BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

What if God doesn’t do what you want him to do here? What if he doesn’t make this all work out the way you think it should work out? Really, what if he doesn’t … where does you faith stand then? Where will your joy be found if your idea of good isn’t how this unfolds?

God never called you and I to a life of certainty. He hasn’t empowered a single one of us to know or control what unfolds next. Here’s what we do know: We know Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world!”

Your trouble will be overcome by Jesus. Now we don’t know when and we don’t know how, but we know somehow and someway Jesus is overcoming this trouble. But it won’t always look like it and it certainly won’t always feel like it. Faith requires you to accept that this may not go the way you want it to go. Faith requires a trust that reaches deeper than the circumstances and remembers there’s an eternity we have not seen.

Will Jesus heal the cancer? I know he can and I know he will … but what we don’t know is if it’s healed in this temporary earthly body or if it’s healed in the future eternal state of perfection. Both are healing, we just don’t know which one it will be.

Will Jesus save that marriage? Well, there’s a whole lot of human free will and choices involved in a thing like marriage. So honestly, I don’t know.

Will Jesus save your job? Will he clear the rain on your beach vacation? Will he give you that baby? Will he open the doors to your dreams? Will he bless you with wild success?

Answer: I have no idea! I know he can, but I can’t pretend to know his ways or his timing. In my earthly state, I can’t imagine the heavenly workings of all these details. And this is where we must quote Daniel 3: 18, “But even if he doesn’t …”

I know what God CAN do … he can do absolutely anything. Nothing is impossible with God. I know some of the things God has done, and those things are miraculous, indescribable, and unpredictable. And I know the end game, Jesus has already overcome every problem in the world … literally! Today’s problem will not be a problem forever. However, I have no way of knowing exactly what God is going to do with today’s problems and uncertainties.

How arrogant of us to assume we know the things only Heaven knows. God’s plans may be different than our desires. Faith requires us to live with open hands of surrender and find peace in the not knowing.

The truth is, I don’t know if I wake up tomorrow … neither do you. The truth is, we don’t know what could come falling out of the sky today. We don’t know what news the next phone call may bring. But not a single one of us have to be disturbed in the not knowing. We are called to live in a state of balance where we never doubt God’s ability, but also don’t assume to know God’s will.

Where is the trouble in your life? Really, think about the trouble you’re dealing with right now. It’s a trouble of uncertainty isn’t it? You don’t know if, you don’t know how and you don’t know when. Now, do you believe God really has the ability to change this trouble you’re facing? Can he heal this? Can he restore this? Can he stop this? Can he make it happen? YES. Absolutely! He can do it. This is not beyond his reach or outside of his power. Nor is it hidden from his eye. He sees and he knows.

Now, WHAT will he do? That we do not know.

My sister, can you make peace with simply not knowing. Maybe right now you would have to honestly say you can’t. You just can’t be okay with not knowing what’s going to happen next. Well, that’s the funny thing about knowing … it’s a false sense of security, because you simply have no way of knowing. Every moment of your life hangs on a fine string and you can’t save yourself, nor can you save anyone else.

Our anxiety often comes from assuming we know God’s will … and when we assume to know his will, then we try to force his will. Speaking from experience here, trying to force your own preconceived notion of God’s will is absolutely exhausting … and disappointing!

Repeat after me: BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T …

We cannot judge our circumstances with our earthly limitations. Quite honestly, if we knew all the details of how extremely fragile this is and every threat being formed against us in the pits of hell, we wouldn’t have the strength to get up out of bed on most days. We can only judge our circumstances by the everlasting God and the eternal life that awaits us. And here’s my very limited, wild guess … MOST OF WHAT I’M WORRIED ABOUT TODAY SIMPLY WON’T MATTER BEYOND THIS LIFE. It won’t matter that this body is failing because honey, we’re getting something perfect in Heaven! It won’t matter that this job is ending, because in Heaven, we’re all eternally retired in paradise and we won’t be bored with it either! RIP: Retired in Paradise. It won’t matter that the relationship was strained, the finances were drained, and the hardship remained.

What matters is that we know Jesus! What matters is THEY know Jesus. Everything else is temporary details that have been getting in the way.

Now, let’s read the full story of this one verse “But even if he doesn’t …” It’s actually from a familiar story many people have heard. You’re going to love this!

In Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar had build a massive gold statue that was 90 feet tall. He declared at the sound of the music, everyone had to bow down to the ground to worship his statue. For anyone not willing to bow down and worship, they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. There were 3 young men in Babylon named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and they worshiped the one true God. When the music played, they refused to bow down and worship this golden statue. They were doing the right thing.

Daniel 3: 13-18, “Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Sharach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?'”

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

THIS IS THE ‘BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T’ MOMENT … and it’s a serious one. God will rescue us, but even if he doesn’t …

They never doubted God’s ability, but they didn’t assume to know God’s will. Maybe God’s will was a mystery to them from an earthly perspective, but from an eternal perspective it would be perfect.

Why do bad things happen to good people … I simply can’t pretend to know because I’m not God and I don’t have to vantage point of Heaven.

Do you know what happened next in the story? Did God charge in with an army of heavenly angels and rescue these 3 young men who had done the right thing? Did God miraculously put out the fire in the furnace and make it impossible for the King to restart the fire? Did God’s voice come down from the sky and shake the ground, changing the King’s heart right before the 3 men were thrown in the furnace?

No. Those are all great ideas and with God they were all possible. But again, we can’t assume to know God’s will. I realize I’m constantly trying to convince God of my imagined good plans and offer them to him as his will. Who am I to think I could possibly know better than God? Yet, that’s what I do … isn’t that what you do too?

What God did instead was he allowed it to happen. He allowed the fire. He allowed the 3 to be thrown in the fire. And HE WAS RIGHT THERE WITH THEM.

Tomorrow, we’ll read the rest of the story to see what happened when they fell into the flames. In the flames is precisely where God was.

But for today, practice saying, “Even if he doesn’t …”

This is surrender. This is faith. This is the obedience God is calling us to.

Even if God doesn’t do what you want him to do here … Even if he doesn’t make this all work out the way you think it should work out … Let your faith stand and your joy remain in him, even in the unknown, the uncertainty, and the undesirable.

God, even if you don’t ….

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Join us for an unscripted Bible study time together.
God, if you’re in it, I want it … if you’re not, I don’t. Now, the even harder prayer: God if you want me to change in this, I’m willing to change. If you want me to change how I do it, I’ll change it.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

How do we become this new person? WE CHANGE! How does the old life become a new life? WE CHANGE!

What if the change you are seeking for your child will begin first in that child’s mama?

What if the change you’re seeking in your marriage first begins with your husband’s wife?

Powerful Prayer – Father, help me to be the wife/mom they need right now. Give me a holy conviction for anything that needs to change, and special strength to change my attitude and my actions.

God wants to do a supernatural work in you. His work is in CHANGING you. He doesn’t want to change you because he hates you, he wants to change you because he loves you too much to let you live this life in any way short of the fullness for which you were created. There’s untapped potential within you, change is required here.

The MSG translations of 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Anyone united with Jesus gets a fresh start.” What a GIFT! You are being offered the gift of change in you today … not in anyone one else, and not in anything else … the change starts in YOU. This is a gift. The act of receiving the gift is up to you.

Embrace any changes God is orchestrating.

God, if you want to change me, I am pliable.

Pliable: Ready to change, easy to work with. Receptive to correction and responsive to your lead.

YOU ARE NOT THE POTTER. YOU ARE THE CLAY.

God spoke to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 18: 1-6 and said, “God down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” When Jeremiah gets to the potter’s show he watches him work at the wheel with a lump of clay. As he watches, he gets an image of how God works in our lives. The jar the potter was making didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, so he crushed it and started over again. And God said, “As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.”

God isn’t asking you to form and perfect yourself. That’s not your job. He’s asking you to remain pliable in his hands. Be ready to change. Be easy to work with. Be receptive to correction. Be responsive to the molding of his hands.

Ephesians 2:10 says “You are God’s masterpiece.”

And maybe you’re not there yet, but in his hands, it’s who you are becoming. He’s not done with you. He’s molding you, making you and changing you … LET HIM!

We see the miraculous change in the caterpillar who becomes a butterfly. Ohhhhh, what is happening in that cocoon is internal work that cannot be see, but it’s happening. Isn’t that what God is doing to you too? He’s doing deep, internal work. He’s changing your heart. He’s changing your thoughts. He’s changing your priorities. He’s changing your habits. He’s changing your dreams.

The process feels restrictive. It feels like he’s only taking things away from you. But this is your cocoon. This is your molding in his hands on the wheel. Change is required for you to become his masterpiece.

Don’t go jumping out of his hands. Don’t try to break open your own cocoon. Remain pliable. Let him do his work in you.

Because when he does his work in you, then your whole world changes too.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

The enemy uses very specific weapons against you. Weapons meant to detour you. Weapons meant to defeat you. Weapons meant to destroy you. Depress you, deceive you, dismiss you, and disease you. Maybe you’ve felt the sting of his weapons. Maybe you’re living in fear of his weapons. And maybe you’re like the majority of us and you’re wondering where is God in this and why has he allowed it?

We must remember that not everything comes from God, some things are formed in the pits of Hell. Some things are schemes of evil from the enemy. We can’t blame God for that. However, the hard thing is understanding absolutely NOTHING can touch our lives without God’s permission. We see in scripture the devil asking God for permission to attack, permission to sift, permission to harm, then it’s up to God to approve of disapprove.

Anyone else honestly just want to say, “God, why did you approve of this attack? Why did you allow this weapon against me to touch me? Why didn’t you stop this?”

That’s a fair question. I’ve learned on this journey that God can handle my questions. I assure you, he can handle yours too.

Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” This does not say a weapon will never be formed. It does not promise you’ll never feel the pain of a weapon used against you. But it does say any weapon against you will not PROSPER. That weapon won’t be forever successful. It will not dominate over you always. The next part of that scripture in the MSG translation says, “God’s servants can expect that I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”

If you are surrendered to and serving God with your life, then you can EXPECT that somehow, someway, God will use the weapons formed against you for something good.

But how? How can this ever be good?

Well I stumbled across a very specific example while studying the book of Ezekiel. Now, first let me be honest and tell you if you’re new to studying your Bible, you really shouldn’t start with Ezekiel. It’s a tough read. It’s brutal battles and ignorant people not learning the lessons there for them. The majority of the time I’m reading and just saying, “Thank you Jesus for covering me and paying the price I couldn’t pay.”

But in between the battles and the slaughters, you find little details that are like shimmering diamonds. Sweet reassurances of God’s goodness even when life has been hard and you’ve been under attack. Check this out in Ezekiel 39. God is angry with a prince named Gog. Gog had evil thoughts come to his mind and he began devising a wicked scheme against the people of Israel. Although Gog and his armies would attack Israel, their weapons would not prosper. In fact, look at what would happen to their weapons.

Verse 3, God says, “I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless.” But then he goes even further, speaking against the evil prince Gog who had formed an attack against God’s people. He says in verse 9-10, “Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need.”

And that, my friends, is what you call LITERALLY USING EVERYTHING INTENDED TO HARM YOU FOR SOMETHING GOOD.

What if the weapons that have been threatening you can become your fuel? Girl, what if the entire purpose of God even allowing the weapon to touch you in the first place was simply so you could grab hold of it and be empowered by it to do something good?

There’s no one I would rather stand beside in worship than a former addict who’s been saved and set free. They worship with their whole being. They know what bondage felt like. They know how hopeless and helpless they were. And once that weapon of addiction was defeated, they’ve used it for their fuel. Now they’re on fire for God, passionately pursuing the new life set before them and allowing their lives to be used to save others.

My friend Shannon and her husband were the perfect couple on the outside. They’re both beautiful and fit. But behind closed doors, their marriage was falling apart due to infidelity and dishonesty. They were beyond repair. There was nothing left to save. BUT GOD! God did a miraculous healing work in both of them and brought them back together in the way only he could. And now, the weapon that was used against them in their marriage is their fuel. They’re passionately pursing other broken marriages and introducing them to the healing power of Jesus.

Why would God allow the attack of the enemy? Oh because he knew what fuel it would become for good!

Now, let’s go back to this scripture and see a few more things. First, who defeated Gog and his armies? Verse 3 tells us God is the one who knocked the weapons right out of their hands. He made the enemy helpless.

Have you ever thought to ask God to just knock the weapons down? Maybe you don’t need to be all feisty and fiery charging ahead in the battle. Maybe you need to let God do his thing and take down those weapons right in front of you. Lord, take them down!

Next, understand how radically different this scene is from most battles. Typically, when an enemy is defeated, you gather their weapons and add to your own arsenal to fight the next battle. But instead, God says use those weapons for fuel. Why? Because the only weapon you need is his Word. You don’t need damning evidence. You don’t need witnesses. You don’t need all their accusations, all their posts, or all their accounts. You won’t be needing those weapons to use against anyone. HONEY, THIS IS YOUR FUEL.

For 7 years, God’s people never had to cut wood. They had everything they needed for their fuel in the weapons formerly formed against them. It was all right there … not for battle, but for benefit.

THIS IS NOW BEING USED FOR YOUR BENEFIT. And when you get the benefit of the weapons that once threatened you, make sure you give God the glory.

It’s hard to imagine a benefit in your current battle, but it’s coming. Your future fuel will be found in today’s threats. God will turn this all around, and when he does, you use it for good!

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Are you faced with something that is simply too far gone? Something that has no hope left for the future. Something so broken there’s no chance of repair.

Impossible.

May I remind you of Luke 1:37, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” No thing … no, not even your thing. With God, it IS POSSIBLE. Without God, there’s no way.

So, we’re left with a choice … are you going to give this to God? Are you going to bring it to the throne and surrender it to him? Are you going to seek his will, his way, and his timing? Are you going to trust him with the details? Are you going to be obedient?

And by obedient I mean are you going to forgive? Are you going to let it go? Are you going to love? Are you going to trust? If you’re not willing to be obedient, then you’re not really giving it to God, so your impossible will remain impossible.

My sister, has your hardened heart and wounded spirit gotten in the way of your obedience? Really, have you become bitter, vengeful, hateful, resentful and stubborn in your hurt and now you’re a road block for what God says is still possible?

Let me ask you, is that what you really want? Do you really want to block the miraculous work of God in your life, in your family, in your future? I don’t think that’s what you really want. It’s what you’ve settled for in your hurt, but it’s not what you really want because it’s not God’s best for you.

So, God wants to show us something today. “Us” as in those who are faced with something that seems simply too far gone. Us who have lost hope for the future of something. Us who are facing reality, and reality says this is far beyond repair now. Us who have been hurt by what has been damaged or lost. Let God show you something. Stay open to the power of his word.

Ezekiel 37: 1-14 – the story of the dry bones. There’s a song by Elevation Worship titled “Rattle” about this story. Now as we read this, understand this is a vision given to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet who lived hundreds of years before Jesus. He was a spiritual watchman, which meant he was in charge of hearing from God then warning the people. This is one of Ezekiel’s visions from God that he was told to share.

The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

What does this mean to you as you face something that is simply too far gone? What does this mean to you where there is no hope for the future? What does this mean for your thing that is so broken there’s no chance of repair? It means with God, it’s NOT.

It’s not too far gone. It’s not a future with no hope. It’s not so broken there’s no chance of repair.

God is in the business of radical revival … and honey, it sounds to me like that’s precisely what you need. RADICAL REVIVAL.

Understand, what God is showing Ezekiel is not only something that had been dead a really long time, it was something that was a total disgrace. It was a disgrace to have a body not properly buried. It was a shame for this to happen. In fact, not burying a dead body was considered a sin punishable by law. And this is a valley absolutely full of disgrace, full of sin, and full of way too far gone.

BUT WHAT DID GOD DO WITH IT? What God did with this valley of disgrace is what God has the power to do with your valley of disgrace. The power is his … have you been standing in the way?

Now, understand this, Ezekiel didn’t look at this valley of bones with hope, but he looked to God with hope. Ezekiel didn’t see the potential in these disgraced bones, because there was none. The only hope and potential was in God.

Maybe that’s where we’ve been messing up. We’ve been looking to our broken relationships and messy situations with hope. “Oh I hope he will change. Maybe this time she’s really going to change. Hopefully this will be when things change.” NO – WE CAN ONLY LOOK TO GOD WITH HOPE.

God asks Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” And Ezekiel’s response is not hope in the situation, his hope is squarely based on God alone. That’s the key! He says, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know the answer to that.”

We so quickly assume we know what God wants in the situation. We push our desires on him and offer our game plan to the Almighty. I’m constantly giving God suggestions on how to fix this mess. Why? Because I’m still hoping in the mess … and I’m continually disappointed.

My only hope is God. The rest of this is impossible. But I can’t pretend to know what God wants or how he will do it. God, ONLY YOU KNOW! My hope is in you alone.

And what we see happen next is the impossible. Those dry bones begin to rattle. They begin to form. And let me tell you something, when God puts something back together, he does it perfectly. Nothing will be out of place. Nothing will be missing. Nothing will be left broken. These skeletons were not misfits, they were put back together with perfection.

But they were still just dead bodies. They looked better with skin and flesh, but they were still missing one thing: THE BREATH OF GOD.

“BREATHE INTO THESE DEAD BODIES SO THEY MAY LIVE AGAIN.”

And when the breathe of God came into these formerly scattered dry bones, “they all came to life and stood up on their feet – a great army.” You know what that means … it means they assembled for a mission. A great army means they were revived for a purpose and they were ready to follow the orders of the one who gave them life.

When God revives that which is too far gone, he has a purpose for that revival. His breath is NOT TO BE WASTED!

If you’re walking around with something God revived for you, you better not be wasting it. It better be serving the one who miraculously breathed life into it again.

Bring your broken heart and your shattered dreams and lay them here before God in this valley of dry bones. You can’t carry this on your own. You can’t fix it. And you absolutely have to stop placing your hope in it. Your hope can only be in God. And God’s ways are better than your ways. His thoughts are higher than your thoughts. He doesn’t need your suggestions on how to fix this. He needs your hope, faith and trust fully on him with no circumstantial strings attached.

ONLY GOD KNOWS WHAT WILL BE REVIVED AGAIN.

But as long as you try to do it on your own, it certainly won’t happen.

God’s word has miracle working, life giving power. That is your answer. His Spirit is needed for life. Seek that and only that.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Have you ever questioned how exactly you’re supposed to hear from God? If he is your guide, then how do you receive his guidance? Maybe you’ve heard people say things like, “The Lord told me this…” or “God asked me to do that …”, and you’re like, “REALLY … how does he do that?!!!”

If you feel like you’ve never heard God tell you much of anything, you’re certainly not alone. If you’re unsure of how to receive his guidance, you’re in the right place to hear exactly what you most need to hear today. By the end of this devotional, you will finally understand the precise steps to hearing from God.

To learn, we’re going to go to someone far more qualified than myself. Someone who has a track record of divine guidance from God that lead to one impossible victory after another. David.

Yes, we talked about David yesterday. The youngest of Jesse’s 8 sons who was left out in the fields to tend to the sheep when Samuel showed up at the house and said the Lord had sent him there to anoint the next King. But even when he was in the wrong place, even when he was left out, even when he was overlooked, God specifically chose him.

Then, after he was chosen, his life went back to much the same. He kept tending those sheep. He kept fighting off lions and bear in those fields. And all of this was his understated and unannounced training. Training for a destined battle and predetermined victory.

Now I don’t know about you, but I have an in depth skill of avoiding battles. I don’t like confrontation. I would prefer to let you have your way and think you’re right than fight you over it. I want nothing to do with a battle. But some battles are destined. What if the battle you find yourself in today has a predetermined victory. And what if that victory will be a result of the years of training you went through in fields where no one recognized your work?

GOD HAS YOU IN TRAINING NOW FOR A DESTINED BATTLE AND PREDETERMINED VICTORY. Be faithful in your field, my friend.

In 1 Samuel 18, after David defeats Goliath, King Saul takes note of this young teenager, and finally, so did everyone else. The women start singing David’s praises over King Saul’s praises. So what do you think happens next … King Saul becomes enraged with jealousy. For the next several chapters we see the King constantly planning a sneak attack to kill David. David is always on the run, hiding, fearful for his life, all while King Saul is in relentless pursuit of the one he is so jealous of.

And suddenly we start noticing a theme in scripture. Time after time, David asks the Lord very specific questions for his next steps and he receives very specific and clear answers.

1 Samuel 23: 2-5 “David asked the Lord, ‘Should I go …’ ‘Yes, go …’ the Lord told him. So David and his men went.”

2 Samuel 2: 1 “David asked the Lord, “‘Should I move …’ ‘Yes,’ the Lord replied. Then David asked, ‘Which town should I go to?’ ‘To Hebron,’ the Lord answered.”

How was David able to ask God such specific questions and get such specific answers? Isn’t this what you want in your life? It’s most certainly what I want. I want to know that I know that I know God is directing me. I want to know for sure that prompting, that thought, that open door is from God … but I often don’t.

The truth is, sometimes I question if that’s God speaking to me or just my vivid imagination making up things. I wonder if sometimes I want to hear from God so badly that I assign his voice to ordinary things that happen by chance. Looking back I realize often that door wasn’t really opened by God, I squeezed my own self through and forced my way in.

I bet if you’re being honest you often do the same thing. You want to hear from God, but you’re not sure how. And when you think it might have been God, there’s so much room left for uncertainty. How do you know when the dream you had last night was a divine message from Heaven, versus the after effect of 3 slices of pepperoni pizza?

As I read David’s specific questions to God and the specific answers he received in turn, I realized two things.

1. I realized God had a plan for every detail. God knew the town David was to go to, the way to get there and the perfect timing for him to go. God was truly in every detail.

And here’s what I’m coming to understand, your life and my life are under the same infinite care, the same divine wisdom and the same heavenly involvement as David’s life was. God has a plan for you just as he had a plan for David. God has a preferred future for you and an aligned path to get you there right on time. BUT, IF YOU’RE FAILING TO SEEK GOD FOR THAT PATH, YOU MAY NOT BE ON IT.

So far in my life, God hasn’t written on billboards or put messages in the sky. If he speaks to me through dreams, it’s really confusing because my dreams are random and bizarre. Typically in my dreams I’m half-dressed on some stage with no speech planned, or I have a retreat house full of people and I kinda forgot to buy food or plan adventures. I’m generally unprepared and totally inadequate in my dreams. If God is talking to me in those dreams, what exactly is he saying? I’ve heard the audible voice of God once 25 years ago and I often question if I really did or if I just made that up.

So how in the world can David be so certain of God’s answers. How did he hear him? How did he know that was God?

And that leads me to the second big realization here …

2. There were many chapters between the introduction of David as a shepherd boy and the first time we read of David asking God a specific question and receiving such a clear answer. What happened in the chapters in between?

In the chapters between, David was growing closer and closer to God. He was learning to seek him, learning to trust him, and ultimately learning God’s voice. It takes 7 chapters before we see God’s first definitive answer to David. How many times had David asked in those 7 chapters? How many times had David asked and heard nothing? How many hours did David spend praying? How many sermons did he listen to? How many journals did he write in?

That’s what we don’t see.

But that’s where we are.

We’re in the 7 chapters no one writes about.

What if this is where you just keep asking God, no matter how uncertain you are. What if this is where you keep praying even when it feels like nothing is happening. What if this is where you dig deeper, devote your life, surrender your plans and seek God over ever detail.

And what if this is what it takes to get to the point where you can ask God, “Lord, should I go?” and you hear a definite, “Yes, go!” What if the chapter you’re in now leads you to a future chapter where you can ask God, “Which town should I go to?” and the Lord tells you clearly a specific place.

But, you don’t get to that chapter without this chapter. Yes, this chapter where you’re praying without a clear answer. This chapter where you’re seeking but not sure exactly what you’re finding. This is your SEEKING ERA! The Finding Era will come.

David was able to ask God specific questions and get specific answers. And you know what that shows us … that shows us it’s REAL! It shows us that’s possible for us too. We are God’s chosen girls. We are heirs to his Kingdom. We house his powerful Holy Spirit. We have the potential of hearing from God the same way David did.

So, what are the precise steps to hearing from God?

Step 1: ASK
Step 2: KEEP ASKING
Step 3: DON’T STOP ASKING
Step 4: PRACTICE RESPONDING

I’ve found the more I practice responding to what I believe might be a prompting from God, the more I understand what is a prompting and what is not. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong. I’m still learning. But the more I practice responding in faith, the more confidence I’m building in knowing God is involved in the details, he does hear my prayers and he is answering.

In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says, “KEEP ON ASKING, and you will receive what you ask for. KEEP ON SEEKING, and you will find. KEEP ON KNOCKING, and the door will be opened to you.”

That’s what David did in the chapters in between. No one wrote about that. No one gets excited about asking over and over again and thinking something was God then finding out it wasn’t. No one preaches on seeking and not finding … for years. No one writes books about knocking on every dang door until you get so discouraged you just start banging down doors to end up in the wrong rooms with the wrong people.

But that’s the truth. And that’s how you learn. That’s how you grow.

Don’t give up in this chapter. You ask. You keep asking. You don’t stop asking. And you practice responding.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

You don’t need luck, not when you have God. You don’t have to be in the right place at the right time. Nobody else needs to know your name when God knows your name. Everyone else can totally count you out, but when God has singled you out nothing can keep you hidden from his purposes.

GOD HAS SINGLED YOU OUT. I don’t know what he had to do to ensure you’re listening at this moment, but here you are, and it’s not by accident. You will not remain stuck here living below your potential. There’s MORE for you. There’s MORE in you.

David was nothing more than a little shepherd boy, overlooked and dismissed by everyone. When the Lord sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to find the one to be anointed as the next King, Jesse lined his sons up for the choosing. One by one, Samuel looked at the sons thinking surely this was the one the Lord was choosing. This strong one, Samuel thought – No, the Lord said. This tall handsome one, Samuel thought – No, the Lord said. Seven of Jesse’s sons were presented, while the youngest son stayed in the field watching the sheep.

Jesse didn’t even think to bring in David, his youngest son, to be considered. He wasn’t the strongest, the wisest or who he considered to be the best. He was just the youngest of his 8 sons and considered the least.

1 Samuel 16: 11-13, “‘Send for him at once,’ Samuel said. ‘We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.’ So Jesse sent for him (David, his youngest son who was left out). He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, ‘This is the one; anoint him.’ So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.”

David wasn’t in the right place at the right time … he wasn’t even invited to the right place.

You know what else this shows us … You don’t have to be impressive to a single other soul. You don’t have to stand out. You don’t have to be the best. And really, you don’t have to be doing anything special to be chosen.

What was David doing when he was chosen? His ordinary, every day work. He was out in the fields faithfully taking care of his father’s sheep.

And the same is true for you and I. We just need to do our ordinary, every day work faithfully. Stop trying to be noticed. Stop trying to compete with everyone else. God sees you. And guess what … GOD WANTS YOU! When it’s your time, he will find you, align you, equip you, and send you.

You can be overlooked by everyone else, and still be chosen by God. You can be left out by your family and your friends, but singled out by God. You can be passed over at work, forgotten by those who should remember you, and left waiting, and God will pluck you right out as the one he wants.

Your job here is to be faithful where you are with what you have. You’re growing impatient in the wait. You’re getting anxious and jealous. My sister, God’s eye has never left you. He knows where to find you … let him find you faithfully working in the field he has given you until it’s time to step into more.

Now here’s the thing, when God says, “YOU”, don’t dismiss yourself. Let your faith in God’s mighty power be so courageous that you actually believe he could use someone like you. He could use your story. He could use your skills. He could use every ordinary thing about you in extraordinary ways.

Notice David’s reaction to being anointed as the next King. Verse 13 says, “He stood there among his brothers.” He didn’t argue about it. He didn’t run from it. Nor did he elevate himself to a higher position. No, he stood there among his brothers.

And because he stood there, power was given. Power came through the Spirit of the Lord filling him from that day on. The Spirit would strengthen him. The Spirit would equip him. The Spirit would guide him.

Have you forgotten that same Spirit is what lives inside of you as a daughter of God and follower of Jesus? You don’t have to wait for someone to anoint you with oil. That same Spirit strengthens you today. That same Spirit equips you now. That same Spirit is your guide. You have precisely what David had.

What did David do with that Spirit? He showed up for battle and defeated the giant Goliath. He became King and led his people in victory.

Now … what will you do with that Spirit?

There’s only one correct answer here – are you ready to give it? What will you do with the Spirit of God dwelling inside of you that gives you power, that strengthens you, that equips and guides you? Answer: Absolutely anything and everything God calls you to do!

That’s scary, huh? I mean really, what if God chooses you to do something really hard that’s totally out of your comfort zone? Could you do that? No, actually you couldn’t. In your own power there’s no way you could. You would fail. You would mess this up. Or if you didn’t fail, it would go to your head and be all about you. That’s why you’re never called to a single thing God’s Spirit doesn’t empower you for.

YOU WILL NEED GOD FOR THIS!

And the really great news is, that’s exactly what you have! YOU DO HAVE GOD FOR THIS!

What was David doing the day he was divinely chosen by God? He was doing his job.

Who was praising David for his work on the day he was divinely chosen by God? Absolutely nobody.

Who saw the true potential in David all along? Only God.

What was required of David to be filled with the supernatural power of God to become everything he was being called to be? Stand there with his brothers.

Girl, you are making this way harder than it has to be. God is simply looking for the faithful, humble ones who will be a vessel for his Spirit. He’s not looking for the best of the best, he MAKES the best of the best in ways the world will not and cannot see.

Now, here’s my favorite part of the story. After David is called out of the fields and anointed as King standing among his brothers, he’s filled with God’s Spirit powerfully … then things just go back to normal. That’s it.

And that’s not what we expect. We expect when we are chosen by God and filled with his Spirit then everything will change. And when everything doesn’t change, we grow disappointed and disillusioned. We start thinking, “Maybe I’m not really chosen. Maybe God doesn’t have a calling on my life. Maybe there isn’t anything powerful guiding me.”

Is that where you are? You’ve had an encounter with God already. You placed your faith in Jesus. You’ve surrendered your life … but your life doesn’t look radically different. Well, actually, that’s the pattern of David’s life as well.

He remained a nobody. It’s like the news never got out that Samuel had come to his house and anointed him as the next King. David just went back to work in the fields. BUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THOSE FIELDS WAS TRAINING!

You may be stuck in fields you don’t appreciate, but honey, you’re receiving training here you will need to step into your anointing. In this chapter you can’t see the next chapter. It’s coming.

In the next chapter, 1 Samuel 17, David steps onto a field with lunch for his brothers who were in the Israelite Army. On this field, they had been taunted by the enemy’s giant named Goliath. David was a nobody by everyone else’s standards, not even old enough to be a soldier like his brothers. But that day he took all the training he had been receiving in the fields protecting his father’s sheep, and he slayed that giant, with the powerful Spirit of God working inside of him.

David didn’t need luck – He had God.

He didn’t need to be in the right place at the right time – God knew exactly where he was.

He didn’t need a single other person to recognize his potential – God held his potential.

He didn’t need life to radically change in a moment – He was faithfully in training.

God knows where you are. He is training you. Will you be faithful?

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Do you know why you sometimes get overwhelmed? You’re focusing on things you can’t do a darn thing about right now. You’re allowing those things to come pouring into your mind and sink your spirit. Honey, the boat is taking on water and life is getting turned upside down.

But how do you stop the flow of worries and the flood of negative thoughts?

Some time ago I found myself overwhelmed. I had so much I needed to do and I didn’t even know where to start. My husband walked in the kitchen and found me in a moment of overwhelm and asked me what was wrong. I told him “I’m just really stressed.”

Then he said 2 powerful words that changed the trajectory of my day. He said “Don’t be.”

He’s a man of few words, but his words are powerful. Just don’t be.

Ahhhhhhh, yes. The invitation for stress and overwhelm was knocking on my door, I can always choose whether or not I let it in. This is my house and not everything gets to come in. I just needed to be reminded of the power of my choice and declare it.

That day I said no to overwhelm. I decided I wouldn’t be stressed. I decided I would make a list of everything I needed to do that day, then I asked God to help me get to work. One thing at a time, I made my way through a potential overwhelming day without sinking.

God will give you what you need for today, TODAY.

Jesus taught us exactly how to pray in Matthew 6. He said, “When you pray, pray like this. Part of that sample prayer is verse 11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Why pray this way? It’s a focus on what is needed for just THIS DAY. This is an intentional turn away from the invitation of overwhelm, and instead a returned focus on today.

Sure there are uncertain things in your future. There are things you will need to do that you don’t yet know how to do. Waters you will need to go through and a boat you don’t have yet. Work you can’t possibly do today. Needs larger than your current provision. But honey you’re running way ahead to places God hasn’t even called you to yet. You’re not there today and that’s why you’re not yet equipped for it. But where you are today, you have been equipped for this.

YOU CAN DO THIS. Why? Because if you’ve asked God, he has given you exactly what you need for THIS DAY.

Lord, give us this day our daily bread. Help me keep my thoughts right here on the work I’m to do today, the steps I’m to take today, the living I’m to do today, as you have provided exactly what I need to do it well today.

Lord, help me do this right today. That’s my version of daily bread. Strengthen me for today. Guide me today. Provide for today. I trust you and I move forward, but I won’t run ahead.

Isn’t that the great balance? Trusting God enough to move forward today, without running ahead. Yes, that’s what we need. Keep us here, but help us do “here” well.

Have you ever moved houses? The packing process can be overwhelming. Where do you begin? How do you even start on a job that seems so overwhelming? If you sit and think about every single thing that has to be done for the move, you become overwhelmed. That’s running ahead. That’s totally unnecessary. Wouldn’t your time be better spent grabbing a box and starting in the kitchen? You know what you could do today … you could pack the kitchen. You can’t pack the whole house, but you could pack that one room. That’s doing “here” well.

You could do “here” well …

Or you could be stressed …

Stress could overwhelm you and send you in a dark place. Stress could corner you and make you feel incapable of taking action. Stress could suck all your energy and leave you with no progress and less time.

Or you could just say no. Nope. No thank you stress, you’re not welcome here. I won’t choose you again today.

I choose to focus on the daily provision from my Heavenly Father that is here for me. Today he has given me energy, strength, and willpower. He has given me what I need for THIS DAY, now I will show up and use what he has given me and make progress.

But we prefer a larger provision. God give me my MONTHLY bread please. Go ahead and pour a whole month’s worth of energy and strength and clear next steps on me today. If you’re going to take me through some deep waters in a few weeks, how about you give me that boat today? If you’re leading me to a mountain to climb, give me wings down here so I can fly off the top.

No, you don’t need wings on your climb honey. You need BOOTS! When it comes time to fly, God will give you wings, but until then they’ll just get in the way.

Dang, I really wanted wings today. I wanted the boat now. I want the 10 year plan God. I need to know how this is all going to get done before I get started.

Isn’t that us? We are ridiculous. Our expectations are nonsense. We are stressing over events that haven’t even happened yet and steps that aren’t even here. We’re borrowing tomorrow’s troubles and piling them onto today, and honey by the time you get to tomorrow God may have cleared up that trouble for you if you would let him.

God wants to keep us in THIS DAY. He wants us here in THIS MOMENT. He has provision for you today but if you’re allowing tomorrow to seep into today, you’re missing the blessings he has for you here.

If you’re stressed, don’t be.
If you’re overwhelmed, get back in this moment.

With the rising of the sun came a new day with new mercies and provision for you. That provision will be enough for THIS DAY, and this day only. One day at a time, sweet Jesus. That’s a song:

One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That’s all I’m asking of You
Just give me the strength to do everyday
What I have to do
Yesterday’s gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
God help me today
Show me the way
One day at a time
Philippians 4: 6-7 MSG, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Lord, keep us here, in the moments of today. Help us to see where we are borrowing tomorrow’s troubles. Help us to get out of yesterday. Please give us the strength to do today what we need to do. God help us today, show us the way, one day at a time. We receive our daily bread from you and we declare IT IS ENOUGH FOR TODAY, thank you. Now please help us do this right.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

One day you will tell your story of how you overcame the exact thing you’re going through right now. The day will come when you look back on this season of your life and say “With God, I made it through that.”

You will survive. You will overcome. You will make it through this. And guess what honey, your story will become someone else’s survival guide.

This isn’t just about you … this is about the lives that need your example. This is about the people you don’t even know yet who will need to know you made it through so they can have the hope of making it through too.

1 Corinthians 1:9, “God will do this for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God is the one who will do it, but the story you’ll come out of this with is how you’ll work in partnership with Jesus. Your story will become a survival guide … and it will point straight to Jesus because he’s the only way you’re getting through!

Remember that scripture in Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

What was intended for harm in your life will not harm you forever. You will survive and you will thrive again on the other side. Then everything you went through will be used to save others. They will not be hopeless because your story will be a beacon of hope.

Don’t you understand you have been trusted with this hardship to reveal God’s glory in the details and His faithfulness in the darkness. If you’re on the other side of the darkness now, look back. Someone is standing in that darkness today who needs the example of your light. A light that points to the only true help there is … Jesus!

If you battled infertility, there’s a desperate woman yearning for a baby who needs to know you too battled and you made it through. She needs to know how God worked everything together for good.

If you survived an ugly divorce, there’s a family today being torn apart by the fighting and words that cut like a knife. They need to know it doesn’t have to be this way. God is the source of peace in that storm.

If you were once pacing the floors wondering how on earth you were going to make it through those hard years with your wayward son or daughter, and now that child is an adult making their way in the world successfully despite their wreckless path to get there, let me tell you there’s a mama who needs to know she’s not the screw up of all screw ups and she’s not alone in this. They need to know how God can use everything that was so totally wrong and use it for something right.

What you went through cannot be wasted. Use it for good now. If you’re on the other side, use your story to help someone else. You have a story of God doing things only he could do … a story of pieces eventually coming together … a story of healing and redemption … a story of survival and now thriving … who is your story helping now?

And if you’re not yet there, let me share some light with you because I know what it’s like to feel like God isn’t doing a darn thing in response to your prayers. I know what it feels like to see everything keep getting worse. I know what it feels like to have to pick yourself up to try and live another day when everything in you just wants to give up.

And here’s what I can tell you on the semi-sorta other side of that … God is doing things you cannot see right now. He is working behind the scenes and in unknown places. He is making paths in those deep trenches of darkness, and those paths lead to light. But you can’t see him working right now. You can’t see what he’s doing.

God’s power is not dependent upon your sight. He doesn’t need you to SEE what he’s doing for it to be done. He doesn’t need you to know about the details of when and how to make it all come together. In fact what I now realize is God had to keep me in the dark about what he has been doing because I would get in the way.

Sometimes I wanted to fix the problem so bad I only make it worse. So God hides from me the work he is doing to keep me from getting in the middle of it and screwing it up.

That’s humbling. God doesn’t need me to fix it … He needs me to get out of the way and let him work. So he removes me from the situation, makes it impossible for me to continue under my own power, then he goes to work in the mystery of the unknown doing what only he could do to heal, restore, and repair.

I can’t tell you HOW God did it. But I can tell you WHEN God did it. He did it when it felt like things were only getting worse. He did it when there was nothing I could do to change the situation. He did it when it looked hopeless. That’s when he has been working. He has been working in that darkness and guess what … God doesn’t need a flashlight so when he’s working in the darkness, you can’t see it!

News Flash: God doesn’t need you to see what he’s doing for Him to do it.

Unlike us sometimes when we want an audience for our good works. We look over our shoulder to make sure someone is watching, heck someone better be videoing as I do something awesome to capture this. Nahhhh, God doesn’t need an audience. He does his work in the mystery. In the unseen and misunderstood.

God doesn’t announce “hey y’all might wanna watch this because I’m getting ready to do something mega big over here!” He doesn’t rent out billboards with big arrows that show us exactly where he is working. He just says “If you prayed about it, I’m working on it. If you asked, I’m answering. If you knocked, I’m opening. If you’re seeking, you will find.” (Luke 11: 9-10)

What’s required of you now is faith to believe God is working today, even when you still have no answers. Hope that there will be change, even though there’s no evidence of that change today.

I can tell you this with confidence because I’ve personally experienced it. God IS working whether you see evidence of it today or not. Change is happening regardless if it feels like anything is changing. Even when it feels like everything is getting worse, God is working in the unseen doing things you cannot comprehend.

One day you’ll look back and see GOD WAS WORKING. He was doing things you could not see. He was responding to your every prayer. He was making a way where there was no way. And he didn’t need you in the middle of it, so he kept you in the dark so he could do his best work!

All that intended harm will indeed be used for good. The harm that threatened me and my family will be used for good in your family. And the harm that threatened you and your family will be used for good in the lives of others.

With God, you will overcome this. You will make it through. Things won’t always be the way they are today. You will one day stand on top of that tall mountain after the exhausting climb and you will look back to see how far you’ve come and all God was doing on the journey. Your perspective on life will be different. Then, you can reach out your hand and help someone else on their climb. You can tell them they’re almost there. You can tell them they WILL make it. Why? Because YOU did.

And your story becomes someone else’s survival guide. Everything you went through and everything you’re going through now will be used for good. God will receive the glory because you will have a story to share of all he did while you couldn’t see him working.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

In scripture we see a pattern for God’s people. They face trouble, they seek God, then with time they go astray and return to their old ways. In their old ways, they seek things other than God. This continues until their replacement for God doesn’t save them, then they’re back on their knees crying out to God again. Over and over again, it happens.

And really, it’s still happening. It’s happening with us. We’ve allowed something to take God’s place in our lives, something else or someone else has been put in the elevated position reserved for God. And when the elevated position in our lives is wrongly filled, everything becomes a mess.

The truth is, we have IDOLS.

An idol is anything I place above God. An idol is anything I find my fulfillment in above God. An idol is ultimately the reason I sin. Something is out of place in my life and it’s time to get serious about fixing it.

Where are you looking for your answers? What do you turn to for guidance? Is it tarot cards, a horoscope, the TikTok, or your circle of friends? Anything you’re turning to before God is your idol, and let’s be clear, it’s a real problem. GOD SAYS THIS MUST ABSOLUTELY CEASE IN YOUR LIFE.

1 John 5:21, “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”

God’s place is your provider. God’s place is your guide. God’s place is your protector. God’s place is your healer. Now, what have you put in God’s place?

Exodus 34:14 says, “The Lord is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” So what is it that gets your first thoughts every day? What is it that gets your moments of worry? What is it that gets your attention, your time, your energy? Honestly, is it really God, or does it look a whole lot more like a screen where you scroll, a screen where you call, or a screen where you text, post or search?

Is God jealous of your phone? Oh I know he’s jealous of mine. How do I know? Because it sometimes takes his reserved and elevated space. That’s just the truth. It’s my golden calf.

Do you know the story about the golden calf? The Israelites had followed Moses out of slavery in Egypt and God was showing up for them in miraculous and astounding ways. He was guiding them and providing for them. Finally, they were being set free by God, and they knew it! God called Moses up to the mountain with him and this is where he gave him the 10 Commandments. But while the Israelites were waiting at the bottom of the mountain, they got restless. They grew bored, and they began to question. Soon, they had given up on God working through Moses, and they decided to make their own God to turn to.

They gathered all their gold jewelry, melted it, and formed a golden calf and began worshiping it. This would be their new god. This would guide them. This would protect them. This would give them their answers.

And how do you think God felt about this? HE WAS FURIOUS! God said in Exodus 32:9, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them and I will destroy them.”

They just couldn’t wait on God. They couldn’t trust him in the moments of silence. They couldn’t just be still.

And we are exactly the same. The truth is, we’re having a really hard time waiting on God. We fill the silence with noise. Our eyes are constantly searching for something we can watch next. We crave entertainment and distraction. And we know better.

God’s spirit within us pings and tells us “girl, this isn’t right”, but we’ve gotten used to ignoring his Spirit and turning to our idols. Again, an idol is anything we place above God. Anything that gives us our fulfillment before God. And ultimately, that idol causes us to sin.

Your idol could be a person. They’ve gotten God’s place.

Your idol could be a blessing. God’s blessing has become more important than God.

Your idol could be a habit, a crutch, a fix. Now, you need this thing more than you need God.

Here’s a bold prayer: LORD, SEARCH MY HEART AND REVEAL ANY IDOLS.

What is God revealing to you? Typically they’re not bad things, in fact they’re usually good things, they’re just good things out of place. What if God could help you put them back into their right place without having to strip them from you?

Idolatry is always the reason we do anything wrong. Check yourself – when do you yell, when do you lie, when do you get angry, when do you cheat? At the source of that sin is something out of place. You’re seeking control more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking approval more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking comfort more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking success more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking love more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking relationships more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking beauty more than you’re seeking God. You’re seeking fun more than you’re seeking God. (ouch)

None of these things are bad in themselves, but when good desires become twisted, then a door is left open to the enemy to come in and kill, steal and destroy.

What is it that you want more than Jesus, and you’re willing to sin to get it? That’s your idol.

Your patterns of sin reveal what’s become too important to you. Check the pattern.

Why does God care so much about this? Because it’s hurting you. Jonah 2:8, “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.” This is causing you to turn away from the fullness of God’s love. It’s getting in the way! You are suffering as a result.

When you know better, you can do better. We’re here as God’s girls learning and growing. Maybe you didn’t know before, but now God is showing you a source of problems in your life … now honey, all you have to do is do better.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

What victories do you have in your life? What battles have already been won?

Now of course I know you’re still in some battles, but recognize the victories you currently stand in. Ways that were made. Breakthroughs that happened. Changes you were about to give up on, then it all changed. Impossibilities that were made possible. Miracles that unfolded.

I sometimes lose sight of all these victories because of my current battles, but this morning, God told me, “My girl, remember the victories.”

I was once the 15 year old girl who prayed her first prayer and asked God to bring new boys to my little country school, AND HE DID, so I married that new boy 6 days after I graduated high school. We’ve been married 30 years now. That’s victory.

I was once laying in a hospital bed unable to walk or talk after a stroke. God not only spared my life, but he radically healed me. I made a deal with God one day in that hospital bed. I told him if he would allow me to walk, then I would run marathons. To this day, that’s why I’ve laced up my running shoes. It’s not because I’m good at it or fast by any means. My body doesn’t look like it used to look and I don’t move like I used to move. But you know what … I’m not laying in a bed like I used to lay in a bed either!

In that hospital bed, I also told God if he would allow me to talk, I would speak on any stage he gave me. And my friends, that is why you hear my voice today. Because God gave me my voice back (literally) and I have a commitment to fulfill.

I actually did something for the first time ever this morning, I asked my husband for the numbers. I intentionally do not track numbers for the podcast. I never want to get lost in those numbers and forget I’m just speaking to YOU. You with your real life seeking a real word from God. But this morning I found out we have over 13 million plays from around the world. And here’s what that means to me – It means YOU are one of them. I’ve been trusted with YOU. That’s a victory.

God says, “My girl, remember your victories.”

We adopted our daughters from an orphanage in Mexico. After a few years of having them in our home as our daughters, our file fell into corrupt hands and we entered a battle that took not only years, but it took every penny we had to protect and keep our girls. But eventually, the victory came.

And those are just a few of the victories I’m aware of. How many more battles were fought in spiritual realms over my life, my family and my future all while I thought it was just a normal day. Countless times I’ve walked in victory from battles I never knew existed.

And that’s your story too. How many victories brought you here today? What battles have been fought and won for your life? Start with the ones you know. What did you get through? What did you survive to tell about? What did you make it out of? Remember the victories!

Our scripture today is Joshua 24: 8-15. I hope you have a Bible so you can read along and highlight a few key verses.

This is what the Lord said, “I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.” (Pause right there, in verse 8 highlight “I gave you victory” and “you took possession.” How did you get what you have? That came from God! Where did every single victory come from? GOD!)

Now, continuing in verse 11 (this one will include some hard words, just go with it.) “When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Caaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them. (Who gave you victory? God did that!)

Verse 12, “And I sent terror ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory. (Oh for sure, highlight that!) I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build – the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them. (How many of us are blessed by things today we didn’t build ourselves? You’re eating food you didn’t grow! Your morning coffee – did you harvest those coffee beans yourself? I think not! Look at what God has done for you!)

Now, this is true for every single one of us. We have made it through some hard times. We have won a few battles. We’re blessed with things we had no part in creating, building or growing. And who did it? Who gave you every single victory? GOD DID! God fought for you. God guided you. God equipped you. God went before you and made a way where there had been no way before. God healed you. God strengthened you. God blessed you.

The question is, what will you do now with all these victories? My sister, remember this, today’s battles do not diminish the victories already won. God has already done so much for you. Every single thing you have ever taken possession of, first God gave the victory. Once you realize that, you simply can’t live the same. It changes your perspective and it changes your priorities.

Verse 14, “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. (Oh we’re not going to gloss over that, tomorrow we’re talking about our idols!) Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

You’re serving something or someone. Make your choice today, my friend. Will you serve your selfish desires? Will you serve your bad habits? Will you serve your fears and anxiety? Or will you serve the Lord?

YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO SERVICE.

1 Peter 4:10-11, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. “

God has given you strength and energy to serve – now girl, what are you doing with it?

When you come to realize all the victories you’re living in, you simply can’t help but want to serve the God who has given you every one of those victories.

If you’re not serving, then you’re missing the fullness of the life Jesus came to give you.

I encourage you to grab something to write with right now and write out this question for yourself. Are you ready? Here it is: HOW WILL YOU SERVE IN 2025?

You may already be dismissing yourself from service because you don’t know what to do or where to do it. That’s a trick of the enemy that has kept you stagnant in service for entire too long. GIRL, DO SOMETHING FOR JESUS AND HIS PEOPLE! Something. Anything.

Every morning on my run on the island of Key Largo, I see the same man. For the past 4 years he’s worn the same shirt and pants. He has long dirty dreads and sometimes a smile I can see from across the road. I’ve recently made it a point to stop, look him in the eye, and talk to him. He’s mostly non-verbal, but some morning he lights up when I talk to him. Yesterday, I had a vision of sitting down on a picnic blanket by the road and sharing a meal with him. My fear has been holding me back, but the Spirit within me is getting loud. God’s Spirit says, “I’ve called you to service. Boil the eggs!”

GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO SERVICE – HOW WILL YOU SERVE THIS YEAR?

I recently heard a story of a woman who is saving and changing lives for Jesus. The way she’s doing it is mind blowingly simple. I’m telling you, YOU COULD DO THIS. Here’s what she’s doing … She bakes homemade casseroles and takes them to the strip clubs where lost girls are dancing. She gets permission from the manager to deliver the casseroles into the dancers dressing rooms. With each delivered casserole, she earns the girls’ trust and develops a relationship.

The girls are hungry and haven’t eaten a homemade casserole like that for years. They’re longing for something different in life, and they’re getting an actual taste of it. One casserole at a time, this woman has helped rescue countless girls from the life they were trapped in, and set them free.

Casseroles for Christ – that’s service! You could do that!

My friend Jill sits in a makeshift large tent downtown in her city and welcomes in the homeless on cold nights to get warmed up. That’s service. You could do that!

I’m just here giving AM Pep Talks for the Almighty. That’s my service.

How about “Sourdough for the Savior” or “Just Be There for Jesus”, or “Girl Gatherings for God”?

How will you serve in 2025?

God has given you so many victories … now you’re called to serve him. If your pride is getting in the way, just take one step toward serving God in whatever way you can and see what happens.

Give God all the credit and serve him. That’s what you’re here to do in your lifetime!

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com