BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Psalm 37:23 – The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. He directs your steps. Your steps. Today, let’s be mindful of our steps. You likely are more mindful of your steps now than you ever have been before because of your handy dandy little Fitbit or cellphone app that tallies up all your steps each day. I mean it makes us feel good to say, I took 2,700 steps today when we didn’t really intentionally exercise at all. I’m like one of the final 300 people who’s holding out strong and putting in honest steps without a Fitbit these days, and I suppose those steps still count for something don’t they? I mean even though I don’t have proof of my steps, don’t they still count? My friend Gina shared something her pastor taught on and I simply can’t stop thinking about it. The average person takes over 2 million steps in one year. That’s a lot of steps. The question is, out of those 2 million steps you’re faithfully recording in your Fitbit each year, how many of those steps are in line with God’s steps? When God created you, he had a plan in mind for you. A blueprint for your life outlining all you could be and all you could do with the potential he has placed within you. Yes, he takes delight in every detail of your life. He has great and beautiful plans for you and all you have to do is follow the steps he’s literally lining up for you. But have you been? Have you been aligning your steps with his steps? Have you been seeking his plan for your life? Her are 4 important questions about your steps. First, where are you going? Today, you’ll be stepping. Your fitbit will be tallying. But have you ever stopped to ask WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Do you know there’s somewhere God wants you to go. Your presence, your influence, your impact is desperately needed. Will your steps take you there? Look down the path you’re on. If you keep doing what you’re doing, is this going to take you where you want to go? Oh isn’t that so valuable, to actually see where your steps are taking you. Are you on the right path? Second, who are you walking with? Show me the 5 people you spend the most time walking with and I’ll show you who you’re becoming. Are these people living the kind of life you want to live? Are they seeking God the way you want to seek God? You’re stepping with them, so don’t you think it’s important to ask? Third, what are you stepping in? Gosh what messes we create when we step into situations we should have never been in. We go where we know we shouldn’t be going. We put ourselves into compromising and tempting positions and then we wonder why we fail. We should have never stepped into that in the first place. Lonnie and I have been married for 24 years, we trust each other explicitly. However we have a rule, we will never put ourselves in a compromising position to be tempted. You won’t see me at a club. I don’t go drinking with the girls. I don’t step into that. And finally, what are you stepping over or going around? We avoid the hard stuff. There are steps in front of us we know we need to take, but we have been trying everything we can to step over it and go around it when God is saying, no I brought you here for a reason now I want you to go THROUGH this. Stop avoiding the necessary step in front of you. You’re here for a purpose, take the next step. Don’t get stuck here because you’re afraid. Today is the day. Next step. Where are you going? Who are you walking with? What are you stepping in? What are you trying to go around? Today the average person will take 5,500 steps. How many will you take? But more importantly, how many of those steps will count? Count on God’s Fitbit? Will you go where you’re supposed to go?

Philippians 3: 13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Here we are, the holidays have passed, we have celebrated, perhaps we overate and over indulged and we find ourselves in a brand spanking new year. Isn’t it funny how no matter how stressed or relaxed you were, it really did all come to pass. Here we are on January 1st and you likely have a few commitments that are beginning. This can be a tricky time. It’s an exciting time because you’re still full of hope for the new year, and yet this is a reality check as well because it’s time to start DOING. No more thinking, no more planning, no more big talk, it’s time for you to show up and do what you said you were going to do this year. And depending on how strong your will power muscle is, that may seem to be a daunting task. I’m here to remind you today that just as the past 90 days went by whether we were stressed or relaxed, so will the next 90 days go by whether you are faithful with your commitments or you fail. The time will pass. How will you be feeling 90 days from today? Will you make yourself proud as this time passes? Can you count on yourself to actually do it this time? I promise you it’s worth it. Today we begin the journey of 2019. A journey from where we are to where we want to go. One of my favorite lessons in the bible is of a similar journey. The journey of the Israelites going from where they were, to where they wanted to go. The book of Exodus tells us about this group being led out of captivity in Egypt by Moses. Miracle after miracle saved them and brought them out to start their journey. Where were they going? The Promised Land. A land said to be flowing with milk and honey. A land where their families could be free and live happily. Understand this, God’s plan was for them to live in freedom. God created this promised land for them. God showed up and did his part. Now it was up to the Israelites to take the journey there. Their journey was through a desert. Isn’t’ that the way journeys often are? Right through a desert? Right through the tough stuff. Oh that’s likely what your journey is going to look like too. You’ve set some goals for this year and in order to get there and live the life you want to live as the woman you most want to be, you will need to go through some “stuff”. There will be tough days. There will be days you simply don’t wanna. And here’s what’s crazy … today may be one of those days. Yes, this is your desert and there’s only one way to get through it, keep moving forward towards your goal. But the Israelites got stuck in the desert, literally. For 40 years they walked in circles looking for their Promised Land. Generations died in that desert. All while they were so close to the exact thing they were searching for. Understand this – their journey should have only taken 11 days. ELEVEN DAYS. Eleven days of moving forward with purpose and determination, doing everything they could with what they had. But instead it took them 40 years. Come on 11 days. I know what you’re thinking. Couldn’t they just suck it up and make it happen for 11 days? Ahhhh, it’s so easy for us to say, but how hard is it for us to stick with our commitments for 11 days? The truth is many will have already given up on their goals for 2019 in these first 11 days. We’re not so different from the Israelites. So let’s look at their journey to understand it and apply it to our own journey this year. Why were they stuck? Scripture says THEY WERE COMPLAINING. They were belly aching and moping over how hard the journey was.

Today I’m sharing one of the coolest scriptures I’ve ever read. I mean this scripture is straight up awesome, a give you the holy goose bumps kinda verse. I have to wonder why it isn’t more popular and well known. 2 Chronicles 16:9 “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” I want you to imagine God is preparing for this New Year. He’s aligning blessings and opportunities. He’s creating paths and doorways to dreams that have been sought after for years. He’s planning to make a way where there has been no way. Can’t you just see God preparing? Can’t you see him aligning the opportunities? Now, his eyes are searching the whole earth. He is searching for the ones who will receive these opportunities. The ones who are ready to rise up to the next level of living. He’s looking for the girls who will appreciate the blessings, the girls who will seize the opportunities, the ones who will make something out of everything she receives. He’s looking for those who will take it and run with it. Those who will not delay. Those who will not complain. Those who will focus. Those who can be trusted. Will it be you? His eyes are looking. They are looking. And today, they are looking at you. What will he see today when he watches you? How did you receive the gift of this day of life? You see because how you received today is a good indication on how you will receive tomorrow. It’s easy for us to believe on January 1st we will somehow miraculously wake up as a new person with more willpower and determination than we have today …. ahhhh, we will likely be disappointed. If you’re not willing to do it today, what makes you think you will do it tomorrow, or next Monday? God knows better. Could the very opportunity you seek be locked up and untouchable to you because you haven’t been faithful with what you already have? Yes, absolutely yes! God instructs us to be faithful with little, then more will be given to us. But if we can’t be faithful with little, we will never be faithful with more. We can’t be trusted. Understand today God is creating paths and doorways to dreams, he’s aligning blessings beyond your wildest imagination. He’s stockpiling opportunities that would blow your mind. And he is watching you closely to see how you will respond to this day of life. How will you handle the choices you have today? What will you do with the opportunities in front of you right now. His eyes are wandering, they’re searching the whole earth, and he’s looking to strengthen the one who is fully committed to him. He WANTS to make it happen for you. He wants to partner with you in making 2019 the best year of your life. God is ready … the question is, are you? Is your heart fully committed to him? Are you so grateful for the gift of today that you wouldn’t dare waste it? Are you all-in in living this life you have been given? Do you refuse to wish it away, sleep it away, or waste any bit of it wallowing or complaining? That’s the kind of girl God is looking for. That’s the kind of girl he wants to strengthen. Will it be you? Now when we read the rest of 2 Chronicles 16:9, we understand why most walk away from this scripture and fear it – it says “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.” There was a King who had always looked to God for guidance and he had experienced great victory. However now, when under attack again, he looked for guidance from others instead of God. This is why he is described as a fool and is now at war. He stopped looking to God. Have we too been foolish?

Our God has great plans for each of us. Plans to prosper us. Plans to help us breakthrough. Plans to help us rise to the next level of living. Plans to let us truly step into the BIG Life he has available for us. Let His plans flow through your goals for 2019. Most of us have written goals before and most of us have failed miserably at those goals. The majority of people write goals and then forget about them before the first month is over. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re willing to get up and show up and get out of the way and truly live this new year unleashed without old chains, then God has more available to you in 2019 than you can possibly imagine. Are you willing to spend some serious time praying about what God has available to you? Are you willing to surrender your goals to God and ask for his guidance in making a plan for your new year? Perhaps this is what has been missing in past years. You’ve been trying to conqueror, but haven’t been conquering, you’ve been losing … could it be because you forgot one key element? You’re a conqueror THROUGH HIM. Let your goals go THROUGH HIM. He has the most amazing plan for you my sister, make sure you’re looking for his plan, I promise it is better than yours. Partner with him. WITH HIM – in writing your goals. God, what do you have available for me? God, what do you want me to invest in this year? God, where do you want me to change? God, what do you want me to give up? God, where am I living below my potential? God, what awesome things can we do together? God, where do you want to use me? Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. God has the most amazing plan for you in this coming year and here’s what we must do to experience it. Get up and show up. Get up when we don’t feel like it. Get up when what we most want is to lay low. And show up. Show up with your best effort, your best attitude. Imagine what one year of getting up and showing up every day with your very best would look like. Yes, this is what is required of you. Now before you think that’s too difficult, let me remind you of something. Getting up and showing up feels darn good at the end of the day. Nothing feels better than knowing you just gave your best effort in a day of life. String together a couple hundred of those kind of days and you will be living a whole new life with another level of confidence and happiness you didn’t even know existed. But God knew it existed. In fact, this is what he created you for. He put that potential within you. All this time he’s just been waiting for you to get up and show up with your very best so he can reward you with the very thing you’ve been seeking. Happiness, yes God has that planned for you. Feeling good about yourself, yip it’s always been in the plan. Get up and show up. One more thing, we must get out of the way. Our God is all powerful, but he’s not going to plow through you to make a way for your breakthrough. If you’re blocking the door, then God’s been waiting on you to move. Where have you been blocking God’s work in your life? Has it been with your negative thinking, convinced something is wrong with you, somehow you are unworthy and unable? Gosh, what a line of garbage from the enemy you’ve been buying as your truth. You can stop that now. Listen to me, Colossians 2:10 tells me YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM. Romans 8:31 tells me you are MORE THAN A CONQUEROR through him who loves you. If you’re more than a conqueror, you know what this means? It means you’re a champion. Hold your head high sister and put those shoulders back.

I have a little quiz for you today, some bible trivia. I will quote the first part of a popular scripture and let’s see if you can complete it. Ready? “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us … (what?) …” This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Did you get it right? That’s Psalms 118:24. It’s saying God has made this day, now here’s what we should do with it – celebrate and be happy about it. God made the day, we should enjoy it to the max. No doubt God made this day, but will we rejoice? Will we be glad in it? Will we live it like it’s a gift? Will we squeeze every last ounce of goodness out of this day? Will we fill it with good thoughts and good deeds, or will we not? Will we thrive in this day God has made, or will we just survive? We’ve all heard of survival mode. Is that how you’re living? Are you in survival mode? I’m going to give you a few characteristics of survival mode and you can just do a little self-examination and ask yourself if it applies to the way you’re living. SURVIVAL MODE: You simply do what you have to do, the bare minimum just enough to get by. You sleep as much as you possibly can and you only get up when you have to. You wear whatever is the easiest to get into. Pajamas are optimal, but sweats or yoga pants if you have to go in public. Hair, well hair is a daily ponytail or messy bun and it gets washed sparingly. Makeup, heck no! Meals, those are every man for himself, there’s no thought, time, or preparation put into what you or your family will eat. You either grab what’s available or you go order it through a speaker. Your actions and interactions are kept to a bare minimum. The house gets a little worse every day. There’s very little energy and that energy is reserved for taking the kids to school and you’re just grateful the kids are on break right now! That’s survival mode, and this mode is reserved for a time of crisis. This mode is a means of survival when there’s a true crisis in your life, and yet the truth is many of us find ourselves living in survival mode on a perfectly good day of life. The majority of us woke up today to a good day of life. There is no crisis going on for the majority of us. And I’m going to be honest here, if you’re living in survival mode outside of a crisis in your life, you are wasting it. You were not created to live this day, free of crisis, in survival mode. On behalf of those who truly are going through a crisis, will you please, today, force yourself to get out of survival mode, and turn on thrive mode. What is thrive mode? Have you ever thought about that? We all know what survival mode is because many of us have been there. And most of us have been there when it wasn’t really necessary. But what about thrive mode? What does thrive mode look like? THRIVE MODE: It’s one part action and one part attitude. You see, in thrive mode you do more than what is required and you feel good about it. In thrive mode you wake up because you want more out of your day. In thrive more you spend your day fully awake and engaged. Wherever you are, you are there fully. You opt to wear what looks good on you and feels good on you, instead of what’s easiest to slip into. You accessorize. Man, you fancy it up so when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror you question whether it might be a special occasion that you forgot because, whoa, you look good! Today is worthy of false lashes and lipstick, even in the house. Meals are planned, prepared, and served on time. Your family can count on you to show up on time with joy. The house is tidy and within 30 minutes could be company ready. And in thrive mode, as we say around here, you G-S-D, Get Stuff Done. You use your time wisely according to your priorities. And you do all of this not because you have to, but because you get to. In thrive mode your thoughts are filled with gratitude and your w...

The day after Christmas, perhaps you’re like me and you woke up to find your pants don’t quite fit you the way they did last Wednesday. You’ve indulged, you’ve savored and you’ve taken Jesus’ words of “eat, drink and be merry” as a personal challenge. It’s BIG BUT DAY, however look closely at the title, there’s only one T in that but. Psalm 31:14 “But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying “you are my God.” Life has a way of continually bringing us back to a humble place of being on our knees. We are high, then we are low. We are up, then we are down. We are hopeful, then the wind gets knocked right out of us. There are some things in life we simply can’t fix, we can’t control and we didn’t see them coming. And although they are out of our control, we still have a choice. We have a choice to keep trusting God. Our scripture this morning says BUT I am trusting you. Before this verse is an entire chapter of all that is going wrong in the author’s life. He is sad, he is frightened, he is being threatened, and his very life is at stake BUT. BUT, in spite of it all, I am trusting God. We like to live without the need for a BUT. Wouldn’t we love the opportunity to have the next 40 years of stress free, care free life, guaranteed to go exactly as planned. Come on God, give me a steady upper. Let all my goals be reached with minimal effort. I’m looking for easy. Yes, that’s it. Let’s just make life easy God. And God in all his wisdom knows that without the struggle, without the uncertainty, without the dark times, we would eventually stop needing him. We would become full of ourselves living under our own power. Things may not be perfect in your world right now, in fact I bet that’s approximately 100% of us today. You woke up to less than perfection. There’s a stress, there’s a worry, and one big huge uncertainty backed by several “what if’s”, “time’s almost out’s” and a “this isn’t getting any better”. And what follows all of this can be a really big but. But, God’s mercies are new each morning. But God will never leave me or forsake me. But God is working all of this together for my good. But God has a good plan for my life and he’s bigger than anything in my way. But God is for me not against me. Oh, how about a really big but today? But God … But God I am trusting you. Know that every hurt and struggle you face today may not have been orchestrated by God, but it has been allowed by him. As his child, nothing can touch you without first going through the Father. Nothing comes as a surprise to him and he uses even the attacks of the enemy and Satan’s ugly schemes to simply bring you back to him. Back to God. Back to your creator. Back to your father. Perhaps today is the day for you to say, this is not what I expected. This is not what I hoped for. I am frustrated and disappointed. I am angry, I am hurt …. BUT I AM TRUSTING YOU O LORD. I choose to say YOU ARE MY GOD. Imagine standing before a fork in the road. You have a choice to make. You go left, or you go right. One way is to try and handle everything on your own. Keep it together, pick yourself up, and muster up enough strength to just make it through today. It’s a heavy load carrying that bitterness, that anger, and that hurt, but you’ve kind-of gotten used to it. That is one way. But (a really big but) there’s another way. This fork in the road presents another option. An option of opening your hands, dropping your heavy load and saying I trust you O Lord, you are my God …. now carry me. Carry me through this grief. Carry me through this trouble. Protect my heart and mind. Strengthen me with your power as I trust in you. I walk this path with you. I choose you. I choose to cling to you. I won’t try and do this on my own for one more da...

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. The night when Christ was born. The manger scene, yes the scene that changed our lives. A thrill of hope. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. Does Christmas still thrill you? Are you truly excited about Christmas? Has your long list of chores and duties robbed you from the wonder of Christmas? Plan the party, trim the tree, max out the Visa, stuff it, wrap it, pack it, ship it, make it, take it, fake it. Where’s the thrill of hope in that? Jesus came to this world on that holy night to offer you and I hope. 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. You are not hopeless. There is not a single situation in your life that is hopeless. God reigns over all. He is sovereign. He is powerful. He is true and he is just. He is here today to fill you with joy and peace so that you may ABOUND IN HOPE. “A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” ~~ O Holy Night Jesus offers hope and hope should provide a thrill. This whole thing should be thrilling, exciting, and full of anticipation. That manger scene, those songs we sing, the gifts we give in remembrance of his birthday, this should be a THRILL. But is it really a thrill for you? Have we gotten so wrapped up in the “be here’s” and “do this’s” that we’ve lost the thrill of Christmas? If you didn’t wake up excited today, perhaps you’re doing it wrong. If you’re just ready for Christmas to be over already, oh my sister … you’ve missed something. Let’s find it again. Right now. How can we get back that excitement? What if this could be the most exciting, most precious and priceless Christmas you’ve ever experienced? What if this Christmas has the potential to be that most memorable year that you look back on in all future years? Oh, would you feel the thrill of hope? But most listeners are thinking right now, “I don’t want to get my hopes up”. Why? Because you’re afraid of being disappointed. But here’s what scripture says about hope in Romans 5:5 – “HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN POURED OUT WITHIN OUR HEARTS.” You don’t want to get your hopes up this Christmas because you don’t want to be disappointed again, but God says HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. God wants you to get your hopes up. He wants you to be excited! Be thrilled. Max Lucado explains it like this – He says “Hope is not what you’d expect, it is what you would never dream. It is wild. Hope is not a granted wish or a favor, no it’s far greater than that. It is a wild, crazy dependence on a God who loves to surprise the heck out of us.” Have we had hope all wrong? Is that why we’re not experiencing the thrill of hope? Hope isn’t a wish coming true. It isn’t a favor. It’s a dependence on this God of our who just loves to surprise the heck out of us. Maybe hope isn’t actually something we do, but something we receive, like grace. Hebrews 11:6 says that “God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Is hope that reward? Could the thrill of hope be the reward we receive when we seek him? This Christmas, may you seek him. May you look for God in all the details. May you see him in those sweet precious moments that will NEVE...

Do you know that you are loved relentlessly by God? A relentless love is a love that is constant and never ending. A relentless love is one that will hunt you down and WAIT for you. A relentless love is one that will NOT quit trying. There’s no wall he won’t kick down or lie he won’t tear down coming after you. There’s no shadow he won’t light up or mountain he won’t climb up coming after you. God has always been in pursuit of you. And if he’s got you, whew he’s rocked your world hasn’t he? He sure has mine! He has surpassed any plans I could have ever imagined for my own life. That’s exactly what he wants to do for each of us. Has his relentless love caught you? Has he changed your identity? Has he strengthened and empowered you? That is his desire. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Nothing can keep him from loving you. Nothing! Romans 8: 38-39 says “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And maybe you already know that about God’s love for you. I hope so. But may I remind you of God’s relentless love for your child who has gone astray? They’re knocking on all the wrong doors and going down all the wrong paths, making more wrong choices than you knew any one child could make … and God is relentless in his love for her. Relentless in his love for him. RELENTLESS. You may be losing hope for this child, but GOD ISN’T! God has a relentless love for that loved one who is royally messing up their life. For that one who is running further and further away. For that one who you just can’t seem to help. Remember God’s love for them is constant and never ending, he hasn’t given up on them, he’s waiting, he’s using everything in their path to reach them, and he will not give up on them. As moms, as wives, as friends, we grow weary in the chase, but God doesn’t. Let him do the chasing today, let us pray. We can back down from the nagging, pushing and reasoning role and we can surrender them to God and say, “God work. Just work.” God once called you and I out of darkness. He made our fight his own. AND GOD WILL DO IT FOR HIM TOO. GOD WILL DO IT FOR HER. God will use anything and everything to bring their heart to him. He will use their failure. He will use their disappointment. He will use their addiction. He will use their rock bottom. What we must do is get out of the way of the almighty and let him work. Hand over the battle to God today. Let the same relentless love that chased you down and captured your heart do the same for the one you love who is wandering. Won’t you trust God with this? Won’t you trust that God will carry them and cover them, just as he has carried you and covered you? God’s grace simply amazes me. He takes the most unfavorable and unlikely and turns them into legends for him. Paul, author of the majority of the new testament, a mighty crusader for Christ was formerly Saul. A mighty persecutor of all Christians on a mission to behead any follower of Jesus. Wow, God’s relentless love changed his life! Can’t he do the same for the one you love? David, just a little shepherd boy, too young, too little, too weak to even be in the army, just a boy delivering lunch to his brothers … and God chose him to conquer the giant Goliath. That’s what happens when God’s relentless love gets ahold of you. He changes your identity. He changes your path. He changes your future. Who has someone in their life that needs a new identity because the one they have adopted is all wrong?

Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Today, you have everything you need to totally slay this day of living. You are lacking nothing. God has fully equipped you, he has been training you, and he KNOWS you are ready for living today. He’s cheering your name. Watching you. Believing in you. Knowing you’ve got exactly what it takes to be a champion. How does he know … because he put it in you! Now, let’s get fired up! Have you ever heard your name being chanted by the crowd? Have you ever heard people put their faith and voice behind you? Maybe you were a high school athlete and you’ve heard the crowd scream your name. I wasn’t. But I’ve been so moved as a grown woman to witness a crowd of women getting behind a single gal at one of our Big Life Adventure Retreats. Picture this, a terrified woman stands on a tall platform with a rope and a series of obstacles before her. She’s petrified by heights and yet somehow she finds herself on one of our high ropes adventures (we kind of have that effect on people.) Standing well below her you can see her entire body shaking. She hesitates and looks back, seeking a way down. And just when she thinks she can’t do it, we all start chanting her name. It was Carissa’s first retreat. She may not have known our name, but we knew hers. Carissa. Carissa. Carissa. And then more join in. Carissa. Carissa. Carissa. An entire crowd of women below were chanting her name. Even those ahead of her on the high ropes course stopped and cheered for her. We were FOR her. We believed in her. We knew if she would just take that next step, she would soar … and she would be so glad she did. And she was. I bet that’s a moment Carissa will never forget. It’s one I will never forget. Don’t you wish you could hear the crowd chanting your name when the alarm goes off in the wee early hours of the morning. Sarah. Sarah. Sarah. You can do this. We know you can. GET OUT OF BED. Sarah. Come on. Feet on the floor. Don’t you wish you could hear those who believe in you when you’re about to back down for that workout. Come on Amy, we know you can do this. We believe in you. We’re proud of you. Go Amy, Go. Or when you’re about to lose your shiz and blow your top, come on Jennifer, we know you’re better than this. You’re strong. You’ve got this. Just walk away. Walk away. Oh to know someone is on your side. To know someone believes in you. To know someone’s got your back! And have we forgotten, if God is for us, who can be against us? We have everything we need in our creator. If he’s watching you, believing in you, cheering your name, what more do you possibly need? But how do you know God is for you? What if he’s disappointed in you? What if he’s against you? I believe deep down that’s a crippling fear the enemy uses to keep us in bondage. He attacks our confidence and our identity. He makes us question God’s approval. But may I remind you of perhaps the most powerful scripture in all of the new testament? Romans 8:1 says Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, you have been set free. God doesn’t look at you with condemning eyes. If you have accepted his son Jesus, he looks at you and sees the girl he sent his son to die for. That’s it, plain and simple. He’s not angry at you. He’s not against you. He is for you. He is for your happiness. He is for your success. He is for your breakthrough. He is for your marriage. He is for your health. He is for your business. He is for your family. HE IS FOR YOU. (But sidenote, he cares more about your character than your comfort, so sometimes it doesn’t feel all warm and fuzzy.) He is behind you. Oh how I wish you could hear him cheering your name. Looking down on you this morning saying “that’s my girl … she’s up … she’s gonna do it today, I just know it. She’s gonna show up and live the life I have given h...

Christmas 2018 Bonus from Lonnie The ONLY way we can lose is if we allow it. May you refuse it. May you step into the confusion, the chaos and uncertainty of life with confidence. May you believe in yourself – your worth – your value to God, to your family, to us. May you accept the gift given to you this season, this day. May you KNOW the love of the one who Created you, fights for you, died for you, who LITERALLY moves heaven and hell to restore you to the place intended for you from the very beginning of time itself. Loved by the father – living WITH Him. May God bless you and keep you close. May you live the life you were Created for. Amen Merry Christmas. From The Usual Suspects…The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.

Proverbs 16:3 – Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. It’s time to recommit to living the life you were created for, as the girl you were created to be. Oh yeah, it’s time to get back on the horse again sister. It’s time to embrace the grind because actually the grind is good. It’s time to focus on becoming your best, enjoying the ride, and helping others do the same. And remember, living the life you were created for as the person you were created to be … well there’s simply no better feeling. This isn’t misery. This is life at it’s finest. You’ll never feel better or find greater happiness. Don’t wuss out because of the work it will require. We all know when we’re living below our potential. We have that nagging feeling inside that sometimes appears as boredom, and other times it appears as shame or guilt, or regret. And let’s get real clear … you don’t want any of those things. And you DON’T HAVE TO live with any of them. You don’t have to spend one more day of your life feeling bored or weighted with shame, guilt or regret. You were never intended to live the days of this one precious, beautiful life you have been given in any way short of passionate, purposeful, intentional and fulfilled. BUT … that’s going to take some work. Are you willing to work my friend? Are you willing to show up for yourself today and take the next step towards the life God has available to you? Let’s take a look at today’s scripture again. Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Commit to the Lord. Commit in Hebrew literally means to roll. Imagine the idea of rolling something to God. This means you let go and you completely give it over to God in full dependence upon Him. That is how we commit. We roll it on over to God. Everything we have to offer, everything, we completely give to him. Out of our hands and into his. What a scary way to live – when it’s out of your hands. For my sisters who are control freaks, this is a tall order, and yet it is exactly what you are being called into. Give it to God. Roll it on over to him. Hasn’t he proven he is capable? Hasn’t he proven he is always working for your good? Commit to the Lord whatever you do. DO. This means you have work to do. You can’t just sit around in those giving up on life pants and say God, I roll this over to you, now you do it all. I’m a just gonna sit here and wait. Girl, you will die a rusted out life full of misery and regret. Commit whatever you DO. Today, you get up and you work for it. You take the next step. The life you want is going to take some “doing” from you … so do it. Now. There is simply no more time to waste. How many days of your life are you going to spend researching, planning, and rehearsing? This isn’t a rehearsal for your big event …. no, today is the big event. Show up and do it. So, you’ve committed, meaning you’ve rolled it over to God and released your hold on it. You’re showing up and doing everything you can do … And then what happens? We commit to the Lord whatever we do, THEN HE WILL ESTABLISH YOUR PLANS. Essentially, you show up, you keep showing up, show up when you’re tired, show up when you don’t feel like it, show up when it doesn’t seem to be working and just do what you can. Keep rolling it over to God. God, this is yours. God I trust you. God I will keep trusting you and THEN he will establish your plans. God will do what only he can do. He will open doors only he can open. He will pave the way. He will make the connections. He will move the mountains. He will refresh dry bones and breathe life into relationships that were dying. We do the first part. We commit and we work … and God will establish our plans. God will build it. God will make it all come together. God will make the way.

Doubt is a dangerous thing. It usually starts small then grows into something debilitating. It starts with doubting you can really change, and leads to doubting your life will ever be good again. How do you overcome the doubt in your life? How do you walk in confidence of who your God is and who he created you to be? Can you completely eliminate doubt and banish the thoughts that make you question? Is that even possible? What is doubt doing in your life? Where is it holding you back? And where is that doubt leading you? In the book of Genesis we see the account of God miraculously making the heavens and the earth in 6 days. The mountains, the seas, the skies. The moon, the stars, the flowers, the animals. Man and woman. All of creation, he created. What a masterpiece. The sun is getting ready to rise here and I’m blown away by it every single day. The creation of God. In Genesis chapter 3 we see all that God created be threatened and forever changed by one thing. This one thing often goes unidentified. What was it that changed the world forever and still taints the world today? Taints your world today. Doubt. Who did doubt come from? The enemy. Satan himself. Satan came in the form of a snake in the Garden of Eden and he planted a seed of DOUBT in Eve with the question, “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” Now he knew exactly what God had said. There was no question about that. But he questioned Eve in such a tricky way. And Eve said, “No. We can eat from any tree in the garden except the one in the middle of the garden. If we eat the fruit from that tree, we’ll die.” Now that’s pretty clear, don’t miss that. The enemy was crafty. He was crafty then, and he’s crafty now. His seeds of doubt will leave you questioning your own truth and questioning the good things in your life. I bet if you stop for a moment today, you’ll recognize seeds of doubt in your life. This is his crappy handiwork. It’s soul purpose is to undermine God’s truth and power in your life. It’s there to trip you up and hold you back. He twists God’s words to lead you astray. The serpent said to Eve, “You will certainly not die. God knows when you eat from that tree that your eyes will be opened.” AND EVE BEGAN TO DOUBT GOD’S TRUTH. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and typically in conspicuous ways. God creates and builds and Satan just casts a stone. The enemy plants a seed of doubt and all is compromised. Where has a seed of doubt been planted in your life? Are you questioning if God really cares about you? Are you questioning if God really has a plan for your life? Are you questioning if you’re really good enough? If your time will ever come? If this will really all work out? If you belong? If maybe everybody would just be better without you? If it’s all just a waste? That is doubt. James 1:6 – “The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” Is doubt stealing your peace, your confidence, your dreams, and your future? Is doubt stalling your progress? If you’ve been dancing with doubt, the answer is yes. Yes, it has stalled your progress. Yes it has stolen your peace. Yes, it has lessened your confidence. Please listen to me, you are not at the mercy of every doubt that comes to your mind. And in this day and age of social media and everybody’s opinions everywhere, you are subjected to a whole lot of doubt. Doubt in everyone and everything that you know. But you are not a slave to every doubt that comes to your mind or comes up on your screen. Like the waves of the sea, doubts will come, however, you don’t have to let them undermine your faith, your peace, or your confidence. God created you intentionally. You were handcrafted by the almighty for a mighty purpose. Everything about you is part of the master’s design.

Back in 1999 I jammed out to my very first Christian song. Up until this point every “Jesus song” was out of a hymnal. Then came along Mary Mary with “Shackles.” Does anyone else remember this song? Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance I just want to praise you (What ya want to do?) I just want to praise you (Yeah, yeah) You broke the chains now I can lift my hands And I’m gonna praise you (What ya gon do?) I’m gonna praise you Shackles are chains of bondage. Is there something holding you back, keeping you from living in full freedom? What’s keeping you from your true potential? This is your shackle. It is your prison where you are stuck living a smaller life than you were ever created for. Shackles look different for each of us. For some it is an addiction or bad habit. A weakness. Or perhaps your shackle is worry, a setback or failure that has you behind bars, a doubt or fear that serves as your prison restraining you in a place where you are stuck. Yesterday I had a conversation with a dear friend and she shared with me she has no willpower. That’s a shackle. For me my shackle was once materialism and laziness. I was seeking the easy way and more stuff, and it was holding me back from fully living the life I was created for. What’s yours? As a child of God you have been saved for all of eternity, but here’s what most of us miss … salvation isn’t just for the moment you stand before God to be judged and are welcomed into an eternity in heaven. I mean, that’s awesome. Kinda blows my mind thinking about when my moment in time comes. But remember this, salvation is for right now too. As a child of God and follower of Jesus, you have been saved right now. This very moment salvation is yours. What are you being saved from? Your shackles. Saved from living on Earth stuck in bondage. Your chains have been broken and you have been set free. This is what Jesus did for you. Scripture shares stories of God breaking chains. Spiritual chains and literal chains behind the bars of a prison. And this is what he wants to do for you today too. Peter was in prison, bound by two chains between two soldiers. In Acts 12: 7 it says “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.” Can’t you hear God saying to you this morning, “Quick, get up!” Get up from the mess you’ve been wallowing in. Get up from where you fell down. Get up from where you’ve been laying low and hiding out. Get up from where you have been stuck. Quick get up. And just as when Peter got up and the chains fell off his wrists, so will yours. You don’t have to live one more day in those shackles. Not when the price has already been paid for your freedom. Don’t you know Jesus is a chain breaker, a prison shaker, a freedom seeker and redemption giver? Rise up, your shackles are no more. Jesus has broken every chain. I declare victory over everything that has held you back. Just because it held you back yesterday doesn’t mean it has to hold you back today. Quick, get up … and after you get up, those chains will fall. But first, you gotta get up. Pick yourself up and claim your victory. Jesus destroys every stronghold. His power working in your life can break them all. Your bad habit, laziness, worry, negativity, lack of willpower or focus, that is a shackle. God wants to take that shackle off your feet so you can dance. He wants to break the chains so you can lift your hands. AND HE CAN. He has that power. Maybe everything in your life tells you it will never hap...

Psalms 18:39 You armed me with strength for battle; May I speak some powerful truth into your life this morning? YOU ARE A WOMAN TRAINED BY THE KING TO BE A WARRIOR. TO FACE THE VERY BATTLE IN FRONT OF YOU! God has armed you with strength for this battle. Every struggle you’ve overcome, every hardship, every setback and every trial has served to strengthen and train you. Nothing has been wasted. Just look how much stronger you are now than you were 10 years ago. Why are you stronger? Because you have been challenged. Life’s challenges train us. They train us for the next level of living. And make no mistake about it, the next level of living will not be free of challenges. Somewhere along the way we’ve bought into this fallacy that when we “arrive” in life – when we get that new job, when money isn’t so tight – or when we lose the weight – or when we move to that new place – then life will be easier. And wow are we ever disappointed to find new devils with our new levels. You weren’t created for an easy, cushy, comfortable life. If you were, then why would God make you a warrior? That would make no sense. Warriors are for battle. Listen to me, life is a battle. A battle of balance. A battle of the mind. A battle for peace. A battle for contentment. A battle for our potential. Do you know why things keep coming at you? Why there are continual setbacks? Why doors keep slamming shut in your face and why with every step forward you seem to take 2 back? Do you know why? Because you have an enemy in this world – His name is Satan and HE SEES YOUR POTENTIAL AS A WARRIOR. He sees your potential more than you see it. So he attacks to keep you from rising up. But do you know why God allows the enemy to attack you? Because he can use it all for your good. He can use it as your training, to strengthen his mighty warrior. All you’ve learned to overcome in the past will be used today. And all you learn in today’s battle will be used for tomorrow. Yes, the enemies attacks are simply your training. YOU ARE A WARRIOR. God has strengthened you for battle. Living the life you were created for is a battle. Becoming your best is a battle. Holding your marriage together is a battle. Raising kids is a battle (can I get an amen mamas). You’ve got this because God’s got you. Whatever you are facing today, you have been equipped to march right through it. A warrior is a soldier known for their bravery. You have a mission, a mission to live this one and only beautiful life that you have been given. Live it bravely. Hold your head high, put your shoulders back and remember who you are. A beautiful woman trained by the king to be a warrior. To face the very battle in front of you today. Harness the strength God has promised you and provided you. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” What has a strong hold on you or on your family? You have weapons given to you by the almighty to demolish those strongholds. In yoga you have warrior pose. Warrior 1 is a deep lunge with your arms stretched high above your head. Warrior 2 you take your arms out wide to each side with a strong focused gaze over your front hand. A pose of power. We must remember this pose as powerful women chosen and strengthened by God. To take a stand in our life. No more backing down. No more quitting. No more shrinking back. Girls, we can’t play little in our own lives for one more day. Stretch out those arms, use the space you have been given, be bold and brave. Demolish those strongholds. Perhaps a little warrior pose in the mirror would be good today. Heck, stick a feather in your hair and remember who you are. You are armed with strength for the battle. You are prepared and you are ready. Rise up warrior. Rise up and fight for the life you were created for.

Guest Host – Rebecca Casey Well good morning beautiful. Welcome to a brand new day of life and happy Thursday everyone. I mean Happy Friday Jr – who is happy to be alive today and be just one day away from the weekend? I know I am! My name is Rebecca Casey, I am on the leadership team here at BIG Life and I am honored to be back as your guest host again today. Today I want to talk a little bit about this holiday season and faith. Let’s start with Mary and Joseph. Their story begins when they are planning to be married and in that day it was a big deal – you are promised and to undo even the engagement is like a divorce. So Mary is pregnant and not by Joseph so he plans to quietly divorce her – that’s the summary because this is a big deal. Matthew 1:18 …Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.” verse 19 – “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Really adultery in that time was a capital offense. Joseph is thinking she has broken the law. He was a law abiding citizen and we also see he is compassionate. He plans to show her mercy and handle it quietly. Matthew 1:20-21 But after her had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” While we don’t know a lot about Joseph – we do know this is a very human response. He responds they way a lot of us would. The angel tells him do not be afraid… Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Let’s talk about faith here. Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says God said, it, I believe it, that settles it. For many people that is faith. They believe. It’s simple. That is beautiful for them. For others faith is a journey. It has ups and downs. I was behind the door or looking at something sparkly when acceptance was handed out. Those who question have more of a struggle. Here we see Joseph struggling and wresting . Have you ever doubted? People say things about God or faith an it’s not that you say “NO WAY!” But you doubt and think – I am not so sure about this – or how – or why? Right! I would say most of us struggle at some point. Doubt is normal. Right from the beginning people struggled and wrestled with Jesus. Even the man who would raise him. We think doubt is the opposite of faith. It isn’t Fear is. Faith is relational. IT’s trust. Faith motivates. Fear paralyzes. Doubt is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to keep moving forward. Let me tell you this… no matter who you are, you have experienced fear at some point in your life. I cannot imagine Joseph’s fear… and here is that verse again Matthew 1:20 “…Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid.” So if I were a sorting hat (see the reference there) I would see two groups. Those who doubt and those who generally do not doubt. Ok, non doubters, you beautiful people who accept also need to be careful with your opportunities. If you don’t doubt, an the acceptance is easy for you – you might look down on those who doubt or question. It can bring on arrogance. I used the word beautiful for a reason. It is beautiful how you accept and it can be beautiful for you to help those who don’t accept so easily. Acceptance doesn’t make you a super Christian. If you are strong, don’t look down, help someone else. Don’t be afraid.