BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Just as God has a work he wants to do in your life, so does the enemy. The devil wants to do a work in your mind. He wants to do his nasty work in your heart. And he wants to bring absolute destruction to your relationships. And here’s the really dangerous thing … you may just be doing the devil’s work for him. That’s right – you might be causing the destruction yourself. Most of us have partnered with the enemy and without even knowing it, we’ve been doing his nasty work for him. We’ve made his job easy. Paul warns us of this in Ephesians 4: 26-27, “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Here’s what this DOES NOT MEAN – this does not mean you can never be angry. This doesn’t mean you have to smile and always be happy. There is righteous anger. There are times when it is right to be angry. Jesus flipped a few tables in his day. You don’t have to be a pushover. In fact, God’s word even warns us that it’s not good to just go along with the crowd. We are to stand up for what is right. We are to be the light in the darkness. We are to cast out demons and evict evil. But, here’s what we cannot do – we cannot let anger control us. You can have anger – but don’t let anger have you. There’s a difference. When anger has you, it takes control of your mind and your mouth. When anger has you, you lash out and you act in a way that is not honoring of God. When anger has you, you sin. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Where has anger taken control of you and left you thinking, saying and doing things you don’t even want to? Do you see this anywhere in your life? Do you know how that happened? Plain and simple, you didn’t put a time limit on that anger. You can feel what you need to feel, but you can’t allow yourself an open ended space to feel those negative feelings because then they take root and they begin growing in you. Whatever grows in you begins to take over you. This week I was sitting in a small village in southern Italy just looking at the old stone buildings and architecture. I noticed a grapevine that had grown up the side of the building. But then the grapevine had began to grow into the building. Attaching itself to the stone, wrapping itself around the railings, and literally growing to become part of the building. The grapevine was creating damage to the stone walls and taking over the walkway. This is the perfect picture of what happens within us with anything we allow to grow. We are taken over. Some of us have angry grapevines growing on every surface, creating damage and destruction. It didn’t happen instantly, it happened over time. Time. God works with time, but so does the enemy of your soul. If you give God time, he will radically change your life and set you free. If you give the devil time, he will wreck your heart, corrupt your mind, and destroy your life. And this is why Paul says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” This is about time. If you give the devil time with your anger, he will do his nasty work and eat you up on the inside. All anger, even justified anger, must be managed with a time limit. Anger absolutely cannot take up permanent residence in your heart and mind! How much time will you give anger? Something makes you mad – okay – so how long will you allow yourself to be mad over that? Paul says, NOT EVEN A FULL DAY. That’s what it means to not let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t let today’s anger flow into tomorrow. Don’t go to bed mad about this and wake up mad about it again. Set a time limit on that anger. Unlimited anger with the free rein of time gives the devil a foothold. Do you know what a foothold is? Think of it like this – if a bad guy is chasing you and you run into your house, but he sticks his foot in the door before you get it closed, that’s a foot hold. With his foot in the door, he can gain access and do damage. It might only be a 3 inch crack, but if he gets his foot in the door, then you are left vulnerable. That’s what anger without a time limit does in your life – it lets the devil get his foot in the door to your life. That small opening gives him access to do great damage. It may not feel like it, but even that justified anger that lingers can make you spiritually vulnerable. There comes a point with anger where we almost cherish it. We find delight in replaying the story, retelling the events, and rekindling the anger. The more people we can get to join us in that anger, the better. But that’s only better for the enemy. Now he has greater access to more hearts. Footholds are everywhere, and we are creating them! 1 Corinthians 13:6 TPT says, “Love finds no delight in what is wrong.” Really think about that. We are called to love. That is our purpose and our mission. Love finds no delight in what is wrong. That means when we are living according to the way God has called us to live, we don’t happily point out and talk about what is wrong. We don’t joyfully retell the story about what is wrong or who is wrong. Why are we making our conversations all about what is wrong? We have to stop that! Find something better to talk about. My goodness, there has to be something better to talk about. And here’s the thing … someone just has to turn the conversation and redirect it to what is right … I’m pretty sure God has asked YOU to be that person. I often make it a daily goal to “take no delight in what is wrong”. I can fall into the trap of watching something bad unfold and secretly enjoy the show. I caught myself just yesterday watching an angry old man on the train to Rome causing a ruckus for everyone around him. It was delighting to my eyes like entertainment. I wanted to hear the fighting. I wanted others to get involved. I was literally delighting in what was wrong, and that simply IS NOT LOVE. The enemy had a little opening to my heart and actively began working on my dislike of this human who I didn’t even know. My facial expressions told everyone else on that train that I was with them in their anger towards an old man who was clearly having a very bad day. That’s not right. That’s not God’s way. In fact, I’m just actively doing the devil’s work for him. I’m part of the problem. Paul gives us the solution earlier in Ephesians 4:2, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Can we just make allowance for each other’s faults? Can we be tolerant with one another? Can we remember that sometimes people have bad days? Can we remember that some people are carrying heavy burdens within that we know nothing about? Can we assume the best instead of the worst and allow space for our differences without anger? This isn’t just for strangers on a train, this is for the people we live with. Can we just allow space for rough mornings, overwhelmed minds, and poor choices of words sometimes? Can we give grace where they are wrong without making it all about us? You know what that does – that slams the door on the enemy. If his foot was trying to slip in there, his toes got smashed! The devil gets no foothold because my anger isn’t necessary and it’s simply not allowed here in the things that ultimately don’t even matter. But when it does matter – and sometimes it does – what’s important for us to remember is SET A TIME LIMIT on that anger. Don’t let the anger grow and fester. If you keep replaying the offense, the resentment will grow and bitterness will take root. And that bitterness is like the angry grapevine that attaches to you and creates destruction. It just won’t let go. It will wrap around you and force its way in. The foothold given to the devil becomes his stronghold. And if he has a stronghold on your heart, then you become the angry bitter woman you never wanted to be – and the woman no one wants to be around. Clinging to anger helps the enemy accomplish his work. He is the accuser, the divider, the destroyer, the condemner … and we partner with him in our anger and begin doing his work for him. We accuse instead of restore. We divide instead of reconcile. We wound instead of heal. We rehearse offenses rather than extend grace. This isn’t love … this is the enemy’s trap and we fall right in and become his slaves in his nasty work. When you feel angry, deal with it quickly. Don’t nurture it. Don’t let it settle it. Set a time limit and when the time is up, let it go. Your heart NEEDS YOU TO LET IT GO NOW. Before the sun goes down, let it go. 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

When you realize how truly loved you are by God, you are made complete with two things: the fullness of life and the power that comes from God. Knowing you are loved frees you to live like never before. Not in fear and not in shame, but in bold courage to show up in this life you have been given and live like the girl you were truly created to be. Oh how I pray you are living in that freedom, my sister. You don’t have to play little. You don’t have to shrink back. You don’t have to sit it out. You can show up as the unique masterpiece you were created to be and live as only you can live. Now, today let’s talk about the second thing that makes you complete in God’s love … POWER that comes from God himself. What a trick of the enemy to make you think you are helpless and hopeless. What a lie from the pits of hell that tells you you’re just a victim to life’s circumstances and bad luck is all you ever have. No, my sister, you have power. And what can the power at work within you do … well, you have absolutely no idea! Like truly, your mind can’t even comprehend the power working in you as the recipient of God’s love. Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” You literally have no idea what God’s power within you can do. You have never even dreamed up a dream comparable to what is truly possible with this power of God’s you have within you. BUT DON’T YOU WANT TO? Don’t you want to start living with a better awareness of this power? Don’t you want to wake up with the knowledge of what can happen with God? When you begin to know about God’s mighty power that is working inside of you, you start living different. You stop backing down in fear. You stop dismissing yourself. You stop allowing fear and anxiety to take root in your mind and rob you of your joy and peace. This is not God’s promise to give you bigger stuff than you ever dreamed of … this is God’s promise of his power to do greater work IN YOU than you can currently imagine. Read it again – Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” He can change you. He can supernaturally strengthen you. He can make you in tune with his voice and sensitive to his promptings. He can give you holy courage to do what you’ve always been to afraid to do. He can guide you to be in the right place at the right time for his perfectly right plans to unfold. Sounds great, doesn’t it? We all want that. But don’t pluck this single scripture out and miss the full picture of God’s word. The revelation of this power at work within us comes AFTER experiencing the true measure of God’s love for us. This power doesn’t come without relationship. God is not a genie in a bottle with 3 wishes. He’s your loving creator who designed you to need him and thrive in the experience of his love for you. You are not complete without his love and you are not filled with this power without a relationship with him. Nothing is impossible with God – that’s true. But let remind you of the impossible work God focuses on BEFORE the open door, before the opportunity, before the success, and before the breakthrough … he begins by giving you a new mind with new thoughts. He begins by healing your heart to make it soft again. He starts by strengthening your spirit. Before he builds your business, he builds your courage, grows you in maturity, sets you free, and teaches you to love like him. If you’re only looking for the perks of riches, worldly success and selfish dreams, you may be sorely disappointed. God holds all those things, but he focuses on who you are becoming within FIRST. It’s his power at work WITHIN YOU, and that power can accomplish infinitely more than you could ever ask, think or imagine. Those habits you feel can never change … oh they can change! That old way of worrying about everything and overthinking all things … well that’s all powerless compared to God’s power now at work. Maybe you were once jealous, negative, or fearful … welp, all that is subject to the power of God now working in you. Once you know just how loved you are, then you’re under his power to change everything within you. Is there something you will boldly dare to ask God to go to work on in you? Something you want to surrender to his power and release to his control? Something you want to lay down right here and now and never pick it back up again? What is it? What yucky thing within you do you struggle with? This morning I sat down with God and I wrote a list of 34 different inner battles. Things I’ve personally battled or seen others battle. Every single one of which God has the power to change, but first we must acknowledge our own struggles before God. Don’t ignore this – if you really want God to do impossible things within you starting today, then it starts right here. Where have you struggled and you want God’s power to change: • Your tendency to perform • Your deep need to be liked • Your fear of disappointing people • Your negative self-talk • Your constant comparison • Your default of inappropriate flirtiness • Your need for validation • Your emotional over-eating • Your inability to say no • Your fear of being overlooked • Your inability to rest without guilt • Your twisted thought patterns • Your instant anger • Your overwhelming worry • Your need to control • Your unquinchable thirst for more • Your busy mind • Your negative thoughts • Your inability to finish what you start • Your tendency to embellish the story • Your constant scrolling and distraction • Your default of gossip • Your jealousy of others • Your bitterness from past hurt • Your addiction to comfort • Your fear of failure • Your perfectionism • Your procrastination • Your inability to trust God fully • Your secret pride • Your habit of settling for less than God’s best • Your tendency to quit when it gets hard • Your obsession with appearance • Your struggle to believe you’re already enough in Christ Oh my sister, you’re not alone – we all need God’s power at work within us. There’s no shame in what you’re willing to surrender right here to God. Decide now, are you going to continue to wrestle with this, or are you going to seek the power of God at work within you that can accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or think. This isn’t about your willpower to change, this is about your surrender to God’s power. Will you surrender this? If you’re really serious about this, I would recommend you go back and really listen to this list and with each one, ask God if this is an area you need his help with. Write them down, then bring them to God in prayer every day. Here’s how you could do that Example: If you struggle with negative thoughts, a default of gossip and an obsession with appearance, write them down in your journal. On one page write NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, then write Ephesians 3:19-20 to yourself, “I’m open to experiencing the love of Christ. Now I’m being made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. God is able, through his mighty power at work within ME to accomplish infinitely more than I could ask or think.” Then, in your own words, invite God’s loving power to go to work on your negative thoughts. Ask him to heal your mind. Ask him to do things you don’t even know to ask for. Then on the next page, write your next struggle, DEFAULT OF GOSSIP. Once again, write out Ephesians 3: 19-20 to yourself, “I’m open to experiencing the love of Christ. Now I’m being made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. God is able, through his mighty power at work within ME to accomplish infinitely more than I could ask or think.” Then, in your own words, invite God’s loving power to go to work on your default of gossip. Ask him for holy conviction so you’re aware when it’s happening and special strength to change. On another page write your next struggle, OBSESSION WITH APPEARANCE. Once again, write out Ephesians 3: 19-20 to yourself, “I’m open to experiencing the love of Christ. Now I’m being made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. God is able, through his mighty power at work within ME to accomplish infinitely more than I could ask or think.” Then, in your own words, invite God’s loving power to go to work on your obsession with appearance. Ask him to take away the desires that are not of him. Ask the Holy Spirit to heal what has been broken within that makes you unhappy with who you naturally are. Keep going back to this in prayer. As you recognize another need for God’s help, write it down in prayer. Will it work? Absolutely it will work. Not because of a magic formula, but because of God’s promised power for the girls he loves … and that’s you! He wants to work in you. He wants to heal what has been broken, he wants to restore what has been stolen, he wants to fix what has been twisted, and he wants to renew what has gone bad. Bring it to God, surrender it all to his power, and watch him work within you in unimaginable ways. He will radically change your life … and he’ll start with what’s happening inside of you. 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

Something happens in your life when you have a personal encounter with God’s love.  Something that changes you. I’m sure you know that God loves you.  But do you only know that on a surface level? For some, it’s a mere blanket statement of faith – nothing more than a thing you say because it’s what everyone else says.  “Jesus loves me this I know – for the Bible tells me so.”  But God wants his love to reach you in a deep, personal way to the core of your identity.  More than just because the Bible tells you so, but because you’ve personally experienced his love.  What God has for you is this, “Jesus loves me this I know – for he met me in my soul.” Before you are anything else, you are loved by God.  Before you are pretty enough, smart enough, or good enough in any way, you are LOVED BY GOD.  Before the first thing you did right or after the last thing you got wrong, you are loved by God.  Your mere existence proves the fact of his love for you. But because you’ve had his love every day of your life whether you acknowledged it or not, maybe it’s just become ordinary and unimpressive to you.  Sure, I’m loved by God – but what about these bills?  Yeah, I have God’s love, but what about all the things I don’t seem to have right now?  What about this mess?  What about this problem?  What about next month?  God’s love seems irrelevant in my real life of real struggles. Really, what does God’s love do for you?  Well, besides the fact that his love for you created you, gives you breath, saves your soul, and gives you a promised eternity in paradise … there’s more.  More for your real life right here today. Satan can’t take away the fact that God’s love gives you life.  He can’t cancel your promised destiny in heaven.  But what Satan can actively do is make your world so busy, so loud, and so fussy with absolute nonsense that you forfeit the power of God’s love here and now.  And then here you are walking around so totally loved by a God who holds all the power in the world, and totally unaware of how his love can radically change your life TODAY. Yes, today.  God’s love can change your experience in this day of life.  God’s love can open your eyes to what you’ve never seen before.  God’s love can change your thoughts and fill your entire existence with peace and joy.  God’s love can supernaturally strengthen you to do things you’ve never ever been able to do before. That’s what the enemy doesn’t want you to know.  Satan wants to keep you stuck in your pit of darkness, your overwhelm of sadness, your little hell of stress and worry.  Why?  Because there you are ineffective to share the light of Jesus.  There you are just another soul trudging through the existence of life waiting for it all to be over. Wait – has the enemy of your soul tricked you into living like that?  If so, recognize at the core of his trickery is the web of lies from the pits of hell telling you that you’re not REALLY loved by God.  His lies tell you that you’re just one of millions and millions of people and life is just happening to you.  His lies tell you you’re not really important to the creator of the Universe and there’s no divine power over the details of your days.  His lies tell you your prayers have no power, you don’t really hear from the Holy Spirit, and God Almighty is a little too busy to constantly be caring about you. Hmmmm – you’ve heard those lies, haven’t you?  Have you started to believe them? How do you overcome a lie?  WITH TRUTH!  Here’s the truth from God’s word. Ephesians 3:19, “May you experience the LOVE OF CHRIST, though it I too great to understand fully.  Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” This is the scripture directly after yesterday’s verse giving us the measurements of God’s love through the cross.  Remember, we can look at the cross and know how WIDE God’s love is, how LONG God’s love is, how HIGH God’s love is and how DEEP God’s love is.  But it’s not enough to just know about these measurements of love through the cross, you must EXPERIENCE THIS LOVE. No you will never fully understand it, but you can still experience it.  You will never have the right words to express his love, but you will feel it deep within your soul when you encounter it.  Jesus loves me this I know, for he met me in my soul. May you EXPERIENCE the love of Christ.  The Greek word translated into ‘experience’ in this scripture is ginōskō.  This is a word for knowing firsthand after a personal encounter.  It’s deeper than knowing because you were taught or told – it’s a knowing because you’ve experienced it.  It’s a shift from “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so” – to – “Jesus loves me this I know, for he met me in my soul.”  It’s a shift from “I know God loves me”, to “I have BEEN loved by God in a way that changed me.” How does God’s love change you?  It completes you.  It fills that hole that absolutely nothing else can.  You can achieve everything you’ve ever wanted to achieve, and still you need God’s love.  You can have purely wonderful relationships all around you, and still you need God’s love.  You can have the perfect body to include the hair, the clothes, the eyes, the smile, absolutely all the things, and you will still need God’s love.  You can have everyone’s approval and applause, and you will still feel a void within – a void that is only filled by God’s love.  You can have everything – and everything will never be enough, without God’s love. And here’s why – Completeness comes from experiencing the love of God through Jesus.  Again, look at our scripture, “May you EXPERIENCE the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.  THEN you will be made COMPLETE with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”  The answer for your emptiness is the love of Jesus.  The solution for your longing is the love of Jesus.  Yes, that wide, long, high and deep love represented through the cross.  Have you experienced his love for you? Oh how I pray that you would be caught by God and completely swept away in his love.  I can’t give you a formula for experiencing that.  I can’t tell you, go to this exact place, pray this exact prayer, wait for 5 minutes, then his love will meet you and change everything.  It’s simply not like that.  God’s love meets us each in different ways at different times. I specifically remember the first time I experienced God’s love on this level.  It was at one of my worst moments.  A moment where I was utterly disappointed and broken by the way my steps of faith had been rewarded by more hardship.  I had grown angry and bitter in the hardship, convinced God has messed up.  Sitting on my couch that day, I wrestled with my true feelings and tried to suppress it all.  My husband said, “Pamela, why don’t you just say it – you’re mad at God.”  I had never been told I could have that feeling and still be loved.  I never knew God was bigger than my disappointment.  I seriously thought I would be struck by lightning if I told God how I really felt about the crap happening in our life.  But in that moment I just couldn’t hold it back any longer.  I screamed out, “God, I can’t believe this is how you repay faithfulness.  I can’t believe this is your good plan for me.  I’m so angry right now.” And then I held my breath waiting for the withdrawal of his presence.  But instead of being struck by lightening, I was struck by his unfailing love.  I personally experienced the LOVE of CHRIST there in my weakest and most vulnerable moment.  He didn’t turn away from me, instead I could feel his peace fill me.  In unspeakable ways, I was loved like I had never been loved before.  In my most unlovable moment, I was fully loved. That was a turning point for me.  I stepped out of being the victim and I harnessed new power.  Yes, power.  Power that comes from God when you experience the love of Christ.  Things didn’t instantly change for us, but I can look back and see exactly how God was working for good in every detail.  Our struggles prepared us for the outpouring of blessings to come.  We came out stronger, more grounded, stripped down of all the excess, and our hands were open to receive what God had for us next. Honesty allows us to experience God’s life changing love.  You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.  You don’t have to play along like you’re happy about the way things turned out.  You don’t have to smile your way through the pain.  God can handle your honest emotions – but you have to surrender them to him.  When you do, you’ll be met with a love you could never earn.  And that love changes everything. Paul writes that once you experience the true measure of God’s love that is wide, long, high and deep, “THEN YOU WILL BE MADE COMPLETE WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF LIFE AND POWER THAT COMES FROM GOD.” To have fullness means you lack nothing that is needed – you are perfectly filled.  Filled with LIFE and POWER. Have you ever met someone that is filled with LIFE and POWER?  They just glow different don’t they?  There’s something magnetic about them.  That’s the power of Jesus’ love within them.  If you want it, it’s available to you too. You’ll never understand this love, but you can live in it.  Faith is required here.  Surrender is your next step.  Go ahead and fall apart and let his loving arms catch you.  Experience his love. This is the flow: • Experience God’s love • Be made whole in his love • Live filled with God’s life and power The life God has for you and the power to fully live

You were specifically designed with love for love. At your very core is the need for love. As humans, we are in constant pursuit of love. And ultimately, every behavioral issue we ever experience is in some way trying to earn love, experience love, experience love or force love. What messes we create when we fear love is uncertain, conditional, or unavailable to us. This is why as women we seek attention, and often act in ways we’re later ashamed of. It’s why we are so quick to settle for the scraps of love because some type of love is better than the thought of no love. And this is truly why the enemy attacks so hard in making us feel unloved. Have you ever felt unloved? What did you do in that space of feeling unloved? It wasn’t healthy, was it? It was far short of God’s best for you, wasn’t it. And now you know that was a scheme of the enemy to attack the very thing you are designed in and for … love. You will never not need love. You will never love yourself enough to fill that hole. There’s no surgery, no hair extensions, no diet, no new shoes, purse or outfit that will ever make you love you enough to fill your core craving for love. And there’s no human who can fill that hole. Oh how they will fall short. Why? Simply because that was never within their design. That man will fall short. Those children will grow up and move on. That best friend will get busy. BUT GOD. This is your BUT GOD moment. But God’s love will perfectly fill the hole within you. Why? Because your creator lovingly designed you to need his love, and only his love will ever do. God’s love is like the key to the lock that opens the door to the fullness of life you most desire. But if you don’t know the measure of God’s love for you personally, then you will always feel lacking and unfulfilled. Right here, today, it’s time to learn the MEASURE OF GOD’S LOVE. Do you realize that God’s love isn’t a feeling, it isn’t a thought, it isn’t a magical state or some future destination. God’s love is real and it’s measurable. This is why Paul writes in Ephesians 3:18, “May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Literal measurement’s of God’s love. And Paul says you “May you have the power to understand it!” You see my friends, if you understand the measurement of God’s immense love for you, all that striving, all that twisting, all that forcing can end. Every ounce of loneliness, every desire for something more or something different can be quenched in understanding the true measure of God’s love for you. How can we understand how wide God’s love is? How long God’s love is? How high God’s love is? How deep God’s love is? We look at the cross. The cross where Jesus hung and died, thinking of you and I individually and personally, is the measurement of God’s love. May you never ever see the symbol of a cross again without knowing the measure of God’s love for you. Looking at the cross, let’s look at the 4 measurements. WIDE – The horizontal cross beam. His love is WIDE enough to include everyone. Jesus stretched His arms outward toward sinners, doubters, outsiders, the broken, the religious, and the ashamed. The cross is open-armed love. Jesus extends his invitation of love to every single one of us. No one is too far gone. Absolutely no one is excluded. To the very people killing him, he extended his arms. To the sinners hanging on the cross beside him, he extends his arms. To you and I, he extends his arms. WIDE IS GOD’S LOVE. ⸻ LONG – The long vertical beam . This is not just about physical length, it represents enduring love through all time. His love is LONG enough to outlast your failure, survive every season of life, remain faithful even when you aren’t, and continue through every generation. The vertical beam stands like an enduring pillar. ⸻ HIGH – The top reaching upward toward heaven. His love is HIGH enough to lift us. The cross raises us up from shame to identity, from bondage to freedom, from earthly living to eternal purpose. God’s love doesn’t merely comfort you in your condition — it lifts you up out of it. ⸻ DEEP – The buried portion beneath the ground. The deepest part of the cross is hidden underground. Much of God’s greatest work happens beneath the surface. His love is DEEP enough to enter your suffering, descend into grief, reach your hidden shame and rescue you from the pit. Jesus descended into humanity’s deepest brokenness. There is no depth your pain can reach where His love cannot go deeper still. The deepest part of the cross is the part nobody sees. ⸻ His love is wide, it’s long, it’s high and it’s deep. The dimensions form a cross… but the cross itself also points in every direction. The cross becomes the measurement of immeasurable love. ⸻ Now, notice this – Paul doesn’t say: “May you understand theology.” He says: “May you have power to understand love.” Because love this large cannot be grasped intellectually alone. It must be experienced.This is how wide His love is. This is how long His love lasts. This is how high His love lifts. This is how deep His love reaches. 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

Your thoughts have a massive effect on your life. Every single day, your thoughts are either running the moment or allowing you to enjoy the moment. The truth is, you simply can’t have a positive life with a negative mind. God created your mind for life and peace, but the enemy fights hard to distort our thinking. Understand, today there’s still a battle going on in your mind, and it’s creating either defeat or victory in your life. Ephesians 6:17 tells us to “Put on the helmet of salvation.” What does a helmet do? It protects your head. Do you see what the helmet of salvation is? This is Jesus’ protection for your mind! The enemy is after your thoughts. He’s after your mindset. Your mind is the full on battlefield. And Jesus says, “Let me protect your mind!” The enemy cannot steal your salvation, so he attacks your thoughts instead. Romans 1:28 warns of what happens when God’s creation no longer seeks Jesus for protection over their thoughts. It says, “And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right.” Their thoughts were wrong so their actions were wrong. Why were their thoughts wrong? Because they no longer gave any effort to seeking God and God gave them over to their worthless mindset. So the battlefield of their mind was lost to the enemy. You eventually move in the direction of your strongest or repetitive thoughts. The Message translation says it like this, “Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose. They made life hell on earth.” Who made life hell on earth? The people did. What caused it? Their unprotected mind and thoughts that ran wild. Whew, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want God to quit bothering me. I don’t want him to quit waking me up. I don’t want him to quit convicting me. I don’t want him to quit giving me that icky feeling in my spirit when I’m out of alignment. Lord, don’t quit bothering me! Bother the heck out of me. Don’t let me sleep if I am wrong! Have you seen a life where all hell broke loose? We all have seen that example. We’ve seen a life ruined because of a worthless mindset. We’ve witnessed the battlefield of the mind defeated by the enemy. A life filled with potential that falls so short. But understand, Jesus always wanted to protect that mind! Jesus always wanted to fight that battle. Jesus always had victory for them. But when we don’t choose Him, our minds go unprotected. Girl, put on the helmet of salvation! Make time for God so he can protect you from the battle over your mind. Your mind was never meant to lead you – it was meant to be lead by the Spirit. Our minds are wild little beasts. The moment you tell yourself not to think of something, what do you do … you start thinking of the exact thing you just said NOT to think about. I often teach how to harness the power of your thoughts using the example of a refrigerator. Close your eyes and think about your kitchen right now. Think about all the details of your kitchen, just don’t think about your refrigerator. You can think about everything but your refrigerator. Think of your kitchen, just not your refrigerator. Your entire kitchen and it’s details are what I want you to think about, just as long as you’re not thinking about your refrigerator. Now, what were you thinking about? Your refrigerator! Isn’t it crazy how the more you say “don’t think about that”, the more you DO think about that exact thing. Sounds a whole lot like what Paul is saying later in Romans 7:15, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I dow what I hate.” He’s saying, I keep thinking about the things I don’t want to think about. I keep dong the things I don’t want to do. I keep saying things I know I shouldn’t say. I can’t control myself and I can’t change myself. Finally he says in verse 24, “Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this …” What will change us? What will help us control this mind that continually thinks about the very thing we don’t want it to think about? What will help us win this war on the battlefield of our mind? Let’s return to your kitchen to see! Close your eyes again, and think about your kitchen. You can think about all the details of your kitchen, but I specifically want you to think about your sink this time. In your kitchen is your sink. What color is your sink? Is it white? Is it silver? What does your faucet look like? Does your faucet have a knob for hot and cold individually, or just one knob in the middle. Do you have one of those detachable sprayer things? Is your soap dispenser built into the sink? Which side of the sink is the garbage disposal? Is your sink currently empty of full? Okay, now open your eyes and tell me what you were thinking about. What? Your kitchen sink! Precisely! And what were you NOT thinking about this time? Your refrigerator. This time, it took absolutely no effort to ignore your refrigerator. Now, why was that? Because I gave you something specific to think about instead. I offered you a new mindset. A new focus for your attention. Your mind always moves toward what you magnify. Girls, that’s what JESUS does for us! Do I believe in the power of positive thoughts – absolutely. But it’s so much more than that. Victory isn’t found in thinking more positively – Victory is found in thinking more spiritually. Thoughts led by the Spirit bring us breakthrough and victory! Thoughts led by the Spirit radically change our life! Romans 8:9 says, “BUT YOU ARE NOT CONTROLLED BY YOUR SINFUL NATURE. YOU ARE CONTROLLED BY THE SPIRIT IF YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD LIVING IN YOU.” The Spirit of God lives within us through Jesus. And Jesus is our helmet of salvation. He protects our minds. When our minds are right, our actions can be right! We no longer have to do what we don’t want to do! We no longer have to think all the things we don’t want to think. Jesus has rescued us from the flesh that causes us to resist what is good. He is the only answer. His Spirit living within you changes your mindset! This is how the war on the battlefield of your mind is fought and won. JESUS! Remember, what happens to us when we no longer bother with acknowledging and seeking God … God stops bothering us. We’re turned over to a worthless mindset. We’re filled with thoughts of all we don’t want, and pulled right into those thoughts and create a living hell, doing all the things we know we don’t want to do. But when we seek God, when we acknowledge him, we are given a new mindset led by the Spirit. We no longer think about what we don’t want, but about what we do want. Our thoughts are Spirit led! Our thoughts are filled with goodness, and our actions flow from that goodness. We are able to take our wild thoughts captive and make them obedient to Jesus! Naturally, we will no longer dwell on the things we don’t want to because we’ve replaced it with the things of the Spirit. You don’t have to avoid thinking about your refrigerator when I redirect you to your kitchen sink. Jesus redirects us to our sink. Jesus doesn’t merely remove bad thoughts, he replaces them with life-giving truth. To the good story he has for us. To the power he has given us to change. To the mind that is set on him. There’s a battle going on in your mind. The enemy of your soul wants to keep you stuck in a pattern of doing what you don’t want to do, and not doing what you do want to do. He wants to make you feel powerless and out of control. He thrives on this chaos and brings his hell to your corner of this earth… IF YOU LET HIM. Don’t let him. Devil, you’re out. Jesus, you’re in! My thoughts are fully on you! I find my strength in you. I put on the helmet of salvation and receive protection for my mind. Through his Spirit, I have the power to control and direct my thoughts. The last paragraph of Romans 7 reflects exactly what we battle in our minds and therefore in our choices. (Reading from the MSG translation): “What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? NOW here comes the answer with the final verse in chapter 7 and the opening verse in chapter 8: “The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. With the arrival of Jesus that fateful dilemma is resolved. A new power is in operation.” My mind has been reset by Jesus, and Jesus brings LIFE! Now living within us is God’s Holy Spirit who gives us a holy conviction when our thoughts are out of alignment. That’s where that icky feeling comes from, and thank God for it! And now you know, that’s God’s redirection of our saved mind to get in alignment with him. To help us stop thinking about our refrigerator, and think about our story. To shift our thoughts and therefore shift our entire perspective, attitude, words and actions! Today, practice allowing God’s spirit to help you shift your thoughts from negative to positive. From what’s wrong to what’s right. From what you don’t want to what absolutely beautiful thing God is doing all around you that you will so

How many of you would admit you over-complicate things sometimes? You overthink things and make things harder than they really need to be. Today, let’s let God drastically simplify a few things for us so we really get it. Yesterday we looked at that well known scripture, Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Other translations put it in terms we can really understand. “We are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good. We have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.” Now today, let’s go deeper! My sister, EVERY DETAIL of your life becomes part of something good when given to God. He wastes nothing and uses everything. God doesn’t merely work around your story – he weaves through it. You can’t lose what you surrender. But, it doesn’t stop there. I usually stop there. I read verse 28 and I’m off searching for my purpose. I’m digging through the bad things in my life and reminding God they’re not good yet. But today, let’s keep reading beyond the popular verse 28. Romans 8: 29 & 30, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his own glory.” Woah, that’s a lot. We have an entire waterfall of promises here. Don’t choke on the overflow, let’s get in the flow. Stop trying to control the river and learn to move with it. One leads to the next, then the next, flowing over our lives and flooding us with hope and assurance. Today, let’s get in the flow and receive everything God is offering us! This flow begins with those God knew in advance. And honey, God knew you before! Nothing about you has ever surprised God. He knew you before you achieved any level of success and before you screwed up. He knew you before you got it wrong and before you got it right. He knew you before. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Oh yes, he definitely knew you BEFORE. He knew you before because he CREATED you with a great purpose in mind. You have been known in advance. And with that, the flow over your life begins. For those he he knew in advance, he chose them. YOU. ARE. CHOSEN. God Almighty, the creator of the universe, chose YOU. He wanted you. He knew everything about you and said, “She’s the one I want.” Girl, stop dismissing yourself! You have not been dismissed. God doesn’t regret his choice. What has he chosen you for? He has chosen you to become like his Son, Jesus. Woah – big pressure, right? Actually, no. You naturally become more like Jesus with each surrender of your own way. Every surrender makes more room for Jesus in you. When you’re living in the flow, it just flows. Ultimately, this means we’re just returning to what we were always meant to be from the beginning. Remember back in Genesis 1:27, “So God created human beings in his own image.” We were always created to bear this image, now God has chosen to bring us back to it. You are chosen to bring life to the room. You are chosen to bring hope to the people. You are chosen to bring love to the table. You are chosen to wash some feet. If you’ve been looking for your destiny, here it is. Your destiny is to become more and more like Jesus! Before God calls you to a place, he calls you to himself. The closer you walk with God, the better you learn to serve, to love, to forgive, to touch, to walk with, and to invest in God’s people. And for those God has created, he has chosen, and for those he has chosen, he has called. And this is where God got me. I am called. You are called. We are called. But, we all want to know to WHAT? Where am I being called? What am I being called to? What is my calling. Of all the questions I receive, this is probably a top 3. “Pamela, how do I know I’m being called and how do I discover my calling?” Is that a question you’ve been asking? Well first, we KNOW you have been called, because you’re in the flow of all of this. God created you, right? Because he created you, the flow tells us he chose you. Chosen to become more and more like Jesus to reflect his image. And that now leads to what God’s word says is next – CALLED. But called to what? I began studying this word, “called.” And you know what I found? I found we’ve been over-complicating it! We’ve made this a whole lot fussier than it needs to be. Think of it like this … If we were in the store together, but on separate isles and I called out to you, it would be for 2 purposes: First, I’m making it known where I am, and second, I’m leading you towards me. If you’re a mom and you call out your child’s name, they hear you, then they know where you are and they know to just come to you. And that is precisely what a calling is. To be called by God is two things: God is breaking into your awareness so you know he is there, and he is drawing you toward him. Calling is less bout finding a destination and more about following a voice. Look at our scripture today again – Romans 8:30, “Having chosen them, he CALLED them TO COME TO HIM” If you feel “called” toward a new job, that is simply because God is making you aware of his presence and he is drawing you to move toward him. This is how you step right into a new job … you follow the calling. God, I am aware of your presence in the details of my life. I’m moving toward you in faith. Where do you sense God’s presence? Move in that direction! Ahhhh, so simple. 1 Samuel 3: 1-10 shows us exactly what a calling sounds like and how we’re supposed to respond to it. This chapter in my bible is titled “The Lord Calls Samuel”. I think that’s the chapter you’re at in your life. The Lord is calling you. Oh, yes he is. How do I know? Because he created you and he chose you, and the flow from there is to be called! Samuel is a young boy and he’s living under the care of his mentor, Eli. It says: “Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” The people most led by God are usually the people most willing to listen. God is making his presence known. He is breaking into your awareness. If you feel God is calling to you, simply say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” For real, why would we make it more complicated than that?!!! When you sense his presence, move toward it. To step into your calling, you simply need to be aware of God and move toward him! You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to understand the next 10 steps. You don’t have to see precisely where it’s all leading. You simply ask, “God, is this you? I’m listening.” Then start taking some steps of faith in that direction. And there’s more great news standing in this overflowing waterfall of God’s goodness. For those he created, he chose. For those he chose, he called. For those he called, he gave them right standing with himself. There it is – you’ve been made forever good enough because of Jesus. Not because of anything you have done or could ever do, but because of what God has done for you. You have been made right. Ahhhhh, yesssssss. Breathe that in. Jesus has brought you into right standings with God. You have been given full access to the throne! And for those he made right, he gave them his own glory. Yes, we are to bring glory to God, but did you know he also wants to glorify us, his children? Do you know how he does that? He makes us more like Jesus! He redeems us. Your story doesn’t end in struggle, it ends in transformation! Here on earth, to be glorified means we have the privilege of seeing him in everything and being transformed from the inside out. In Heaven that means full redemption of our bodies. Honey, this body will be made glorious after your journey here is complete! Who’s excited about a new glorious body?!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoop Whoop … it’s coming. It’s promised. Get in the flow. That’s God’s promise. That’s how this all ends!!!! Stand under that overflowing waterfall and get in the flow. The flow begins with: YOU ARE CREATED. YOU ARE CHOSEN. YOU ARE CALLED. YOU ARE MADE RIGHT. YOU ARE GLORIFIED. And God, well he is in every detail of our lives, continually weaving it all together for good. And he’s calling out to his girls. Calling out so we are aware of his presence, and we continually move toward him. Just keep moving toward him. This is living in the flow and fulfilling his designed purpose for your life. 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

Nobody loves having their plans ruined. Nobody loves seeing all they’ve been working on completely fall apart. It feels discouraging. It feels overwhelming. But what if we’re just looking at it wrong? What if all that’s happening here with your ruined plans and failed attempts is heavenly things interrupting earthly things? Think about that! You’re dealing with earthly things. You’re planning earthly things. You’re in the mix of earthly details. But God is high above it all in heavenly things. From his vantage point, he sees it all. But remember this, he not only sees it all, he can control it all. And if God steps in and rearranges a few things, don’t you think it’s because he sees what you cannot? MAY HEAVENLY THINGS CONSTANTLY INTERRUPT YOUR EARTHLY THINGS. Maybe this isn’t an inconvenience, this is a divine intervention! Many years ago I simply decided to change my personal philosophy from the victim mentality of why were things always happening to me, to believing things weren’t happening to me, they were happening for me. This isn’t naive. This isn’t clueless. This is faith. This is trusting God is in every detail, and if the details change, then either he is already at work, or he CAN work it out for my benefit. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” You either believe it, or you don’t. If you believe it, then you can trust this isn’t happening to you, it’s happening FOR you, because God is working all things together for good concerning you. Why? Simply because he loves you and you have chosen to love him. Sometimes life just happens – but nothing can happen that hasn’t passed through the mighty hands of God first. The truth is, we live in a broken world, but we serve a redeeming God with unlimited power. Some things happen that God didn’t orchestrate, but he allowed because he knows he can work with it in good ways that grow your faith and trust in him, lead you to deeper purpose, and ultimately bring him glory. 1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” And because God loves us, he will interrupt us. He will intervene on our behalf. He will rearrange, delay, cancel, and create a total upheaval. All to bring us into alignment with these good plans he has prepared for us that are promised to be better than our own. Do you remember the story of Joseph in your Bible? This guy had seemingly unfortunate things happen to him his entire life. As a teenager, he was thrown in a pit and sold by his jealous brothers into slavery. As a young adult, he’s thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit. As the continually good guy, he’s used, he’s forgotten, and he’s blamed. Where was God in all of that? VERY PRESENT! Joseph’s betray looked like destruction, but it was divine positioning. The pit he was thrown in interrupted his plans. The prison he sat in interrupted his plans. But every interruption was leading him toward a greater purpose. A purpose of God’s good plans that saved the lives of many. Heavenly plans that interrupted earthly things. MAY HEAVENLY THINGS CONSTANTLY INTERRUPT YOUR EARTHLY THINGS. Now, here’s the wild thing about God’s interruptions to our plans, we have a few options. We can live in confusion and disappointment or – we CAN actually SEE them for what they are and we can KNOW it was him working for us. How? His Spirit that lives within us. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 10-12, goes on to say: “The Holy Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets… We have received God’s Spirit so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” Let me put this into simple terms. God works in mysterious ways, but through the Holy Spirit we have been given the gift of understanding these mysteries! The next time you lose your keys and you’re delayed leaving the house, in the middle of your panic, just pause and check God’s spirit within you. Is he saying, “My girl, calm down, I did this FOR you. I’m protecting you from what you do not see.” Maybe he’s even saying, “You’re making this a big deal, calm down and let me guide you.” The next time things don’t work out the way you thought they would, check God’s spirit within you. Is he saying, “I closed that door because I have a better one for you?” Or maybe he’s saying, “This is a lesson in trust. Will you release your grip and live in my flow?” Sometimes we’re obsessed with the destination, while God is focused on transformation. We want arrival – and we want it now. God wants refinement – and he’s willing to take the time! Take the exact disappointment you’re dealing with right now … that thing that still hasn’t happened … that unanswered prayer, that relationship that ended, that opportunity that disappeared, the timeline that fell apart, the plans that got wrecked … what is God’s spirit within you saying? Is he saying, “This is so much bigger than what you currently see. Trust me, I’m working here.” Seriously, listen to that prompting you’re receiving right now. You have the ability to hear God. You have the ability to tap into his secret and mysterious ways. That’s exactly what scripture tells us. So start doing it. He’s speaking. Listen. What is he telling you now? Leaning into the truth that things are working together FOR me helps me hear the whispers of his Spirit that remind me maybe this isn’t happening to me, this is happening for me. Heavenly things are interrupting earthly things! Heavenly things are always better! Girls, we have to look up. Look up from the mess you sit in the middle of. Look up from the plans you’re totally counting on. Look up from all you feel like has to happen next. Colossians 3:2, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” The MSG translation says it like this, “Look up. See things from His perspective.” I’m always blown away by the fact that God is so big and magnificent to create the entire universe, and yet he is so personally involved in the details of our lives. If he intervenes, if he delays, if he cancels, if he redirects, it’s because of a higher perspective with heavenly plans. We can trust that. And we can also tap into the truth that his spirit living within us speaks, and we can see HOW he is working on our behalf. We can trade our frustrations for faith filled gratitude, knowing if God interrupted our earthly plans, it was because of his ridiculously good heavenly plans. We can hear the whispers of his spirit which calm us and assure us he’s not working against us. Remember, GOD IS FOR YOU. Well, all our anxiety and overwhelm just went right out the window. To all my control freak sisters, loosen the grip and listen to his Spirit! James 4:14, “But you don’t have a clue what tomorrow may bring.” Right … but I’m leaning in to the one who does! And the one who does know has put his spirit within me. And that spirit is what guides me to step into all the wonderful things God has prepared for me. MAY HEAVENLY THINGS CONSTANTLY INTERRUPT YOUR EARTHLY THINGS, and may you have the clarity of his spirit to receive it with gratitude! If heaven interrupts your plans, trust the interruption. Can’t you see how God is continually teaching you to move from panic to trust? Can’t you see how he is helping you release control and surrender to his higher ways? Girl, God is personally working in your life – and when he’s working, you can trust he’s doing something 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

Ephesians 2: 1-5, “It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! “ 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 Lord is My Banner Exodus 17:15 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

Life isn’t always going to get easier, but God can always offer you peace. Solutions may not come today, but peace can. Oh what a place to find yourself in life when you realize peace can be yours precisely where you are with things exactly as they are. You don’t have to live so upset, so stressed, so unsettled and so unsure. The name you need to call on is Yahweh Shalom. Yahweh, as we know from the beginning of our study of the names of God, is the covenant, relationship, promise up-holding name God reveals of himself. It is the name we speak with our breath. The name we have called on every moment of our lives by simply inhaling and exhaling. YHWH. Shalom, a word we often translate as peace – but in reality, it’s so much deeper than just peace. Shalom is a state of wholeness, completion and restoration. It’s a state where things are exactly as they are meant to be. Yahweh Shalom, a mighty and holy God who assures us with him things are exactly as they are meant to be. Now that is peace. I may not understand it. I am not in control of it. I don’t see how it’s all going to work out. But Yahweh Shalom understands completely. Yahweh Shalom is in total control. And Yahweh Shalom sees precisely how it’s all going to work out, and he’s predetermined that it will work out for good according to his eternally good plan. Yahweh Shalom, the God of Peace, invites his beloved girls to trust him knowing he’s got you and he’s got this. Your stress is unnecessary. Your worry is unwarranted. Your ‘freak-out’ is unfounded. Plain and simple, when you have a God like Yahweh Shalom, you would be foolish to not accept his peace in every situation. He will create the path for your feet. He will carry the burden for you. He will ensure the battle is won. You can trust the God of Peace. This name is introduced in scripture in the book of Judges, chapter 6. The previous chapters are a series of God’s people, the Israelites, being rescued by God, then forgetting God and going astray. They would fall into slavery to evil Kings and live miserable lives. Each time their lives would get worse and worse until finally they cried out to God again for help. Then God would rescue them, restore them, and bring them peace again. But over time, they would fall back into old ways and wander away from God in a life of self and sin. Chapter after chapter, generation after generation, it continues. They’re in trouble and they suffer – until they just can’t suffer any longer and they call out to God – God rescues and restores – life gets better – then they wander again, forgetting God – Life gets worse, and then they’re right back to trouble and suffering again. Through these chapters in Judges, sometimes we see God’s people waiting a few years before calling out to God – other times we see them waiting for 20 years. Each time, as long as they waited to call on God for help, the suffering continued and life got worse. But each time they turned to God and called on him for help, he restored their peace. Without fail, as long as they delayed calling on God, their rescue and peace would wait. But also without fail when they cried out to God, he would help. The question is, why would they wait so long? Why wait 8 years? Why wait 20 years? Oh my goodness, WHY ARE YOU WAITING? This will NOT get better without God. He’s waiting on you to call out to him! But, there’s danger in our pre-conceived notion of what it might mean for things to “get better”. Getting better doesn’t always mean fixed – getting better can mean peace in the mess and joy on the journey you didn’t expect to be traveling. My family has been in a less than favorable situation for 7 years. Life with our family is far short of anything I imagined it would be. It’s not what I would wish for, but let me tell you what it is … IT’S FULL OF PEACE. I’m no longer upset, angry, hurt or empty in the waiting. I have nothing but peace because we’ve called on God and that’s what he brings. You may think calling on God immediately fixes the situation – sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t. But calling on God always brings his presence, and with his presence comes an unspeakable peace. The truth is, I don’t have to have this situation fixed to feel peace and joy … Yahweh Shalom has given me everything I need. I can trust he’s making it right. I can trust he sees what I do not see and he is actively involved to make things exactly as they should be. Here’s the truth – our God holds eternity. He’s not on your timeline. He’s not in a rush. He has all the time in the world to make things exactly as they should be … and he is! What he offers you and I in that process in PEACE every time we call on him. So, back to our story in the book of Judges. God’s people were stubborn, always straying away from God in between getting saved, continually going back to old ways of self and sin, until they finally cry out to God again for help. By chapter 6 we find the Israelites 7 years into their current unbearable struggle of life. They were hunted and haunted by their enemies and now resorting to hiding in caves for survival. Life was the hardest it had ever been for God’s people – all while God was just waiting for them to turn back to him. Judges 6:6, “So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites (their enemies). Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.” FINALLY – why would they wait so long? For the same reason you would wait so long. You’re just sure you can make things work, until nothing works for you. You’re sure this is just the way life is going to be, so you settle in to the normal of life just sucking. You discount God’s power to change it for you, so you forget you can call on him. Until finally, you just can’t take it anymore and God is your only way. Here’s what happens when they call out on God after 7 years of waiting … God responds. He sends help. This is where an angel is sent by the LORD to a young man named Gideon who is just trying his best to gather a little bit of food and hide it so his family can survive. These conditions were absolutely as bad as they could possibly be. That’s where God meets Gideon. And it’s here the LORD says to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Then the LORD said to him (verse 16), “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites.” Wow, what a promise from God to a young man who from the smallest clan and the least in his family , in a suppressed land struggling to simply survive, hiding in caves and starving to death. It was an impossible promise after 7 years of life getting worse and worse. But they had finally cried out to the Lord, and this was their answer. A promise of freedom, restoration, wholeness. And this is where Gideon, a small young man who was nothing but absolutely normal and easily overlooked, calls God ‘Yahweh Shalom – the God of Peace’. Had the battle been fought yet? No. Had the enemy been destroyed yet? No. Had the people even been given food to eat yet? No. But God had brought peace. Peace BEFORE the situation changed. Peace BEFORE the promise was fulfilled. Peace BEFORE peaceful conditions. While their families were still hiding in caves – while their crops were all stolen – while they were in survival mode – God brought PEACE. Peace that assured them God was making everything as it should be. Peace that God heard their cry, God was moving on their behalf, God was for them and not against them. Their enemies were still there. The oppression had not ended. But when Gideon personally encountered God, he walked away with PEACE. Peace that comes before the victory – before the change – before it’s fixed – before you have an answer. What I’ve found in my own 7 year journey of waiting is that peace can exist before circumstances change. The world will tell you peace comes when the diagnosis changes, when the relationship heals, when the bills are paid and when the uncertainty ends. That’s nothing but counterfeit and circumstantial peace. The moment you encounter the next problem, that peace will fade. But the peace offered by Yahweh Shalom is strong and steady before the change, before the fix, before the shift, and regardless of next. Jesus says in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” If you’ve ever experienced the gift of his peace, then you know it simply doesn’t make sense, but it’s real. Philippians 4:7 tells us that God’s peace “exceeds anything we can understand.” And by golly, that’s exactly right! Yahweh Shalom says, “My peace can hold you perfectly BEFORE anything changes.” God’s peace is strong enough to exist in unfinished, unhealed, and uncertain situations! I know, because I’m in the middle of it and yet I have immeasurable PEACE. It’s here for you too, my sister. Don’t wait for things to get worse. Don’t wait until you just can’t go on. Don’t wait until you’re a shriveled up piece of who you once were. Don’t wait until fear has taken your identity and anxiety has crushed your spirit. CALL ON YAHWEH SHALOM NOW! His peace is truly available to you right now! Peace isn’t pretending everything is okay. Peace is knowing God is still with you even when it’s not. There’s divine stability for you here in God’s peace. 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 Genesis 22, Abraham has a personal encounter with God and he walks away with a personal name for him – Jehovah Jireh. If you have a pressing need and you don’t know how it will happen for you, Jehovah Jireh is the name of God you can call on. If you’re walking in the middle of a situation where you don’t have what is required and you don’t know how you ever will, Jehovah Jireh is the name of God you can call on. If you don’t know how to give what is being asked of you, Jehovah Jireh is the name of God you can call on. Jehovah + Jireh. Two names together that radically change everything. Jehovah is a translation of the name of God in our breath. This is YHWH, the LORD who has made a personal covenant with his people. Jehovah is the one who has made promises and will be faithful to his promises. When Abraham uses the name Jehovah, he’s not just talking about “a god” – he’s referring to the personal, covenant-keeping God he knew he could trust in. Jireh comes from the Hebrew word “ra’ah” which means to see, to perceive, and to provide. It’s a word that means seeing a need is connected to acting on that need. When you put Jehovah and Jireh together, it means, “The Lord will see to it” or “The LORD will provide.” If God sees a need, he doesn’t just ignore it. He doesn’t turn his back on a need. He doesn’t just walk on by. When God sees a need, his holy power is moved with love and compassion and he takes action to provide for that need. God’s seeing always leads to action. Yesterday we learned from the story of Hagar how El Ro’i is the name of God who always sees you. He saw even Hagar, the one no one else saw. And now we learn another name given to God, Jehovah Jireh which assures us if God sees it, he will SEE TO IT. This is more than just seeing and observing. This is moving in response, this is meeting the need, this is divine provision, this is love in action showing up on the scene. You can be assured that God sees you, he sees where you are, he sees what you need, and his seeing always leads to his action on your behalf. God’s provision is never random, it is always intentional and it is personal for you. So why did Abraham call God Jehovah Jireh? It’s important to understand the setting so you can understand how Jehovah Jireh will show up for you too. This moment of naming God comes right after one of the most intense tests in all of scripture. Abraham has waited for 99 years for his promised and beloved son Issac. God’s promise for the future rested on the life of Abraham’s son Issac. Knowing this, God speaks to Abraham and says, “Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Scripture says, “The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped woofdfor a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.” What in the world is happening here? What’s happening here is a picture of the deepest trust and holy surrender of a faith filled man. Faith that told him his God is good and his specific promises would be upheld. What’s happening here is Abraham knowing that no matter what, God will take care of every need, God will provide precisely what is needed, and his timing will be perfect. On top of the mountain, God shows Abraham where to build the fire. Just as Abraham is trusting God enough to let go of his son, the Lord shows him a ram caught by its horns in the brush. The ram was perfectly placed at the perfect time for the substitution sacrifice. The fire was for the substitute sacrifice. Abraham’s son, Isaac, would come down off that mountain with him. The Lord saw the need and the Lord provided for the need. And right here is where Abraham gives a personal name to his personal God who has show up so personally for him. Jehovah Jireh, the LORD will provide. Now remember, God told Abraham to go to a mountain that he would show him. It wasn’t that Abraham knew exactly where he was going in advance, he was trusting God to lead him there. Abraham was willing to follow even when it was the hardest thing he would ever do. Abraham was willing to go even when he didn’t know where or how. And where God led him was to the exact place he already had a ram waiting stuck in the bushes for him. What this tells Abraham is God saw it all ahead of time, God provided what he could not provide, and God did it in ways he could have never expected. What that tells us is the personal God of Abraham is our personal God, and he will do the same for us. Jehovah Jireh – he will see to it for you – he will provide. The LORD sees everything concerning you way ahead of time. Before you ever get there, before you even know about it, God sees it. And because he sees it, he is working far in advance to provide for it. He’s already aligning everything that will be needed for you when you follow him with your steps of obedience. He will provide specifically for you in ways you could never expect. And Jehovah Jireh shows us something even deeper – he shows us he will provide the sacrifice to cover us. He will do what we cannot do. He will make it right. The LORD did not require the sacrifice of Abraham’s son – no, instead that’s what the LORD did himself – he himself gave his Son, Jesus, as the sacrifice to make things forever right. Again and again, God gives the sacrifice we could never give, all to perfectly provide what we could never supply on our own. We couldn’t save ourselves, but God saw the need and he did it for us. That’s Jehovah Jireh. The LORD will provide. The LORD will see to it. He will do it for us and he will do it perfectly. Beyond salvation, here’s what this means for you today: • God sees your situation fully. Not just one side of it. Not even just from a distance. He sees the big picture and he sees the tiny details. He sees what was, what is, and what is to come. He sees it all fully. And when God sees it, he does something about it! • God’s provision will come on time. Abraham didn’t see the ram until the moment of sacrifice. God had aligned the ram in perfect timing just when it was needed. He will do the same for you. Just because you don’t see it now, doesn’t mean God hasn’t already aligned it for you. What you need will be there when the time is right. And God will get it right. The key here is trust. Abraham had a choice to make that morning. He could choose whether he obeyed God or not. He could choose whether he got up and gathered the wood for the fire or not. He could choose whether he climbed the mountain or not. He could choose whether he brought his son or not. His trust in the LORD led him to obedience. And his obedience led him to meeting God in a personal and powerful way. His obedience led him to really knowing Jehovah Jireh, the LORD who personally provided for him. Do you need Jehovah Jireh to provide for you? You can honestly tell him your needs. He’s listening. He sees. And he is responding. You can trust him. You can trust his ways and you can trust his timing. Jehovah Jireh is inviting you into a deeper relationship where your feet move in obedience well before you have clarity of where exactly and how exactly. This obedience is what leads you to a revealing of just how personal and powerful your God really is. Jehovah Jireh is the God who sees ahead – the God who acts faithfully – the God who provides what aligns with His greater purposes. LORD, you are Jehovah Jireh – the God who sees and provides. You know what we need better than we know what we need. Help us to trust you, even when we don’t see the answer. You will provide what is right, and you will provide it in your perfect timing. Here’s my heart, LORD, shape it to follow and obey you. 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

Through studying the names of God, we understand our God is a personal God. In the past 9 devotionals, we’ve seen 10 names and we now know so much more about our God. As YHWH, God has revealed himself to be so near that he’s our very breath. As Adonai, God reveals that he is our Master, and therefore responsible for our care and our protection. As Elohim, God reveals he is our Creator who continues to create and make us a new creation even today. As El Shaddai, God reveals he is the Almighty one whose hand is in everything. As Yahweh Rapha, he tells us we can count on him to be the LORD who meets us in the bitterest of places in life and heal us. As Yahweh Mekaddishkem, God makes us forever good enough by calling us his own, making us holy and then teaching us to rest in him. God has revealed himself as a Shepherd, caring for his sheep. Through Jesus, God is revealed as Abba, Papa. Then Jesus goes on to call him Holy Father and Righteous Father. We now have 10 names for God, each that reveal his character, his power and his heart towards us. Have you been using these names in your conversations with him? Have you been calling on him by specific name according to how you need him to show up for you? He promises to respond. Now, we go even deeper. Beyond these 10 names, we read of dozens of other names given to God by people in the Bible who have had a personal encounter with him. The names they give God define how they’ve met him and what he has done for them. And my friend, if God did something for them, he can do something for you. What he did then, he can do today. We’re in relationship with the same God of the Bible. In Malachi 3:6, God says, “I am the LORD, and I do not change.” God showed up for people personally in the stories in your Bible, and he can and will show up for you personally now. Remember that as we study the names of God given by other people in scripture – he’s revealing what he did for them personally and what he can do for even YOU personally. He is the same God and he hasn’t changed. He has a personal encounter waiting for you too. One person in scripture who had a very personal encounter with God is Hagar. Yes, a woman. In these times, a woman was a second-class citizen. She didn’t have rights. She didn’t have her own life. She was completely dependent on the man of the family to care for her. And for a woman, if there was no man to care for her, she was in a truly desperate situation. Hagar didn’t have a man, she was only used by a man. (Perhaps you can relate.) But Hagar wasn’t only used by a man, she was used by everyone in her entire life to get what they wanted. She was a totally unimportant character in everyone else’s story. Have you ever felt that way? Like you’re not important enough for your own dreams, your own desires, or your own story. Like you’re stuck in the story of someone else and you’re always just along for the ride. Like the life you live isn’t your own. Like you’re forever forgotten – forever overlooked – forever unimportant. That was Hagar – that was her life and that was her story. In Genesis 16, Hagar was the slave of a woman named Sarah. Sarah was the wife of Abraham. They were a couple who had been unable to have children, and now in their old age, they had lost all hope for the family they so badly wanted. That’s wasn’t Hagar’s fault or Hagar’s problem – but she became their solution. Hagar’s boss lady, Sarah, decided she would use Hagar to give her the baby she had always wanted. Sarah sent her husband Abraham to sleep with Hagar, and so she became pregnant. It wasn’t love. It was ownership. Sarah owned Hagar, and Hagar’s body was used to get what she wanted. This wasn’t Hagar’s choice. It wasn’t her dream. It wasn’t her plan. But it became her life as she was used in someone’s else’s story. While Hagar is pregnant, Sarah begins to treat her so harshly that Hagar finally runs away. Now remember, where they are is surrounded by nothing but wilderness. Running away was a sure death sentence. There was no water, no food, and no help beyond the borders of their city. But Hagar was so desperate for something different that she runs. And there, in the wilderness, the Lord sent an angel to find her, care for her, and redirect her back home. And it was there, for the first time in Hagar’s entire life that she felt personally seen. There, she gives God the name El Ro’i. Genesis 16:13, “You are El Ro’i”. In Hebrew El is “God”, and Ro’i is “who sees me”. El Ro’i – The God who sees me. El Ro’i meets us in the moments we didn’t plan, the plans we didn’t want, and the reality we didn’t think God could be in. And right there, when life has been unfair, when the story isn’t the one you wanted, God says, “I SEE YOU, MY GIRL.” To everyone else, Hagar was unimportant and discarded. To everyone else she was someone to be used for their own gain. But to God, she was worth pursuing, worth rescuing, worth restoring, and worth giving hope for the future. For the one absolutely no one else valued, El Ro’i, the God who sees, personally saw her and declared she mattered. You know where God sees you clearest – in the places you never wanted to be. In the places where you are trying to run away. In the places where you hurt and feel lost. God’s eye is on YOU. (Remember he leaves the 99 to find the 1 who is lost and struggling – YES HE SEES YOU IN THAT STRUGGLE). Here in this place in the wilderness, where Hagar is running away, pregnant, alone, mistreated and hopeless, God meets her. If that’s the place you’re in, this is the perfect place to be found by El Ro’i! You see, he’s not the God who waits for you to figure it all out and get it together – he’s the God who meets you in the mess and calls you back to his plans for your future. Yes, the Shepherd who brings the lost sheep back home again. The Lord says to Hagar, “Return home and I will give you more descendants than you can count.” He’s not only comforting her in her pain, but he’s giving her direction and promise. He’s giving her an identity where she’s never had one before. When God sees you, that’s what happens – you get direction to your destiny! I may not know where it is you feel overlooked, but I know we all feel that way at times. We work so hard and no one notices. Our efforts aren’t applauded or appreciated. The good things sometimes seem to happen for everyone else – and where does that leave us. Oh let me tell you where that leaves you – that leaves you SEARCHED OUT AND SEEN BY EL RO’I!!!! And you have no idea how important that really is. Girl, if I see you, that won’t change your life. I might be able to encourage you for a moment, give you a hug, or make you smile, but that’s temporary – if God sees you, your whole life changes. And may I remind you, HE SEES YOU! He sees what they did to you. He sees how you were left out. He sees how you were used. He sees how it wasn’t fair to you. He sees how that made you feel. He sees how that made you question your worth. God sees you when you’re running and he calls you to QUIT RUNNING NOW. Honey, you can’t outrun the God who sees you. The angel of the Lord says to Hagar, “Where have you come from and where are you going?” Did he ask because he didn’t know? Of course not. He asked because Hagar needed to stop running and realize while she knew what she was running from (her mean boss lady Sarah and this life she didn’t want) – she had no idea what she was running to. The question is helping her see she’s running without thinking, without a future and without hope. God is helping her see the path she is on isn’t leading anywhere good. Lord, if any of your girls listening today are running – stop them. For real, stop them right now in their tracks. You see them where they are at this moment – meet them there and stop them. Help them to see the path they’re on and where it’s leading. Help them to stop running and surrender to you. You are the God who meets us when we’re running and calls us back to the future you have for us. Call her back now, El Ro’i. God told Hagar to go back. Yes, go back where life was hard but where there was purpose. Listen now – what is God telling you to do now? Will you listen for him? Will you stop running? Will you obey? Here in the wilderness, God appeared to Hagar. The wilderness where nothing else was there for her – God was there for her. This was the place of his appearance. If you’re in your wilderness, will you ask God for his appearance? He may not radically change your situation, but he will change you – that’s always bigger and better. Hagar returned home where she had that baby and then she saw God’s bigger plans unfold for her future. She went home knowing one thing for sure – El Ro’i, the God who sees her, had a future for her! If you feel stuck in a story that’s not your own – call on El Ro’i. If you feel unseen, unwanted, unappreciated or unworthy – call on El Ro’i. If you’ve been running away without direction of where to go – call on El Ro’i. If you’re in a wilderness season of life, struggling and suffering – call on El Ro’i. God wants to meet you in what you’ve been running from. How would this change if you really knew that God sees you here? What would you do if you knew God has a promise for your future? 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

Jesus not only tells us to call God our Father, Abba, Papa and we see Jesus personally calling God by this name.  God is his Father.  Jesus is deeply connected with God – they are one and they always have been – while at the same time he is the Son and God is the Father.  They’re as close as they can possibly be.  They have the same mind, the same will, the same love, the same power.  Jesus is 100% familiar with God in every way … however, he doesn’t lose his awe of God just because he has this closeness. Yes, Jesus teaches us to be close to God. Yes, he teaches us to trust him as our Papa God and we as his beloved children … but Jesus also teaches us how to be in absolute AWE of God still.  He shows us his awe of the Father in two specific descriptive names:  Holy Father and Righteous Father. Jesus calls God ‘Holy Father’ in John 17:11, “Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you.  Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.”  Jesus is praying these words right before he is betrayed, arrested and led to the cross.  And understand, he is praying these words for you and I.  He’s calling on the name of Holy Father, that we would be protected by the power of his name – that is HOLY FATHER. Do you know the power of this name?  Holy Father. This is actually the only place in scripture where Jesus directly combines these two words when addressing God. • Holy = completely set apart, pure, transcendent • Father = relational, close, personal We tend to lean towards one of these – either God is completely set apart, distant and intimidating to us, or he is so personally close that he’s become familiar and expected.  Jesus shows us how to hold both in awe, reverence and confidence.  God is both perfectly holy and perfectly relational at the same time. Last night I watched a documentary on Hulk Hogan.  I’m a bit of a documentary junkie.  I love the behind the scenes look at real lives that we often miss.  Hulk was this larger than life character with a handle bar mustache and bleach blonde hair known for ripping his shirt off.  But at home, he didn’t rip his shirt off.  At home, he was a husband and dad named Terry and he played in the floor with his children.  He was both, but the true man was only seen behind closed doors.  The rest of the world only knew the character making a scene in the ring.  He was one or the other, but he couldn’t be both at the same time.  So, it caused a split in his life and a loss of his true self. But the Holy Father is not split.  He is the same behind the scenes and on the scene.  He is forever both completely set apart and completely up close and personal.  He is beyond understanding and personally understanding at the same time.  He is Holy and he is Father – and not just for Jesus, but for us too. At the time of Jesus praying this prayer in the book of John, everyone knew holiness was associated with distance.  There was a system in the temple and only priests could approach God’s holy presence.  If you did it wrong, you died.  Holiness meant you couldn’t casually approach God.  But then on the other hand, ‘Father’ implies direct access through relationship and belonging.  Jesus is normalizing closeness with a HOLY FATHER, and he’s literally praying you and I can have that closeness too. Will you allow God to be both for you, both Holy and Father?  Will you grow close in relationship with the Father while remaining in reverent awe of his holiness?  He isn’t one or the other – he is both, always, forever, and fully. Jesus prays, “Protect them by the power of your name.”  What was that name Jesus just spoke?  Holy Father.  This is where your personal protection comes from.  God’s holiness means absolutely nothing impure can stand against him.  No evil will prevail.  His holiness protects you from every scheme and attack of the enemy.  And God’s fatherhood means he actively cares for and defends you as his daughter. You’ve heard of the threat of the Mama Bear coming out to protect her children – Well, that’s nothing compared to the Holy Father! Nobody messes with the children of the Holy Father!  Do you know him as your Holy Father?  Do you know the power of that name? If God is only Father – you lose reverence.  If God is only Holy – you lose relationship.  If God is both Holy and Father, you experience transformation in holy relationship with him. Now, Jesus continues to pray and he shifts from the name Holy Father which focuses on God’s nature, and now he calls him the name Righteous Father, which is a focus on God’s character in action.  John 17:25, “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do.”  This name is about how God acts.  If you know God as your Father, and you know how your Father acts, then you know how you can count on him to show up for you personally.  Righteous Father. The word ‘righteous’ appears in greek as ‘dikaios’, which means just, morally right, fair and faithful to what is true.  With this name, Jesus is remembering in prayer that God ALWAYS does what is right.  God ALWAYS keeps his promises. Wow, do you remember that in your prayers?  God, you are my Righteous Father.  I know you always do what is right.  I know you always keep your promises.  You do not fail.  Ever.  I can fully trust you, your ways, and your timing. My friend, just in case life has been touching you hard lately, I whisper this truth to your soul – you truly can trust every decision God makes.  He is the Righteous Father, and he is 100% right! You won’t always understand it, but you can trust it.  He works in ways you cannot see to accomplish things you cannot comprehend, in a dimension you have not yet experienced – but you will.  That deminsion is eternity, and it’s where God is working everything together for good, yes everything, and yes real good.  One day you will take your first breath in the dimension of eternity and you will see it all for yourself.  Every single decision God ever made was divine perfection. And notice this, Jesus doesn’t say “Righteous Judge”, he says Righteous Father.  God’s righteousness doesn’t make him lose his love relationship for his children.  He’s the one who judges justly and he is also the one who loves you wildly.  He holds the law, but he also holds unstoppable love!  God doesn’t choose between being loving and being right – He is perfectly both. Even if everyone else in this world misjudges you, God understands you perfectly.  He knows you because he made you.  He wanted you, so he formed you and breathed life into you.  The Righteous Father is RIGHT ABOUT YOU and he rightly loves you. Your Father is Righteous.  This means wrong will not win, the broken will be made whole, and complete restoration is coming.  Righteous Father is making all things right.  Really, really, really right. Prayer Prompts: • Holy Father, where have I grown too causal with your presence?  How are you calling me to live differently because I belong to you? • Righteous Father, where do I need to trust your justice?  Where do I need to align my life with what you say is 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

Jesus gives us a name to use for God. Matthew 6:9: “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father…” Right there. The first two words of the prayer. Our Father. Before anything else… before the structure, before the requests, before the “give us” and “forgive us”… Jesus starts with identity and relationship. Our Father. That’s how He teaches us to approach God. He is our Father and we are his beloved daughter. Now here’s something really beautiful – It is believed Jesus originally spoke this in Aramaic, the everyday language of the people he was speaking to. The word would have been “Abun.” Later, when written in Greek, we see the word “Abba.” And these words “Abba” and “Abun” weren’t formal, distant titles. These were words a child would use for their father. Daddy. Papa. A word of closeness. A word of trust. A word of belonging. So when Jesus says, “This is how you should pray,” He is saying… come to God like this. Come as a child comes to a loving Father. Not distant. Not afraid. Not trying to impress. But close. Known. Loved. Now let me ask you…. Who is this God we pray to? Are we bothering Him with our requests? Are we even doing it right? Does the Creator of the universe really hear us… and if He does, does He really want to? Scripture tells us to talk to God about everything—all the time. Not with fancy or showy words, but with our real, everyday language. Philippians 4: 6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” And this conversation with our Father, our Abba, our Papa hold tremendous power! James 5:16 says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” That’s you. Righteous not because of what you’ve done, but because of your faith in Jesus. And your earnest prayer—the sincere one, the one that comes from relationship and not obligation—that prayer has power. Power to move mountains. Power to break chains. Power to make the impossible possible. But so many of us miss out on that power because we don’t really understand who we’re talking to. I missed out for years, and maybe you are too. All too often we approach God like we’re interrupting Him… like we should keep it short, wrap it up, or say it just right. But Jesus tells us there’s a different way and a better way to approach God … “Our Father.” That’s our Abba. Our Papa. Not a distant God. Not an annoyed ruler. Not an angry man with a stick. Our Father. I sometimes listen to the teaching of a man named Bill Lokey. At the time of his latest recording, he had been battling cancer for several years, continually given only weeks to live. And this man decided, if he was only going to live a very short time, he would actually LIVE! His final recording was just 2 weeks before what he referred to as “a step from the boat to the dock”. Yes, his final breath and step into eternity. I’m literally listening to a man in his final 2 weeks of life teach me how to truly LIVE. I’m learning many things from Bill and his legacy, but the one thing that has impacted me most is an interaction he had with God during his private prayer time. He was in the car, and he began praying as he normally did, and God interrupted him and said, “I want you to call me Papa.” This man had followed Jesus for over 60 years, and he said in that moment, he experienced a whole new level of relationship with his Creator. He’s not just God. He’s not just the Maker of Heaven and Earth. He’s not just the God of all gods. He’s not just the Almighty. He is your Father, and he wants you to call him Papa. Papa. Let that settle into your soul right now. Romans 8:14–16 (MSG) says,“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.” Oh… to be adventurously expectant. Did you wake up this morning expecting adventure from a Father who loves you? Did you wake up to this new month of life remembering He is for you and not against you? That He has already gone before you and made a way? If you didn’t, it’s so easy to feel stressed or overwhelmed… worried about your future and dreading the day ahead. But you have received a resurrection life. A life that has been raised up. A life that is new and fresh. A life that can break free of overwhelm. And when God’s Spirit touches your spirit, you know who you are. My friend, may you’ve forgotten who you really are. Maybe life has gotten loud and busy and you’re just trying to keep up. Today, Abba, Father, Papa is inviting you to slow down, come close and remember again. If you’ve lost yourself along the way, pause right here. Let truth settle in to you. You are not who the world says you are. You are not who your past says you are. When His Spirit meets yours, you remember your identity. And when you know who you are… then you know who He is. Father. Daddy. Papa. We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children. So let me ask you…. How do you sound when you pray? Do you come as a confident daughter, trusting in His love for you? Or do you come like a beggar… hoping maybe you catch Him in a good mood? Or maybe you’ve stopped coming at all… because somewhere along the way, you lost your belief in His personal love for you. The enemy would love nothing more than for you to see God as distant, cold, and unapproachable. But God is saying, “No… I’m your Papa God.” I used to wonder… am I bothering God? Should I just ask once and be done? Should I keep it short, like a quick summary prayer that covers everything? Sometimes I think we treat God like there’s a limit, like we should hurry. But that’s not what Jesus taught. Our Father. A Father doesn’t get annoyed when His child keeps talking. A Father doesn’t say, “You’ve already asked that.” A Father leans in, listens again and does everything he can for his beloved girl. That’s who he is and that’s who you are to him. I think about how much it means when a child says “Mama” or “Daddy.” The first time… it changes everything. And it never stops mattering. When my adult children call me Mama, my heart responds instantly. And that’s just a glimpse—a tiny glimpse—of how God responds when you call Him Father. He’s not rolling His eyes. He’s not checking the clock. He’s not saying, “Wrap it up.” His heart overflows. And here’s what is so incredible… The same God who created the universe… Who holds everything together… Who is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present… He invites you to call him Daddy. Papa. Abba. That is the relationship He wants with you. But let’s be honest for a moment. For some, this is a hard name to hear and receive. You see, for many, this is hard because our idea of “father” has been damaged. Maybe your earthly father fell short. Maybe he fell absent. Maybe that image just doesn’t feel safe or real. And that matters. But don’t miss this… God is not a reflection of your earthly father. He is the perfection of what a father was always meant to be. A Father who chose you. Ephesians 1:5 says, “He decided in advance to adopt you into His family… and it gave Him great pleasure.” You are chosen. Wanted. Adopted. I’ve seen the power of adoption up close. To be chosen. To be claimed. To finally belong. That’s what God has done for you. He didn’t just allow you into His family—He wanted you there. You are His daughter. So what does this relationship actually look like? It looks like pulling up an extra chair and inviting Him into your day. It looks like sitting with Him… talking with Him… or sometimes just being with Him. It looks like saying, “Hey Papa… what’s next?” Not out of fear… but out of excitement. Not out of obligation… but out of relationship. What if you lived your life like that? Adventurously expectant. Waking up saying, “Papa God, You’ve given me this day… so what are we going to do together?” What if prayer wasn’t a task… but a conversation? What if God wasn’t distant… but right beside you? Papa. Feel the closeness of that. Feel the safety of that. Feel the invitation in that. You are not a burden. You are not an obligation. You are his child. He is here. He is available. And he wants nothing more than a life giving relationship with you. Yes, he is all the things that are far above all the other things. Yes, he is to be honored. Yes, he is to be respected. Yes, he is to praised. And yes, he is to be YOURS! Your Father. Your Abun. Your Abba. Your Papa. So today… pull up a chair. Invite Him into your space. Don’t worry about saying the right words. Just be with Him. And maybe start right here: “What’s next, Papa? I’m ready.” Because this life you’ve been given…. It’s not timid. It’s not small. It’s a resurrection life. And it’s meant to be lived… side by side with your Father. 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

Yesterday I gave you a new name you couldn’t pronounce, but a powerful promise from our God through a name he reveals. Remember, Yahweh M – God’s promise of actively sanctifying you to make you holy simply by relationship with him. Not through your perfection, but through his. Not by your works, but the works already done for you. And because of this, you can surrender and find sweet rest. Now today, we will study a name you really know. A name you can pronounce. A name you can understand. And we will see God’s perfect fulfillment of this name in the work of Jesus. Psalm 23:1 (You complete the sentence) – “The LORD is my …. SHEPHERD” Yes, God is our shepherd, meaning he is our guide, our provider, and our protector. He is present, and he is personally aware of YOU. This is your game changer! Recognize, you are the sheep. The one created and designed to need help. You were never intended to know the way. You were never expected to get there on your own. You simply can’t – you’re the sheep. You were designed to need a shepherd. Ezekiel 34:11-12, This is what the Sovereign LORD says, “I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.” Have you ever had one of those dark, cloudy days? One of those days that rocked your world and caused you to get lost in the darkness? One of those days that made you question everything you thought you knew. Yes, those are the days when sheep tend to get scattered. We run and hide in our thoughts and try to isolate from the pain. And my friend, don’t you know that’s when you are in the most danger? Running and hiding is never your answer. If you watch a few nature shows on Africa, you will quickly see the lesson play out. If there’s a group of zebra (which by the way are called a dazzle), and those zebra are being chased by a lion, they are safe as long as they stay together. But inevitably, do you know what happens – there’s one who strays from the dazzle and runs to hide by itself. THAT’S THE ONE THAT GETS EAT EVERY TIME. What’s the moral of the story? Don’t run and hide. Stay with your people. I’ve intentionally created my own small zebra herd to go through life with. We are accountability sisters. We don’t let each other hide. If one is suffering, we all gather around. If one is struggling, we pick them up. We continually call on the God for each other. Because here’s the truth, our enemy is like a lion! 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” God tells us he is the shepherd finding his sheep that have scattered. He is rescuing them from the places where they run on their dark, hard days of life. Girl, if you’ve been hiding, he’s looking for you! Ezekiel 34 goes on to say in verses 15-16, “I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.” Wow, what a promise we have from God. He is our shepherd. To study a shepherd is to study the ways of our God. A shepherd doesn’t just watch sheep, he LEADS his sheep. The shepherd knows what his sheep need and he knows where to find it. He knows where those green pastures are. He knows where those still waters are. Every step, he leads his sheep to what they need. A shepherd fights for his sheep. There’s always a lion looking to devour that helpless sheep and without a shepherd to protect them, they will never survive. Scripture talks about King David as a young boy being a shepherd to his father’s sheep. He became strong and ready for battle against the giant Goliath because he had been fighting off lions to protect his father’s sheep for a long time. A shepherd is actively fighting to protect his sheep. You simply have no idea the battles God fought for you just YESTERDAY. You are very likely completely unaware of all God did to protect you from harm. That’s the thing about sheep – we can be completely clueless about the dangers. We can be so hyper focused on trying to run to the next pasture that we are oblivious of the lion that was waiting around that corner. But the shepherd knew and the shepherd protected. Do you ever wonder why where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do didn’t work out? Do you ever wonder why you can’t just go where you want to go and have it the way you want it? LIONS!!!!!! Hidden dangers of the enemy. You may be clueless, but your shepherd is not. He redirects you out of protection. How about you stop fighting against his guidance and trust him. Once again, we’re back to that same word again – SURRENDER. The LORD is your shepherd – sweet sheep, will you trust him? Will you go where he is leading you? Will you trust where he guides? Will you lay down and rest when he says to stop? Will you stop wandering off convinced there’s something better somewhere else? When a sheep is injured, the shepherd literally carries them. He lovingly binds up their wounds and brings them healing. He restores them. This is the work of the shepherd. And the LORD says, THAT IS WHO I AM FOR YOU, my girl. I AM YOUR SHEPHERD. A shepherd doesn’t just show up for working hours and then leave. No, a shepherd lives with his sheep. He walks with them. He lays down with them. He stays with the sheep. The truth is, you are never alone. You are never in this by yourself. You never have to look out for yourself all on your own. Whether you know it or not, you’ve had a shepherd right there with you every day of your life. If the Lord is your shepherd, you are never lost, you are never alone, and you are never without what you truly need. You are perfectly cared for. You can call on the Shepherd. That’s who God is for you. He is your guide. He is your provider. He is your protector. And he’s sent a GOOD SHEPHERD to be forever with you. That’s our Jesus! Here’s what Jesus says in John 10, starting in verse 11, “I am the GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. I am the GOOD SHEPHERD: I know my own sheep, and they know me.” You can call him GOOD SHEPHERD. You can CALL ON the GOOD SHEPHERD. You can absolutely COUNT ON the GOOD SHEPHERD to show up for you. He literally knows you. He knows precisely where you are at this very moment, and he has a good place to take you to next. Isn’t that amazing to think that our Good Shepherd actually sees what is ahead for you and is continually leading you to that good place?!!! And he knows every threat along the way so he protects you. He knows every need for the journey so he provides for you. If you get hurt on the way, he heals you. He stays close. But if you get yourself a wild hair and decide to not stay close to the Good Shepherd, he will go search for you and rescue you. If you’re the one who is hiding, he is looking for you. If you’re the one who has strayed, you’re not beyond his reach, just fall back into his arms. If you’re one who is hurting, let him heal you. If you’re one who is worried about future pastures, stay close and let him show you the way. God made a promise to be your shepherd, and he sent his only son to be YOUR GOOD SHEPHERD! You can call him by name now. Good Shepherd, this sheep really needs you today. 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

There is power when a specific name is called on. Hypothetically, let’s say we’re on a boat in Bali, charting to the island of Nusa Pineda. If you hear me say, “Girls, come over here”, you would think, “hmmm, am I a girl? Yes – she wants to show me something and maybe it’s something great I don’t want to miss. But let’s say we’re on that boat in Bali, chartering to the island of Nusa Pineda for great adventures and you hear me say, “NURSE!”, you know that means something totally different. That means if you’re not a nurse, this doesn’t apply to you. But that means if you are a nurse, I need you to come quickly and help with a medical situation. That’s all in the calling of a name. The name defines who is needed. You have many names perhaps. Friend, daughter, honey, mom, nurse, teacher … and each calls to you in a different way. For a mother, the sound of “Mom” turns every head in the grocery store. I’m Mom – what do you need? How can I take care of you? Now think about God. He reveals his different names to us for a reason – he wants us to call on him for who we need. The more you know his names, the better you can call on him and the more you can trust him. Remember, this study of the names of God comes from Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” So far, we’ve studied 5 of the names of God. Let’s do a review. Episode #2100: YHWH – The name you’ve always known since your first breath. A name not spoken, but rather breathed. LORD Episode #2101: Adonai – Lord, Master. The one responsible for you. Episode #2102: Elohim – Creator. The one who makes a new way when there is no way. The one who is making you new. Episode #2103: El Shaddai – God Almighty. The one whose hand is in everything and pours out his blessings on you. Episode #2104: Yahweh Rapha – The Lord who heals you – but not just your body, your mind, your heart, your relationships. Your entire life finds healing in him. Now, today, the 6th name of God revealed by God himself in scripture. A name he wants you to know so you can call on him in a very specific. A name he gives you so you can trust him more. Today’s name is likely one you’ve never even heard of. A name that is very hard to pronounce, so together we’re going to learn something new. Repeat after me – Mehhh Ka Desh Kem Together, Mehhh-ka-desh-kem. A name that tells you that you belong to him and he is actively shaping you. A name that gives you identity, value, worth, confidence and rest. A name that tells you to stop performing, stop trying to achieve so hard, stop trying to bend and contort yourself into perfection, and trust Yahweh Mekaddishkem to do his work in you. Is that what you need today? Girl, you don’t have to figure this all out – you don’t have to force anything – and you don’t have to perform to please the Father. He’s actually already done the work for you. We find this name in Exodus 31:3, but you won’t see it in your English translation Bible. Without studying the original text of Hebrew, you’ll completely miss this name God has shared of himself. Here’s what you will see in your Bible: The LORD then gave these instruction to Moses: Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sing of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” The LORD who makes you Holy in Hebrew was YHWH Mekaddishkem. Mekaddishkem comes from the Hebrew root “qadash” which means to sanctify, set apart, and to make you holy. So, what God is saying to his people here is I AM THE ONE WHO MAKES YOU FOREVER GOOD ENOUGH. It is my work in you that makes you holy. It’s on ME to sanctify you. What does it mean that God will sanctify you? That’s hard to explain isn’t it? What does that really look like? My friend, it’s this simple and this incredibly unbelievable – You, in your totally flawed and imperfect state within the human condition are set apart for God’s divine purpose and he is progressively and continually working on you to be more and more like Jesus. That is something you simply cannot do yourself, no matter how hard you try. What God is revealing to his people here isn’t some unreachable complex theology, it’s an identity shaping truth meant specifically of this people. YOU BELONG TO ME AND I AM ACTIVELY SHAPING YOU. You are “becoming” in me and through me. And who you’re becoming is who he always created you to be – a girl who reflects Jesus! That’s holy. That’s sanctified. That’s forever good enough. Your holiness is not self-produced. Think about God in his infinite and perfect ways – think about his unimaginable creation of the Universe all by just his spoken word – think of his power to do absolutely anything he wishes at any time – now really, do you think there’s anything YOU could do that would impress HIM? Never. So, you can’t stop trying to perform and earn your way to God’s good graces. He’s already declared you as worthy of his love. He’s already claimed you as his dearly beloved Daughter of the Dance. You’ve already been set apart because of what HE did, not because of anything YOU have ever, could ever, or would ever do. You are set apart by God – you are different – you are HIS! This wasn’t your responsibility. Your change, your growth, your newness comes from a source – that source is GOD – not you. You don’t first act holy to be set apart. No, you are set apart, and once you understand that as your identity, you naturally begin to live differently. That’s God’s active, ever present, holy work happening IN YOU. You can’t manufacture this holiness, you can only receive it. Open your hands and receive it. For real, open your hands right now and just receive his holiness. He’s set YOU apart to be made holy by HIM. My sister, trying harder isn’t your answer. Have you noticed all your efforts continually fall short. You know what gets you where you need to be? SURRENDER. You can’t manufacture what God is trying to give you. You can only receive it with that open, surrendered hand and heart. Old Testament was about what you could do. Rules, laws, rituals, ceremonies, cleansing, sacrifices … and God’s people continually messed that up. We simply couldn’t get it right. We couldn’t make ourselves holy. So, that’s what our Jesus did for us. We’re no longer a slave to continually trying to do the right thing. It’s no longer about what you can do and what you can’t do – it’s solely about WHO you belong to. This is belonging, and God says, “YOU BELONG TO ME – NOW I WILL MAKE YOU HOLY. I ALONE WILL SANCTIFY YOU.” Because God is the one who sanctifies you, you can know that your failure simply isn’t in the way for him. You may stumble, God says that’s all part of the process, and this is HIS PROCESS. Surrender and trust him along the way. Now, in closing, notice specifically where this revealing of God’s name, YWHW Mekaddishkem comes – it comes after God gives his people the sabbath – a day of rest in his covenant with them. A day where he says, “Stop working. Stop striving. Stop trying to fix everything, and just rest in me. Let me work.” Is that what you need to hear today? Rest is part of the process of you becoming everything God desires of you. Will you trust God enough to STOP sometimes? Will you trust God enough to rest from the work too? YHWH Mekaddishkem means: God is not waiting for you to become holy – He is already committed to making you holy. He is actively sanctifying you. Stop trying to fix everything and start yielding to the one who is shaping you. You can trust YHWY Mekaddishkem completely. 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

If I told you I’m a nurse, you know you could come to me for health advice.  If I told you I’m a dentist, you know you could come to me for your teeth.  If I told you I’m an accountant, you know you could come to me for your taxes.  If I told you I’m a banker, you know you could come to me for a loan.  If I told you I’m a travel agent, you know you could come to me for your vacation plans.  Who I tell you that I am directly tells you what could expect of me. So, when God tells us he is something specific, we know specifically what we can come to him for.  This is what we’re learning in the names of God. How sweet for God to tell us he is our HEALER.  What do you come to a healer for?  HEALING, my friend.  Yes, healing of your body – but more – healing of your entire being. Restoration of what has been broken. A healed mind that is damaged. Renewed peace where anxiety has taken root. Mending of strained relationships. Softening of a hardened heart. Comfort for a hurting heart. This is what God can heal – Your body, your heart, your mind, your family, your relationships, your circumstances.  God is the great healer, you can call him Yahweh Rapha. Exodus 15:26, God announces to his people, “For I am the LORD who heals you.”  LORD is in all caps so we know the original spoken word of God was his name YHWH, and heals is Rapha.  In Hebrew, I am Yahweh Rapha. Rapha means to heal, restore, make whole and repair.  If our God is Yahweh Rapha, we know we can come to him for healing, restoration, wholeness and repair in every way. Notice precisely where God speaks these words, because it’s only spoken one time in scripture, then displayed hundreds of times in action. Exodus 15 comes at a critical time for God’s people, the Israelites.  They have been rescued from captivity in Egypt and set free.  They have been supernaturally protected and guided right through the parting of the Red Sea, then turned around and watched their enemies be swallowed by the sea.  And now they’re walking through an unknown wilderness and dying of thirst.  They have gone 3 days without water.  This is the limit of a human body in these harsh, hot conditions. They finally find a small body of water, in this desert, but can you believe the water is bitter and undrinkable.  Moses seeks God for help and God gives Moses a solution that turns the bitter water sweet, and the people are saved by having water to drink in their wilderness.  And THIS is exactly where God introduces himself as Yahweh Rapha, the Lord who heals you.  Here where God turned what was unbearably bitter into sweetness to not only satisfy but to save.  God restored what had been corrupted.  The water was corrupted with bitterness, but he restored it to sweetness with his healing touch. This is where Yahweh Rapha meets us – in the bitterness we find unbearable, and he turns it sweet. Oh what a threat bitterness was to God’s people there in the wilderness – and what a threat bitterness continues to be for us, his girls on our own journeys.  Life has a way of being bitter sometimes.  It stings.  It stinks.  It disappoints.  And through it all, our hearts grow hardened, we become guarded, and bitterness creeps in.  Yahweh Rapha wants to heal that! Now, God reveals specifically how this healing is going to take place.  Back up and read the beginning of Exodus 15:26, “IF YOU will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, THEN I WILL not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.”  God is saying your healing will not come through a transaction, but through a relationship with me.  A relationship where we have a role and he has a role.  Our role is trust and obey him – his role is to bring healing. Walk with God and you will live different.  Live different and you will be healed.  Healed of what?  The very things that threaten your being with bitterness.  We’re talking your entire body, but also those emotional wounds, your past trauma, your anxiety, your broken identity, your shame, your regret …. Anything that has become bitter in you, Yahweh Rapha restores. God could have given his people new water there in the wilderness.  He could have rained down water from heaven at that very moment.  He could have supernaturally quenched their thirst in some other unfathomable manner.  But that’s not what God did.  God addressed what was bitter and he healed it.  He changed the nature of the water and transformed it from bitter to sweet.  And if God can do that with a pond of nasty water in a wilderness, don’t you know he can do that with your heart, with your mind, with your family and with every other threat of bitterness in your life? Yes, God could bring something totally new, but Yahweh Rapha heals what already is and transforms the existing to health again. My friend, where has life turned bitter for you?  Where have you swallowed a hard pill and don’t understand why it has to be this way?  Where have you settled into dysfunction or disappointment, all while a little piece of you is dying?  Yahweh Rapha wants to heal that bitterness for you.  He wants to bring a sweetness back to your life.  That’s what he does, so now you know that’s what you can call on him for. God, heal your girls.  Heal our wounds.  Heal our brokenness.  Heal our bodies.  Heal our minds.  Heal our families.  Bring a sweetness back to what has grown bitter. Let me show you 3 specific places the word rapha is used in scripture so we can see the work of our Yahweh Rapha. • Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”  The Hebrew word for heal here is rapha.  This is literally the work of Yahweh Rapha, healing those broken hearts and bandaging up the wounds of life hitting hard.  He wants to do that for you. • Hosea 14:4, The LORD says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever.”  Again, this word translated heal here is rapha.  The work of Yahweh Rapha is to heal us of every way we have struggled to be faithful.  Of every wayward wandering, God heals us.  His love meets us right where we are and changes that bitter root within us to be sweet.  And guess what, God isn’t angry about the work he does in you either.  Yahweh Rapha loves to heal you and restore you and make you right again. • In 2 Kings 20, we read about King Hezekiah becoming deathly ill.  God has told him to get ready because he is for sure dying and will not recover.  But Hezekiah prays and says, “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.”  Hezekiah breaks down and cries, begging God.  And this is wild, but check it out – Verse 5, God then says, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.  I will heal (rapha) you, and 3 days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord.  I will add 15 years to your life!”  Verse 7, “Hezekiah recovered!”  This is the miraculous healing work of Yahweh Rapha, the Lord who heals you. Let’s be clear, if Yahweh Rapha can do that for King Hezekiah, a man most definitely dying, then Yahweh Rapha can do that for you too.  If you are sick, what should you do?  ASK HIM!  Just as Hezekiah did.  Bring your real emotion, your honest plea and ask for the healing touch of Yahweh Rapha. He is the LORD who restores every part of you – spirit, soul, body, family, and everything surrounding you.  Nothing stays broken in his hands.  He uses it for good.  He restores bitterness to sweetness.  He adds life. While we only see God speak of being Yahweh Rapha one time in scripture, we see proof of his healing power throughout the Bible, in the testimonies of real lives all around us, and I bet even in your own life.  Has Yahweh Rapha done his healing work in your body – in your mind – in your family – in your circumstances?  Has he turned something bitter to absolute sweetness for you?  Look closely, you will see the fingerprints of Yahweh Rapha – he is still working. And no doubt, he’s not done working.  He still brings healing. If you need healing in your life in any way, call on him by name.  Yahweh Rapha, I now know what you do, so I know what call on you for and what to trust you with.  Here’s my brokenness, here’s my sickness, here’s my disappointment, here’s every bitter thing in my life – will you touch me with your sweet healing? 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

There is a name God reveals of himself for when things look absolutely over.  When the world says it’s officially impossible.  When you’re at your end, without further possibility or hope and in need of a true miracle.  This is where God says he is “El Shaddai”. El Shaddai.  El means God and Shaddai means many things in many ways.  It’s not just one thing … just as God is not one thing. • Shaddai comes from the root word shadah which means to shed or to pour out.  In this way, God is the one who pours out blessings, abundantly and continually. • The Hebrew word shad means chest or breast.  God is both the strength of a man’s chest and the all-sufficient nourishment of a woman’s breast. • Shaddai also comes from the root word shadad, which means to display great power. • And when Shaddai was translated into Greek, the word pantokrator was used – which in English is Almighty.  Specifically, one who has His hand on everything. Layers upon layers of deep meaning are in this name God reveals of himself.  El Shaddai.  He pours out blessings, he is strong with great power, he is more than enough, and his almighty hand is in everything, always.  Girls, THAT IS OUR GOD! We see God use this name in Genesis 17:1.  Speaking to Abraham, he says, “I am El-Shaddai – ‘God Almighty.’  Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.  I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” The truth of this situation is Abraham is 99 years old and what God is saying is officially impossible.  But God had made a promise to Abraham when he was 75 years old, a promise for descendants of his own.  A man who had waited his whole life for children and he finally gets a promise from God in his old age, and then he’s left waiting again.  Waiting and waiting and waiting.  And while he’s waiting, God stops speaking.  At this point, he’s been waiting on the promise for nearly 25 years and even worse, it’s been 13 years since the last recorded word from God to him.  It was if God had gone silent and forgotten his promise.  Abraham is 99, ain’t no way it’s happening now! Have you ever felt like God has gone silent on you?  Like he used to be so near and so clear, but you somehow lost that connection.  And with this disconnect, you are left wondering if his promises still stand for you and your future.  That’s a real feeling – one I have felt before and I bet you have too.  My sister, God can handle those feelings.  You don’t have to hide them from him, you can be honest. This is where God meets Abraham – in the long waiting and wondering after years of silence and messy self-created problems.  This is where God reveals that he is El Shaddai.  Here, where the promise still hadn’t happened, Abraham’s body was incapable and Sarah’s womb had cobwebs.  God introduces himself right here at this point of impossibility.  El Shaddai, Almighty and All-Sufficient.  He is the God who can override natural limits without permission, understanding or explanation. And notice this … God waited all this time to reveal himself as El Shaddai.  He waited for 25 years AFTER he made an impossible promise to Abraham.  He waited for 13 years after he had last spoken to him.  He waited in the painful silence and the impossible growing even more impossible.  He waited until Abraham had absolutely no ability left whatsoever, and he waited until there was no hope left in that promise at all.  And this is where El Shaddai comes on the scene. Why?  Because only the Almighty, All-Sufficient one could do anything about this situation. Here’s the truth, you don’t need El Shaddai when you can work things out on your own.  You don’t need El Shaddai when you have other options.  You don’t need El Shaddai when there’s still time.  You need El Shaddai when it’s humanly OVER.  When the doctor says it’s incurable.  When the door is not only closed, but dead bolted shut.  When it’s 25 years past the deadline.  When it’s so far gone there’s nothing but a pitch black tunnel ahead with no light to be found.  That is when you need El Shaddai. This name of God comes with promise, it comes with identity, and it requires trust.  Trust for what seems ridiculous to be trusting for.  I don’t know what you’re finding so hard to trust for, but I bet there’s something in your life that requires the power of El Shaddai.  My friend, he is here for you.  His hand is in everything, including your thing.  He is more than enough for this situation that’s way too far gone.  His power is still over this! What God is saying to Abraham here is, “I am El-Shaddai, God Almighty.  I am FULLY CAPABLE, so you just stay fully surrendered.  Abraham, you live right and I will get this right!” Wow – there it is.  That’s precisely the message God has for you today.  Hear him loud and clear.  My girl, you live right and I will get this right!  I am fully capable, you stay fully surrendered.  El Shaddai requires trust over control and faith over striving. When you feel not enough…  When you feel so far behind. .. When you feel completely incapable…  When you feel like the opportunity has already passed and it’s too late … El Shaddai says, “I am not limited by what you lack.”  Your lack of answers doesn’t limit God.  Your lack of time doesn’t affect God’s infinite timeline.  Your lack of resources doesn’t deplete God of his resources.  My friend, your timeline isn’t restricting God and your resources are not defining his outcome.  Go ahead and give him that impossible – give him that wayyyyy too late – give him that dead end and no hope – watch El Shaddai work!!!  He will be more than enough for you. For my friend who is overwhelmed and stressed at work with an impossible load to carry – you need El Shaddai. For my friend who has watched the last thread of hope for someone to truly love you unravel and left you with a broken heart again – you need El Shaddai. For my friend who is still waiting and waiting and waiting, as you watch the promise coming true for everyone but you – you need El Shaddai. For my friend who doesn’t even know how to hope anymore – you need El Shaddai. He doesn’t need you to be strong here, he simply needs you to be surrendered here.  Bring him that hopeless heart.  Bring him that desperate need.  Bring him that empty chair, that empty crib, that empty account, that empty spirit.  El Shaddai, we’re calling on you!!!!!!!! Remember what God is asking of you – LIVE RIGHT and stay surrendered – he will get this right for you. El Shaddai.  The 4 meanings: 1.  Shadah, shed your blessings.  Pour them out abundantly, God. 2.  Shad, both the strong powerful chest of a man and the all-sufficient nourishment of a woman’s breast. 3.  Shadad, displaying great power. 4.  And pantokrator, the one who has his hand on everything! El Shaddai.  He pours out blessings, he is strong with great power, he is more than enough, and his almighty hand is in everything, always.  THAT IS YOUR GOD! 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 third stop in our names of God study brings us to Elohim, and it’s actually where it all begins. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew word used here for God is “Elohim”. This is how we meet God, and before he asks absolutely anything of us, he reveals who he is. Who is he? He is Elohim, meaning he is the Supreme One, the Mighty One, the Creator. The name Elohim tells us our God is all power and absolutely zero limitation. Nothing and no one is above him and everything begins with him. Nothing exists without the Creator. To understand our Elohim, look at his creation. Look at the magnificent universe and its perfect balance to sustain life. Look at the intricate details of life. Nothing is by accident, everything is the intentional thought and spoken word of Elohim, the Creator. But you know that, right? You know he created all of this and holds all of this, but do you realize, Elohim doesn’t stop there. A creator doesn’t create once and never create again. He continues to create. He continues to make things new … for you! Not only for you, but IN YOU. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW person. The old life is gone; a NEW LIFE has begun!” This is the work of Elohim, the Creator who is still creating new things in you. As long as you’re alive, he’s still creating in you. New things are growing and developing because of his continued work of creation in you. Question – Where do you need Elohim to create something new in you? God is working in you, and he’s working all around you. Elohim can work in anything and everything because it was all his original work anyway. The one who created it can change it or redesign it in any way he wishes. He alone holds that power. Maybe what you need doesn’t even exist right now. Do you honestly think that’s a problem for Elohim, the Supreme One, the Mighty One, the Creator? Girl, he can create the solution for your problem. He can design the pathway through your impossible. He can make a brand new, never been seen before creation to meet your need. He is not limited to what has been before. He is not limited to what makes sense. He’s not limited to what you know or what you understand. He can make a new cure. He can make a new way. He can make a new solution. Our God is a CREATOR. He creates things that have never existed before. Did you know you can call on him to create for you now? Think about this – when Moses and the Israelites stood before an impassable Red Sea with their enemies closing in from behind, there was no way. There were no solutions. This was hopeless. So Elohim, our God the Creator, created a new way that had never been seen or imagined before. He created a dry path through the Red Sea by splitting the waters and making them stand on their ends. And let me tell you something you need to know – If God can do that then for them, God can do something radically new for you now! Call on your Elohim. God, create a way for me. Maybe what you need is a new opportunity. You’re at a dead end with no viable options and you feel desperate. You’ve looked for a different opportunity and found absolutely none. Well – LOOK AGAIN, Sis. For real, God can create a new opportunity for you that simply wasn’t there before … but it can be now. In my journey of faith I’ve found this simple truth – God loves to show up for the one who is looking for him. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Seek and you will find.” I believe Jesus really meant that and I believe Elohim can really back it up. If you look for him, you will find him … and you’ll find him doing new things for you all the time! Creating ways where there were no ways before. Creating new opportunities where old opportunities spoiled. Creating new solutions to impossible problems and letting you stumble right into them as you seek his hand. Question – Where do you need Elohim to create something new for you? You can trust God’s unlimited hand over your limitations. You can trust God’s power over your problems. He can speak into existence absolutely ANYTHING NEEDED HERE. Elohim is the creator of all things, including YOU. Nothing in your life is beyond his power. He can create in you what you cannot create on your own. He can align for you in one day what you couldn’t possibly make come together in a hundred lifetimes. Get a glimpse of how big your God, Elohim, really is … now know that anything you can dare to imagine is the tiniest proportion of who he really is and what he can really do. Elohim doesn’t just create worlds with mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans, the sun and moon and stars – he creates moments – he creates solutions – he creates connections – he creates paths that lead to eternal destinations. Elohim creates abundance where there was lack, order where there was chaos, and life where there was death. In Exodus, we see God create manna out of absolutely nothing and make this dewy food substance just appear on the wilderness ground every morning for his people. It had never been there before and likely has never been there again since – but he made it new for the Israelites just when they needed it. This shows us Elohim doesn’t need resources – HE CREATES THEM. Maybe you’re standing here today empty handed feeling like you have nothing to even start with. Okay, that’s not a problem for our God. He can create the resources you need. He can create the job. He can create the opportunity. He can create the connection. He can create the need and then allow YOU to be the one to meet the need in a perfect way. How many times in scripture do we see God create new life in a womb that was declared barren and broken? That’s not a limitation for the Creator. He can create in impossible places and grow miracles. I’m literally watching him do that right now in one of my friend’s lives. Elohim is still working! In 2 Chronicles 20, God gives a new battle plan for Jehoshaphat against a mighty army he didn’t have a chance winning against. The new battle plan God gave was to go out and sing praises the next morning and this would send the enemy armies into a frenzy and fight against one another. As Jehoshaphat and his tiny army of men sang praises to the Lord, this massive army slaughtered each other until not a single enemy remained. I need a battle plan like that for some battles I’m facing. A new plan straight from Elohim! How about you? He creates solutions we would never think of, and even when they sound crazy, God’s solutions will NOT FAIL! Elohim spoke a new identity over Gideon. In Judges 6 Gideon felt like the smallest nobody of a whole tribe of nobodies. But Elohim speaks a new identity into Gideon as a mighty warrior. That mighty warrior went on and did mighty things with his new identity. Question – Do you need Elohim to speak a new identity over you? Remember, he’s already doing the work in you! Going back to 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW person. The old life is gone; a NEW LIFE has begun!” Let him create a new identity in you and do a new work through you leading you to a radically new life! Elohim – our God the Creator is all power and zero limitation … and he’s still creating today! 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

Yesterday we learned anytime LORD (all caps) appears in your bible, the original Hebrew text was referring to YHWH, the name God revealed of himself to Moses. The name that wasn’t spoken, but rather breathed. The breath sound of Yah (inhale), weh (exhale). So, what about the times in scripture Lord is not in all caps? Was this a translation of something different? Yes. Let’s find out what it meant then and what it means to us today. Remember, we are studying the names of God to better understand his character, his ways, his nature, and who he is for us personally so we can confidently stand on his promises for us. Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” This is simply a study in getting to know God’s names so we grow in trust of him as he has promised to never leave us. Lord (when NOT in all caps), is the English translation of another name for God in Hebrew, Adonai. We first see the introduction of the name Adonai in Abraham’s conversation with God about the promise of countless future descendants. And Abraham replies to God in Genesis 15:2 by calling him , “Adonai YHWH”. The English translation is often LORD God. Here, Abraham is recognizing God as not only his source of life by breathing his holy name YHWY, but also recognizing God as his Master by calling him Adonai. Moses refers to God in this same way in prayer. So does King David, Ezekiel and Daniel. Look for it in your Bible. LORD God means Adonai + YHWH. We know YHWH, so let’s get to know Adonai. The Hebrew root word here is “Adan” which means lord and master. When referring to a human master, they were called “adoni” (Ah-doh-NEE – rhyming with knee). But when referring to God as the supreme Master, he is called “Adonai” (Ah-doh-NAI – rhyming with eye). In Biblical times, it was common for a household leader to be master over their servants or for a king to be master over his subjects, even a teacher to be a master over his students. As the master, they were not only in charge, but they were to be the provider, the protector and the decision-maker. The complete care fell as the responsibility of the lord and master. Yes, the master has authority, but the master also assumes responsbility. Now, consider this – Abraham is standing before God as a fatherless old man with a barren old wife, receiving a promise of descendants that number as many as the stars, and Abraham calls him Adonai, Master. God, you have all authority and you are fully responsible for me. I am in your hands. You are in charge here, you are my provider, you are my protector, and you are the ultimate decision maker. Adonai, my Lord, my Master. Every time you see Lord (not in all caps) in your Bible, God is being referred to as Adonai, Lord and Master. Can you call him Lord? Will you call him Master? Is he your Adonai? The world tries to lord over us to control us, so naturally we resist. But God, as Adonai, is our Lord and Master to lead us to good plans of eternal destiny. When you understand God by the name Adonai, you understand a relationship of true belonging. Your life is connected to your master. Your purpose is to serve the purposes of your master. Adonai is your everything, your reason for living – literally. And to the master, you are loyal. You serve not because you have to, but because serving your master is your complete identity. He is the lord over you. Adonai is not your equal. He is infinitely higher and greater than you. Adonai is not just your helper – He is your source of life, your divine designer, your destiny keeper. Adonai is not some angry, tempremental old fella sitting on some distant throne with a big stick, sometimes working for you and sometimes working against you – He is in complete control of his eternally good plans, and those plans include every day of your life before you ever took your first breath. When we call God Adonai, we are confessing, Lord, you are in charge – not me, and I fully surrender to you. When God is your Master, Adonai, you are choosing to follow his will. You’re choosing to trust his plan and his timing over your own. Why? Because he is in charge of you, fully, completely, in every way, every day. He is responsible for the details of your life, and he holds it all in his mighty and capable hands. Now remember this if you should you ever question the hand of your Master … it was his hands that were nailed to the cross while he thought of you. It was his nail-scarred hands that made a way for you to be fully forgiven and forever good enough. Can you really trust those hands – oh you bet you can! You can trust Adonai, your Master, to lead you well. You can trust Jeremiah 29:11 to be written all over every detail of your life. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” That’s the Master’s plan for your life – and here’s the really good news – the Master’s plan is the true MASTER PLAN for your life. It will not fail. Adonai will not fail. He says in Isaiah 46:10, “Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Now receive that personally. Adonai, your Master, WILL NOT FAIL YOU. The Master’s plan is for you, not against you, and absolutely nothing can block his plan, cancel his plan, or override his plan. Adonai has no master above him. He holds all power! His plan for your life WILL COME TO PASS. Now that, my friend, should give you absolute confidence. That’s who your Master is. That’s your Lord. This is Adonai. That’s who is in charge of you. This is who is responsible for your care. The one with the good plans and all the power to fulfill them! It might not be natural for you to see a master as a good thing. You may have had a bad boss or a demanding parent or an abusive relationship, and this may have caused you to rebel against all authority and control. That’s normal and that’s understandable, however it’s completely unnecessary with Adonai. Our Master has never misused his power. He has never been wrong. Yes, in the Old Testament he was harsh and even angry over the rebellion of his people, and that’s exactly why he sent Jesus as the sacrifice to make us forever good enough. So he wouldn’t have to be harsh and angry with his people again. So he could be our Master with love and authority that are never in conflict. Romans 8:28 says, “For we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” When you truly KNOW (and I mean your heart knows it as well as your head knows it), you know that you know that you know this about God, Adonai, your Master, Lord, then you can enter into a relationship with him of complete surrender and trust for every detail of your life. Do you know just how good God’s got you? When God is acknowledged as Adonai, the Master of your life, it’s not about losing freedom … instead it’s all about placing your life under the absolute best possible leadership. This is as good as it gets. The one who has declared responsibility for your care, your provision and your future is the one and only God who loved you so much that he gave his son for you. Your Master is the one who knows everything. He is the one who has always seen the end from the very beginning. He is the one who can truly work all things together for good, even the bad parts, and even the parts you don’t understand. Oh he’s working, and he’s working it out for good. Is there an area of your life where you’re still trying to act like you’re in charge? Is there something you’ve been holding back? Something you’ve been questioning God about? Something in your life that hasn’t bowed to him as Adonai, Lord and Master? Now that you know this name of God, Adonai, and you know what it means, will you begin using it in your conversations with him? Acknowledge his as your good Master with a good plan and all the power in the world to fulfill it. He is – that’s exactly what he is doing in your life. Honor him for it! 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 names of God reveal his character, his ways and who he is for you personally. God has invited you into a relationship journey with him, and knowing all of his names mentioned in scripture will build your relationship with him. After all, he knows everything about you – don’t you think it’s important we learn all we can about him too? Name are important in the bible. When a family named their child, it was with great thought and intention. That name would become their identity. God has an identity to share with us in his names. An identity that gives us promises. Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” Now, let’s get to know his names so we can trust him even deeper. First, the name God gives himself, YHWH. The name YHWH appears over 6,000 times in Scripture, but in English we see it translated in a unique way – LORD (all caps). Every time you see LORD (all caps) in your bible, what you’re actually seeing is the ancient Hebrew, YHWH. Look at Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my Shepherd” it’s actually saying “YHWH is my Shepherd.” Ancient Hebrew did not include vowels. It was hard to read and very few people knew how to read. So instead God’s word was heard and then memorized. While those original transcripts of Hebrew bible include the written name of God as YHWH, it wasn’t spoken and therefore lost. Why wasn’t the name of God spoken? Jewish tradition was to never speak the name of God aloud out of reverence. (Exodus 20:7, “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” What they wouldn’t even speak, we use so casually. Where is our awe? Where is our reverence? Most scholars believe “Yahweh” is the closest reconstruction of how YHWH was originally pronounced, This name, YHWH, the name of God ,sounds like breathing. God gives himself a name we cannot speak, but instead we BREATHE. YHWH. This name, YHWH, is made of breathy consonants with no vowels. It couldn’t be pronounced, but rather breathed in and breathed out. Inhale YH Exhale WH In awe, in reverence. YHWH. Later, we added vowels to make it a name we could pronounce, Yahweh, the name of our God. This is a name introduced in Genesis 2 now appearing as LORD in all caps, but explained in Exodus 3: 15 when Moses asked God for his name and God answers with, “Yahweh, the God of your ancestors – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” YHWH – Root word “to be” – the self-existing one, the ever-present one (the ONLY one who can say this) Inhale YH Exhale WH The name of our God through breath. Your breath is a God-given rhythm of dependence. Genesis 2:7, “God breathed life into us.” Without God, you don’t breathe. Without God, your lungs have no air. Without God, you simply do not exist. The moment he stops filling your lungs with his breath is the moment you no longer exist in this life. You are, and always have been, and always will be, completely dependent on God. It is the rhythm of your breath. Inhale, God I need you. Exhale, thank you, I give it back to you. Now God I need you again, inhale. Think of breathing like a game of catch. God throws you breathe, you receive it, then you give it back to him. And so the rhythm continues. Given and received, then given back, to receive again. And this is NOT AN ACCIDENT. This is God-designed for his creation. A rhythm of dependence that speaks his holy name. With your very first breath, you spoke the name of God. YHWH. – Psalm 8:2 MSG, “Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk and silence atheist babble.” In every crisis that caused you to gasp for air, you spoke the name of God louder. YHWH. With complete unawareness on an average of 20,000 times every day of your life, you’ve been speaking the name of God. YHWH. And in your final breath, you will speak his name. YHWH. All of creation is wired to speak the name of the Creator. Psalm 150:6 (the very last line of all of the book of Psalm closes with), “Let everything that breaths sing praises to the LORD!” Every inhale is a gift. Every exhale is a reminder. Every breath is a connection, calling on the name of our God. YHWH. You breathe with no intention, it’s just natural. You breathe without awareness, it’s habit. You breathe for survival, but truly it’s sacred. Since the very beginning, you were designed to speak the sacred name of God with your every breath. Let’s return to our posture of AWE – God is too holy to speak of casually, so let us breathe with awe and reverence. God gives himself a name we cannot speak, but instead we BREATHE. YHWH. Your life is meant to be a constant communion and connection with God. You don’t have to constantly be in prayer, how about you just start being aware of what your breath really is – a call to the name of God. A connection with your creator and your sustainer. Remember, when you see LORD in all caps in your Bible, this is YHWH, the name God reveals of himself. The name that is spoken in your breath. Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my Shepherd” means YHWH. The I AM. The self-existing one. The ever-present one. The only one given the name YHWH which we speak with our breath. Girl, that’s your Shepherd. Whom shall you fear? He’s the one guiding you. He’s the one taking care of you. He’s the one staying close to you. YHWH is your Shepherd, you have absolutely nothing to worry about – ever. Now, when we read it, may we recognize this isn’t just a title, this is a personal name. The name God has given himself. The name he created us to breathe our entire lives as we draw close to him. 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

God has a promise, and we possess the promise through HIS process Exodus 23: 27-30 Exodus 23: 31-32 Ephesians 1:3 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

Exodus 19: 4-8 Exodus 20: 1-5 Exodus 20: 22-23 Exodus 24: 3 Exodus 32: 1-8 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

Exodus 17: 8-16 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

Exodus 17: 1-7 Psalm 95: 8-9 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

Luke 23:44 Luke 24:49 Acts 2 Exodus 33:3 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

Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus didn’t wait for them to get it right – he loved them while they were getting it wrong. He shows supreme mercy. Forgiveness disarmed the enemy’s strategy. Now, he asks us to do the same. Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Disarm the enemy of his strategy against you with FORGIVENESS! 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 actually happened between the cross on Friday and Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday? 1. Jesus’ body rested in the tomb All four Gospels agree that Jesus was buried and remained in the tomb: Matthew 27:59–60 – Jesus was taken down from the cross and his body was wrapped in linen and placed in a tomb. A great stone was set in front of the tomb, sealing Jesus’ body inside. Pilate assigned soldiers to guard the tomb to ensure Jesus’ body stayed inside. He was for sure dead and his body was for sure in the tomb. This fulfills prophecy and shows that His death was real—not symbolic. Jesus fully defeated death—from the inside. He didn’t avoid death—He entered it and overcame it. This means death is no longer the final authority. No place is beyond Christ’s reach – no person is too far gone for Jesus. Even death, Jesus reaches beyond death. Redemption reaches everywhere – No failure, darkness, or distance puts someone beyond redemption. Here’s what else we know about these 3 days between crucifixion and resurrection: 2. His body was in the tomb, but His spirit was active. Jesus was actively proclaiming victory. — “Christ suffered for our sins one for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. SO HE WENT AND PREACHED TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON – those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat.” Prison = Hades/Hell. Genesis tells us about a time when fallen angels (demons) mingled with humans bringing evil to the entire earth – that’s why God brought the flood to start over. Those demonic spirits are in the prison of Hell and Jesus went to preach to them – not to evangelize and bring them to salvation, but to proclaim victory over them. God won – they LOST! FOREVER! This was a completion of Jesus’ triumph over evil. THAT’S WHAT JESUS WAS DOING – CONQUERING EVIL. DEFEATING SATAN AND HIS DEMONS. Christ is declaring victory over sin, death, and evil. This allow us to live in victory today! Satan and his demons are defeated, and they know it! Jesus personally went to their Hell and proclaimed it! This period represents a real, sacred pause. Between promise and fulfillment – Jesus had promised his followers that he would be die and be raised again in 3 days – but in between they waited and wondered. They had the promise but no fulfillment yet. Between suffering (cross) and victory (life). These 3 days when we don’t see where Jesus is shows that God is still working—even when nothing seems to be happening. His followers were in grief and confusion. The disciples were hiding and afraid. Hope seemed lost. Here we see this silence and uncertainty is part of the story. What it means for us today: When life feels silent or uncertain – God feels absent – prayers seem unanswered – hope feels buried – GOD MAY BE DOING HIS DEEPES WORK IN THE SILENCE. Jesus shows us that waiting is part of faith. The disciples had to live through a day where God’s promises seemed broken and nothing made sense. Yet resurrection was already underway. Because of what Christ did in that time we know Death is not the end. 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

There is a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Golgotha or also called Calvary. Both words for this hill mean the same thing – “Place of the Skull”. This hill was given its name because of it s shape of a skull. Do you think that was an accident? It was here on top of this skull shaped hill that Jesus was crucified on the cross. Have you ever thought about the meaning behind this? Why there? Nothing was by accident. God was in every detail as he sacrificed his one and only son so that whoever would believe in him would have eternal life. I believe this place was strategic. The cross was on top of the skull because Jesus wants to give you victory over your mind! Did you know it’s not only your soul that has been saved, but your MIND has been saved as well. The victory was won over your mind by Jesus on the skull! How absolutely strategic. The evil one fights to take back what Jesus has claimed and most often what he gets is our mind. How successful has he been in your life lately? Have your thoughts been victorious or have they been fear filled, anxious, negative, defeated thoughts? Jesus paid a high price for your victory, why would you ever allow the defeated one to defeat you in your head? Your greatest asset is your mind. Your mind paints a vivid picture and your body responds with every emotion and energy to create the picture. Every choice you make, good or bad, was first a thought in your mind. So, of course your mind is under attack. A relentless, violent, brutal attack, and it’s happening every minute of the day. Whatever gets your mind, gets you. Your thoughts are the guide, so the important question is, who is the author of your thoughts? Scripture warns us of strongholds on our mind. 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The word “stronghold” comes from the Greek word ochuroma. This is a Greek word used to describe a prison. The “strongholds” scripture refers to are lies that the devil has ingrained so deeply in your mind and in your belief system that they now hold power over certain areas of your life. These lies create a spiritual fortress of wrong thoughts which becomes your prison. As a prisoner to these thoughts, you begin to view life through the illusion of bondage Satan has put on your mind. Thoughts of worry. Thoughts of fear. Thoughts of anxiety. Thoughts of lack. And eventually, these tangled and twisted thoughts begin to take control of your life. Now, you can’t seem to dismiss those thoughts. You can’t just shake it off. This stronghold on your mind has overwhelmed you. And if we allow this stronghold to continue, dismissing it as who we are and what we naturally struggle with, it becomes a trap where Satan mentally seduces you and imprisons you with your own thinking. My sister, does this sound familiar? Have your thoughts become twisted and knotted with worry, fear, anxiety, or negativity? This is a strong hold and it is holding you back. Holding you back, you say … from what? Holding you back from the freedom of being who you were created to be and living the life God created you to live. Holding you back from the joy of the Lord. Holding you back from your purpose and your destiny. But remember, your mind is saved! Just like your soul has been redeemed, so has your mind. You are no longer a captive here. Any strongholds the enemy has established in your mind can and must be destroyed. You have been equipped for this battle! The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Ephesians 6:17 gives us a list of battle gear, and the first is the helmet of salvation. Now how totally ironic is that … where was your salvation bought and secured? On a hill called Golgotha which means “skull”. And it is the helmet of salvation that protects your mind, your greatest asset. Girl, you have supernatural protection wrapped around your head to safeguard your mind from every assault of the enemy. You are covered. Those thoughts of fear, overwhelm and anxiety bounce right off. Phew, phew, phew. Nope, they’re not getting in. But, they do get in when we take off our helmet. What is the helmet again? It is the helmet of SALVATION. When we forget it’s not just our soul that has been saved, our thoughts are left vulnerable. When we start buying into the lie that says this is just who I am and how I think, we forfeit the saving grace Jesus offers over our minds. Here’s a simple step to remember when you know your mind is being assaulted: Tap your helmet. Yip, just give that sweet head of yours a little tap and say “you’ve been saved and you are protected.” Exodus 14:14 says “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” This is exactly what we’re talking about. The battle over your mind is real and it is vicious, but the Lord will fight for you. Stand there in your helmet of salvation and know you are protected. Any stronghold the enemy tries to use against you has been demolished! His attacks will not be successful. Your mind has been saved and it is protected. If you’ve taken your helmet off and you’ve been dancing with worries, fears and regrets, new strongholds have been established. Demolish them now. You have been given that power through Christ Jesus. Declare your mind is precious territory claimed by Jesus. Satan has no right to come marching in here! He has been banished. You’ve been saved, you don’t have to think the thoughts you once thought. You are protected, the attacks will no longer be successful on your mind. Now, keep your helmet on! The evil one is on the prowl like a hungry lion for someone to devour. He goes right for the head. But yours has been saved! 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 been hurt by Church? Me too. Is it a reason to pull away from God? It could be, but it shouldn’t be. You know what Church is? Church is a gathering of totally imperfect people who claim to know they need Jesus. They’re not always going to get it right. They’re not always going to teach it right. And maybe they didn’t treat you right. I grew up not knowing Jesus because as a little girl, the country church where my family went didn’t quite do things right. My parents were hurt, so they stopped going. When they stopped going, my access to the Bible was cut off. From the time I was 5 to the time I was 15, I heard nothing of God. Church isn’t always going to be right. One denomination says it has to be this way, while another denomination says it has to be their way. We create division and differences and make our own rules on the path to Jesus. People are hurt in the process. Families walk away. Little girls grow up not knowing about God. So, what if instead of getting our doctrine from a gathering of imperfect people who need Jesus, or a person who has been hurt by people who need Jesus, or the Google or ChatGPT, or any other source of any kind … what if instead we look directly at God’s word for truth today. What does it take to be saved? What is required to gain salvation? What can we do to gain access to eternity in Heaven with God? What are the steps? What is the right way? How can we be sure? And have you screwed up so much for so long, you’re now out? We find our answer at the cross. Yes, the cross we just remembered on Easter. And it’s so simple, so pure, so powerful. For some reason, we’ve spent lifetimes twisting and contorting simple truths into rituals, rules and guidelines which Jesus came to fulfill and lift from us. Before Jesus, the way to God was complicated. There were rituals. There were rules. There were people who could talk to God and people who could not. There were certain clothes that had to be worn, sacrifices that had to be made, words that had to be spoken. A temple was built to house the Spirit of God. Within the temple, there was thick curtain that kept ordinary people out of the holy space where God’s Spirit dwelt. Only the high priest could access this space of God’s spirit, and only once per year. A blood sacrifice was required for that yearly entry. So many ceremonial rules and regulations. Back then, following God was scary. If you did it wrong, you would be struck dead. So of course we’re confused on how we could ever be made worthy of access to God. Of course we’re uncertain of our right to approach God with our brokenness. Of course we question if we could ever be good enough to be guaranteed God’s spirit to guide us and God’s forgiveness to cover us for eternity. But Jesus made everything so simple. We don’t have to complicate this. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, in his final breath, something happened. We often read the story and miss the life altering change that happened in that moment. But today, we’re not going to miss it. We’re going to see it. We’re going to understand it. And we’re going to receive it. Luke 23, Jesus is hanging on the cross between two criminals. Verses 44-46, “By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.” Tucked in between the miracle of the sky going completely dark from noon to 3, and Jesus breathing his last breath, is the sentence that changes everything. “Suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.” This was the curtain that separated us from God. The curtain that only the high priest was allowed to go behind once a year to gain access to God. This curtain is what kept us out. The curtain was laws, rules and rituals. The curtain was separation and division. And that curtain was torn right down the middle while Jesus was giving his life on the cross. The fact that this curtain was torn was a miracle in itself. Scripture is very specific that this was a massive curtain that could not be torn. It was 60 feet long, 30 feet wide and it was the thickness of the palm of a hand. The palm of a hand is about 4 inches. Have you ever seen a curtain 4 inches thick? This curtain was so heavy, it took 300 priests to move it. And miraculously, when the sky went dark and Jesus breathed his final breath, that curtain was torn right down the middle! The curtain in the temple. The curtain that separated us from God. What happened? ACCESS WAS GRANTED. Access for you and I. Laws were fulfilled. Rituals and rules were torn down and the way was made for you and I, as messed up and unholy as we are, to approach God. Everything changed when the curtain was torn. Once Jesus fulfilled all the laws, then everything else could be lifted. The rituals were gone. The separation removed. Jesus changed it all. On the other side of the cross where we are now, what do you have to do to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation and be guaranteed an eternity in Heaven with him? Jesus showed us on that cross. He showed us while he hung there suffering and had a conversation with the two criminals who were being crucified with him. Luke 23: 39-43, “One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This criminal hadn’t gone to any classes. He hadn’t joined a church. He hadn’t gone back and corrected any of his wrongs. He hadn’t cleaned himself up and fixed his life. He hadn’t memorized any scriptures. He hadn’t prayed on his knees for 30 consecutive days. He hadn’t stopped drinking or cussing. It doesn’t say he was sorry for the crimes that had brought him to his death. He had done absolutely nothing, other than BELIEVE IN JESUS. It was his belief, and his belief alone, that qualified him to be in paradise with Jesus that very day after he died. The enemy wants to confuse us and divide us. He wants to keep us feeling like what we can do will never be good enough to qualify us for forgiveness and salvation. And he’s right … nothing we could ever do would be good enough, outside of our faith. What the enemy of your soul doesn’t want you to know is the curtain has been torn. You are not separated from God by any rule or ritual. You have full access because of Jesus. And just like the criminal who had a lifetime of wrongdoing was guaranteed eternity in paradise with Jesus because of his faith, so are you and I. That’s it, Sis. Your faith. Not your perfect faith. Not your complete understanding. Not the scriptures you can quote or the rules you follow. It’s simply believing in Jesus. After that, well, Jesus has a way of working in our lives to change how we think and how we live. That happens naturally as a result of God’s spirit dwelling within us through that split curtain. But that’s not the most important thing. Your track record as a Christian isn’t anything God is counting on. He’s not counting up your failures and ready to cancel your admission to paradise. Your faith in Jesus covers you completely. Being covered changes you. But that’s just icing on the cake, baby! That’s gravy. What matters most is the fact that, just like the criminal hanging on the cross, all we need is to believe in Jesus. Do you believe? Have you told him you believe in him? You have full access and he accepts you exactly as you are! 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

We know on this day that Jesus died for us – but it was so much more than that. He was beaten. He was whipped. He had a crown of thorns forced into his head. He had nails hammered through his hands. And he hung there on the cross until his final breath. But it was so much more than just that. I think that’s what I’ve missed for all these years – the depth of what Jesus REALLY did for me. It was more than the cross. 35 years ago on Easter Sunday, I knelt at an alter in a little country church in Ava, Missouri and I accepted what Jesus did for me on the cross. But now, 35 years later leading up to this Easter Sunday, I believe I’m truly beginning to understand and receive ALL that Jesus did for me beyond just the cross. There’s just so much more! Countless others in these days died on crosses as capital punishment. It wasn’t death on a cross that changed the world. In fact, on this very day, criminals hung on their own crosses on each side of Jesus. They died that day just like Jesus. It was more than the cross, more than the nails, more than the crown – so much more. Before the cross was the garden. The garden where Jesus made his decision to be our substitute. This is where the battle took place and where Jesus surrendered to his unimaginable punishment for his perfect life. On the final night of Jesus’ life, he took his friends to a garden with him. He said, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” They’re in a garden, surrounded by beauty, all alone, and yet Jesus is saying his soul is crushed with grief. Why? Because he knew what was coming next. While his friends continually fell asleep on him, he prayed in that garden and he said, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” The cup of suffering was so much more than death on a cross – it was the absolute weight of every sin in the world. This was what was being put on Jesus, crushing him with grief in the garden. Isaiah 53:6, “The Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” The spiritual weight of every sin, every shame, every rebellion of humanity, placed on Jesus, crushing his soul. This is where the real battle was happening – before the cross, it was the garden. Remember the garden is where humanity failed, where Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan and sin entered the world. Now, in this garden, full circle, Jesus was willing to make it right again. But not just Adam and Eve’s sin, mine and yours too. Every lie I’ve ever told, every secret shame I’ve carried, every rebellious act, every hurtful thing I’ve said, every hateful, corrupted, twisted, wrong thing I’ve ever done – that was laid on Jesus in the garden on that final night. My cup of deserved punishment was taken for me. With sin comes guilt and shame. Have you ever been weighed down by guilt? Knowing you were wrong is heavy. Shame can create an unbearable darkness. Imagine for a moment the secretly kept worst thing you’ve ever done being revealed publicly – how would that make you feel? Well, that’s what was piled on Jesus. Your guilt. Your shame. And mine. The perfect Jesus was crushed by the weight of these burdens. And there in the garden as he prayed, willing to accept every once of sin upon himself, Luke 22:44 says, “He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” Jesus sweat blood. This is a medical condition caused under extreme mental anguish. When a person is under such extreme pressure, extreme agony, extreme stress, extreme crushing, the blood vessels around the sweat glands can constrict to the point of rupture, and blood comes out of the skin through the sweat glands. This is what Jesus was enduring in the garden. In a garden of olive trees where his friends were sleeping, Jesus was in absolute agony. Before the cross, there was a choice. Jesus was making the choice here – Not what he wanted, but what God wanted. Jesus surrendered there to the crushing weight of it all, sweating blood in the most extreme anguish. He began to drink the cup he never wanted and certainly never deserved, the cup of judgment, the consequence of sin for all humanity. The pounds of my sin were included. The weight of my guilt and shame were literally there on Jesus in that garden. And so was yours. Every ounce of what should have been placed on you was placed on Jesus, there in the garden. Have you ever experienced true dread? Maybe you’ve dreaded going to the dentist or the gynecologist. Or maybe you’ve dreaded facing the consequences for your wrong doing. Maybe you’ve dreaded going through childbirth knowing the pain you must endure. Or you’ve dreaded a surgery fearing what might happen. Imagine if you were facing a prison sentence, you would feel dread. Knowing it’s truly going to be bad – really bad. And when you really dread something, you want a way out of it. You wish you could change it. You rehearse it in your mind. You feel anxious about it. Jesus felt dread in the garden on the night before the cross. He knew exactly what was happening. He knew the weight of sin that would crush him. One by one, he was fully aware of every detail of every sin. Mine and yours. Shame. Guilt. Regret. Burden. He knew his Holy Father could not be in the presence of this sin, so he would be separated from the Father. Darkness was coming. Jesus is the light of the world, and that light would experience utter darkness. Oh how he must have dreaded what was to come. Feel that for a moment. Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done, not mine.” That was for you. That was for me. This is what saved us. The decision made before the cross. The decision made in the garden. The decision that crushed the soul of our Jesus. The decision that caused such extreme anguish that he sweat blood. The dread that was faced with the decision to endure it all. Here in the garden is where Jesus fully surrendered. Here in the garden is where Jesus chose the cross. Here is the garden is where Jesus chose you. On this day we remember as Good Friday before Easter, Jesus would carry the weight of every burden, guilt and shame and stand in our place. He would accept the required penalty for sin – the judgment and separation from God, all so that we could receive forgiveness and relationship with God. As Jesus hung on the cross at noon, the midday skies fell dark. For 3 hours there was complete darkness all across the land. This is when Jesus says in Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Understand, what’s happening here is separation from God. Jesus is entering the darkness of your sin, your guilt, your shame, your rebellion, for you. The full weight of every sin of humanity was placed on Jesus and the justice of God toward sin was being satisfied. Isaiah 53:10, “It was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. His life is made an offering for sin.” This doesn’t mean God took pleasure in the pain of Jesus, it means the painful plan of redemption was being fulfilled. Oh my sister, if you fully understood the price that has been paid for your life, you would live so differently. The more I understand it, the more different my life looks. Jesus is hanging in the darkness of the cross and for the first time ever, he has no sense of the Father’s presence. He has no comfort and no relief. He was literally experiencing Hell. That’s what Hell is – the absence of God. The absence of his presence. The absence of his comfort. The absence of his relief. The absence of his light. Jesus is hanging there on the cross going through Hell so we wouldn’t have to. You and I have never experienced anything like this. Every step of our lives, God has been with us. We have no idea what it truly feels like to be without God. His comfort has been with us every day of our lives. His relief has always been ours. But Jesus experienced it for us so we would never have to. We would never have to go through Hell – never experience life without God. The full consequence of sin is a total separation from God and this is what Jesus is choosing in the garden and experiencing on the cross. Not because he sinned – but because he was carrying ours. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Your sin was placed on the perfect Jesus – Yes yours. The sin you committed yesterday and the sin you’ll commit tomorrow. It was all placed on Jesus so that his righteousness could be made available to you. What an exchange that was made for YOU. Jesus chose it in the garden and fulfilled it on the cross. A divine exchange was made for you. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. He felt the very human emotion of dread. He didn’t want that cup of wrath, but he knew it was required to save you from that wrath. He stood in your place, drinking the cup you deserved, bearing the crushing weight of your sins on his sinless and perfect body because God said you were worth saving, and Jesus agreed with outstretched arms. Have you accepted the divine exchange made for you on that cross? It’s so much more than what we’ve made it to be today. It’s our one and only way to redemption, forgiveness, relationship, and a right standing with our Creator. The weight isn’t yours to carry, my friend – Jesus chose to carry that for you in the garden. The divine exchange took your guilt and shame and offers you perfect righteousness. And get this, all you have to do is accept it! When you accept what Jesus did for you in the garden and on the cross, then you have a promise. A promise of so much more! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim F

John 13: 1-17 “Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father.” Jesus knew when it wasn’t yet his time – and now he was very clear, this was his time. His final night. This was the beginning of the end, knowing in just a few hours, he would be on the cross. He was fully aware of what was next, and he was fully aware of what was important now. What was most important now was to show us how to how to lead, and how to follow. How to be important and be unimportant. How to truly love and serve. “He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.” Better translation is “Having loved his own, he had loved to the utmost” There is a love Jesus has for all people, and then there is a love for HIS OWN. His own people were the people who loved him back. You can and should love everyone, but the few who truly love you back get so much more from you. I may not know you at all, but I assure you, I love you. But some of you I have met – I have shared life with – we have memories together – you have loved me back. That love is naturally deeper. And this is what John is writing about. Jesus has a love for all people, but for the people who love him back, they are HIS OWN and that love is different. It is a love to the utmost, meaning to the extreme and maximum limit. My friends, Jesus loves you. No matter what, he loves you. If you never love him back, never acknowledge his sacrifice for you, never speak his name, he still loves you. But if you love him back, then you become his own and you experience a love to the very end like his disciples. Now, Jesus is going to show us how he loves HIS OWN – the ones who love him back. “It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciple’s feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” Jesus was not detoured from the evil he was fully aware of. He was not distracted, in fact he didn’t even allow it to steal the preciousness of this moment. That’s how you respond when someone is being a jack wagon. That’s how you treat family vacation when one is trying to ruin it. That’s how you handle a day at work when a coworker is on a mission to kill the mood. This is how you move forward when the devil is attacking. You refuse to be distracted. You don’t give it breath. You focus on what you’re there to do. You are there to love. You are there to serve. You are there to be different. Jesus didn’t stop everything and address the one who Satan was using to betray him. Jesus didn’t let it spoil the meal. Jesus didn’t even dismiss Judas from the foot washing. Jesus was totally unbothered. Satan’s gonna do what Satan’s gonna do. And some people are going to partner in his nasty plans. You don’t have to give your time, your energy, your mood or your thoughts to that. Proceed with the beautiful things God has called you to do. Continue to serve. Continue to love. Continue to give. Girl, just choose to be unbothered! Now, notice this – it says “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. SO …. Don’t miss that this goes together. Jesus knew his position, he knew his authority, he knew his power, he had full awareness of his identity, SO he acted from that. What was his act? “So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basis. Then he began to wash the disciple’s feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” These were some dirty, nasty feet. Feet that had traveled dusty roads in sandals. Washing feet was a service offered for very practical reasons – those feet were nasty! The lowest of servants in the building were the ones assigned with this undesirable task. But guess what, here they were at the table to share this meal together and no one had washed their feet. Do you know why? Luke 22:24 tells us that the disciples entered the room that night arguing about who was the greatest. And because they were arguing about who was the greatest, no one wanted to be the lowest. If there were no lowest, there was no one do do the job of washing their feet. And there they sat at the table with Jesus with their disgusting feet because no one was willing to be the lowest. And here’s what Jesus does – knowing he was truly the GOAT (greatest of all time), knowing fully he held all the power, he chose to assume the lowest level and serve in humility. “After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” Jesus was not referring to a ceremony or ritual here. This is about anything we can do to wash away the grime of the world for others. This is about helping was away the dust of defeat from the soul who has lost a battle. This is about washing discouragement off the depressed soul who is sitting in darkness. This is about washing away shame for the one who has been wrong and carries the weight of it all with them. This is about us truly helping others. We are quick to criticize those with dirty feet instead of washing them as Jesus has told us to do. It’s hard to throw stones if you’re busy washing feet. Every day, you’re surrounded by people with dirty feet from the journey. Those who are walking through divorce, those who are walking in grief, those who are walking in hard seasons, those who are walking in regret, those who are stumbling in darkness – and you can be the one to wash their feet. The one who smiles and encourages them. The one who sits beside them so they’re not alone. The one who prays. The one who makes them feel seen and wanted. And do you know what happens when we do? Jesus says, God will bless you. This is how Jesus spent the final night of his life. He spent it washing feet. He asks you to spend your life doing the same. 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

Here we are, the week of Jesus’ crucifixion. The week he very well knew was his last here on this earth. A week he knew would include more suffering than our human minds can comprehend. And guess what – he walked right into this week, facing it head on with intention, knowing what he was doing he was doing for me and you. Over and over again, Jesus shows us how to live in a way that makes it about others more than it is about ourselves. How can we take this example of Jesus in the final week of his life and live more like him? Let’s see how Jesus did it! All 4 gospel accounts of this final week begin in the same way, “Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem”. Now if you were making a triumphant entry, what would that look like? Oh girl, what would you wear? You have to be triumphant in your appearance. Make a grand entrance. Que the walk-up music, this has to be dynamic! Smoke and lights! Energy! All the hoopla for a triumphant entry – right? We really have a special way of making things about us, don’t we? We try so hard to be impressive. We have a hard time choosing what to wear for the flight home from vacation, let alone a triumphant entry for the most important and final week of your life. We overthink … you know why – because we’re thinking about ourselves. Really we are – even when we think of others, we’re typically thinking of how they receive us, how they treat us, and how they make us feel. It’s all about us. But Jesus shows us how to make a triumphant entry that’s all about HIM, without making it all about him. Now, let’s be clear. This really is all about Jesus. Everything in our Bible is ultimately about Jesus. It’s about how Jesus saved us from what we couldn’t save ourselves from. It’s about how Jesus changed absolutely everything for us. So, how do you show up and make an entrance when in fact, it really is about you? Answer: With humility! It was time for Jesus to willfully walk toward Jerusalem, knowing this was the place he would sacrifice his life. Knowing this was the place he would be betrayed. Knowing this was the place he would suffer. Knowing this was the place absolutely nothing would be fair for him, and he would endure it to make it right for us. And do you know how he makes his triumphant entry? Does he show up with chariots? No. Does he call out the band to play his walk-up song? No. Does he even ride in on a horse? No. Jesus chooses the most humble entry – riding on a donkey. A donkey was not a sign of power. A donkey was a sign of humble work. Jesus was making his entry to Jerusalem for his humble work of saving both me and you! Matthew 21: 1-6, “As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ‘Go into the village over there,’ he said. ‘As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, The Lord needs them, and he will immediately let you take them.’ This took place to fulfill the prophesy that said, ‘Tell the people of Jerusalem, Look your King is coming to you. He is HUMBLE, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.’ The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.” So now we see Jesus didn’t only choose the humble means of a donkey, but he chose even lower – the donkey’s colt. The colt wasn’t as strong, wasn’t as experienced, and not as useful. It’s the equivalent today of traveling on an airplane, not choosing first class, not choosing business class, not even choosing the isle or the window – but choosing row 41, middle seat – ON PURPOSE. Who does that? Nobody does that. Especially not when you have not only the power to fly the plane, but the RIGHT to fly the plane. Jesus had the power to show up any way he wanted to. He had the right to make an entrance in any manner. He could have made it all about him, and absolutely no one would have blamed him. I mean really, do you blame the person riding in first class for getting extra leg room when they can afford it and paid for it? No, you just envy them a little bit as you walk on by and get yourself to the back of the plane. Jesus knew his assignment, and he walked in it perfectly. He rode in, entering his final week of life on a donkey’s colt, with the ultimate humility. And here’s the wild thing – God had always planned it that way. Many years earlier, God had spoken to Zechariah and told him the King would come to save the world, and he would come with absolute humility on a donkey’s colt. This is now being quoted in Matthew. And remember, when God spoke those words to Zechariah through the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, Jesus was there, because Jesus is God in human form. The trinity. With all the power in the world, LITERALLY, God planned his own entry into the world … with humility. And he planned the joy of saving his children while holding the grief of sacrificing his son. Jesus was born in humility to a virgin girl in a stable – and now Jesus would enter into his final week knowingly with that same power contained in humility. He didn’t make it about him. But let’s be clear – IT WAS ABOUT HIM. It’s all about Jesus. But do you know what Jesus made it about – HE MADE IT ABOUT YOU. Imagine going to a concert and your absolute favorite artist walks out on stage holding a sign with your name on it. And imagine every song they sing, they sing looking directly at you in the audience. THAT’S WHAT OUR JESUS DID, and he did it for you. At the end of this week, Jesus is betrayed and arrested, which he knew was coming since the very beginning. He didn’t fight it. He didn’t run from it. He endured it all with humility and a focus on us, not on himself. There, surrounded by a crowd of men with swords and clubs, being arrested and ultimately led to his death, Jesus says in Matthew 26: 53-54, “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly. But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” Jesus knew his mission, and although he knew he held the power to do absolutely anything he wanted, he chose to humbly surrender to the Father’s will – even when it was hard. Jesus shows us how to live in the hardest seasons of our lives and walk with purpose. We restrain ourselves from doing the things we could do, and focus on doing what God wants us to do. Jesus doesn’t just tell us to surrender and submit to God – he shows us how to do it. Jesus is here in his final week, holding the grief of being betrayed in one hand, and the joy of walking in his purpose in his other. The grief of suffering in one hand, and the joy of knowing his suffering was temporary but forever good in his other hand. Jesus is showing us how to hold grief and joy at the same time. When you hurt, it’s okay to hurt – but there can still be joy knowing this hurt isn’t all there is. When there’s joy, you can feel the joy knowing everything doesn’t have to be perfect and fixed to experience moments of beauty. On our final night together here in the retreat house in Hawaii, we sat together and we each shared two things – what is the sweetest thing in this season of your life, and what is the hardest. We all had something hard we’re currently in, and we all had something so sweet too. We’re holding both, at the same time. One who has lost her husband. Three who are going through divorces. Many who have hard to love children. Some who battle health issues. And yet, each who have immense awareness of their blessings straight from heaven. There’s a song called “Evidence” by Josh Baldwin that says: In every season from where I’m standing I see the evidence of your goodness All over my life All over my life I see your promises and fulfillments All over my life All over my life Help me remember when I’m weak The fear may come The fear will leave You lead my heart to victory You are my strength And you always will be I see the evidence of your goodness All over my life With humility, Jesus shows us how to take the focus off self, while holding grief and joy at the same time. He reminds us of the evidence of God’s goodness all over our life, even in the midst of a hard season. Wherever you are standing, may you humbly see the evidence of God’s goodness all over your life. In every season, may you always remember it’s never all bad. Jesus faced this final week of his life, holding the grief and weight of all the sin in the world, yet he held joy knowing it was about YOU! Saving you. Redeeming you. Making a way for you. May you humbly hold your joy and your grief, and walk your path knowing there’s a greater purpose. 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 final week of Jesus’ life shows us how he prepared for the end by living now. His final week shows us how to live, knowing our time is limited, this life is temporary, and we have a mission to fulfill. Matthew 11-15 Mark 11-15 Luke 19-23 John 12-19 Scripture: Philippians 2:5 “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” We know how the final week for Jesus ends – and so did he. He knew the cross was coming, and he knew his death was not defeat, it was victory. It was mission complete. With the example of Jesus, knowing he was about to die, knowing every detail of what was to come in his final week, what if we stopped fearing death and truly lived in the time we have? What if we truly treated each day as purposeful and valuable, knowing it takes us one day closer to our reward – an eternity in Heaven. What if we could treat our time here as important, but remember this is just the beginning. When our time is up on this earth, it’s not over, it’s just the beginning of what we were truly created for. You were created for eternity. Your soul was designed for forever connecting with your Creator. Your existence on this earth is a tiny pre-show where you grow to know your Creator and choose his path of salvation so you can dwell in your forever with him. The Garden of Eden is restored. We’re back where we belong. A perpetual paradise with God. The only way we get there is with Jesus. And what Jesus did in his final week not only makes it all possible, but his final week gives us a blueprint for living well. The final week of Jesus’ life wasn’t just about what he endured – it’s about what he demonstrated. He shows us how to live with purpose. He shows us how to love under pressure. He shows us how to surrender through struggle. He shows us how to trust God completely, even when it’s hard. Jesus Didn’t Just Die for Us—He Modeled Life for Us In His final days, Jesus compresses a lifetime of teaching into lived example. Under pressure, facing betrayal, injustice, and unimaginable suffering, He reveals what a God-centered life actually looks like. We often ask, “How should I live?” Jesus answers that question most clearly in the week leading to the cross. The cross is where He paid for our salvation. But the path to the cross is where He showed us how to live. In 1 week, Jesus would finally hang on the cross and speak the words, “It is finished” … but before he said ‘it is finished’, he showed us how to begin. To begin our journey to our final destination. Final destination is where Jesus was going to prepare things for us. That’s where God’s children are destined. That’s our promised land. And this entire life here on earth is the beginning of our journey there. You’re in the beginning – already on your way to Heaven. Now, live well, my friend. This will all be over soon. This week, study the path to the cross Jesus walked with tremendous intention. He moved forward without rushing. He was fully present in every opportunity. He sought his Father through the struggle. And oh how he loved with his life. He did more than die for us. Dying for us would have been enough. But Jesus showed us how to live. To live with eternity on our mind. To love with our entire being. And to be loved by God. 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 asked God for one thing and you feel like you got something totally different? Jesus tells us, “ask and you will receive”, but maybe you’re not so sure that applies to you because you haven’t gotten what you’ve asked for. Yes, girl, ask. He wants you to ask. He answers every time you ask – it just might not look like what you thought it would. The Israelites were hungry in the desert and they asked God to supply their needs and give them food to eat. AND GET THIS – The next day they woke up to manna!!!! We know manna as this miraculous bread directly from God which sustained the Israelites where there was nothing else to eat. But let me tell you, THIS WAS NOT WHAT THEY WERE EXPECTING. Exodus 16: 13-15 “The next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. ‘What is it?’ They asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, ‘It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.” I propose they woke up that morning and saw this white dewy, sticky substance all over the desert ground and they really said “What in the world is THIS?” I don’t know, maybe they were expecting Sarah Lee herself to appear at sunrise baking her fresh loaves of bread, but this … this is not what they were expecting. What is this and what am I supposed to do with it? Understand, nothing like this dewy, flaky substance had ever been seen before. This was totally new to them. And quite honestly, it didn’t look like the miracle they were expecting of the God they were counting on for survival. And this is why they called it manna. Manna literally means “What is it?” For real, that’s the defintion of manna – what is it? And if you don’t know what it is, you certainly don’t know what to do with it. The Israelites expected food they recognized. God gave them something they had to learn HOW to use. Sometimes the reason we miss God’s provision is because it doesn’t match our expectations. We expect things to look a certain way, but God works in the unexpected. You can’t figure him out. You can’t predict him. Your God is continually going to show up in ways that surprise you. And honestly, sometimes it’s initially a disappointing surprise. A question of, really, what is this? What do I do with this now? Can you see how what God has given you is provision, even if it doesn’t look like the “bread” you were expecting? The confusion you currently feel is the first stage of revelation to God’s answer. In the beginning, you’re asking, “Why did this relationship end?” – later you see God’s protection in it. In the beginning you’re asking, “Why did I lose that job?” – later you see God’s great redirection. In the beginning you’re asking, “Why did this happen to me?” – later you see God’s preparation for something better he had for you next. Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean God isn’t in it. The Israelites didn’t understand this bizarre looking substance all over the ground that morning, but it was still their miracle. Now it was time to learn what to do with their miracle. And my friend, if you’ve asked God to show up for you, he has … maybe you just don’t understand what he is doing. It’s time to learn what to do with the minunderstood miracle he has given you. In studying manna, this miraculous bread from Heaven that appeared on the desert ground each morning, I’ve learned the most practical and applicable lessons for exactly where we find ourselves today. Lessons on what to do with God’s answers that you don’t understand. It is believed that this manna was like a coriander seed covered in dew. Not loaves of bread, but a seed which could become something. Not a seed to be planted, but a seed to be ground. When worked, when crushed by hand, when grinded out, this substance miraculously covering the desert floor each morning became much like wheat and could be used to make bread. It wasn’t what they expected and they didn’t recognize its potential because IT HAD TO BE WORKED. They prayed for bread and they got something they could USE TO MAKE bread. God didn’t drop baked loaves into their hands. They had to go out each morning, they had to gather this strange substance from the ground, then they had to prepare it. Now remember, they’re in the middle of the desert where nothing grows or flows. This is literally a life-saving miracle. This was bizarre and beautiful. But it was only bizarre until they worked with it – then it became beautiful. I don’t know what bizarre thing you might be facing right now, but maybe this is God’s answer to your prayers, but some effort is required from you now to see it as beautiful. You have to get out there and gather this up. You’ve got to grind this out. You’ve got to work with this. And when you do, it will become exactly what you truly need. What if the very thing you’ve been confused about… The thing you’ve been questioning … The thing you’ve been overlooking … IS ACTUALLY YOUR MANNA?!!!! What if you’ve been asking God for bread, and he’s been faithfully covering the ground in front of you every morning and you just keep walking past it because you don’t recognize it. Well, my friend, you’ll never recognize it for what it could be if you don’t work with what God has given you! If you’ve asked God, he has heard you and he is moving on your behalf – just perhaps not in a way you recognize. But it’s here. Can you see it? What will you do with it? 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

Sometimes it feels like we don’t have enough. There’s not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough help. Not enough energy. Sometimes we feel like we’re not enough. We’re not good enough. Not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not anything enough. So, we walk around looking at our life as if nothing is enough. We’re always lacking. Always in need. Always coming up short. Always feeling if we had more of this or more of that we would be better and do better, but we don’t. So we don’t. We don’t live better because we’ve blindly assumed we always need more in order to do so. All while the one thing we truly need, and already have, is God. If you have God, then you will always have what you need. He’s a good father and he takes care of his girls. So here’s what’s really happening – God designed your entire life around a relationship with him. If you have an abundance of everything, guess what … you no longer need the Almighty. When life is good and easy, you fail to recognize your total dependence on the One who has made every single detail even possible. Hey girl – you didn’t wake up today without God. God allows a need to bring you back to him. Your daily need actually creates a daily relationship with your Creator. Your need and his faithful provision forms a level of trust you wouldn’t know otherwise. In our study of the Israelites in the wilderness, they’re now free from slavery in Egypt, but wandering through a desert without provisions. Nothing grows or flows in a desert. They have a daily need and that daily need was designed by God to bring his people to him. Here, God shows up in really out of the norm ways to provide precisely what is needed. Exodus 16: 4-5, God says, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” Yes, God gave them enough for the day only. Enough. Just for one day. Why? To build their trust and test their faith. Maybe that’s where you are today. You have enough, but it’s only enough for today. You have no idea how you’re going to make it through tomorrow. You don’t see tomorrow’s provisions here today. And what are you going to do next month? How the heck is this going to work next year? What you have certainly doesn’t look like enough and the truth is you’re freaking out a little. How will you make this work? How will you find the strength? Where will you go for what is needed later? But maybe, just maybe, in this season God is building your trust and testing your faith. Will you trust his provision is here for today and see that it is enough? Will you have faith he will do the same for you tomorrow too? See what God has done for you today and trust he will do whatever is needed tomorrow too. Maybe you’ve gotten ahead of yourself and that’s why you’re so overwhelmed. Your mind is already in next week, next month and next year. Girl, you can’t see God’s hand way out there, but you can see his hand right here. Just stay here with God. What happened when the Israelites didn’t trust for God’s provision the next day and gathered extra of this bread from heaven on the ground just in case? Verse 19-20, Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.” This break in trust and lack of faith created a rot in their provision. It went bad. And sister, the same exact thing happens to us now. When we start thinking God is not trustworthy for our tomorrow, we create a rot in what we do have. Things go rotten for us. What has grown rotten in your life? What has gone bad? Could it be because you tried to do this thing on your own? Could it be because your priorities got all out of order? Could it be because God was no longer the recognized provider? Could it be because deep down, you really didn’t trust God was going to show up and do anything for you? Could it be because you needed to know exactly what you would have tomorrow, and this need for security and certainty just turned everything bad? God wants us to depend on him daily. Honey if you have this whole thing figured out with your fool proof 10 year plan, why would you need God? Eventually you would stop seeking his hand because your hands are already full. So, he fills your hands, but he fills them with only enough for today. And that is enough. Yes, this is enough. Say it … I HAVE ENOUGH. Why does God work this way? So you keep coming back tomorrow. A daily relationship. A daily trust. A daily connection. That’s the whole point. God wants a daily connection with you. You were created to need him, so stop trying to build a life where you don’t need him for every day. I may not be exactly comfortable with the unknown. I may not see how in the world this is going to work out. I may not understand how God is going to show up tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. But, I know today he has given me enough. I have enough. So do you. The Israelites soon became ungrateful for their daily supply of ‘enough’ and started grumbling and complaining. Whining and wallowing. As a result, they sacrificed where God was leading them and settled in the desert for the rest of their lives. Their potential was unmet. Their Promise Land was unattained. All because what was enough for the day was not enough for their happiness. Read that again. What was enough for the day was not enough for their happiness. Oh sis, don’t let that be us. If it’s enough for today, will it be enough for you to be happy over? Don’t let us be spoiled brats complaining over the miraculous provision of God each day. Don’t let us complain over the job we hate while we’re not doing a darn thing to change it. Don’t let us worry over the stresses of tomorrow when tomorrow hasn’t even shown up yet and today is going unlived. Don’t let us waste what we have been given today with an arrogant assumption there will always be more. More time, more opportunities, more blessings. No, what we have is for today. You can’t save this time for tomorrow. You can’t hold back these opportunities for when you feel more ready. You can’t store up these blessings and hope to pull them out in the future. It’s here for today. Girl you have enough. Enough for today. Receive it with gratitude, don’t waste it, and trust that tomorrow will come with tomorrow’s provision. Enough. This is enough. It is enough for me to be happy. It is enough for me to be grateful. It is enough for me to work with. It is enough for me to trust God. This is a test. A test of trusting God on the daily. How are you doing with that test? Look around, God has given you everything you need for today. You have enough. Now gather up what God has given you and use it today because this stuff can’t be saved for tomorrow! You’ve got some living to do here and you have just enough to live today! 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

Whatever your problem is, your solution is nearby. God does not promise a problem free journey, he promises provision for every problem along the way. Look around, your solution is likely less miraculous in appearance than you imagined and actually more practical in nature. It’s the offering of the little you have which somehow becomes enough to feed thousands. It’s the marching in circles that brings walls down. It’s the singing of praise that makes chains fall off. God works miraculously through the practical. Don’t miss the solution he is offering you today as you wait for something that appears more miraculous. Yesterday we read about Moses leading the Israelites in the worship of God after he saved them from their enemies. Real worship for an audience of one broke out in the desert! Women dancing with their tambourines, praising God! Awesome – let’s see what happens next. Now the Israelites are in the desert and what’s lacking in a desert? Water. That’s a problem. Exodus 15:22-24 “Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for 3 days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink.” Here we have a real problem. No drinkable water in the middle of a desert. Imagine walking from Yuma Arizona to Tuscon with no water. That’s a problem. So, God offered a solution. A solution that looked more ordinary than miraculous. A solution that required obedience and trust. The solution could not be found in complaining. As the people complained, dying of thirst and facing the disappointment of finding water that was undrinkable, the water remained as it was. God did not respond to their complaining. As God’s people complain, their problems remain. Whatever you complain about will remain about. How much are we complaining right now, and how much is it helping anything? God isn’t drawn in to our complaints, instead I believe our complainging proves we’re not ready for what he is offering. Our complaining proves the lesson hasn’t been learned and the bitterness is still within us. The bitter water represented the bitterness of the Israelites. Even after witnessing the miraculous work of God as they crossed the Red Sea and were saved from the Egyptian Army, they fall back into complaining and wanting to return to Egypt as soon as they faced the next problem. Isn’t that us … we go from praise to complaint in the same day. Whew God you are so good … to …. Oh my gosh this sucks and I hate it. From shaking our tambourine to shaking our head. God did not respond to their complaining. Mamas, how do you respond to your kid’s complaining? Are you eager to jump in and help when they’re whiny? No! That’s what time out is for. Little girl, sit yo’self over here for a hot minute and work on your attitude. After a little time out and attitude adjustment, my kids would typically come back with a different attitude and a tender voice saying “Mama, can you help me now?” My answer … of course honey, now I can help. Papa, can you help me now? I love the Message translation of the Bible because it often refers to God the Father as Papa. That’s who he is, he is YOUR PAPA. Papa, can you help me now? The people complained and the water remained bitter. Moses cried out to God, and God guided him to a solution. Maybe your complaints in the past proved you weren’t ready, but now you’re here with a better attitude, ready to seek God for help. And THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. God says, of course my girl, now I can help. The solution – a piece of wood that would turn the bitter water sweet and make it drinkable. Exodus 15:25, “Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.” What a simple solution! But how would they have known to do this to make the water drinkable without the intervention of God? That solution was always there. The tree growing next to the water had been growing for years on purpose to be used. God has a solution for all our problems before they ever happen to us. Before they ever came to the bitter water thirsty, God had provided the tree as a solution. Yes we will have bitter water as a problem in life, but we will also have a sweet tree as provision from God. With the problem comes God’s provision, but do we not perceive it? Jesus said he is going to prepare a place for us, won’t he also provide a way to get there? And won’t he be in every detail along the way? All is prepared between here and heaven, his provision has been planted, we just need to seek God with open hearts, open hands and open eyes to see it. Complaining does not open our eyes to solutions. Only seeking God shows us his divine solutions. When Moses cried out to God for help, the Lord showed him the wood. This wood would turn the bitter waters sweet and make them drinkable. It was a practical solution for a real problem. Maybe while you’ve been seeking some miraculous magical feat, God actually has a very practical solution you’ve been overlooking. God, help me see what you’ve placed right here for a purpose. Lead me to the solution. I will stop complaining and I will seek you. Guide me. After turning the bitter water sweet and hydrating them for the next part of their journey, they continued on, led by God. And look at this: verse, 27, “After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found 12 springs and 70 palm trees. They camped there beside the river.” This was a place of extreme provision. An oasis of bliss in the middle of the desert. God was leading them there, they just needed to stop at the bitter water on the way to work on their complaining attitude. There was a lesson to learn before they could come to the place God had for them. God has provision waiting for you too, my sister. A place he is leading you. If you find yourself at some bitter waters complaining and wanting to go back to the way things used to be, maybe you’re here for a sweet little lesson. A lesson on seeking God over complaining. A lesson on provision in the practical found right by the problem. And on the other side of this lesson is a beautiful oasis you didn’t even see coming. More than enough. Abundance and beauty. A place surely worthy of your tambourine once again. You’re going to want to keep that tambourine sister. Pack your praise and keep it with you. God’s just working through this problem to bring you to a better place. 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

Together, we’ve been studying the book of Exodus, telling us of the great exodus by the Israelites from their 430 years of slavery under the rule of Egypt. After plagues troubled Egypt, the Egyptian ruler Pharaoh demanded the enslaved Israelites leave immediately. They left in a hurry. And wouldn’t you after spending your entire life in slavery? Freedom was finally offered that night, and they ran. What follows is God’s people witnessing his mighty hand in personal and powerful ways. God guides them on the correct path through an unknown wilderness with a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. God literally parts the water for them, making a path of dry land through the middle of the Red Sea, then swallows up all their enemies in the water after them. For the first time in 430 years, God’s people were truly free. The bodies of their enemies washed up on the shore, proving this was really it for them. What do you do when the battle is finally over? What do you do when you look back and see all God has done? You praise God! Exodus 15:1-2, “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him – my Father’s God, and I will exalt him!’” The people stopped everything and they sang. But who were they singing to? THE LORD. This song is for an audience of one. My friends, that’s what our worship is supposed to be. All for God and only for God. It’s not a show. It’s not a performance. It’s not a check box. It’s not a ritual. It’s praise for an audience of one. Let me ask you, is that what your worship is? May I be vulnerable with you here? Sadly, my worship changes depending on who I’m with. I often think more about what others might feel than I think about the one it’s really all about. I will dumb down my worship if I know those around me might be uncomfortable. I’ll hold back my praise if I think I might be considered weird. While I know that’s not right, it’s something I often struggle with. What does praise for an audience of one really look like? What does worship with a wholehearted focus on God look like? Well, it looks a whole lot like Exodus 15. For 18 verses, the Israelites sang their praise for their audience of one. And it’s recorded word for word here for us to understand what worship looks like. I’ve gone through their recorded song of praise and here’s what I’ve found – it’s a FOCUS ON GOD. Not a focus on self. Not a focus on others. A focus on God. That is worship. 7 times the words “he, him and his” are used. 26 times the words “you and yours” are used. What are they saying? Ain’t nobody but God did it! Their worship was all about God. They recognized God didn’t just give them strength, GOD IS THEIR STRENGTH. (Verse 2) There’s a difference. Strength is not a well to tap into, strength is your God to know, to connect with, to lean on, to trust. God IS your strength, continually, never-ending, forever and always. He is your strength for whatever you’re going through. He’s not just giving you the strength, he’s showing up for you personally AS your strength. That should give you an unshakable level of confidence to face whatever it is you are facing. God IS your strength. Their song says, “The Lord is a warrior. You raised your right hand and the earth swallowed our enemies.” They’re remembering what God did. They’re remembering the parting of the sea and the impossible way God saved them. Their song says, “With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home.” They’re remembering more of what God did. They’re remembering how the pillar of cloud guided them during the day, and the pillar of fire perfectly guided them at night. When they were lost, God showed them the way to go. And here’s what they know – they know nobody but God did that. And when you remember it was all God, then you can worship him fully. One of my favorite songs right now is “God Did It” by Toby Mac & Jamie McDonald. It’s like the modern day version of Exodus 15. Could you sing these words today for an audience of one? Ain’t nobody but God did it There’s no way around Some things you can’t explain away It’s too good for me to doubt Said nobody but God did it Showered me in love When it looked like it was over He went and did just what He does God did it What did God do? No for real, what is it in your life that you can’t just explain away. There’s something that’s just too good for you to doubt. Ain’t nobody but God did that! God went and did just what he does, and he did it for you. Now give him the praise only he deserves. Let’s get real – whoever it is that causes you to hold back your praise has become a block between you and God. You have allowed them a space that God has requested – what’s that space – your focus. If your worship has become limited in the presence of others, then your focus is on them more than it is on God. Now, is God asking you to fix that? Is he asking you to put him back in his rightful first place as your audience of one? Some of the most powerful spiritual moments at our retreats are our times of worship. I blast worship music and I encourage everyone to go find their own private space to be with God. Sometimes that’s what we need. A time when family isn’t around. A time when no one else really knows the depths of our story. A time when our focus is all on what God did. And really, when you realize what God has done for you, you just can’t help but praise him. That’s what Moses and the Israelites are doing on the other side of their impossible. They’re recognizing the impossible things that couldn’t be explained away. They’re voicing the things that were too good for them to doubt. They’re remembering when it looked like it was all over, God went and did just what he does. And let’s be real clear – it REALLY looked like it was all over for the Israelites. With an impassable sea on one side and their enemies charging towards them on the other, they stood completely helpless with nothing to fight with. But GOD WAS THEIR STRENGTH. God did things that simply could have never happened without him. God did things they didn’t even know to ask for. God brought them a victory they had never even imagined. They’re standing in the shower of God’s love and voicing nobody but God did it! And they don’t care how it looks to anyone else – they are overcome with praise for the God who did what only he could do, and he did it for them. Now here’s the really cool thing – over 1,300 years after God’s people sang this song of praise and worship, John writes in the book of Revelation telling us about a vision of the end times to come. Guess what this chapter in the very end of your Bible is titled – “The Song of Moses and of the Lamb”. God shows John what is to come in heaven when the final victory is won – guess what will be happening?!!!! “All the people who had been victorious over the beast (that’s satan) were singing the song of Moses!” Guess what, girls – we will be singing this song of victory in the end! We too will stand in heaven knowing ain’t nobody but God did it! When it all looked like it was over for the world, God went and did just what he does – HE SAVED US! But how about we don’t wait until the end to sing our song of praise? How about we start worshiping for our audience of one right now. We already have evidence in our lives of what only God could do, don’t we?!!!! It’s time, my friends. Time to really worship God! 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

I trust God, but sometimes I like to give God suggestions. You know just in case he was 50/50 on what to do, I like to interject by bright ideas and tell him how he could make things work out really good. I occasionally even tell God how he could do “cool things”, as if he was sitting on his throne in heaven stumped over how he could pull off something cool today and he was waiting on me to help him. Do you do that too? I wonder what God thinks of our ideas of taking the path of least resistance. I wonder how God views our tendency to desire what is fastest and easiest. I wonder how God feels about our complete avoidance of hardship, struggle, and suffering. Well, there just so happens to be a story in the bible about this exact thing. Let’s read it together. Matthew 16, Jesus is walking along with his disciples. They’re doing awesome miracles together and making a huge impact every where they go. In fact, they had just finished feeding the crowd of thousands with a small amount of bread and fish. Now they know his power. The disciples know Jesus is the One. They’re all in. Verse 21-23 “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Understand, Peter was just trying to save Jesus from suffering. He was trying to find an easier way. He was trying to fix this. And Jesus said, THIS SUFFERING DOESN’T NEED TO BE FIXED. THIS HARDSHIP DOESN’T NEED TO BE AVOIDED. That’s a hard pill to swallow. I want my suffering and your suffering to be fixed. Like immediately. I don’t want times to be hard for anyone. If there was something I could do to ease my friend’s pain after her loss, gosh I would do it. If I could lift the suffering of my friend whose world has fallen apart, I would do it. If I could make your marriage problems go away, I would in a heartbeat. If I could solve your financial problems, boom, it would be fixed in an instant. If I could lift your burdens… If I could clear the way… If I could bring you healing … If I could restore what has been broken… I would be like Oprah. You get a new car. You get a good marriage. You get health. You get a whole family. You get a bonus. You get a baby. You get your answers. You all get EVERYTHING! No suffering. No struggle. No waiting. All your problems are fixed and there’s nothing but sunshine and glitter ahead, my friend. I really would fix it all for you … If I could. And to that, Jesus would say to me, “Satan, get behind me!” Why? Because just like Peter, I’m focusing on the wrong thing. I’m focusing on human concerns and overlooking the fact that God’s concerns are bigger, greater, and far beyond anything I can imagine. God is in the eternal game where current suffering will be redeemed. I tend to play in the right now game where suffering is always avoided. In your effort to avoid the suffering, go around the hardship, and skip the waiting line, have you become a stumbling block? Remember, that’s what Jesus called Peter. He was a stumbling block. His attempt to fix everything was in the way of God’s good plan. Honey, what if your attempt to fix everything is in the way of God’s good plan? What if God doesn’t need us to fix anything, and instead he needs us to partner with him in the bigger picture of what he is doing. What if this isn’t about what you’re going through right now, this is about what this will create for the future. What if God has magnificent plans that are so far above and beyond your scope of imagination, but the only way to get to them is through this stuff that doesn’t make sense? You know, this stuff you want to avoid. This stuff you want to skip. This stuff you’ve been giving God “suggestions” on fixing. Okay God, so this is going to fall apart? This is going to hurt? This isn’t going to work the way I had hoped? Now isn’t the time? I don’t like it, but I trust you. I will not try to fix your plans. I won’t get in the way of your work with my suggestions of an easier way. God has been trying to clear the way in your life, and you know what he’s been trying to move? YOU. You with your ideas of how it is supposed to be. You with your plans and good suggestions. You with your complete avoidance of current suffering that are for eternal purposes. What? You think you are above current suffering used for eternal purposes? You think you should be exempt from that? Dismissed because you’ve been a good person? Well, Sis, Jesus wasn’t dismissed and I’m pretty sure he was maybe even a little bit of a better person than even you. If Jesus wasn’t above suffering, why would we ever believe we are? I don’t want to be that stumbling block. I don’t want to be in the way of God’s plans. If God says I have to go through this, then I trust it’s for a purpose greater than my comfort. If God says this has to fall apart, I trust he will be doing something new on the other side of this and when I get there I’ll be more like the woman he created me to be. So, here we are Lord, trying our best to get out of the way. Here we are, surrendering to your plan that doesn’t make sense to us. Here we are, trusting you give and you take away, and our hands are to remain open. Here we are, counting on your timing to be better than our own. Here we are, trusting if you don’t fix it and we can’t avoid it, then you’ll carry us through it. 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

I read a great analogy on life that really puts everything into perspective. It’s deep. Grab your pen, I think this is for you today and you will want to write this down. Life is like a helicopter. I don’t know how to operate a helicopter. Gosh, life can be complicated and confusing sometimes. There has to be a button you could press to get out of this tailspin, but you’re not sure which button is the right one. You’re staring at a dashboard of flashing lights and sirens warning you of immanent danger, but you don’t know what to do to get out of this. Maybe right about now you want to hit the eject button. You want to get out of this. You want to jump from the disaster. But here’s the problem, helicopters don’t have eject buttons, and neither does life. You can’t just escape this. You can’t wish it all away. This tailspin in your life is seen by God, and he is equipping you to handle it. Now, Sis, handle it. You don’t have to continue to spin out of control. You don’t have to be stuck in the same ol’ round and round going down. You have been given the power to change things in your life. You have been given authority over every choice you make. You don’t think you know how to fly this helicopter, but God is asking you to learn. He’s asking you to take responsibility for the choices you make, take control of your thoughts, and demand better of yourself. How do you live this life well? You look to the example given to you! 2 Peter 1:3 MSG “Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.” When you get to know Jesus, you get to see how to start living your life better. He starts showing you how to take control of this helicopter and stop the tailspin. He shows you how to take your wild thoughts captive and make them obedient. He shows you how to forgive and move on. How to fight and conquer. How to love and let be. How to seek and find. How to move forward and overcome. How to rise up and break through. Jesus has miraculously given us absolutely everything needed to live a life God can be pleased with. You are lacking nothing! You think you don’t know how to operate this life, but actually, YOU DO. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, including fly this helicopter of a life you have been given to live. This confusing and complicated life is yours to live. As you grow closer to Jesus, he will teach you how to better live and stop the tailspin. Your answer is Jesus. Seriously, he is the one who will show you how to raise those wild banshees you call your kids. Jesus is the one who will show you how to love your husband and yourself enough to no longer enable this behavior. Jesus is the one who will guide you to make the choices you don’t know how to make. Jesus is the one who will strengthen you to make the changes you know need to be made, but you’ve been avoiding. Jesus is the one who will take control of this helicopter and set the course … if you will ask him. When you get to know Jesus, things start changing. How do you get to know Jesus? You simply start seeking him. Start talking to him. Start reading about him. Start listening to others who know him. Start studying his words. Getting to know Jesus not only changes your circumstances, but it changes YOU. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Your life becomes different because honey, you’re different. You’re not who you used to be. Getting to know Jesus changes how you see things. It changes how you show up. There’s nothing in your life that won’t be positively affected when you get to know Jesus more. A totally new life is possible when you’re growing closer to Jesus. I met a podcast listener recently who told me the life she was once living was busting the gates of hell wide open. She was living all wrong and she was doing it big time. She created sheer disaster in her wake. She was carrying around hurt and shame and living in complete fear of what others thought about her. That girl’s helicopter was out of control. Then, she met Jesus. And she not only met Jesus, but she got to really know Jesus. In the process of getting to know him, her life radically changed. Life stopped spinning out of control and she leveled out. She changed her choices and habits. She fixed some messes. She accepted grace and mercy, and made space for the new life Jesus offered her. Now, she uses her story to shine the light in the darkness which has surrounded others. A familiar darkness she once lived in, but Jesus got her out of. For my sister listening today who is in a tailspin of disaster, please hear me now: JESUS CAN CHANGE THIS! This doesn’t have to be your story for another day. This life doesn’t have to crash and burn. If you will take one step towards Jesus, I promise he will take a thousand steps towards you. He will show you how to regain control and stop the tailspin. As you get to know him, he will show you how to make better choices and change your habits. He will renew your confidence and strength so you no longer settle for less than his best for you. With Jesus, you have absolutely everything it takes to live a life God is fully pleased with. With him, he makes all things new and your life is changed. Yes, life is like a helicopter. I don’t know how to operate a helicopter. But I know how to lean in to Jesus and he can show me. Getting to know him is the ultimate answer! 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

Today I’m going to share with you the sweetest scripture I’ve ever read. A scripture so powerful in its sweetness that it stopped me in my tracks. Psalm 27:8 “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.'” Woah. Does that touch you the way it does me? God says to your heart “Come and talk with me.” Let your heart simply respond “Lord, I am coming.” On a weekly basis I receive messages asking about prayer. How do you pray more meaningful and powerful prayers? How do you find the proper words to say that bend the ear of the creator of the universe? What exactly do you ask him? Have we turned prayer into a formal communication for which we do not know the language? Have we complicated the connection and in the process disconnected from the Almighty? David, the little shepherd boy who defeated Goliath, then grew to become a great King with the favor of God, is believed to have written this scripture. He knew. He knew the promptings within that bring him to his Maker, and he knew to simply respond. God says “Come and talk with me.” That’s not an agenda. That’s not a script. That’s not a formality. That’s an invitation to a conversation. A two way conversation. Talk WITH me, not just TO me. I have things I want to tell you, and there are things I want you to tell me. Today, don’t you hear your Father saying to your heart “Come and talk with me.” Yes, you do. Now maybe you’ve allowed the busyness to distract you, and maybe you would first have to tread through layers of guilt and shame before you could bow your head, but today all of that can be removed. Today you can respond “Lord, I am coming.” I’m coming to talk with you. I don’t know exactly what to say. I don’t even know how to start. I don’t even know how to listen for you and be sure you’re talking to me. But I am coming. I didn’t always talk with God the way I do now. I felt distant from him, even unimpressed by him. I honestly felt like he was going to do what he was going to do, and my communication with him wasn’t going to change anything. But I was wrong. My communication with him changed everything. After God saved me from a stroke at 19 years old, I found a relationship with him that created a hunger within me for more. I craved reading God’s word. I wanted to understand. I wanted to spend time with him. I had a green study bible at my work desk and I highlighted nearly every page as I studied. I prayed the promises I read and believed them to be true. I grew immensely. But somewhere in the midst of being completely well and life going on, I lost the sweetness of that relationship, and prayer became an obligatory 3 sentences I would repeat before my meals. Then struggle hit in my early 30’s. Business failed, success ceased, doors closed, and my heart grew bitter. I was angry God had allowed these hardships. I had grown distant and distracted as I tried to fix these problems on my own. But nothing worked as it all fell apart. This was a turning point. This was the day I prayed for the first time in a long time. What was my prayer, “God, I’m so angry. I can’t believe you’re letting this happen.” Yip, I literally started talking to him again through my anger. To my surprise, God didn’t turn from me. Instead he responded to my anger with a gentleness and peace I can’t describe. To return to that peace, I began spending more time with God. Instead of just whispering my prayers, I began journaling my prayers. Writing my praises and my requests. Recording the promptings I felt within my spirit. And goodness gracious if our whole world didn’t start changing. We went from parking our car in the garage to hide it from the repo man, to building our dream home with the resort style backyard. We adopted 2 little girls from an orphanage in Mexico. I ran marathons. I met my mentor and he taught me how set goals and live the life I had always wanted. And I did. I kept talking with God … until I didn’t. Life got blessed and busy, and I got distracted. Distracted by all we had and all we were working to get more of. Distracted by all the goodness of the trips and the toys. Sadly, I allowed my blessings to crowd God right out of my life. I no longer had time to journal prayers, that time was filled with more pressing things in a growing family and business. One day I stopped and realized I had totally lost the sweetness of my prior relationship with God. There was no connection. I no longer knew how to talk with him. I didn’t hear him in my life anymore, and I didn’t know how to start again. Struggle had first hardened my heart to God, then success distracted me from my destiny. Then came the game changer. My friend Suzanne taught me the 4 sentence prayer. A simple way to talk with God that came with no strings and no pressure. Just 4 simple sentences and you’re done. The very day she taught me, I went into my closet, I closed the door, and I hit my knees and I talked with God for the first time in a long time. Sentence 1: Tell God what you’re grateful for. Sentence 2: Tell God where you’ve messed up and ask him to forgive you. Sentence 3: Tell God what you’re worried about. Sentence 4: Ask God for help. Sometimes you just need an icebreaker to get a conversation started. Sometimes you just need a clear place to start. That’s what the 4 sentence prayer can be – the beginning of the best conversations you will ever have! If you’re wondering where to start with prayer, this is your answer. It’s not the ONLY answer, but it’s an answer here for you now. 4 simple sentences to begin talking WITH God in a truly effective way. For me, I found going to a quiet place on my knees and actually speaking in a whisper really changed the conversation. My mind didn’t wander off as much. If that’s a problem for you, try it. God is saying, “Come and talk with me.” Oh girl, how I hope you’re saying now, “Lord, I’m coming”, and get yourself to a place where you can start talking with your creator now! Write those 4 sentence prompts on a sticky note and get started. God is calling, answer! Within a few weeks of starting this daily conversation of 4 simple sentences with God, he clearly told me to start hosting devotionals. I hadn’t read my Bible in over 20 years. In fact, I didn’t even have a Bible anymore. I didn’t even know what a devotional was supposed to look like. And I couldn’t possibly be expected to tell people about Jesus … I was an emotional hot mess and couldn’t speak his name without crumbling into a snotfest. But, he wouldn’t release me from this continual nudge, so I agreed to hosting a devotional conference call for 1 week to prove I wasn’t possibly the right girl for the job. 13 years and THOUSANDS of devotional later, it would take nothing short of God’s loud booming voice to make me stop! How did all of this start … I’m just a girl who’s struggles AND successes BOTH had pulled her away from a relationship with her creator, and I simply responded to God’s whisper in my heart when he said “Come and talk with me.” Now, this gets me really excited for you. If God is saying to you “come and talk with me”, what could he have waiting for you? What amazing adventure could he invite you into? What incredible movement could he be ready to show you? What purpose could he reveal? What blessing could he bring? What promise could he fulfill? Maybe you’re in the struggle … see God here. He hasn’t abandoned you. His eye is on you, his hand is here for you, and he has good plans for you. Hear him call to your heart “Come and talk with me.” Let your heart respond “Lord, I’m coming.” And if all you have to come to him with is anger, then bring it. If all you have are questions, bring those. If all you have is a prayer of “help”, then say it over and over again. Help. Maybe you’re in the success … see God here. You’ve been busy and distracted, surrounded by all the things you once prayed for. Don’t let struggle be the only thing that brings you back to your knees. Get yourself there today sister. Respond to his calling and talk with him. You have a whole lot to tell him thank you for. Start there. Thank him for every single blessing you recognize today. Talk with him about the goodness of these details. Did you know you don’t have to close your eyes while you pray? Sometimes when I’m praying over a delicious meal, I look at it intently and smell its wonderful aroma and pray while I take that first bite. Sometimes I open my eyes and look around at all that is good and right and beautiful in that moment and talk with God about my blessings. Today I received the sweetest news that my friend who has been praying for a baby for many years is officially pregnant with a little miracle. I went on a praise walk to thank God for what he has done. I just listened to praise music and worshiped God as I walked. Everywhere I walked today on this little trail were chickens with their brand new, freshly hatched baby chicks. As I praised God, I could see reminders of new miraculous life everywhere. That’s prayer. Closing your eyes is not required for this conversation with God. In fact sometimes I think he wants us to open our eyes, see what he is doing and talk with him about it right there. Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” The moment you begin worrying about something, it’s an invitation to just talk to God about it instead. Is it possible to really pray about everything. Yes – it’s an open continued conversation with God where you’re looking for him in the details, praising him for the goodness, and seeking him first. It’s a mindset and a heart posture. Won’t you respond to the whisper in your heart that says “Co

We’ve all heard the nightmare stories of child stars who become wildly rich and famous and grow up to live a wreck of a life. We’ve seen the stories unfold. In a world where kid’s primary goal in life is to become famous, we know where that road can lead. This is the result of the Instagram and the TikTok. But wait … actually it’s not. God has been warning his children of the pit of ungrounded success for thousands of years. One of those stories is the life of King Uzziah. If King Uzziah would have been living in the 21st century, he would have been Insta-Famous and a top TikTok influencer. And his story is a lesson for every single one of us today. A lesson that meets us exactly where we are. You’ll find Uzziah’s entire story in 2 Chronicles, chapter 26. It’s summed up in 3 headings in my Bible: Uzziah the King, Uzziah’s Achievements, and Uzziah’s Disease. Uzziah became King of Judah at just 16 years old. Verses 4 & 5 say, “He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” Where did Uzziah’s success come from? God! How did he achieve success? He sought God. He put God first. God was his priority. He spent time with God. He asked God for help and guidance. He followed God’s promptings. Now, the next section, Uzziah’s Achievements. Verse 7 says, “God helped him.” He fought battles and he won. He built cities and they flourished. He gathered armies and they became powerful. Everything he did was successful. Verse 15, “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.” GREATLY HELPED. Oh, God can do that! God wants to do that! Do you understand that God wants to GREATLY help you? He wants to do wonderful things for you. He wants to offer his supernatural powers to do impossible things for you. And he will, as long as you seek him. What could God achieve through you … well, there are no limits. We serve an unlimited God who’s powers cannot be contained and who’s plans are greater and bigger than our wildest imaginations. And the way he has so graciously chosen to work is THROUGH US! And he will work through you in this way, as long as you are seeking him. But what happens after success? What happens after you get what you’ve been praying for? What happens when it all finally comes together? You’re grateful … right? You’re humbled … right? You’re happy … right? But do you stay grateful? Do you remain humble? How long until you need more to be happy? I’ve lived that story of rags to riches. Now mine was less dramatic on the rags and less extreme on the riches, but still it was a journey from a nobody to a somebody in some small circles. And when I became the somebody with the house and the car and the closet full of clothes, I lost myself. God had helped me so much UNTIL I became successful. Then, in success, I no longer felt the daily need for God’s provision. I had bread for the day, I didn’t have to seek him for it. And that’s the danger of success. When I no longer counted on God for my daily bread because I had plenty, I stopped seeking him like I had during the hard times. I know I’m not alone in this struggle. The ups and downs that create our unsteady walk with God. Our wavering little hearts that seek, then they run off chasing their own things. And just like Uzziah, I had been given success as long as I sought the Lord. But, that success threatened to trip me up and make me busy. Too busy to seek God first. Uzziah was greatly helped UNTIL he became powerful. Why the word “until”? Did something change when he became powerful, successful and famous? Yes. And here’s our warning. The next section in my Bible is titled “Uzziah’s Disease”. Verse 16, “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God.” In his pride, he acted in unfaithful ways, pushed his way in to the sanctuary of God and began doing things he was not chosen to do. And suddenly, leprosy broke out on his forehead. He became a leper. The life of a leper was one of exclusion, suffering and loneliness. They were forced to live on the outskirts and were denied access to everyone and everything. And sadly, this was the life of King Uzziah, the once wildly successful leader, until he died. Not a happy ending. And I have to wonder how short this ending fell from the good plans God had for the young King who once sought him in everything. I wonder what COULD HAVE BEEN in his life if success wouldn’t have caused him to become prideful and then unfaithful? Oh Lord, please block any future success in our lives that would cause us to become prideful and then unfaithful. Remove anything that would get in the way of us seeking you. I will be honest with you, since my first failure of handling success well, I’ve been afraid of wild success. When I woke up one day and realized my entire world had become wrapped up in what I had and what others thought of me, I knew I needed a drastic change. That’s when we sold everything, gave the rest away, and started over in a life with two suitcases. I would rather have God than that big house. I would rather have God than a single other living soul know my name. I don’t want to fail that test again. But what happens when we become the girls who, no matter what the circumstances, no matter the success, no matter the power, we simply WILL NOT STOP SEEKING GOD? No matter the increase, we still humbly bow to God and seek his will over our own … what could happen then? What happens when we are unshaken by success, unchanged by fame, and undistracted by the noise? Could God continue to greatly help us? Could he be glorified even more?!!!!! Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” You can trust that. You can live your life counting on that. You will NOT be let down by this. Now, understand the warning it gives if you don’t live like this. If you don’t trust the Lord with your whole heart, if you start depending on your own thoughts and your own ways, if you stop seeking his will in everything you do, you will be endlessly confused. You will be completely overwhelmed. You won’t know what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. Your paths will be a tangled web of a mess, and you’ll get lost in it. And there you will be stuck in confusion, overwhelm, disappointment and disaster. You will be like King Uzziah … from being supernaturally guided and blessed by the Almighty, to disappointed with the outcome and stuck in the wilderness. This doesn’t have to be us. This isn’t God’s good plan for us. We don’t have to lose ourselves in success. And as long as we keep seeking God, we don’t have to be afraid of success. Where are you in this? Are you in the middle of a mess, not knowing which way to go? Stop everything and seek God with your whole heart. Open up your hands, let it all go, and trust God to guide you. He will. Are you in the middle of success, but recognizing in the process of waking up to answered prayers, you’ve stopped praying like you used to? Girl, hit your knees today. Return to seeking God first and fully. Are you holding back and playing little because you’re afraid of success? Talk to God about that. Don’t let fear cheat you from your destiny. Seek God in creating daily routines and accountability partners that will keep you aligned with God, no matter where success may take you. Trust God and his unknown ways. Keep seeking him first in everything. He will show you the right way. Faithfully take the next step. 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 answer for the problem you are facing is Jesus. The answer for the hurt you are feeling is Jesus. The answer for the person you can’t fix is Jesus. Whatever you are going through, whatever it is you’re struggling to understand, whatever you’re trying to overcome, whoever or whatever you may be waiting on … the answer is always the same. Jesus. The singular point of everything God has planned, aligned, orchestrated or allowed in your entire life is to show you Jesus. When others have let you down, God wants to show you that Jesus will not. When everything else has disappointed you, God wants you to see that Jesus will not. When nothing else has helped you, God wants to show you that Jesus will. When you just don’t know, Jesus does. Right now, take the most uncertain situation you’re facing … through this, God is pointing you to his son Jesus. The sooner you see Jesus as the solution, the sooner you find the solid foundation for your next step, your peace in the middle of the storm, and your joy on the journey. My friend, why is this happening to you? Some would say you’re under attack. And maybe you are. Some would say these are the consequences you have to face for the choices you’ve made. And maybe so. Some would say you live in a fallen world and sometimes bad things just happen to good people. Sure, sometimes. But one thing is absolutely certain – NOT A SINGLE THING will touch your life without first passing through the hands of God. If he allows it, it’s because he can use it to bring you closer to his Son, Jesus. It’s to see more of him, know more of him, experience more of him, and trust more in him. On our journey of life, all of us are learning about the true grace of God. We’re coming to understand how much we truly do need him. We’re growing to see just how involved Jesus really is in the details of our lives. 2 Peter 3:18, “You must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Let me explain it like this … A child raised in a good home by good parents doesn’t necessarily understand how good their childhood was. They don’t know to appreciate everything their parents have done for them. Until they grow up and real life begins to touch them. Then they realize it. My son never once said thank you for all of the hard work of parenting him well. But that first letter from Basic Training in the Army was literally tear soaked with gratitude because he was finally aware of what we had done for him his whole life. This is what God is allowing in our lives now. He’s allowing us to see what he’s always done for us. He’s allowing us to grow in the knowledge of his grace over us. He’s letting us see our absolute dependence on him and his faithfulness every step of the way. God is showing us our need for the one true answer – JESUS! And we’re learning to really appreciate him! Remember a few weeks ago when we read about God instructing the Israelites to smear the blood of a perfect lamb on the doorframe of their house? In Exodus 12, God was going to pass through the land of Egypt with an act of vengeance, but wherever he saw the blood, harm would not fall. His people were protected by the blood. And this is what Jesus has permanently done for every soul who chooses to believe in him and follow him. His blood covers us. When God looks on those who have accepted his son Jesus, he only sees the blood and they are protected. No harm can cross over the blood against the Father’s will. Nothing can touch your life that God has not permitted because of that threshold. If it touches you, God has allowed it so that he can use it for good. Again, what is his plan of goodness? To show you the forever answer for everything in your life – JESUS. How can you better parent your teenager? Seek Jesus for yourself and point your teenager to Jesus. Again and again. Over and over again. The answer is Jesus for them and for you. How can you find the right spouse or the right career? You look for Jesus. Where do you see Jesus showing up? Where is his light being reflected? Where do you see his fingerprints on the details that simply can’t be denied? How can you heal from this hurt, this loss, this betrayal? Jesus. Only Jesus. He alone is the healer of your heart, every other feel good source is a temporary bandaid. Do you want a temporary feel good solution, or a permanent healing? Turn from every other offering and seek Jesus fully. Does that sound radical? Maybe. But let me tell you something, Jesus is a radical dude! He says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” That’s radical. If you’re going to find your way through this, you must fully turn away from everything else and radically seek Jesus – he is the way. If you’re going to really do this right without stumbling and screwing this whole thing up, you must look at everything that is not Jesus as NOT FULLY RIGHT and therefore leading you wrong. Jesus is the truth. If it’s not Jesus, then it’s not truth. If you’re going to really live life fully, walk in your purpose, fulfill your calling, follow God’s divine will and experiences the life you were created for, you must come to the realization that anything that is not Jesus is not real life. It might be exciting, it might look good, it might feel good, it might be what everyone else is doing or what everyone else wants – but it’s not real life. If you want real life, then it’s only through Jesus. Jesus is the way. He is the way you get through whatever you’re going through. He is the way you heal. He is the way you forgive. He is the way you find the right people. He is the way you end up in the right place. He is the way you do the right thing. Jesus is the truth. Jesus holds the truth about you. He is the truth about your future. He is the truth about the world you live in. Jesus is the only truth. Jesus is the life. Every other source that might make you feel alive is an imitation. Only Jesus is THE life. He is the life you most desire. He is the life you crave. Because he is the life you’re truly created for. I once heard we’re each created with a God shaped hole inside of us that only God can fill. That’s by design. God designed you to need Jesus. And everything he aligns in your life, orchestrates in your life, or allows in your life is for the sole purpose of pointing you to the eternal need you just can’t get away from. Jesus. At 50 years old, do you know what I wish I could go back and do different in every single area of my life? I wish I would have realized earlier that Jesus was always the answer. If I could raise my 3 kids over again, I would have sought Jesus more and directed them to Jesus more. I didn’t – and therefore a whole lot of totally optional hardships were required to teach our whole family that Jesus was always what every single one of needed. Did I have Jesus? Absolutely. I just didn’t allow him first place. Did my kids have Jesus growing up? You bet. But they didn’t know Jesus was the divine source for everything they needed and everything they would ever go through. If I could go back and start my business again, I would have built it on Jesus instead of tried to use Jesus as a sprinkle to get his blessings. It would have likely saved a whole lot of hardship. My hardened heart had to be chiseled away at for 15 years. My jacked up priorities had to lead to massive failure and a total fall apart so that the foundation could be rebuilt on Jesus. If I could speak to every friend again who sought my advice, I would tell them to forget everything else I said and START WITH JESUS. Jesus is your way. Jesus is your truth. Jesus is your life. For my dear friend who has been betrayed by the one who was supposed to love her the most, my friend, Jesus is your answer. For my friend who is hurting for her struggling child, Jesus is your answer. For my friend who wants a baby more than anything else, Jesus is your answer. For my friend who wants a good husband to share life with, Jesus is your answer. For my friend who is grieving, Jesus is your answer. For my friend who is in literal pain, Jesus is your answer. Why is that so hard for me to say? Why does that feel like such a cheap answer? Why does that feel like an unclear direction and a let down? Because that God shaped hole within us has believed the lie that something or someone else can fill it. It simply can’t. Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the life. So, what was that identified uncertain situation you’re facing … can you see that God is pointing you to his son Jesus? The sooner you see Jesus as the solution, the sooner you find the solid foundation for your next step, your peace in the middle of the storm, and your joy on the journey. Maybe that was the whole point. 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

Exodus 14: 20-30 Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!” When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the LORD said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers.” So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea. Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides. That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore. 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

Exodus 14: 5-22 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!” Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night. Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! 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

Wouldn’t it be great to have a foolproof, absolutely ‘can’t possibly miss it’ type of sign as guidance for your journey? For real, have you ever prayed for flashing signs and illuminated arrows? God, make it clear. Don’t let me miss it. Show me your path in an unmistakable way. Can God do that? Absolutely. Does he do that? You bet! That’s precisely what he did for the Israelites. On their roundabout way through the wilderness from Egypt to their Promised Land, they depended on God for guidance day and night. They had never traveled through the desert. They didn’t have a map for this route. No one in their group had ever gone this way. It was all a complete mystery to them, but not a single step was a mystery to God. So, God showed up in miraculous ways as their guide. The Israelites’ equivalent of flashing signs and illuminated arrows was a moving pillar of cloud during the day and a glowing pillar of fire at night. For real, this is how God guided their steps for their journey of faith through the wild and unknown wilderness. Exodus 13:21-22, “The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.” Imagine this for a moment. This massive cloud continually moves to stay right in front of them. It shifts from the left to the right, guiding them with which way to go. And at night, a column of fire appears giving them light so they can even continue walking in the surrounding darkness, knowing precisely the direction to go. They didn’t have to wonder if they were on the right path, God made that clear. They literally SAW God’s guidance in front of them. Wow, wouldn’t that give you divine confidence and strength for the journey. If I know God is guiding me, I can follow with boldness. If I know God is right there with me, I can face the impossible without flinching because with him nothing is impossible. Well I don’t know about you – but I haven’t woken up lately to a pronounced pillar of anything moving right in front of me. There have been no signs in the clouds, no arrows pointing east or west in the flames. As much as I would love that visible sign, I simply haven’t seen one. So, where does that leave us? Are we wandering on this journey alone? Are we responsible for making our own way until God gives us a sign of his way? It’s easy to read the Old Testament with God’s wonders and signs and wish he still showed up for us like that. It’s easy to question if God still moves today like he did back then. But here’s what we miss … God doesn’t have to guide us with a cloud or a flame because he’s given us something so much greater. What we have today is the indwelling of his Spirit. God’s Spirit no longer lives in a fancy box hidden behind curtains in a tent like it did in the Old Testament. God’s Spirit is no longer limited to divinely visiting just one person to speak to on a rare occasion. Because of Jesus, we now have God’s Holy Spirit literally living WITHIN US ALL THE TIME! Why is it different now than it was in the time of the Old Testament? Because of one thing – Jesus has made us righteous. The blood of Jesus has covered us and redeemed us, and now we are deemed worthy of God’s presence. The way God would divinely speak to one chosen person and give direct guidance for a journey is now available to every follower of Jesus. I don’t need Moses to tell me what God has said. I don’t need an interrupter of dreams. I don’t need a pillar of cloud or fire, nor do I need a flashing sign or illuminated arrow. I have BETTER! I have the Spirit of God right inside of me. Here’s what God’s Spirit does for us: 1. The Spirit leads us. Romans 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” And you can flip that sentence as well. All who are children of God are led by the Spirit of God. As his children, we’re not led by our circumstances or our feelings, we’re guided by the inner leadership of his Spirit. We are SPIRIT-LED, meaning we are divinely guided by Heaven, step by step. My friends, that’s better than any pillar of cloud in the sky! 2. The Spirit teaches us. John 14:26, Jesus said, “When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have told you.” We have an internal teacher that brings truth and right knowing to mind exactly when we need it. The Spirit connects God’s word to real life moments for us. Have you ever felt an inner prompting of knowing what is wrong and what is right? Yeah, that’s the Holy Spirit! And That’s far better than any flame of fire showing up in the night. 3. The Spirit guides us into truth for the future. John 16:13, Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” Jesus knows the way to God’s good plans for you, so Jesus has the Holy Spirit deliver those steps to you with an inner prompting and knowing of truth for your future. I mean really, how cool is that? That’s so much better than a flashing sign. 4. The Spirit prompts and restrains. Acts 16: 6-7 tells of Paul and Silas traveling through specific areas and being prevented from going to some towns and held back by the spirit from stopping there. God’s Spirit was prompting them to continue moving forward and restraining them from wandering off from the path they were supposed to be on. That’s what God’s Spirit does for us. He opens some doors and closes some others. He makes some things happen for us in fast timing, and other things he delays out of protection or redirects from a heavenly viewpoint of what is best. How absolutely amazing to realize as a follower of Jesus, I never just stumble into things. His Spirit is constantly restraining me from what isn’t right, and prompting me toward what is. That’s better than any glowing arrow. Maybe you’ve taken for granted the unmatched gifting of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you’ve been waiting and wishing for a flashing sign saying “THIS WAY NOW: – when all this time you’ve had something so much better inside of you. Do you want to better hear from his Spirit and know his voice apart from your own voice? There’s one guaranteed way to do that – GET IN HIS WORD! The more you allow God’s word to get in you, the more you hear his voice clearly. Every moment you spend in God’s word is access you’re allowing the Holy Spirit to have within you. The more access you grant, the more guidance you receive. Sure it must have been amazing to be one of the Israelites following this pillar of cloud in the day and pillar of fire at night, watching it move in the direction they should go. But how much more amazing is it that you don’t need an external sign of an internal supernatural guidance you have today! What if we stopped praying so much for signs, and started praying more for an awareness of his voice and obedience to his promptings. Grant access to the Spirit by spending time in God’s word. Practice listening. Practice following. Jesus is continually guiding you to the Father’s best plans through the inner voice of the Holy Spirit. 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

My GPS continually takes me on the roundabout way. It’s laughable at this point. I’m not sure what hidden setting I have that makes my Apple Maps think I always want to go through the ghetto to my ultimate destination. I call it my Adventure Setting. I’ll eventually get to where I’m supposed to be, but the route there is scenic to say the least. And honestly, sometimes I feel God and I are on that Adventure Setting too. Rarely have we ever had a straight path, it’s a roundabout way through the trenches to get to where he’s ultimately taking me. But I have two choices on this adventure with God, and so do you: Choice #1. Hate it, rush it, and be miserable in it. Choice #2. Trust and embrace it. Choosing the second choice doesn’t feel natural, but it’s God desire for us. We don’t get to control this journey. We don’t get to make our own way. You’re not the way maker – HE IS! God says in Isaiah 43:19, “I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Who will do it? God will. Who does that mean isn’t reponsible for making the way? You. You’re not the way maker. God is. It’s his way. And here’s what we absolutely must learn to lean into – whatever way God is taking you, it’s for a greater purpose than you’re aware of. Trust him. In our study of Exodus, we’re now to the point of the Israelites being set free from captivity in Egypt after 430 years. They didn’t set themselves free – God did that. And now that they’ve marched right out of Egypt, they’re on the journey with God and to their surprise, it’s totally not anything like they expected it to be. You see, the Israelites knew there was a direct route from where they were in Egypt to where they were going in Canaan. They must have been so excited to finally go to the land God had been promising them. They must have wanted to get there absolutely as fast as possible. BUT THAT’S NOT THE WAY GOD TOOK THEM. The second half of Exodus 13 is titled “Israel’s Wilderness Detour” in my Bible. My guess would be the last thing they wanted was a detour, but a detour through the wilderness was God’s plan for them. Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t feel good – that’s just the truth. Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense – that’s another truth. But every single time, without fail, God’s plan is best. If there’s a detour, there’s a purpose behind the detour. What could that purpose be? Verse 17-18, “When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.” Yes, this was the longer route. Yes, this was the harder route. And no, this isn’t what the Israelites would have chosen. Instead of the coastal route which was the shortest way with easy roads, food and water, God lead them in a totally roundabout way right through the wilderness, dead-ending into the Red Sea. A route with no food. A route with no water. A route with harsh conditions. And quite honestly, this must have felt like punishment. But this harder route wasn’t punishment, it was God’s protection. God knew that on the easiest route were enemy forces that would quickly discourage his people. Out of protection, God leads his people on the longer route to avoid what they were not yet ready to face. If you’re on the roundabout way, detouring through areas you would have never chosen, can you see that maybe God is protecting you from things you aren’t ready for? And even if you can’t quite see it, can you trust it? Can you dare to believe God sees what you do not see and he has been protecting you? Can you tap into your faith over your fear that this isn’t punishment, no matter how it may feel? There was a battle on the easier, more direct way you would have chosen, and God lovingly protected you from that battle – Now how about you try not to be a brat about it. God’s mercy doesn’t always feel like mercy. Sometimes God’s mercy feels like delay. Sometimes it feels like the most disheartening detour. Sometimes it feels like sheer disappointment. But I’m learning to be grateful for God’s mercy dressed in those delays and detours and disappointments. There are several journeys I’ve been on that I wouldn’t have chosen – but looking back I would have missed some of my sweetest blessings. The same will be true of your journey and if you can’t see it yet, you will one day. I would always choose the coastal route, but sometimes God chooses the wilderness route. Sometimes he takes you right through the ghetto. And some of his most merciful and powerful work is done along the roundabout way. How sad that we tend to act like brats about it. Let’s decide now we’re just going to do better about trusting God’s plan, God’s path, and God’s timing. Lord, I won’t be a brat about this. I’ll see this as an adventure with you and I’ll just stay close to your side. 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

God is working something out in your life. And while it seems to be taking entirely too long for you, you can be assured his plan of deliverance and completion will happen in his pre-appointed divine timing. His plan for you will not fail. It will not be too late. Our God holds all time and power in his mighty hands. He has always seen the end from the very beginning. Nothing is impossible for him. And when he speaks a promise over you, that promise will come to complete fulfillment. Guaranteed. You can rest your weary soul in his guaranteed promises while you wait. The Israelites waited for 430 years for deliverance from their slavery in Egypt. I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting for whatever you’ve been waiting on, but my guess is it’s probably not quite been 430 years for you. So here’s what you need to know, my sister – your wait isn’t too long for God’s timeline. He hasn’t given up on his promise for you. It’s not too late. He still holds the precise MOMENT of completion in his hand. God is making a way to that moment and you will arrive in his perfect timing. 430 years of waiting for freedom, all while God worked every detail together to bring the Israelites moment to reality. Freedom was always on its way to them. Their path out was always in the making. Their long wait was always one day closer to being over, until finally the day came. We read about their day in Exodus 12: 40-42, “The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land. On this night the Lord kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt.” Oh my gosh, do you see that? It was on the exact LAST DAY of the 430th year of their captivity that the Lord led every last one of them out of Egypt to freedom. God had himself declared they would not be there for a single day into the 431st year and he made sure of it. Time matters to God. He has set divine boundaries on trials and struggles and without us even knowing, we’re divinely protected from our hardships continuing for a single moment beyond his will. Where God says it will end, it will end. And my friend, he knows exactly when this struggle will end for you. He already knows when this hardship will come to a close for you. He already holds the future day when you wake up for the last time to this problem. He has already aligned the moment when you will walk out of this free, whole, healed, and renewed. That moment is coming! God’s decisive moment of deliverance for you. But for now, you may be waiting. You may be waking up to another day with the problem still looming over you. But do not lose hope that your loving heavenly Father has already set the boundary for you and he’s leading you right to the day when you walk out of this free. Free from this hurt. Free from this hardship. Free from this unfair struggle. You will be free. In a display of God’s attention to detail, he ensured every last one of his people marched out of Egypt on that last day of the 430th year. No one would be left as a captive in Egypt on day 1 of the 431st year. No matter how stubborn Pharaoh was. No matter what the weather did. No matter who had been procrastinating. God would make sure his promise was kept fully and perfectly in his timing. And his promises of fulfillment and perfect timing stand for you too today. He has already held the future day you’re waiting on. He’s already designed it’s details, aligned the sun to rise on that specific day, and all moving parts to be in their assigned place, and you may wake up that day totally unaware that is the last day you’ll be waiting. On that day, the wait will end and it will happen through the power of God’s mighty hand just as he always planned to do. For my friend waiting for the legal battle to end, that day is coming. God has already held that day. He’s already assigned that moment. You can trust his timing. For my friend waiting on the pain to end, that day is coming. God has already held that day. He’s already assigned that moment. You can trust his timing. For my friend waiting on the blessing they’ve been praying for, that day is coming. God has already held that day. He’s already assigned that moment. You can trust his timing. Oh to just know the one who created you with such loving care and designed good plans for your life already holds the day you’re waiting on, and he’s perfectly aligning it’s moment to dawn for you. If you could only see how God has the timing already put together for you and it won’t be a single day late. It’s coming. Notice verse 42 reading in NIV, “Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt …”. The Lord kept vigil, meaning the Lord was watching. While his people were waiting, God was watching. God was wide awake that night watching over the very moment of deliverance to come. All while Israel had been waiting, God had been watching. He was watching over the very night deliverance would come, and he had known it was coming for 430 years. That’s how God is watching you while you wait too. God has his eye fixed on the night freedom will arrive for you. It’s coming. He’s faithfully keeping vigil. And notice this, God’s people went into Egypt as slaves, but they walked out as his army. A transformation happened in their wait. Something incredible is happening within you in this wait. While you wish God would just remove this struggle, he choosing to allow you to walk through it so you can be transformed and come out radically different. God’s not just freeing you, he’s redefining you. Imagine for a moment how Moses must have felt. He had heard God’s plan. He had felt his own immense inadequacy to be part of God’s plan. He had questioned how God would ever fulfill his seemingly impossible promises for his people. And now, the day has come and he’s seeing it all happen. God was right – they would march right out of Egypt. God was right – he would be their leader. God was right – they would never be alone. God was right – the impossible would happen. And it happened right on time. The way Moses must have felt in this moment realizing the Lord kept his promise to perfect fulfillment is happening right here in Exodus 12: 40-42. It really happened. And Moses woke up for the last day in Egypt, never again to be there. Freedom was here. And your moment is coming too, my sister. The Lord will keep his promises over you in perfect fulfillment. You will wake up one day and it will be your last day in this struggle. Freedom will be here for you. God will faithfully do for you what he did for his people on that day. He will fulfill his every promise. He will set you free. His deliverance will come in its appointed time for you, and it will be the perfect time! The sun is already scheduled to rise on that day for you, my sister. It’s promised. It will come for you. One day you will wake up and it will feel like just another day in the struggle you’ve been carrying. But Heaven will know something you do not yet know. It will be the last day you wake up to that pain, that waiting, that battle. Because the same God who watched over the final night of Israels’ captivity is watching over the final moment of yours. He has already set the boundary, already marked the day, already prepared the path out. And when that moment comes, you will look back and see that through every day of waiting, God was working, God was watching, and God was faithful to bring you out – right on time. 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

All things are under God’s control and he has the divine authority to allocate or reallocate absolutely anything he wishes. Where does he send his blessings? To the hands where he will get the glory. Where does he open heaven’s storehouses? Where his kingdom work is being accomplished. The question is, will he get the glory if his blessings go to your hands? Will his kingdom work be accomplished if the storehouses of heaven are opened to you? It’s easy to assume the opportunity to have MORE would allow you to honor God more, but sadly, humans have proven for generations that we simply do not fare well with easy, comfortable, abundant lives. It’s like giving a brand new sports car to a 16 year old … that typically makes that teenager one thing – DANGEROUS! We are often dangerous when we are given more. We make life about the pursuit of more, showing off more, caring for our more, and then getting newer and better of our more. We forget it’s all under God’s control and divine authority, and anything God has given, he can quickly take away. He can reallocate your blessings to a different set of hands so fast that your head spins. It might be yours today, but can you be trusted with it tomorrow? It might NOT be yours today, but God is always looking for where his blessings can go and bring him glory. In our study of the book of Exodus, we see the Egyptians had become very wealthy. Pharaoh lived in absolutely luxury. Anything he wanted, he could have. But Pharaoh continually refused the Lord. He denied the power of God’s hand over and over again. And God allowed it – for a season. He allowed Egypt to accumulate wealth. He allowed an overflowing abundance in Pharaoh’s palace. And all while God allowed it, never forget God was still in complete control of it all. God had a plan for his resources. He had a plan for his blessings. He had a plan for his power. No matter what the circumstances might look like, God’s plan stood and it would unfold perfectly. Let’s look at the plan. First, God promises Moses in Exodus 3 that he would transfer the wealth of Egypt to the Israelite slaves. Now that makes absolutely no sense at all. The Israelites had nothing of their own. They lived in poverty. They had no army to fight for the possession of anything. Eygypt not only had all the wealth, they had all the man-power to protect it. And yet God makes it very clear that his plan is to reallocate these blessings Egypt temporarily and ungratefully held, to the desperate, god-fearing Israelites. After the plagues hit the Egyptians, God reveals to Moses in Exodus 11 how his previous promise would take place. He says, “Tell the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold. (Now the Lord had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel.)” Then, the time comes for the Israelites to believe God’s plan and actually DO IT. Now that’s important – they had an active role to play. God had the plan, but they had a part. (My sister, God always has a plan, but you always have a part too! Don’t miss that.). Exodus 12, the Israelite slaves ask their Egyptian owners for their treasures of wealth, and everything they asked for was given to them. They completely stripped the Egyptians of their wealth! There was no war. There was no battle. There was a divine reallocation of what always belonged to God. God said it would be given to the Israelites when they asked – so they asked, and it was all given! Amazing. Right about now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Gosh, it’s about time I ask for a raise!” Or, “Hey, I need to ask for even more in this situation.” It’s funny how human minds work. But God is not fooled. God knows who can be trusted and who can’t be. He knows what more blessings would do to you. My mentor once shared a valuable piece of wisdom with me. He said, “Pamela, more money only makes you more of who you already are.” If you’re already stressed, more money will make you more stressed. (I know if you’re currently struggling to pay rent you’re thinking that can’t possibly be true, but it’s human nature and it’s never wrong.) If you’re already greedy, more money will make you more greedy. If you’re already self-conscious, more money will make you more self-conscious. If you’re already wasteful, more money will make you more wasteful. But, if you’re already generous when you have so little, more money will make you more generous. If you’re already at peace with little, you’ll have even more peace when you have more. Money reveals the true hidden nature within us. It doesn’t cure anything, it only magnifies everything. What if we worked harder on becoming a better person within instead of all the effort we put into chasing money, chasing beauty, chasing comforts and chasing applause. God has a plan for all that is his, and remember, it’s ALL HIS! His plan stands and will never fail. If God can reallocate the wealth of Egypt to their Israelite slaves, then you better believe he can pour out a few blessings on you when you get your heart right and your hands open. And I don’t mean open hands as in “gimme-gimme-gimme”, I mean open hands as in, “God, it’s all yours, I hold nothing back – I trust you fully.” Why would God’s plan be to give the 2 million slaves the fortunes of the people who had held them captive for 400 years? Justice? Repayment? Yes, perhaps – but it was bigger than that. Let me show you God’s bigger picture in the promise – flip forward several chapters in Exodus to 25 and you’ll see why God reallocated his fortunes and blessings from the Egyptians to the Israelites. The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. Accept gold, silver, bronze, stone and jewels … Then have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.” Now where exactly would these former slaves now living in the wilderness possibly get all this gold, all this silver, and all these jewels? Oh yes – they had taken it with them when they left Egypt! They had followed God’s instructions and asked for the wealth of Egypt and now with open hands they would offer it back to build a holy sanctuary for the Lord! The entire point of it all was so that God could be in close relationship with his people. He moved the wealth from the people who wouldn’t honor him, to the people who would. He moved his blessings from a greedy ruler to a people who would give God the glory. This was the big picture of God’s plan! He made the promise to Moses in chapter 3, he gave the instructions for action in chapter 11, the people did what God said in chapter 12, and now in chapter 25, we see what God was doing all along. God’s abundant resources, his treasures, his blessings were for the purpose of bringing his people closer to him. Now, the transferred wealth of Egypt was being used to build a sanctuary where the Spirit of God would live and his people could seek him. This is what God is still up to today. He moves his blessings and reallocates his treasures to those who will give him the glory. He opens the storehouses of heaven to where his kingdom work will be prioritized. He opens the doors that will bringing his people into a closer relationship with him. He knows who he can trust – and he knows who will be consumed by the blessings and make it all about them. I once had a successful business with a whole lot of money. Funny thing was, I spent more money than I made. The more I made, the more I spent. I totally lost myself in the process and God was crowded right out of my busy schedule. My entire life became about the show. My well-dressed little family was part of the show. The big house looked great in the show. Then God let it all come crashing down. Someone else now lives in the big house we built. Someone else now has the business I traded an entire season of my life for. THANK GOD HE DIDN’T LET ME STAY IN MY SELF-ABSORBED SUCCESS!!!! Eventually it all came crashing down and we were wildly humbled. That’s when God went to work on me. He realigned my priorities and taught me what was truly important. He allowed me to be broke, allowed my formerly perfected body to go through menopause, allowed me to be talked about, allowed my heart to be broken and disappointed. And it left me with a will that desires his will above everything else and open hands that can be trusted. None of it is mine – it’s all God’s. And he holds the divine power and authority to allocate or reallocate what is his at absolutely any time. He has a plan. His plan is to send what is his to the hands where he will get the glory. His plan is to send his power to the places where his kingdom work will be done. He did it in Exodus – and he’s still doing it today. Check your hands, Sis – because God certainly is. 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

When God sees you, he sees something you don’t see. He doesn’t see your past. He doesn’t see your future. He sees one thing – He sees the blood of his son, Jesus. That is, if you have accepted his sacrificial, redemptive blood over your life. That’s the single most important question of your lifetime – have you accepted what Jesus has done for you? Is your life covered in his blood, redeeming you and making you holy and righteous? It’s a simple surrendered decision of faith that changes every thing about your future for eternity. The decision to accept what Jesus has done personally for you forever changes the way God sees you. With the blood, you are forever good enough. Forever holy. Forever redeemed. Forever destined for paradise. Forever set apart. But I wonder if you really live your ordinary days knowing you’re set apart by God. Do you know what you’ve been saved from? You’ve been promised a special protection from the destruction coming. Oh it’s coming, but it will pass right over you. Why? Because of the blood. The first Passover happens at this point in our study of the book of Exodus. Moses is sent by God to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. However, the Egyptian King, Pharaoh, leads with a stubborn heart and refuses to release God’s people. So, there are 9 plagues sent by the hand of God onto the Egyptians. Each plague worse than the one before as a display of God’s power over every false god Pharaoh and his people worshiped. Each plague a warning and an opportunity to come to faith. With each plague, Pharaoh is miserable and seeks relief from God. The moment relief comes, he returns to his hardened heart and resists any God-prompted change. God-prompted change. Hmmmm … how bad do you resist that? Disaster comes when we have a death grip on the things we think we can’t live without. Disaster comes when we put anything, absolutely anything, before the will of God. Let that sit for a moment. If God has been stirring your heart with a change that terrifies you, resist the urge to ignore it, resist the impulsive rush and coverup, and allow your softened heart to be bare before God. You really can trust him to get this right. If he takes something away from you it’s because he has something better for you. But you’ll have to release what he’s asked you for before you see what better thing he has aligned next. Check your hands right now – are they feeling clingy and clenched in fear? Dare to open them and say, “God, you can have it.” Maybe he really wanted it – or maybe he really wanted to know if he COULD have it, then you can keep it. God really wanted his people free from slavery in Egypt. He knew Pharaoh’s hardened heart would not allow his hands to open and release them – even with all 9 plagues. So finally comes a sweep of God’s power that would break Pharaoh’s hardened heart wide-open. Exodus chapter 11 is titled “Death for Egypt’s Firstborn.” God knew this is what it would take. Verse 1, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country.’” Verses 4-8, “This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt. All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all livestock will die. Then a loud wail will rise through the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has ever heard before or will ever hear again. But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites. All the officials of Egypt will run to me and fall to the ground before me, ‘Please leave!’ They will beg. ‘Hurry! And take all your followers with you.’ Only then will I go!” The final plague was coming at midnight, the plague of death. But the Israelites, God’s people, were set apart. There would be nothing but peace among them in the middle of sheer terror and destruction. The plague of death would pass right over their homes. They would survive, untouched, unbothered, unshaken, and finally be set free! Moses was given special instructions by God to mark his people as set apart and passed over in this plague of death. What was the mark? Blood. Exodus 12:21-23, Moses tells his people, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptains. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.” The pure blood of the sacrificed lamb would set God’s people apart. The coming punishment would pass right over them as they were kept in perfect peace. And my friends, this is exactly what Jesus did for us, PERMANENTLY. John the Baptist introduces Jesus in John 1:29 as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Punishment and judgment are coming on this world. The book of Revelation tells us about the destruction, the horror and the terror – much like the plague of death sent to Egypt. But for those marked by the blood of the Lamb of God, we are passed right over and perfectly protected with peace. My friends, Jesus radically sets us apart. He marks us as his own, bought with his blood. Not because we’re worthy, but because we’re his chosen ones. He chose us first, now we get to choose him back. If you’ve accepted what Jesus has done for you, then God sees one thing when he sees you – he sees the blood of his son. And because of that blood, you are seen as holy, righteous, redeemed, worthy, and destined for an eternity by his side in a perpetual everlasting paradise! Oh Lord, may you see the blood of Jesus ALL OVER ME!!!!!!!!!!!! Less of me, more of Jesus. May every bit of my character, all of my choices, all my desires, all my tendencies, and every thing I ever do be fully covered in the blood of Jesus so that when God looks at me and sees how I live, what I do, what I say, where I go, how I lead, and how I follow – may he see only ONE thing – the blood. The blood that sets me apart. The blood that makes me forever good enough. Is that what God see when he sees you? If you’ve accepted the offering of Jesus, then that’s absolutely what he sees! And oh how he loves the soul covered in the blood of Jesus. Oh how he has good plans for that soul. Oh how he desires an eternity with you by his side. And maybe, just maybe, we can start seeing ourselves a little more like this too. Instead of seeing our faults and everything we hate about our reflection, maybe we can see a girl that was so totally and completely loved by her Creator that he gave his only son to save her and cover her forever. That’s a girl who is really forever good enough. A girl set apart. A girl marked by the blood. That girl is YOU. 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 realize just how patient God has been with you. During your wandering, he has been steady. Through your silence, he has stood ready to speak. When you have been unfaithful, he has remained faithful. He has always held the power to come through for you, but sometimes you’ve failed to come to him. Time and time again, he has been patient offering grace and mercy even when it was undeserved. While God isn’t giving up on you, what are you giving up in your delayed surrender and obedience? Really – what are you missing out on as you fight for your own way? My great-grandpa was a tiny little man with the brightest blue eyes. Cecil was a brilliant business man, owning the country store in a small farming community every local family came to for supplies in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. He was much like Mr. Oleson on the show ‘Little House on the Prairie’. And interestingly enough, his wife Beulah (my great-grandmother) was much like Mrs. Oleson on the show, a sharp tongued, harsh woman. But Cecil was kind. He was hard-working. But, his heart was hard towards God. He refused to surrender to the Lord. He spent his whole life refusing God’s way over his own. He built his wealth and his success and kept God at arms length. Every Sunday he would go to the church to build the fire, but refuse to stay and hear God’s word. He didn’t have time for God or a need for God. At 90 years old, coming to the end of his life, he called the family into his bedroom and wept. He regretted an entire lifetime spent without God. And that night, he finally gave his life to Jesus. God had never given up on him. He was patient for 90 years awaiting the full heart of my great-grandpa, Cecil, and now he finally had it. As a fragile little old man, he was baptized by the local pastor with the help of my Daddy. He spent the final weeks of his life leading our family in prayer. It was beautiful. But it could have been beautiful for decades instead of just weeks. He had forfeited a lifetime of God’s goodness in his stubbornness and resistance. Oh how he wished he could go back and do it all again. He would do it right. He would surrender to God sooner. Life would have been so much better for him and for our entire family. I wonder where you might be holding back on God and one day you’ll wish you would have surrendered sooner. One day you’ll see how much better life could have been if you would have given it all to him. Well you can’t go back and change what has already passed, but starting today, you can do this different. Today can be your day. This is your opportunity to change every future day with your decision to seek and obey God fully. But here’s what we often do – We wait for things to get so bad that we can’t fix them on our own, so we cry out to God. God comes through and saves us, carries us through those hard times, but then as soon as life gets better we forget God. We hit our knees when God is our only option, but on the other side of the problem our knees aren’t on the floor. We pray to God when times are hard, but when it’s easy we withhold our heart. And what are we forfeiting in our stubbornness? What good plans of God are we sacrificing as our temporary surrender is replaced with self-will and forced timing? In our study of Exodus, we see what happens when we are stubborn to the will of God. We see what temporary surrender leads to – it leads to temporary relief followed by destruction. In God’s great mercy he gives us chance after chance to turn to him fully, but when we refuse, he allows things to get worse – wayyyyy worse! Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, has seen the mighty hand of God. He has heard the words of God through Moses. He’s experienced destruction because of his disobedience and hardened heart. And through the process of 9 plagues by the hand of God against Egypt, we see a pattern. The pattern of seeking God’s relief in the hardest of times, but as soon as relief comes, a hardened heart leads right back to disobedience. The plague of frogs is brought to Egypt by God as a sign of his power. The Egyptians are miserable and desperate because of these frogs everywhere. So here’s what Pharaoh does – Exodus 8:8, “Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, ‘Plead with the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.’” Great. Pharaoh is miserable and desperate so he surrenders to God’s will. And with that, it could all be over. The Israelites could have walked out of Egypt into their freedom and peace could have filled the land. It could be that easy. But it was never easy because the moment Pharaoh felt a bit of relief from the plague of frogs, he went right back to his old ways. Verse 15, “But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron.” So guess what, things get worse. More plagues. More destruction. More problems. Now the Egyptians are facing a plague of flies. Have you ever been bothered by a fly? A single annoying fly that won’t leave you alone can drive you crazy. If that’s a biting fly it can turn paradise into torment. Now imagine your home being filled by flies. Imagine swarms of flies covering the ground. When Pharaoh once again becomes miserable and desperate, he surrenders to God’s will. Verse 25, “Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. ‘All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God.” Moses prays to the Lord for the flies to disappear and the next day, the flies are gone. Not a single fly remained. Then guess what – in the absence of misery and desperation, “Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to let the people go.” And this continues as a pattern of plagues followed by seeking God’s relief, and the moment relief would come, that hardened heart would take over and disobedience would follow. Every disobedience directed by that hardened heart would bring the next plague of worse conditions and the hand of God would once again be sought. The moment relief would come, that hardened heart would once again take over. It’s easy to read the story of Pharaoh and shake our head in disbelief, but my friends, we do it too. We pray to God when times are hard, but when it’s easy we withhold our heart. And what peace, what blessings, what good plans of the Lord are we forfeiting in the process? When will we stop this? When will we no longer require desperate circumstances to realize we are always desperate for God? You have the biopsy and await the results and you’re on your face begging for God’s touch. The biopsy returns and it’s benign, no cancer. You’re overcome with gratitude because God came through for you. But how quickly does life just return to normal? How quickly do you get busy and no longer have time for your knees to be on the floor in search of God? Without threat, you’re no longer desperate for God. It’s not just a biopsy – it’s the missed paycheck, it’s the threatened relationship, it’s the car problems, it’s the forecasted storm. We seek God desperately when there’s a threat, but the moment the threat passes, we’re no longer desperate for God. What we don’t realize is every moment of our lives is totally dependent on God. Without his breath, we don’t take our next breath. Without his hand of provision, we don’t eat. Without his light, we cease to exist. We’re desperate for God, but we’re living as if we’re not. What would life look like if you lived every moment in awareness of your desperation for God? There’s a great song by Jamie McDonald called ’Desperate’. It says: Oh God, Im desperate Down on my knees Send help from heaven ‘Cause that’s what I need I’m not asking, I’m begging Lord, come through for me I need heaven and I’m desperate How bad would things have to get before you call out to God in desperation? You’re desperate for God whether you realize it or not. And God is his infinite wisdom and divine mercy will allow things to get as bad as they need to get for you to realize your desperation for him. He’s more concerned about your character than your comfort. With each relief offered by God, Pharaoh would quickly return to his hardened heart and disobedience. The plague of hail comes in chapter 9. Everything is destroyed. People, animals and crops are destroyed by the hail. Verses 27-28, “Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. ‘This time I have sinned,’ he confessed. ‘The Lord is the righteous one, and my people and I are wrong. Please beg the Lord to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.’” Guess what happens next. You’re right – God comes through with relief and Pharaoh goes right back to his old ways. Verses 34-35, “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn. Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted through Moses.” So, things continue to get worse. Don’t let that be you, my sister. Don’t waste more time. Don’t go back to old ways when God brings relief. Stay desperate. Psalm 63:1, “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you.” This is desperation. God desires our hearts to remain desperate for him even when the problem is resolved, even when the threat is removed, even when the misery is lifted. Don’t go back to your old ways. Don’t return to your busy distracted ways of living. Don’t start living like you don’t desperately need God just because life is easier again – No, girl, you desperately need him for every breath in every day. Let’s stay desperate. Let’s realize our dependence on God and live in full surrender to him, his way, his

Every supernatural occurrence is not by the hand of God. When we chase the supernatural, we are subject to confusion. Sometimes we’re dabbling in a dangerous darkness while thinking we’re tapping into godly powers. My friend, you have to know, not every power is godly. There are dark powers in this world. These are not my own ideas – these are God’s warnings directly from his word. God is capable of mysterious miracles that cannot be explained. No doubt we’re surrounded by his power at work every day of our lives and it’s truly remarkable. We are also surrounded by a fallen angel who constantly tries to undermine our mighty God with imitation miracles and wonders. What we need to decide with absolute conviction right now is, IF IT’S NOT FROM THE HAND OF GOD, I DON’T WANT IT. There’s not a single magical, mysterious, seemingly awesome thing I want if it doesn’t come from God. Honey, if it’s not from the light, then it’s from the dark. If a power isn’t from God, it’s from our adversary the devil. And he is capable of absolutely NOTHING good. It might look good for a moment, but it simply is NOT good. It’s dangerous. The powers offered from the pits of hell do one thing – they pull us away from our Creator with a divided and confused heart. And in that space of distance from God, created by confusion and division, the enemy attacks. If your heart has gotten divided with dabbling in powers not offered by God, it’s time to rid your life of those things with supreme urgency. If your heart has gotten confused by mysteries lacking the fingerprints of God, it’s time to recognize the author of those mysteries as the enemy of your soul who’s objective is to kill, steal and destroy. James 4: 7-8 MSG, “Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.” How easy it is to say, “Well there’s nothing wrong with dabbling in this.” But the better question is, “Is there anything truly good with it?” There’s nothing wrong with the day and month you’re born, but thinking your birth sign determines a single moment of your God-given, miraculous life has absolutely NOTHING good in it. And when there’s nothing good in it, God’s not in it. If God’s not in it, there’s a whole lot of room for alternate forces to reside. You don’t want that. We’re supposed to be yelling, “Devil, get behind me”, not “Hey Devil, this is kinda fun.” Eve made a terrible mistake – She entertained the offerings of Satan. She gave him permission to speak into her life, and when the devil speaks, he lies. He twists truths. He confuses thoughts. He hardens hearts. And he brings chaos to God’s intended paradise. That apple smelled like Hell, but Eve never paused long enough to smell it before she ate it. Eve quite simply shouldn’t have entertained a conversation with that slimy snake in the garden. He had nothing good to say, and never does. “Hey Eve, why can’t you eat this apple? Don’t you want to taste it and see?” Have you been entertaining seemingly innocent conversations with the enemy of your soul? It’s straight up never innocent on his part – He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s bringing confusion into your life. He’s hardening your heart to God’s true power and tricking you into a perversion of power. Sadly, just like Eve, we fall for it. Yes, the devil has power. To think he doesn’t is foolish on our part. But he never has power to do good. Only God holds the power for good. In Exodus, Moses is sent by God to Pharaoh, the leader of the Egyptians to rescue the Israelites after 400 years of slavery. Pharaoh is stubborn and doesn’t want to let go of his free labor, so he refuses. God directs and empowers Moses in very specific ways to display his miraculous acts as a warning to Pharaoh. Exodus 7: 10-12, “Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerer, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents.” And there it is my friends – we’re not making up alternate powers at work in this world. It’s real and it’s deceptive. The magicians were operating under a different power, and the display of their power confused the already hardened Pharaoh even further. Moses was under God’s power and turned the staff into a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians were under another power not of God and did the same thing to seemingly undermine the word of the Lord. Next, God sends the first plague on Egypt as a warning. He turns the water of the Nile River into blood. But here come the Egyptian magicians and they too turned water into blood. Further convinced the powers he trusted in were just as powerful as the powers of Moses’ God, Pharaoh ignored the warnings and continued to do wrong. The next plague from God brought frogs everywhere. Again, a warning of how bad things could get for the Egyptians if Pharaoh didn’t obey God and let the Israelites go. But again, the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic. They too caused frogs to come up on the land of Egypt. Why would God allow Satan to have powers? That’s a great question, and not one I can answer. But here’s what we know – we know Satan has power here on Earth. But we also know his power is limited. Here’s the part we so easily miss. Yes, the magicians could tap into a power other than God to do harm, but they could never tap into that power to stop the harm or to do good. God could stop the frogs, the magicians could not. God could bring peace, any power outside of God cannot. God brings healing – Satan cannot. Satan kills, Satan steals, Satan destroys. His power is second rate and only for harm. You don’t want that in your life! Trust me, that smells like Hell! This is how we know every supernatural occurrence is not by the hand of God, it’s in God’s word. Just because it’s mysterious and magical does NOT mean it’s of God. Let us not be fooled. Take a whiff – does it smell like Hell? Satan wants to work through awes and wonders and mysterious works to confuse us. And he will – IF WE ENTERTAIN IT. Girl, if you open that door, he will waltz right into your life and bring a parade of chaos with him. He will steal your peace. He will fill your mind with anxiety. He will disturb your dreams. He will darken your thoughts with fear. But here’s what God will do when you only entertain his truths, his promises, his plans, his ways and his words – He will fill you with unspeakable peace that doesn’t even make sense. He will calm your mind and send those anxious thoughts back to hell where they belong. He will bring you rest and allow you to wake up refreshed with his new mercies each morning. He will give you every reason to believe, to trust and to hope so abundantly that there’s simply no room for fear in your heart or mind. Here comes Satan with a tarot card – are you going to entertain that? Here comes the devil with a crystal, a fortune, a palm reading, a healing ceremony, a saence, a voice from beyond, a mystical connection – are you going to entertain that? There’s nothing good in this and there could be a whole lot of bad in it. Shut it down. Yell a loud NO! Throw it out. Evict it now. Exit yourself from those circles. Slam the doors on the confusion of darkness. Stop dabbling. Would you be so bold as to ask God to reveal to you any door you have opened to the power of darkness in your life? It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person – it simply means you’ve been tricked somewhere and Satan has slipped in through the backdoor of permission and he’s been attacking from within without you even knowing it. Lord, please forgive us and help us. We have unintentionally subjected our hearts and minds to a power that is not from you. Here’s the truth – I had done that in my own life. I had given the enemy access and I wondered why I was feeling a lack of peace and constantly battling chaos. I can admit that to you. But here’s what’s really hard to admit – I didn’t want to shut it down. It had become my normal. I liked my little daily practice. And I struggled with God for over a year as he told me to stop. It looked not only innocent, but it actually looked good to the most of the world. But within, I knew God was saying it wasn’t good for me. Sadly, I tried to reason for entirely too long and continued in disobedience for a season. But the immediate peace that came once I surrendered to God’s promptings and eliminated that gray area from my life was so sweet, I’ll simply NEVER go back. I know God’s power. It’s unmatched. It’s always for my good. And I also know the power of darkness. It’s real. It’s always lurking. It will try to creep in to create a distance between me and God. It will try to confuse me, distract me and sidetrack me. And it will never be good for me. And I’ve decided I want absolutely NOTHING to do with it. No matter how normal the world makes it look. No matter how innocent it may seem. No matter how dressed up it might be, it still smells like Hell to me because that’s where it came from. How about you? Will you take a whiff of what you’ve been dabbling with, allowing, or entertaining and see if it smells like Hell? And if it does, what are you going to do about it? Once again, James 4: 7-8 MSG, “Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.” If it smells like Hell, yell NO! 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

Luke 8: 22-25, “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, ‘Where is your faith’. The disciples were terrified and amazed. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked each other. ‘When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!'” Jesus was certain of one thing – they were going to the other side of that lake. He didn’t say, ‘maybe’, he didn’t say ‘if we can’. He said, “let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” With Jesus, it was going to happen. Without him, maybe not. I don’t know what you’re going through, but if Jesus says you’re going through to the other side of this with him, then honey, you’re going to get through this. He is certain. Regardless of how bad the circumstances may get. No matter the struggle. No matter what forces of hell may come up against you – you’re going to get through this with Jesus. He’s never had a doubt because he’s never not been in total control. Jesus said in John 16:33, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Every problem you will ever face has already been overcome by Jesus. He’s already made a way through it. He’s already seen the end of it. And Sis, you’re going to make it to the other side with Jesus. No matter how big this storm may get, if Jesus is in your boat, the storm will be overcome. But the storm is real and the disciples are in it. This section of the lake was 5 miles wide to cross which means all they can see is water. They can’t see land. The boat the disciples were on with Jesus was likely about 26 feet long, 8 feet wide, with oars and a small sail. This was not a ship, this was not a yacht, this was a fishing boat. In this boat were experienced fishermen who had spent the majority of their lives on this exact lake. They knew this water. They knew this boat. But they did not know this storm. Scripture says these professional fishermen were terrified of this storm, which has to mean it was a radically bad storm. The boat was filling with water. The danger was real. They weren’t having a freak-out moment for nothing. They were going down. And Jesus is asleep on the boat. How in the world can Jesus be sleeping? It’s not like there was a private space for him on this small boat. He was fully aware of the waves. He felt the water rising within. He was getting soaking wet. And yet he was so at peace in the storm, he was sleeping. There was absolutely no freak-out in Jesus. There was no stress, no worry – he already knew no matter how bad it looked, they were making it to the other side. Wow – what would you give for that level of peace in your storms? Let me tell you something, my sister – it’s here for you! Jesus said in John 14:27, “I’m leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” That’s peace that can face the wildest of storms in a boat that’s taking on water and receive rest. Jesus is offering that level of peace, HIS PEACE, to you as a gift. But it will cost you something. Yes, it’s a gift, but it comes at a cost. The cost for this level of peace is you releasing control. You releasing the habit of stress and the addiction to worry. Jesus’ peace can rest well in a wild storm with a sinking boat – Jesus’ peace can wait for the diagnosis without fear. Jesus’ peace can reside in the turmoil of these relationships without sacrificing your happiness. Jesus’ peace can faithfully steward what is far too little while God makes it enough. Jesus’ peace can be surrounded by the drama without allowing the drama to get inside. Jesus’ peace can look the reality square in the eyes and still see the other side of the lake where you’re promised to go. This peace is the peace Jesus gives you. Faith can be in a storm with a sinking boat and not freak out. Your freak out is optional, and Jesus is not impressed when you choose it over his peace. Here’s the truth about this particular storm in scripture – it was likely a work of Satan himself. What other opportunity would Satan have to take out not only the Savior of the world but every person who was going to tell his stories and change the entire world. They were all in one boat. These waves were an assignment from Hell. These winds were under the direction of Satan. And still they were silenced immediately with one word from Jesus. Let’s talk about your storm. Some storms are self-created in our own disobedience. That’s how Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale. God told him to go to one place, but in fear he went in the other direction. On his boat going in the willfully wrong direction, a great storm came and Jonah was thrown overboard. He was given 3 days in the belly of a whale to get things right. That was a storm of disobedience. But this storm the disciples were in this night was not a storm of disobedience. They were with Jesus, literally! They were following his every step. They were listening to his every word. It was Jesus’ idea to get in the boat. This was a storm of obedience. Understand both happen. If life is turned upside down for you right now, ask – have you been disobedient? Is there something God wants you to change and this is getting your attention? Fantastic – when you know better you can do better and storms help us know better FAST. But maybe this storm is happening while you’re living in obedience. Maybe Hell is coming against your obedience to try and detour you. Will you let Hell win here? Maybe it’s just life happening to you right now – or maybe it really is a full on attack with the schemes of Hell behind it – no matter what Jesus is in control here! Jesus can calm this storm – but remember this – no matter what, Jesus has already given you the gift of his peace for this storm. You can rest in this. You can still find joy in this. You can know with absolutely certainty Jesus’ plans will not be cancelled and you will get to the other side where he is leading you. You will get there, and you can have peace while you go! 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

God, if you’re in it, I want it – If you’re not, I don’t. Seek God’s hand. Moses said to God in Exodus 33:15, “Lord, if you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.” MSG – Lord, if your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now.” GOD I WANT YOUR HAND, AND ONLY YOUR HAND. IF IT’S NOT BY YOUR HAND, I DON’T WANT IT, NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT LOOKS. 4 examples of what “Hand of the Lord” means: 1. Ezekiel 1: 1-3, “The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. I felt the hand of the Lord take hold of me.” • Commissioning for a task – 2:3, “I am sending you!” • Prophetic revelation – God showed him exactly what would happen, what to do and what to say • Divine empowerment (strength, miracles) – Ezekiel means “Strengthened by God” 2. Ezra 8:31, “And the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way.” • Protection from enemies 3. Nehemiah 2:8, “And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.” • Favor with leaders or authorities 4. Luke 1:66 – speaking of John the Baptist, “For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.” • Commissioning for a task – Sent on a mission PRAY FOR GOD’S HAND – THE PRAYER OF JABEZ 1 Chronicles 4:10, “He was the one who prayed to God, ‘Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, THAT YOU HAND WOULD BE WITH ME, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.” GOD’S ANSWER Isaiah 41:10 TPT, “Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation. I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand.” Do not yield to fear – let fear go first while you wait. NO! Never turn your gaze from God – look for God, turn to God, seek him ALWAYS God is faithful – forever, even when I am not. He’s always right here, always near. Infused with God’s strength – His strength is poured in me and I then have what I could never have on my own Help in every situation – that means THIS situation – there is help for me here, and God is that help Held FIRMLY in his victorious right hand – I’m safe and secure here and there’s guaranteed victory for me 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 is one thing God has done for you specifically? How do you know he is real? Where have you personally seen him work? THAT IS YOUR TESTIMONY. How do you share your testimony without making it about you? MAKE IT ALL ABOUT JESUS. Here’s the truth – nobody really wants to know all the details about how bad things were for you. Nobody needs to hear a 45 minute long story that proves your life was worse than theirs. A testimony is not a competition of the worst beginnings. Testimony is a life so changed by God that your lifestyle becomes the evidence. You tell them what God did for you, then you live in a way that shows it’s true. I first started going to church when I was 15. My parents were trying to make up for lost time, so we went not only on Sunday mornings, but on Sunday nights for double credit. Oh how I dreaded testimony time every Sunday night. Without fail there were the same old women that would stand up and say the same exact things every time. One woman was Irene Davidson. (Her husband was Harley Davidson.) Irene would be the first to stand during testimony time and she would say, “I just had to share how good the Lord has been to me. He’s never left me a single day.” Then she would give a recap of her day. “I had oatmeal for breakfast and it set on my stomach good, praise the Lord. I worked in my garden today and the sun was shining on my back, praise the Lord. Harley is still walking and here with me tonight, praise the Lord.” Then the next little old woman would stand and share her testimony. It all meant nothing to me. What’s the point? But one night, my Daddy stood up and gave a testimony. He said he was a sinner saved by grace and every blessing in his life was because of Jesus. That one hit me. For the next 3 years I went most every Sunday night and testimony time became something different for me. It became a time when I struggled with the Holy Spirit who continually prompted me to share my testimony. But here’s what held me back – I didn’t know what my testimony was. I was a good girl with a good family, living a good life. What had Jesus really done for me? Was it anything worth talking about? Does anyone else feel that way? You feel that either there’s nothing worth talking about, or nothing you would be willing to talk about, so your testimony isn’t shared. Or when you have shared your testimony it was just a story of how horrible things were for you and Jesus was a little sprinkle on top to label your self-story time as a testimony. Today, we will open our Bibles and read precisely what a testimony looks like and the affect it can have. Then, you will receive a challenge to prepare your 2 minute testimony. I wish someone would have told 15 year old Pamela that she had a testimony of how Jesus changed my life and gave me the tools to craft it. 50 year old Pamela can still benefit from that today, so today she’s going to get it! In John 4 we read of Jesus encountering a woman at the well. This woman was drawing water in the heat of the day all alone. Why was that? Because she was an outcast. She was talked about by the other women, looked down on as ‘less than’, and unwelcome to be at the well with the others in the morning when it was cooler. So, she labored in the full sun alone at the well. One day, Jesus met this woman at the well and asked her for some water. This sparked a conversation between the woman and Jesus. Jesus addresses her shame, knowing exactly why she’s at the well alone. He says to her in verse 18, “You have had 5 husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.” Why would he do that? He wanted this woman to know he knew everything about her, and yet he still chose to be there with her. Then, for the first time, Jesus reveals his true identity. He says in verse 26, “I am the Messiah!” The whole world had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the one who would change everything. And this is the woman chosen to hear from Jesus himself that it was really him. And he wanted to make it clear that he knew her life hadn’t been easy. He knew she was shamed by her community. He knew she carried deep hurt. And he chose her to be the very first one to know who he really was. He says, “I know who you really are, now let me tell you who I really am.” That’s what Jesus wants to show us. “Here’s who you really are, and this is who I really am.” That’s what changes your life! Who are you, and who is Jesus. That’s your testimony! After her encounter with Jesus, the woman returns to her village and she shares her testimony. What was it? Verse 40, “He told me everything I ever did!” That’s it. She didn’t have to rehash how horrible life had been. She didn’t have to place blame on her previous 5 husbands who had likely left her over infertility or aging. She didn’t have to recount the shame of now living with a man she wasn’t even married to. Her testimony was as the woman who was hidden in shame, the Messiah knew everything about her and chose her to speak to! JESUS KNOWS ME. A simple testimony. Could that possibly have any value or effect? YES! Here’s what this woman’s simple testimony of “He knew me” did – Verse 39, “Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because of what the woman had said.” MANY lives were changed because she no longer hid in shame and shared that Jesus knew everything about her and spoke to her any way. Jesus knows everything about you too, my sister. And he wants to save you too. He wants to bring you out of that shame. He wants to heal you from that trauma. He wants to turn you away from your past and point you toward your future with him. Jesus knows you and he chooses you. That simple truth shared in a way that doesn’t make it about you and makes it all about Jesus can have the power to bring an entire village to Jesus! We’re so quick to assume we have nothing worthy of saying or sharing and God couldn’t possibly use us for his work. We’re SO WRONG. All this woman said was, “Jesus knew me.” In her pain, in her shame, in her hiding, in her loneliness, in her struggle, in her darkness, JESUS KNEW HER. Could you say that? I bet that’s your story too. Jesus knew about you when you were struggling. He was there with you. He rescued you. He strengthened you. He began to change your life, and he just wouldn’t let you go. That’s a testimony, and that testimony could be used by God to save an entire village. Stand up and say it, Sis! At our retreat this past weekend in the Florida Keys, we gathered under a gazebo on the most picturesque white sand beach on the shores of calm turquoise waters and palm trees. We read this story of the woman at the well, we considered the power of a simple 2 minute testimony that doesn’t make it about us, but makes it all about Jesus, then we practiced choosing ONE way Jesus has proven that he knows us, and we shared it. Oh the power in those short stories of, “Jesus knows everything about me.” There were souls sitting in that circle that needed to know Jesus knows them too, because until that moment they felt forgotten, unseen and unimportant. But women just like them dared to share how Jesus knew them and it showed in their lives. When you know Jesus knows you, you begin to change from the inside out. You speak differently. You treat others differently. You view your entire life differently. And it shows. Now, what is your testimony? Can you craft a 2 minute story that begins with who you are, how Jesus knows you, and what a difference it has made in your life? There’s no need to make it worse or bigger. God is already big enough in your story. He’s perfect in your story. You are not. Don’t make it about you, make it about Jesus! Choose ONE. I know there are likely many ways Jesus has known you and shown up for you, but choose one to simply point to him, then start saying it. Here’s my testimony: I’m just a little country girl with absolutely nothing special about me. But, Jesus knew me and called me to be a vessel for his power to flow through. I would have settled for far less, but he called me to so much more. Now I live a life with him daily that is better than anything I could have ever imagined. He has filled my ordinary with his extraordinary and I get to see him work every single day. Girl, what’s yours? Jesus knows you! There’s unspeakable power in that, but it’s up to you to speak it and release that unspeakable power! 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 there parts of you that are hidden away? A secret shame, a private hurt, a lonely fear that resides in the darkness you don’t talk about. Jesus knows about it and he wants to heal it. Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes.” The parts of you that are hidden away in darkness are seen by your loving God. Now, he calls them out of the cave, out of the pit, out of hiding. You’re not a whole person when parts of you are still hiding. Jesus wants ALL of you. He calls all of that secret shame, all of that private hurt, and all of that lonely fear out of the cave of exiles. In his presence, those parts of you are healed and you are made whole. The cave is not the place for you, my sister. It’s not the place for any part of you. God sees it all now. And guess what, he’s not turning away from you! Why is it we hide things as if we can fool God? We can hide that shameful part of us from the one who created us – we can look whole – we can appear healed – while there are pieces of us exiled in the cave we don’t talk about. Jesus stands at the cave and calls every piece of you to come follow him. This past weekend at retreat, a beautiful soul named Michael shared the pages of her journal with me. She is an extremely talented artist and she paints visual images of scriptures within her journal. One painting she titled “The Cave of Exiles”. At the mouth of a dark cave stands a little sheep, staring into the abyss. Next to this sheep is Jesus, the great Shepherd. He too is staring into the abyss. Jesus stands ready with his staff. Ready to go into the cave and rescue what has been hidden. Ready to capture the pieces that may run and hide. Ready to restore the broken pieces of the sheep and make that precious sheep whole again. Michael told me that sheep is her. She had hidden away her shame, her fear, her loneliness, the abandonment, the criticism, the failure, the rejection and the trauma. The dark cave held the pieces of her she didn’t know what to do with. The pieces of her that haunted her. She thought she could be fractured like that and live whole – but she was wrong. A piece of her was always exiled in the cave. So Jesus showed her how he is her Shepherd and he would go into that cave to gather all the exiled parts of her hidden away in darkness. And he would call each one out. “Come, shame. Come, fear. Come, loneliness. Come, abandonment. Come, criticism. Come, failure. You come, rejection. Come, trauma.” Some would come to the call of the Shepherd easily, but one would hide. One would run deeper into the cave, lost with no way out. But Jesus would not leave this exiled broken piece of his sheep in that darkness. He would go into the deepest, darkest parts of the cave and use his staff to find the part that would run the hardest. For her, that was the rejection. Every other hidden part of her had responded to the call of Jesus, but that rejection had hidden and it had hidden her entire life. She may have looked whole to the rest of the world, but a part of her was still in the Cave of Exiles, wandering, hurting and alone. But Jesus wanted his girl WHOLE! Using his shepherd’s staff, he would capture that rejection from it’s hiding, call it out of the cave, and restore his sheep to be whole again. The healed rejection would reveal a greater purpose in her story. The hidden rejection would have forever left her unwhole with a piece of her still exiled in the cave. Colossians 2:10 tells us, “Our own completeness is now found in him. We are completely filled with God as Christ’s fullness overflows within us.” We are not complete when parts of us are still hidden away. Jesus wants his girl whole with nothing left in the cave! Scripture tells us caves are often where people would hide. David hid in caves while King Saul sought to kill him in a jealous rampage. Years of David’s life was spent hiding. Hiding what was under attack. And really, don’t we do the same? We hide what is under attack. The enemy has zeroed in on those weak parts of us, attacking that wound, reminding us of our hurt, stirring up our fears. So, we hide it away. These hidden parts of us leave us fractured and unwhole. We try to continue on with life like it doesn’t matter, but it does matter. As long as a part of us is still in the cave, we are not whole. The shame remains. The fear resides. The abandonment curls up in the darkness. The rejection sits alone in the cave. As far away from that cave as you have tried to go, there’s a part of you still in there. You’ve tried to fill these holes with relationships, with successes, with pretty things, but nothing has worked – at least not for long. And that is why Jesus stands at your Cave of Exiles with you now. That is why he’s prepared to go in and get every part of you. His girl is hurting, no matter how hard you try to hide it, and he wants you healed and whole. So hear the voice of the great Shepherd of your soul as he says, “Come, shame. Come, fear. Come, loneliness. Come, abandonment. Come, criticism. Come, failure. You come, rejection. Come, trauma. It’s time for you to be put back together again in healing and wholeness.” There’s a cave near the Dead Sea called the Cave of Horror. The remains of men, women and children were found there. Exiles hidden away in the darkness. They died while hiding. Pieces of you want to die hiding, but Jesus wants every piece of you healed and living. You see if it just dies, then its wasted and leaves a hole in you. But if it’s called out by Jesus, cared for by the Shepherd, and healed in His presence, then you get to be made whole. His desire is for no part of you to be exiled. No part of you to die hiding in the cave. For every part of you to come to him, be healed by him, and be fully restored in you. And those healed, no longer hiding, pieces of you become your greatest tools in Kingdom work. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus says the man with 100 sheep would leave the 99 sheep to go find the one that is lost, and he wouldn’t give up until he finds that one. You know that story. But have you ever thought of these words of Jesus as the pieces of you that get lost? If there’s 100 pieces of you, and 1 of those pieces is hiding away in the Cave of Exiles, hurting and alone, he will go after that piece of you to rescue it and heal it and bring it back with the other 99. Jesus has not given up on a single piece of you, precious girl! Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Let him heal you completely. He’s coming into the cave of everything you’ve exiled and he’s calling it all out. Let him bandage those wounds. Let him make you whole again. Jesus is the only one who can. 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

Isaiah 14:27, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken – who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?” 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.” 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 have a job to do. A job that often gets twisted in a way that either puffs you up with pride making you think you’re better than someone else, or your job gets twisted in a way that makes you carry the burden of changing someone else. Let’s be clear – saving someone is not your job. Girl, you are not Jesus. Nor can you make everyone happy. You’re not a taco. Your job is simply this – SHOW THEM JESUS. In this world, you reflect the light, the love, the power of Jesus. That’s your job. How it is received and what others do with that simply isn’t your business. Gosh, we get that all twisted, don’t we? And when we do, it becomes more about us than about the glory of God. And it becomes our burden to carry, our stress to worry about, and our pressure to make them change. Moses was called by God to speak truth to Pharaoh. The truth was, Pharaoh was holding God’s people as slaves. The truth was if Pharaoh didn’t let God’s people go, terrible things were going to happen to him and his people, the Egyptians. Moses job was to be a representative of God to Pharaoh, but his job was not to change Pharaoh, convince Pharaoh or save Pharaoh. Anytime Moses got his job twisted and took on undue pressure and stress, he wanted to quit in frustration. Yeah, that’s what happens when we make things about us instead of about God. First, Pharaoh had refused to listen to God. Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh declares, “Who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” So, that’s when God uses his servant Moses to reflect his glory, speak his words, and deliver his message for him. Exodus 7:1, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh.” When Pharaoh wouldn’t acknowledge God, he continually sent him an example in Moses. A man he could see and hear who represented God. Moses didn’t have to come up with the plan on his own, he simply had to represent God. Moses didn’t have to speak words of his own, he simply had to represent God. Moses didn’t have to change Pharaoh, he simply had to represent God. And God made Pharaoh to see God in Moses. My friends, that’s our job. As followers of Christ, we are to represent him. Your mission today is to show others Jesus. You, my friend, you are God’s love letter for the world to read. It’s YOU God wants to use for the person who will never read his Word otherwise. You get to bring Jesus to that table! You get to bring Jesus to that room. You get to bring Jesus to that gathering. That’s your job. 2 Corinthians 3: 2-3, Paul writes and says, “Your lives are a letter everyone can read and recognize. You are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This ‘letter’ is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Is is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.” What Christ has done in your life is now his letter to the world. You are his example. You are the letter they will read, and you get to show them Jesus simply through the way you live. What a big job we have! And the moment you put the weight of that job on your shoulders, then it makes it about you more than about Jesus. That’s not the way to do your job. You aren’t writing the letter. Jesus is writing the letter. It’s a letter written in your heart. As you live from the heart, everyone can read and recognize the author of your story. Your entire life then points to Jesus. And THAT is what we’re here to do as his disciples. How someone interrupts the letter Jesus has written in your heart is not your problem. What a single person does with the letter of your life is none of your business. If it were, then it’s about you. This isn’t about you. This is about the work of Jesus and your willingness to let his work show in you. Much later in the book of Exodus, Moses goes up to a mountain and comes face to face with God. He spends time with God. And when Moses comes back down from the mountain, his face was radiant. The glory of God was shining in Moses face. His encounter with God on that mountain changed him. It changed his presence. He literally reflected the light of God. And this isn’t just some Old Testament miracle that doesn’t apply to us today. No, actually, the same thing happens to us now. When we spend time with God, our face then gets to shine his glory! We become the letter perfect strangers read and learn about Jesus! We become the letter our loved ones who have strayed read and experience the life-changing love of Jesus. Not because of who we are, but because of who HE is in us. Later in 2 Corinthians 3, Paul writes in verse 17-18 (MSG), “Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become more like him.” My friend, are you brighter than you were last year? Are you becoming more beautiful? I’m not talking about your botox, I’m talking about your heart. Is your inward life more beautiful today than it was a year ago? If you are growing in relationship with God, spending time with him and seeking him, this is naturally happening. You’re not manufacturing beauty, beauty is growing within you. You’re not manufacturing light, the light of God is reflecting from him onto you for others to see. It’s not about your light – it’s about HIS LIGHT. You are simply a reflection. So, your face changes. Your face becomes radiant like Moses’ face after his time with God on the mountain. Your face shines with the brightness of God’s face. How absolutely amazing is that?!!!!! Paul also wrote in Philippians 2 that God is working IN you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. It’s not coming from you, it’s coming from God! God is changing your heart, then he’s giving you the power and strength to change your life! And as you do, you become his bright light in a world of darkness. Not your own light, but simply a reflection of his light. It’s not about you. It’s about Jesus in you. Don’t assume the responsibility of having to say the right thing to save someone. Remember, that’s Jesus’ job, not yours. You’re not the savior. You’re not even the light. You’re a representative of the savior and a reflection of his light. Assuming the responsibility in your own power will leave you exhausted and disappointed. Paul seems to know something about reflecting the light of Jesus instead of trying to be the light. Remember, Paul was a man who’s life had been radically changed by an encounter with Jesus as he was marching down a road on his way to kill Christians. Jesus did a radical work in his life, now Paul’s entire life was a letter telling the story of Jesus’ saving power. It wasn’t up to him who read the letter or how they received it. It wasn’t about his light, it was about Jesus’ light reflecting in him. His job was to show Jesus. Paul writes in Colossians 1:27 (TPT), “Living within you is Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!” If you allow Jesus to work in your life, you become his TREASURE CHEST of hope. Your life is filled with the riches of his glory and God wants everyone to know about it. You’re not given this treasure chest to hide, you’re given this treasure chest of hope to share. Again, God wants everyone to know about his glory that’s inside of you! Moses had God’s glory inside of him. His job was to represent God to Pharaoh. Moses became the Bible Pharaoh had never read. Moses became the light of God that Pharaoh could either receive or reject. Either way, Moses job wasn’t to convince or change anyone. Moses’ job was to be the treasure chest of hope everywhere he went. His face was to shine the light of God, and it did! Did Pharaoh change? No. Did Pharaoh listen? No. But that wasn’t Moses’ job. That’s God’s business. And God used it all for his radically good, miraculous works! Maybe you’re stressed and feeling all the pressure because you’ve forgotten your role in this is to simply reflect the light of Jesus. You don’t have to manufacture the light. You don’t have to say the right things. You don’t have to have all the answers. Your only job is to let others see Jesus in you. I have a sticker on the front cover of my Bible that says, “Lord, let them see YOU in me.” That’s my one mission. It’s not about anyone seeing me. It’s not about my words or my works. It’s about Jesus IN ME. There’s no pressure in that. There’s no exhausting work in that. There’s a freedom of being a treasure chest of hope, and the treasure isn’t even mine – it’s all God’s and I just get to hold it and reflect it. This isn’t about you. Don’t make it about you. This isn’t up to you. Don’t insert yourself. This is about the light and power of God, and that lives IN YOU as a follower of Jesus. You are his letter. Now, just don’t hide it! 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

God has promises for you. His word is full of promises over your life. But have you read his word to know his promises? Is it important to know God’s promises for you? Absolutely. But it can’t stop there. This has to go beyond just knowing. Now, you step into believing his promises. Trusting his promises. Living absolutely dependent on his promises. Where in your life are you completely depending on the promises of God for you? You need to know God isn’t just a promise maker, he is the promise keeper. Do you know God as YOUR promise keeper? Do you know him as the one who will never fail you? If you do, he will lead you into wild, faith-filled spaces you could never reach alone. But if you don’t know God as your promise keeper, you will get stuck in your wilderness questioning his power and questioning his faithfulness. That questioning isn’t failure … but here’s what is … questioning that leads to doubt, doubt that leads to fear, and fear that leads to disobedience. And that’s exactly where it will lead you. Here’s the root of our disobedience – we question if God will really get it right. We question if God will really follow through on his promises for us personally. We doubt we’re that known and that loved by a God this big. And when we don’t know God as our promise keeper, then we don’t believe he can really get it right for us forever. Can God really get it right for you forever? Can you trust him that much? Let me tell you what that level of faith looks like – that looks like staring down the impossible and believing with God it’s still possible. That means refusing to allow your mind to be overwhelmed with discouragement when there’s every good reason to believe there’s nothing more or better for you. That means stepping in faith when you can’t fully see the step and you don’t know how your foot will land. And when that foot lands wrong, faith is willing to step again. When we left off yesterday in our study of the book of Exodus, we see Moses’ obedience was met with a stubborn Pharaoh who doubled down on his harsh treatment of God’s people as his slaves. This left the Israelites without hope and desperate. This move of God had only made things worse for them with not only more work, but harder work. It’s easy to believe and trust God when he’s making things better. Yay, Lord – you can do it! But what about when God’s plan makes things worse? What about when things get harder instead of better? Let’s be clear – that can happen and that does happen. Just because things have gotten harder for you doesn’t mean God has turned his back on you or cancelled his good plans for your future. Everything you’re experiencing right now is temporary. This hardship is temporary. This struggle is temporary. This setback is temporary. God holds an eternal good plan and you can trust he is leading you there no matter how hard this specific step may be. At this point is where God gives 7 promises. 7 statements of “I will”. Do you know if God says he will do something, all the other powers in this world combined can’t stop it even for a second. When God says he will do something, it’s as good as done. You can count on it. You can know it for sure. You can plan your entire life around it. Every one of his promises will be fulfilled. He’s not only the promise maker, he’s the promise keeper. The 7 “I will-s”, listen for them. Exodus 6: 6-8: Therefore say to the people of Israel: “I am the Lord. I WILL free you from your oppression and WILL rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I WILL redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I WILL claim you as my own people, and I WILL be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I WILL bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I WILL give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!” Now remember the reality of the circumstances and conditions when God is declaring HE WILL do all of this. God’s people are slaves. They’ve always been slaves. For 400 years they have been nothing but slaves in Egypt. They’ve made peace with being slaves. They think as slaves, they walk as slaves, they talk as slaves, they work as slaves. It’s all they’ve ever known for generations. They don’t know how to receive a promise of freedom. They don’t know how to believe a promise of anything different. All they know is they had just gotten their hopes up for the first time ever and believed Moses was actually going to lead them to freedom and just when they were willing to follow him out, the chains got heavier. Pharaoh and their slave masters are now relentlessly brutal, punishing them for even thinking they were going to get a day off work. The Israelites hear God’s 7 “I will” promises, but they can’t receive those promises. They only know God as a promise maker, not a promise keeper – Not for them. Verse 9, “They refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.” They couldn’t receive a promise as God’s people because they couldn’t see themselves as God’s people. They were only Egypt’s slaves. They were nobody with nothing. How did God respond to their discouragement? With tremendous grace and mercy. He commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel OUT OF EGYPT. God had spoken promises and God was going to fulfill those promises. His people couldn’t see themselves as anything other than slaves, so God was going to show them the truth – the truth that he was FOR them, not against them. The truth that he isn’t just a promise maker, he is the promise keeper. The 7 ‘I Will-s”: I will free you. I will rescue you. I will redeem you. I will claim you. I will be your God. I will bring you into the land I promised you. I will give it to you. And that’s precisely what God did! Every promise was fulfilled. Every “I will” was completed. God would prove he wasn’t just a promise making God, he was a promise keeping God. Let me tell you the end of the story, my friend. You need to know the end of the Israelites story, because it’s the promised end of our story too. Joshua 21: 43-45, “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of the enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.” Do you know why the story of God’s people being rescued, lead, redeemed and blessed is so important for us to read over 3,400 years later? Because his promises still stand. He’s still working. Through all these generations, he’s been heading straight to YOU. To rescue you. To lead you. To redeem you. To bless you. You’ve always been on his mind. This is a story about you and about your future generations too. A promise over your life by the promise maker AND the promise KEEPER. GOD FULFILLS HIS PROMISES. Read verse 45 again. “Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord gave was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.” My friend, that’s how your story ends too. Guaranteed. Yes, I can tell you the end of your story. It ends with every promise being fulfilled perfectly. You can count on that. The promise keeper has spoken for you and spoken his promises over you. You’re covered on every side. The journey may be hard at times, but the ending is already written. 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

Walking in God’s will should make life easier, right? Being on the right path should always feel good, right? Surely God’s divine will comes with guarantees, stamps of approval and fast passes, right? Nope. Not in my Bible. It’s easy to say things like, “If it’s God’s will, he will make it happen.” Okay, so what does that look like exactly? Does it mean the money will just be there? Does it mean the blessings will just pour down? Does it mean you’ll supernaturally always feel so good about it all? Let me tell you honestly, if it’s God’s will, you may have to endure massive hardship to walk in it. If it’s God’s will, you may feel stuck and still not see things change. If it’s God’s will, things may first get worse. And that’s where we’re out. If God’s way takes us through things getting worse, then we quickly decide our way is far better. We’re so quick to settle for less if God’s ‘more’ first means hardship. But what are we forfeiting when we do? Plain and simple – you’re forfeiting God’s divine will, which is always BEST. This is a hard sales pitch. But if I paint God’s way as the easiest way through every obstacle, you’ll continually wonder why things are sometimes hard on the journey of following God. You cannot determine God’s direction by feeling or conditions. Just because your boss is a difficult beast doesn’t mean you’re at the wrong job. Just because you’re going through health struggles doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. Just because your kids are on the wrong path doesn’t mean you were a horrible mother. And just because the journey is hard for you doesn’t mean you should turn around and go back to where you were. We’re so quick to put words in God’s mouth. Did God say turn around and go back? Did God say to quit? Did God say to assume the guilt? Or was that your own voice in your head? Here’s what I’ve come to learn … I simply can’t trust that voice in my head when things get hard. When I’m running, the voice in my head becomes an absolute diabolical liar. That voice starts telling me I don’t have time for this run. When that doesn’t work, that voice will then begin telling me how hard it is to breathe. But it wasn’t hard to breathe until that voice started saying that. That voice in my head will begin telling me about my knees, and then dang if I don’t start noticing every little ache and pain. That little voice can talk me out of every workout every time … if I let it. But, it’s much bigger than just running. Any time things get hard, that little voice can stop me in my tracks. And my voice has learned me so well, because it will even say things like, “It must not be God’s will because this is just so hard.” But I’ve checked that voice with the word of God and it ends up it’s simply NOT TRUE. God’s word tells me his divine will and holy plan will take me right through the threat of the sea, right through the barren wilderness, right through every reason I never wanted to go in the first place … and his plan for me through it all will be good. It may not feel good in the process, but my feelings cannot sit on the throne. God’s will was for Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into God’s promised land. God had warned that Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn’t make it easy on the Israelites. God’s promise was to be with them through it all, but they would still have to go through it. Is that enough for you? Is God’s promise to be with you through it all enough for you to walk with him in this? Or are you still waiting on his promise to make it easy for you? That promise will never come, my friend. He will be with you, he will make a way for you, he will strengthen you, he will guide you, but there will be some ridiculously hard days along the way. And never miss those hard days are for a purpose. God is doing something in you through the struggle. Moses obeys the Lord and goes to Pharaoh and delivers the divine message. And if Moses is obedient to God, things should go good – right? Actually, no. Things are about to get worse. Exodus 5: 1, “Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.'” Verse 2, “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” Now, things get worse because of Moses’ obedient ask. Verses 6-9 “That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they’re crying out. Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them…” Now God’s people are still slaves with even more work. Listening to God only got them worse conditions. In their minds this wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. And honestly, don’t you kindof think the same way? If God’s in it, it won’t get worse, it will get better – but sometimes before it gets divinely better it gets devastatingly worse. Does devastatingly worse mean God’s not in it? Does devastatingly worse mean you’re doing it wrong? Does devastatingly worse mean it will always be this bad? No, it doesn’t. God was in it. God knew this would happen. And God was working through it. Can you trust God if it gets worse? Well, what’s your alternative? Really – do you just not trust God and do it your own way? Do you not trust God and stop trying to seek freedom? Do you not trust God and just settle into a life he’s trying to lead you out of? Most of the time, yes – that’s exactly what we do. And what do we forfeit? Let this be our prayer today: Lord, don’t let me quit. Imagine how Moses must have felt as he watches his people get punished with more work because of his obedience in asking Pharaoh to let them go. Of course Moses wanted to quit after his seemingly failed first attempt. Moses comes to God and says in verse 22-23, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” Fair feelings. Listen to me – God can handle your fair feelings. He wants you to bring those feelings of disappointment and frustration right to him. He will guide you right through it. Here’s what we learn – sometimes God allows things to get worse to set us free. Because honestly, would we seek his freedom if things didn’t get worse? Really, wouldn’t you just settle right in and make peace with it all if God didn’t allow it to get worse? Things getting worse didn’t mean they were out of God’s will – it actually meant God was working to set them free. He was getting ready to show them his power at work all around them in miraculous ways. He was setting them apart by his hand. And ultimately, he was making a way for them to walk out not only free, but blessed! This time of hardship was necessary. Not desirable, but necessary. God was working here. The truth is, God could have freed his people without this hardship. He could have done it instantly. If he wanted, he could have struck every Egyptian dead in a day and his people could have walked out of their 400 year captivity instantly. But God knew the promises he had for his people required testing and stretching first. Moses had to learn he could really trust God. It’s like ziplining. If you’ve ever been ziplining you know they put you in a harness first. That harness isn’t attached to anything, it just rides up on you in awkward places. Then, they attach that harness to the line and they let you test it. You put your weight on the harness first and you see that it’s got you. Until you test it out, you don’t feel secure. But once you have put weight on it, stretched out that line, then you know you’re safe to jump. God was showing Moses he could be trusted through this. Moses was learning to put his weight on the Lord, stretch out that line, and ultimately jump. Exodus 6:1, The Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!” God is saying, you can trust me in this trouble. My sister, you can trust God in your trouble. He’s right here with you. He’s already seen the way through this. And if the way through it means things get worse first, then you can still trust him. Test that harness. Rest in him. Lean on him. He’s got you. You’re safe to jump with him. Lord, don’t let me quit. Continually remind me I can trust you in this trouble. 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

Your heart is up to you. How you perceive things, how you feel about things, and what you do about those things is completely your own choice. God will not force your heart to change. Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” If your heart gets hardened or twisted, everything you do becomes tainted. A hardened heart will have you doing things you said you would never do, showing up as someone you never wanted to be. Protect that heart of yours, my sister. It’s constantly under attack. As we study the book of Exodus, we see God’s plan to set his people free from the captivity of the Egyptians. But there’s something in the way of their freedom – an Egyptian King called Pharaoh with a hardened heart. A Pharaoh considered themselves a god. They were to be worshiped. They were above everyone and everything else. They had been raised and trained to thrive on ego and pride, and destroy anything that threatened their god like status. That heart was hard with no room for care or concern for anything other than their own success, comfort, gain or praise. When it all becomes about YOU, what you can do and what you can have, you get yourself a heart issue. Check your heart now, Sis. Has it become about you? About YOU being right? About you winning? About this being easier for you? About your comfort? About your gain? About your appearance? If it has, then it’s become a heart issue. And the condition of your heart determines the course of your life. God knows your heart. He knows what has become a priority in your heart. He knows if it’s all about what you want. He knows if it’s all about how you look. He knows if your heart has become so full of ‘self’ that there’s no room for him. And get this – HE WILL ALLOW THAT! God will allow a hardened heart and the destruction it brings. He will never force your heart to change, that’s always up to you. God has called Moses to speak to Pharaoh about letting his people go. But God already knew the condition of Pharaoh’s heart, so he warns Moses. Exodus 4:21, And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.” Can I be honest – this has always confused me. Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Why would God impose this difficulty? Why would God make someone so difficult and stubborn? Ahhhhh … he didn’t. God didn’t CAUSE Pharaoh’s heart to be hard, but God ALLOWED Pharaoh’s heart to do what HE WANTED. God didn’t force a change of his heart. The Lord knew how hardened and prideful his heart had become, and he simply allowed Pharaoh to determine the course of his life from that heart. Was God ever out of control? Not for even a second. He already knew the course ahead. He knew exactly what it would take to free his people. He knew how he would use Moses. He knew how Pharaoh’s heart would respond, and he determined to display his miraculous power through it all. In 10 chapters, we read of 12 separate times Pharaoh’s heart condition caused him to create problems for everyone around him. Did you know this really is a heart condition? We’re all dealing with a heart condition. A heart that is stubborn. A heart that wants it’s own way. A heart that has gotten hurt so it’s become calloused. A heart that has built walls. A heart that has gotten twisted. A heart that is puffed up and selfish. And did you know that heart condition of yours affects everyone around you? Maybe you’ve been affected by the heart condition of someone around you. When someone you love gets a hardened heart, gosh they can hurt you. When someone you love gets a twisted heart, they can create massive messes and you end up right in the middle of that mess. You can see how their heart condition created problems for you – but recognize your heart can do the same thing to others. Pharaoh’s hard heart created a disaster for his own people. They were attacked by 10 plagues. Each plague worse than the one before. And after each plague, Pharaoh would beg for relief, and relief would come. But the moment relief came, his heart went right back to being hardened again. Gosh, is that us? Our hardened, stubborn heart meets hardship, so we crack a bit. We let God in. We seek his help. We surrender to him. But the moment our circumstances get better, we go right back to our old ways. Yip – that’s us! That’s a heart issue, my friend. One of the plagues was an infestation of frogs. Frogs were absolutely everywhere in Egypt – everywhere but where God’s people were. Pharaoh’s palace was overrun by frogs. Pharaoh begs Moses to plead with the Lord to take away the frogs, and if he does, he will let the Israelites go. So, the next day, God causes all the frogs to die. The Egyptians pile the dead frogs up into great heaps and a terrible stench fills the land. But guess what – as soon as the stink goes away, here’s what happens. Exodus 8:15, “But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen.” His heart went right back to hardened again. Again and again, as things continue to get worse for the Egyptians with one plague after another, the moment there is relief, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened and he becomes stubborn, refusing to listen, refusing to change, refusing to release what God has told him to let go. Who are you holding captive, my friend? Like for real – God has told you to let it go, but you can’t – or really, you just won’t. You hold on to the pain they created. You hold on to the anger you have against them. You hold on to your need to be right and prove them wrong. You hold on to some weird sense of comfort it brings. Every time you’re suffering you decide to let them go, but the moment you get a little relief you just pull them back in again. Over and over again, you succumb to your heart condition and create the messiest course for your own life. And let me tell you how that will end for you – That will end in DISASTER. If you allow your heart to remain hardened, if you allow that stubborn streak to always gets it’s way, God will let your heart get what it wants and it will be an absolute disaster for you. And here’s the really sad news – it won’t only be a disaster for you, it will create a disaster for your people too. The hardened heart of Pharaoh caused him to chase the Israelites all the way into the Red Sea, where he and his entire army were completely wiped out. His heart condition did that. God didn’t cause that hardened heart, but he let Pharaoh’s heart do what Pharaoh had wanted to do. May our genuine prayer be this today: “Lord, please don’t let me do what I want to do. Don’t let me be stubborn. Don’t let me harden my heart here. Don’t let me have my way. Save me from myself.” How bad will things have to get before you fully submit your heart to God? They will get absolutely as bad as they have to, that’s always up to you. How about you decide this is truly it – you won’t wait for it to get worse. You won’t wait for it to get harder. You won’t wait for the mess to grow. Right here and right now, ask God to take any bit of hardness that has been growing in your heart and mold it into the the heart he desires for you. Surrender that to him. Lord, don’t let me get what I want. 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

Does God ever get frustrated with us? Is there ever a point where our loving heavenly Father gets angry with his girls? Yes – but it’s likely not over the things you’ve been worried about. We screw things up. We fail to get it right. We struggle. We fall short. These are the things we worry about within ourselves, so we continually dismiss ourselves. And let’s be clear – that’s not what God is upset over. Girl, he knows you struggle – he created you to need him. He knows you fail – he forgave you before the first misstep. You can get over all of that, because God certainly has. So, what is God upset over? When does he look at you with anger? It’s not when you’re unable – it’s when you’re UNWILLING. The unwilling mind that continually makes excuses reveals the unwilling heart that simply DOESN’T WANT TO. You don’t want to be the one God chooses. You don’t want to be the one he sends. You don’t want to be the one called to do that work. And really you don’t want to be available because you don’t want to change. You don’t want to be uncomfortable. This is where God grows angry with Moses. Moses didn’t want to be the one because he didn’t want to leave his comfortable life. He preferred to stay exactly where he had been hiding for 40 years. Why? Because there he was safe. No one hated him. No one was hunting him. His days were predictable and controllable. I wake up and I do the same things every day and I go to bed every night in the same way. Moses had a sense of control over his simple life with his family and the sheep. He was unwilling to give up his comforts, but ultimately he was really unwilling to give up control. Is that you? You don’t want to be uncomfortable. And you certainly don’t want to be UNcertain. You need a sense of control, of knowing what’s going to happen and how it’s all going to work out. So any hint of discomfort, you just dismiss yourself. Any uncertain loose ends you’ve tied into knots that hold you steady (and stuck). You’re driven by a desire to control it all far more than a desire to follow God in it. Ugly truths we don’t talk about. It’s easy to paint it pretty and declare we’re being faithful where we are with humility and perseverance … but sometimes when you chip through that paint you find an unwilling spirit to do anything different. And THAT is what frustrates God. This is what gets him angry with his girls. Maybe you’re not unable, you’re really unwilling. The Lord tells Moses to return to Egypt and lead his people to freedom. He’s promised to be with him. He’s promised his hand of victory over them. He’s even shown him 2 very clear miracles to give him confidence in God’s personal power over this mission. And here’s what happens next – Exodus 4:10, “But Moses pleaded with the Lord, ‘O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I have never been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.'” Moses had an insecurity. Ultimately he didn’t think he had anything good enough to say to the Israelietes to convince them to leave, or to the Egyptians to convince them to let his people go. So he points out his inadequacy to God. God didn’t get mad about it. He understood Moses’ fear. He understood that he felt inadequate for such a huge job. And here’s God’s response to Moses, verses 11-12, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” How awesome is that? God reassures Moses. Moses, I made you exactly as I wanted you. If you can’t do something it’s because I wanted to do something different through you. Remember what God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My power works best in weakness.” God knows how he created Moses, and he knows if there’s a problem with his ability to speak – that’s just room for God to speak! That’s a person who is not self-sufficient so they can be God-sufficient! God isn’t angry with Moses for not being self-sufficient. He’s reminding him he won’t have to do the speaking by himself – God will do it through him. Girl, I don’t know what you’ve been saying you aren’t good enough to do – but maybe you need to be reminded right now that God’s power works best in your weakness. The exact areas where you’ve struggled and where you’ve failed can now be the perfect space to display God’s power. Here’s the thing – I really don’t need to be impressed by all you can do. That doesn’t help me at all. In fact your super power of being self-sufficient simply leaves me feeling lacking and unworthy. What I really need to see is where you fall short, but God comes through. What the people around you need to see is how you can’t do it all, but God can. They need to see where you have struggled, God has provided. We desperately need to see that what you didn’t have the power to do on your own, God did it through you. What – you think I wake up know exactly what you need to hear each day? Girl – NOT AT ALL. I fall so miserably short when I try to do this on my own. This is God’s space. I’m simply a mouthpiece for the Holy Spirit. This has been a journey of me showing up to do the work while staying out of the way. The second this becomes about me, I fail. You have to know, no matter what, this girl speaking to you every morning is just an ordinary girl like you with a Bible I’m willing to study and time I’ve created for the Holy Spirit to work every single day. Is it easy for me? No. I struggle every morning when I sit down to write the first word. You know why? Because I CAN’T DO THIS. Moses couldn’t do what God was asking him to do. But it can’t end there. When God says, “Nope, you can’t – but I can”, that’s when you drop every excuse and make yourself available! Now, we will see what happens when you don’t drop your excuses. Verse 13-14, “But Moses again pleased, ‘Lord, please! Send anyone else.’ Then the Lord became angry with Moses.” God wasn’t angry with Moses’ insecurities and questions. He lovingly reassured Moses that his power would work through him. God became angry when Moses was UNWILLING. “No, Lord, send anyone else. I don’t want to do this. This so uncomfortable for me. I can’t be the one. I really just want to stay here in my predictable life where I’m in control.” God can work with your inabilities. That’s not a problem for him at all. What is a problem for him is your unwillingness to step into the unknown, leave your comforts, and follow him into the hard stuff that’s out of your control. What’s God asking you to do? Where has he asked you to get involved in his work? He’s not burdened by your doubts. He can handle your doubts. He’s not upset over your shortcomings. He sees room for his power all in you. But what he’s angry about is your unwillingness to follow him. If you keep reading in the story, you see that ultimately God allows Moses to take his brother Aaron with him as his mouthpiece. God would tell Moses what to say, and Moses would tell Aaron what to say, then Aaron would be the one to say it. Okay, seems fair. So did God finally agree that Moses wasn’t good enough for the job alone? Did God need more than just Moses? No – actually, Aaron became more of a problem than a help. God didn’t want that problem for Moses, he would have been far better to just trust God to speak through him directly. Aaron was more of a chastisement from God that Moses brought on himself when he was unwilling to go alone. I don’t want to create problems for myself. I don’t want to do anything that makes the journey harder. So what God is showing me is I have to drop every excuse and believe he will do everything he says he will do, and he actually CAN do it through me. I must continually keep my heart open, my mind open, my hands open, and my plans open so I am WILLING to do anything and everything God asks of me. It’s so easy to become busy, then my busy-ness leaves me unwilling. It’s so easy to become comfortable, then my love of comfort leaves me unwilling. It’s so easy to become lazy, then my laziness grows into a complete atrophy of what I was once able to do and everything gets so hard, that always leads to me being unwilling. Busy has got to go! Clear the schedule. Make space. Remain available. Girl, you keep canceling where God is assigning you because you’re just too darn busy. Stop that! Comfort is not your calling. When is the last time you did something hard? Stay ready! Be willing! That laziness is rendering you incapable of simple things and the enemy is playing in your head as you just sit there. As you scroll, he’s eating away at your strength. Get up. Do something. Stay willing! Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. If God says he’s with you, that’s enough. If God says his power will work through you, awesome, trust that. If God is prompting you to do something, be bold enough to tell him you’re in! 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

Fear cripples us and keeps us stuck. Fear has our mind thinking thoughts we have absolutely no business thinking. Fear has us playing little, assuming the worst, and dismissing ourselves from the wild, faith-filled spaces God is calling us to. Do you want to taste the fullness of life God really has available for you? You must overcome the fear that has held you back. Do you want to experience God’s power unleashed in your life, leading and guiding your every step? You must break free of the fear that has sold you on less. There’s more in you. There’s more for you. You’re capable of more. You’re created for more. But fear will always steal your ‘more’ and trade you for far less. You must decide if you’re going to stand by and allow that to continue in your life. Fear shows up everyday as your worry-filled thoughts. Worry is the nasty little off-spring of fear. And here’s what that looks like in real life: The average person on an average day has about 40,000 thoughts. 80% of those thoughts are negative, fear based, worry filled thoughts. And of those 32,000 worries, 85% of them never actually happen! 27,200 absolute wasted thoughts on negative things that never even happen – ON A DAILY BASIS. We are on a perpetual loop of worrying about things that don’t matter and, get this, probably won’t even happen! All while there is so much MORE in us and for us. What a waste of the MORE we are capable of and created for. God’s looking for a few girls who will decide to grab those fears by the tail, stare them down and realize they have NO POWER over you. You see, until you do, you run around afraid of things you could have conquered a long time ago. Until you dare to overcome those fears, those fears overcome you, then what are you missing? What life does God have available for you if you would get out of the negative, worry filled loop, and replace it with big faith in action? Oh girl, he would lead you to some wild, faith-filled spaces you could never reach alone and you would discover how much MORE there always was for you. Moses had spent 40 years living in fear. Back in Egypt he witnessed the Egyptian slave master abusing one of his own people, and in anger Moses killed the Egyptian. When the King found out, he came after Moses. Moses fled hundreds of miles away to the region of Midian. There in Midian, he chose to forget the palace he came from, and opted for a life of hiding as a shepherd in the fields. He lived a quiet, simple life – but all that time there was so much more in Moses. I wonder what MORE is in you, but you’ve been running from it. You’re afraid of what comforts you might have to leave, what sacrifice might be required of you, and what failure you could face, so you’ve stayed right where you are. You don’t dare answer the call for more. You don’t dare pursue a deeper passion within you. No, you just stay right where you are and dismiss everything else. Hmmmmm … seems to me there’s more in you, my sister. And it seems to me God might be calling you out. Here’s the truth: God doesn’t need one more of his girls to play little, go with the flow, fit in and do what everyone else is doing. No. God wants some of his girls to refuse those negative, fear based, worry filled thoughts and take them captive, just as his word tells us to do. 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Your thoughts aren’t going to just change, you will have to MAKE THEM! No, worry, I will not allow you to flood my mind today. No, negativity, you don’t get a seat at my table. No, fear, you’re not welcome in my home. Now, what will you think about instead? What will flood your mind? What will get a seat at your table? What is welcome in your home? You get to decide that. If 85% of the things we worry about never even happen, then how about we stop worrying about them. How about we start focusing on the good things that can happen? How about we start dwelling on the promises of God we hold? How about we start seeking the good plans of God unfolding here for us and intentionally start stepping smack dab in the middle of them with an open heart, open mind and open hands. Yes, Lord – I’m ready for what you have for me. Fear will not hold me back here! So here’s Moses, hiding in fear for 40 years in Midian. Reliving his mistakes and failures, knowing he can never return to his home in Egypt because of what he’s done. And this is when God shows up! God acknowledges that Moses alone cannot rescue his people from Egypt, that this is a job for God’s own mighty hand. God promises Moses that he will raise his hand and strike the Egyptians. That his hand will cause the Egyptians to even look favorably on him and the Israelites and they will walk right out of Egypt, free. Not only free, but carrying the wealth of the Egyptians with them. Hearing all of this, Moses still has fear. Fear because now he is a nobody. He’s done nothing but shepherd sheep in pastures for the past 40 years. He’s been playing little for a really long time and this all seems way to big to him. God, surely you have the wrong person. It can’t be me! I remember 13 years ago God showed up for me, much like he did Moses, and he told me to start hosting a devotional call. Y’all, I didn’t even know what a devotional was. I was absolutely the least likely and most under-qualified person for that. And I argued with God, much like Moses did. God, it can’t be me. You’ve got the wrong girl. I don’t know your word. I can’t pray out loud without crying. After a wrestling match with God, I decided I would make a ONE WEEK commitment to hosting a live conference call with a short devotional. One week, and only one week. I was convinced during this one week that God would surely see I tried, but I wasn’t his girl, then he would move on and choose someone else. So, I showed up that week. It was cring-worthy as I plagiarized straight from a Joyce Meyer devotional book (I’ve asked forgiveness), and I was quite miserable. I continually dismissed myself in fear. The week came and passed, and God never cancelled my calling, it only grew and demanded I grow with it. No more plagiarizing, I had to write these devotionals on my own. No more playing little, I had to show up with the power of the Holy Spirit and let it flow. 13 years and over 3,000 devotionals later, I understand I actually AM GOD’S GIRL and my fear almost caused me to miss this! Fear may be threatening to cause you to miss the most beautiful blessings and greatest callings on your life. Are you going to let that happen? Moses was facing more than potential failure and embarrassment – he was facing complete annihilation, destruction and death. Of course he had fear. But fear could no longer have him! Yes, you will have fear – that’s natural. But will fear have you? Will fear rule your mind? Will fear run the board meetings in your head? Will fear make your decisions? Will fear be your leader? Only you get to decide. That brings us to Exodus 4. Moses is still arguing with God, still questioning how he could possibly be good enough to return to Egypt after 40 years and help set his people free. Fear had Moses, and God knew it. So that’s when God does something amazing! Verse 2, The Lord asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it to the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Why did Moses jump back? Because it’s a snake. We hard hard-wired to fear snakes. It’s part of our DNA. It is natural to have fear when you see a snake, but God wants to show Moses he has a choice here. A choice to NO LONGER ALLOW FEAR TO HAVE HIM! Verse 4, Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand. Here, Moses is learning it’s okay to have fear, but don’t let fear have you. He learned to do what God told him to do even when it’s uncomfortable. This was the exact lesson Moses needed to follow God into those wild, faith-filled spaces where he was being called. I have to believe you too are being called into some wild, faith-filled spaces. Spaces where fear is natural, but if you’re not careful, that fear will cause you to miss everything God has for you here. God isn’t telling you to not have the natural feelings of fear as you step out in obedience to follow him – he’s saying grab that fear by the tail and watch it become powerless over you! Have you ever laid in bed at night and been terrified by the noises? It’s literally the washing machine – but at night, it’s a potential threat to your very life and the hairs on your neck stand on end. You have the power to get up and turn on the light, or lay there afraid. What will you do? 80% of your thoughts are negative, fear based, worry filled thoughts. And 85% of them never actually happen! Are you going to allow fear over the things that will never even happen keep you from showing up for the things God has already ordained as possible in your life? Girl, grab that thing you fear by the tail. Stand up. Find your voice. Move forward in faith. God is with you!!!!!! 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

There are some things you can work your way through. There are some things you can talk your way out of. And then there are some things that no matter what you do, it simply will never be good enough. You do not have the power to change this. You do not have the strategy to fix this. And maybe you’re facing one of those situations right now. There’s nothing you can do to change the trajectory of where this is going. It’s going and you can’t stop it. That can truly leave a person feeling hopeless. Like you’re in the middle of a whirlpool and regardless of what you do, you’re getting sucked in and going down with this. For the hopeless soul listening right now who has watched every hope they were holding on to go down the drain, may I remind you that Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you TRUST in him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The God we love, the God we serve, the God we are here to hear from today, is the God of HOPE. He holds hope. He reigns over all hope. Our God is a hope dealer! Overflowing hope fills us when we trust in him. My friend, this situation may feel hopeless, but the God of HOPE is here to fill you with hope again. Hope that while you can’t change this, GOD CAN. And let me tell you HOW God can change it: With his hand! As God is giving Moses instructions on leading his people out of slavery in Egypt and into their promised land, God knows it’s truly a hopeless situation. Hopeless without God’s hand. There’s no way the Egyptians are going to allow their 2-3 million slaves of free labor to walk right out of captivity. There’s no way the Egyptian Pharaoh is going to just hand over the Israelites that have slaved away for 400 years. There’s absolutely nothing Moses could say to convince Pharaoh to let them go. There’s no war they could wage against their captors that would set them free. It was impossible. Impossible without God’s hand. But with God’s hand, it was already done! God says to Moses in Exodus 3: 19-22, “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. So I WILL RAISE MY HAND and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. And I WILL CAUSE the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.” God’s hand would do the impossible here. God’s hand would turn this situation around. Again, a situation that had been absolutely as bad as it could possibly be for 400 years. At this time, the Israelites had never known anything but slavery. Their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers were slaves here. It’s who they were and what they did. It was their lot in life. Nothing had ever been different for them, so why would they even dream of something different now? I bet there’s something that’s been passed down to you that’s always been. You don’t even know to dream of something different because it’s never even crossed your mind that there might be more for someone like you. BUT THERE IS. There is more. It doesn’t matter if the thing you’re facing is the thing that the past 10 generations in your family has faced, it can change here. It doesn’t matter if you’ve always been the one to screw it up, that can change here. How will it change? The hand of God! The hand of God will cause impossible things to become possible. The hand of God will change minds, cancel agreements with evil, and set prisoners free. The hand of God will break chains, terminate assignments of Hell, and cause the demons to flee. The hand of God will open doors, part seas, and make a way through the wilderness. Only the hand of God. Only the hand of God over this will change it, and the hand of God is all you need to change it. How do you get the hand of God on you? Is there a criteria for being good enough? Is there a list of things you have to do, give up and change before God’s hand is over your life? That’s certainly what I used to think. I was so caught up in a performance mindset, always trying to earn God’s approval and applause, just hoping everyone else would like me too. God totally wasn’t impressed with me either. I struggled to live in grace because I was performing to earn what is only given to the undeserving, and I had to be humbled to understand I was undeserving no matter what I did. Ezra 7:9-10 says Ezra “had the gracious hand of God on him.” (Then it tells us WHY.). “This was because Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the word of God and do it.” Girls, this is HUGE!!!!!! As you’re here listening today, seeking God’s word so you can apply it to your life, you are inviting the gracious hand of God to be on you! That gracious hand holds all power and can make the impossible possible. That gracious, powerful, mighty hand can change what you could never change! This is the hand that was over Moses and the Israelites when facing the Egyptians. It would never make sense for the Egyptians to just let their slaves leave after 400 years, but God’s hand was already in motion with the precise series of events and miracles that would not only set them free, but bless them on their way out! 9 chapters later, the impossible happens exactly as God had told Moses. Exodus 12:31, “Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night, ‘Get out!’ he ordered. ‘Leave my people – and take the rest of the Israelites with you! go and worship the Lord as you have requested.'” Verse 36, “The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!” What in the world?!!! How totally awesome is that?!!!! What happened in the 9 chapters in between to bring them to this moment of walking right out of the place where they had been held captive for 400 years? What happened in those 9 chapters was everything that had to happen BY THE HAND OF GOD. This was a job only the hand of God could do, and he did it! You may be facing a job that’s only for the hand of God – okay, great, then get his hand! How do you do that? Go back to Ezra 7: 9-10 again. “Ezra had the gracious hand of God on him. This was BECAUSE Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the word of God and do it.” Get yourself in God’s word. I mean dive in. Read. Study. Surrender. Abide. Obey. Go. Follow. Repeat. Read. Study. Surrender. Abide. Obey. Go. Follow. Repeat. God already knows what his hand can do in your life. His hand can change the trajectory of where this is going. His hand can stop this. His hand can fix this. And when you know his gracious, powerful, mighty hand is on you as your heart seeks his word and does it, then something incredible and unspeakable happens. Something that won’t even make sense … You will be filled with hope. You will have joy right in the middle of the chaos. You will have peace with the problem still present. You will overflow with hope as God’s hand moves in the unseen, and before you even seen it, you will know HE IS DOING IT. May your heart seek the word of God and do it. Then, may the gracious hand of God be on you and change every single thing that needs to be changed for you, for your family, for your future, and for his kingdom. 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

Within your breath, God has given you a divine gift. A gift that taps into the greatest of powers and deepest wisdom. Yes, right here in your breath. From the moment you were born, you’ve been doing it, without even being aware. Right now, it is happening. And today, God says, “My girl, I want you to now know what you’ve been doing your entire life and start doing it with intention.” At this moment, take a deep breath in. Now, slowly let that breath out through your mouth. Do it again, notice the sound of your inhale and your exhale. This sound is not an accident, it is divine. This sound is the call of God’s name. Do it again and listen. Breathe in. Breath out. This is God’s name. With each breath, you’re calling to your Creator. Your inhale makes the sound of YH. Your exhales makes the sound of WH. Together, inhale and exhale, we speak YHWH, the original Hebrew name God revealed of himself to Moses. Your Bible likely adds a few vowels to make a word we can pronounce, Yahew, but God’s intentions were for us to continually breathe his name. Open your Bibles, let’s check this out! Moses had an encounter with God in Exodus 3. God appears in a burning bush and calls out, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. Then God proceeds to tell Moses he is aware of his people’s sufferings and he has come down to rescue them. God says to Moses, “Now go, for I am sending you.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to do this?” God answered, “I will be with you.” But Moses protested again, “The people will ask me who sent me.” So, God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people: YHWH has sent me to you.” What a bold move for Moses to ask God for his name. He feels so unqualified for this mission. So lacking. The imposter syndrome must have been screaming within him. “Moses, can’t rescue anyone. The last time you tried to help your people, you ended up killing someone. Now you’re running and hiding. There’s no way God is calling you.” But God says two things to Moses that give him the confidence he needs to step into his purpose. 1. Exodus 3: 14, “I Am Who I Am.” (we studied this yesterday) This means God has no equal. If you put God on one side of the equation, there’s absolutely nothing that can be equal to Him on the other side. God equals Only God. It has been said that our God is the “becoming one.” I never understood that until I took God being the “I Am” literally. God becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need. When we say we are too weak, God says I AM your strength. When we say we are stuck, God says I AM your way out. When we say we are hurting, God says I AM your healer. When we say we are in need, God says I AM your provider. God is mysteriously and miraculously always able to become everything you need. He is continually BECOMING your I AM. Moses felt completely unqualified, but God is telling him, “I AM QUALIFIED! I have everything you will need. I have the strength. I have the plan. I have the provisions. I have made the way. Trust me, I Am.” What do you need today? Can you lean in and hear God as he whispers to your soul, “I AM.” It’s who God is. It’s what he does. It’s his name. 2. Exodus 3:15 (NLT), God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has sent me to you.” This is the name Moses’ ancestors have called him by. This wasn’t new. This was the God he has heard about his entire life. He is YHWH. Moses’ mother’s name was Jochebed which literally meant “YHWH is glory.” And now God is showing Moses, with every breath he takes, he is calling out to God. Inhale, YH. Exhale, WH. Without vowels, only the consonants of YH and WH, it’s a name we breath. We are literally created to breathe the name of our creator. YHWH represents breathing sounds. When pronounced without vowels, it sounds like breathing. A baby’s first breath speaks the name of God. YHWH. God hears, God draws near, God responds. And think about this, what about when tragedy strikes. You know, when life hits you so hard you can do nothing but moan and gasp for air. The harder you try to catch your breath, the louder you speak the name of God. Inhale, YH. Exhale, WH. Within the past few years, I’ve received phone calls from two of my best friends after each of them unexpectedly lost their husbands. They couldn’t speak. I only heard these deep, moans and gasps. They cried out in pain. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now, they were calling on the name of God. And God met them there in the worst moments of their lives and he has carried them through. Remember that when you’re crying out in pain and anxiety. When you’re fighting for every breath and you hear the sounds of your labored inhale and exhale. You’re calling on the very name of God. YHWH. Psalm 92: 15, God says, “When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue and honor them.” With every breath, God is answering you. With every breath, God is rescuing you. Those times when it’s hard to breathe and every inhale and exhale is loud and labored, you’re calling even deeper to your rescuer. YHWH. Hasn’t he always gotten you through? Seriously, he’s never not given you the strength to make it through even you hardest days. Hasn’t he always provided? Hasn’t he always rescued you? You’ve never once been abandoned. Your God has always responded to you as you call his name. Job 12:10, “For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.” There’s a song I used to sing in Church that said, “It’s your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise, pour out our praise to only you Lord.” We are literally speaking the name of God when we breathe! Now, God wants us to breathe with intention. All your life, you’ve been breathing out of habit, speaking his name without knowing. But now, God has made you aware so you can grow even deeper in your relationship with him. Now, when you breathe and speak his name, you are more aware of his power filling your lungs. Not only is your body filled with his breath, but your mind is renewed with clarity. God has responded by breathing into you so you can live this life with his power! You can respond to his calling and step into your purpose. Just like Moses, when God calls, you can speak with confidence and say, “Here I am, YHWH!” God uses Moses to lead his people out of 400 years of captivity. He worked through Moses in miraculous ways, and no doubt, everything Moses wasn’t, GOD WAS. How? Remember he is the I AM. He is the becoming one. He becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need and fills us to overflowing so we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS! And when we have completed our earthly mission and God promotes us to an eternal paradise, we will take one final breath and call out his name. YHWH. And with that, God will respond with our final rescue. How incredibly divine that God gave himself a name we can’t help but speak every moment we’re alive. All of us, everywhere, all the time, we have the name of God on our lips. And now, we speak his name intentionally with our breath. God is everywhere. In every breath of every living creature. YHWH. We are fully dependent upon him, for without God, we have no breath. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I will breathe the same. 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

Right now, if you’re taking notes, write God, and an equals sign. God (=). What does God equal? What equals God? One cup plus one cup equals two cups. They are the same. One is no greater than the other. So what equals God? Could you put holy on the other side of that equation? God = Holy? God is holy – yes, but holy does not equal God. God is so much more. How about power? God = Power? God is power – yes, but power does not equal God. God so much more. Oh but the greatest is love, right? God = Love? God is love – yes, but love does not equal God. God is so much more. There’s only one thing that can hold it’s weight on the other side of this equation. God = God. There is simply no one and no thing that can equal God, but God. There are no words to properly describe him. No number to measure him. No description fully fitting of him. God is God, the highest, the greatest, the most powerful, the never-ending, always was and always is. And our human minds struggle to comprehend that. We need a beginning. We need a measure. Because we only think in limits. But God is limitless! When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush and called him to lead his people out of captivity in Egypt, he tells Moses to tell the people he was sent by “I AM”. Well what does that mean? Exodus 3: 13-14, “But Moses protested, ‘If I go to the people of Israel and tell the, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name? Then what should I tell them?’ God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” In these days, anytime someone had personally heard from God, they came back with a name for God. When Rahab was thrown out into the desert and miraculously provided for by God when no one else cared about her, she calls God El Roi, the God Who Sees Me. When Abraham is about to sacrifice his son on the mountain, and God sends a ram for the sacrifice in his place, Abraham calls God Jehovah Jireh, the LORD Will Provide. When Gideon encounters an angel, he calls God Yahweh Shalom – The Lord Is Peace. So understand what Moses is asking God here – He is asking God what he should call him after this encounter. He’s being sent on a mission, but what will your name be on this mission, God? God answers, “I AM WHO I AM. You tell the people, I AM has sent me to you.” What could that possibly mean? Well, quite simply, it means EVERYTHING. You need to understand who your God is in your current situation, your current problem, and your current need. How will he show up for you? What will he do for you? How can you count on him? Answer – In every way, in every thing, for all things. God will show up for you in every way in this. He will do every thing he needs to do for you here. You can count on him for all things, there is absolutely NO FAIL in God because there is no equal to God. Nothing is bigger. Nothing is greater. Nothing is too hard. Nothing is too far gone. I once heard it put like this, “God is the becoming one.” What does that mean? That means God becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need. The name, “I AM” invites us to fill in the blank to meet our need. I need strength right now. God says, “I AM strength.” I really need provisions right now. God says, “I AM provisions.” I just need peace here. God says, “I AM peace.” I just need to know they way through this. God says, “I AM the way through this.” I need answers. God says, “I AM the answer.” I need healing. God says, “I AM healing.” I need help. God says, “I AM your help.” My friend, whatever it is you need today, GOD IS your answer. He becomes whatever is lacking in your time of need. There’s absolutely nothing he can’t do, no need he can’t meet, no emptiness he can’t fill. So, this is God’s invitation to you. What do you need today? Really, what is it? Big or small, just say it. Yes – for real. Speak it right now. Acknowledge that need. Big or small. Nothing is dismissed here. What do you need? Now, here God say to you, “I AM”. I am your answer. I am your strength. I am your peace. I am your way. I am your healing. I am your help. I AM. Moses’ question to God is what name should I give you for this specific impossible situation, Lord? Your people have been stuck in slavery for 400 years. We are beat down and broken. We have no way out. The Egyptians aren’t going to just let us walk away. This won’t just get better. What specific name can I use here for you, God? God, what will you equal here for us? God’s answer? God = God. I will equal everything for you. I will meet your every need. I will guide your every step. I will make the impossible possible. I will become everything that is needed every moment of this journey. I AM. I am your guide. I am your deliverer. I am your healer. I am your redeemer. I am your provider. I am your way maker. I AM. And if you know how the story ends, you know God delivered in every single way. Through mysterious acts and miraculous feats, through huge impossible moves and tiny unseen details, GOD WAS. He delivered his people. He provided for his people. He guided his people. He healed his people. He made a way for his people. God alone did that. God = God. The I AM. He became in every way, in every thing, for all things. But this isn’t just a story for us to read and remember what God did thousands of years ago. This is a reminder for us of who our God still is today. Of who he is today for us personally. FOR YOU, in your situation, with your problem. God says to you today, I STILL AM. In every way, in every thing, for all things, I AM. He has heard your prayers. He has seen your tears. He knows your heart. Now he extends an invitation to you to go with him and experience who he really is for you. He’s not just the God of the Bible, he is YOUR GOD in your real life. He’s not just the creator of your existence, he is the caretaker of your existence. He’s not just the rescuer of your soul, he is the He is the redeemer of your story, the healer of your hidden wounds. He is the one who walks with you through every valley, and he’s right here with you today saying, “MY GIRL, I AM YOUR ANSWER! YOU CAN TRUST ME WITH THIS.” Now, what will you do with 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

How many of you know God doesn’t work within our limits. He doesn’t see things the way we see things. God simply does not fit in our box. EVER. You likely have an unspoken box of how and when God can use you. He can use you when you are successful. He can use you when you are liked. He can use you when you look good. Those are boxes. Your boxes, but not God’s. The truth is, God can use you when you are struggling. God can use you when you are the least likely and the least liked. God can use you when you look rough, sister. In fact, sometimes I’ve found when there’s less of what I would desire, there’s a whole lot more space for Jesus. Stop limiting when and how God can work. If you’re down right now, let me remind you, God works in the pits. If you’re stuck right now, you need to know God sees exactly where you are and he knows the way out of this. And the beautiful thing is, God doesn’t need to wait until he gets you all fixed up again to use you for his good purposes – he wants to use you exactly where you are. Moses was the Israelite baby threatened by the King of Egypt to be drown in the river. His mother placed him in a basket and sent him floating down the river, trusting God to save him. Down the river, the king’s daughter found baby Moses and rescued him. Then, as only God could do, he arranged for the baby’s mother to be paid to raise him while he was little, then he would go with the king’s daughter to the palace to be raised in royalty. Moses received the best of both worlds – he learned about faith in God from his Israelite mother, and he learned how to lead in the palace from his royal adopted family. This was God setting him apart for divine purposes. But one day, something terrible happens and in Moses’ eyes, it would be the end of his good life. He sees an Egyptian beating one of the Israelite slaves. Moses knew that while he was dressed like an Egyptian, he was one of the Israelites. So he defends his people and kills the Egyptian, then hides his body in the sand. This began a series of running and hiding for Moses. The King, essentially his adopted grandfather, is trying to kill him. He can never go back home to the palace. So he ends up in the region of Midian where he’s a nobody, working for a farmer. Surely Moses thought he had ruined his life. Surely he thought God could never use him now. And just when Moses thought he couldn’t be used by God, he was perfectly aligned! This low place is precisely where God could best use him. Not in his palace, not with his riches, not with his great successes and power. No, instead with his humility as a mere worker in the fields where he was a nobody – that is where God could best use him. Now that he’s out of the palace, God would empower him to deliver his people. The place that looked like rock bottom where Moses is stuck hiding, is the place of the firm foundation where God would rebuild him into the leader for an entire nation to find freedom. God wasn’t finished with Moses just because he had failed. God wasn’t finished with Moses just because he was in a hard place. God was just getting started. My friend, God isn’t finished with you just because you failed. He’s not finished with you while you’re in this hard place. Nope – he’s just getting started. What’s actually happening here is a divine stripping of self so you can return with holy power! Less of you – more of Jesus! Just when you think you’re out, God say’s you’re in. Just when it feels too late, God says it’s his time. And remember, when God says it’s time, it’s the right time, then it’s quick time! Now, it was quick time for Moses. But understand, Moses is not young at this point. It’s easy to read this story in Exodus chapter 2 and assume that Moses is some young man with a youthful spirit and his whole life ahead of him. No, actually, at this point, Moses is 80 years old! He was 40 years old when he killed the Egyptian and ran from the palace, and now he’s spent 40 more years hiding in Midian as a nobody working in the fields. And this is when God chose to call Moses. At 80. Purpose at 80. Calling at 80. Change at 80. And what – you’ve been using the excuse of it’s too late for you?!!! Exodus 3, God appears to Moses in a burning bush and says, “Moses, Moses!” He replies, “Here I am.” Then the Lord says, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. NOW GO, FOR I AM SENDING YOU to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” To this 80 year old nobody, God says, GO, I AM SENDING YOU! Now tell me again why God can’t use you. Tell me why it’s too late for you. Tell me why God couldn’t work through your life at this point. GIRL, YOU ARE NOT DISMISSED! Maybe you’ve gone through a season of feeling like an absolute nobody. Great – that’s precisely who God loves to use. If you’re a nobody, then there’s a whole lot of space for Jesus in you. There’s absolutely no reason why God can’t work in your life to fulfill his great purposes. God aligns us to his purpose in ways we cannot understand. He works through the hardships, through the setbacks, and through the disappointments to align us with a destiny greater than ourselves. Girl, you’re not out – you’re aligned! Everything you went through, everything you came out of, everything you have been feeling within can align you now for a life of purpose through Jesus. God can use every bit of that for his good – if you’ll let him. Moses was the perfect deliverer for these enslaved people because he was one of them by birth. But now he had also spent half his life in the palace and half his life in the pastures. Now he knew leadership and he knew hardship. Now he was a nobody just like the people God wanted him to save. That’s alignment. Now that you’re one of the broken flawed people too, God can use you to deliver the broken and the flawed. Now that you’re one of the rescued, he can use you to go back and rescue others. Now that you’re one of the saved by grace girls, you can show his grace to the next girls who feel unworthy of that love. Sister, you’re just aligned now. Better than ever before, you’re in alignment! Who better to help someone who has gone through what you’ve gone through – than you. Why? Because you have gone through it! God has aligned you to go back and rescue others for him. He’s sending you! You’re aligned. Nothing is wasted with God. Time in the palace is not wasted. Time in the pasture is not wasted. Time in hardship is not wasted. Time in the wilderness is not wasted. In all this wandering, God writes a map on your soul. A map that leads back to him and his greater purposes for your lifetime. Now, God wants to use you. Just as you are. Right where you are. Listen for his call. 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 will always try to stop God’s plan. His forces of evil will always try to interrupt God’s goodness. Hell will always come against Heaven’s objective. However, Hell never wins. Evil will be overcome by good. The enemy is forever defeated by God. Hell may look like it wins a few rounds, but the war has already been won by the Lord. God is not cornered. He’s not stuck. He’s not worried, stressed or overwhelmed. He forever holds victory in his right hand. Maybe what you’re experiencing right now looks like a win for the enemy, but his defeat is guaranteed. God will turn this around, and he will turn it around BIG TIME! That’s what you really need to know, my friend. God will turn this around. The things that are against you right now will not always be against you. The things that have overwhelmed you can be under you as you rise up in the power offered to you through Jesus. The tide will turn and what’s been going out will start coming in. Prodigals come home. Walls come down. Chains are broken. Seas are parted. The mouths of lions are sealed. Blind eyes are opened. Dead bones shake. In our study of Exodus, we last left off with the Israelites as slaves in Egypt, and while under affliction, they grew. The harder things became, the more they grew in number and in strength. We see that no amount of affliction can defeat God’s purposes. We also see that fear causes us to make terrible decisions and become someone we were never created to be. The new King of Egypt was so fearful of the growing presence of his enslaved Israelites that he did unspeakable things to control them. His fear became a tool for the enemy to use. Did you know Satan works in your fear? Your fear is a open door that allows the enemy access to your heart and mind. In fear, you make horrible choices. In fear, you say horrible things. In fear, you not only miss God’s plan, but you partner with the enemy’s. In fear, the King of Egypt partnered with Satan’s plan to wipe out the Israelite population. Here’s what Satan knew – he knew the Messiah would come from the children of Israel, so he wanted to destroy them. All he needed was a fear driven soul to give him an open door to work. The fear driven soul of the King gave the enemy an opportunity to kill God’s deliverer before he was ever born. BUT THE PLANS OF THE ENEMY NEVER WIN AGAINST GOD. He may try. He may win a few rounds. But the war has already been won through Jesus. Satan tried to stop that, but he was not successful. The fear-driven demands of the King bring about the order in Exodus 1:22, “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” Imagine being a pregnant woman at this time. Imagine having a newborn baby boy. Imagine knowing they’re coming to take your baby and throw him in the river to drown him. When you’re facing evil like that, what do you do? You trust God! You trust God to do what only God can do, as you do everything you can do. Exodus 2 tells us of a couple that got married and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She hid him for 3 months. But, as we know, 3 month olds aren’t exactly quiet, so they could no longer hide him. In complete trust of God, the mother places the baby boy in a basket and floats him down the river. A river filled with crocodiles! And here we see God align the most beautiful unfolding of providential provision for the mom who trusted him. The King’s daughter is downstream bathing in the river and she sees the baby floating in a basket. She rescues the baby. Then, get this – in the way only God can – it all turns around! The Princess comes to the baby’s mother and says, “Take this baby and nurse him for me.” The princess told the baby’s mother, “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. She was then PAID to lovingly take care of the baby she had to give up. That’s what God can do in impossible situations. He can turn it all around. This is not too far gone for God to work. This is not hopeless in the hands of the Lord. He can work here. He can turn all things around and use them 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

No amount of problems can stop God’s plan for you. Nothing can cancel God’s purposes. God’s will WILL fight through every adversity, through every affliction, through every trouble and prosper on the other side. Every time. Guaranteed. God is undefeated. Victory is forever in his right hand. But, as God’s people, we will go through our fair share of problems. We will face adversity. We will endure affliction. Trouble will come our way. We live in the real world and there are no faith bubbles to protect us from real life. HOWEVER – we are promised in Romans 8:28, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose for them.” That means God works in every detail of our lives into something good. It may not be good in the beginning, but it will be worked into something good. Just like baking powder in a cake, you don’t want a teaspoon of that in your mouth, but it’s a detail worked together for good in your cake. Maybe what you’re facing right now is a teaspoon of baking powder. Singled out, this situation is unpleasant and undesirable. But nothing in your life is a stand alone event – ever. All things are working together. One thing always leads to the next thing. Some things just don’t feel good in the unfolding, but you haven’t seen the full picture yet. You know who has seen the full picture? God. God says in Isaiah 46:10, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” God has a plan, we’re promised it’s a good plan, and it absolutely WILL happen. God already knows it, sees it, holds it, and is making a way to it. After finishing our study of the book of Genesis last week, we see the unfolding of tremendous affliction for God’s people in the next book, Exodus. Remember Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery and ends up in Egypt. 22 years later, Joseph has risen to the 2nd in command of Egypt and controls the only food in the country during a famine. Joseph’s brothers come to him from Israel, begging for food. He graciously saves them and their families. This is how the Israelites move to Egypt. They’re starving and Egypt has the only food during the famine. Now, several generations later, the Israelites are still in Egypt and they have greatly flourished. They’ve been prosperous, multiplying, spreading out, and gaining power. And now, generations later, there’s a new king in Egypt, and this King sees a great problem with these successful Israelites in his land. They have done so well, they could take over his land if they wanted to. The King is afraid, so the oppression begins. Fear makes us do stupid things. Fear turns us into people we don’t want to be. This King was afraid, so he began to do horrible things. I promise you this – fear could drive you to do the same. Fear will have you twisting truth, creating sides, and stirring fights. Fear will bring out the ugliest side of you. My sister, where has fear been growing within you, causing you to act in ways you hate? Fear turned the mighty and blessed King Saul into a crazy man on the warpath. Fear can do the same to you. When my daughters were teens, I allowed my own fear to cause me to parent in a way I’m not proud of. My mind became filled with fearful thoughts and I went into overdrive trying to control everything and everyone. Rather than leading from love, I lead from fear. It wasn’t the best me. Can you see how fear has caused you to do some stupid things? Can you see how fear is turning you into someone you don’t want to be? Bring that fear to God now and ask him to lift it from you. It is not God’s will for you to operate out of fear. His word tells us hundreds of times to NOT FEAR – why is that? Because fear changes who we are and what we do, and it’s never good. The new King of Egypt was filled with fear, so he became an evil man with evil orders. Don’t ever assume unchecked fear couldn’t do the same to you. You were never created to be fear driven – you were designed to be faith driven. Anywhere you have fear, there is an invitation for faith. Faith that God is good. Faith that God is for you. Faith that God holds it all. Faith that God is working. The new King says in Exodus 1:9-11, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are strong than we are. We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor.” Was that fair? Absolutely not! But did it cancel God’s good plans? No – In fact, it furthered them! As the people of Israel face horrible conditions and unfair treatment, they continue to grow. The more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread. There was growth in the face of affliction! The more God’s people are afflicted, the more they grow. That’s God’s plan for you too, my sister. Right here in this affliction – in this problem – in this trouble – YOU GROW! Problems are like a wave that comes against a ship and looks like it will destroy it – but the ship catches the wave and uses it to speed along. Girl, CATCH THE WAVE. There may be a wave of problems coming against you right now. It may feel like these problems will destroy you – but God’s plans are not to harm you, but to prosper you (Jeremiah 29:11). These problems are like that wave. Catch the wave. Ride this out. It will speed your progress into the good life God has for you. This wave against you is not to destroy you, it’s to carry you in the direction God has planned. Catch it. The Israelites were not destroyed by the cruel Egyptian King. That wave carried them into a plan of exodus. A plan of freedom. A plan of growth like never before. There’s a wave here for you. A wave of problems. But you will grow in these problems. You will get better through this. And if you catch that wave rather than sit here and be beat down by it, it will speed you along to God’s purposes. No amount of problems can stop God’s plan for you. Nothing can cancel God’s purposes. God’s will WILL fight through every adversity, through every affliction, through every trouble and prosper on the other side. Every time. Guaranteed. God is undefeated. Victory is forever in his right hand … and guess what – that’s where he forever holds you too. In his right hand of victory! Problems are like a wave that comes against a ship and looks like it will destroy it – but the ship catches the wave and uses it to speed along. Girl, CATCH THE WAVE. 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

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” This is one of the most memorized and quoted scriptures. Empowering, motivating, reassuring … yes … and it’s a call to action. Notice it doesn’t say, “I can do all things through Christ who does it for me.” Unfortunately, many times we view God as a genie in a lamp. God was never supposed to do your work for you. Think about Noah. God told him to build an ark, a huge boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet tall. If the ark were a house, it would have been over 100,000 square feet. Translation … it was big. Really big. There was a flood coming and his ark would be the only way of survival for man and animals. Now God being God, couldn’t he have just built the ark himself? But that’s not the way God works now is it? God told Noah to build the ark and Noah worked for nearly 100 years to build what God could have done in an instant. That almost doesn’t seem fair now doesn’t it? There are likely areas in your life where you wish God would show up and just do the work for you. But God called you to BUILD A LIFE and that requires work. Will you work for it? Let’s break this scripture down so we will never hear it the same. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. “I.” Who does it say? “I.” This is personal. You should be owning it. Insert your name into this scripture. Pamela can do all things through Christ who gives her strength. Yes, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. “I can.” Not “maybe, sorta, it might happen or it might not”, no! I can. Say that with me. I CAN. Sometimes we just need to remember we are more capable than we ever give ourselves credit for. We have all the potential within us. We are fully equipped by our maker. Listen to me right now … you are not broken. You are not incapable. You are not helpless or hopeless. You were made for more. You are capable of more. You are worthy of more. And you CAN. Now the third word “do.” “I can do.” Does that mean think about, contemplate, sit around and rationalize, talk about and plan for? No. “I can do.” This is a call to action. I can do. Your life requires action and you CAN DO IT. I know you can. You can rise up and make the changes you desire. You can radically change your life. What has the first month of this year of life been for you? I’m not asking what has happened to you, I’m asking what you’ve done with it. Have you done what you can do? Have you taken action? Have you stepped out in faith? Or have you chosen to just remain where you are and think about what could happen? Have you been wishing for change but never doing anything about it? Let me shoot it to you straight … that’s never going to work! You can do it and you must do it. It’s time to go, do, show up, move forward, step ahead, now. Today. Be in action. Why are you sitting on those dreams and desires? God’s Holy Spirit moves and prompts us from within, but it’s up to you do to something about it. You can do ALL THINGS. Did you hear that? How many things can you do? Can you only do SOME things? Are there some things that will just be too hard? Are there some things that will be impossible for you? Nope, that’s a lie the enemy has sold you. YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS, and that includes “this” thing that you need to do today. The thing you’ve been avoiding – the thing you’ve been dreading – the thing you’ve tried before and failed – you can do it. The enemy wants you to believe you can’t. He wants to remind you of your past epic failures. He wants you to dwell on your weakness and shortcomings. DON’T LISTEN TO HIS NONSENSE TODAY. God says you can do all things, believe it! How? THROUGH CHRIST. I can do all things through Christ, and that means this is a partnership. When you live your life as a partnership between you and God, you realize he does his part and you do your part. He goes before you to make a way, he walks beside you to guide you, and he walks behind you to cover your back. Through Christ you can do all things today. With this partnership you are able. With him before you, beside you, and behind you, nothing will be impossible! Nothing can come between you and your destiny. Nothing can stand in your way. When God is for you, who can be against you? And just in case you forgot, yes my sister, GOD IS FOR YOU! And now the grand finale “I can do all things through Christ who GIVES ME STRENGTH.” And this is where it gets real and it gets personal. Why didn’t the scripture just end after “I can do all thing through Christ.” I like the idea of that. But this is the part we sometimes miss. It WON’T BE EASY. It was never supposed to be easy. You’re going to need strength, strength you didn’t even know you had. You don’t even know how strong you are until you have to be strong. That’s the kind of strength God is talking about here. Strength like Noah’s to get up for 100 years and keep building a boat in the middle of a drought when everyone thought he was crazy. If it was easy you wouldn’t need strength. Easy is the counterfeit to the life you were created for. An easy life is the imitation to your BIG Life. You need strength to take on the day you were meant to live, and it’s given to you by Christ so that you can accomplish the things you need to accomplish today. You don’t need life to be easy this year – you need to take action in partnership with God and use the supernatural strength he gives you. Tackle this head on. There’s absolutely no reason for you to avoid this or run from it. No, girl – you have the power of God working with you. Commit this scripture to memory – but then take it another step – actually start believing it. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” There will be hard steps ahead for you to take, and you can take them! 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

God will do what he intends to do. Nothing can stand in his way. Nothing can stop him. The question is, will you accept his open invitation to be part of what he’s doing, or will you miss out? The phone is ringing. This is your opportunity to be in partnership with the Almighty. To to be divinely led by the Spirit, and walk in purpose,. To step into the good plans God has always had for you and be part of something greater than you ever imagined. The phone is ringing. With this invitation is your option of choice. Will you say yes … or will you keep believing you’re not good enough? Will you dismiss the potential God has placed within you … or will you dare to believe God wants to use you for more? Will you dwell on your long list of shortcomings and failures … or will you dare to accept what your Creator has spoken over you? Just how much of God’s plan for your life do you need to see in advance before you’re willing to trust it? How certain do you have to be of the future before you leave the shores of today? Understand, your tight grip on certainty and comfort potentially forfeits you ever holding what was truly meant for you. Those hands have to be open, sister. Open to the unknown with the All-Knowing. In Isaiah chapter 6, God is looking for one who will partner with him in a mission. One who is courageous enough to believe maybe they could be used by the Creator of the Universe for something more. The Lord said in verse 8, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” The phone was ringing. And here’s this young man, Isaiah, at about 18 years old who immediately answers, “Here I am. Send me.” Send me where? Oh, well I don’t know exactly. To do what? Yeahhhhh about that, I’m not sure. For what purpose? Uhhhh, well that’s unclear, but I’m all in. I’m here, I’m available, send me. Isaiah was signing a blank check to the Lord, declaring a universal YES to God’s plan for his life. He didn’t know where God wanted him to go, but he agreed to go anyway. He didn’t know how God would use him, but he believed God could do anything he wanted to do and he simply wanted to be part of that. So, he did the only thing that needs to be done, he declared himself AVAILABLE. The phone was ringing. Isaiah simply answered – “Umhhhh, hello? Yes, I’m available!” Although Isaiah sounds confident with his bold response to God of “Here I am. Send me!”, the truth is, he felt extremely inadequate. Just 3 verses earlier Isaiah says “It’s all over! I am doomed!” He felt unworthy. He saw himself as inadequate. But he was called. The phone was ringing. All Isaiah had to do was answer. “Yeah, hello God? Here I am. Sure, I’m available.” Unworthy and inadequate do not seem to go together to create called, but they do. This is God’s math, and in God’s math that’s the perfect combination of purpose. Unworthy + Inadequate = Called. It doesn’t matter how unworthy you believe you are. It doesn’t matter how inadequate you have felt before. All that matters is answering the call. The phone is ringing! I understand that feeling of smallness. I struggle daily with the voices that tell me I can’t possibly do great things. That old Imposter Syndrome kicks in and tells me this is all a facade and soon it will come crashing down. And when you know something will come crashing down, you prepare. How do you prepare? You hold back. You stop the investment. You withdraw. You search for signs that it was all too good to be true and you find the cracks. The cracks in you. The weaknesses and faults you tried to hide, but they’re there. Staring at these cracks, you see the potential for the crumble and you run. You run from what you could be doing because ultimately you feel too inadequate to keep doing it. Trust me, God sees those cracks. He knows every weakness and fault within you. He knows your potential to royally screw this thing up, and he still believes in your potential to get it right. And he calls that potential out. He’s calling. My sister, you are called! Your struggle with feeling unworthy and inadequate do not trump this calling. You’re not dismissed from God’s power. The call is here and it’s here for you. Girl, it’s time to answer the dang call. I’m here. I’m right here. I’m ready. Ready for what? Well, that’s not for you to know right now. Right now, you sign the blank check to God and speak a universal yes to God’s good plans for you. All he needs to know is that you’re available. What can God do with a life like yours fully surrendered in availability? Oh girl, what could he not do?!!!! In response to Isaiah’s availability, God spoke through him and gave him words we still read today, nearly 3,000 years later. As if that’s not enough, know that the words God gave Isaiah were later quoted by Jesus himself 700 years later. Yes, Jesus quoted Isaiah! Think about that! Isaiah felt inadequate and saw himself as unworthy, but this is who God would use to speak words Jesus would later quote. And God did it all because of Isaiah’s willingness to be available. That’s it. He was simply available. His blank check to God bought him a life of purpose he couldn’t have possibly imagined as it was unfolding. What life could your blank check to God bring? Well, I can’t even imagine. I have no idea how God may use you. My mind can’t even dream of all he could do with a life like yours fully surrendered and sold out. But, don’t you want to know?!!!!! Here I am. Right here, this is where I am, and I’m available here and wherever you want to take me next. I want to step into the purposes you have for me, Lord. Wherever those steps may lead, I’m all in. I sign the check. Here is my universal yes for your plans for me. Send me. Isaiah couldn’t have possibly known the words he would speak through the power of God would reach the year 2026. He couldn’t have possibly known the direction his words would give future generations in our fancy cars and crazy smart phones. He couldn’t have known how many people have fought through the hardest struggles of their lives clinging to his words in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Or chapter 41, verse 10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” He couldn’t have known hundreds of years later, the ONE he wrote about would then read his words and fulfill the prophesy, but indeed that’s exactly what happened in Luke 4: 17-21. Jesus takes the scrolls written by Isaiah, unrolls them and reads those words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Then after Jesus read Isaiah’s 700 year old words, he said, “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” Woah – Isaiah is the one God used to write those words. Not because he was anyone special. Simply because he was available. That’s all. Just available. Could God have spoken these words to any other living soul during Isaiah’s time? Absolutely. But he spoke the words to the one who made himself available and said “Here I am. Send me.” What does God want to do with you? Well I have absolutely no clue. But I just bet it’s bigger than you will even known in your lifetime. Girl, you’re called. Are you available to answer the call? The phone is ringing. 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’re facing a situation you think is terrible, but sister, what if it’s not really what you think. You’re stepping into this assuming one thing, but what if God wants to reveal to you another. God is asking you to stop fighting this and trust him here. Trust this isn’t what you’ve built it up to be in your head. Trust it’s more than it appears on the surface. Trust that maybe this is FOR you, not against you. What if life isn’t happening to you, but it’s happening FOR you. What if God really is in the details and the very thing you’re resisting is God’s good plans for you unfolding in mysterious and unexpected ways. 10 years ago I pulled off an epic stunt at a retreat. I still love to talk about the epicness of this hilarious switch-aroo today. In 2015, I hosted a ranch retreat in Texas with over 100 women. There, I partnered up the participants into pairs for retreat “imitations”. The moment I said initiations, each mind began painting their own picture of the challenge that was about to happen. But, what if the picture they were painting in their own mind was wrong -what if this really wasn’t hard at all. What if their negative assumptions were responsible for everything they were about to feel? On a tray I had a clear glass fishbowl full of goldfish. Not crackers, real fish. They could see them swimming and they watched me reach my hand into the water, grab the fish one by one and put each one into a red solo cup. Exactly enough cups for each partnered pair, each with a live fish. Then I announced one person would be the feeder and the other would be the eater. Choose their positions now and blindfold each other. As the blindfold was put on their eyes, they could still see me scooping out the fish into the cups to be distributed. As you can imagine, they are panicking. They are questioning my choices as a leader. They are wanting to escape the situation, but here they are on a stage, preparing to be the person to either feed someone a live goldfish, or worse, be on the receiving end of the transaction. After they are securely blindfolded, I reveal a hidden can of peaches in heavy syrup. Peaches perfectly cut to the size of a goldfish, as well as perfectly slimy in their syrup, just as you would imagine a slimy fish. The cups are switched and the peaches are distributed in place of the real fish. What follows is complete pandemonium. Grown women are squealing and squirming reaching into a cup they cannot see, to grab a live goldfish … or so they thought. All while the other blindfolded part of the duo is shivering with her mouth open, awaiting the fish. I’m screaming over a microphone, “Don’t chew, eat it whole. You’ll be fine. This is completely safe! They’re organic!!!” There’s such chaos and panic during the exchange, no one ever stops to realize, wait … this isn’t what I think it is. The feeder is convinced the fish is squirming in their hands, and the eater is absolutely certain they are indeed swallowing a live goldfish whole. There’s gagging and crying as they hype themselves up to complete the challenge. And they did it! One person peed a little, but the challenge was completed. As they remove their blindfolds they see me holding the cans of peaches, and then they realize they were just freaking out over absolutely nothing. Nothing. All along it was a peach. But sis, when you think it’s a live goldfish, it feels like a live goldfish. It tastes like a live goldfish. Maybe, just maybe, you’re THINKING about things wrong. Maybe you’ve assumed this is going to be way worse than it is. Maybe you’re stuck on what you see before and it’s warping what you’re experiencing now. Maybe things have changed since you first started and those things are no longer the same. Perhaps there’s something in your life right now you’re stressing and fretting over that really isn’t a threat at all. You’ve just assumed it’s a threat because of what you’ve seen before. Stop and consider it may not be so bad after all. Remember, you said you believe God is in the details of your life … then okay, trust the details. Before you freak out, have you asked God to help you see this for what it is? Have you asked him for wisdom? Have you asked him for clarity? Or are you still having flashbacks of what you saw before and blindly assumed that’s what you’re about to experience now? If the participants in my gold fish initiations would have stopped to think, they would have realized the blindfolds were to hide the trick. Eating a goldfish was bad enough. Why blindfold them too? I didn’t want them to see because seeing the switch would reveal the trick. Honey, if you can’t see what’s really happening, stop panicking and ask God to reveal where you’re being tricked into the wrong thoughts. Isaiah 64:4, “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” You can’t understand the things God does. You can’t imagine his ways. It’s like a blindfold. But get this sis, the blindfold has been removed! Jesus took off the blindfold so you could see what God is doing in your life and move forward trusting him. This same scripture is now referenced later in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “This is what the scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’ BUT it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” What this is saying is what was previously hidden from us is now revealed through the Spirit of God. Yes, the Spirit which now lives within us shows us what we could not understand before. It reveals what has been hidden from us so we no longer have to be afraid of what could be, we now understand God is working FOR us, not against us. God intervenes on our behalf as we wait. As we wait thinking we’re about to swallow a goldfish, God switches cups. Can he do that? ABSOLUTELY! He can do anything he wishes for his girls … and he does! And when the blindfold is removed, we can see there’s absolutely nothing to freak out about. Chapter 2 ends with verse 15 and says “But now we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” My sister, we don’t have to think the same things we used to think. We don’t have to freak out over the surface level things we see. We have the mind of Christ. We are Spirit led and we can now understand the things that previously made no sense to us. We don’t have to rely on what we saw being put in the cups before. We can pause, consult with the Spirit, use the mind of Christ, and see the truth. And the truth is, we are often freaking out about something that isn’t that bad after all. We know our God is good, good, good, and we know he can switch the cups when the cups need to be switched! Our minds are powerful. If we think it’s going to be bad, what we experience is truly bad even if it didn’t have to be. If we think we’re going to fail, we set our perfectly equipped and prepared selves up for failure through our thoughts. We sabotage this ourselves. We assume this is against us, so we walk in struggle and dread every step. When you think it’s a goldfish, perfectly good peaches taste fishy. But what if this isn’t really against you? What if this isn’t what it used to be? What if the cups have been switched for you and you’re going to need to trust God in the details to see what he’s been doing on your behalf? What if you’re going to need to listen to the Spirit which lives within you and use the mind of Christ which has been given to you, and stop assuming doom and gloom? Things have changed. God has intervened for you as you wait. He can be trusted. You have been equipped with the tools to proceed without freaking out! What if life isn’t happening to you, but it’s happening FOR you,. What if God really is in the details and the very thing you’re resisting is God’s good plans for you unfolding in mysterious and unexpected ways. This isn’t what you think. You’ve been assuming one thing, but God wants to reveal to you another. Stop fighting this and trust him here. Trust this isn’t what you’ve built it up to be in your head. Trust it’s more than it appears on the surface. Trust this is FOR you, not against you. God can get this just 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

Today’s unscripted devotional is from Psalm 23:5 and Matthew 12:24. Jesus, the good shepherd, has healing for your mind today! 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

There’s something divine happening that you simply cannot see. Something bigger than you and beyond your current circumstances. Here’s exactly what is happening, and it’s happening RIGHT NOW: God is taking every intended harm against you, and he’s turning it around with the intention of using it for good. That’s absolutely guaranteed. Certain. No doubt about it. God is taking every intended harm against you, and he’s turning it around with the intention of using it for good! Can you believe that? You have an enemy in this life – a despiser of your soul – a schemer of your demise. The powers of Hell are against you and their intentions for you are to kill you, steal from you and destroy you. That’s Hell’s plan. Satan has actively sent his demons to roam this earth and ruin your days. That’s truth. But never, ever forget this – God sits high upon his throne with his eye on you. Yes, you. God sees you. He has never once taken his gaze away from you. He sees everything that has ever happened to you and he says HE CAN FULFILL HIS INTENTIONS OF GOOD FOR YOU AND THROUGH YOU. Nothing the enemy has done to you has cancelled God’s good plans for you. At the end of Joseph’s life, his brothers come to him in fear of retaliation for their sin against him. For 22 years they had caused him such extreme hardship, and it was no accident. They intended him harm. They meant to destroy him. But their intended harm was not beyond the power of God to turn it around and use it for good. And this is what Joseph knew – He knew the mysteries of God were unfolding on his hardest days and sweetest days alike. He knew God could be trusted. He knew God is faithful. He knew God’s good plans could not be cancelled by the years of struggle. And this is how Joseph stands before the people who hurt him most and says 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.” The harm Joseph’s brothers intended against him was used by God to place him in Egypt where the only food would be stockpiled during a 7 year famine. The selling of Joseph into slavery would lead him to become a leader in the palace of the King. Now, Joseph sits in the palace with complete control of the only food in the land, and he saves the brothers who sold him. Everything was turned around and used for good. That’s what our God does! Our God takes the intended harm against us and turns it around and uses it for the good of not only us, but the lives of many. It’s now bigger than just you. It’s about the other lives you will now impact. And that’s the mystery of God. The mystery of how God works in the unseen to bring his divine plans to our lives, and unfold that mystery to be so much bigger than just us. Lysa Terkurst says, “When things don’t make sense, leave room for the mystery of God.” Leave room for the mystery of God. What does that mean to you? Does that mean you stop trying to control it, fix it or figure it out? Yes! Leave room for the mystery of God. Does that mean you surrender this mess to God and let him have his way in you? Yes! Leave room for the mystery of God. Does that mean you trust God to get it right, even when it doesn’t look or feel right? Yes! Leave room for the mystery of God. Now maybe you’re sitting in a pit of despair right now and you don’t know how you will ever get out of this. The mystery is all you see. Just an unsettling darkness of uncertainty. Remember this – darkness isn’t even a thing, my sister. You don’t turn on darkness, so you can’t turn off darkness. You can only turn on light. Darkness is an absence of light. Darkness is a void. The moment you turn on the light, the void is filled. Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” You have the ability to turn on the light, my friend. You don’t have to sit in this void. God’s word is your light in the darkness. This is how you get through this. This is how you find your next step. You turn to the word of God. Now, notice this, God’s word is like a lamp to guide you feet. His word is a light for your path. You know what it’s not? It’s not like the noon day sun. God could have said his word is like the light of the day. He could have said it’s like the bright glow of a bonfire. But he didn’t. He said it’s a lamp to guide your feed, a light for your path. It’s not like broad daylight. But isn’t that what we want? We want our life to be lit up with everything in broad daylight. Make it bright – make it clear – remove all uncertainty. But, that’s simply not the way God works. Instead, he gives you his word that guides your next step. And while he guides your next step with the light of his word, everything else will remain dark. While you have light for the step in front of you, everything beyond this step remains a mystery. That’s the mystery of God. That’s the unseen miraculous unfolding of God’s good plans in places you haven’t gone to yet. You’re not there yet. You haven’t seen it yet. And you’re not supposed to. Leave room for the mystery of God. You don’t have to see how God is going to use this for good yet – but you can trust that he is. God always knew the day would come when Joseph would be sitting in power in the palace and save his entire family. God always knew the path to that palace. And God allowed the path to go to the pit. He allowed the path to go to the prison. He allowed the path to take 22 long years. And he allowed the path to remain dark in the unfolding, with only the next step revealed. Joseph learned that just because he couldn’t see it didn’t mean God didn’t already have it worked out. Listen to me – You can’t see it, but God already has it worked out. What you need is his word to guide your feet and light your path while his mysteries remain unknown and unseen. You don’t need a flood light. You don’t need a flashing sign. You don’t need a 5 year plan. You need God’s word for today. You need to know the spaces of mystery are the spaces inviting you to surrender it all to God and trust him to lead you somewhere good. Leave room for the mystery of God. He’s working it all out. You can trust him to get it right, really right! He’s already prepared the path for you and all you need is his light for the next step while the darkness remains. You won’t be here forever – but while you’re here, there’s a divine plan unfolding, and it’s 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

What if God could help you forget? What if you don’t have to carry this pain with you into your future? What if your wounds could be completely healed and every ounce of hurt redeemed? What if you don’t have to replay the story one more time? What if all that happened to you in the past, all the wrong that was done, all the harm inflicted, what if God could help you just forget it? I know that sounds too good to be true – but this is possible spiritually! But would you want to? Would you be willing to receive that level of healing? There’s a story in the bible of that level of healing from past hurts. And, Sis, it’s recorded in the Bible because God wants us to know of his power then that’s still available now! I believe today God is asking if you’re ready to forget. Are you ready to be completely healed from that hurt? Are you ready for total restoration of what happened in the past? Some aren’t ready. Some simply aren’t ready to let go of the story. Some aren’t ready to turn over the hurt. Some want to hold on to that suitcase of packed up pain and drag it around into every new season of life that comes. There’s no judgement here. That’s what pain makes us do. It makes us carry baggage that weighs us down. It fills our hands so we aren’t available to receive anything new or different. It causes us to get stuck in the past because it’s too heavy to continue into the future. But God wants his girl HEALED! He wants your hands free. You are not meant to carry this burden, my sister. This pain you feel is too heavy. This story that hurts you cannot continue to replay. You will get stuck here. You will lose your joy here. You will become a shell of the vibrant person God created you to be. So, God wants you to know about Manasseh. Yes, that’s your answer here. Manasseh. Even if you don’t yet know what that word means, can’t you feel the effects of it over your burdened spirit? Manasseh. Can’t you feel you ache of what happened and the pain of what they did lighten? Manasseh. Manasseh over your broken heart. Manasseh over all that wasn’t fair to you. Manasseh over your shattered dreams. Manasseh over what was stolen from you. Manasseh over your deepest hurt. Manasseh. What does Manasseh mean? To understand fully, you must first remember the story of Joseph. Well it’s a good thing we’ve been studying the life of Joseph in Genesis! Joseph from the dysfunctional family where his father’s favor caused his jealous brothers to sell him into slavery. He’s in a pit, then he’s in a prison. He was accused of doing things he didn’t do. He was used. He was forgotten. But, through it all, Joseph remained faithful. No matter how unfair his circumstance were, he trusted God. After 22 years, Joseph becomes a powerful man, second in charge of all of Egypt. His trust in God in all the unfair places led him to great success. But … But imagine the hurt he still carried. All the people, his own family, that had betrayed him. People he loved. People he trusted. They had hurt him. It was still there, replaying in his mind. He had to ask why. Why did his brothers do this to him? Why did every friend he make turn on him and use him? Why was he continually punished for things he didn’t do? But, here’s what God did for him … he made him forget. God blessed Joseph with a son. That’s son’s name was Manasseh. Manasseh, in Hebrew means to forget. Genesis 41:51, “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” God has made me forget all my trouble. All that has happened in the past. All that pain. All that hurt. All that was unfair. God just took it from me. He healed me. He healed my heart and he healed my mind. The memories no longer torment me. The stories no longer play on a perpetual loop. All that was intended for harm has been turned around and used for good. Years later, Joseph stood in a position of power over the ones who had hurt him. With nothing but healing in his heart and mind, he saved them from starving. How could Joseph not have bitterness toward his brothers? How could he not hate his abusers? How could he have even an ounce of compassion on those who brought such harm into his life? MANASSEH. “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” Joseph was no longer telling the same old story of hurt. He had shut that down and God had taken that burden. What happened to him in the past no longer hurt him. There was no limit on his future because of the pain he had been through before. Manasseh, God helping him forget, opened his eyes to God using everything for good now. And when Joseph’s eyes were opened to the good God was doing, he was used for that good! And my sister, this is what God wants to do for you. He wants to help you forget. He wants to put an end to the story on a perpetual loop replaying in your mind. He wants to heal your brokenness and use it for good. He wants to give you your Manasseh. Will you dare to receive it? Will you be so bold as to ask God to help you forget? Forgetting doesn’t erase it and make it okay. Forgetting releases you from the grip of what has been done before and frees you to step into all God wants to do now. Forgetting lifts the burden. CS Lewis describes hell as a place where no one forgets anything, remembering every horrible thing that has ever happened, every slight, every cruel exchange of words, every wrong ever done to them, and reliving it over and over again. Hmmm, we create our own hell on earth sometimes, don’t we? Jesus warns us of the hell we create for ourselves by holding on to the hurt inflicted on us by others. Matthew 18 is the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. This is the story of the man who was forgiven by the King of his great debt, but then refused to forgive his own servant of a debt owed to him. When the King found out, he sentenced the unforgiving man to torment. Then Jesus says, “This will be done to you if you refuse to forgive.” Refusing to let go of the wrong that has been done to you brings torment to you. You live in your own self-created Hell. There are spirits that want to hold you in the continual reminder of what has happened, and those spirits are tormentors. If you have tormenting thoughts, mental anguish, emotional misery, or ongoing bitterness, could it be because you have given a tormenting spirit access through your forgiveness? Jesus tells us how to break that spiritual bond and close the door on the enemy – FORGIVE. Forgive on a spiritual level. Forgiveness on a spiritual level means forgetting. The Lord says in Jeremiah 31:34, “I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” How will you ever forgive like that? ONLY THROUGH GOD! This is a forgiveness you can never offer on your own. But if God could give Joseph that level of unforgiveness for those who had hurt him so severely, then God can surely do it for you too, my sister. It’s a journey of intentional release and a continual redirection of your thoughts. Forgiving on a spiritual level brings you what is next – visible change in your life. After naming his first son Manasseh, meaning “God has made me forget all my troubles”, Joseph named his second son Ephraim, meaning “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.” Right where the wrong had happened, right where so much had been lost, right where grief was so real, God poured out his blessings and everything changed. My friend, this is available to you. The torment of your mind ends and the blessing begins. How? Literally how do you forget? Paul tells us in Philippians 3:13, “Forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead.” You make a shift from looking back to looking forward. You must intentionally choose to redirect your thoughts. Will that be easy? Probably not. Is it possible? Through God, YES. The Lord says in Isaiah 43: 18-19 MSG, “Forget what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new.” Could God possibly do something new? YES, my sister, YES. I watched a few literal breakthrough this past weekend. A few beautiful souls here at our retreat have gone through a hell on earth for several years. Because of what’s been done to them, or what they’ve even done to themselves, and the continual thoughts of all that was wrong, painful and unfair, they were tormented in their minds. Tortured with depression. Tortured with horrible self-talk. Tortured with anxiety. Tormented with settling for far less than they were created for. But as the chains have been broken off them, they are releasing all that was wrong to forgiveness, and they have been set free. Released from the torment. Released from the excuses. And now, their change begins and the fruit will grow in their lives. It can be true for you too, my friend. Lord, help her to forget. Help her to heal completely. Everything that was unfair. Everything that was painful. Everything that has hurt her. Everything she did wrong. Help her to release, forgive, forget, heal. Help her to receive the fullness of your good plans without an ounce of past hurt holding her back from her future! Can he do it? Oh yes he can! Manasseh – God has made me forget what happened. Ephraim – God has made me fruitful right here where it happened. I don’t know if you’ve been in the pit, or if you’ve been in the prison, but God has a palace for you when you let him help you release, forgive, forget and heal. I pray the lyrics of the song Manasseh by Anna Golden over you: You redeem The innocence that’s stolen You return The years I thought were taken You’re rebuilding every broken home inside my heart And You made it all better This is my Manasseh You’ve caused me to forget Your goodness washes over all the pain of my p

God has healing for you. I’m not just talking about your physical ailments, but your deepest hurts. The wounds within that no one can see, but you continually feel. There’s a healing for those wounds only God can give. There’s no self-help book, no new relationship, no 5 step program that can bring that healing – ONLY GOD. My friend, for every wrong that’s ever been done to you, for every pain you still carry, there’s the sweetest healing available for you directly from God. Yesterday I experienced one of the most beautiful moments of my life. My youngest daughter is engaged to be married to a young man with a really hard past. He’s only 19, but those 19 years have been filled with continual hurts that have created wounds within him. Unhealed wounds often cause us to wreck our own lives without even realizing it. This young man doesn’t want to wreck his life as he’s seen every other man in his family do. He’s a Daddy now, and he wants better for his little family. He wants something different. He wants Jesus. So yesterday, shortly after I recorded the devotional, he came to me and told me he was ready. Ready to fully surrender his life, receive his healing, and take his first step of obedience in baptism. I sat down with him and read Romans 6, explaining that Jesus wanted to set him free from the power of sin and give him a new life. Romans 6:14, “Sin is no longer your master.” For this young man, it was more than just the sins he had committed, it was also about the sins that had been committed against him. The sins against him had become his master. Hurt ruled his heart. A continual replay of who had chosen drugs or alcohol over him was on a loop in his mind. The only future he knew was the one he had seen repeated in his family, and it wasn’t a future he wanted. As we stood in the water, he prayed aloud. Not a scripted prayer, but a prayer from his broken heart. A prayer to receive healing from sin. He asked Jesus to heal the wounds of everything that had ever been done to him. He asked for the negativity, the emotions, and the hurt to be washed away in the water. He prayed to come up out of that water with no walls and blocks to him being a good husband and a good father for his own family. (That’s generational curses being broken!) Just before he went under the water, he said, “I’m ready!” That’s healing only Jesus can do. Healing of the heart. Healing of the mind. This is the kind of healing Joseph received. Joseph, the man we’ve been studying in Genesis who was nothing but good, but continually had bad happen to him. He had every reason in the world to be hurt, yet he sought healing. And that healing let him to being a life changing blessing to others. After 22 years of hardship, all started by his brothers selling him into slavery at the age of 17, Joseph is now in charge of all of Egypt. There’s a famine in the land and people are starving. The only food was in Egypt, under the care of Joseph. Back at home in Canaan, Joseph’s father Jacob and the 11 brothers are starving. With absolutely nothing left to survive on, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to beg for food. And there, they stand before the man in charge completely unaware that it’s their brother. They didn’t recognize Joseph, but Joseph recognized them. Right there in front of him, in their most vulnerable and desperate state, stand the brothers who caused him so much pain and hurt. They’re begging for food. What do you do when the ones who have hurt you the most now ask you for help? Well, if you’re unhealed, you likely lash out. Hurt people hurt people. But Joseph stands before his brothers healed. He’s no longer hurt. God has healed him from within. And let me tell you what that looks like – Genesis 45, beginning in verse 3: “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. “Please, come close,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, who you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh – the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.” That’s a healed man talking right there! A man God has worked on to release all the pain and replace it with purpose. To release the hurt and replace it with healing. Healing doesn’t hold on to the hurt. Healing doesn’t replay the story in darkness. Healing sees how God used it all for good. Joseph was healed, and now he could help. My future son-in-law is being healed, and I truly believe he creates a new trajectory for his family. That healing is available for you, no matter how deep the wound or how wrong the past was. That healing will show you God used intended harm from the enemy, from the broken, from the jealous, from those who were radically wrong, and he turned it around for good. And in this place of healing you no longer hurt from those who hurt you. That cycle stops. With this healed heart something else happens – you also see the blessings in your life with proper perspective. Joseph didn’t claim to have earned his new highly favored position by all his hard work. He didn’t claim to have done this for himself, rising above on his own. No, his healing helped him see every good thing in his life was all by the hand of God. God did that. That’s healing. And this healing is available for you. Hurt people hurt people. But healed people help heal people. Healed people release blame and see God’s providential blessings. Healed people take no credit and walk in humility. Healed people change the trajectories of their entire families. Joseph’s family was saved because of his healed heart. They were rescued from starving and given the best land in all of Egypt to thrive. What could happen for your family if your heart receives God’s healing? What walls could be torn down? What chains could be broken? What intended harm of the enemy could be turned around and used by God for nothing but absolute goodness? Just as my future son-in-law prayed yesterday, ask God to heal the wounds of everything that has ever been done to you. Ask for the negativity, the emotions, and the hurt to be washed away now. Pray for the walls to come down so there are no blocks to you living the life you’re created for. It’s time to declare you’re ready now! 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

God’s timing is not our timing. I’ve been waiting on a few things for 7 very long years. It’s not the way I would have planned it, but it has a purpose. God’s purpose is greater than my plans. God’s timing is greater than my timeline. Here’s what I want you to write down today: When it’s God’s time, it’s the right time, then it’s quick time. You could wait for years for God’s time, but then when that time comes and it’s right, it will happen quick. You may be moments away from quick time, my sister. You simply do not know the timing for what God has aligned for you. But don’t lose hope in the wait, God has aligned the time for you. The right time is already held in God’s hand. He’s already seen the time, held the time, and making a way to that time. You’re already on your way to that right time that becomes quick time once you get there. I like to think of it like the trip you’ve been planning. After packing and preparing, you board the airplane and you’re officially on your way. Oh the anticipation when you know you’re on your way. You’re not there yet, but you’re on the way and that’s exciting. Because, you know the moment you get off that airplane, you’re officially there and boom – vacation just starts happening so quick. You’re on that beach, that sun is hitting, and you’re feeling great. Oh to be on the way to that vacation, because on the way you know it’s already starting. My sister, you’re on your way. You’re on your way to the purposes God has for you. You’re on your way to that breakthrough. You’re on your way to the unfolding of what you’ve been waiting for. Then, the moment will come when boom, all of a sudden you’re there and it’s happening. For anyone who’s ever been pregnant, you know no matter how long and hard that pregnancy was, the moment came when the time to be pregnant was over. And the moment you saw your baby for the first time and held it in your arms, that long pregnancy no longer even mattered. The day came when you brought that baby home. Then that baby started school. And you may have waited a long time for that baby, but when it was the right time it became quick time. My sister, God’s plans for you are good – You’re already on your way to those good plans. Maybe it’s not the right time yet, but when the right time comes, it will happen quick! In our study of Genesis, we follow along with the wild story of Joseph and his dysfunctional family. After Joseph was sold into slavery by his 11 jealous brothers, he ended up as a servant in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. There, everything he did was a success. Soon he was in charge of Potiphar’s entire household and everything he owned. Life wasn’t bad at all for Joseph. But highs are typically followed by lows, and the high was coming to an abrupt end. Potiphar’s wife found young Joseph very handsome and she tried to seduce him. When that didn’t work, she became angry and accused him of things he didn’t do. And that’s how Joseph ends up in prison. Punished for a crime he didn’t commit. Waiting. While in prison, Joseph continued to be the good man he had always been, and even there he had success. He became a favorite of the prison warden and was put in charge of all the other prisoners. Genesis 39:23, “The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” Yes, while in prison, the Lord was with Joseph. While unfair things happened to Joseph, God caused good things to happen for Joseph. Did you know both things can be true at the same time? You can be in an unfair place and God can bless you. You can be stuck waiting, and God can be blessing you with things right now. You can be stripped of everything else, and have everything in God. You can be all alone, and yet never be alone. Can you see the success God has given you even in your undesirable circumstances? Will you behold his blessings even while you’re burdened? Will you welcome his wonder while you’re waiting? In prison, Joseph is liked by everyone and people start coming to him for interpretation of their dreams. One person he helped with his gift was Pharaoh’s cup bearer who was also in prison for offending his master. When Joseph helped the cup-bearer, he says to him in Genesis 40:14, “Please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place.” The cup-bearer is released from prison, but guess what – he completely forgets all about Joseph, and verse 23 says “He never gave Joseph another thought.” Gosh, do you ever feel forgotten? Do you ever feel like the people you help aren’t willing to help you? Do you feel like everyone else gets their time and you’re just stuck waiting? Well let me remind you again – When it’s God’s time, it’s the right time, then it’s quick time! Genesis 41:1, “Two full years later, Pharaoh had a dream.” Pharaoh is disturbed by his dream and he’s seeking help in interpreting it. Verse 9, “Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up, ‘Today I have been reminded of my failure’ – then he tells Pharaoh about Joseph who was still sitting in prison. A man who could interpret dreams with the power God had given him. A man he had promised to remember and help get out of prison. A man he had forgotten for 2 full years. Joseph had been sitting, forgotten, for those long 2 years – then finally the person he had helped remembered him, mentions him, and BOOM, Joseph is out of prison finally! Joseph stands before Pharaoh, listens to his dream and humbly says in verse 16, “It is beyond my power to do this, but God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Now don’t overlook this because it’s huge – in this time of waiting, something powerful has happened to Joseph. He has been humbled. Before, Joseph was arrogant and quick to brag about his gifting from God. In fact, it’s how this whole mess started. He was bragging about the interpretation of his dream to his brothers, saying they would one day serve him because of his dream, and it pushed them over the edge and they pushed him in the pit. But now, after this immense struggle and time of waiting, Joseph comes out humble and giving all credit to God. Joseph wanted out of that prison 2 years before, but he was forgotten and left waiting. But God never forgot him. God was preparing him. Preparing his character to match his calling. And when the time was right, then it was quick time. In the very next paragraph after Joseph turns to God for the interpretation of Pharoah’s dream, he is put in charge of Pharaoh’s court and he is placed as second in command of Egypt. Joseph didn’t even know this was in his future. He didn’t know this was remotely possible. He never dreamed he would end up in Egypt, let alone ruling over the entire land of Egypt. But God did! It was all timing and preparation. And when the time was God’s time, it was the right time, and it became quick time. You’re already on your way to what God has for you. Now the way may feel like a pit or look like a prison, but God knows the palace he has planned for you beyond this. It’s all unfolding in God’s timing. You may feel forgotten, but you’re not. You’re being prepared. Your character is under development according to your calling. The time will come when God says it’s right, then you’ll be there and it will be quick! 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 you don’t trust, you will try to control. If you don’t trust someone in your family, you will try to control them. If you don’t trust your dog, you will try to control it. If you have a high tech car that can drive itself, but you don’t trust it – you will control it yourself. And if you don’t trust God, you will try to control your life. When you don’t trust God to get it right, you will assume the position of having to force everything for yourself. When you don’t trust God’s timing, you’ll try to control the timing. When you don’t trust God’s plan, you will follow the plan you can control. A controlling person is a distrusting person. A distrusting person becomes a controlling person. I trust my dog. He is trained, he is obedient and he stays close. Because of that, when possible, he is off leash. I no longer have to control him because I can trust him. I trust God. He has always been faithful to me. His promises have held true every single time. I no longer put God in my little box of limited understanding because I trust him. How about you? Are you in a place in your life where you full on, face to the floor, open hands, absolute surrender, TRUST GOD? If you are – do you notice how your need to control things has just faded away? When faith rules, the need to control fades. Where faith takes the throne, the need for control quietly falls to its knees. Control must bow to my faith instead of faith bowing to my control. As we study the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis, we see the most genuine example of trusting God regardless of circumstances. While Joseph couldn’t see how being sold into slavery would ever be remotely okay, he trusted God. While Joseph couldn’t see how being falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit and being thrown in prison could be a good thing, he trusted God. He never tried to control the situation or the outcome, instead wherever he was and whatever was going on around him, he did his best. How do we know Joseph did his best? While Joseph is in prison, Genesis 39:23 says, “The prison warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” God didn’t just make things work – No, Joseph worked and God brought the success. Joseph did everything in that prison. All the work – more than was required. Joseph brought his best and God brought the blessings. But when we find ourselves in an unfair, difficult or unwanted situation, here’s what we do – “GOD, GET ME OUT OF THIS MESS. I DON’T DESERVE THIS!” We throw our pity party and wait for the rescue. We don’t work hard. We don’t give our best effort. No we typically get pitiful, then we grow miserable, then we become bitter. Pitiful, miserable and bitter because we can’t control it. In all of God’s word, I’ve never seen him bless pitiful. I’ve never seen him bless chosen misery. I’ve never seen him pour out his blessings on the bitter. But for the one who will trust him and do their best in the unfair, in the difficult, and in the unwanted – THEN HE BLESSES. For Joseph, God continually responded to his trust and best effort with success. Success to get out of the pit. Success in his master’s house. Success in the prison cell. And eventually, success in the palace. Joseph didn’t seek control. He sought God’s control. When you know the end of Joseph’s story and you see he ends up wildly successful in a palace, saving his own family that tried to harm him, it becomes easy to read the hard parts and see how God was working. But as the story was unfolding, Joseph had no idea where it was all leading. He didn’t know what God was doing. Yet he trusted. I don’t know the whole story of my life. I have not seen how these hard parts will be used – but I trust they will. I don’t know how God is going to work all this out – but I trust he will. I don’t know how this is going to one day be good – but I trust when he says he has good plans for my life, they will be good. My trust demands my hands to open and relinquish control. Now, how about you? Will you open your hands and trust God to get this right? Will you stop trying to control it and instead be faithful in it? Will you first give your best so then God can bless it? Here’s the problem – we start assuming what a good God should do, then we try to hold God accountable to our plan. Oh what disappointment we set ourselves up for when we create the plan for God and try to hold him to it. My friend, it simply doesn’t work that way. Our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, and our minds have not even imagined the things God has prepared for those who love him. Our wildest dreams don’t even come close to God’s good plans for our lives – so how could we ever assume what a good God should do? Would a good God allow a 17 year old boy to be betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery? Actually – yes. Because God always saw how it would be used for good. Would a good God allow that man to be falsely accused and thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit? Actually – yes. Because God always saw how it would be used for good. These are not plans we would choose on our own. We want to skip to the palace part. We want to avoid every pit and every problem and go straight to our palace, but our good God knows good plans include the pits. If you’re down in the pits, remember this – you have a GOOD GOD. That good God can’t be controlled by your plans. Instead, we trust his plans are better than our own and we know every part of the story will be used. 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

How crazy was your Christmas? Just how dysfunctional are your family gatherings? Or maybe, there’s so much brokenness in your family, they don’t even gather anymore. Siblings don’t talk. People are uninvited. There are misunderstandings, blow ups and hurt feelings. Or maybe your family dysfunction is hidden to everyone else. You show up in matching outfits, you smile for the photos, you fake the joy. The show is good, but behind closed doors, there’s a real problem. And through all of that, you think you’re alone. Those thoughts of being alone and singled out in a problem make you feel dismissed. But let me tell you something – you are singled out in a promise. You are set apart for a purpose. In the middle of a dysfunctional family can be a single soul who God will use to change the trajectory of every future generation. The crazy doesn’t have to go away for that to become true. The problems don’t have to be solved for that to unfold. One thing has to happen – A single soul must decide to be different with God. That person must trust God so completely that where they came from doesn’t become their destiny. That person must trust God so fully that what they’re going through doesn’t detour them from where they’re going. The level of dysfunction that Joseph comes from is undeniable. His father, Jacob, was the trickster who stole a family blessing and birthright from his older twin brother. His grandmother, Rebekah, aided in the deceitful plan to steal that blessing. His uncle wanted to kill his father for many years, hunting him down to get even. Joseph is born into crazy. I don’t know – maybe you were born into crazy. You come from a long line of quarreling, immorality, and jacked up choices. Maybe you come from a broken home with a painful childhood, and trauma is all you know. Well let me tell you something – trauma is not your tomorrow. Trauma may be part of your testimony, but honey, it is not your trajectory! Joseph’s father had two wives and two concubines. Imagine that. Joseph is the youngest of 12 boys, all a bunch of half-brothers sharing the same father. But there was a clear favorite. Joseph was Daddy’s favorite. And clear favor over one child creates clear family fallout. Parenting 101 begins with showing our children the same level of love and attention. The one who feels like a black sheep will always wander. Joseph’s parents didn’t attend that class. Instead, his Daddy made him a special coat and draped it over his favorite son. Favoritism didn’t only set him apart, it put a massive target of jealousy on his back. Genesis 37: 3-4, “Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph – a beautiful robe. But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.” This special coat we often call the ‘coat of many colors’. To understand this coat is to understand the problem. This was not a working man’s coat. It was a long coat of privilege. Wearing this coat, he would watch his brothers work hard. Just how do you feel when you’re working hard and someone is sitting and watching you as if it’s your job to serve them? Not good. Especially in family. And all of this dysfunction leads to Joseph’s brothers wanting to kill him. Life would be easier if he weren’t sitting in his fancy coat, being better than them in the father’s favor. They throw him in a pit, sell him to a group of traders traveling through, then took the special coat of favor, covered it in animal blood and convinced their father that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. Guys – this is CRAZY. And yet, this crazy didn’t limit God’s ability to work in this family. This dysfunction did not dismiss God’s desired destiny for a single one of them. And your family dysfunction doesn’t dismiss your destiny either, my sister. The crazy you come from, or the crazy you’re going through doesn’t limit God’s ability to work in your life, nor does it limit his promises for your future. The father’s favor created a real problem. Do you know why? Because the father’s favor of one meant a limit for the others. But this points us directly to the contrast of our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father is unlimited in his favor. He can pour out his undeniable favor all over me, and still have an unlimited abundance of favor for you too. What he has done for me, he can do for you. And what he’s done for you, he can do for me. When you see a soul that’s been saved, rescued, healed and redeemed by the mighty work of a loving Heavenly Father, here’s what your first thought needs to be – WOW, I SEE WHAT GOD DID FOR YOU AND I NOW KNOW HE CAN DO THAT FOR ME TOO! If he gave them a coat, he has a coat for me! The enemy wants us to live divided with jealous comparisons, but God’s desire is for us to each to walk in his divine favor. With every evidence of his love, we receive it as proof of what’s possible in our lives with God. What God did for me, he can do for you. Let me tell you what he did for me – he put divine protection around me throughout my life, saving me time and time again from devastation and destruction. He healed my body and saved my life. He gifted me with years I shouldn’t have gotten, and here I am with another new year! He set me apart, changed me, called me, and equipped me. He worked behind the scenes to change every intended harm against my family into a story of glory – and he’s still doing that today! God worked in Joseph’s life, taking betrayal and turning it into blessing. He turned delay into destiny. He took him from a prison and delivered him to a palace. And what God did for me – what God did for Joseph – HE CAN DO FOR YOU! You’re not alone. You are singled out in a promise. You are set apart for a purpose. In the middle of a dysfunctional family can be a single soul who God will use to change the trajectory of every future generation. The crazy doesn’t have to go away for that to become true. The problems don’t have to be solved for that to unfold. One thing has to happen – A single soul must decide to be different with God. That person must trust God so completely that where they came from doesn’t become their destiny. That person must trust God so fully that what they’re going through doesn’t detour them from where they’re going. Will that be you? Oh, let it be you! Then show others what God can do for them 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

How perfect do circumstances have to be for you to be happy? How right do things have to be for you to see them as right? Experts say the average American thinks somewhere between 50,000-70,000 thoughts per day and 70% of them are negative. Just how average are you, my sister? It’s also said that the average person says something negative in every minute of a conversation. Yes, every 60 seconds, we speak a negative statement. It’s practically impossible for us to speak without talking about something that’s wrong. And this is NOT God’s will for his girls. This is not his desire for us. He wants to renew our minds and transform our thoughts. He wants us to be “Just Right Girls”. A Spiritual Goldilocks. Goldilocks was the little girl who wanders into the house of three bears while they are away. She tries their porridge, finding one too hot, one too cold, and one just right. She then sits in their chairs, finding one was too hard, one was too soft, and one was just right. Finally, she tries out the mattresses in the house until she finds the one that was just right and takes a nap. There’s a ‘just right’ for you and your Creator is hoping you will receive it, enjoy it and rest in it. Here’s the problem – we are so focused on what we don’t like, what we don’t want, and what we think isn’t right, that we miss what is just right. Where’s God’s JUST RIGHT for you? Our study of the book of Genesis brings us to the story of a ‘Just Right’ man. A man who walked right. A man who sought right. A man who continually experienced what wasn’t right, but trusted in God to make it just right for greater purposes. Genesis 37 – Joseph was one of 12 boys, the sons of Jacob. Joseph was his father’s favorite and this made his 11 brothers sorely jealous. One day at just 17 years old, Joseph’s brothers sold him to a group of traders for 20 pieces of silver and was taken as a slave to Egypt. This is just the beginning of a series of unfortunate events which he didn’t deserve. He’s sold, then falsely accused, then imprisoned, later used, then forgotten. And through the next 22 years, we see Joseph continually faithful. With each up and each down, Joseph trusts God. With every turn, Joseph looks for what was JUST RIGHT. And he finds that even in unfair circumstances, even in the worst of hardships, even in the greatest of struggles, God was forever doing something that was just right. Never once do we read of Joseph complaining. Never do we see him becoming bitter. Never do we see him being pitiful. There was no blame, no resentment, no hardened heart. Like Goldilocks, he went from one thing to the next, always seeking what was JUST RIGHT where he was. He was in a pit, finding what was just right. He was in a prison finding what was just right. And eventually, he was in a palace finding what was just right. And what was just right to Joseph wasn’t comfort, control, certainty or convenience. No, quite the opposite. What was just right to Joseph was the building of his character and the calling of God. What’s JUST RIGHT to you, my sister? How perfect do circumstance have to be for you to be happy? How right do things have to be for you to see them as right? If I were to ask you how you slept last night, what would your answer be? Would you begin to tell me how hard it is for you to go to sleep? Would you tell me about those hot flashes? Would you tell me about your back, your snoring husband, or your insomnia? That’s what the majority of us would do without even thinking about it. It’s just normal. It’s what we do. It’s habit. 70% of our conversations are going to be negative. But God’s girls aren’t called to be normal – we’re called to be JUST RIGHT GIRLS. Girls that receive what God says is just right for them. Girls who choose to enjoy what God says is just right for them. Girls who rest in what God says is just right for them. Girls who talk about what God says is just right for them. This isn’t toxic positivity – this is the ultimate surrender trusting God to use everything for something good. This is trusting God to get it JUST RIGHT. Let me ask you – Do you really believe God cares about the details of your life? Do you really believe you have the ability to pray about everything and invite God’s personal involvement into your personal circumstances in every moment? Yes? And do you believe he really does have the ability to see what you can’t see and the power to work all things together for your good? Yes? Do you really believe God can FOREVER GET IT RIGHT, and I mean JUST RIGHT? The perfect alignment, the perfect fit with the perfect timing? You see, when you really believe that’s who your God is and that’s what your God does, then you really can receive what’s just right for you. Then you really can enjoy what’s just right for you. And you really can rest in what’s just right for you. Here at retreat, Destiny from Texas shared how her husband is a ‘Just Right’ man. His reply to most everything is “just right”. How did you sleep? Just right. How was work today? Just right. How was traffic? Just right. How’s the weather? Just right. Does he live in a perpetual paradise? No. Is he oblivious to reality? No. He’s a Spiritual Goldilocks. He’s forever looking for God’s just right for him. And when he can’t see it and when he doesn’t feel it – he simply chooses to trust that God knows what he’s doing and he’s making it just right. Since learning about this ‘Just Right’ man, I’ve been practicing this. I got just a few hours of sleep last night and let me tell you, it was JUST RIGHT. It feels like 10 degrees outside this morning, and it’s JUST RIGHT. I would choose neither of these things, but I trust God is getting it right. He’s building my character to align with his calling. Who am I to know what’s right above God? If Joseph can be sold into slavery, thrown into prison, betrayed, used and forgotten time and time again and never lose faith that God was getting it right, then can’t we? After 22 years, Joseph now sits in a palace with tremendous power as his brothers come to him begging for food. Without an ounce of bitterness, without a sense of hurt or betrayal, with nothing but a healed heart that God was FOREVER GETTING IT RIGHT, he’s able to say in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” God got it right. It was just right. It was always just right. It just didn’t always look like it or feel like it. But it was all working together to be something just right. And this CAN be your truth too, my sister. God cares about you. He knows where you are and what you’re going through. His providence is all over your life. He is making a way, and it’s the right way. You may not see it now, but one day you’ll be able to look back and see it was just right. So why not choose today to receive, enjoy and rest in what is being made just right? A Spiritual Goldilocks – God’s Just Right Girls. Forever looking for what God is making just right. Forever trusting God to get it just right. Forever talking about what is just right. What’s just right for us isn’t comfort. It isn’t control. It’s not certainty or convenience. No, quite the opposite. What is just right for us is building of our character and the calling of God. May we, God’s girls, be forever looking for God’s just right for us. And when we can’t see it and when we don”t feel it – may we simply choose to trust that God knows what he’s doing and he’s making it just 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

What are you running from? What are you avoiding, hoping it doesn’t catch up with you? In our study of Genesis, Jacob had been on the run for years. He had tricked his brother Esau out of the birthright and the blessing of their father, so he ran. And finally one night, when he was all alone, in his worst place of fear and vulnerability, God met him. All this time, God had been chasing him. Not chasing him to punish him, but chasing him to change him. Jacob’s identity was that of a trickster. Everyone knew Jacob was willing to twist the truth and do whatever was needed to get what he wanted. But most importantly, Jacob knew that about himself. From before birth while in his mother’s womb with his twin brother, he was fighting. His very name declared he was a deceiver. He had cheated his way to success. But still God didn’t give up on Jacob. Isn’t that wild? God still knew his potential and never cancelled his calling. God continued to pursue Jacob. This is the most reassuring thing for a girl like me who has chased after the wrong things, done good things the wrong way, and gotten a little lost along the way. God never gave up on me. My friend, God’s not giving up on you. I don’t know what path you’ve been wandering around on, what mess you’ve gotten tangled in, or what secret you’re keeping – but you need to know this – God is still chasing after you! He still knows your potential. His calling on your life still stands. Jacob had a rare moment of being all alone, and it was in that moment of stillness that God caught him. He had received word that after all these years of being away from his family in a distant land making a life for his own, his brother was looking for him. Yes, the brother he had tricked. The brother he had done wrong. Esau, the burly hunter was hunting for Jacob, and he had 400 soldiers with him. So, Jacob sends all of his workers and all his family across the river to protect them from this attack, and it left him alone in the camp for the night. And there, God finds him. GOD CAN FIND US IN OUR WORST PLACE. Why was God looking for Jacob? Not to punish him. Not to convict him. Quite simply to change him. To give him a new identity that would carry him into his divine purpose. There, in this place where Jacob can’t run anymore, he wrestles it out with God. Did you know it’s okay to wrestle something out with God? It’s okay to struggle your way through faith and obedience. It’s okay to ask God how, when and why. God is big enough to handle anything you bring to him. All he asks is that you DO bring it to him. Here, in Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with God. And God asks him in verse 27, “What is your name?” Why would God ask Jacob his name? Doesn’t God know who he’s wrestling with? Oh absolutely, God knows. After all, God’s been chasing him. God’s been waiting for the moment Jacob quit running and got alone with him. God asked Jacob his name for one reason – TO CHANGE HOW HE SAW HIMSELF. He replied, “Jacob.” Jacob, the name he had always lived with that reminded him he was always a trickster – always a deceiver – always the one twisting the truth, fighting to get his own way. And in that moment, God gave him a new identity. Verse 28, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” Israel is a radically new name with a new identity. Israel means you have struggled it out with God and relied on him fully. Jacob was struggling with God, demanding his blessing. At no time was God too weak for Jacob. At no time was God limited in power. But with a tremendous act of grace, God let’s Jacob win in the struggle and blesses him. And in this, Jacob for the first time realizes he can’t do life without God. He can’t continue to outrun his angry brother. He can’t continue to force his own way. He can’t continue to cheat and lie. Right here, God is changing him. And that’s what God does. God meets us in our worst place and our self-created mess, and he allows us to struggle it out with him. He covers us in grace we don’t deserve, blesses us in ways we could never imagine, and changes our identity to be fully dependent on him. Jacob now has the new name of Israel. And while he would still often be called Jacob, he knew he was no longer the trickster he used to be. He was a man covered in God’s grace. God didn’t have to let him win, but God graciously gave him the blessing. My favorite part of the story comes next in Genesis 33. Jacob has devised this elaborate plan to send gifts ahead of him to meet his angry brother and the 400 soldiers after him, hoping to save his own life and family from the deserved attack and payback from his previous sin. Everything he had been running from in fear was about to come to him head on, and he was so afraid. But, when Esau sees his brother Jacob, this is what happened instead. Verse 4, “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they both wept.” When Jacob stopped running and completely relied on God’s grace, everything he had been running from proved to be a blessing. His angry brother didn’t want to kill him, he wanted to reunite with him. I don’t know what you’ve been running from – but maybe God is showing you today that if you’ll depend solely on him, he will cover you with the grace to see there was nothing to run from. Everything you’ve been so afraid of is already taken care of and God is making the way to restoration and healing. How much longer are you going to run? How much longer are you going to try and fix this on your own. Sit here and wrestle this out with God. He will cover you in grace, change your identity, and bless you with an outcome you could have never created on your own. 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

People can be so weird. I’ve seen good families fall apart when there’s a slight inheritance to split. My uncles nearly killed each other over a 20 year old mounted dear head after my grandfather died. When you start talking about money, or promotions, or next levels, people start getting greedy and the ugly comes out. What do you do if someone is cheating you out of what is yours? What do you do if what was promised to you is taken from you? Remember, we talked about that earlier this week. What God says is yours will be yours. Period. But still, sometimes life isn’t fair and what you’ve rightfully earned is denied by those who hold power over you. How will you handle it when the promotion unfairly goes to someone else? What will you do when the split of the money isn’t fair? What will you do when the contract isn’t honored, your words are twisted, you get sued, you’re overlooked, or you are denied? YOU TRUST GOD! You can’t always trust other people, but you can always trust God. I can assure you of this – God sees exactly what is happening. He knows every detail of this situation and he’s already working on the behalf of the one seeking what is right of him. Is that you? Are you seeking what is right with God? It’s real easy to get caught up in what you want and what you think you deserve – it’s much harder to truly surrender all that and only desire what God says is right for you. What if God says the promotion you should rightfully get isn’t what’s right for you – would you trust him with that? What if God says the money that is owed you isn’t the money he has for you – would you trust him with that? What if the fair thing isn’t God’s thing – would you trust him with the unfair thing? Genesis 30 & 31 tells the story of Jacob after he receives the blessing of his father. Life wasn’t easy, even though he was blessed. He dealt with unfair people and unfair situations. He fell in love with a beautiful girl named Rachel. But, in order for Jacob to have Rachel as his wife, he had to work for Rachel’s father Laban. Laban was unfair. He continually changed his mind and tricked Jacob into working harder and longer for him than necessary. But as Jacob was facing unfair situations with his greedy father-in-law, God was working. I may not know what unfair situation you are facing right now, but I know if you are trusting God for what he says is right, then God is working! And I don’t know about you, but I absolutely LOVE the way God works. He often works in the most unexpected, quirky, behind the scenes ways you would never expect. But there he is working, taking care of those who trust in him. Jacob had made an agreement with his father-in-law for payment. Jacob would care for all Laban’s flock, and he would only ask for the imperfect sheep to be kept for himself. The imperfect ones were the spotted ones, the striped or speckled ones, or the black sheep. They were the undesirable sheep. Laban agreed to this, knowing it was a great deal for him to get to keep not only the majority, but the best for himself. But, something crazy started happening – whatever designated undesirable sheep had been declared as Jacob’s, suddenly all the new born sheep would be marked in that way. Jacob was suddenly getting ALL the sheep. As soon as Laban would catch on, he would unfairly change his agreement. But as soon as he would change the designated marking of sheep going to Jacob, then that marking would be on all the next newborn sheep, making them all Jacob’s again. Every time Laban would change his mind, God would change the sheep to make them Jacob’s. And here’s what Jacob knew in this continually unfair situation with his family – Genesis 31:6-7, Jacob says to his wife, “You know how hard I have worked for your father, but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.” Jacob knew God was in control. When he was being treated wrong, when what was supposed to be his was continually denied, when the deal was continually changed – God would not allow harm to come to him. God simply changed the newborn sheep to match the undesirable specific marking that had been designated as Jacob’s. And every time the deal changed to a different marking, God would change the sheep and they would still be his. My friend, if God can change the marking on the sheep to make it right for Jacob – he can change whatever he needs to change to make it right for you. You don’t have to stress. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to do anything out of anger, bitterness, or fear. The enemy wants you to freak out and do something stupid here. But don’t you do that. You’re God’s girl. God’s got you! Repeat after me: I won’t do anything stupid here. When every ounce of you wants to lash out and demand what is fair, you remember God is your provider. God is your redeemer. God is your healer. You won’t even have to fight for it. An angel of the Lord visits Jacob in a dream and says, “I have seen how Laban has treated you.” Then the angel shows him how God is making every future sheep born in Laban’s flock to be streaked, speckled and spotted, which means they are marked to be his. And now these undesirable sheep are the strong ones. Even while Jacob was under the authority of an unfair man who continually tried to cheat him, God ensured Jacob was blessed. Genesis 30:43, “The weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s. As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats …” God sees what is happening. He knows about this unfair thing. You can trust him in this. Romans 8:28 is a life verse. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Do you know that? Do you know with great confidence that God is deeply concerned about you is causing all things to work together in his plan to become something good. He’s sees what is happening and he can work with it. Maybe you can’t, but he can. Now just trust him. It may be unfair right now, but God hasn’t taken His eyes off you for a second—He’s smiling, working behind the scenes, and turning this very mess into a story of blessing you’ll one day laugh about and thank Him for. You may end up with a whole flock of black sheep, and girl you will be blessed!!!!! 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

Remember the twin brothers, Esau and Jacob, that are born to Isaac and Rebekah? Remember how Esau is born first, but Jacob is born holding onto his foot. Then, one day, in Esau’s hunger, he trades his birthright to Jacob for a single bowl of soup. Now, because of Esau’s failure to value what he was still waiting for, he’s forfeited his future double inheritance and the spiritual leadership of his family. Two chapters later, in Genesis 27, we come to a story titled “Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing”. Let’s set the stage for this story – Isaac is now an old man and in his final days he’s ready to give his blessing to his oldest son. He says to Esau, “Go hunting then prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.” But there’s a problem. Rebekah, the mother, was listening and she got in the middle. Rebekah favored her younger son Jacob and she wanted him to receive the blessing. Oh the messes meddling mothers create. Mama, listen to this warning in God’s word – STAY OUT OF IT. You don’t need to get in the middle of your adult child’s business. You don’t need to fix this. Rebekah tells Jacob, the younger son, to go out and kill their own goats and bring them to her so she can quickly make the meal herself. Then, she would have Jacob bring the meal to his father, posing as his older brother, and receive the father’s blessing. But, there’s one problem – While Issac is now old and blind and wouldn’t be able to see the difference, he would be able to feel the difference. Esau was a hairy beastly man, while Jacob was a smooth mama’s boy. But, the meddling mother had an answer for that problem too. She skinned the goats and covered Jacob’s arms and neck with their hairy skin. This is next level meddling, y’all! Jacob, covered in the skin of a hairy goat, goes in to his father, serves him the meal his mama had sneakingly made, and Isaac blesses him. Feeling the hair on his arms, convinced this son was the first born Esau, the father says: “From the dew of heave and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. May many nations become your servants and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed and all who bless you will be blessed.” Now, Jacob has received the blessing and he leaves his father. Immediately after, here comes Esau in from his hunt with the fresh cooked delicious meal his father had requested. Esau says, “Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your blessing.” But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.” Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me wild gave? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry, “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged. But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?” Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine – what is left for me to give you, my son?” Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing?” Can’t you just hear the desperation of the son begging for his blessing? And can’t you hear the desperation of the father who has nothing left to give? Oh the pain of being tricked, of being cheated, of being without blessing. Who stole your blessing? Who got what was supposed to be yours? Who took your place? NO ONE. No one can take what God has for you. No one can fool God. If it’s yours, then it will forever be yours. If someone else got something, there’s absolutely zero limitations imposed on what you can still get. God is not limited. God can bless a million other people while still fully blessing you. You don’t have to compete. You don’t have to be jealous. Your fear is unnecessary. 2 Corinthians 9: 8-9 MSG, “God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways. He trows caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out and never wear out. This most generous God is more than extravagant with you.” God wants to be extravagant in his generosity towards you. He’s not running out and he’s not wearing out. He gives in reckless abandon, knowing unlike an earthly father who has a limitation on the blessing he can give, God’s blessing is forever unlimited. God has given me so much – but even still, his ability to give to you has never been negatively impacted even for a second. We’re not in competition, my sister. God’s blessings are for both of us! Stop assuming your position is the back of the line – there’s an extravagant blessing here for you too! This earthly father was limited in his blessing. Our heavenly father is unlimited. This earthly father had mistakenly given his only blessing to the younger son. Our heavenly father knows precisely who you are and knows the abundance of blessing he wants to continually pour out on you! Repeat after me: No one can take the blessing meant for me. But, you could be refusing the blessings. You could be misusing the blessings. You could be so focused on the blessing of someone else that you cause yourself to miss the blessing God has for you. The blessings will not be forced. Heartbroken over the binding blessing that has already been given, Isaac tells his oldest son this powerful truth. This truth is one we all need to hear today. Genesis 27: 39-40, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above. You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. BUT WHEN YOU DECIDE TO BREAK FREE, YOU WILL SHAKE HIS YOKE FROM YOUR NECK.” Esau had the power to break free from the unfair thing that had been done to him. The power would be there when he DECIDED to break free. Isn’t that powerful? When will you decide to break free from what has been done to you? There’s been a yoke on your neck, burdening you and weighing you down, and all this time, you’ve had the power to break free from it. Just decide. Decide to break free. Decide you’re not going to live like this any longer. You’re not going to wallow in what happened. You’re not going to replay the story. You’re not going to be that victim. You’re not going to let hate or regret consume you. You’re not going to be pitiful. You’re going to BREAK FREE and shake that yoke from your neck. The blessing is still yours, my sister. What God has for you, no one can take. But maybe you’ve been forfeiting your power, spending your energy on blaming someone or something else. Break free from that. Decide now you will receive the blessing God has for you. 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

Genesis 26:12, “When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him.” Imagine a blessing of 100 times more than could be expected this year. 100 times more than you deserve. 100 times more than what is reasonable. How do you get that blessing? 1. You plant. 2. Allow God to bless your work. Isaac planted his crops that year. He didn’t expect God to bless something he wasn’t willing to do. Isaac didn’t expect God to multiply something he wasn’t willing to start small with. Isaac tilled the ground that year. Isaac planted the seeds that year. Isaac pulled the weeds that year. God blessed the harvest that year. This year, there is work for you to do. You’re at the very beginning stages of that work this year. You have goals which are the action steps towards the life you are imagining for 2026. But only God can turn that work into an abundant harvest. You could plant all the seeds perfectly – you could pull every single weed – but if God doesn’t bring the sun, your harvest will never come. My sister, you could follow a perfect meal plan, you could go to the gym every day without fail – but God blesses your health. You are 100% dependent on the Lord for your harvest this year. However, the harvest of this year depends on one thing first – Your work of planting the seeds. That’s your job. God can do anything, but he will not do what you’re called to do. Listen to me, my sister. There’s work to be done in your life this year. God isn’t going to do that work for you. He’s not going to declutter that house for you. He’s not going to set your alarm for you. He’s not going to put in the application for you. He’s not going to do your homework or your workout. Those are seeds for you to plant. The truth is, you’re standing here today with seeds in your hand. There are so many things you can do. Small steps are right in front of you. Simple beginnings are aligned for you. But every time you choose not to plant the seeds, you forfeit your harvest. You have no idea what God was willing to do for you last year if you would have just planted the seeds you had. But everything you failed to work for, work in, work on, and work through, God was denied his opportunity to bless. If you would work through this, God could bless it. If you would work on this, God could bless it. But where you delay your work, you deny God’s harvest. What could God bless in your life this year? Absolutely EVERYTHING. Everything you’re willing to get up for. Everything you’re willing to show up for. Everything you’re willing to push through for. The work of your hands is the beginning of the work God can multiply, but he won’t start it for you. Yesterday, I took the retreat girls to the Pathways Project house in the tiny town of Galena, MO. This is a rescue house serving as a safe place for women and children rescued out of sex trafficking. We were there to open hundreds of Amazon boxes with all the furnishings for this sacred space. We put together beds and book shelves, desks and cabinets. We filled the space with welcoming furniture and decorations. The doors will open by the end of this month to begin welcoming those souls in need as a pathway to healing and restoration. The building was given to the Patheways Project. Literally, just given to them without even asking for it. Every single item needed was ordered and delivered to their door. Then an army of BIG Life girls in matching shirts show up to put it all together. But let me tell you how it all started … it started with an ordinary woman who couldn’t turn her head the other way when she learned about sex trafficking in her area. It started with her hard work with no building, no funding and no vision for the future. It started with showing up for one girl who had been in over 30 foster homes and ended up on the streets being controlled by a trafficker, and offering to meet her for coffee. She cared about one girl and just kept caring. Then, more came. More girls came needing help. More people came offering help. A building came. The furnishings came. The army showed up. And God is blessing the simple, faithfilled work with a 100 times kind of harvest. Is it still work – oh you better believe it! Ask a farmer when the work ends – It never ends. When the harvest comes, the work doesn’t end. Harvest season is perhaps the hardest work. Go collect your bounty or it will rot! Maybe you’re all about the harvest, but you’re not willing to plant the small seeds that look like nothing in the beginning. God can’t bless that. Maybe you’re willing to plant, but you’re not willing to stick with the work. You’ll start strong, but you’ll fizzle fast. God can’t bless that. Notice this, it says, “Isaac planted his crops that year and he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him.” Underline PLANTED AND HARVESTED. Those are both really hard work. That was Isaac’s work, not God’s. Planting is the work of putting the seed in the ground. Harvesting is the work of following through and finishing what you began. And with that, GOD BLESSES. God cannot bless what you will not begin. God cannot bless what you will not continue. If the woman who started Pathways Project stopped working now, the building would sit fully furnished, but the hurting souls stuck in trafficking would never get to walk through those doors. The work has started, but the work continues. God blesses that! The work has started in your life. Will you continue the work? Will you keep showing up? Will you push through your feelings that tell you it’s not worth it or it’s not working, and demand obedience of yourself? You see, no one else can demand your obedience. That’s up to you. You have free will. And that free will can lead you to a year of giving up and forfeiting the blessing … oR your free will can lead you to the continued hard work of obedience that shows up when you don’t feel like it. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was for me to wake up this morning. I’ve been pouring out my best energy, my best effort, and my best ideas and sometimes it feels like there’s not a whole lot left. How do you sit down and write when you’ve got nothing? Quite simple – you obediently take the next step in front of you. If you will obediently take the next step in front of you, it will lead you directly to the next step after that. And if you will keep stepping, keep working, keep showing up, you will have a 100 times blessing on your hands. And let me tell you something, a hundred times blessing is a whole lot of work to receive! It’s a lot to manage. It’s a lot to be faithful with. God knows if and when he can trust you with that level of blessing, and when he sees your continued obedience in the work of planting, he will know you can be trusted with his blessing in the increased harvest! God has a 100 times harvest for his girls who will begin the work and continue the work. 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

If you don’t know what you really have, you can never be really grateful for it. If you don’t understand the value of what you have, you will fail to protect it. What you have is of the greatest value, but maybe you have overlooked it. And through your oversight, you have traded your best for something so far less. You have settled for something completely inferior simply because you didn’t understand what was truly yours. Our study of the book of Genesis brings us now to the story of Jacob and Esau. These are the battling twin brothers who teach us 2 valuable lessons. Esau was born first, and Jacob was born holding onto his heel. And this was the beginning of a sibling rivalry that would make Jerry Springer shake his head. In these days, the first born received the birthright and the blessing. The birthright was a double portion of inheritance and the role as spiritual leader of the family. Because Easu was born before his twin brother Jacob, according to custom and tradition, the birthright belonged to Esau. In a moment of weakness, Esau traded all of this for a single bowl of soup. How foolish is that? Genesis 25:29-33, “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, ‘I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!’ ‘All right,’ Jacob replied, ‘but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.’ ‘Look, I’m dying of starvation!’ said Esau. What good is my birthright to me right now?’ But Jacob said, ‘First you must swear that your birthright is mine.’ So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.'” Verse 34 in TPT, “Then Jacob gave Esau some lentil stew and bread. When Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and walked away. Esau cared nothing about his own birthright.” Was the birthright of tremendous value? Technically, yes. However, if the one who is in line to receive it does not value it, then the value is forfeited. A double portion of the inheritance, forfeited. Spiritual leadership, forfeited. And Easu didn’t even care because he didn’t value what was rightfully his. He was happy with his bowl of soup. What is our bowl of soup? Where have we settled for far less than God says is our birthright as his girls? What have we failed to value as the daughters of the King and forfeited in our hunger for something now? What we want most is often forfeited for what we want right now. We want that God appointed relationship, but we will settle for the one available for a meet up now. We want to walk in God’s calling, but we will settle for a guaranteed paycheck, 401K and insurance. We want peace, but we will settle for distraction. We want healing, but we will settle for a bandaid. We want a word spoken from Heaven, but we will settle for a word spoken on TikTok. Do we really understand, appreciate and value what is ours as God’s girls? Jeremiah 29:11, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” • Where have we traded God’s best plans that were still in the wait, for the secondary self-construed plans we could have right now? • Where have we dismissed ourselves from God’s desire to prosper us, and settled for something so much smaller out of comfort? • Where have we taken God’s offering of hope for our future, and turned it into worry, stress, and doubt? You see, we know what to do with worry. Stress is so familiar. I know how to wake up to doubt. It’s all becomes so comfortable. What’s not familiar is hope. What’s not comfortable is the idea of truly prospering in God’s plans. How do I feast on what I can’t see? How do I get filled by what I can’t hold in my hands right now while I’m hungry? You’re hungry. You’re hungry for something, anything. This emptiness you feel within is eating you up on the inside. And this is where the enemy of your soul will come in and offer the little you can have right now to keep you from having the fullness of what is rightfully yours. What is rightfully yours as God’s girl is his Holy Spirit to guide you in your every step. And that spirit doesn’t allow you to be weak or fearful. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” That’s what is yours. You have power. You have love. You have self-discipline. It’s already yours. Given to you by your Heavenly Father. Are you going to forfeit that power over your every tomorrow for a bowl of soup you can have today? You will if you fail to value it. If your phone keeps you distracted, you will never hear the whisper of God’s spirit that gives you supernatural strength and guidance for your next step. You’re hungry, yes. But are you going to settle for just anything to eat? You’re lonely, yes. But are you going to settle for just anybody? You’re uncertain, yes. But are you going to settle for just any answer? There’s a bowl of soup in the offering for you today, and it will feel so good to take a big spoonful right now – But what will that cost you? GOD HAS MORE FOR YOU! Esau forfeited his birthright to his younger brother for a bowl of soup. And we forfeit God’s best for what is easiest, what is available, what is familiar, what is comfortable. How much longer are you going to keep eating that soup? At what point will you accept the hunger pains as you wait for the plans God has promised over you? The second lesson from these battling twin brothers is one we often miss, but one we so desperately need today. Jacob was given his name from birth because it meant trickster. He was born grabbing the heal of his older brother. But Jacob had always been set apart. When Rebekah was pregnant with the twins, the Lord told her in Genesis 25:23, “Your older son will serve your younger son.” God had predetermined the order of birth and the birthright, and it was the opposite of human standards. The birthright was always Jacob’s according to God’s plan. Jacob didn’t have to trick his brother out of what God had already ordained as his. He didn’t have to twist things. He didn’t have to manipulate anyone or anything for his benefit. God already had it for him. Jacob caused undo trouble with his brother to get what was already his according to God. And how often do we do the same exact thing? We don’t trust God to really get it right, so we twist things to make it work. We don’t trust God to fully open the door for us, so we force it open. We don’t believe God could really give us the absolute best, so we self-create our best. We don’t trust God’s timeline, so we rush the timing. We grow jealous, fear we will be left out, and end up becoming someone we never wanted to be to get what we think we have to have right now. Repeat after me: No one can take what God has for me. Repeat after me: I don’t have to have it right now. Repeat after me: I’m willing to wait for God’s best. God, I trust that your plans for me are better than anything I could ever work for on my own. I believe that you have something personally for me just because I’m your girl. Something no one can take from me. I don’t have to force it, rush it or twist it. I will submit to your will, your way, your timing. I will stay hungry. I will chase after only you. And I will be confident of the birthright you have promised me. 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

If you getting better and living bigger in this new year is all based on you, this is going to be a struggle. If it’s all about who you are, what you have, what you can do, and what you want, you are gearing up for an impossible battle. This isn’t all about you. This isn’t all about what you can do. If it is, you will be limited by the same exact things that have limited you in the past. Nothing will change. Nothing will stick. You weren’t created to live this life without the personal involvement of your Creator, so if you’re focusing on you, honey, this is going to be a hot mess! You are going to be sorely disappointed over your lack of progress and continued struggle with the same ol’ things. But, girl, let me tell you, if you are doing these things through the power of Jesus Christ, NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE! If this is about becoming who God created you to be, and living up to his good plans for your life, there’s not a single wall, sea, chain, or mountain that can hold you back. The question is – what is 2026 about for you? Is it all about what you want to do, where you want to go, what you want to change – or is this about God’s plans for your life and his original design of who he imagined you to be? When your focus is on God, walls crumble. When your thoughts are centered on the Almighty, impassable seas part. When you are worshiping Jesus, chains break and prison doors are opened. When your faith is in God, mountains obey your command and move. So, are you focusing on God, or are you focusing on your problems? Are your thoughts centered on the Almighty, or are you thinking about the overwhelming changes required? Are you worshiping Jesus, or are you worrying your way through another day stuck here? Is your faith in God, or are you counting on your hard work to be enough to change things this year? If this is all about you, then your grit will eventually run out, and you will come to a grinding halt. But honey, if this is about what God is doing in you and through you, then there are zero limits on the possibilities here! 2 Timothy 1:9 “God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time – to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” When this becomes all about your works, you are plugged into an extremely limited power source. You will get tired. You will grow weary. Your willpower will waiver. You will get frustrated. And maybe on the 9th day of this brand new year of life, you’re already feeling that. Those goals are already wavering. Some have already given up, believing they can never change. Why do we have such a tendency to fail? Because we’re human. You are human. You are not the power source. You are a carrier of the power source. Sis, this isn’t about your works, this is about the One who will work in you! I travel with a portable charger. With this power pack, I can charge my electronic devices anywhere at any time. However, eventually that power pack will run out of power. It will go dead. It is not self-sufficient. It must be plugged into the direct source of power to be recharged. Once recharged, it has power within it to give again. We are the portable charger. We can do things. We can make progress. We can achieve goals. We can make changes. However, never forget, Sis, WE ARE LIMITED. We are not self-sufficient, stand alone creations, meant to give and never receive. We aren’t meant to work and never worship. We aren’t meant to show up with power without first receiving power. Do you want to know my secret to showing up with this amount of energy every day to pour into you? My secret is I get recharged every single morning first! And I’m not talking about caffeine. I’m talking about plugging into my source of power, my source of energy, my source of strength, inspiration, motivation, guidance and peace. If I don’t plug into him, I have nothing to give you. I’m as worthless as a dead portable charger. I’ve got nothing. God is our source. We carry his power, but we continually need to plug into him to receive what we then give. You are filled to be spilled, but you must first, and continually, be filled. If you only focus on what you can produce, you will eventually run out of power and production will stop. Remember when you used to produce? Remember when you were once showing up with so much power? Yeah … was that because you were plugged in then, and you forgot to plug in now? You’re on low battery, Sis. You forgot you weren’t created to do this on your own. Get this straight right now at the beginning of this year and you will save yourself some major disappointment. If this becomes a focus on your works, it’s simply not going to work! God didn’t call you to a great purpose because of the work you can do. He called you to a great purpose because of the work HE can do through you. God didn’t give you those big dreams because of your power to push through. He gave you those big dreams so HIS power could push THROUGH you. God didn’t give you your gifts and talents so you could look great. He gave to you because HE is great. You are covered by his grace to fulfill your purpose. You were never designed to live a life that wouldn’t require grace. Grace is for your human imperfections that fail, and God knew about your failure before your first breath. He knew you couldn’t do this on your own and get it right. He knew you would struggle. He knew 9 days into this new year, you would question if this year could really be different for you. He knew you would find yourself right here today, desperately seeking this change, and he already predetermined the grace you would need here. Let’s read it again. 2 Timothy 1:9 “God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time – to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” This scripture reminds us that his purposes for us were created before the beginning of time. That means before the book of Genesis. Before the creation of the world. Before Adam and Eve. Before a single thing happened, God had a purpose for YOU. My mind can’t even wrap around that – but I chose to lean in and trust it because it’s God’s word. Can you lean in? But, God didn’t stop there. As much as God had a purpose for you since before the beginning of time, he also had grace for you. Purpose and grace are connected. God destined both purpose and grace specifically for you, before the beginning of time. He filled you with power, then he planned for you to continually come back and plug into him for more. Grace for when you run out. Grace for when you grow tired. Grace for when you have nothing left to give. Grace for when you forgot to protect what you had and let it be wasted. Grace for when you were plugged into the wrong things. Grace for when you sat doing nothing without purpose for so long, you went dead inside. (Woah, could that be why you feel so empty, so lost, so dark – you went dead inside. You’ve been sitting and you ran out of charge. There’s a solution for that. What do you do when your portable charger sat in your backpack for months without use and went dead inside – YOU PLUG THAT BABY BACK IN AND RECHARGE IT!) There’s grace for that! And all you have to do is use that grace, which he always knew you would be needing, to come back and plug in again to the Power Source. Be recharged. What can you do on your own this year? Maybe a little, but eventually, girl, you’re going to run out. What can you do with a continual connection to God? Infinitely more and greater than you could ever ask, think or imagine! You can walk in the flow of grace, and fulfill God’s purposes that will absolutely blow your mind! That’s what your heart most desires, because it’s within your design from before the beginning of time. If you need grace today because 9 days into the new year you’re already struggling, come get your grace. Recharge. Plug back in. Let his power flow through you. Then show back up with a renewed purpose to live in God’s good plans for your life with God’s power! 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

When exactly should you pray about something? How big of a deal does it need to be before you bring it to God? Does God really have time to be concerned about every little detail of your life? Honey, there are 70 billion trillion stars in the sky, and God calls each one of them by name. He counts the sand on every shore, and numbers the very hairs on your head. Yes, he has the capacity to handle your prayers about every detail of your life. But not only does he have the capacity, he has the care. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us a great guide on what to pray about – “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. THEN you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” There’s nothing you can’t or shouldn’t pray about, because there’s nothing God doesn’t care about or hold power over. How long do you pray about it? Until you have peace over it. Peace is God’s gift in response to prayer. And something truly amazing happens when you have God’s peace – you no longer have to force your way, manipulate the situation, or stress over the details. God’s peace filling our hearts and minds allows us to flow with God’s design and live in alignment with his good plans for our lives. Again – how do you get that level of peace? Only by praying about it. What should you pray about? Everything! It’s a trick of the enemy to make you feel unimportant to God. It’s a lie from the pits of hell that tell you God doesn’t have time for your specific prayers. He is fully capable of calling all 70 billion trillion stars in the sky by name, counting the sand on every shore, and handling your every concern brought to him in prayer. The question for you today is, HAVE YOU PRAYED ABOUT IT? Not just worried about it. Not just played out every scenario in your head. Not just talked to family and friends about it. Not just complained about it. PRAYED ABOUT IT. Have you asked God for help? Have you asked him for clarity? Have you sought him for discernment? Have you surrendered the outcome to him fully? If you have, then you can take your next step as he directs, or wait has he prompts, all in utter and complete PEACE. This week, my friend Catherine taught me the most powerful prayer and I want to share it with you today. When you come to God with a specific problem, a specific request, a specific choice that needs to be made, start your conversation with God by praying this: Lord, at the beginning of this time, would you get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to this matter. It’s our own heart that gets in the way. Our heart is how we “feel” about it. When we want what we want more than what God wants, we begin twisting things. When our feelings sit on the throne, God isn’t directing our lives, we’re doing it. And listen to me – you aren’t good on that throne! You seriously suck at directing your life on your own. We start forcing doors open when our heart is out of alignment. When our heart is set on one thing, we miss the other thing God has for us. Our feelings lead us down halls we don’t belong and into rooms never meant for us. So, to begin, we ask God to get our heart to a place that it has no will of its own over the specific matter. God, I fully want YOUR will, your way, in your time. Remove my feelings from it. Genesis 24 tells the story of Abraham’s servant setting out on a mission to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. This wife would be very important because she would be the mother of all these promised future generations blessed by God. It couldn’t just be any pretty girl, it had to be the RIGHT girl. How do you know for sure you’re making the right decision, choosing the right person, going in the right direction? There’s only one way – YOU PRAY ABOUT IT. You pray until your feelings are surrendered, your thoughts are hushed, your heart is in alignment, and you are filled with God’s peace. So here’s what Abraham’s servant did before this monumental task of finding a wife for the son Isaac – he prayed. Genesis 24:12, “Please give me success today.” Woah – that’s powerful! Lord, please give me success today. This morning, did you ask God for success? Why wouldn’t you do that every day? Oh yeah – because you don’t really think God cares that much about you. HE DOES! He cares about your decision. He cares about your next steps. He cares about your relationships. He cares about your work. He cares about your health. He cares about your today and your tomorrow. When you seek God first for success, it’s a heart in alignment with the truth that God is the source of your success. Not your brilliant ideas, your big plans, or your grind and grit. Nope – it’s GOD FIRST. On Saturday morning, my husband and I watched one final sunrise from the harbor in the Florida Keys before heading out on our roadtrip. It was one of the most stunning sunrises I’ve ever seen and I have the frame worthy photo to prove it. Standing there in the harbor with us was a man on his yacht who travels around from island to island. I mean he’s basically living the life! He says to me, “You know, it’s all luck and motivation.” Really, is it all luck and motivation? In that moment, I could sense God shaking his head and saying, “Oh, my child – you have no idea! Nothing is luck. And any ounce of motivation you have came from me first as a gift.” I used to count on luck and motivation – now, I count on God first. Lord, if I have success, I know it is because of YOU! Abraham’s servant prays first – “Lord, please give me success today.” He prays for a specific confirmation of the right woman to be chosen as a wife for Isaac. It was an outstanding act that would require a truly outstanding woman to fulfill. Here’s what the servant prayed. “See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ – let her be the one you have selected as Isacc’s wife. This is how I will know …” Is it okay to pray specific prayers? Well, if it wasn’t, why would God want this example included in his holy word? Does God answer specific prayers with clarity and confirmation? Well, let’s keep reading. Verse 15-21, “BEFORE HE HAD FINISHED PRAYING, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant said, ‘Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.’ ‘Yes’, she answered, ‘have a drink.’ And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, ‘I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.’ So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels. The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission.” To understand the enormity of this task is to understand the character of this young woman Rebekah. The servant had 10 camels, each camel drinks up to 20 gallons of water. Gathering 200 gallons of water from a well would have taken hours of hard work for a complete stranger who hadn’t offered to pay her in any way. Rebekah had the character of a servant! Her appearance was of no concern, it was her heart!!! The servant had prayed for God’s success and removed his thoughts and feelings from the outcome. He didn’t want to manufacture anything on his own. That’s the place of complete trust and surrender we must come to in our prayers. God, get my heart into such a state that my heart has no will of its own regarding this matter. After seeing Rebekah’s servants heart, fulfilling the sign that had been prayed for, Abraham’s servant goes to her family and shares his prayer and request to take Rebekah back to be Isaac’s wife. And he says in verse 49, “Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.” He’s not forcing his will or way. He’s prayed for success from God. He’s fully removed his will from the matter. And now he’s willing to accept either a yes or no with no personal influence. Rebekah’s family agrees, Rebekah says yes, and the mission is a success, blessed by God! What do you need to bring to God in full surrender of his will? What feelings do you need to lay on the altar and allow your heart to get in alignment with God’s? Where will you ask for God’s success today? 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 Pamela for an unscripted study of how God blesses the life of obedience and surrender. Genesis 22 & 24. 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 ultimate act of obedience is to offer the thing we love most. It would be easy for me to give you something from my closet that I never wear – but to give you my favorite thing would be a real sacrifice. Sure you can have my Amazon earrings, but the jewelry I bought in Italy is a totally different story. That’s a treasure to me. It would be unfair of you to ask me for my treasure. God asked Abraham to be willing to sacrifice his greatest treasure. His son. The son he loved with every fiber of his being. The son he had prayed and waited his whole life for. And honestly, what an unfair ask of God – right? But today, we will take another look at Genesis 22 and reveal the unmatched love of God within the story of an unfair ask. When God asked Abraham for the ultimate demonstration of his love and sacrifice, he asked him for his son. When God the Father wanted to show us the ultimate demonstration of his love and commitment to us, HE GAVE HIS SON. God knew just how unfair it was to ask for Abraham’s son, because he was preparing to do it himself. All these years, I’ve avoided the story of Abraham’s test of faith because it seemed so cruel. Was he really willing to sacrifice his son? Was he really prepared to lay his son on the alter? He most certainly was – and here’s why: He knew God could do anything. His faith was stronger than his feelings. And just as he laid his son on that alter, God provided a sheep for the sacrifice instead. That day, God came through with a substitution in the form of a sheep. A sheep that would be sacrificed for the cleansing of sin. And about 2,000 years later, God came through with the ultimate substitution – his own son. Jesus is called the Lamb of God, the perfect lamb without blemish or spot, sacrificed on a cross to redeem us. God gave the ultimate sacrifice of his greatest treasure. His ultimate demonstration of love and commitment to us is in offering his son, Jesus. He saved Abraham from having to give his son, and God himself gave us his. What greater love could there possibly be? When God tested Abraham with this unfair ask, he specifically said, “Take your son, your only son – yes, Issac, whom you love so much.” Do you see the divine connection here? God did that for us! God took his son, his only son, who he loved so much. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God did that. He did it for Abraham. He did that for me and for you. The unfair ask, the unthinkable sacrifice, the ultimate demonstration of love, has been done for us! Why? To save us from the life we deserve. We often say things like, “I work hard, I deserve a new car”, or “It’s been a bad day, I deserve to relax”, or “a woman like me deserves to be treated better.” That sounds good – but let me tell you something, we should never ask for what we deserve. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. We’ve all failed to measure up. What we deserve is death. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” Because we’ve gotten it wrong before, we really don’t “deserve” what is right. So let’s be clear – God says you don’t deserve it, but he says you’re WORTH IT! What is the life you really deserve? Do you deserve to be successful? Do you deserve to be happy and healthy? Do you deserve to get to go on vacation, have nice things, and be treated good? It’s easy to assume we are deserving of a good life because of our efforts and performance – but we have never once lived up to the standard of self-righteousness. No one has and no one can, except for Jesus. We don’t get what we deserve because Jesus accepted what he didn’t deserve. Jesus came to pay a debt he didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay – So, Jesus unfairly did it for us. I could never ask someone to give up a life to save my life, but that’s precisely what has been done for me. That’s what has been done for you. The ultimate sacrifice. My favorite detail in the story of Abraham is in verse 6, “So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders.” The son is carrying the wood for the sacrifice of his own life. Oh, the foreshadowing of what God was preparing to do. God’s only son, Jesus, our savior – he carried the wood for the sacrifice of his own life. John 19:17 tells us Jesus carried the cross by himself and went to the Place of the Skull, Golgotha. There, they nailed him to the cross and Jesus gave up his life willingly. He carried the wood for the offering on his own shoulders. Jesus did that! What God spared Abraham from, he did for us. Abraham walked back down from that mountain with his son. God watched his own son be crucified on that mountain. Why? To save us. I often share the story of the strangers who one day rang my doorbell and asked my name. I said, “I’m Pamela.” Then, they looked me in the eye with tremendous love and unshakable confidence and said, “For God loved Pamela so much that he gave his one and only son, so that she would have eternal life.” If I would have been the only person in the world, God would have given Jesus to save just me. And that has forever changed my life. I’m not just one of many who happens to sneak in by chance. No, I’m chosen, counted, selected, and personally accounted for by God, covered individually by the blood of Jesus. Do you understand that’s true of you too? You don’t just fit in with the crowd and sneak you way in. You’re not saved from a distance by accident. You were personally sought out, loved, and paid for by Jesus. God did that! An unfair ask was fulfilled just for you. God asked his own son to give up his life for yours, and Jesus did it. He did it for you. He got what he didn’t deserve so you could have the fulfillment of what you don’t deserve. And this sacrifice has made you holy and righteous. You are forever forgiven, forever made right, forever covered in a blanket of grace. And when you really understand the sacrifice that was made personally for you, you simply can’t ever see your life the same. You’re living the life that was saved. You’re waking up to a day that has been fully covered. Your tomorrow has been bought and paid for. Your forever has been secured. So totally and completely unfair. We could never be good enough to deserve it, but God asked his son to sacrifice for us anyway – and Jesus said yes. Imagine how Abraham must have felt walking down from that mountain having personally experienced God’s sacrificial provision. He had been saved. His son had been saved. And life could never be the same. We have experienced something even greater. Greater than a sheep showing up on a mountain – we have a savior who hung on the cross for us, and is now risen in power and glory, overseeing our lives! Girls, life can never be the same when we know this! The unfair ask on our behalf was declared a YES in Jesus! I don’t deserve it, but I’m forever grateful for it. 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 held back from God because you were afraid of what he would ask of you? I certainly have. I was once convinced a surrendered life would be a boring life – wow, was I wrong! I once believed releasing the desire for my own way would be the end of my desires – again, I was really wrong. It was the beginning of something so much more. What will you do when God calls on you? Will you hide? Will you play little? Will you dismiss yourself? Will you withhold? Or will you believe in the goodness of God enough to say, “Here I am.” I believe that’s exactly what is happening today. God is calling on you. He’s calling on you to trust him. He’s calling on you to take the next step. He’s calling on you to go for him. He’s calling on you to change something, surrender something, do something different this year. Will you answer his call and say, “Here I am.” What would happen if you did? You would get to see and experience the things only God can do. Will it be scary? Maybe. Will you feel inadequate? Probably. Will it be worth it? Absolutely! In our study of the book of Genesis, we’re reading about the life of Abraham. Remember, he and his wife Sarah had waited their whole lives for a promised baby. Finally, at the age 90, Sarah miraculously becomes pregnant, and Abraham becomes a father to Issac at 99 years old. Abraham had believed God’s promise, and now he was walking in the fulfillment of that promise with his long awaited son. And then we come to a chapter titled “Abraham’s Faith Tested”. Whew, have you ever been in one of those chapters of your life? This is where the hard stuff happens. This is where things don’t make sense. And this is where you get to see that through it all, God is forever faithful with his providence and power. Genesis 22 begins with, “Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. ‘Abraham’ God called. ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Here I am.'” With over 100 years of life experience, Abraham knows he can trust God. He knows whatever God calls him to, God is going to provide for him to get through. He knows the promises God has spoken over him are undeniable and irrefutable. He lives in the reality that God does impossible things. I wonder if maybe we have forgotten that. Have you forgotten the impossible things God has done for you before? Have you skimmed over the promises your Creator has for you? Can you look back and see that God has always been with you and always made a way? The more you know that, the more you can trust him here. And when you fully trust God, you can reply to his every call with, “Here I am.” What God speaks to Abraham next was unthinkable. Verse 2, “Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Wait God – WHAT?!!!!!!! This is the son I’ve waited my whole life for, the one every promise hinges on, and now you’re asking me to sacrifice him? To give him up? That doesn’t make sense. Have you ever tried to make sense of the supernatural? Have you ever tried to plan for the impossible? Have you ever tried to calculate the miraculous? Here’s what we do – we flip out, we freak out, and we stress out. When we can’t see it, control it, or fix it, we struggle with it. But God is NOT STRUGGLING. Please hear this loud and clear. Whatever you are struggling with, God is not. Does he care? More than you can imagine! But is he struggling? Not in the slightest. He already has a plan and he perfectly holds the power to fulfill his plan. Whatever you’re struggling with right now, I have a simple and powerful prayer of faith for you today. Right now, think about this area of struggle in your life. That person, that relationship, that uncertainty, that hardship, that hurt – and now repeat this prayer: “God, I know you’re not struggling. Thank you for having a plan through this.” So what does Abraham do when asked to give up his son? Well, we don’t see him flipping out, freaking out, or stressing out. We see him responding in obedience. How? Because he knows by experience that God can be trusted. Here’s what happens next. Verses 3-8: “The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ‘Stay here with the donkey,’ Abraham told the servants. ‘The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.’ So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, ‘Father?’ ‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied. ‘We have the fire and the wood,’ the boy said, ‘but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?’ Verse 8 – ‘God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son.’ Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.” Remember – what is the title of this chapter? Abraham’s Faith Tested. Abraham isn’t freaking out. He’s not flipping out. He’s not stressed out. He is 100% confident in God’s ability to perfectly fulfill his plan. And here’s the key – When you know God’s promises, you can trust his plan. Abraham knows God’s promises over his son and every future generation that will come from his son. And because he knows God’s promise, he can trust God’s plan. With absolute confidence, he says to his servants – You guys stay here, my son and I are going up there to worship, then WE will come right back. Abraham didn’t know how, but he knew because of God’s promise, he and his son were coming back down off that mountain together. An offering at that time required a sacrificed life and young Isaac is carrying the wood for the fire on his shoulders and says, “Father, where’s the sheep for the burnt offering?” Abraham’s reply – “God will provide!” That is our answer. It’s my answer for the tests I’m facing and it’s your answer for the tests you’re facing. GOD WILL PROVIDE. I don’t know how and I don’t know when – but somehow God is going to provide exactly what is needed in every situation and we’re going to come back down from this mountain. It’s going to take a miracle, but I’m guided by a miracle worker. It’s quite impossible, but my God is the god of impossible. Abraham didn’t know how he was going to sacrifice his son and still walk back down off that mountain with him, but he knew God was going to do something! He didn’t know how his sacrifice would align with the fulfillment of God’s promises over him and his countless descendants through this son, but he trusted him. God, here I am. I’m trusting you. I’m walking up this mountain. I’m taking the wood. I’ll build the fire. I know you will provide. And I know we’ll walk back down off this mountain having experienced your divine and miraculous provision. I wonder if sometimes we get so caught up in the ‘how’ and ‘when’ that we fail the test. We don’t see God’s miraculous provisions because we aren’t willing to cut the wood. We aren’t willing to climb the hard mountain, so we never know what God really had for us up there. We won’t build the fire, so we never see the miraculous. Abraham cut the wood. He climbed the mountain. He built the fire. And let me tell you what happened – At the perfect moment, an angel of the Lord calls to Abraham again. Once again, Abraham replies, “Here I am!” Verse 13, “Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yaheweh-Yireh (which means ‘the Lord will provide’). Abraham hadn’t always been obedient. Remember, he had created messes in his fear. He had failed to believe God, followed his own plan and learned some hard lessons. But now, he’s learned through experience that God’s way is truly best and can be fully trusted. Even when it’s hard. Even when it doesn’t make sense. The Lord will provide. We’re each on that same journey. The journey of learning to go all-in with God. The journey of learning to fully trust him. The journey of surrender. The journey of obedience. And God is so patient with us on this journey. He gives us chance after chance to get it right. He gives us so many opportunities to fail, then walk in his grace. And with each step, we’re learning to trust him. We’re learning to confidently answer his call, “Here I am!” What will God do here? I don’t know – but I know he will do something. How will he provide in this? I don’t know – but I know he will never fail. Maybe this hardship, this struggle, this problem you’re facing is ultimately an invitation to see God’s miraculous provision in a way that will forever change you. We live in a reality that God does impossible things – be here for it! 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

All good will come under attack. In a garden of beautiful potential, there will be weeds. Everything you plant in your garden will be attacked. To assume otherwise would be naive. You woke up this morning in a garden of beautiful potential. Here, in this year, supernatural things can happen in your life. Things you have been waiting YEARS for have the potential of happening here. Seeds you thought were dead are about to breakthrough the ground. Yes, breakthroughs are here. Growth is here. Proof of all you have been praying for, working for, waiting for, is about to be seen. And my sister, it’s all under attack! Why? Because it’s good! God is doing something sooooo good in you. He’s been moving in your life, working in the details, preparing you for this new year. You’ve felt it. You’ve felt dreams being whispered again, hope being stirred, strength being received. And now … things get noisy! Your adversary, the devil, he is loud. 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” He roars! He creates noise. What does the noise do? It distracts us. It creates fear. I wonder who woke up to distractions, problems, and discouragements today, on just the 2nd day of this new year. It’s not starting how you wanted it to start. Why is that happening? Because you are on the cusp of breakthrough. You are daring to believe the promises which God has spoken over your life. You are claiming the power, the love, and the self-discipline God’s spirit has offered you. You’re starting to write goals from God’s word, goals God wants to pour his power into! And if the enemy of your soul can’t rob you of that offering, he will certainly try to distract you from it. There is noise! Oh, you will probably hear the noise today. Sometimes it shows up in loud, chaotic roars that send shivers down your spine. But most times it shows up as the little voice in your head that tries to talk you down. The voice that says you can’t. The voice that says you’re not good enough. The voice that says you’re not worthy of the changes you desire. The voice that says it will never happen for you. The voice that says it’s too late. That is NOT the voice of God. That is the voice of darkness. That is goodness under attack. Today, we will look at the perfect little story hidden within the pages of your Bible to give you the exact words to speak and next steps to take when the enemy shows up with his distractions and discouragement. It’s the story is of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was charged by God to rebuild the destroyed wall of Jerusalem. These walls had been in ruin for over 100 years, and it was time to be rebuilt. For 100 years, people had looked at these torn down walls that had left their city vulnerable to attack, and of course everyone had wished for something to change – but no one had been willing to do anything about it. I wonder what desperately needs to change around you, but no one has been willing to do anything about it? What if God is charging YOU to be the one who gets to work now? Oh, I believe he is. No more wishing and complaining. No more waiting. It’s time for the work to be done, and God chooses YOU! The good work starts now! Nehemiah had been doing a good work of rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. But remember, all good comes under attack. His enemies did not want him to rebuilt the wall and they tried to discourage him. But Nehemiah would not be discouraged. Say that with me, “I WILL NOT BE DISCOURAGED!” Nehemiah 6:1-4, “When word came to our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it, my enemy sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.” You have good work to do in 2026. Rebuilding of what the enemy has destroyed. Rebuilding of what has been broken. Rebuilding of what you thought could never be. And your enemy, plain and simple, DOES NOT WANT you to do this work. No, he doesn’t want you to grow in your faith. No, he doesn’t want you to be healthy. No, he doesn’t want you to be confident. No, he doesn’t want you to have good relationships. No, he doesn’t want you to have energy and joy. No, he doesn’t want you to be happy or successful. Heck no, the devil doesn’t want any of that for you. So you better believe he has been scheming to distract you and discourage you. What should your reply be? Just like Nehemiah. “Enemy, I am carrying on a great project and I don’t have time for you. I will not stop this work because of you!” But the enemy does not give up easily. Nehemiah received the same message 4 times, and scripture says each time he gave them the same answer. That means the voices will try to distract you on Monday, and they will be back again on Tuesday. But that’s not all, they’re coming for you again on Wednesday and Thursday too. But wait, there’s more. The messages from the enemy came the 5th time. Fears and threats, all to distract and discourage Nehemiah from the good work he was doing. And this is what Nehemiah did, chapter 6: 8-9, “I sent him this reply: ‘Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.’ They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’” Oh my goodness, isn’t this exactly what the enemy is trying to do to you? With all his noise, he’s trying to make you believe you’re not good enough and you will never finish what you start. He’s discouraging you with circumstances, bad weather, excuses and doubts. But your response must be, “No, devil, that’s not what is going to happen here this year! I don’t believe you.” Now turn to God, focus fully on him, and ask him to strengthen you! My sister, there is so much goodness in you. God has such great plans for your life and the enemy will try to distract you and discourage you. Day after day, time and time again, you will have to continue on with the work God has given you to do this year and not stop! You will have to choose not to believe the lies of the enemy. You will have to overcome the voices that tell you you can’t. You will have to push through the hard days and the setbacks. And you will have to continually ask God to strengthen you. And if you do, you get to experience life like you have never know before! Here’s how the story ends. Chapter 6, verse 16, “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” Oh, the enemy and all of his demons will be afraid because you are doing this work this year with the help of God. They will lose their self-confidence in their power to distract and discourage you. The enemy may be coming into 2026 with a lot of confidence because he has been successful in his schemes against you in the past, but not this time, Devil. Not this time! We know your game, and we know how to defeat you! James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resist him. Fight him. Don’t believe him. Don’t be distracted by him. Oh, he’s going to come in and interrupt your goodness. He’s going to be loud and bring chaos. But don’t you dare stop the good work you’re doing. Resist him and he must leave! When the enemy tries to discourage you, you must respond with determination. When the enemy tries to distract you, you must use discernment. Discernment – it’s the spiritual ability to see circumstances as God sees them, not as they appear. Nehemiah had discernment. He knew the invitations of his enemies were distractions. He knew the talked about rumors were discouragements to stop his good work. Nehemiah was not fooled, even when it sounded good – he had discernment. Discernment comes in two steps. 1. Read God’s words. You will only recognize God’s voice when you learn what his voice sounds like. You will recognize his voice by reading his words. 2. Ask God for discernment. 1 Corinthians 12:10 tells us discernment is a gift of the Spirit of God. If it’s a gift, you can put it on your wishlist and ask for it! Lord, please give me the gift of discernment. I don’t want to be fooled. I don’t want to believe the enemy. I don’t’ want to give up in discouragement again this time. Help me to see these distractions for what they really are. Neihmiah rebuilt this wall in just 52 days! These walls had been in ruins for over 100 years and they were set right in just 52 days. The things that have been wrong your entire life could be set right in just 52 days. 52 days of hard work and refusing to be discouraged or distracted. 52 days of seeking discernment. But remember this, your hard work alone will not get the job done. You need God’s help here. You have to seek God in this. God says in Zechariah 4:6-7, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my SPIRIT! Nothing, not even a mighty mountain can stand it your way; it will become a level plain before you!” I will not be discouraged. I will not stop my work. I will seek God for strength, and I will continue! 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

Does God care about you having fun? Does he care about you doing things you love to do? Does he want you to enjoy life? Yes – as long as it doesn’t become the entire objective of your life. As long as God still gets first place, fun is one of those things that he gives us as a result. Our Bibles are full of scriptures that tell us of the joy and pleasures in the presence of God. Does that only apply to Heaven after this miserable life? No. Jesus even taught us to pray that God’s kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven. Joy and pleasures here – how? Well, we can be in God’s presence now, and when we are, we get to enjoy the fullness of life. Look at creation and you’ll understand God’s nature. He loves beautiful things. He loves mysterious things. He loves quirky and bizarre things. Watch a few episodes of Planet Earth and you will see God’s fun nature on full display. He was having fun creating this world, now he invites you and I in on the fun. Misery is always an option, but it’s never a good one. The enemy of your soul loves to make you feel like the best stuff in life must come in rebellion to God. Like you can’t have fun and follow Jesus at the same time. Hmmmmm … hang around with me for a day and I think we can prove the devil wrong. We can follow Jesus into some wild, faith-filled spaces we could never reach alone, and we can be the funnest girls there! Fun is my middle name. It’s actually my job. It’s my calling. I create fun for people and then I invite them to play. And ultimately in the fun, we experience the love of God and the joy of Jesus. I can’t spread the love of God and the joy of Jesus by being miserable and turning everything into a dreaded burden. And my friend, you can’t either. We are here as the representatives of Jesus. Represent him well! When Jesus walked in a room, people gathered. Heck, they even tore the roof off a house to get in a crowded room with Jesus. He had something radically different and that energy was felt in his presence. Now, we carry that same Spirit of energy. Don’t dampen it. Revive it. Unleash it. People are drawn in by that positive energy and fun vibe and you can then easily point them to Jesus. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Understand that Jesus not only offers a full and abundant life in Heaven, but he offers a full and overflowing life right here and now. The way you live your life is what brings Heaven to Earth. You’re here to represent Jesus – Is he remotely appealing to others when they look at you? In the final hours of my Daddy’s life, the veil between Heaven and Earth had grown very thin and while laying in that hospital room, he could experience Heaven. Fully aware, he told us what he saw and experienced. My Dad let out deep belly laughs and giggles as he said, “Jesus is so funny! Everyone is so happy here!” I believe that with every ounce of me. And I believe we are called to represent Heaven here on Earth. So, let’s look at 4 scriptures for our FUN Goals and confidently write a few goals we don’t have to feel guilty over in our fun. Scripture 1: Psalm 90:12 TPT, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” When you realize just how fast this life goes by and how limited your days really are, you recognize the value in each day and you are no longer willing to waste your days. Girls, let’s make these days count. Have you ever noticed how it feels like time goes so much faster than it used to? And we all feel that way. Why is that? Well, there’s actually a scientific reasoning behind it. When you were a kid it seemed like an eternity from one birthday to the next, right? And now it feels like your birthdays come around so much faster. Here’s why. When you’re 8 years old, you only have 10 years of life experience to compare 1 year to. 1 year represents 1/10 of your entire life. It’s bigger to you. But, when you’re 40, 1 year is only 1/40th of your life, so it seems smaller in comparison, therefore going by faster. Now, here’s what you need to know – the older you get, the faster time will continue to go. If one year goes this fast at your age already, imagine 20 or 30 more years from now how you’ll blink and there goes another year. And that means your time to do everything you wanted to do with this one life is running out faster than you imagined. We don’t have to live in fear of running out of time when we live in awareness of the value and brevity of our days. My absolute favorite movie to watch at the beginning of a new year is “About Time” with Rachel McAdams. Without spoiling the movie, it’s about a family where the men are time travelers and no one else knows about their secret talent. They can travel back and experience the same day over and over again, perfecting it to live it as the wish. And in the process, there’s a valuable lesson taught. If you live it right the first time, once is enough. If you treasure the full value of the day as you have it, you don’t have to go back. As an older mom now, I would love to go back and experience my kids being little for one more day. I would love to hear their feet running across the floor and experience their little hand in my hand again. If I could get a return ticket to that time, I would just sit in those moments and savor them fully. I didn’t treasure it for what it was when I had it. I was rushing through life, wishing the days would go faster. But now, I’ve learned to live different. I’ve learned the secret of treating moments as if they were my return ticket to the ordinary days and making them extraordinary with my full presence and intention. I don’t rush through them anymore because I’m fully aware the day will come in the future when I would give anything to have this moment back. Yes, this moment – the one I have today. So while I have it and while I’m here, I’m learning to treasure it like a return ticket to what will never be again. GOALS: • Savor the ordinary and make it extraordinary. • Number and appreciate my days like a return ticket. • Take full advantage of the time God gives. • Slow down and savor my moments. Scripture 2: Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13, “There is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” Here’s the huge key in this – the gift from God cannot become more important than God. The point of life cannot be chasing happiness, eating and drinking. Don’t twist this scripture to fit your desired habits. God has given us this life to live and he’s surrounded us with beauty and blessings to make it better. These are God’s gifts to us, enjoy them in a way that honors him. GOALS: • Honor God with my joy. • Enjoy God’s gifts fully. Scripture 3: Jesus said in Matthew 5: 14-15, “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under as basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” God has put a light within you, and that light is supposed to shine the love and joy of Jesus. Honey, is your light shining? There’s something different in you, but is that something different showing through you? Could a stranger recognize the Holy Spirit’s light in you with a brief encounter? You were not given this light to be hidden. You were given this light to shine. Shine in the way you live your ordinary days. Shine in the way you get giddy over the smallest things. Shine in the way you stand in awe and wonder over God’s creation. Shine in the way you invite others into the joy and make it more about Jesus than it is about you. GOALS: • Shine bright and don’t dim the light. • Be different than the world. • Unleash my giddy and live in awe. Scripture 4: 2 Corinthians 6: 11-13 MSG, “I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’ve been living them in a small way … Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!” When God created you, he didn’t say, “Gosh, I hope she will settle for a little, okay life.” You were never designed to be a glorified bill payer, repeating the same tasks over and over again, numb to it all. No, when God made you, he said, “She’s a masterpiece – now I want her to live BIG!” The truth is, most of us are not truly overwhelmed with life like we say we are – the truth is, we are actually underwhelmed with life. Life has become so small, so routine, so predictable and so mind-numbingly boring, that even the smallest problems look really big and overwhelming in our little underwhelming world. The solution isn’t to create a simple, little life with no problems. The solution is to live a BIG Life where your problems aren’t allowed to overwhelm you. Stop living little, my friend. You were given this one lifetime in which to do everything you will ever do – Are you doing it? What is it you’ve been dreaming of doing – Well, are you ever going to do it? What beautiful thing have you still not seen – Well, when are you going to get around to seeing it? In my experience, God loves to say YES when our priorities are right and we’re seeking him first. His desire is not for us to live little, shut in lives that just one day finally end so we can go to Heaven. His desire is for us to make the most of this life we’ve been given, make a big deal out of him, and leave a wake of impact all around us! So, the question is – what are you going to do with this one life you have been given? GOALS: • Live BIG! Stop playin

Home/Money/Career Does God care about where you live, where you work, how much money you make and how you spend it? Absolutely. Jesus tells us to look at the birds and notice how God takes care of them, then know how much more valuable you are than the birds to God. Jesus tells us God is so intimately involved in the details of your life that he numbers the hairs on your head. NUMBERS. Not only counted, but numbered. Meaning when one hair falls out, he knows precisely which hair it was. And if God has the care and capacity to number your hairs, then I assure you he has the capacity to care about your home, your work and your money. Also, be aware of this – Satan loves to meddle in these things as well. He schemes in Hell how he can bring chaos and disorder to your home. How he can make you miserable in your work. How he can make you so consumed with the pursuit of money that your priorities become twisted. How he can make you continually unhappy because of what you don’t have and miss the blessing of what you do have. The spiritual battle is for real over your home, over your money and over your work. God wants to bless you, and Satan wants your blessings to become burdens. And that is why we must seek God for our goals. How do you live in the blessings without them becoming burdens? How do you pursue good things without the pursuit consuming you? How do you get every single thing God has for you without getting what the enemy pushes on you? Today, we will look at 5 scriptures directly from God’s word for guidance in setting our home/money/career goals for 2026. Scripture 1: Matthew 25:29, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” Here’s what God knows – If you won’t take care of the little house, you most certainly won’t take care of the new big house. If you won’t show up on time for your hourly pay job, you won’t show up on time for your higher level promotion. If you don’t spend $100 wisely, you certainly wouldn’t spend a million wisely. We are continually revealing what we will do with more. Scripture says God has the ability and resources to generously provide everything you need. There’s nothing he can’t do and nothing he can’t give. It’s all under his power. We also know God is not a greedy God, but he is gracious and generous in abundance. He likes to pour to not just fill your cup, but overflow your cup. But, God is not foolish or reckless. In his divine wisdom, he watches to see how you use what you are given before giving you more. What if our prayer shifted from “Lord, give me more” to “Lord, I want to be faithful with what I already have. Thank you for this, now I want to use it well.” GOALS: • Be faithful with the work I have. • Care for what I have been given with delight. • Waste nothing. Scripture 2: Romans 12:13, “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” We aren’t given homes to hide behind our doors and create our safe little spaces. We aren’t given money to keep buying more stuff so we can hoard our treasures. We are entrusted with homes to offer hospitality. We are entrusted with things to give them. Out of greed, cynicism and self-protection, we have closed our doors, closed our hands and closed our hearts. God says, OPEN THEM BACK UP! Have you ever prayed for God to show you the needs around you, then you suddenly started noticing people you’ve never noticed before? Why are these needs around you? Because God put you in the middle of them to help! Stop falling for your own fear-driven excuses of not having time, not know what to do, and not being good enough to help. God wants to make you EAGER to help in 2026! GOALS: • Open my home, open my hands and open my heart to help • Be moved by what moves God, then get in motion • Offer my time, talents and treasures with no strings Scripture 3: Proverbs 2:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.” I don’t have barns with grain, nor do I have vats with wine, but I do have a business – I do have a family – I do have a bank account. And I know without a doubt those things get filled when I honor God by offering my best. God’s economy works very different. His math doesn’t make sense. The more you give him, the more you somehow end up having. God doesn’t want your leftovers, he wants your best. You honor him by offering your best. In a very practical sense, this means making everything you have an available offering. Have you ever given away something you really love? Just how good did that feel? Gosh, nothing compares to the feeling of blessing someone else with what you have. And that good feeling isn’t an accident – it’s by God’s great design. You and I are literally designed to feel a level of joy and contentment unlike any other when we are ridiculously generous. GOALS: • Be ridiculously generous • Tithe faithfully and joyfully • Give away great things Scripture 4: Matthew 6:21, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” If what you treasure most is building a business, then business will consume you. The rest of your life may very well fall apart because your heart simply never leaves work. If what you treasure most is building your fortune, then money will turn you into a person you never wanted to be. If what you treasure most is fame, praise, comments, affirmations, likes and shares, you will be consumed with what everyone thinks of you and says about you. The world in your phone will become more valuable that the real world where you live and your heart will be stuck in your phone. Your heart will always be where your treasures are. This is a priority issue, and 99% of us have a real priority issue. Oh Lord, please help us realign our priorities. God teaches us to seek him FIRST, then everything else will be given to us. God says to love him with your whole heart, soul and mind AND love your neighbor as yourself. Our priority issues are heart issues. We waste our time, we waste our money, we invest in things that simply don’t matter because our hearts are always set on what we treasure most. GOALS: • Get my priorities right • God first, then everything else • No more wasting time or money • Be in my REAL life Scripture 5: Colossians 3: 23-24, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ.” Whatever your work is, you don’t have to be miserable in it. No matter how ungrateful your boss or your family might be, remember this – God sees your work and He will reward you! So, do your work for God. A funny thing happens within us when we do the absolute best work we can – we actually feel our best. Again, not an accident. That’s by God’s divine design. He put within you confirmations of when you’re really doing this thing right! Nothing feels better than doing the work, and doing it right! Cutting the corners and doing just enough to get by is a trick of the enemy that steals your joy and zaps your energy. Start doing your best again at whatever you’re doing, like you’re really doing it for God – because actually you are! GOALS: • Give my best effort • Offer my work as worship ————————————————–   MIND/HAPPINESS What an area of attack this has been for the enemy. Our mental health is a wreck, our happiness is so surface level and fleeting. This is NOT God’s desire, plan or will for a single one of his girls. It’s time we stop settling for a life overwhelmed by depression, anxiety, worry and fear. Take your peace back. Take your joy back. In the name of Jesus, take back everything the enemy stole. We are actively participating in the very things that are wrecking our lives and our addictions have put us under a spell to just keep doing it. Statics show cutting and self harm tripled in teenage girls once social media was introduced. Suicide increased by 151% with social media. We’re more connected than ever, yet so totally disconnected. We are now more fragile, more anxious, more depressed, more fearful, and more unproductive than ever in the history of mankind. We are seduced and manipulated into being zombies – and we’re very unhappy zombies at that. So, what are you going to do about that? What is God telling you to do about that?   Scripture 1: Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Let GOD transform you by changing the way you think. The world has made you think in a way that doesn’t align with God. You can’t just keep copying the patterns of the world. You can’t keep doing what everyone else is doing. It’s time to be different! God wants us to be different. God, how do you want to transform me into a new person. What patterns have I gotten into that have warped my thoughts? What has made me negative? What has made me cynical? What has turned me bitter? What has made me harsh? What has me absent, scattered, disconnected, rushed, unproductive? Where has the enemy hijacked my mind and stolen my contentment? Help me to take it back! GOALS: • Drastically limit screen time • Delete social media • Dedicated unplugged time • Ditch my phone and get a Bible • Be different with Jesus • Take back my time • Take back my happiness Scripture 2: Philippians 4: 6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he

RELATIONSHIPS God cares about our relationships. He loves relationship. Think about this: Even God didn’t do his work alone. He specifically designed the trinity of himself, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to work together. That should tell us how important relationships are to God. In fact it’s why he created YOU. You were designed for relationship. You were never intended to do this life alone. God could have created Adam and stopped there. He could have enabled Adam to do everything alone. He could have made him a one man show with all the time in the world to do all the work – but he didn’t. God specifically created Eve for Adam, then blessed them with children. RELATIONSHIPS are God’s design, so YES, he cares about your family, your friends, your circle. And his word has so much to say as a guide to writing goals for those relationships in 2026. From his word, we discover our deepest and most powerful goals. Remember this, relationship goals are always about how YOU SHOW UP in your relationships, not how anyone else shows up. You cannot control them, so let them. When you let them, you ultimately let you. You let you show up as the wife, the mom, the daughter, the sister, the friend, the coworker, the neighbor God wants you to be. Relationship goals are 100% about how you show up, not about others showing up. Can you trust God enough in 2026 to get it right on his end when you are faithful with yours? I have 4 scriptures on relationships to share with you. Each of these becomes a guide for your goals. Scripture 1. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (it’s the wedding scripture), “Love is patient, love is kind …” and it goes on for 4 verses giving us a list of how to specifically live in love. God knew we would struggle with this, so he literally spells it out for us. He says, “My girl, this is what you do and this is what you don’t do.” God actually knows what he’s talking about with relationships, remember he designed them and desired them for himself and you. Trust what he says and apply it to every relationship you have. Breaking down this familiar scripture point by point, we’re going to look at different translations to apply God’s word to our goals. Verse 4: “Love is patient, love is kind.” That means you don’t give up, it means be intentionally thoughtful. “Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.” That means don’t obsess about what you don’t have or what they don’t do, it means don’t force yourself on them, don’t demand to be first like you’re more important. Verse 5: “Love does not demand it’s own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged.” That means don’t keep score, it means don’t be overly sensitive and easily offended. Verse 6: “Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.” That means stop finding delight in what is wrong. Stop talking about them. Verse 7: “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” That means you always look for the best, it means you never take failure for defeat, it means you remain steadfast during difficult times. Do you see the relationship goals you need here? Yes!!!!! Go back, verse by verse, looking at different translations like the MSG translation, TPT translation, NKJV translation, AMP version. You’ll end up with the most powerful goals from God’s word for HOW YOU SHOW UP in your relationships. It has nothing to do with them, and everything to do with YOU! GOALS: • Be intentionally thoughtful. • Let them. (Read the book – The Let Them Theory) • Be un-offendable. • Stop talking about who is wrong and what they’re doing. • Look for the best in others. Scripture 2: Romans 12:18, “Do all you can to live in peace with everyone.” Does God want you to be at odds, nit picking, bickering and pointing fingers? NO – he wants YOU to do everything YOU CAN to live in peace with everyone. With who? EVERYONE! Yes, including your ex. Including your most difficult coworker. Everyone. It doesn’t matter what they do, it matters what you do. And what you do is everything you can to live in peace. God’s words! GOAL: Be at peace, keep peace, speak peace. Don’t be difficult. Scripture 3: Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue can bring death or life.” The words you say are either killing relationships are bringing them to life. What are you saying and how is it affecting others? You’re responsible for that. The words you speak to someone can live with them for the rest of their lives. Your words become a soundtrack in their mind they will play over and over again. You have no idea the power of every word you speak, so speak carefully. GOAL: Speak positive, life giving words of truth and affirmation. (If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say it. Whew, that will change your relationships!) Scripture 4: Ephesians 4: 2-3, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” This means let go of being right. This means apologize quickly and forgive freely. This means don’t nitpick and nag. GOALS: • Choose my battles (and most of it simply isn’t to fight over). • Forgive them. • Stop nagging. HEALTH GOALS Psalm 139:14 says you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” The word fearfully in Hebrew is yare which means an awe of something sacred. Like the first time I went to the Redwood Forest and I stood in awe of the towering trees. Like the way I look at a hot pink sunset. Like the way I stand on a cliff on the Amalfi Coast and gaze with sheer amazement at the Mediterranean sea. Not fearfully as in afraid, but fearfully as in total awe of it’s beauty. THAT’S THE WAY GOD MADE YOU. He made you in awe and he sees you as wonderful and sacred. The question is, do you? Do you see yourself in awe? Do you consider your body wonderful and sacred? Do you treat it with love and reverence? What if your health goals for 2026 originate from a place of awe over how perfectly your body is created and the wonderful things it can do, and honoring your creator with the care of what he has so wonderfully made. Not goals of “lose 50 pounds”, “wear a pink bikini and look good”, “have an ab”, or “run a marathon”. No, first come from a place of honoring the beauty of what God has created and caring for it with reverence. God cares about your health. He cares about what your body is able to do. He cares about how you treat yourself. Now, let him help you take this tangled web of quick fixes and get skinny fast crap with it’s and twisted ideas of beauty, and get back to his idea of health and beauty. Scripture 1: 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God. You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” The MSG translation says your body is a SACRED PLACE. There are things you simply wouldn’t bring into a sacred place. You wouldn’t bring cigarettes in a sacred place. You wouldn’t bring cheetos and twinkies in a sacred place. What are you putting in the sacred place of your body? GOALS: • Treat my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. • Remember, my body is a sacred place. Scripture 2: Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” This means be faithful with the health you have, with the steps you can take, with the things you can change right now – then bigger things will become possible. It’s easy to think you would make healthy choices if you were able to run 20 miles. You would fuel your body as an athlete if you could run like that, but you can’t, so you don’t. You would set aside the time to run for an hour if you could run for an hour, but you can’t so you don’t have the time. But my sister, could you walk for 15 minutes? If you will be faithful with walking now, eventually you might be able to run. And this applies to every area of your health. If you would do the little things now, you could do bigger things next. GOALS: • Start small and keep going • Move my body • Eat for fuel not for pleasure Scripture 3: 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” This means God has already given you power. He’s already given you self-disciple. You do have willpower because God has given it to you, now it’s up to you to use it. You do have self-control, now get yourself back in control instead of just doing whatever you feel like. We cannot be ruled by our feelings. The enemy will trick you into never feeling like what you should do, and always feeling like what you shouldn’t do. Your feelings cannot be trusted, but God didn’t design your body to be ruled by feelings. No, he gives you power greater than that. Power to make yourself do what you know is best. Power to push through and show up even when you don’t feel like showing up. Then, by God’s divine design, you end up feelings SO GOOD when you do! GOALS: • Stop being ruled by feelings. Tap into my God given power to do what I need to do. • Exercise my self-discipline and willpower. • Commit and prove I can. Scripture 4: Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” What if taking care of your body is more than just a goal to look good and fit in your jeans – what if it were a committed action to honor God. What if you sought him FIRST in your health, asked him what to eat, worked out as an act of worship – WOW, that would be different! And what if that commitment of your actions to God is what would bring you success? His word says it

Welcome to the final countdown of 2025. Together, we will use these final days to fully seek God for guidance in planning the new year of life in the offering. What will you do with 2026? How will you live your days? What will you pursue? Who will you become? Life can just happen to you – or you can answer the call to live up to your potential as God’s masterpiece created in his image. Which will it be for you? It’s a decision only you get to make. You either settle, or you go for it. You either dismiss yourself, or you dare to believe God created you for more. You either belly up to the table God has set for you and dive in, or you refuse your seat and survive on scraps. Have you ever thought about what it actually means to be created in the image of God? It means that you and I set apart to uniquely reflect the power of our creator unlike any other creation. Within us, we have the potential of doing great things. You know, Jesus actually really meant it when he said, “Anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works …” (John 14:12) Within you and I is the potential to do really great things. So … why don’t we just do them?!!!!! For real – let’s live up to our design and dare to be and do everything Jesus says we can. What if that’s what the new year is about? About daring to live up to your God-given potential. About doing the great things Jesus said you could do. About becoming everything God imagined when he created you in his image. You can’t live that life without seeking God first. Oh you can work and grind and strive and you can experience temporary highs and momentary successes, but they always come crashing down. Did you know people who achieve a big financial goal typically feel a depression after reaching that goal? You know why – they have the money, they are finally successful, they built the business, met the goal, but they still don’t like who they are. Every goal you will ever have is a temporary high from which you will come crashing down if you’re not becoming who God created you to be. If the inside doesn’t match the outside, the battle will rage. I’m a HUGE fan of goals. I’ve dedicated the past 16 years of my life to creating a goal setting system that really works. In the process, my life has radically changed. Yes, I’ve met some huge goals along the way. I’ve run the marathons, I’ve built the business, I’ve built the big house – then I sold that house and decided I’m better suited for being homeless and traveling, I’ve seen beautiful things and had awesome adventures. And all along, God has been sweet enough to let me do all those things while patiently waiting for me to discover something so much bigger, deeper and meaningful. It’s not the goal you set – it’s WHO you become to achieve that goal! The rest is just details my friend – it’s WHO you are becoming on this journey. This is the journey of becoming the image of God. Becoming the reflection of his light. Becoming the bearer of his good news. Becoming the vessel that carries his Spirit and shares his love. Does God care about the goals of achievement, the goals of success, the goals of personal dreams and desires – ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! As you surrender your life fully to Him, he becomes the author of your desires and they grow like seeds leading you to the live you were always designed to live, producing the fruit that honors him. God loves goals and here’s how I know. God is a God of vision. He had a vision for his creation, then he spoke it into existence. And when he created you and I, he created us in his own image with the ability to share his vision, speak it, create it and live it! The enemy of our soul also love goals. Goals that busy us, distract us, divide us and discourage us. Satan is happy to let you be successful and gain everything you’ve ever wanted if it means you lose your soul. Satan is always delighted to distract you with busy work so you never achieve your real life work. But most of the time we never reach success – we’re down here struggling with disappointment. We’ve lost our confidence, forfeited our power, twisted our identity, and settled for lesser than versions of who we were created to be – and the enemy of our soul is DELIGHTED! Well it’s about time that nonsense STOPPED! That’s why we’re doing GOALS and we’re doing them with GOD FIRST! Before you begin writing the things you want to achieve and the places you want to go in 2026, we will seek GOD FIRST. I really do believe Jesus when he says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Everything else comes when you put God first. His kingdom means his way, his timing, his plan – seek that first! Seeking his righteousness means desiring God’s nature of being holy and true becoming your nature. Less of you, MORE OF JESUS. And when you do that, all these other things will be added. God first, then everything else! I’ve spent many years chasing everything else first and adding God in as the sprinkles on top. I never understood the true fullness of life God offers until I put him first. Jesus came to give us life, LIFE TO THE FULL – and he means it! Life overflows when God gets that first position. So, over the next 4 days, I will teach you in very practical terms how to seek God first in your goals. And if you do, everything else shall be added to you. (Jesus’ words, not mine.) We divide goals into 6 areas of life: 1. Spiritual 2. Relationships 3. Health 4. Home/Money/Career 5. Mind/Happiness 6. Fun For each of these areas, we will first seek God’s voice and guidance for who he wants us to be and how he wants us to show up. How do you hear God’s voice? How do you receive God’s guidance? Quite simply – READ HIS WORD! Everything we need is right here, if we simply read it, believe it, and start doing it. Today, we will seek God in the first area, our Spiritual life for 2026. How can we grow in our Spirit and become more like the girl God created us to be? I have 4 scriptures for you today. Write down each one, study it, then create goals to apply these scriptures to your life. I’ll show you how. Scripture 1. Psalm 37: 4-5, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” Delight in the Lord. How do you do that? The Hebrew word for delight is Anag. It means to enjoy God so much that your heart is pliable and can be shaped to align with his will, leading to truly fulfilling desires. This is the key to your heart’s desires!!!!! What does that look like as a goal? Goal: Grow in relationship with God and let him change my heart. The second part of that scripture says to “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him.” Commit means to literally roll it to God. This verse in TPT translation says, “Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust him along the way, you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly.” What does that look like as a goal? Goal: Let God direct my life. Release control and trust him. Scripture 2: Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” Will you trust God enough to let him into the dark corners of your heart you’ve hidden away? That guilt and shame? That hurt and pain? That anger and bitterness? While you don’t always realize it, it’s been eating away at you. What would happen if you really surrendered every corner of your heart to God and let him clean it out? Oh, I can tell you – You would receive radical healing. Your feelings would change. Your perspective would change. Your words would change. Goal: Continual clean out of my heart and renewal of my spirit Scripture 3: Psalm 25: 4-5 TPT, “Direct me through my journey so I can experience your plans for my life. Reveal the life paths that are pleasing to you. Take me by the hand and teach me.” Goal: Seek God first for my plans. Grow in discernment to know his path. Scripture 4: John 15:4, Jesus says, “Remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” Some translations use the word ‘abide’. Abide in Greek is meno. It means a permanent and active connection with Jesus. It means MOVE IN, not just visit on Sundays. We all want to produce fruit in our lives – outward proof of good things growing from us. But understand your fruit will always come from connection before it comes from effort. Goal: Seek connection over performance. Stay connected to Jesus. Begin with goals that flow from God’s word! Let him speak to you first! THEN EVERYTHING ELSE. Will you spend time connecting with God, seeking his voice, reading his word, and writing goals for 2026 from his word? Begin today with these 4 scriptures on your spiritual growth. Tomorrow we will focus on relationships and health! (big ones for the New Year.) BUT FIRST – GOD! 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

GOAL SETTING BROADCAST TEXT KEYWORD GOALS TO (205) 709-2582 The day after Christmas… The day you wake up 5 pounds heavier to a big mess… The day after all the excitement… What do you have after the excitement? I assure you, life is a series of ups and downs. There will be things to look forward to, then those things will pass and there will be a lull. Almost an emptiness. A lost feeling. An uncertainty about where to focus your efforts next. Have you ever heard of a “Goal Hole”? It’s the hole you find yourself in after reaching a big goal. It’s that unexpected loss of motivation once you’ve arrived to where you were striving to get. It’s the day after Christmas, when suddenly you’re regretting all the Christmas decorations you put up this year. Can I trick you into believing you “GET TO” take them down now? What about the day after Jesus was born? This miraculous promise Mary had received was now a real life baby laying in a manger. Yeah, now what? If you study the 4 gospel accounts of Jesus, (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) each give different perspectives and details. Mark and John begin with Jesus being baptized as a man at about 30 years old. But Matthew and Luke go back and tell of the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus. Luke focuses more on the shepherds who came to see baby Jesus, but Matthew focuses more on the wise men that came. Can I be honest – I always got the two confused. I assumed it was just a difference in terminology thinking maybe shepherd meant the same thing as a wise man. And it’s actually, quite opposite. A shepherd was considered a very low class, often even shady fella. Yet, that is who God sent an angel to in Bethlehem and told them to go find the new born savior of the world lying in a manger. I love how God intentionally chose to send shepherds when the world would have never chosen them. But Matthew focuses on the other visitors looking for Jesus. They are the wise men, and they are literally very wise. They are scholars who studied the stars. And for these astrologers, they knew something magnificent had happened the night Jesus was born because a new star had appeared in the sky. Did you know that star is the reason why we put a star on top of our Christmas tree? It’s the reason why pictures of the nativity scene include a star. These wise men, scholars of the stars, knew from prophesy in the book of Numbers that a star would rise from God’s savior. And now, they’ve seen the star! Matthew 2:1-2 MSG “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.” That last sentence just jumps off the page and grabs my heart this morning, on the day after Christmas. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him. This is what we do today. The day after Christmas, we are on pilgrimage. A mission, a journey, a quest to find and worship Jesus. We were thinking of him yesterday as we celebrated his birth, now today, we look for him! If you want your 2026 to be radically different, declare it to be the year of your PILGRIMAGE TO FIND AND WORSHIP JESUS! Where will you find Jesus today? Where will you find evidence of his saving grace in your life? Where will you notice his fingerprints on the unfolding miraculous details that otherwise appear so ordinary? Where will you look and find, this is undoubtedly the work of Jesus in my life! There’s simply no other way to explain this! This “band of scholars” we read about on their pilgrimage to worship Jesus are commonly referred to as the 3 wise men. They’re in the nativity scene, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, divinely led to Jesus by a star in the sky. They found Jesus because they were looking for him. Just as we will find Jesus when we look for him. But, if we’re not looking today, we may overlook his presence in our lives. We may focus on the mess and miss the miracle. We may dwell on the burden of work and miss the blessing of worship. Let’s go looking for Jesus today! Let’s go on this pilgrimage to find and worship him! Let’s set out on a journey to seek him in every detail as life unfolds. Let’s be on a mission to recognize his fingerprints on all that appears so incredibly ordinary, and realize how truly extraordinary it is. Girl, you have no idea what Jesus did to make all of this possible for you. You didn’t even see the mountains he had to move to bring you here. You were never even aware of the seas he had to part to make this path for your next step. You were completely clueless of the battles he fought as you slept peacefully just last night. But if you will dedicate your journey to looking for him, your whole life will change. WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE? A pilgrimage is a sacred journey taken for spiritual reasons. Sis, if you’re looking for a radical life change in 2026, decide this is the year you will go on a pilgrimage to find and worship Jesus! Everyday, make it your mission to look for him. Be on a quest to hunt him down and see what he’s working on in your life! Then, praise him for it. Every sacred journey needs a theme song, and I have one for you. “Turn It To Praise” by Seph Schlueter: You take all that the enemy meant to destroy me And turn it to glory You make beautiful endings to every story You turn it to glory And I’ll turn it to praise What if your pilgrimage is to recognize everything the enemy meant to destroy you, but God turned it to glory. What if your pilgrimage sought to recognize how God makes beautiful endings to every story, and then you TURN IT TO PRAISE! Whew, wouldn’t that intention change your journey? Here’s the thing about a pilgrimage, you come back changed! This is a quest that expands your spirit and broadens your experience. This is a journey that changes how you wake up on a Monday! This is a mission that leads to a discovery of great and unsearchable things. That’s what God promises in Jeremiah 33:3 “Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” God says, come search with me and I’ll show you unbelievable things and you will never live another day of your life the same. This is your game changer! This is your turn around. This is your moment of recognizing exactly what’s been missing in your life! You’ve needed a mission! You’ve been craving a quest. You’re ready for your pilgrimage! Does this mean you have to go to foreign countries and do big extraordinary things? No. It means you could look around in your own house, at your own family, and seek to find proof of Jesus’ grace and mercy right under your own roof! It means you could look at all that has become so ordinary in your life, and begin seeing it as extraordinary again. Yes, it means you continue to do more things because you GET TO, rather than you HAVE TO. It means you could search for hidden purpose in the problem, a message in the mess, blessings in the burden, and something sacred in the struggle. And when you find it, recognize it is Jesus! Yes, the same Jesus we just celebrated in the manger. We find him working in full power in our lives today. And when we find him, remember this is a pilgrimage to worship him! Look for how God turns intended harm to glory, then you turn it to praise. Recognize all he has made possible in your life. Recognize all he has saved you from, the majority of which you are completely unaware of. Recognize he is radically changing your life as you are on a mission to find and worship him. Romans 12:1 tells us true and proper worship is offering our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. What exactly does that mean? Read the scripture in the MSG translation, “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” This is how we worship. We intentionally take everything we do and do it as an offering to God. This requires an attitude of worship. An awareness of his presence. A focus on his providence in our lives. And no doubt, this is the pilgrimage that radically changes our lives in every way. Today, the day after we remembered the birth of Jesus, we, like the 3 wise men, set out on our pilgrimage to find and worship Jesus … and we will never be the same! 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 Bible has over 300 specific prophesies about the coming savior of the world. Hundreds, even thousands of years before, details like: He would come from a virgin birth, he would enter into Jerusalem on a donkey, he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, he would be pierced and crucified, he would be resurrected back to life. The odds of 1 man fulfilling just EIGHT of the over 300 prophesies is statistically IMPOSSIBLE at 1 in 100 quadrillion. And that’s for only 8 of the prophesies. Jesus perfectly fulfilled each of the over 300 prophesies and details foretold. Jesus is the Messiah. He is the savior of the world. He is the one angels spoke of. It’s our Jesus, and now we celebrate him! Make it about Jesus!!!!! Read the Christmas story – Luke 2: 1-20 Vs 19: Notice what Mary did … “But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” Scripture often uses the word heart to represent the center of our thoughts and emotions. As she saw her miraculous new born baby laying wrapped in a manger, kneeling next to Joseph and now these shepherds who have come revealing what the angel had said about her baby, she kept it in her heart. She’s sitting in the moment, noticing everything, recognizing this is a profound spiritual experience. She’s seeing how God had worked through everyone and everything to make this happen. She’s noticing the divine alignment of every detail. She’s seeing how they had to travel at such an inconvenient time so she would be in Bethleham to give birth. She’s seeing how there had to be no room in the inn and the only place to lay her newborn baby would be a feeding trough, just as the angel told the shepherds he would be. She’s seeing how Joseph had every right and every reason to leave her when she mysteriously shows up pregnant, but God didn’t let that happen. God had aligned every detail, and now she’s sitting in the middle of those details, thinking about them and keeping them in her heart. She’s amazed by God. She’s content, fulfilled, humbled, grateful. And this is who we are called to be this Christmas. We’re called to be the one who notices the divine alignment of every detail in God’s work. Notice it. Sit in your moments and recognize the miracles in those moments. This does not require the presence or participation of another living soul … just you. Intentionally noticing. Noticing the beauty. Noticing the moment. Noticing the miraculous. These days hold the potential for precious memories, but you miss those precious memories if you rush through them and focus on trying to make things perfect. Stop. Just be here. Be fully here. Notice. It’s okay if the house gets messy. It’s okay if the kids get wild. It’s okay if everyone is still in their pajamas. It’s okay if dinner is served late. It’s okay if you eat dessert first. It’s okay. You don’t have to control it or fix it, just notice all the good there is to notice. Notice the sounds. Notice the smells. Notice the flavor. Notice the sights. Notice the moments. My sister, you’ve been missing entirely too many of your moments. Moments that held the potential for precious memories. Moments that were nothing short of miraculous. Don’t miss these! Mary kept these things in her heart and thought about them often. It’s time to store up some beautiful things in your heart so you can think about them often. Notice the beauty in the moment, as is. See the life that is unfolding in front of you, this is life that is passing and you’ll never get back. My prayer for you today and the coming days as you celebrate the birth of our Jesus, is that you have intentional and on purpose Mary moments. That you remember this. That you slow down. That you pause. That you listen. That you feel it fully. That you store up that moment in your heart so you can think about it often. Remember this, your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely. Don’t waste your words or your thoughts. Consider even the simplest action you take, for your life matters beyond measure … and it matters forever. You only get one shot at this thing called life … start noticing it as it happens. Every time you hear or say Merry Christmas, think about a Mary Christmas. Mary, the noticer. Mary, the one who stored up precious and miraculous moments in her heart so she could think about them often. We’re called to be the one who notices the divine alignment of every detail in God’s work. Notice it. Sit in your moments and recognize the miracles in those moments. My friends, my your day be filled with Mary Moments, and may you have a Mary Christmas. 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

Sometimes God’s blessings don’t exactly look or feel like blessings. Sometimes they feel like an inconvenience. Sometimes they look like an unwelcome change. Sometimes blessings come in the form of everything you think you want absolutely falling apart. Mary had her life planned out. This little small town girl was engaged to Joseph, they were going to get married within the next year, they would then have a house of their own and start their little family. She would grow her own little garden, make perfect loaves of sourdough bread, and sew matching clothes for her family. That was the plan. It was a good plan and it was all coming together. All her good plans were interrupted by a visit from the angel Gabriel. Out of nowhere, Gabriel delivers a message from God and basically says, “So, Mary – you are so favored by God that your plans are going to be wrecked. Before you get married, before you get your own little house and before you grow your garden, you’re going to be miraculously pregnant and have God’s son!” In a time when adultery was punishable by death, this did not feel like a blessing. This was a crisis. Joseph would know there was no way this baby could be his, so he would surely leave her, then everyone would assume Mary had been unfaithful. Judgement would come. Punishment. Shame. There was no possible scenario Mary could imagine in her head that would make this socially acceptable. Knowing how this looked and felt to Mary, here was her reply – Luke 1:38, Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” That would be easy to say if an angel has just told you you’re winning the lottery. Okay, LET IT BE! That would be easy to say if an angel had just told you the doors have been divinely opened to your dreams and it’s all going to happen for you. Yes, may it come true! But Mary has just been told her whole world is going to flip upside down. She will have a mysterious pregnancy no one will understand, which will likely mean she will lose her fiance, she will be shamed in public, and maybe even stoned to death. And to this Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” My friends, this is what really trusting God’s plan looks like. This is a picture of faith when it not only doesn’t make sense, but when it scares you to death. God, I trust you so much, I CHOOSE your way even when it’s the hard way. There’s a song by Ben Fuller and Carrie Underwood called “If It Was Up To Me”. It says: If it was up to me, there’d be no gravel roads No wounds, no blisters on my soul Pain might come, but it wouldn’t come for me If it was up to me, I’d take the easy ride But I’d miss the grace that changed my life Thank God, I’m not the one in charge of things I’d never know how good your plans could be If it was up to me You see, if it was up to me, I would have skipped every hard day I’ve ever had. But I would miss the extra sweetness of the good days. If it was up to me, I would have never gotten sick, I would have never lost a loved one, I would have never experienced pain in my most important relationships. But then these knees would have never hit the floor and I would have never known the power of my prayers. I would have forfeited my testimony, missed my calling, missed my purpose, and missed the lives I’m here to impact. I’m sure Mary wouldn’t have chosen a mysterious pregnancy that would potentially ruin her relationships and her reputation, but she accepted God’s plan with tremendous faith. God, if you’re saying it, then I trust it. God, if you’re telling me this is a blessing, even when it doesn’t look like it or feel like it, I will receive it as a blessing and walk in it with gratitude. God, I am your servant. May everything you have said about me come true. Whew – I’m not so sure I’m there yet on my faith journey, if I’m being honest. I still have my idea of what would be best. I still hold on to what a blessing looks like and when it doesn’t look or feel like a blessing, I tend to fight it. BUT I WANT TO GET THERE! I want to receive every inconvenience, every change of plan, every heartache and disappointment, every hardship and every delay, with grace and faith instead of doubt and complaining. I never want to whine again. I never want to be pitiful again. I sure want to be a whole lot more like Mary. I’m just not there yet. But do you know how we get better? We see examples of who we want to be and how we want to live. Mary is our example. It’s easy to read this story, knowing what we know now, and think Mary was lucky to be chosen. Oh, but first, Mary’s entire world was flipped upside down and every plan she had stood to be sacrificed – YET she said, “God, I am your servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Aren’t we all on a journey to that level of trust and faith? God, whatever you have for me in this season of life, I want to honor it and bring you glory. If it was up to me, I would miss how good your plans can be. Thank God I’m not the one in charge of things! I’m assuming you’re a lot like me, in that you would prefer to just be perfect. Never fail, never mess up, never get it wrong. But then, you would never know God’s grace that accepts you anyway. Then you would be locked in a life of performance forever, believing every good thing in your life depends on you being perfect. You become a slave to performance. But thank God his plan allowed us to fail so we could taste the grace that meets us right where we are. Thank God we fell so we could meet the One who came and picked us up and taught us how to stand. I would prefer to have absolutely no weaknesses. But then there wouldn’t be space for God’s power to work best in my life. Thank God I’m not the one in charge of things, I would miss the power of God every single day. That song goes on to say: Your ways are higher Your ways are higher You know what you’re doing with me Your ways are higher Your ways are higher Put me where you want me to be God, I am your servant. May everything you have said about me come true. Put me where you want me to be. You know what you’re doing with me. God knew what he was doing with Mary. His ways were higher. She trusted him. God knows what he’s doing with you. His ways are higher. You can trust him. What Mary didn’t know at the time was God was speaking to her fiance Joseph as well. Matthew tells us what was going on behind the scenes to take care of every detail. Matthew 1: 19-21, “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, and angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.'” So Joseph stayed with Mary when he had every right to leave. She didn’t get stoned. She was loved and cared for. She was right to trust God completely, because indeed, this was a blessing. It was a blessing before it ever looked like a blessing. It was a blessing before it ever felt like a blessing. It was a blessing when it looked more like a problem and felt more like a crisis. The angel was right – Mary was favored! God’s ways were higher. He knew what he was doing! And God still knows what he is doing. He can still be trusted in our real lives today. Blessings still sometimes look like problems and feel like crisis. But can you, in faith, say, “God, I am your servant. May everything you have said about me come true. Your ways are higher. You know what you’re doing with me. Put me where you want me to be.” If it was up to me, I would miss this – thank God it’s not up to me! 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

Your feelings about a situation do not change God’s power over that situation. God is not limited by feelings. God is not limited by chances or odds. God is not limited by timelines or conditions. If God speaks it, it will happen. Done. Deal. Your circumstances may not be telling you the truth. There could be sooooo much more happening than what you see. There may be an act of God Almighty happening in places you cannot yet see. You may not feel it yet, but your feelings do not limit the power of God. Mary was a young teenage girl living in the tiny, forgotten town of Nazareth. Nazareth was nothing. It was miles away from a road and didn’t have a good source of water. No one important had ever come from Nazareth, and no one there had ever done anything great. This town had never been mentioned before. I come from a small town like that. A small town where everyone knows who you are and what you’re doing. It’s the kind of town where you don’t see examples of anyone ever leaving or doing great things. So, I never dreamed of leaving. The jobs available in my small town were the jobs I imagined having. My mama worked at the only factory in town, so I assumed I would work at that same factory. The thought that God would have something different for me was completely foreign. I was a no one with nothing, and there was absolutely nothing special about me. That’s what happens in small towns. You only know what you know, and you simply don’t know much. Nazareth was a town of only a few hundred people. Mary growing up in Nazareth meant she was a humble, small town girl, who likely never considered herself to be anyone special. But just because you don’t feel special doesn’t mean God doesn’t consider you special. Just because you never expected God to do something special for you doesn’t mean God isn’t already working in the unseen in special ways for you. In Luke chapter 1, we’re unexpectedly introduced to Mary, living in her tiny country village. Verse 26-33, “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings favored woman! The Lord is with you!’ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end.'” Mary was not expecting this. Her life was simple and uneventful. She likely spent her days doing laundry, sweeping dirt floors, helping her mother cook meals, training for her upcoming opportunity to have a house of her own once she married Joseph. She had never been told she was favored before. She had never been singled out and chosen. She had never dared to dream of anything different or bigger for her life. Yet, here was this angel telling her the most unimaginable things. Telling her she was chosen to be a mother to a future King that would reign forever. But this didn’t make sense to Mary. How could this happen? She was a virgin, awaiting marriage to Joseph. And what the angel is telling her is, “That’s why I’m here – to tell you that your limited circumstances are not revealing the truth to you, your conditions are not true, and what you feel doesn’t matter.” You think you’re a nobody from nowhere with a very certain and limited future ahead of you, but God sent me to tell you there’s something happening that you cannot imagine!!!! Yes, that’s what the angel was telling Mary. And that’s what I’m here to tell you today. You may feel like a nobody – you may come from nothing – you may have never done anything great in your entire life – but God has so much more for you. You have been chosen for more! There are things happening in the unseen that you have not dared to imagine yet. Why you? Because of God! God chose you! Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” You see yourself as the girl that never quite seems to get it right – the girl who starts but always stops – the girl who gets in her head and gets stuck – the girl who says she will, but then she won’t – the girl who secretly struggles and feels flawed. BUT GOD SEES SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN YOU! God sees you without fault. Holy. Perfect for his good plans and unlimited power. God sees the girl he has chosen for his blessings and favor. God sees the girl his power can work perfectly in. Why? Because you have areas of weakness. It’s not your perfection God is looking for – it’s your surrendered weakness. God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” All this time you felt like everything you couldn’t do and everything you could never be was your limitation – but God says that’s the perfect place for his power to work best! Girl, he chooses YOU! You don’t have to be known by a single other person to be known by God. You don’t have to be considered special in any other way, for God to see there’s something special in you. And you don’t have to see what God is doing for God to be doing something! God’s power is not limited to your sight or your understanding. What the angel says to Mary is impossible. It’s impossible for a virgin to have a baby. Mary knows that. But Mary also knows something else – Mary knows scripture. Mary knows the story of Abraham and Sarah from Genesis. (Yes, the story we’ve been studying together – Mary studied that.) She knows God’s words in Genesis 18:14, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Mary also knows Isaiah 7:14, “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” And because she knows God’s word, she knows not only is it possible, but God has chosen her and his word will not fail! If you know God’s word, my sister, you know God can do impossible things. He can show up in your personal circumstances and turn it all around. He can heal, he can restore, he can open doors, he can tear down walls, he can part seas, he can break chains, he can take down giants, he can move mountains, he can bring about victories. And that’s exactly what he does for ordinary people no one else even knows or sees. He chose Mary when no one would have chosen her. He chose her as the mother to bare the savior of the world. He did it in impossible ways, foretold thousands of years before. And he found her in a tiny, forgotten village of a couple hundred people. What you need to know is, God knows exactly where you are! He knows how to get to you. He knows how to show up in your impossible circumstances. He knows exactly how to bless you. Nothing can hide you and nothing can stop him. Your circumstances may not be telling you the truth. There could be sooooo much more happening than what you see. There may be an act of God Almighty happening in places you cannot yet see. You may not feel it yet, but your feelings do not limit the power of God. Mary woke up that morning like every other morning, assuming her life would unfold exactly as planned. But there was something so much more happening than what she knew and what she saw. You woke up this morning feeling like your life is quite predictable, maybe even boring and disappointing. But my sister, you don’t see what God is doing! You don’t feel it yet. Am I saying you’re going to have a miraculous pregnancy? No (unless that’s what you’ve been praying for, and maybe!). What I’m saying is you have no idea of how God wants to use your life. You have no idea of what God wants to do for you. You’re not even aware of the doors God is opening, the impossible situations he is making possible, the future circumstances he is aligning just for you. Why would he do that? Because he sees you. He knows you. And he CHOOSES YOU! You’ve always been chosen. You’ve always been set apart. There are blessings and favor here just for you. You may feel like a nobody – you may come from nothing – you may have never done anything great in your entire life – but God has so much more for you. You have been chosen for more! There are things happening in the unseen that you have not dared to imagine yet. 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 number 1 question I receive is, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” What they’re saying to me is, how do I know God’s voice? How do I know if that thought, or that feeling, or that stirring within is from God or from the devil? Maybe you don’t trust yourself anymore. You’ve made so many wrong choices, acted on impulse chasing after the wrong things, that now you can’t trust yourself. That’s actually good. Coming to the place where you know that you alone can’t get this right is a great place to be. Knowing you’re not self-sufficient is a beautiful first step of a surrendered life. Knowing you can’t lead yourself is how you learn to follow Jesus. But there’s one way to learn to trust your inner voice – let that inner voice be filled with God’s words. If it’s God’s word, then it’s not wrong. However, on a very practical level, how do you get God’s words to become your inner voice? ONE WAY, my friends, ONE SIMPLE WAY. The only way God’s word gets in you is to put it there. Read it, listen to it, study it. The more you read God’s word, the more his word gets in you. The more his word is in you, the more you will hear his voice. Think about it like this – what is someone’s voice? It’s the words they speak, right. So if you want to hear God’s voice, you’re looking for his words. The Bible is filled with God’s words! This is how you get his voice. How do you know God’s will for your life? You read his word. How do you come to know the difference between a thought or a feeling that comes from God verses the ones that come from the devil or your own imagination? You read God’s word and learn what his voice says. That’s how you’ll recognize it. If you’ve been listening to me very long, you know my voice. You know the things I say. You know the words I use. So, if you were to read this devotional instead of listen to it, you would still know it was me. You would even read it in your head with my voice. You’ve heard me say, “Good morning, Beautiful” so many times that now when you see it on a coffee mug, you’re like, “Oh, that’s Pamela!” You recognize me now because you know my words. If you know God’s words you’ll recognize him. Plain and simple, there’s no other way to know God’s voice. When people talk about, “Well, the Lord told me this or that …” there’s a filter to put that through – Does that sound like God? If someone says, “Well, the Lord told me leave my husband and chase after yours”, I know that’s not from God because it doesn’t sound like God. How do I know what God sounds like? I READ HIS WORD! Even on days when I feel like the words I’m reading don’t make sense or don’t apply to my life right now, I’m learning God’s voice. Nothing is wasted when it comes from him. So, let’s be clear – if you’re questioning how to know God’s will for your life and how to hear from God, the answer is you get to know his voice. His voice is the words he speaks, and our Bibles are a written transcript of his words. And while you may not be able to open your Bible to the exact answer to your questions and see in black and white what your next step is, you’re learning to recognize his voice. And once you recognize his voice, then you start noticing those thoughts, those feelings and those little stirrings you sometimes feel are actually God speaking directly to you. You’ll miss them if you don’t know his voice. And you only know his voice by reading his word. Before you can hear it, sense it or decipher it, first you have to read it. Oh I know, you want to HEAR God speak to you, but you don’t want to READ it. Well, my sister, you’re not going to hear it until you read it. Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart.” The person who has hidden God’s word in their heart is the person who can then hear from God and know for sure it’s him. Of course the enemy of your soul would prefer you NEVER tap into knowing God’s voice. That’s why he fights so hard to keep you distracted and busy. That’s why you find it so hard to sit down and read your Bible. There are divine words in there for you, and those words are your weapon against the devil. Here’s the weapon most of us don’t realize we have – When we pray God’s words, we are affirming who God is and what God says as an offering of faith to God, as a reminder of truth to ourselves, and as a block to the enemy. Do you realize you have all the right words to pray IN YOUR BIBLE! You don’t have to conjure up words on your own – just repeat what your Father said. If you’re praying for someone who is sick, what does God’s word say about healing? If you’re praying for how to pay the bills, what does God’s word say about his provision? If you’re praying for your children who are struggling, what does God’s word say about his guidance and protection? PRAY THE WORDS OF GOD! Which words – what about the words of Paul? What about the words of Abraham? What about the words of David or the words of Moses? YES. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us “All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” How is that? We’re learning his voice! Pray the words in your Bible. You already have the words. Pray his words. In the book of Ezekiel is the coolest example of this. The Lord takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones. God asks Ezekiel, “Can these bones become living people again?” Ezekiel replies, “Lord, you alone know the answer to that.” Then, God said to Ezekiel, “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, here’s what Ezekiel did – HE SPOKE GOD’S WORD to the valley of dry bones. Not his own words. God’s words. Suddenly as he spoke God’s words, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together. To the cancer, to the sickness, to the pain, to the illness, you speak God’s word. Isaiah 53:5, “By his wounds we are healed.” Jeremiah 30:17, “God will give you back your health and heal your wounds.” Psalm 103: 2-5, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.” To the depression and anxiety, you speak God’s word. Isiah 26:3, “God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Philippians 4: 6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” For protection, Psalm 91:11, “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” For your children, “Isaiah 44: 3-4, “I will pour out my spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on the river bank.” I’m currently making a written prayer journal with each individual name and prayer request on it’s own page. Then I will write GOD’S WORDS concerning that person and situation. Instead of only praying my own words, I will pray God’s words first. I will declare his promises and his truths. My friends, this is what we’re called to do. We’re called to stand in the gap. There’s a battle going on, and it’s a spiritual battle. We are called to be intercessors and pray in that gap. That’s what Abraham did. In our study of Genesis, we come to chapter 18 and see that an entire city had gone absolutely vile in corruption. The city is Sodom. The Lord heard the outcry about the wickedness there. So God declares he himself is going to do something about it. Abraham intercedes for his nephew Lot who is there in that city. And he says to God, “Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city – will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes. Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” Abraham is boldly reminding God of who he knows him to be. Abraham knows God does what is right. He is a just God. He cares about his people. And God agrees and says, “If I find 50 righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” Keep reading because Abraham keeps praying. It’s such an amazing story and example to see how we are to pray with bold belief in God’s word. Abraham’s prayers of intercession, saved the life of his nephew Lot. Effective prayer doesn’t just act as a passive spectator in what God does, but it participates WITH GOD. Stop just tossing wishes to Heaven. Be specific with God. Speak his promises and his truth. Stand in the gap with his word. This is intercession. How do you know God’s will – you read his word. How do you hear God’s voice – you read his word. How do you pray effective prayers – you pray his word. We don’t have to make up a single word on our own. It’s all here for us. It’s what Jesus did. Did you know when Jesus is hanging on the cross, he’s praying. And his prayers are actually scriptures from the Old Testament. He knew God’s word. He had read it, studied it, hid it away in his heart. And now, on the cross he’s praying it. What would