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BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women
Devotionals do not have to be boring … we make them fun, applicable and powerful each and every day. Pamela will get you fired up for life and lather the love of Jesus on you … and make you giggle.
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- Today18 min
2137 Jesus Is Sleeping
Have you ever been on a boat in a stormy sea? Have you ever seen waves so big they can swallow your boat? Have you ever felt the panic of beginning to sink? I haven’t, and I must say, I’m quite grateful. I love living through an adventure to get to the other side with a good story, but that’s one I prefer to just read about. The disciples had this real-life experience, and Mark gives us a vivid picture of their desperation as they became convinced they weren’t going to survive. And what’s crazy is, this is the storm Jesus led them into. It was Jesus’ idea to get in the boat and head in this direction! Mark 4: 35-37 “As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind. But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.” Fierce storms, high waves breaking into your boat, and water filling the only thing that’s keeping you afloat, is NOT a favorable situation. And maybe that’s the way life feels right now. You’re struggling to make ends meet, and now another thing breaks needing repairs. How will you pay for that? Your marriage has been on the rocks, now you’re dealing with sickness too. You’ve been battling feelings of depression and anxiety, now there are more messes and stresses coming your way, just when you feel you’re already at your breaking point. How much more can you take? These are the storms of life. These are the waves that come crashing into our boat. These are the winds that blow and the waters that threaten. And we ALL go through them. We all deal with our crossing to the other side that goes all wrong. Why does Jesus allow this? Heck, not only allow it, but actually lead us into it? Jesus knew of the storm the disciples would encounter on the boat that night, and he knew of the storms you would encounter too. Yet, he still allowed you to be right here in this boat to meet the waves. Where is Jesus when life grows out of control? Where is Jesus when you feel like you’re sinking? Where is Jesus when it’s all just too much and you don’t know how to save yourself? Verse 38, “Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.” As the waves are breaking over the boat and water is filling the hull, Jesus is peacefully asleep. There wasn’t an ounce of freak out going on for Jesus. There was no worry, no stress. He was resting in complete assurance. Jesus could sleep through the storm because he was in charge of it. And, Sis, Jesus is here going through this with you, and he’s absolutely NOT flipping out. He’s not worried how this is going to work out. He’s not upset over these hard times. He’s not stressed over what just happened, or anxious about what will happen next. It’s not because he doesn’t know. Oh, he knows. And it’s not because he doesn’t care. Oh, he cares. It’s because of this one thing, through it all, he’s in total and complete control. Verse 38-41, “The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” Jesus asks why fear has taken over when he’s right there in the boat. After all he has brought us through before, do we still have no faith? After all he has done, do we still question his power? Do we still dismiss ourselves from his love and care? Do we still doubt his control over every detail of our lives? Jesus could sleep through the storm because he was in charge of it. If the winds obey Jesus, so does the housing market, the job market, the dating market and every door that seems closed to you. If the waves obey Jesus, so do the doctor’s reports, the pregnancy results, and the recession. With a single command, Jesus stopped what no human could control. How did Jesus stop the wild storm? He simply said, “Silence! Be still!”, and boom, the wind suddenly stopped and there was a great calm. Looking back, has God ever suddenly stopped the very thing that was threatening you? He has, hasn’t he? It was awful one moment, then it was completely gone the next. It was overwhelming, then it was over. It was way too much, then it was suddenly nothing at all. Recognize who did that. That was Jesus! Jesus calms storms. Jesus changes circumstances in an instant. Jesus brings peace where chaos has threatened. He
- Yesterday20 min
2136 Healing For My Girls
Life has a way of convincing us that nothing will ever change. Faith reaches for Jesus anyway. Jesus specializes in restoring what looks lost. Mark 5: 21-43 (two separate stories intertwined) Has the vibrant, joyful woman God created you to be been buried beneath years of disappointment? Have the circumstances of life pressed down so heavily on you that you’re no longer truly living—you are simply surviving? Maybe you’ve carried a burden for so long that it has become part of your identity. You’ve prayed. You’ve tried. You’ve waited. Yet instead of getting better, things seem to have grown worse. The greatest danger isn’t the problem itself. The greatest danger is when the problem convinces you that nothing will ever change. When disappointment becomes your expectation. When survival becomes your lifestyle. When you stop believing tomorrow can be different than today. But today I want to remind you of something: One encounter with Jesus can change what years could not. First, let’s look at the woman has has been suffering for 12 years. Scripture is specific and says “She suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding.” This isn’t just an inconvenience, this is cause for being excluded. She was considered unclean. Unable to go to the temple to worship. Unable to touch anyone or be touched. Weddings – she wasn’t allowed to be there. Family gatherings – not invited. She had been left alone in her suffering for 12 years. But it’s not like she had just sat in her suffering and done nothing. She had tried everything. She had spent all her money on doctors and her condition had only continually gotten worse. Twelve years of pain. Twelve years of disappointment. Twelve years of unanswered questions. Twelve years of trying everything and watching things get worse. Can you imagine that? At some point most people would stop expecting anything different. Because that’s what time does. Time can make temporary struggles feel permanent. Time can convince us that our current reality is our final reality. But the woman refused to let twelve years decide her future. She heard Jesus was near and she said: “If I can just touch Him.” Not if He touches me. Not if He notices me. Not if someone invites me. If I can get to Him. Faith doesn’t wait for perfect circumstances. Faith moves. Faith reaches. Faith presses through crowds. Faith says, “I know what my reality has been, but I also know who Jesus is.” Can you say that? I KNOW WHAT MY REALITY HAS BEEN, BUT I ALSO KNOW WHO JESUS IS! Don’t let a long battle convince you that God is finished. ___________________________ Notice something powerful in this story – it’s in the middle of another story. Jesus wasn’t looking for this suffering woman. In fact, he was on His way somewhere else. Yet her faith interrupted His journey. Think about that. The crowd was touching Jesus. But only one person touched Him in faith. Many people were around Him. One person reached out to him in faith. There is a difference between being near Jesus and reaching for Jesus. Really, why are you listening today? Are you listening just because it’s part of your morning routine – or are you listening because you’re desperate for Jesus? There are some who are just in the crowd, but there is one who is reaching for Jesus. For the one reaching, there is power! Is that you today? Are you listening because you’re reaching for Jesus? Because she reached, power flowed. What people called impossible, Jesus called healed. Will you still reach today? After all this time, after all this disappointment, will you still reach for Jesus in faith? But remember, this isn’t just one story – this is two intertwined stories. When Mark retells the stories, he leaves these 2 stories together for us to see how Jesus works. 12 years, 2 daughters. Different stories, different needs, the same answer. Jesus steps into both situations. Why leave these 2 stories together? To show Jesus doesn’t just heal suffering – He restores life itself. _________________________________________ Jesus was on his way to heal Jairus’ 12 year old daughter, but his journey was interrupted by this suffering woman. While Jesus was ministering to the woman, terrible news arrived. The report comes in to Jairus in verse 35, “Your daughter is dead.” In other words: “It’s over. Too late. Don’t bother Jesus anymore.” Isn’t that exactly how the enemy speaks? It’s over. Nothing will change. Stop believing. Stop praying. Stop hopi
- 4 days ago21 min
2135 No Lone Rangers
Alright, my armored up sister – we have a battle all around us – what are we going to do about it? Well, here’s what we’re NOT called to do – we’re not called to run head first into battles with the enemy. We’re not told to sneak into enemy territory and plan an attack. We’re told to put on our armor and STAND FIRM. Do not waver. Do not back down. Don’t give an inch of territory. Don’t settle. STAND FIRM. Our job is to stand with our armor, eyes fixed on Jesus. Hey Rambo, settle down! Lone Ranger, you’re not supposed to do this alone. God has a resounding message for us throughout scripture: Exodus 14:14 – “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Deuteronomy 1:30 – “The LORD your God… will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22 – “The LORD your God himself will fight for you.” Deuteronomy 20:4 – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies.” Joshua 23:10 – “The LORD your God fights for you.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 – “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” Nehemiah 4:20 – “Our God will fight for us.” God is fighting – you are to be standing firm. If you’re in the middle of a battle, you keep standing and trust God to fight for you as he promises. But make sure you have all your armor on! Let me tell you what is NOT part of God’s armor: • Worrying • Whining • Wallowing Paul tells us there’s one final thing we must do in the spiritual battle in the unseen … After all this armor, we MUST STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMANDER. All the armor in the world will do you no good if you’re out Rambo-ing alone. God isn’t looking for a Lone Ranger. Ephesians 6:18, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Oh if we truly had any idea of the power of our prayers, we would never fail to pray about anything ever again. We just don’t see how our prayers move Heaven. We don’t see how our prayers allocate God’s divine power. We don’t see how an army of angels are dispatched for the battle with our prayers. Prayer is your communication with your commander. The one who holds the battle plan, the one who sees every detail, the one who promises the victory – you have a direct line of communication with Him! And yet here we are, God’s girls with divine armor, trying to fight our battles without talking to God first. Remember when Paul writes the book of Ephesians and tells us about this Armor of God in chapter 6, he’s likely chained to a literal Roman soldier, keeping him in prison. He’s looking at this soldier, recognizing piece by piece how his armor relates to everything God has given us for the battle we’re against Satan and his demons. And he’s witnessing this soldier receiving orders from his commander. The soldier is there doing what he’s been told to do. He’s not alone, he’s on assignment. He’s seeking his commander for his next move. He’s on the orders of a higher power than himself. Girl, you’re on the orders of a higher power than yourself. You can’t afford to be running off into battles, trying things your own way, hoping to fix and save everyone, without constant communication with your Commander. PRAY IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES AND ON EVERY OCCASION. The Greek word translated “Pray in” means “in connection to” and “with the help of”. This isn’t about the words we are saying. This is about HOW we are praying. This is a connection with God through the Holy Spirit to receive divine orders. Now we can make this complicated and messy and really awkward if we want, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Some say this means you have to be speaking in tongues, but scripture tells me that praying in a language you cannot personally understand is a GIFT. Some have that spiritual gift, while others have different spiritual gifts. Praying in an unknown language is not a badge of spiritual superiority. Don’t make this weird. Don’t make what God has given as a gift to some as a reason to be divided or turned away. Praying in the spirit is a heart posture. It is a yearning for God’s will above your own. It is a surrender, a submission. It is a connection void of boxes to check and vain words to repeat. This isn’t habit or custom. Praying in the Spirit is a connection with God through conversation. If I’m praying for you in the Spirit, it means more than just speaking your name in prayer. It means I’m allowing the H
- 6 days ago20 min
2134 Sword School
Now that we have all 5 pieces of our armor, the belt of truth around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness covering our heart, the shoes of peace for our ready feet, the shield of faith in one hand to protect us from the fiery arrows, and the helmet of salvation protecting our mind, we have one last thing to do … Ephesians 6:17, “Take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” We have been given a sword to fight this battle. That sword is the very word of God. That word is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Notice Paul says, “Take the sword of THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.” This is more than just having the Bible app on your phone. More than posting a few scriptures on your social when you’re having a bad day. This is the Holy Spirit giving you a literal weapon to use in the spiritual battle raging all around you. That weapon is a sword in the word of God. The Bible isn’t a book of magic words to repeat to get what we want. Speed reading it isn’t going to arm you, that’s just going to check a box. The ol’ “let me crack this puppy open and just see what scripture jumps out at me” isn’t a real sword for the battle against evil. Here’s what the Bible really is, it is GOD-BREATHED. God breathed his very word into the writers of scripture. Our Bibles are HOLY and DIVINE, unlike any other book ever written. We attribute books to Moses, David, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, and others … but the foundation of our belief is that it’s ALL from God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “ALL Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” When you understand the sheer miracle it is to be able to hold God’s actual word in your hands and read it with your own eyes – wow!!!! Before modern day, God’s word was reserved for a select few. It was all handwritten on scrolls of parchment or animal skin, stored away somewhere sacred. To hear his word read, you would have to go to the temple. For this reason, people would literally seek to memorize God’s word fully so they could carry it with them. Did you know Kings of Israel were require to transcribe the Bible for themselves to have while they ruled their country? To lead well, they had to let God’s word get within them and know it personally, so they wrote it word for word themselves. Hey, I don’t know what you’re leading – if it’s a family or a business, a circle of friends or a mission of some sort, but it’s very clear what you need to lead that well – YOU NEED GOD’S WORD. It’s not enough to just have someone read it to you. You need to know it for yourself. If you’re wondering what’s wrong with your life, God’s word will reveal it to you. If you’re seeking the right thing to do, God’s word will reveal it to you. Your answers are all here. And of course, that’s why in this spiritual battle the enemy has tried everything to keep you OUT OF GOD’S WORD. No, he doesn’t want that sword in your hand! Some of us finally have that sword in our hand, but we don’t know how to use it. We’re just randomly pulling out scriptures, twisting them to fit our situation. We’re throwing around God’s word, hoping something sticks and makes a magical change. No, girl – you need Sword School. You have to know how to hold the sword of God’s word. How to swing it. How to stand with it. How to fight with it. I once had a little stalker incident that scared the bejesus right out of me. Someone had broken into our home and stolen all our photo albums and a few of my very personal items – nothing of monetary value. The next day, my husband bought me a pistol and he took me out to the desert to teach me how to shoot it. Just having the gun didn’t give me any safety – in fact, it just made me dangerous. I had to know where to find it for quick access. I had to learn how to handle it. I had to know how to load it. How to take the safety off. How to aim and pull the trigger. No amount of instruction could give me the confidence to handle this weapon – I had to use it for myself. I had to get familiar with it. I had to practice using it until I could do it in the dark. What good is a weapon if in the middle of the night the bad guy comes and I’m like, “Ahhh, wait a second, let me turn on the light so I can find my weapon and figure out how to get it ready to point at you.” Isn’t that the way we are with our Bibles? We don’t know how to use them. We don’t know it’s power. We’re not trained up for this battle. And honestly, with our habit of just pulling out random scriptures and trying to apply what feels good at the moment, we are dangerous. Just a few years ago, I didn’t even own a Bible. I just looked up random scriptu
- 1 weeks ago22 min
2133 Eyes on Jesus
In the halls of our Venice, Italy retreat house are priceless paintings and works of art. Clearly, the owner is a serious collector. But one piece stopped me. It hangs in a second-story hallway—gold-framed, almost sculpted into the canvas itself. It’s not just a painting; it has depth, dimension, movement. Figures seem to step forward out of the frame and cast real shadows on the wall. And it tells a story. A man is kneeling in prayer, hands lifted, eyes fixed on a crucifix of Jesus on the wall before him. His posture is steady. His focus is anchored. But beside him stands another figure—dark, winged, intent. Not attacking violently, but persistently present. Watching. Pressing. Distracting. And yet the man does not turn. He stays fixed on Jesus. That image is not just art—it is a spiritual reality. We live in that scene. There is always a battle for the mind. Not always loud. Not always dramatic. Often subtle. Persistent. Relentless. The enemy does not need to destroy you if he can distract you. Because where your attention goes, your life follows. My friends, this is a real picture of what is continually going on around us. The spiritual battle of Satan’s demons forever against us, flying around, shooting flaming arrows, throwing threats and insults – all while Jesus is strong and steady above it all. The question is, where are we looking? What are we focusing on? What gets our mind? If your mind isn’t saved by Jesus, then it is completely vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. If you’re not focused on Jesus, you are continually distracted by the forces of darkness, acts of evil, and threats of terror. Your mind is the battlefield of this spiritual war. If the enemy captures your thoughts, he doesn’t just influence your mood—he distorts your vision. If he gets your thoughts, you spiral in fear. If he gets your focus, you lose peace. If he gets your attention, you forget truth. This is why Scripture is so direct: The battle is not first in your circumstances—it is in your mind. For this battle, God offers a very specific piece of armor over your mind – the helmet of salvation. Ephesians 6:17, “Put on salvation as your helmet.” It’s the final piece of your defensive armor. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and finally the helmet of salvation. “Put on salvation as your helmet.” This is not decorative language. It is defensive language. A helmet exists for one reason: to protect what cannot afford to be struck. Your head. Your mind. Your thoughts. In Roman warfare, the helmet marked identity and provided protection. It told others who you belonged to—and it guarded what could end the fight instantly. Because a blow to the head ends everything. So Paul is saying something deeply practical and deeply spiritual: God is not only saving your soul—He is guarding your mind. The phrase translated “take” or “put on” carries the idea of receiving what is being handed to you. This matters. Because salvation is not self-produced. It is not achieved through willpower or positive thinking. It is received. You don’t fabricate salvation. You accept it. You don’t defend yourself from the enemy by willpower alone. You stand under what God has already given. The word “salvation” here is not abstract. It means rescue. Deliverance. Being pulled out of danger you could not escape on your own. So the “helmet of salvation” is not just: “I am forgiven.” It is also: “My mind belongs to the One who rescued me.” It is the assurance that “I am saved, I am held, I am not defenseless in my mind.” The enemy rarely begins with destruction. He begins with intrusion. The crafty enemy of our is soul doing everything he can to distract us, torment us, fill us with doubts and fears. He says, “take off that helmet and let me get in your head!” That’s the battle. If he can saturate your thoughts, he doesn’t need to change your circumstances. He simply convinces you that darkness is all there is. But the helmet of salvation interrupts that lie. Girl, did you take off your helmet? Did you let the devil get in your head? Are you filled with doubts, worries and fears? Oh, my sister, your eyes aren’t on Jesus because your head isn’t protected. God is offering you a helmet to protect your mind, but it’s always up to you to accept it and put it on. The helmet of salvation reminds us of this: WE ARE SAVED, WE ARE REDEEMED and WE ARE PROMISED A FUTURE. When your mind knows that full well, it changes the way you live. You’re no longer distracted by the wispers of Hell. You’re no longer fearful of the pokes of Satan. You’re locked in to Jesus. There is an old story often told of two wolves—one feeding darkness, one feeding life. It goes like this: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about l
- 1 weeks ago22 min
2132 Faith Under Fire
Here we are, God’s daughters, under attack. Every day the enemy attacks with the hopes of distracting us or distancing us from God. That’s why we must put on the full armor God has offered us. He doesn’t want his girls vulnerable to the devil, he wants us victorious. Last week we studied the first 3 pieces of our God given armor for the spiritual battle: The Belt of Truth The Breastplate of Righteousness The Shoes of Peace Now, it’s time for us to pick up our shield. Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Okay girls, let’s learn about this shield and about those fiery arrows coming our way. Roman soldiers had 2 kinds of shields. One was a small, handheld shield. This is not the shield Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about the other type of shield – the one almost as big as a door. This shield was called the scutum (pronounced sk-U-tum). This shield, the sputum was about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide, made of layers of laminated wood, then covered with leather and bound with iron. The shield was big enough for a soldier to crouch behind and be completely protected. You’ve likely seen the movies where soldiers are carrying these large rectangular shields and when the enemy forces shoot their arrows, the soldiers stand together in formation with their door like shields held tightly ,forming a barrier all around them, in front of them and above them. That’s the precise image of our faith as a shield. We are protected, but not only protected, we are enabled to move forward even while under attack. In this formation with their shields fully protecting them on all sides, the army wouldn’t just crouch and endure the attack, they would MOVE FORWARD. Forward towards the objective. Forward towards the goal. Forward towards their mission. Forward, even while the enemy attacked. This is the power of our shield of faith. Now, what bout those arrows? Paul says the devil shoots “fiery arrows” at us. Soldiers in these days would often dip their arrows into a flammable liquid, then light them on fire before launching them at their enemy like a missile. AND THAT IS SATAN’S STRATEGY AGAINST US. Fiery, blazing arrows. His objective is to destroy you and he’ll use every single thing at his disposal to do so. Don’t be so naive to think he won’t come after you. Scripture says he’s “like a roaring lion”, and honey, lions don’t care if you’re cute, they don’t care if you’re happy, they don’t care if you’re rich, they don’t care if you’ve got a whole family depending on you … lions want to kill you. Period. You have been under attack. No doubt, it’s been happening. Even just this past week, fiery arrows were flying at you. Let me help you identify them: Arrow 1: Tempt you to sin Arrow 2: Get you to ignore the things that would help you Arrow 3: Make you miserable Arrow 4: Make you doubt Arrow 5: Make you settle Remember when you just ignored praying about it? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you didn’t make time to open your Bible? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you thought it wasn’t a big deal and you could hide it? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you felt so tired, so defeated and so discouraged that you just sat there? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you checked the box but didn’t really give it your best? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you knew you should, but you didn’t – Yip that was an arrow. Remember when you felt guilt and shame over it – Yip that was an arrow. Not to mention all the things you’ve been dealing with that make you scared, make you hurt, and make you question – All arrows. Now do you see the attacks you are continually facing? This is your every day reality. Girl, you are always under attack. That’s why you need this shield of faith. To put it quite simply, the way you defend yourself from Satan’s attacks is on a very practical level TRUST WHAT’S TRUE ABOUT GOD. Faith isn’t just hearing about God – Faith isn’t even just knowing about God – Faith is actively positioning God’s promises between your vulnerability and the enemy’s fiery assaults. The devil is going to shoot his fiery arrows to tempt you, distract you, discourage you, detour you and defeat you, but that big ol’ shield of faith in God’s promises is what you actively pick up and hold up to protect you. I know my God. I know his ways. I feel his presence. I receive his strength. I believe his promises. I trust my God. My sister, that is your defense! Faith is what will protect you when the fiery arrows are coming at you. Faith is what will help you advance even when you’re under attack. Faith is not optional for this battle, it is essential! So really, what is faith? What a r
- 1 weeks ago24 min
2131 Don’t Fight Barefoot
There are 3 pieces of God’s armor we are to “put on”. 1. The belt of truth. 2. The breastplate of righteousness. 3. The shoes of peace. In getting dressed for the unseen spiritual battle, the final thing we put on are our shoes. And think about it, you’re not ready to leave if you don’t have your shoes on. My husband knows I’m not really walking out the door if my shoes aren’t on. My shoes are the sign I’m really ready and we’re going … until then, I’m not really going anywhere. God has places for you to go. A stand you are to take. Purposes you are to fulfill. Good plans you are to walk in. But, without your shoes, you’re not really ready to go with him. The soldier’s shoes were a valuable piece of their armor. Remember in these days, they were foot soldiers. They weren’t riding around in tanks and helicopters. They were marching in, climbing up, standing ground. In military battles of these days, the army who had the best battle shoes was set apart. There’s a story of an army who won countless victories because they put nails in their shoes, creating the first cleats. They could climb what no other army could climb. As women, we know shoes make or break the outfit – but in battle, shoes can make or break the victory. So Paul says in Ephesians 6:15, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Without your shoes, you’re not ready. With the wrong shoes, you’re not winning. Barefoot, you’re injured. The shoes in the Armor of God are specifically the PEACE that comes from the Good News. Sounds a little fruity doesn’t it? That’s sweet – but does it really mean anything to you? I’ll be honest – that just never meant anything to me at all – until today. Until I really studied what Paul is saying. Now I get it, and I’m so excited to share it with you. Peace – what’s your image of God’s peace? Someone once asked 2 very famous painters to each paint a picture of God’s peace. One painted the image of a beautiful, calm, serene lake in the most peaceful setting you could imagine. It’s basically where I am right now – North Italy’s Dolomite mountains. The lakes here are the deepest, calmest blue, fully protected by stunning mountains that reach straight up in the sky. Such calm. Such peace. That was one artist’s painting. But the other artist paints the ocean. Not calm water, but the ocean in a violent storm. Massive waves crashing in the fierce winds. Lightening flashing in the sky. And in the very bottom corner of the painting was a small bird, totally protected from the storm, standing on a rock with a solitary beam of light shining on it. If there was a soundtrack to the painting it was the bird singing his completely unbothered song of perfect peace in the midst of that raging storm. Both are pictures of peace. One is a picture of peaceful circumstances – the other is a picture of the power of God’s peace. God doesn’t promise peaceful circumstances, in fact Jesus warns us of the oppoisite – “in this world you will have trouble”. But God does promise us the power of his peace – the unshakable knowing he is with you, he sees you, and he is in control. We’re so quick to assume only the good days contain God’s peace, but you’ve never experienced God’s peace on the most extreme level until you’re in the middle of something that demands you absolutely freak out, but instead you have an unspeakable peace within. With this peace you’re not rendered incapable, you’re strengthened in the battle. My friend, if you find yourself currently in a battle, God has peace available for you. And his word isn’t just offering it to you as an option, his word is telling you, “PUT THIS ON!” But how? How do you put on God’s peace? Thank God, his word actually tells us. We’re not left to guess and wonder. It’s clear. Philippians 4: 6-7. First, there is an offer you have to REFUSE to make room for God’s offer of peace. If you don’t refuse it, there will simply be no space for peace in you. What is the offer you have to refuse? Worry. Here’s precisely what God’s word says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead 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.” This is a formula and a process. First you refuse worry. Worry is always in the offering. There’s always something to worry about, right? But you must turn away from it. Turn it off. Resist it. Evict it. Absolutely take a stand against worry. You know what we often do instead? We make excuses for it. “Oh, it’s just who I am. I’m a worrier. I always have been.” That’s the equivalent of saying, “Oh, I’m just muddy, it’s just who I am. I go out and roll around in the mud so I’m always mudd
- 1 weeks ago17 min
2130 The Bulletproof Vest
Part of your armor against the ploys of the enemy is a bulletproof vest for your heart. If Satan can twist your heart, if he can harden your heart, if he can damage your heart, then he renders you ineffective. Nobody looks at a cynical, irritable, negative, grouchy Christian and says, ‘wow, I gotta have what she has.’ Yip – ineffective! Zero impact for Jesus. Saved but not set apart for good works. For these reasons you are given the breastplate of righteousness, the bulletproof vest for your heart. If you feel righteous, there’s a problem. You’re not. There’s nothing you could ever do to make yourself clean enough, good enough, or holy enough to be considered righteous in our perfect God’s sight. And this is exactly why Jesus was required. Only he could make you righteous. His righteousness is imparted to you. His name is stamped on your account of debts and you’re forever marked as “GOOD ENOUGH”. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Jesus did for you. Righteous – this means to be free from guilt or sin. Not without guilt or sin, but free from it. No longer bound by it. No longer in debt to it. No longer victim to it, but FREE from it. And the righteousness of Jesus has now empowered you to live better. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:14, “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.” Other translations call it the “body armor of God’s righteousness” or “God’s approval as your breastplate.” TPT says, “Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart.” Here’s what we know – without this right standing, without God’s approval, our most vital organs are completely vulnerable. The chest shot is the easiest shot and without God’s covering, we will go down in the battle against our enemy. God did for us what we could never do for ourselves. No amount of good works, no amount of changed habits, no amount of perfectly met goals, nothing we could possibly do would make us righteous. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23. That includes you on your worst days and you on your best days. So here’s what God did – he stepped in and bridged the gap where we fell short of his glory. He bridged that gap with a cross. A literal cross where Jesus hung – and that cross allows us to cross over from forever not good enough no matter what we do, to forever good enough because of what was done for us. When you wear that as your bulletproof vest, the flaming arrows of the enemy just bounce right off. Oh, he’ll still shoot them out you, but ping ping ping, they just bounce. Your heart is untouched when you fully know the stamp of Christ’s full approval on you. But … there’s one little problem. The devil and his demons know full well how unworthy of this bulletproof vest of righteousness you feel when you aren’t living right. It’s hard to put on our divinely given righteousness when deep down we know darn good and well we’re not living right. When we engage in sin, we open the door for the devil to have influence in our lives. You don’t even have to open the door fully to him, but a little crack will do. A little dabble in that sin. A borderline gray area that no one knows about. Even that crack in the door will give him an opportunity. Ephesians 4:27 says, “give NO opportunity to the devil.” About 2 years ago, I began praying that God would reveal to me any part of my life that was not pleasing to him. Well that was dangerous and I didn’t even know it. Suddenly the Holy Spirit started revealing all my little cracked doors to the enemy. But these were really fun things. Things I enjoyed. Things that made me happy. Things I wrestled to understand how they could be wrong. After wrestling and reasoning for months, I finally began to release these things and make changes. And let me tell you what happened – it’s like the lid was taken off! I was free like never before. Blessings upon blessings. Now I wonder why I waited so long to trust God with those doors that needed to be closed. The devil had access to my heart through the little cracks I had left open, doing things God had asked me not to do. When I finally partnered with God and slammed those doors, my heart was once again fully protected with the righteousness Jesus offers. Here’s the truth – the devil can’t take your righteousness from you, but he sure will offer you temptations to enter into a life that is so far from God’s way of living that you just dismiss yourself. When you know you’re living in wrong ways, it’s almost impossible to keep putting on that breastplate of righteousness. What God has given you as protection becomes a heavy reminder of your unworthiness today because of what you did yesterday. So, guess what … guilt and shame eventually make you leave the breastplate in the corner. It’s too painful to put on righteousness when you know you’re not living right. And boom – yo
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