Job 37: 14: says “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.”

I always find it most powerful to personalize a scripture by inserting your own name. For me it’s “listen to this, Pamela; stop and consider God’s wonders.” Now it’s your turn – “listen to this, (insert your name); stop and consider God’s wonders.”

Stop. Just stop. Right here, stop everything.

In this moment, will you stop? Breathe. Do you feel that air filling your lungs? Don’t you know the very air your breathe is the breath of God. He is the one who breathes life into you. You’ve been breathing your entire life, but how many of those breaths do you actually receive as the breath of God going into you, filling you, reviving you, strengthening you, sustaining you, giving you LIFE?

This is God’s breath. Breathe it in. This is life. God didn’t just breathe life into you one time and say ‘there, now you’re on your own’. He continues to breathe life into you, intentionally, purposefully, and you’ve just become so accustom to breathing you don’t even recognize the wonder of it all.

“Stop and consider God’s wonders.” God’s wonders. A wonder is something beautiful and unexpected and inexplicable that causes admiration. God wants us to admire his wonders. He wants us to look at what he has done and be speechless. All around you he’s trying to show you his wonderful works.

Yesterday, I met with 7 other BIG Life girls from across the country in Southern California and we picked up a small fleet of vintage VW vans. We roadtripped down the coast to Laguna Beach where we are camped on a cliff side with a magnificent view of the ocean.

The sun sat, creating the most brilliant colors of orange and hot pink, as if the entire sky was on fire. Then, the night sky revealed countless stars shining down on us, as if to smile. The entire night, sleeping in cozy sleeping bags in our vans, we hear the powerful crashing of the waves.

It’s so magical. And here we sit in the middle of it. Wonder is all around us.

We made hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows, then all crowded in one tiny van to share our dreams and visions of what our lives could be 5 years from now. These women were once complete strangers to me … now I know the dreams God has placed within their hearts.

Dreams of families being restored, dreams of purpose in helping others, dreams of passions becoming careers, dreams of travel and adventure. Oh, what beautiful souls they each are, carrying the precious dreams of their creator.

And I get to sit in their presence! What a wonderful miracle. And I realize as I’m sitting here listening to their dreams, I’m literally living mine!
I don’t know how God paints the sky in such magnificent colors. I don’t understand gravity that makes the ocean disappear in a perfect line on the horizon. I don’t know how he plants a dream and nurtures it. But I sure can enjoy the wonder. I believe that’s exactly what God wants us to do.

Today, you are surrounded by his wonders. The unexpected and inexplicable are all around you. You can’t explain why or how your world is held perfectly in space and time, but it is. And you’re right here right now to experience it all. Stop and consider it all. Live in awe of the sheer, unexplainable awesomeness of life.

I have no words. No words can aptly describe God’s wonders all around us today. There are no words.

A friend of mine posted a video of her 9 month pregnant belly as her baby was rolling around. You could see this tiny miracle’s shoulder and elbow pushing from within, then it’s feet … you could see it’s feet kicking up again her belly. I can’t explain that. I don’t understand how that’s even possible. And yet every single one of us were once that baby miraculously growing within our mother’s womb. That was us.

Have you ever stopped to consider that you were once the baby with itty bitty tiny feet pressing up against your mother’s belly? There was a day when your heart beat for the very first time. A time when your fingerprints began to form. You were a miracle in the works … and you’re still a miracle in the works.

Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

God knew you before he made you. He chose you. He looked at you and said “Her. I want her. I choose her.”

You are chosen by the almighty. You are good enough. He has equipped you with every single thing you need to live your life and live it well. He is filling your lungs at this very moment with his breath, strengthening you, renewing you, giving your purpose and direction.

Won’t you stop and consider that today? If you’re going to admire God’s wonders, start in the mirror Sis. How about you stop hating those things about you long enough to honor what God created in you. It’s absolutely wonderful.

There’s a viral video going around of a man standing on a busy street encouraging people to come and see for themselves a child of God. They come and look and find a mirror. And as they look in the mirror, the reply in awe and wonder as if seeing the most miraculous creation. One woman says, “Oh, how absolutely amazing.” Another says, “She’s just so beautiful.” One more says, “That’s just so cool.”

What if you could see you that way. A miraculous, beautiful, amazing child of God. What if you could see everyone else that way today, too.

I have no words. No words to describe God’s amazing works within each of us, for each of us.

Oh, the wonder of it all. May we all stop, just stop right here and consider the wonder of our very life. It is beautiful and unexpected and inexplicable. We can’t explain it or understand it all, so let’s stop trying. Let’s stop trying to figure it all out. Let’s stop worrying about how it’s all going to work out. Let’s lean into our creator who formed us in our mother’s wombs and knew us even before then, and trust the wonder of it all.

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We’ve been hanging out in Luke 6 this week, listening to the teaching of Jesus to his newly selected disciples and large crowd that had gathered seeking his healing touch. He first tells them how to follow the pattern of his love. Yes, we’ve learned to not be hateful, do good, talk good, pray, forgive, give generously and just be nice. If we can do that, we show up like Jesus and our relationships are radically transformed.

We can practice this for the rest of our lives and still need to work on our love for others. So Jesus says, “Keep practicing, my girl! You’re loving more and more like me.”

Now, Jesus shows us how to build a life.

Each of us are building a life. You may be building very unintentionally and wonder why this life you’ve built is so unstable. You may be intentionally building your life but doing it on your own and wonder why you’re exhausted. All while Jesus has extended an invitation to build in partnership with him where he does the hard part ridiculously well, carries the burdens you cannot carry, to build a remarkable life using the ordinary things you can do and simple things you do have.

But Jesus asks the question, which builder will you be?

Luke 6: 47-48, “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.”

This house being built is your life. How are you building it?

My sister, if you want a well-built life, Jesus shows 3 things you must do:

1. Come to him.
2. Listen to him.
3. Follow what he says.

Nowhere in that list is the requirement to know what you’re doing, always get it right, understand the details, or see the big picture. You’re not even required to be a great builder. There are no personal qualifications involved. You only need to dig deep and find that solid rock to build your life on. Jesus is that solid rock. He is your firm foundation.

You keep stressing wondering if you’re doing this right … Well, are you truly seeking Jesus? Are you listening to him? Are you following what he says to do? That’s the building checklist for your life, my sister. Do that and the rest is just paint colors and light fixtures.

I remember a time in my life, really not even all that long ago, when I didn’t know HOW to come to him, listen to him, and follow what he says. Is that a specific reading plan, a mystical 7 step ritual, a memorized prayer repeated daily? I like specifics and detailed steps to take. I like boxes to check and proven recipes to follow. And my search ultimately left me feeling totally unworthy and exhausted while still unsure of how to come to Jesus so I could hear him and follow him.

Just in case that’s where you are, please know you’re not alone. I understand. I understand not knowing how to talk to this great big God you can’t’t see. I understand opening the Bible and reading things that don’t make sense and feeling confused. I understand never knowing if the random thoughts passing through your mind are just your imagination or the Spirit of God prompting you.

I’ve been there. Some days I still find myself there.

But, that’s why this phase is called DIGGING. Jesus said you dig deep until you find that solid rock, then you start building the foundation.

Digging is messy. Digging doesn’t look desirable. Digging isn’t easy. Digging uncovers hidden, undesirable things. Digging takes you beneath the surface into some dark places.

Digging doesn’t just happen by thinking about it or talking about it. Digging happens when you show up, grab your shovel and do something with it.

Do you see what I see there? Woah, God, that’s good. Show up, grab your shovel, do something with it. Three things. Could these be the same three things Jesus told us we must do to build a well-built life?

1. Jesus said come to him. How: You show up for him. You show up with your worries. You show up with your needs. You show up with your praises. You show up with your plans. You show up with your questions. You bring it all to him.

Jesus is with you, always. He’s right there with you right now. He’s been waiting for you to show up and talk to him about these things. Seek him. Notice him. Be aware of him.

You come to him however you can. There’s not a required place, time or position. Our human minds create hoops to jump through, but Jesus showed up and eliminated every hoop. You can come to him anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Show up. It really is that simple. You can’t screw this part up.

1. Jesus said listen to him. How: Grab your shovel. Your shovel is whatever brings his word to you. It’s your Bible. It’s this podcast. It’s those songs that sing about Jesus. It’s your church. It’s that small group. It’s that book study. It’s that preacher you watch online. It’s that friend who speaks truth.

You have shovels laying all around you going unused. Shovels that have the potential to dig through this darkness and get to the solid rock of Jesus. Shovels that uncover everlasting truth. Grab your Bible and read it, it’s literally God’s divine word. It’s unlike any other written word in the history of the world. While it may not always make sense to you, God’s word has the power to radically transform your life, but only if you grab it. You grab that podcast that teaches you God’s word. You sing those songs. You get yourself in the doors of that church. Get yourself connected to people who are digging too.

There’s no magic formula in listening to God. It’s as simple and practical as grabbing the shovel you need to dig. I won’t go through a day of life without grabbing my shovel. I want that well-built life so I will continually dig and for that, I need the tools to dig for Jesus.

1. Jesus said follow what he says. How: Do something with what he’s given you. Start with the simple things you can understand. What have you heard this week? You heard talk nice about the people who talk bad about you. Start there. He said treat others the way you would want to be treated. That’s how you get to work and follow what he says. Oh what, you didn’t like that one?

That’s the problem … we don’t really like digging. We prefer to go shopping for all the pretty things. Girl, it’s not shopping time, it’s digging time. It’s not time to paint this thing, it’s time to dig down to that solid rock. That takes work.

It’s not that you don’t know how to follow what God is saying to you, it’s that you read it or you hear it and you don’t like it and you don’t feel like it, so you don’t do it. You aren’t willing to dig.

Jesus isn’t going to do the digging for you. That’s your job. You’re in a partnership with Jesus to build this life you have been given, and a partnership means he does his part and you do your part. Without your part, this is a half-nership. Jesus always does his part, but when you don’t, your half is missing and it won’t work.

If your life is only half working, half progressing, half fulfilling, one of two things is happening here. You’re either trying to do it all on your own and forgetting the offered partnership of Jesus … or you’re not doing your part and leaving Jesus hanging.

Together, you and Jesus can build a life that stands strong and steady. A life that is whole and overflowing with purpose. A life that honors him, satisfies you, and opens to others.

But understand, this life you’re building with Jesus will not be immune from storms. Trouble will still come. Problems will still happen. Enemies will still rise up. The enemy will still be evil and he will come knocking on your door.

Jesus didn’t say if you dig deep and build your life on the solid foundation of me, then your life will be so easy and the storms will never come your way. No, read his word again. “WHEN the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.”

It’s not even a matter of IF, but WHEN. When those storms come blowing through your life, your life you’ve built on Jesus will stand because first you dug deep.

What kind of builder will you be? The kind with a shovel! The kind who keeps digging to find that solid rock and firm foundation. The kind who shows up, grabs their shovel and does something with it. The kind who comes to Jesus, listens to him, and follows what he says.

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Today, we continue our journey through the teaching of Jesus in Luke 6. Remember, there’s a massive crowd gathered seeking healing, and Jesus uses this opportunity to share important lessons with his newly selected disciples and potential followers. And what he chooses to tell them about is the pattern of his love and how we are called to follow it.

First, we looked at his teaching of the Golden Rule. He took an old teaching they had likely grown up hearing that said, “What is hateful to you, don’t do to anyone else”, and he turned it into a positive with even more meaning. He said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This is more than just don’t do harm, but intentionally do good. The pattern of Jesus’ love shows us to do good things for others, wish them well (which includes talking well about them), and pray for them.

If you listened to that teaching yesterday, did you notice a difference in the way you talked about others? I heard this and it hit me to the core, “You cannot treat someone better than you talk about them.” Woah … let that set in.

Think about this, every bad thing you say about someone is ammunition the enemy uses against them. God is not against the person you don’t like or have been hurt by. That’s still his child. He wants to heal them and help them be better. He didn’t create them to be bad. And God is asking you to treat them the way you would want to be treated yourself, and stop giving the enemy ammunition to use against them with the negative words you speak about them.

God’s not talking bad about you and he’s not talking bad about them … you shouldn’t either.

Now, let’s see what Jesus wants to teach the crowd next, because not only was Jesus talking to the large group gathered to hear him that day, but he knew you and I would be reading about it today and he’s speaking to us just as much as he was speaking to them 2,000 years ago. What does he want to tell us?

We will read 2 verses with 3 powerful lessons.

The first lesson is James 6:37, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you.”

It’s easy to think you’re not judging or condemning, but let’s read this scripture in the Message translation to check ourselves. “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down, that hardness is a boomerang.”

Are you guilty of any of this? Have you been doing some picking? Sly little comments, tiny jabs, inconspicuous posts you hope they see. That’s picking.

Have you been jumping on failures? Oh, we can be especially guilty of this with family. Our husband and our children fail, and we take that as an opportunity to show they were wrong and we are right. A friend fails and we proudly retell their story of failure in an effort to make ourselves look better. Dang, we’ve got some ugly down deep in us!

Have you been criticizing faults? They aren’t perfect, but what makes you think you are? What have they been through that makes them do what they do? What broken thoughts and self-beliefs do they constantly struggle with that create the faults you see in them? It’s easy to think you would do better with their life than they are doing, but really, if you had been dealt their exact hand with their exact experiences and struggles, I bet you wouldn’t be doing better than them. In fact, most people are dong about as good as they can with what they have and what they know.

God looks at them with mercy, now why can’t we?

This scripture, “Do not judge others” is often misquoted and twisted to mean you can’t have standards or beliefs. That’s not what Jesus is saying. He’s saying don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t be harsh. Don’t be ugly. Don’t be hateful. Don’t do harm to his prized creation.

A few verses later, Jesus tells us instead of judging, we are empowered with discernment. Verse 44-45, Jesus says, “A tree is identified by its fruit. A good person produces good things from the treasury of an good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.”

I can have discernment about a person without judgment. I can look at their fruit and see their heart. And this discernment tells me if this is a person God wants me to be with, or a person that wouldn’t be good for me. That doesn’t mean I hate them. It doesn’t mean I talk bad about them. It simply means I don’t partner with them.

Matthew 7: 20, Jesus says, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

People are constantly telling you who they are. Just believe them. Don’t judge them. Don’t condemn them. Maybe there’s something hurting inside of them. Something that has gotten twisted. But use your gift of discernment to identify their actions which tell you if this is someone you want to be with.

Write this down: I FAIL WHEN I THINK THE WORST OF OTHERS.

One of my very first mentors was Jim Rohn, and Jim taught me that you’re the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. People are rubbing off on you. Do you want to become like them? Do you want to talk like them? Do you want relationships like their relationships? Their fruit is showing you who they are. You can use discernment to know if that’s what you want. Condemnation is not required in that process. Thinking the worst of them is not a necessary tool for true discernment. Look at their fruit, examine their actions. It’s there for you to see.

I can love you and know you’re not good for me. I can distance myself without being ugly. I can believe something different without thinking I’m better than you. God has shown he will love us no matter what we do, no matter how wrong we are, no matter how far we wander, no matter how unfaithful and ungrateful we are. It doesn’t mean our actions are without consequences. We create messes so we have to deal with messes that don’t just magically disappear.

The next powerful lesson Jesus gives the crowd then and to us today is, “Forgive others, and you will be forgiven”

The Passion Translation puts it like this, “Forgive over and over and you will be forgiven over and over.”

I don’t know about you, but I perpetually mess things up. I fail on the regular. I need continual forgiveness by God. Jesus is reminding me to be like him and give what I need. Offer what I want. I need more than a 2nd chance, for some things I just keep messing up and I need another chance daily, and I’m so fortunate to get it. Now, I must also give it.

Does this mean we become a doormat and let people run over us? No. But, God is affirming you will never be the loser when you give love and forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not a ticket to come back in your life and wreck havoc. Forgiveness is a release from the bondage within your heart that holds both them and you in hurt. Let them out, honey, they don’t belong in there. Not forgiving them for the hurt they caused is not changing them, it’s hurting you more.

God tells us to forgive because he knows living in unforgiveness is not good for his girl. He knows it eats away at your soul and corrupts your joy. And sometimes forgiveness is not a one and done action. Sometimes it’s a daily decision to not hold anyone or anything captive in your heart. God knows forgiveness is freedom, and he sent his son to set you free!

And one more lesson for us to look at today. Luke 6: 38, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

The Passion Translation says when you give generously, generous gifts will be given back to you, then they will be shaken down to make room for more! It says abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top!

Whew, don’t you want that in your life? Don’t you want abundant gifts more than you can contain? God has that for you, but he can only give to you in the same measurement that you give others. If you’re using a 1/4 cup measurement as you give, you’ll only get a 1/4 cup measurement poured out for you. I want the whole gallon!!!!!! So I give by the gallon!

I spent a lot of time in Bali this year. The Balinese people believe in Karma. They believe whatever you do in this life absolutely comes back to you, good and bad. Jesus doesn’t call it karma, but he calls it reaping and sowing. Whatever you plant, you will grow. And you only get to harvest what you’ve been growing. You don’t get to grow it if you didn’t first plant it. If you don’t like what you’re growing in your life, you have to change what you’re planting. You don’t get to plant persimmons and expect peaches.

The Balinese people are the most kind, genuine, generous people I’ve ever met. Everything they do is with intention and purpose. Why? Because they believe it will all come back to them.

And when Jesus says, “The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”, it should change what we give and how much we give.

I need grace and mercy, I will give a ridiculous amount of grace and mercy to others today.

I want the sweetest blessings and gifts, so I will personally go out of my way to bless others today and offer great gifts.

I will measure from the gallon, not the 1/4 cup. Why? Because Jesus is teaching us how to pattern our lives around the pattern of his.

He gives, so we give.
He forgives, so we forgive.
He sees the best in us, so I see the best in me and others.

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This week, we will look at the first lessons Jesus taught his disciples after they had chosen to follow him. You and I have chosen to follow Jesus, right? Well, he has a few lessons for us!

Now, picture the setting. Jesus had gone up on top of a mountain and prayed all night. At daybreak, he called together his followers and chose 12 of them to be his personal students to work with him. Now, Jesus and his disciples come down from the mountain where there is a massive crowd waiting. This crowd hadn’t gathered to know the truth about Jesus, they had gathered to get their own miracle.

The news of Jesus’ healing power had spread and they had traveled long distances to seek healing. But if you were sick, wouldn’t you do the same? Wouldn’t you take your baby? Wouldn’t you bring your mama? Wouldn’t you call up your BFF who has been suffering? Wouldn’t you seek this man Jesus for his mysterious healing powers?

Jesus wanted to do more than offer healing for their bodies, he wanted to heal their souls. And to do that, he would teach them a few important lessons. This was a big moment for Jesus. This massive crowd is gathered, what would he say to them?

You can read Jesus’ teaching to the crowd in Luke 6: 20-49. For today, we will focus on verse 31. “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

Jesus isn’t telling them to do something mysterious or incredibly hard. He’s telling them to simply think about what they would want others to do for them, then go do it for others on purpose. So simple. There’s really no twisted confusion in this because you know yourself. You know how you wish others would treat you. You know what would make you feel included, loved and important … so do that for others.

You’ve heard this teaching before. It was given a clever name that you likely know. It’s the Golden Rule. Golden because of it’s tremendous value. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Yeah, Jesus said that.

When Jesus taught this lesson to the large crowd gathered to seek his healing powers, they had likely heard it before. In fact, this teaching had been around for thousands of years before Jesus, but with a slight difference. These people had grown up hearing the teaching, “That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another.” Another version of the teaching they had grown up hearing was, “What is hateful to you, don’t do to anyone else.”

Valuable indeed. But do you notice what’s different about Jesus’ teaching? Jesus turns a negative statement into a positive. Instead of focusing on what you hate to be done to you, he focuses on what you would like them to do to you. And with this slight change from negative to positive, Jesus teaches us to go beyond the old rules of don’t treat people bad, but actually treat them good.

There’s a difference. I can easily not treat you bad. I can just walk on by, I can not engage, I can look the other way. But in order to treat you good, I must engage. It takes intentional effort to do good to you. And Jesus says, “Yes, make the effort to do good!”

We can’t walk around just trying to not do harm to anyone … Jesus wants us to do good to everyone.

So simple, so valuable, but radically different than what we have been doing.

Jesus says to the crowd in verses 27 & 28, “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

Now think about that for a minute. How hard is that for you to do? Honestly, that’s really hard for me. Yet, I can’t ignore how clear Jesus is making it. Jesus is showing us how he loves and he’s calling us to love like him.

Did Jesus love his enemies? Yes, he knew Judas would betray him, yet he washed his feet with love moments before his known betrayal.

Did Jesus bless those who cursed him? Understand cursing means to wish harm and blessing means to wish well. Absolutely Jesus wanted good things for those who did nothing but wish him harm. He willingly died for them.

Did Jesus pray for those who hurt him? Yes, remember when he’s hanging on the cross and he looks out at the crowd cheering for his crucifixion along with the ones who had put the nails in his hands and he said, “forgive them Father, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Now Jesus says, love like me. How? Read it again, Luke 6: 25-26, “Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

1. Do good to them.
2. Wish them well.
3. Pray for them.

Yes, to your enemies. Why? Because this is the pattern of Jesus’ love and you and I are called to love like him.

Who is it that has been against you? Who has been making your life so darn hard? Who is it that has talked bad about you, done you harm, and hurt your heart? Go ahead and get a picture of that person in your head right now.

Jesus is telling you how to handle this. And while it’s simple, it’s not going to make a whole lot of sense. You’re not going to feel like doing this, but God’s girls don’t wait for warm fuzzy feelings to take action. We respond in obedience to the Spirit of God prompting us. And oh yes, he’s prompting.

Live by the Golden Rule, but not the world’s golden rule, Jesus’ Golden Rule. Jesus says go beyond not doing anything bad, and step into intentionally doing good. Do it on purpose. Set your mind to it. Decide right now you will do what Jesus is saying so clearly.

Do good to them. Wish them well. Pray for them.

You, with your own power, may really struggle to do that. But here’s the good news, as God’s girl, you can love like other’s can’t because you have what they don’t. You have the power of God within you. And that power enables you to love like Jesus. That power reminds you that God is indeed working all things together for your good and he is taking every ounce of intended harm and using it for something unbelievably good in your future. Remember that, and your love is unchained.

One of my closest friends had gone through a nasty divorce, and although I only had one side of the story, it certainly sounded like he was a world class jackwagon. And this friend of mine who had been deeply hurt by the intentional negative actions of her ex-husband, made a commitment to pray for him daily. Every day, she would bring his name to the throne of God and ask blessings for him. Every day for a full year.

I’ve never been through a divorce and I’ve never been hurt by someone like that, so I can’t even imagine how hard that was. But she kept praying through the hard. Why? Because it’s what Jesus told her to do. Miraculous things happened as a result. No, he didn’t change, but she healed. She no longer needed him to change. She was filled with peace and truth and strength, and her happiness was no longer his to play with.

If I were being a world-class jackwagon, gosh, I hope someone would pray for me. GOLDEN RULE. Do it for them.

If you’re really struggling with this, God gave me a simple first step to share with you. Try this … For those who are cursing you and saying bad things about you, you start speaking well of them.

Start there. There’s something good about them, right? There was at one time something they did right. Maybe you will have to dig deep, so get your shovel and dig until you find something good … then talk about that.

Why? Because Jesus says bless those who curse you. It’s not my rule, it’s his.

Jesus knows the words you speak have power over your life. If you’re speaking negatively about the person who is talking bad about you, you’re just wallowing in the curse. You’re spreading it. Don’t spread it, stop it.

Why do you have to be the one to stop it? Because you’re the one who has the power of God in them that enables you to love in a way they can’t. You can love like Jesus.

When you do this, Jesus says in verse 35, “Your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.”

There’s a reward for you when you follow Jesus’ Golden Rule. That Golden Rule doesn’t just say don’t be hateful and don’t do harm, but it says do good to them, wish them well, and pray for them.

What would Jesus do? He would love them, on purpose, intentionally, even when they didn’t deserve it. Now, do what Jesus would do today.

Jesus for sure wouldn’t be hateful. He would love, and he’s given you the power to love like him.

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Open your Bible to Luke 5: 1-11 and let’s discover the 4 lessons of
working with Jesus.

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You were created on purpose for a purpose. Your life isn’t accidental, nor is it without meaning or destiny. God wanted you right here, right now as part of his divine will to fulfill a specific role.

The journey of your life isn’t to perfectly figure out or fully understand your purpose, but rather to obediently walk in it while it doesn’t make sense and you don’t see where it’s leading.

What if all this time you’ve been searching for purpose, God simply wanted you to search for him. He is the creator and holder of purpose. You draw close to him, you draw close to purpose. You walk with him, you walk with purpose.

The rest is details.

David wrote these words in Psalm 57:2, “I cry out to the Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” Do you sense the peace in this? David’s not struggling and striving to figure out his purpose, he’s seeking God who he knows will do the fulfilling for him. Girls, have we had purpose wrong this whole time?

Purpose isn’t what we do with our lives … it’s what God does with our lives because we are fully surrendered to him. Purpose isn’t who we become, it’s who God created us to be and the path he guides us on to get us there. We’ve taken what has always been God’s and tried to make it our driving quest. The problem becomes when our pursuit of purpose drives us more than our pursuit of God.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg … the God who created you or the purpose he created you for … It’s ALWAYS God … and God does the fulfilling of his purposes for you, not you. Your journey is understanding that and surrendering to it so God can do his full work in your life.

Let’s read David’s words again. He says, “I cry out to the Most High, to GOD who WILL FULFILL HIS PURPOSE FOR ME.”

GOD WILL FULFILL HIS PURPOSE FOR ME. Repeat that. God will fulfill his purpose for me. God will do it. This isn’t all up to me. The only thing that is up to me is to seek him and stay close to him. That’s when things start changing in me. That’s when courage rises up in me. That’s when my desires align with God’s. That’s when I’m given divine discernment to see what I’ve been missing. That’s when I’m prompted by the Holy Spirit to take next steps.

God fulfills his purpose for you when you seek him and stay close to him. Really, you and I have the ridiculously easy part here. Why have we made this so messy? Oh yeah, because we keep pulling away. We keep wandering. We keep getting distracted. We keep chasing the wrong things. Your heart was made to chase God. If it’s not, then it’s chasing the wrong things, going down the wrong paths, making massive messes.

This morning, I saw the funniest video. A woman was using one of those new lightweight rechargeable vacuum cleaners that allows you to reach high places and tight spaces. Everywhere she moved the vacuum, her dog would come running and aggressively slide under the suction of the vacuum. She would move, the dog would race to get under the vacuum again. Over and over again, wherever the vacuum went, the dog went in wild abandon, sliding under it’s power.

And what I saw was the picture of what God wants for his girls. He wants us intentionally seeking to stay under his power. Wherever he goes, we go. Where he moves, we move. Yes, a wild abandon to stay under God. But instead, we go off chasing balls and digging up bones thinking we’re on the hunt for purpose. No, God does the fulfilling of purpose, we do the chasing of God.

Yes, chase God! Be in relentless pursuit of the one who is fulfilling your purpose. Stop seeking the purpose, and instead seek the one who imagined it, designed it, created it and fulfills it. That’s God … NOT YOU.

I cry out to the Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.

When you seek God, you don’t have to search for purpose, purpose will find you. Honey, you don’t have to do it for God, God wants to fulfill his purpose for you. And do you know what you feel when you stay close to God and see that he is fulfilling his purpose for you … you feel fulfilled! This is where contentment comes. This is where peace floods your soul. This is where pressure is released and burdens are lifted. He has been doing the hard work in you as you seek him and stay close to him.

And here’s what I’m learning on this journey of dropping the pursuit of my purpose and trusting that God is doing the fulfilling as I stay under his power … I don’t have to manipulate my situation! I realize now I was a master manipulator. I would twist things to make them fit me. If it wasn’t working, darn it, I would make it work. If they didn’t like me, I would change myself and make them like me. If the door wasn’t opening, I would pick the lock. And that’s precisely how I ended up in rooms I was never meant to be in, with people who weren’t my people, wondering why everything was so dang hard. I had manipulated the situation. I had taken things into my own hands.

Listen loud and clear, okay … God doesn’t need you to manipulate this for him. He can handle this perfectly. He sees what has been happening. He knows what is being said. He knows the attacks that are being planned. Girl, calm down and sit down. Your mind has been running wild with ‘what-if’ scenarios that are driving you crazy. You don’t need to manipulate this to make it work out. God is handling this for you perfectly.

Let me prove it to you.

David wrote this Psalm, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” in a very specific place. He wrote this while hiding in a cave from King Saul. Oh, a little google search will direct you to read exactly what was happening to David in that cave. Go to 1 Samuel 24 in your Bible and you’ll read it.

David had been hiding in the wilderness from Saul as Saul was trying to hunt him down and kill him. David was literally running for his life. Now, Saul is closing in and he’s been tipped off to the area where David has been hiding, so he sends 3,000 elite troops to search for him.

Imagine you are not only being hunted, but you are being hunted by 3,000 people. Now imagine those aren’t just any old people hunting for you, but they are elite troops meaning they are well trained, well armed, and experienced in the art of finding and eliminating their target. 3,000 elite troops looking for you … and you’re hiding in a cave.

Then, Saul ends up squatted down in a vulnerable position going to the bathroom in the exact cave David is hiding in, and David is in perfect position behind him to kill him. But he didn’t. David didn’t have to manipulate this situation. He didn’t have to fight dirty.

AND NEITHER DO WE.

Here’s what God had been doing for David this entire time … he had been fulfilling his purposes for him. 1 Samuel 23: 14 says, “Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.” That’s what God did. God fulfilled his purposes. He kept David safe. He protected him. He did the hard part. David sought God and stayed close to him.

There, hiding in that cave he wrote poems and songs we read today in our Bible. Yes, that’s where he wrote “I cry out to the Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.”

David didn’t have to manipulate his situation to fulfill his purpose. He didn’t have to create the perfect battle plan to fight his enemy. He didn’t have to make everyone like him or make everyone happy. He simply had to seek God and stay close to him. And that’s what he was doing there in that cave. And there in that cave, with David under the power of God, God was fulfilling his purposes for him.

I’ve decided, I’m going to be like that little dog and the vacuum. I’m going to get under the power of God and be in relentless pursuit of staying close to him. When he moves, I move. Where he goes, I go. That’s how we end up going where we need to go. That’s how we end up being in the right place at the right time. That’s how we meet the right people. We don’t go out seeking people and places, we simply stay in our position.

Our position is under the power of God.

In our position under the power of God, he does the hard work of fulfilling his purposes for us.

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One day, Jesus was speaking to a group of people in his hometown of Nazareth. These people knew of his miracles, but they couldn’t believe who he really was. Afterall, they knew him. They knew his parents. They had seen him grow up. And now, he’s come back to his hometown and he’s told them he is the chosen one to fulfill the Good News of God. He has come to set the captives free and make the blind to see, just as scripture had foretold.

While he was nothing but truth, he was rejected in his hometown. Those who knew him best received him the least.

Gosh, how sad it is to find it’s still true today. Those of us who are most familiar with Jesus, grew up hearing of Jesus and know all the stories, we’re often the ones who are least impressed by him. We miss the miracle because it’s simply not that impressive to us anymore.

Maybe you’re a little too comfortable with Jesus so now you just go through the motions. Oh my sister, you will miss out on the fullness of what he is here to offer you when you stop being completely slayed by his presence and power. We’re coming into the time of year where we read about the virgin Mary having a baby in a stable, and while you’ve likely heard the story many times, I pray this year you’re absolutely blown away by it. May you be in awe of your Jesus as never before.

The people in Jesus’ hometown were amazed by what he did, but couldn’t believe who he really claimed to be. Now, because they struggled to believe, they didn’t receive the fullness of what Jesus had to offer. Mark 6: 5-6, “And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among theme except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.”

What are you missing because you have become familiar with Jesus and unimpressed with who he really is? What have you dismissed yourself from because you have lost your absolute awe and wonder over your Savior?

Jesus knew he was not fully accepted in his hometown because they were too familiar with him. And then Jesus recounts a story of one man’s healing among many who lacked faith. Luke 4:27, Jesus says, “Many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” That’s it. Jesus mentions this foreign man’s name and his healing among many in need who didn’t receive healing. And the crowd of Jesus’ hometown people became furious. 2 verses later, they try to push Jesus off a cliff and kill him.

But reading this, don’t you want to know more about this man Naaman’s story? Jesus is telling of this man’s faith and healing over 800 years after it had happened, it must have been remarkable!

Naaman’s life had been over for a long time. Generations had passed without Naaman and life has gone on without him. But Jesus knew about him! Jesus still tells his story.

Imagine that for a moment … imagine living with the kind of faith that Jesus still talks about after your time here on Earth is done. Imagine 800 years from now, Jesus telling a future generation of people to look you up and read your story. And within your story is an act of faith Jesus is still using as an example 800 years later!

Girls, that’s the kind of legacy I want to leave … don’t you? If the world is still here hundreds of years from now, don’t you want someone googling your name to read your testimony of what Jesus did for you?

So, we have to flip back through several hundred pages in our Bible to get to the small section that tells the story of this foreign man named Naaman from 800 years before Jesus. We have to read it because Jesus is still talking about it!

2 Kings 5. We read of the mighty warrior Naaman who was the commander of the army of King Aram. This mighty warrior had leprosy. Leprosy was a brutal and highly contagious skin disease that deformed and disfigured you, making you an outcast to society. The Aramean army had invaded Israel, and while there, they were told of a prophet of God who could heal leprosy.

Naaman was sent to the prophet Elisha’s house to seek healing. Naaman stood outside the door with horses and chariots and gifts, awaiting his big moment of miraculous healing. But, it didn’t go the way he had imagined.

2 Kings 5: 10, But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

And guess what … Naaman went away angry. This man didn’t even come out to meet him. He didn’t wave his hand over him, pray a magical prayer or do anything special in any way. He says go wash in the Jordan River 7 times?!!! This didn’t make any sense at all. Where’s the mystery and magic? Where’s the emotional moment of healing? You just want me to go down to the nasty, muddy, run off water of the Jordan River and wash 7 times?

I can understand Naaman’s disappointment. He was hoping for a miracle and this certainly didn’t sound like the path to a miracle. He needed healing, not a mud bath.

But thankfully, in his rage, his fellow soldiers calm him down and speak the most valuable and rational words to him. They say in verse 13, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured.'”

Well, isn’t that a powerful truth? We would do the big mystical thing because mystical things look like they’re going to bring miraculous results. But simple little things … no, we can’t be bothered by that. When we need a big miracle we expect a big move, a big change and a big moment. But instead, God often does the biggest things as a result of our faith that would have us walking it out with the little moves, the little changes and the hundreds of little moments.

Maybe God isn’t interested in the one big thing you say you’re willing to do … maybe he’s interested in the hundreds of little things that look really insignificant. Maybe that’s the faith he is asking you for. Faith to do the little things. Faith to do the common things. Faith to do the things that don’t make sense and aren’t exciting.

Verse 14, “So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself 7 times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!” Naaman returned to his homeland knowing the one true God and pledged his life to him.

This is the story Jesus retold over 800 years later. This is the legacy of Naaman. A man who came to understand God doesn’t always work in the big, grand and magical moments, but instead he often works in the underwhelming, ordinary, and easily overlooked little moments where we are called to faithful action.

Maybe you’ve come here desperately seeking a big answer from God. Maybe you even prayed before you pressed play and you said, “Lord, I need a sign from you … tell me what to do.” Well, here it is … BE WILLING TO DO THE LITTLE THINGS THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE. Not just once, but again and again.

You came here expecting to hear something big, but Jesus wants you to hear about this man named Naaman who did the smallest, simplest of things that didn’t make sense, and he received the healing of a lifetime. How much faith does it really take to do something big and grand that the whole world knows would be powerful? Not nearly as much faith as it takes to humbly do the little things repeatedly that seem totally unconnected.

So, let me say to you what Naaman’s soldier’s said to him, “My firend, if God had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says do something simple.”

800 years later Jesus is talking about the faith of Naaman. He’s telling his hometown people about this one man who had enough faith to wash in a muddy river 7 times and be healed. They responded by trying to push him off a cliff.

How will you respond?

Will you respond with, “Jesus, I’ll take a bath!” That’s what he’s looking for.

Our lack of faith is limiting our receipt of the fullness of all Jesus came to offer us. But it’s probably not our faith in the big things that’s lacking … it’s our faith in the little things that look insignificant.

Jesus, today I don’t feel like getting up, but I will get up anyway.

Jesus, today I don’t know what to do to fix this mess, but I will start by spending time with you, reading and believing your word.

Jesus, today I need healing and I’m fully trusting you’re working even when I can’t see it, even when I can’t feel it, and even when I don’t understand. I’m showing up in faith. I’m taking the next step in faith. I’m hanging on in faith.

800 years from now, maybe someone will be prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask their household robot to tell them about you. Why? Because maybe your story of simple faith will impact their lives as Jesus used the story of Naaman’s faith to impact ours. But, it doesn’t stop at 800 years. Remember this, it has been over 2,000 years since Jesus told his hometown about the 800 year old story of Naaman. And here we are, over 2,800 years later, hearing about the faith of Naaman that healed him in the most simple ways. A man who took a bath 7 times in a muddy river because he was told to.

What you do today in faith may not seem significant right now … but generations you haven’t even dared to imagine may be hearing about it!

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Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

How many of us know by personal experience that having the right partner makes a huge difference. The right business partner makes things work. The wrong business partner makes a massive mess. The right workout partner makes you show up. The wrong workout partner never shows up and makes it even harder for you to show up.

I once had the perfect running partner. She was my next door neighbor, and for 2 years, we ran together 6 days a week, no matter what. Not once did we ever not show up for each other. And not once did we ever stop short of the goal. I knew how to run really far and she knew how to run really fast. Together we became so much better. Then I did what I always do … I moved away.

Maybe you’ve tried to find the right partner and you’ve failed. Maybe you’ve given up hope thinking you will always have to do this alone, whatever “this” is. You’ll have to raise these kids alone. You’ll have to grow this business alone. You’ll have to make these changes alone. You’ll have to find your way alone. Oh, my sister, I have the greatest news for you today! You have been invited into a personal partnership that will NEVER LET YOU DOWN. This is exactly what you are looking for.

1 Corinthians 1:9, “God has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Do you have any idea what this means? Jesus wants to be your partner! The right partner will make or break you. The right partner will have you showing up when you didn’t think you could show up. The right partner will be strong when you are weak, will be up when you are down, will have answers for your questions, will know the way when you are lost, and will pull you out when you get stuck. AND JESUS IS SOOOOO THE RIGHT PARTNER FOR YOU!

This is your life changing partnership. He will help you do what you feel too insignificant to do. He will guide you through what you don’t know how to do.

My husband is a world class travel partner. That man is never lost. He’s a walking, talking GPS. Traveling with him I have complete confidence. I pack a bag and worry about nothing.

The right partner gives you that kind of confidence … and girl, YOU HAVE JESUS! You’re showing up with Jesus as your partner. This problem doesn’t even stand a chance. Those walls have to come down. That sea has to part. Those chains have to break. Not because of you, but because of who you bring.

Now notice, scripture says God has INVITED YOU into partnership with Jesus. You have the invitation … have you accepted it? For real, have you officially partnered with Jesus in your business, in your family, in your goals, in your dreams … or are you still trying to do this on your own? Are you still reading every darn self-help book out there and missing the supernatural help offered only in your Bible? Are you hoping some motivational speaker will give you a 7 step plan to show you the way, all while Jesus’ extended hand has gone unnoticed?

ACCEPT THE INVITATION. Say it now: Yes, Jesus, I want to partner with you!

Jesus says in John 15: 5-8, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. (That’s partnership. We’re in this together.) Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. (That’s progress, that’s success, that’s desired change.) For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. (All those goals, all those dreams, all that work is sure to go up in smoke when you try to do it without this partnership. It simply won’t work, Sis.) But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

In partnership with Jesus, you can ask for anything and it will be granted. Oh, that sounds like a genie in a bottle … but it’s not. Understand what happens when you are a branch connected to the vine, what’s in the vine flows through you. You become part of the vine and what grows from you is of the vine. So, in partnership with Jesus, he grows in us and changes us. Our desires change. Our thoughts change. Our dreams and goals change. And when we are living in partnership with Jesus as his branch, then our desires are part of his desires. This is how we ask and it is granted.

You don’t get to ask knowing it will be granted when you’re not in partnership with Jesus. No, because your request may be completely out of line. But the more you grow as the branch attached to the vine, the more you produce dreams, desires, goals and requests that are aligned with Jesus. When it’s aligned with Jesus, the answer is automatically yes. If it’s the will of God, nothing can stop it. It’s a done deal.

Jesus also says in Matthew 11: 29-30, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Again, Jesus is inviting us into partnership with him. He’s saying, “My girl, let’s do this together.” Whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re battling, whatever you’re facing, Jesus wants to do this WITH YOU as your partner.

To understand this fully, you first need to understand what a yoke is. This is a wooden beam fastened around the neck and across the shoulders of two cows who are pulling something heavy. The beam connects the cows, keeping them in alignment, sharing the load with each step.

Alone, each cow could not do the work and carry the load. Together, they can do it with ease. A yoke enabled trouble-free achievement that was otherwise impossible. And this is the picture of what Jesus is offering you! Achievement that before was impossible. Forward progress where you have been stuck.

Jesus extends his hand with an invitation, “Come, connect with me. Be close to me. I’ll help you carry this load. We will do this together, but I’ll do the hardest part. I’ll make your burden lighter. Together, we will do the impossible.”

Whatever your burden is, Jesus is offering to be your yoke-mate. He’s willing to partner with you through this. Will you accept his invitation?

You may not know what you’re doing, but Jesus does. Just align your steps with his. How? Stay close to him! Remember, the burden he gives you is light when you are yoked with him to pull this load.

You may not have the strength to get through this, but Jesus does. Receive the supernatural flow of his strength. How? Stay connected to him! Remember, he is the vine, you are the branch. Apart from him, you can do nothing.

You’ve been trying to do this on your own for long enough. You’ve been putting your trust in so many other people who have let you down, all while Jesus has been standing there with an extended hand and you’ve been passing him by. It’s time to take his hand in this.

Jesus, I officially accept the invitation of your partnership. Me and you. We are partners. Now, Jesus, you take the lead because I really don’t know what I’m doing.

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What amazing things would you do if you couldn’t fail? Oh, think about that for a second. If failure were off the table, wouldn’t you go for it? Wouldn’t you do it? And wouldn’t you do it now?

But, here’s the problem … failure is always on the table. And it’s probably on your table.

But it’s not because you’re not good enough. It’s not because God isn’t for you. It’s because failure is part of the plan, Sis. Failure is how we learn. Failure is how we grow. Closed doors are not only to keep you out of the wrong rooms, but to keep you walking down the hall to get to the right rooms with the right opportunities and the right people.

So the better question is, what would you do if you knew every failure could be used and there’s a wide open door for you in places you can’t see yet. Would you dare go in faith and push through your doubts and fears to get there? Would you keep getting up? Would you keep showing up? Would you keep trying? There’s very likely a life beyond your wildest imaginations waiting for you if you do.

Here’s what we miss … for every single thing that’s way bigger than us, we have Jesus. For every single thing that just won’t work, we have Jesus. For every thing that is too hard, we have Jesus. For every thing that we don’t know, can’t do, can’t fix and can’t make happen, we have Jesus. You’re letting the potential off all the hard unknowns scare you into a corner, but Jesus is darn good at handling the hard part.

When you get to the hard part, just remember, this is where Jesus comes in!

When you fail, you have Jesus. When you don’t think you can get through this, you have Jesus. When you can’t see the way, when you don’t have the answers, when you’re weak and weary, when you’ve come to the end of yourself, YOU HAVE JESUS!

15 years ago yesterday, I received a message from an old high school friend who was struggling. She was a single mom of 4 little boys. Every relationship had failed. She was struggling financially. She didn’t like who she saw in the mirror. Her entire life was nothing like what she had imagined, and for some reason she felt maybe I could help her.

What she didn’t know is I was an over-weight mortgage broker who lived in a house I couldn’t really afford and kept buying more things to make me happy because that God shaped hole in me was empty. Why would she reach out to me for help? Because my Facebook photos were photoshopped and my posts were nothing but positive. (I’m just being honest). But she desperately needed someone to invest in her. Someone to remind her of her worth. Someone to push her in the pursuit of a better life. And I just couldn’t say no.

Her exact words to me were, “Pamela, I’m a worn out, stressed out mom and I just want to be a Smokin’ Hot Mama.” So, that day I went on Facebook and I started a page called ‘The Smokin’ Hot Mama Club.’ A place where she would check in and I would encourage her. Sounds great, right? Well … the only problem was that little page I started was public and by the end of the day I had 30 people on it who were eager to be reminded of their worth and pursuing a better life. (Okay, probably only 10 of them were seeking that … the other 20 were looking for a biker gang, dancers, or a love connection.)

15 years later, it is now what brings me into your life every day. How crazy is that? BIG Life first began as something totally different, and I didn’t even mean to start it! If I would have known back then that it would become this today … wow, I would have left my job sooner! Losing most everything along the way would have been a lot easier if I would have know it was all leading here. My countless failures weren’t fatal afterall, but they certainly felt like it when I was in them. If I would have only known where God was leading through all those failures.

BUT WE DON’T. We don’t know where failure is leading, we just know it’s so darn hard when you’re in it. But now I know, when you get to the hard part, that’s where Jesus comes in!

Are you in the hard part right now? Ahhhhh, my sister, Jesus has never been closer! He’s right there with you. He’s making a way through this. He’s doing what only he can do, and what he can do is the impossible stuff! If you have some impossible stuff on your hands, just go ahead and give it to him. He’s really good at this part!

Several hundred years before Jesus, there was a King named Nebuchadnezzar who got caught up in riches and fame and he built a 90 foot tall gold statue and made everyone bow down to it anytime music played. There were 3 young men who refused to bow and worship the statue and this enraged the King. So he had all 3 of them thrown into a fiery furnace that was heated 7 times hotter than normal. The men were tied up and thrown into the fire. But when the King looked into the furnace he shouted, “Look, I see 4 men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!” They walked out of the flames, untouched and they didn’t even smell like smoke. Afterward, the King bowed down to the true God and promoted the men to high positions. (Daniel 3)

God did the hard part! He did the impossible part! He’s really good at that.

But the 3 young men didn’t know what God was going to do on their way into the furnace. We never know what God is going to do stepping into the flames.

A few chapters later, in Daniel 6, we read of a man named Daniel who was well liked by King Darius. Daniel had been chosen and promoted. But, just as Kings often do, this King too became caught up in riches and fame and decreed for 30 days no on could pray to anyone but him, and if they were caught praying to anyone or anything other than the King, they would be thrown into a den of lions.

But, Daniel still went home and prayed to God, so what happened … he was arrested and thrown into the lion’s den to be eaten alive. But God does things we cannot do. He does the hard stuff. The next morning, the King rolls the stone from the lion’s den and finds Daniel still in one piece, miraculously unharmed. And Daniel says in 6:22, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouth so that they would not hurt me.” Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

Afterwards, Daniel prospered.

But making the choice to pray to God when it was forbidden was hard. Seeing the lions coming at him was hard. Spending the night with the lions was hard. Daniel had no idea amazing things were on the other side of this hard.

I don’t know what fire you’ve been walking through, or what lion’s den you’ve been stuck in, but I know this much … you’re not alone! This is where Jesus comes in! He does the hard part. The part you could never do on your own. The way you could have never seen is the way he’s making through it.

While you are not promised to be isolated from the hard stuff, you can count on Jesus being there for the hard stuff.

Don’t hold back. Don’t give up. Don’t settle for less. This is the hard part where Jesus walks you through that fire, seals the lion’s mouth, breaks those chains, tears down those walls, parts that sea. You can’t do it, but he can.

Remember, for this, you have Jesus.

Over the past 15 years there have been some ridiculously hard things I would have absolutely avoided. Things I wasn’t prepared for. Attacks my heart wasn’t strong enough for. Demands I couldn’t balance. Twists and turns I would have never chosen. But for all of this, I had Jesus. And Jesus knew it would all lead to YOU, and you would be worth it. Now, I get to talk to you … how amazingly cool is that?

I don’t know where you’re going and what you’re going through on the way there, but I know this much for sure, Jesus has got you through the hard part. You can’t do this without him. And even with him, it won’t be easy. But one day, maybe 15 years from now even, you’ll look back and see how he was faithful with all the hard stuff and brought you to a future that is better than you could have imagined.

The hard part … yeah, that’s for Jesus. You can trust him.

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Today’s episode of the BIG Life Devotional Podcast is an unscripted Bible study time together digging deeper on the true meaning of giving God credit.

Psalm 30
John 14:1
Jeremiah 31:13

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 have been learning so much about the twisted suggestions of the devil and the way out of those temptations Jesus has made for us. The past 3 episodes have taken us deeper into Luke 4 telling of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, facing these temptations and battling the enemy of your soul. It’s […]