give us the Holy Spirit to live within us, could possibly be real in my life right now, but I’ve decided trusting it is more important than understanding it.

I don’t understand how the Holy Spirit guides me as I write a devotional to share with you, but I know he does the moment I start studying and writing. But if I don’t study and write, then I am not guided.

Now, tell me, what are you doing today because the Holy Spirit empowers you? Are you confidently making choices? Are you boldly taking next steps? Are you using what seems too little to do things that are way too big for you alone? Honey, if you’re not, you’re totally missing out!

Jesus promised something bigger in you to do even greater things that he did. And if the things he did just in his 40 days after the cross and the tomb were so big that they couldn’t be contained in all the books in the world, then I’m pretty sure that means we should be doing a whole lot of awesome things with every single day of our lives as we carry the Holy Spirit inside of us.

Remember, this Holy Spirit is an advocate who makes the right decision because he is close to the situation. Today, at this very moment, you and I are divinely guided with the right decisions!

That doubt you feel is not from God. That wavering back and forth, stirred up with uncertainty and anxiety is not from God. God’s Spirit within you is certain. God’s Spirit within you is mighty. God’s Spirit within you sees it all, knows it all, and holds all power. It is the defeated enemy who is locked away in Hell who taunts you with uncertainty and anxiety. It is Satan and his demons who whisper fear filled what-ifs.

Who will you listen to? The Spirit of God which Jesus died to give you, or the defeated enemy who only wishes to confuse you? Will you try to understand God’s Spirit and get wrapped up in the things which your human mind can never comprehend, or will you simply decide to TRUST God’s Spirit and walk in divine guidance?

I’m stepping forward in joy and confidence, because I know every single time I lift my foot in faith, God’s Spirit living within me perfectly guides my lifted foot in the right direction. And you can do the same.

This is Jesus’ parting gift to us. Make sure you receive it and use it! And the great news is, you don’t have to understand it to start trusting it and using it!

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