BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Where are you lacking the ability to believe Jesus? You believe Jesus is who he says he is – you believe Jesus can do everything he says he can do – but maybe you struggle to believe he will actually do it for you. Your circumstances tell you something different. The patterns you live in tell you nothing really ever changes for you. You intimately know your struggles. You are personally acquainted with your shortcomings. You’ve been living with your problems. And the truth is, the miraculous powers of Jesus always seem to be for someone else – not you. Why is that? If Jesus can heal – why hasn’t he healed you? If Jesus can make all things new – why are you still stuck in this old mess? If Jesus holds all this power – why haven’t you seen it working for your family? We’re ashamed of these questions and feelings, aren’t we? We’ve been told these kinds of doubts indicate our lack of faith. And scripture is actually quite clear, “It is impossible to please God without faith.” So here we are, walking around with a reasonable amount of doubt, feeling like failures. Gosh, God must be really disappointed in you right now, huh? Actually, no. Your struggle to believe and your wrestling with seeing God’s miraculous works in your life aren’t a failure of faith. This is the PROCESS OF FAITH! You don’t have to run from this – lean into this. If you currently find yourself in this place of believing in Jesus and his miracle working power, but questioning if his miracles will ever show up personally for you, you’re in the middle of the faith process. This is a beautiful place to be. Faith invites Jesus’ healing. It was the faith of the leper that Jesus declares brought his healing. Jesus said it was the faith of the mother that brought healing to her daughter. It was the faith of the friends that brought healing to the paralyzed man. Jesus said it was the bleeding woman’s faith that delivered her healing. Did they still have a reasonable amount of questioning? before their miracle Probably. Did they wrestle with dismissing themselves thinking they weren’t worthy of approaching Jesus for healing? You bet. Were they running through a hundred scenarios in their mind of ‘what if this doesn’t work’ as they reached for Jesus? Of course. How do I know? Because every single one of these recipients of a miracle were human. They believed, but at the same time they doubted. Why? Because their faith was in process. Faith causes you to reach for the hem of Jesus’ robe. Faith causes you to cry out for help. That is pleasing to God. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. Doubt is wrestling with all that you believe and not understanding some things. My friend, maybe that’s what you need to hear today – it’s okay that you don’t understand this. It’s okay that you’re still wrestling with some questions. It’s okay that at times you still struggle to believe Jesus would ever personally get involved in your struggles. It’s okay to wrestle it out with those thoughts of things never changing for you. This is your process of faith. Sometimes we fail to see just how patient God is with us. He doesn’t expect you to be some superhuman who never struggles. Girl, he knew you wouldn’t be perfect – that’s why you need Jesus. His personal involvement in the details of your life and his miraculous power working in you are not dependent on superhuman faith – even a little mustard seed of faith will do. A faith that is still growing. A faith that is still struggling. A faith that knows he can, but sometimes questions if he will. Your little tiny seed of faith calls Jesus to show up for you! Let him have those doubts and questions – you don’t have to hide those from him (as if you could anyway.) He wants to show up for you in the middle of your struggle to believe. Have you ever read the story of the desperate father who struggled to believe Jesus? A man who confessed his doubts. A man who just didn’t know if Jesus would in fact heal his son the way he had heard about him healing others. Let’s read it together today and see what Jesus has for us! Mark 9: 17-29: One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” 19Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 20So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 24The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 25When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” 26Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. 28Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” 29Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” Who were the faithless people? The people in the crowd who were arguing over the disciples failure to heal this boy. The faithless was NOT the father. The father believed, but he honestly struggled with some natural unbelief. How did Jesus respond to this natural measure of unbelief? HE HEALED HIS SON! Did Jesus wait until this father overcame all his doubts and questions? Did Jesus’ miracle depend on him understanding and fully expecting his son to be healed? No. It wasn’t about the father’s questions. It wasn’t about the father’s lack of understanding. It wasn’t about the father’s ability to perform or be perfect. It was about his need being brought to Jesus in an imperfect way during his process of faith. And Jesus responded to his little bit of faith, his believing that sometimes struggled with unbelief, his human nature to question that which he couldn’t understand – AND HIS SON WAS HEALED. What I see here is someone like you and I. Someone with a reasonable amount of doubt at times. Someone with an imperfect faith that believes, but still has unbelief. Someone NOT disqualified from the miracles of Jesus. Because even a little faith moves mountains. A little faith reaches for Jesus with one hand while still having a whole lot of questions in the other hand. A little faith says, “Jesus, help me if you can” – all while nothing is impossible for God. A little faith believes, but needs help overcoming your unbelief. And Jesus responds to that little faith. This man was not denying Jesus. He believed in Jesus. He believed in Jesus’ power to heal. But he simply didn’t know if Jesus would truly heal his son. His son who had been tormented by sickness because of an evil spirit. His son who had suffered since he was a little boy. Would Jesus move for him with his imperfect faith? His statement of “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief” is the beginning of faith. The beginning of faith is recognizing where you’ve lacked faith. The beginning of faith is holding belief in one hand and questions in the other. The beginning of faith is tiny, and it is powerful! You’re in the process of building faith. That’s what your questions mean. That’s what your unbelief at times shows. You’re growing in faith – and that is radically pleasing to God. Jesus can and will respond to your little seed of budding faith. 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

Studying the miracles of Jesus, sometimes we see a sickness or condition was the result of a demon’s torment. Not every problem was because of a demon, but some no doubt were. And the same is true today. Some sickness, some conditions and some circumstances are precisely because a demon has zeroed in to attack and bring torment. Does it mean that person is evil? No. It means they are tormented. There’s only one answer – the power of Jesus needs to force that demon to leave. But how do you know when the problem you’re encountering is a natural human condition and when it’s a spiritual attack? How can you be sure of when you seek God’s hand of healing and when you declare darkness must leave? May I be totally vulnerable and honest with you – I don’t yet know. I only know to stay close to Jesus and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. I see that with every encounter of Jesus in scripture, he knew precisely the cause of each person’s problem. He recognized that which needed his touch and that which required his word evicting of authority. As we watch Jesus do what he did, we better understand the call to now do what he did. We seek the same discernment of the Father. The knowing of what is a physical battle and what is a spiritual battle, and how to stand in God’s power for both. What we see is regardless of the problem, the sickness or the condition, the answer was always Jesus. Jesus could heal any disease, he could raise the dead and restore life again, and he could free a person from a lifetime of torment from a demon. And now remember, Jesus says to us his followers in John 14:12, “Anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works.” How? Through the power of the Holy Spirit that now lives in you. Yes, we are supposed to be laying our hands on the sick in the name of Jesus. Yes, we are supposed to be casting out demons in the name of Jesus. We are not supposed to be running in fear of either or backing down from the spiritual battle around us. We are equipped and we are called. Let’s be doing the things Jesus did! In Mark 7: 31-35, a deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to Jesus to heal. Jesus took him away from the crowd and put his fingers into his ears. Then he spit on his own fingers and he touched the man’s tongue. “Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, ‘Ephphatha,’ which means, ‘Be opened!’ Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!” What a miracle! Jesus healed this man of his problems. But we also read of another man who had nearly the same exact condition, but scripture says it wasn’t a sickness, it was the torment of a demon targeted on this man. Matthew 9: 32-33, “A demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak.” Is every sickness a demon – No. Are some – Yes. It’s real, my friends. And we don’t need to be afraid, but we need to be aware. Satan has done a great job of creating an image of what he looks like and what his attacks would be like. We think all demonic work must be sheer terror and evil, when in fact the greatest attacks sneak right in and look so ordinary we don’t even notice. Demons often do their greatest and most destructive work completely undetected. We medicate it, we excuse it, we accept it, we ignore it – all while Jesus wants to cast it out. A person plagued by a demon isn’t a scary person hiding in a dark alley. They’re the pretty people you see on social media. They’re the people you work with. They’re even the people you work with. Sis, it might even be the person looking back at you in the mirror. Look at Mary Magdalene – the woman who followed Jesus so closely. The beautiful soul who was right there with Jesus when he was crucified on the cross, buried in the tomb, and even among the first to see the resurrected Jesus. She supported his ministry and devoted her life to him. I think she was likely a beautiful, gentle, devoted and humble woman. And she was the woman who had 7 demons once tormenting her. SEVEN! Let’s really understand spiritual attack and torment. It’s not always scary little beasts hiding in the corners. Demons were angels. They were with God in heaven, created to worship and aid in the good purposes of God here on earth. Satan was one of those angels. But when Satan became filled with pride and wanted to become greater than God, he was cast out of heaven and he took 1/3 of the angels with him. Those angels that went with him, twisted in pride and hungry for power, those are the demons of today. You believe in angels, right? You believe they can be with you to guide you and protect you. Well demons are much the same, but with ill intent. They can’t be everywhere, they are not omnipresent, but they can be on assignment. An assignment from Hell to torment. And where they are sent, they bring their destruction. That destruction can show up as sickness, disease, crippling, addiction, mental illness. Specifically in scripture we see demons responsible for blindness, deafness, the inability to speak, seizures and convulsions, physical disabilities, isolation, and self-injury. Again, let’s be clear – these things are not always the result of a demon – but sometimes they are and Jesus always knew the difference. Can we begin asking for wisdom to know the difference? James 1:5, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” Father, we need wisdom. We don’t want to play little in the battle. We no longer want to ignore the reality of what is happening all around us, even to the people we know and love. Help us to know when a spiritual attack is happening. Give us wisdom to know when we’re dealing with the torment of a demon. Then give us the courage to call on your name and stand in your authority to insist that demon must flee. I don’t see Jesus being afraid of this topic – in fact, I read that everywhere he went he shared the Good News, he healed the sick and the demon possessed. He lifted the oppression, the freed them from torment, and he command the demons to leave every person he encountered. And remember, Jesus said, “Now you, my followers, will do the same things I have done.” Let’s get to doing it. Let’s not be afraid to talk about these things. Let’s remember the power of the Holy Spirit in us and be moved by the things that moved Jesus. Don’t walk on by – you carry their answer. You carry their healing. You carry the end of their torment. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

God has faith-filled spaces waiting for you that you could never reach alone. There are divinely appointed places for you, but you cannot walk there on your own. Only God can call you there. Only God can enable that walk. If you’re trying to get there on your own, you will fail miserably. If you’re trying to force it, it will never happen. If you’re awaiting God’s command and ready to move forward in obedient, faith-filled action, then get ready to walk in the impossible with God! Your entire life could pass and you may never have the courage to step into what God’s power could enable you to do. You could live, and actually live well, but not live to the full if you’re lacking the boldness to invite God’s command for your next step of wild faith. Have you ever prayed, “God, command my next step of wild faith?” Hmmmm, that’s not really a prayer we pray, is it? But what if we did? What if instead of trying to take these wild steps on our own, we invite God’s command for it. Not everyone will get this – in fact, probably only 1 in 12 will. I hope you’re the one!!!!! If Jesus commands you to a step of faith, you can know without a doubt his power will enable you to take that step. Can you do it on your own? No. Can you do it under his command? Yes. Okay, so Jesus, command me to take the next step today. Call me out. Give me your directive. Strengthen me. Here’s all the courage I have to take a wild faith-filled step of obedience and see what happens! Where will he lead you? What will he ask you to do? How will it go? Those details are not included for this adventure. There was 1 disciple out of 12 who did something impossible with Jesus. It was Peter. Do you remember what he did? He walked on water with Jesus. The other 11 sat in the boat. The others watched – perhaps in amazement, perhaps is disbelief, perhaps in regret. But Peter was part of a miracle because of one thing. What was the one thing that set Peter apart to be able to walk on water? Was it his courage? Oh there was no doubt courage there. But this morning while reading this familiar story in the book of Matthew, I noticed something I’ve never noticed before. Something bigger than his courage. Something more powerful than his first step out of the boat. Something you and I desperately need today. As we read the story, notice this isn’t about Peter attempting a miracle on his own. This isn’t about being the boldest, the most daring, the most adventurous. Let’s dig deeper and see what allows Peter to be part of Jesus’ miracle here. This story unfolds immediately after Jesus has fed the crowd of 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. That night, Jesus insists that his disciples get into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake without him. He went up into the hills by himself to pray alone. Then at about 3:00 in the morning, at the absolute darkest part of the night, a storm comes upon the water. If you read the other gospel accounts of this miracle which all include different details to help you get the full story, you find that Jesus SEES the disciples are in trouble all the way out in the middle of the lake. He sees them straining at the oars against the wind. Now remember, it’s the darkest part of the night. They’re now in the middle of a lake that is 8 miles wide, the waves were big, the sky was stormy, and there were no spotlights – YET JESUS CAN SEE THEM. He’s not with them physically, but he can see them in their struggle. Oh what a reminder that is for us today. Jesus sees you struggling. He knows the waves you’ve been fighting against. He knows the storm you’re in the middle of. He knows the fear running through you. His eye is still on you, my sister. AND HE’S HEADING TOWARD YOU IN YOUR STRUGGLE. Matthew 14: 25-33: “Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. (That’s a miracle – add it to your list! Our savior walks on the water. He does the impossible to get to us!) When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’ But Jesus spoke to them at once, ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage. I am here!’ Then Peter called to hi, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ “Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt me?’ When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. ‘You really are the Son of God!’ they exclaimed.” Did you see it? Peter didn’t dare attempt walking on the water on his own. He was bold and he was courageous, but he knew he didn’t hold the power to walk on top of these waves. The thing that set Peter apart from the other disciples in the boat was he invited Jesus to command him to do the impossible. He asked Jesus for the word to invite him forward. No one else was invited out onto the water – only Peter. Why is that? Because Peter asked Jesus to command him. Peter asked Jesus to call him out. Jesus, lead me. Call me out into the impossible. Tell me to come to you through the storm. Tell me to take an impossible step into wild, faith-filled spaces I could never reach alone. Your command comes with the power to step into the miraculous, but I cannot and will not do it without your command. This is what sets Peter apart. A faith that invites Jesus’ command into the crashing waves. A faith that genuinely wants Jesus’ command to take the next step in the struggle, to leave the safety of the boat and go into the unknown. That’s a scary faith. A faith that says, “Jesus, command me to step into this. Command me to walk on this. Command me to come into the impossible with you. Call me out.” Only 1 of the 12 disciples had that kind of scary faith, and only 1 can ever say they personally experienced this miracle with Jesus. But here’s where I want to bring this right into your life, my sister. The invitation is not to be Peter. The invitation is to ask Jesus what He’s calling YOU to do. Maybe He’s calling you to have a hard conversation, to finally obey something He’s been stirring in your heart, to start the thing you’ve been putting off, to serve in a way that stretches you, or to take a step that makes absolutely no sense unless God is in it. Don’t manufacture a miracle. Don’t jump out of the boat just to prove you’re brave. And don’t confuse your own ambition with God’s direction. Instead, get close enough to Jesus to hear His leading. Ask Him for your next step. Open His Word. Pray. Listen. Be willing to obey, even when the details aren’t all laid out and you can’t see how it’s going to work. Jesus, tell me to come to you!!!!!!! Then, when He calls you to come, don’t be shocked by the waves. Notice, the storm didn’t calm when Peter stepped out on the water toward Jesus. The storm continued. The waves were massive and Peter was standing on top of those waves with Jesus. Don’t let the size of the waves convince you that the One who called you won’t sustain you. You might feel afraid. You might take that step with your knees knocking and your voice shaking. You might even stumble along the way. Peter did! But you can keep your eyes on Jesus, and when you need help, you can cry out to the One who reaches for you. My sister, there is a difference between living a safe life and living a surrendered life. One keeps asking, “What can I handle? What do I know how to do? What would be easiest?” The other asks, “Jesus, what are You calling me to do?” So let’s stop settling for what we can accomplish in our own strength. Let’s stop assuming the boat is the only place we’ll ever be safe. And let’s stop watching other people live out their faith while we sit on the sidelines, wondering what it might be like to experience more of God. Today, dare to pray a different prayer: “Jesus, I don’t want to spend my life doing only what I can do without You. I want to experience what You can do through me. Command my next step of wild faith. Show me where You’re leading, give me the courage to obey, and supply the strength I don’t have on my own. I don’t want to run ahead of You, and I don’t want to lag behind You. I want to hear Your voice and respond with a wholehearted YES. Here I am, Jesus. Call me out of the boat. I’m ready to come!” And then, my sister, pay attention. Your next step may not look dramatic to anyone else. It may be a quiet act of obedience that changes the direction of your entire life. You don’t have to know where the water will lead you. You just have to know who’s calling you to come. Let’s be the girls who don’t just believe Jesus can do the impossible. Let’s be the girls who are willing to ask Him, “Jesus, what impossible thing are You inviting ME to do with You today?” Because one day, I don’t want us looking back at a lifetime of watching from the boat. I want us to look back and see the places where we trusted Him enough to step out, the things we never could have accomplished on our own, and the moments when we discovered just how faithful He really is. The question isn’t whether you can walk on water. The question is whether you’re willing to ask Jesus where He’s calling you to come. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

All your life God has been continually showing you his goodness. He’s been working behind the scenes in the details, divinely aligning every moving part to bring you in alignment with his good plans. He’s always provided, always made a way. Again and again, his faithfulness has surrounded you. So today, God says, “My girl, why do you worry? Why are you anxious? How is it that you still don’t get it? I’m here and I’m working. Give this to me!” Maybe we struggle because we can’t see God. We question if we really hear his voice. We doubt if it was his power at work before, or was that just luck. We believe but we still have unbelief. And it’s easy to think it would be so much easier if we could really see. If we could for sure hear his voice. If we knew without a doubt that was God’s power that made that happen before – then surely we wouldn’t have to worry about today. Do we struggle because we can’t see God? Because we don’t know his voice? Because his power has been uncertain in our lives? Well let me tell you, the disciples literally LIVED with Jesus – they woke up in the same tent as Jesus, they ate every meal with Jesus, where he went they went, and what he did they saw with their own eyes. They experienced his miracles. They saw the impossible happen. Yet when they encountered the next hardship or struggle, they were exactly like us – they worried, they got anxious and they doubted. So you know what God does – he shows up and does it again for them. He shows them his power again. He provides again in miraculous ways. He reminds them, “My child, you’ve seen me do this before and you can trust me to do it again.” What has God shown you before that you need to trust him for again? Hear him as he whispers to your soul, “Again, my child – I’ll do it again.” He will heal you again. He will strengthen you again. He will guide you again. He will make a way for you again. He got you through some hard things in the past, and my friend, he will get you through today’s hard thing too. He will do it again! Earlier in our study of the miracles of Jesus we read about Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000 (episode 2216). That was when a crowd of 5000 men, plus women and children, had gathered in a remote place to hear Jesus teach and at the end of the day the disciples pointed out to Jesus that the crowd would be getting hungry and there was no food for them in this remote place, so Jesus should tell them all to go home so they can eat. And Jesus says to his disciples, “You feed them.” Remember how the miracle goes? The disciples freak out – they don’t have enough food for all these people. This was impossible. But a boy offers his lunch of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (which remember, were more like crackers and sardines). Jesus takes what little there was, and tells the disciples to start passing it out. Every single person in the crowd ate until they were full. Afterward, Jesus had them pick up the leftovers and they gathered 12 baskets full. Yes, 1 basket of leftovers for each disciple. MIRACULOUS. Wouldn’t you walk away knowing YOUR JESUS after that. If you personally saw him working. You saw the bread and the fish multiply. You saw the hungry crowd all eat. Then you personally picked up all those leftovers. If you had been there for that personal encounter with the power of Jesus, you would be forever changed. No worry. No stress. Just stay close to Jesus. Right? But guess what happened about 6 months later. THE SAME THING! Literally the words “another” and “again” are used. Different day. Different crowd. Same need. Same Jesus. Many confuse this account for the same miracle as the feeding of the 5,000 – but it’s separate. This is where we see Jesus do it again. Let’s read the story together. Mark 8: 1-9: “About this time ANOTHER large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food AGAIN. Jesus called his disciples and told them, ‘I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.’ Now doesn’t this sound familiar. Here’s another crowd again with no food. And Jesus takes it upon himself to care about their hunger. “His disciples replied, ‘HOW are WE supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?'” Just like us, the disciples have a unique way of making everything about them. ‘How are WE supposed to …” Let me tell you something, Jesus wants to involve you. He doesn’t need you – he could do it without you – but he chooses you anyway. He chooses to let you get involved in his miracles. He chooses to use what you have and what you can do to create his miracles. He chooses to use your hands and your feet for his divine power to flow through! Just like the disciples though, we often focus on the ‘how’ and forget the ‘who’. Write down those two words – HOW and WHO. Notice they use the same exact 3 letters, it’s just a rearrangement of those letters. If you’re questioning HOW this is going to happen, give yourself a little perspective shift and remember WHO is here with you. HOW is the question of human limitation. WHO is the answer of divine provision. The disciples are asking HOW are they going to find enough food to feed yet another hungry crowd – all while Jesus is once again reminding them WHO he is. “Jesus asks the disciples a question, ‘How much bread do you have?’ ‘Seven loaves,’ they replied. So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. A few small fish were found, too. So Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them. They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were about 4,000 men in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten.” Here’s what Jesus was teaching his disciples – Guys, you can trust me! Whatever the situation, no matter how big the need is, you come to me. Give me what you have, no matter how little it is, and in my hands it will become more than enough. At some point during this miracle, the disciples should have been like “Hold up a minute – haven’t we see a problem like this before? Wait, this seems familiar! 6 months ago we had a hungry crowd of people and somehow Jesus took the lunch of a boy and fed them all. We should stop worrying about the lack and start gathering what we do have and take it to Jesus. People are hungry, we have only a little bit of food, so what we have absolutely MUST go into the hands of Jesus!” That was the lesson from the first miracle. This was their opportunity to walk it out. But they failed. They failed just like we fail. And yet, Jesus is so patient. Here’s what Jesus is trying to rewire in us – You see a need, you bring it to him. You don’t have enough, you put it in his hands. You don’t know ‘how’, you quickly focus on ‘who’. Our human instinct is to freak out, make it all about us, go into a tail spin of worry and get overwhelmed. BUT JESUS CAME TO MAKE US NEW! 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW PERSON. The old life is gone; a NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN!” That old freak-out in you can go now. The habit of worry and anxiety, the familiar place of depression and overwhelm – well that can go now. Jesus has made you a new person. As a new person in Christ, you no longer respond the way you used to respond. You stop making it all about you and look for how God wants to work. You shift the focus from ‘how’, rearrange those 3 little letters, and remember it’s ‘who’! Who can meet this need? Jesus! Who can fix this mess? Jesus! Who can make a way through this? Jesus! How do I know? Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it before! This new you that Jesus is creating doesn’t have to respond the way the old you did. This new you doesn’t have to make everything about you. This new you is learning to turn it all over to Jesus and watch him work! That’s why Jesus brought his disciples to ANOTHER hungry crowd who had run out of food AGAIN. Another personal encounter with his miraculous power to prove they could trust him. Another opportunity to learn to turn everything over to him faster this time. So here’s your opportunity, Sis. The next time you face a need, a challenge, a situation that feels impossible, don’t let your first response be, “HOW am I going to get through this?” Instead, stop yourself and remember, “WHO got me through it last time?” The same Jesus who provided before is still providing. The same Jesus who made a way before is still making a way. And the same Jesus who worked miracles then is still working miracles now. You don’t have to figure it all out. You don’t have to see how it’s going to happen. You just have to remember WHO is with you. You’ve seen his faithfulness before. You’ve experienced his goodness before. You’ve watched him make a way before. And today, he’s inviting you to trust him again. Another need. Another opportunity. Another miracle. The same Jesus. So take your eyes off the HOW, fix them on the WHO, and watch what he does with what you put in his hands. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Sometimes God’s plan has us waiting. His timing is not our own timing. But know this, when it is God’s time, then it’s quick time! The very thing that was not happening in all the years before just starts happening! I know something about waiting. On the other side of a 7 year wait I can tell you that wasn’t God’s punishment, that was God’s graciousness towards me. Working in me, growing me, changing me, making me more like the woman I would need to become in this next season of my life. There is a sweetness to walking in the change and breakthrough you waited so long for. But there can also be a sweetness in trusting God is working before you see the evidence. I don’t know where you are on your journey – you’re either still waiting for it or you’re walking in it – or maybe it’s both – there’s some areas of your life that you’re smack dab in the middle of healing, you’re wallowing in the goodness you once dreamed of – and there’s other areas of your life that are in that messy construction faze where things seem to only get worse before they get better. Life can and DOES hold both at the same time. It’s not all good all the time, but it’s not all bad either. Through it all, God is faithfully working. His eye is on you, Sis – he sees. So what do you do here? Here while you’re still waiting for things to change – waiting for things to get better – waiting for breakthrough – waiting for healing – waiting for restoration … YOU LOOK FOR JESUS! Yes, Jesus sees you and he’s moving toward your need. LOOK FOR HIM. In our waiting, we can become so fixated on possible solutions and promised next steps that we overlook the fact that only Jesus can ultimately change this, restore this, redeem this, or make sense of this, my sister. Yes, go to therapy. But your therapist is not your Savior. That’s Jesus. Yes, get treatment. But ultimately, your hope is not in the treatment. Your hope is in Jesus. Yes, talk to a professional. But your professional is not your source. Jesus is. God can absolutely work through therapists, doctors, counselors, treatments, professionals, and countless other means. But don’t let the means become your source. Look for Jesus. One of my favorite miracles of Jesus happened at the pool of Bathesda. This pool was a gathering place for the sick seeking healing. Several years ago I studied this miracle and it changed my life. Like for real, it changed me. It didn’t change my circumstances, but it changed my attitude in the wait and helped me look for Jesus. I believe it can do the same for you today. Here’s how this miracle goes – One day, Jesus showed up at the this pool where all the sick were gathered, but the people there were so focused on the water that they didn’t recognize the One standing right in front of them. John 5:2–9 says: “Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people – blind, lame, or paralyzed – lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?’ ‘I can’t sir,’ the sick man said, ‘for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.’ Jesus told him, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!’ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!” Now THAT is a miracle. A 38 year miracle. My friends, that’s a long time to wait for a miracle. The pool of Bethesda was associated with mercy and healing, and people had gathered there hoping for something to change. But this man had become hopeless because he believed the only way he could be healed was to get into the water first. He had no one to help him, and someone always seemed to get there ahead of him. So he lay there. And nothing changed. I love the picture this story gives us. This man had become so convinced that healing had to happen one particular way that he could no longer imagine another possibility. Isn’t that how we sometimes feel after watching other people get their breakthrough, but never us? We’re not the favored ones. It will never be us. Our prayers are never answered. Maybe this man had watched other people get what they came for while he remained right where he was. Eventually, he stopped believing that his story could be different. Maybe that’s you too. You’ve stopped believing it’s possible for you and your family. But then Jesus showed up. And Jesus didn’t tell him to try harder to get into the water. Jesus didn’t tell him to position himself better. Jesus didn’t tell him to wait for the next bubbling. Jesus simply said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Sis, what if Jesus wants you to know that His power is not limited to the way you think your answer has to come? You may have decided exactly how God needs to fix it. You may have researched every possibility, made every plan, studied every solution, and determined exactly what needs to happen next. But what if God has a way you haven’t even considered? This man believed the water was his answer. JESUS was his answer. The water wasn’t required. Jesus was enough. AND JESUS IS STILL ENOUGH TODAY. He’s enough for your need. He alone holds the power to change everything. And here’s the part of this miracle that gets me: Jesus asked this man to act before he had any evidence that he could. “Stand up.” Can you imagine? After thirty-eight years of not being able to walk, Jesus tells him to do the very thing he had been unable to do. The man had to believe the word of Jesus enough to move before he had proof that moving was possible. Maybe that’s what’s happening for you. Is Jesus asking you to believe Him for what has seemed impossible? Is He asking you to get over how you’ve always thought it would happen, everything you’ve researched, everything you’ve heard, and every plan you’ve made—and be bold enough in your faith to TRY IT WHEN HE SAYS IT? God’s help is NOT LIMITED. God’s healing is NOT LIMITED. God’s restoration is NOT LIMITED. God’s blessings are NOT LIMITED. We are dealing with a totally unlimited God. Girl, take God out of your box. Maybe you’ve put all your hope in one particular thing, but it’s the equivalent of this man’s pool. You’ve decided, “This is how it has to happen.” But maybe you don’t need the pool. You need Jesus. Lord, forgive us for getting so fixated on the solution to our problems that we overlook YOU. You are our hope. You are our source. WE NEED YOU. He is the answer for your broken heart. He is the answer for your worried mind. He is the answer for your failing marriage. He is the answer for your overwhelming bills. He is the answer for your family. He is the answer for your business. He is the answer for your health. He is the answer for every question you have. It is Jesus. But, do you really want to get well? Some of us have become comfortable with the drama. Some of us have attached our identity to being the victim. Some of us wouldn’t even know who we are without the problem we’ve been carrying for so long. Do you really want to get well? God isn’t interested in lip service. He sees your heart. And if you really want it, here’s what you do next: Let your faith move you to action. You don’t have to know how it’s all going to work out. You don’t have to understand the whole plan. You don’t have to see the evidence before you obey. If Jesus says it, girl… TRY IT! Stand up. Pick up your mat. And walk. ——- But maybe today’s not the day he heals you. Maybe today’s not the day everything changes. Maybe today you still wait. As you wait, you are called to increase, not decrease! Increase your faith, increase your willpower, increase your praise, increase your perseverance, increase your trust in the One who has never once failed you. Don’t let the waiting weaken you. Let it strengthen you! Don’t let the unanswered prayer silence your praise. Let it deepen your worship! Your miracle may not have happened today, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t working today. Keep believing, keep growing, keep showing up, and keep expecting Jesus to do what only Jesus can do. As God prepares his people to wait for 70 years, he tells them to increase. He has promises for them and he is going to fulfill every promise, but they’re going to have to wait for it. But God says as they wait, he wants them to live fully. They are NOT to put their living on hold. He told them to build houses and plant gardens. Marry and have babies. Increase, do not decrease. But as you wait, have you began to decrease? You’re becoming less and less of who you used to be. Like the man laying by the pool of Bathesda, each day losing a little more hope. Each day becoming more dependent on someone else to help him but knowing no one would. I know that’s what began happening to me in my wait. I was waiting for my prodigal daughter to return to our family. Years had gone by and things were only getting worse. I felt less and less like who I used to be, and I started acting less like myself. I became guarded, bitter and hardened. Decreasing. All while God was saying, AS YOU WAIT, INCREASE! That’s when I studied this story of the 38 year wait for healing. And on that day, I felt the Holy Spirit ask me a question. “Pamela, will you wait for 30 years? Will you continue living and live WELL, will you find joy in the wait, will you continue to trust me and chose to live in awe and wonder even if it takes 30 years to bring your daughter back?” He was asking me to increase in the wait instead of continuing to decrease. That day, I opened my hands, I surrendered the timeline for my miracle and my preferred method for the miracle and I agreed to increase in the wait, even if it took 30 years. Let me tell you something, the moment I made the decision to keep living while I waited, I felt unspeakable strength and joy! And, in God’s incredible sweetness, although he asked me for 30 years, he showed up and did it in 7!