BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

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

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

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

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

There is a name God reveals of himself for when things look absolutely over.  When the world says it's officially impossible.  When you're at your end, without further possibility or hope and in need of a true miracle.  This is where God says he is “El Shaddai”. El Shaddai.  El means God and Shaddai means many things in many ways.  It's not just one thing … just as God is not one thing. • Shaddai comes from the root word shadah which means to shed or to pour out.  In this way, God is the one who pours out blessings, abundantly and continually. • The Hebrew word shad means chest or breast.  God is both the strength of a man's chest and the all-sufficient nourishment of a woman's breast. • Shaddai also comes from the root word shadad, which means to display great power. • And when Shaddai was translated into Greek, the word pantokrator was used – which in English is Almighty.  Specifically, one who has His hand on everything. Layers upon layers of deep meaning are in this name God reveals of himself.  El Shaddai.  He pours out blessings, he is strong with great power, he is more than enough, and his almighty hand is in everything, always.  Girls, THAT IS OUR GOD! We see God use this name in Genesis 17:1.  Speaking to Abraham, he says, “I am El-Shaddai – ‘God Almighty.'  Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.  I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” The truth of this situation is Abraham is 99 years old and what God is saying is officially impossible.  But God had made a promise to Abraham when he was 75 years old, a promise for descendants of his own.  A man who had waited his whole life for children and he finally gets a promise from God in his old age, and then he's left waiting again.  Waiting and waiting and waiting.  And while he's waiting, God stops speaking.  At this point, he's been waiting on the promise for nearly 25 years and even worse, it's been 13 years since the last recorded word from God to him.  It was if God had gone silent and forgotten his promise.  Abraham is 99, ain't no way it's happening now! Have you ever felt like God has gone silent on you?  Like he used to be so near and so clear, but you somehow lost that connection.  And with this disconnect, you are left wondering if his promises still stand for you and your future.  That's a real feeling – one I have felt before and I bet you have too.  My sister, God can handle those feelings.  You don't have to hide them from him, you can be honest. This is where God meets Abraham – in the long waiting and wondering after years of silence and messy self-created problems.  This is where God reveals that he is El Shaddai.  Here, where the promise still hadn't happened, Abraham's body was incapable and Sarah's womb had cobwebs.  God introduces himself right here at this point of impossibility.  El Shaddai, Almighty and All-Sufficient.  He is the God who can override natural limits without permission, understanding or explanation. And notice this … God waited all this time to reveal himself as El Shaddai.  He waited for 25 years AFTER he made an impossible promise to Abraham.  He waited for 13 years after he had last spoken to him.  He waited in the painful silence and the impossible growing even more impossible.  He waited until Abraham had absolutely no ability left whatsoever, and he waited until there was no hope left in that promise at all.  And this is where El Shaddai comes on the scene. Why?  Because only the Almighty, All-Sufficient one could do anything about this situation. Here's the truth, you don't need El Shaddai when you can work things out on your own.  You don't need El Shaddai when you have other options.  You don't need El Shaddai when there's still time.  You need El Shaddai when it's humanly OVER.  When the doctor says it's incurable.  When the door is not only closed, but dead bolted shut.  When it's 25 years past the deadline.  When it's so far gone there's nothing but a pitch black tunnel ahead with no light to be found.  That is when you need El Shaddai. This name of God comes with promise, it comes with identity, and it requires trust.  Trust for what seems ridiculous to be trusting for.  I don't know what you're finding so hard to trust for, but I bet there's something in your life that requires the power of El Shaddai.  My friend, he is here for you.  His hand is in everything, including your thing.  He is more than enough for this situation that's way too far gone.  His power is still over this! What God is saying to Abraham here is, “I am El-Shaddai, God Almighty.  I am FULLY CAPABLE, so you just stay fully surrendered.  Abraham, you live right and I will get this right!” Wow – there it is.  That's precisely the message God has for you today.  Hear him loud and clear.  My girl, you live right and I will get this right!  I am fully capable, you stay fully surrendered.  El Shaddai requires trust over control and faith over striving. When you feel not enough…  When you feel so far behind. .. When you feel completely incapable…  When you feel like the opportunity has already passed and it's too late … El Shaddai says, “I am not limited by what you lack.”  Your lack of answers doesn't limit God.  Your lack of time doesn't affect God's infinite timeline.  Your lack of resources doesn't deplete God of his resources.  My friend, your timeline isn't restricting God and your resources are not defining his outcome.  Go ahead and give him that impossible – give him that wayyyyy too late – give him that dead end and no hope – watch El Shaddai work!!!  He will be more than enough for you. For my friend who is overwhelmed and stressed at work with an impossible load to carry – you need El Shaddai. For my friend who has watched the last thread of hope for someone to truly love you unravel and left you with a broken heart again – you need El Shaddai. For my friend who is still waiting and waiting and waiting, as you watch the promise coming true for everyone but you – you need El Shaddai. For my friend who doesn't even know how to hope anymore – you need El Shaddai. He doesn't need you to be strong here, he simply needs you to be surrendered here.  Bring him that hopeless heart.  Bring him that desperate need.  Bring him that empty chair, that empty crib, that empty account, that empty spirit.  El Shaddai, we're calling on you!!!!!!!! Remember what God is asking of you – LIVE RIGHT and stay surrendered – he will get this right for you. El Shaddai.  The 4 meanings: 1.  Shadah, shed your blessings.  Pour them out abundantly, God. 2.  Shad, both the strong powerful chest of a man and the all-sufficient nourishment of a woman's breast. 3.  Shadad, displaying great power. 4.  And pantokrator, the one who has his hand on everything! El Shaddai.  He pours out blessings, he is strong with great power, he is more than enough, and his almighty hand is in everything, always.  THAT IS YOUR GOD! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

The third stop in our names of God study brings us to Elohim, and it's actually where it all begins. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew word used here for God is “Elohim”. This is how we meet God, and before he asks absolutely anything of us, he reveals who he is. Who is he? He is Elohim, meaning he is the Supreme One, the Mighty One, the Creator. The name Elohim tells us our God is all power and absolutely zero limitation. Nothing and no one is above him and everything begins with him. Nothing exists without the Creator. To understand our Elohim, look at his creation. Look at the magnificent universe and its perfect balance to sustain life. Look at the intricate details of life. Nothing is by accident, everything is the intentional thought and spoken word of Elohim, the Creator. But you know that, right? You know he created all of this and holds all of this, but do you realize, Elohim doesn't stop there. A creator doesn't create once and never create again. He continues to create. He continues to make things new … for you! Not only for you, but IN YOU. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW person. The old life is gone; a NEW LIFE has begun!” This is the work of Elohim, the Creator who is still creating new things in you. As long as you're alive, he's still creating in you. New things are growing and developing because of his continued work of creation in you. Question – Where do you need Elohim to create something new in you? God is working in you, and he's working all around you. Elohim can work in anything and everything because it was all his original work anyway. The one who created it can change it or redesign it in any way he wishes. He alone holds that power. Maybe what you need doesn't even exist right now. Do you honestly think that's a problem for Elohim, the Supreme One, the Mighty One, the Creator? Girl, he can create the solution for your problem. He can design the pathway through your impossible. He can make a brand new, never been seen before creation to meet your need. He is not limited to what has been before. He is not limited to what makes sense. He's not limited to what you know or what you understand. He can make a new cure. He can make a new way. He can make a new solution. Our God is a CREATOR. He creates things that have never existed before. Did you know you can call on him to create for you now? Think about this – when Moses and the Israelites stood before an impassable Red Sea with their enemies closing in from behind, there was no way. There were no solutions. This was hopeless. So Elohim, our God the Creator, created a new way that had never been seen or imagined before. He created a dry path through the Red Sea by splitting the waters and making them stand on their ends. And let me tell you something you need to know – If God can do that then for them, God can do something radically new for you now! Call on your Elohim. God, create a way for me. Maybe what you need is a new opportunity. You're at a dead end with no viable options and you feel desperate. You've looked for a different opportunity and found absolutely none. Well – LOOK AGAIN, Sis. For real, God can create a new opportunity for you that simply wasn't there before … but it can be now. In my journey of faith I've found this simple truth – God loves to show up for the one who is looking for him. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Seek and you will find.” I believe Jesus really meant that and I believe Elohim can really back it up. If you look for him, you will find him … and you'll find him doing new things for you all the time! Creating ways where there were no ways before. Creating new opportunities where old opportunities spoiled. Creating new solutions to impossible problems and letting you stumble right into them as you seek his hand. Question – Where do you need Elohim to create something new for you? You can trust God's unlimited hand over your limitations. You can trust God's power over your problems. He can speak into existence absolutely ANYTHING NEEDED HERE. Elohim is the creator of all things, including YOU. Nothing in your life is beyond his power. He can create in you what you cannot create on your own. He can align for you in one day what you couldn't possibly make come together in a hundred lifetimes. Get a glimpse of how big your God, Elohim, really is … now know that anything you can dare to imagine is the tiniest proportion of who he really is and what he can really do. Elohim doesn't just create worlds with mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans, the sun and moon and stars – he creates moments – he creates solutions – he creates connections – he creates paths that lead to eternal destinations. Elohim creates abundance where there was lack, order where there was chaos, and life where there was death. In Exodus, we see God create manna out of absolutely nothing and make this dewy food substance just appear on the wilderness ground every morning for his people. It had never been there before and likely has never been there again since – but he made it new for the Israelites just when they needed it. This shows us Elohim doesn't need resources – HE CREATES THEM. Maybe you're standing here today empty handed feeling like you have nothing to even start with. Okay, that's not a problem for our God. He can create the resources you need. He can create the job. He can create the opportunity. He can create the connection. He can create the need and then allow YOU to be the one to meet the need in a perfect way. How many times in scripture do we see God create new life in a womb that was declared barren and broken? That's not a limitation for the Creator. He can create in impossible places and grow miracles. I'm literally watching him do that right now in one of my friend's lives. Elohim is still working! In 2 Chronicles 20, God gives a new battle plan for Jehoshaphat against a mighty army he didn't have a chance winning against. The new battle plan God gave was to go out and sing praises the next morning and this would send the enemy armies into a frenzy and fight against one another. As Jehoshaphat and his tiny army of men sang praises to the Lord, this massive army slaughtered each other until not a single enemy remained. I need a battle plan like that for some battles I'm facing. A new plan straight from Elohim! How about you? He creates solutions we would never think of, and even when they sound crazy, God's solutions will NOT FAIL! Elohim spoke a new identity over Gideon. In Judges 6 Gideon felt like the smallest nobody of a whole tribe of nobodies. But Elohim speaks a new identity into Gideon as a mighty warrior. That mighty warrior went on and did mighty things with his new identity. Question – Do you need Elohim to speak a new identity over you? Remember, he's already doing the work in you! Going back to 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a NEW person. The old life is gone; a NEW LIFE has begun!” Let him create a new identity in you and do a new work through you leading you to a radically new life! Elohim – our God the Creator is all power and zero limitation … and he's still creating today! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Yesterday we learned anytime LORD (all caps) appears in your bible, the original Hebrew text was referring to YHWH, the name God revealed of himself to Moses. The name that wasn't spoken, but rather breathed. The breath sound of Yah (inhale), weh (exhale). So, what about the times in scripture Lord is not in all caps? Was this a translation of something different? Yes. Let's find out what it meant then and what it means to us today. Remember, we are studying the names of God to better understand his character, his ways, his nature, and who he is for us personally so we can confidently stand on his promises for us. Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” This is simply a study in getting to know God's names so we grow in trust of him as he has promised to never leave us. Lord (when NOT in all caps), is the English translation of another name for God in Hebrew, Adonai. We first see the introduction of the name Adonai in Abraham's conversation with God about the promise of countless future descendants. And Abraham replies to God in Genesis 15:2 by calling him , “Adonai YHWH”. The English translation is often LORD God. Here, Abraham is recognizing God as not only his source of life by breathing his holy name YHWY, but also recognizing God as his Master by calling him Adonai. Moses refers to God in this same way in prayer. So does King David, Ezekiel and Daniel. Look for it in your Bible. LORD God means Adonai + YHWH. We know YHWH, so let's get to know Adonai. The Hebrew root word here is “Adan” which means lord and master. When referring to a human master, they were called “adoni” (Ah-doh-NEE – rhyming with knee). But when referring to God as the supreme Master, he is called “Adonai” (Ah-doh-NAI – rhyming with eye). In Biblical times, it was common for a household leader to be master over their servants or for a king to be master over his subjects, even a teacher to be a master over his students. As the master, they were not only in charge, but they were to be the provider, the protector and the decision-maker. The complete care fell as the responsibility of the lord and master. Yes, the master has authority, but the master also assumes responsbility. Now, consider this – Abraham is standing before God as a fatherless old man with a barren old wife, receiving a promise of descendants that number as many as the stars, and Abraham calls him Adonai, Master. God, you have all authority and you are fully responsible for me. I am in your hands. You are in charge here, you are my provider, you are my protector, and you are the ultimate decision maker. Adonai, my Lord, my Master. Every time you see Lord (not in all caps) in your Bible, God is being referred to as Adonai, Lord and Master. Can you call him Lord? Will you call him Master? Is he your Adonai? The world tries to lord over us to control us, so naturally we resist. But God, as Adonai, is our Lord and Master to lead us to good plans of eternal destiny. When you understand God by the name Adonai, you understand a relationship of true belonging. Your life is connected to your master. Your purpose is to serve the purposes of your master. Adonai is your everything, your reason for living – literally. And to the master, you are loyal. You serve not because you have to, but because serving your master is your complete identity. He is the lord over you. Adonai is not your equal. He is infinitely higher and greater than you. Adonai is not just your helper – He is your source of life, your divine designer, your destiny keeper. Adonai is not some angry, tempremental old fella sitting on some distant throne with a big stick, sometimes working for you and sometimes working against you – He is in complete control of his eternally good plans, and those plans include every day of your life before you ever took your first breath. When we call God Adonai, we are confessing, Lord, you are in charge – not me, and I fully surrender to you. When God is your Master, Adonai, you are choosing to follow his will. You're choosing to trust his plan and his timing over your own. Why? Because he is in charge of you, fully, completely, in every way, every day. He is responsible for the details of your life, and he holds it all in his mighty and capable hands. Now remember this if you should you ever question the hand of your Master … it was his hands that were nailed to the cross while he thought of you. It was his nail-scarred hands that made a way for you to be fully forgiven and forever good enough. Can you really trust those hands – oh you bet you can! You can trust Adonai, your Master, to lead you well. You can trust Jeremiah 29:11 to be written all over every detail of your life. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” That's the Master's plan for your life – and here's the really good news – the Master's plan is the true MASTER PLAN for your life. It will not fail. Adonai will not fail. He says in Isaiah 46:10, “Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Now receive that personally. Adonai, your Master, WILL NOT FAIL YOU. The Master's plan is for you, not against you, and absolutely nothing can block his plan, cancel his plan, or override his plan. Adonai has no master above him. He holds all power! His plan for your life WILL COME TO PASS. Now that, my friend, should give you absolute confidence. That's who your Master is. That's your Lord. This is Adonai. That's who is in charge of you. This is who is responsible for your care. The one with the good plans and all the power to fulfill them! It might not be natural for you to see a master as a good thing. You may have had a bad boss or a demanding parent or an abusive relationship, and this may have caused you to rebel against all authority and control. That's normal and that's understandable, however it's completely unnecessary with Adonai. Our Master has never misused his power. He has never been wrong. Yes, in the Old Testament he was harsh and even angry over the rebellion of his people, and that's exactly why he sent Jesus as the sacrifice to make us forever good enough. So he wouldn't have to be harsh and angry with his people again. So he could be our Master with love and authority that are never in conflict. Romans 8:28 says, “For we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” When you truly KNOW (and I mean your heart knows it as well as your head knows it), you know that you know that you know this about God, Adonai, your Master, Lord, then you can enter into a relationship with him of complete surrender and trust for every detail of your life. Do you know just how good God's got you? When God is acknowledged as Adonai, the Master of your life, it's not about losing freedom … instead it’s all about placing your life under the absolute best possible leadership. This is as good as it gets. The one who has declared responsibility for your care, your provision and your future is the one and only God who loved you so much that he gave his son for you. Your Master is the one who knows everything. He is the one who has always seen the end from the very beginning. He is the one who can truly work all things together for good, even the bad parts, and even the parts you don't understand. Oh he's working, and he's working it out for good. Is there an area of your life where you're still trying to act like you're in charge? Is there something you've been holding back? Something you've been questioning God about? Something in your life that hasn't bowed to him as Adonai, Lord and Master? Now that you know this name of God, Adonai, and you know what it means, will you begin using it in your conversations with him? Acknowledge his as your good Master with a good plan and all the power in the world to fulfill it. He is – that's exactly what he is doing in your life. Honor him for it! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

The names of God reveal his character, his ways and who he is for you personally. God has invited you into a relationship journey with him, and knowing all of his names mentioned in scripture will build your relationship with him. After all, he knows everything about you – don't you think it's important we learn all we can about him too? Name are important in the bible. When a family named their child, it was with great thought and intention. That name would become their identity. God has an identity to share with us in his names. An identity that gives us promises. Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.” Now, let's get to know his names so we can trust him even deeper. First, the name God gives himself, YHWH. The name YHWH appears over 6,000 times in Scripture, but in English we see it translated in a unique way – LORD (all caps). Every time you see LORD (all caps) in your bible, what you're actually seeing is the ancient Hebrew, YHWH. Look at Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my Shepherd” it's actually saying “YHWH is my Shepherd.” Ancient Hebrew did not include vowels. It was hard to read and very few people knew how to read. So instead God's word was heard and then memorized. While those original transcripts of Hebrew bible include the written name of God as YHWH, it wasn't spoken and therefore lost. Why wasn't the name of God spoken? Jewish tradition was to never speak the name of God aloud out of reverence. (Exodus 20:7, “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” What they wouldn't even speak, we use so casually. Where is our awe? Where is our reverence? Most scholars believe “Yahweh” is the closest reconstruction of how YHWH was originally pronounced, This name, YHWH, the name of God ,sounds like breathing. God gives himself a name we cannot speak, but instead we BREATHE. YHWH. This name, YHWH, is made of breathy consonants with no vowels. It couldn't be pronounced, but rather breathed in and breathed out. Inhale YH Exhale WH In awe, in reverence. YHWH. Later, we added vowels to make it a name we could pronounce, Yahweh, the name of our God. This is a name introduced in Genesis 2 now appearing as LORD in all caps, but explained in Exodus 3: 15 when Moses asked God for his name and God answers with, “Yahweh, the God of your ancestors – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” YHWH – Root word “to be” – the self-existing one, the ever-present one (the ONLY one who can say this) Inhale YH Exhale WH The name of our God through breath. Your breath is a God-given rhythm of dependence. Genesis 2:7, “God breathed life into us.” Without God, you don't breathe. Without God, your lungs have no air. Without God, you simply do not exist. The moment he stops filling your lungs with his breath is the moment you no longer exist in this life. You are, and always have been, and always will be, completely dependent on God. It is the rhythm of your breath. Inhale, God I need you. Exhale, thank you, I give it back to you. Now God I need you again, inhale. Think of breathing like a game of catch. God throws you breathe, you receive it, then you give it back to him. And so the rhythm continues. Given and received, then given back, to receive again. And this is NOT AN ACCIDENT. This is God-designed for his creation. A rhythm of dependence that speaks his holy name. With your very first breath, you spoke the name of God. YHWH. – Psalm 8:2 MSG, “Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk and silence atheist babble.” In every crisis that caused you to gasp for air, you spoke the name of God louder. YHWH. With complete unawareness on an average of 20,000 times every day of your life, you've been speaking the name of God. YHWH. And in your final breath, you will speak his name. YHWH. All of creation is wired to speak the name of the Creator. Psalm 150:6 (the very last line of all of the book of Psalm closes with), “Let everything that breaths sing praises to the LORD!” Every inhale is a gift. Every exhale is a reminder. Every breath is a connection, calling on the name of our God. YHWH. You breathe with no intention, it's just natural. You breathe without awareness, it's habit. You breathe for survival, but truly it's sacred. Since the very beginning, you were designed to speak the sacred name of God with your every breath. Let's return to our posture of AWE – God is too holy to speak of casually, so let us breathe with awe and reverence. God gives himself a name we cannot speak, but instead we BREATHE. YHWH. Your life is meant to be a constant communion and connection with God. You don't have to constantly be in prayer, how about you just start being aware of what your breath really is – a call to the name of God. A connection with your creator and your sustainer. Remember, when you see LORD in all caps in your Bible, this is YHWH, the name God reveals of himself. The name that is spoken in your breath. Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my Shepherd” means YHWH. The I AM. The self-existing one. The ever-present one. The only one given the name YHWH which we speak with our breath. Girl, that's your Shepherd. Whom shall you fear? He's the one guiding you. He's the one taking care of you. He's the one staying close to you. YHWH is your Shepherd, you have absolutely nothing to worry about – ever. Now, when we read it, may we recognize this isn't just a title, this is a personal name. The name God has given himself. The name he created us to breathe our entire lives as we draw close to him. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

God has a promise, and we possess the promise through HIS process Exodus 23: 27-30 Exodus 23: 31-32 Ephesians 1:3 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Exodus 19: 4-8 Exodus 20: 1-5 Exodus 20: 22-23 Exodus 24: 3 Exodus 32: 1-8 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Exodus 17: 8-16 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Exodus 17: 1-7 Psalm 95: 8-9 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Luke 23:44 Luke 24:49 Acts 2 Exodus 33:3 Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.” Jesus didn't wait for them to get it right – he loved them while they were getting it wrong. He shows supreme mercy. Forgiveness disarmed the enemy's strategy. Now, he asks us to do the same. Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Disarm the enemy of his strategy against you with FORGIVENESS! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

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

There is a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Golgotha or also called Calvary. Both words for this hill mean the same thing – “Place of the Skull”. This hill was given its name because of it s shape of a skull. Do you think that was an accident? It was here on top of this skull shaped hill that Jesus was crucified on the cross. Have you ever thought about the meaning behind this? Why there? Nothing was by accident. God was in every detail as he sacrificed his one and only son so that whoever would believe in him would have eternal life. I believe this place was strategic. The cross was on top of the skull because Jesus wants to give you victory over your mind! Did you know it's not only your soul that has been saved, but your MIND has been saved as well. The victory was won over your mind by Jesus on the skull! How absolutely strategic. The evil one fights to take back what Jesus has claimed and most often what he gets is our mind. How successful has he been in your life lately? Have your thoughts been victorious or have they been fear filled, anxious, negative, defeated thoughts? Jesus paid a high price for your victory, why would you ever allow the defeated one to defeat you in your head? Your greatest asset is your mind. Your mind paints a vivid picture and your body responds with every emotion and energy to create the picture. Every choice you make, good or bad, was first a thought in your mind. So, of course your mind is under attack. A relentless, violent, brutal attack, and it's happening every minute of the day. Whatever gets your mind, gets you. Your thoughts are the guide, so the important question is, who is the author of your thoughts? Scripture warns us of strongholds on our mind. 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5, “We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The word “stronghold” comes from the Greek word ochuroma. This is a Greek word used to describe a prison. The “strongholds” scripture refers to are lies that the devil has ingrained so deeply in your mind and in your belief system that they now hold power over certain areas of your life. These lies create a spiritual fortress of wrong thoughts which becomes your prison. As a prisoner to these thoughts, you begin to view life through the illusion of bondage Satan has put on your mind. Thoughts of worry. Thoughts of fear. Thoughts of anxiety. Thoughts of lack. And eventually, these tangled and twisted thoughts begin to take control of your life. Now, you can't seem to dismiss those thoughts. You can't just shake it off. This stronghold on your mind has overwhelmed you. And if we allow this stronghold to continue, dismissing it as who we are and what we naturally struggle with, it becomes a trap where Satan mentally seduces you and imprisons you with your own thinking. My sister, does this sound familiar? Have your thoughts become twisted and knotted with worry, fear, anxiety, or negativity? This is a strong hold and it is holding you back. Holding you back, you say … from what? Holding you back from the freedom of being who you were created to be and living the life God created you to live. Holding you back from the joy of the Lord. Holding you back from your purpose and your destiny. But remember, your mind is saved! Just like your soul has been redeemed, so has your mind. You are no longer a captive here. Any strongholds the enemy has established in your mind can and must be destroyed. You have been equipped for this battle! The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Ephesians 6:17 gives us a list of battle gear, and the first is the helmet of salvation. Now how totally ironic is that … where was your salvation bought and secured? On a hill called Golgotha which means “skull”. And it is the helmet of salvation that protects your mind, your greatest asset. Girl, you have supernatural protection wrapped around your head to safeguard your mind from every assault of the enemy. You are covered. Those thoughts of fear, overwhelm and anxiety bounce right off. Phew, phew, phew. Nope, they're not getting in. But, they do get in when we take off our helmet. What is the helmet again? It is the helmet of SALVATION. When we forget it's not just our soul that has been saved, our thoughts are left vulnerable. When we start buying into the lie that says this is just who I am and how I think, we forfeit the saving grace Jesus offers over our minds. Here's a simple step to remember when you know your mind is being assaulted: Tap your helmet. Yip, just give that sweet head of yours a little tap and say “you've been saved and you are protected.” Exodus 14:14 says “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.” This is exactly what we're talking about. The battle over your mind is real and it is vicious, but the Lord will fight for you. Stand there in your helmet of salvation and know you are protected. Any stronghold the enemy tries to use against you has been demolished! His attacks will not be successful. Your mind has been saved and it is protected. If you've taken your helmet off and you've been dancing with worries, fears and regrets, new strongholds have been established. Demolish them now. You have been given that power through Christ Jesus. Declare your mind is precious territory claimed by Jesus. Satan has no right to come marching in here! He has been banished. You've been saved, you don't have to think the thoughts you once thought. You are protected, the attacks will no longer be successful on your mind. Now, keep your helmet on! The evil one is on the prowl like a hungry lion for someone to devour. He goes right for the head. But yours has been saved! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Have you been hurt by Church? Me too. Is it a reason to pull away from God? It could be, but it shouldn't be. You know what Church is? Church is a gathering of totally imperfect people who claim to know they need Jesus. They're not always going to get it right. They're not always going to teach it right. And maybe they didn't treat you right. I grew up not knowing Jesus because as a little girl, the country church where my family went didn't quite do things right. My parents were hurt, so they stopped going. When they stopped going, my access to the Bible was cut off. From the time I was 5 to the time I was 15, I heard nothing of God. Church isn't always going to be right. One denomination says it has to be this way, while another denomination says it has to be their way. We create division and differences and make our own rules on the path to Jesus. People are hurt in the process. Families walk away. Little girls grow up not knowing about God. So, what if instead of getting our doctrine from a gathering of imperfect people who need Jesus, or a person who has been hurt by people who need Jesus, or the Google or ChatGPT, or any other source of any kind … what if instead we look directly at God's word for truth today. What does it take to be saved? What is required to gain salvation? What can we do to gain access to eternity in Heaven with God? What are the steps? What is the right way? How can we be sure? And have you screwed up so much for so long, you're now out? We find our answer at the cross. Yes, the cross we just remembered on Easter. And it's so simple, so pure, so powerful. For some reason, we've spent lifetimes twisting and contorting simple truths into rituals, rules and guidelines which Jesus came to fulfill and lift from us. Before Jesus, the way to God was complicated. There were rituals. There were rules. There were people who could talk to God and people who could not. There were certain clothes that had to be worn, sacrifices that had to be made, words that had to be spoken. A temple was built to house the Spirit of God. Within the temple, there was thick curtain that kept ordinary people out of the holy space where God's Spirit dwelt. Only the high priest could access this space of God's spirit, and only once per year. A blood sacrifice was required for that yearly entry. So many ceremonial rules and regulations. Back then, following God was scary. If you did it wrong, you would be struck dead. So of course we're confused on how we could ever be made worthy of access to God. Of course we're uncertain of our right to approach God with our brokenness. Of course we question if we could ever be good enough to be guaranteed God's spirit to guide us and God's forgiveness to cover us for eternity. But Jesus made everything so simple. We don't have to complicate this. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, in his final breath, something happened. We often read the story and miss the life altering change that happened in that moment. But today, we're not going to miss it. We're going to see it. We're going to understand it. And we're going to receive it. Luke 23, Jesus is hanging on the cross between two criminals. Verses 44-46, “By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.” Tucked in between the miracle of the sky going completely dark from noon to 3, and Jesus breathing his last breath, is the sentence that changes everything. “Suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.” This was the curtain that separated us from God. The curtain that only the high priest was allowed to go behind once a year to gain access to God. This curtain is what kept us out. The curtain was laws, rules and rituals. The curtain was separation and division. And that curtain was torn right down the middle while Jesus was giving his life on the cross. The fact that this curtain was torn was a miracle in itself. Scripture is very specific that this was a massive curtain that could not be torn. It was 60 feet long, 30 feet wide and it was the thickness of the palm of a hand. The palm of a hand is about 4 inches. Have you ever seen a curtain 4 inches thick? This curtain was so heavy, it took 300 priests to move it. And miraculously, when the sky went dark and Jesus breathed his final breath, that curtain was torn right down the middle! The curtain in the temple. The curtain that separated us from God. What happened? ACCESS WAS GRANTED. Access for you and I. Laws were fulfilled. Rituals and rules were torn down and the way was made for you and I, as messed up and unholy as we are, to approach God. Everything changed when the curtain was torn. Once Jesus fulfilled all the laws, then everything else could be lifted. The rituals were gone. The separation removed. Jesus changed it all. On the other side of the cross where we are now, what do you have to do to receive God's forgiveness and salvation and be guaranteed an eternity in Heaven with him? Jesus showed us on that cross. He showed us while he hung there suffering and had a conversation with the two criminals who were being crucified with him. Luke 23: 39-43, “One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you're at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This criminal hadn't gone to any classes. He hadn't joined a church. He hadn't gone back and corrected any of his wrongs. He hadn't cleaned himself up and fixed his life. He hadn't memorized any scriptures. He hadn't prayed on his knees for 30 consecutive days. He hadn't stopped drinking or cussing. It doesn't say he was sorry for the crimes that had brought him to his death. He had done absolutely nothing, other than BELIEVE IN JESUS. It was his belief, and his belief alone, that qualified him to be in paradise with Jesus that very day after he died. The enemy wants to confuse us and divide us. He wants to keep us feeling like what we can do will never be good enough to qualify us for forgiveness and salvation. And he's right … nothing we could ever do would be good enough, outside of our faith. What the enemy of your soul doesn't want you to know is the curtain has been torn. You are not separated from God by any rule or ritual. You have full access because of Jesus. And just like the criminal who had a lifetime of wrongdoing was guaranteed eternity in paradise with Jesus because of his faith, so are you and I. That's it, Sis. Your faith. Not your perfect faith. Not your complete understanding. Not the scriptures you can quote or the rules you follow. It's simply believing in Jesus. After that, well, Jesus has a way of working in our lives to change how we think and how we live. That happens naturally as a result of God's spirit dwelling within us through that split curtain. But that's not the most important thing. Your track record as a Christian isn't anything God is counting on. He's not counting up your failures and ready to cancel your admission to paradise. Your faith in Jesus covers you completely. Being covered changes you. But that's just icing on the cake, baby! That's gravy. What matters most is the fact that, just like the criminal hanging on the cross, all we need is to believe in Jesus. Do you believe? Have you told him you believe in him? You have full access and he accepts you exactly as you are! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

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

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

Here we are, the week of Jesus' crucifixion. The week he very well knew was his last here on this earth. A week he knew would include more suffering than our human minds can comprehend. And guess what – he walked right into this week, facing it head on with intention, knowing what he was doing he was doing for me and you. Over and over again, Jesus shows us how to live in a way that makes it about others more than it is about ourselves. How can we take this example of Jesus in the final week of his life and live more like him? Let's see how Jesus did it! All 4 gospel accounts of this final week begin in the same way, “Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem”. Now if you were making a triumphant entry, what would that look like? Oh girl, what would you wear? You have to be triumphant in your appearance. Make a grand entrance. Que the walk-up music, this has to be dynamic! Smoke and lights! Energy! All the hoopla for a triumphant entry – right? We really have a special way of making things about us, don't we? We try so hard to be impressive. We have a hard time choosing what to wear for the flight home from vacation, let alone a triumphant entry for the most important and final week of your life. We overthink … you know why – because we're thinking about ourselves. Really we are – even when we think of others, we're typically thinking of how they receive us, how they treat us, and how they make us feel. It's all about us. But Jesus shows us how to make a triumphant entry that's all about HIM, without making it all about him. Now, let's be clear. This really is all about Jesus. Everything in our Bible is ultimately about Jesus. It's about how Jesus saved us from what we couldn't save ourselves from. It's about how Jesus changed absolutely everything for us. So, how do you show up and make an entrance when in fact, it really is about you? Answer: With humility! It was time for Jesus to willfully walk toward Jerusalem, knowing this was the place he would sacrifice his life. Knowing this was the place he would be betrayed. Knowing this was the place he would suffer. Knowing this was the place absolutely nothing would be fair for him, and he would endure it to make it right for us. And do you know how he makes his triumphant entry? Does he show up with chariots? No. Does he call out the band to play his walk-up song? No. Does he even ride in on a horse? No. Jesus chooses the most humble entry – riding on a donkey. A donkey was not a sign of power. A donkey was a sign of humble work. Jesus was making his entry to Jerusalem for his humble work of saving both me and you! Matthew 21: 1-6, “As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ‘Go into the village over there,' he said. ‘As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, The Lord needs them, and he will immediately let you take them.' This took place to fulfill the prophesy that said, ‘Tell the people of Jerusalem, Look your King is coming to you. He is HUMBLE, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey's colt.' The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.” So now we see Jesus didn't only choose the humble means of a donkey, but he chose even lower – the donkey's colt. The colt wasn't as strong, wasn't as experienced, and not as useful. It's the equivalent today of traveling on an airplane, not choosing first class, not choosing business class, not even choosing the isle or the window – but choosing row 41, middle seat – ON PURPOSE. Who does that? Nobody does that. Especially not when you have not only the power to fly the plane, but the RIGHT to fly the plane. Jesus had the power to show up any way he wanted to. He had the right to make an entrance in any manner. He could have made it all about him, and absolutely no one would have blamed him. I mean really, do you blame the person riding in first class for getting extra leg room when they can afford it and paid for it? No, you just envy them a little bit as you walk on by and get yourself to the back of the plane. Jesus knew his assignment, and he walked in it perfectly. He rode in, entering his final week of life on a donkey's colt, with the ultimate humility. And here's the wild thing – God had always planned it that way. Many years earlier, God had spoken to Zechariah and told him the King would come to save the world, and he would come with absolute humility on a donkey's colt. This is now being quoted in Matthew. And remember, when God spoke those words to Zechariah through the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, Jesus was there, because Jesus is God in human form. The trinity. With all the power in the world, LITERALLY, God planned his own entry into the world … with humility. And he planned the joy of saving his children while holding the grief of sacrificing his son. Jesus was born in humility to a virgin girl in a stable – and now Jesus would enter into his final week knowingly with that same power contained in humility. He didn't make it about him. But let's be clear – IT WAS ABOUT HIM. It's all about Jesus. But do you know what Jesus made it about – HE MADE IT ABOUT YOU. Imagine going to a concert and your absolute favorite artist walks out on stage holding a sign with your name on it. And imagine every song they sing, they sing looking directly at you in the audience. THAT'S WHAT OUR JESUS DID, and he did it for you. At the end of this week, Jesus is betrayed and arrested, which he knew was coming since the very beginning. He didn't fight it. He didn't run from it. He endured it all with humility and a focus on us, not on himself. There, surrounded by a crowd of men with swords and clubs, being arrested and ultimately led to his death, Jesus says in Matthew 26: 53-54, “Don't you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly. But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” Jesus knew his mission, and although he knew he held the power to do absolutely anything he wanted, he chose to humbly surrender to the Father's will – even when it was hard. Jesus shows us how to live in the hardest seasons of our lives and walk with purpose. We restrain ourselves from doing the things we could do, and focus on doing what God wants us to do. Jesus doesn't just tell us to surrender and submit to God – he shows us how to do it. Jesus is here in his final week, holding the grief of being betrayed in one hand, and the joy of walking in his purpose in his other. The grief of suffering in one hand, and the joy of knowing his suffering was temporary but forever good in his other hand. Jesus is showing us how to hold grief and joy at the same time. When you hurt, it's okay to hurt – but there can still be joy knowing this hurt isn't all there is. When there's joy, you can feel the joy knowing everything doesn't have to be perfect and fixed to experience moments of beauty. On our final night together here in the retreat house in Hawaii, we sat together and we each shared two things – what is the sweetest thing in this season of your life, and what is the hardest. We all had something hard we're currently in, and we all had something so sweet too. We're holding both, at the same time. One who has lost her husband. Three who are going through divorces. Many who have hard to love children. Some who battle health issues. And yet, each who have immense awareness of their blessings straight from heaven. There's a song called “Evidence” by Josh Baldwin that says: In every season from where I'm standing I see the evidence of your goodness All over my life All over my life I see your promises and fulfillments All over my life All over my life Help me remember when I'm weak The fear may come The fear will leave You lead my heart to victory You are my strength And you always will be I see the evidence of your goodness All over my life With humility, Jesus shows us how to take the focus off self, while holding grief and joy at the same time. He reminds us of the evidence of God's goodness all over our life, even in the midst of a hard season. Wherever you are standing, may you humbly see the evidence of God's goodness all over your life. In every season, may you always remember it's never all bad. Jesus faced this final week of his life, holding the grief and weight of all the sin in the world, yet he held joy knowing it was about YOU! Saving you. Redeeming you. Making a way for you. May you humbly hold your joy and your grief, and walk your path knowing there's a greater purpose. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

The final week of Jesus' life shows us how he prepared for the end by living now. His final week shows us how to live, knowing our time is limited, this life is temporary, and we have a mission to fulfill. Matthew 11-15 Mark 11-15 Luke 19-23 John 12-19 Scripture: Philippians 2:5 “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” We know how the final week for Jesus ends – and so did he. He knew the cross was coming, and he knew his death was not defeat, it was victory. It was mission complete. With the example of Jesus, knowing he was about to die, knowing every detail of what was to come in his final week, what if we stopped fearing death and truly lived in the time we have? What if we truly treated each day as purposeful and valuable, knowing it takes us one day closer to our reward – an eternity in Heaven. What if we could treat our time here as important, but remember this is just the beginning. When our time is up on this earth, it's not over, it's just the beginning of what we were truly created for. You were created for eternity. Your soul was designed for forever connecting with your Creator. Your existence on this earth is a tiny pre-show where you grow to know your Creator and choose his path of salvation so you can dwell in your forever with him. The Garden of Eden is restored. We're back where we belong. A perpetual paradise with God. The only way we get there is with Jesus. And what Jesus did in his final week not only makes it all possible, but his final week gives us a blueprint for living well. The final week of Jesus' life wasn't just about what he endured – it’s about what he demonstrated. He shows us how to live with purpose. He shows us how to love under pressure. He shows us how to surrender through struggle. He shows us how to trust God completely, even when it's hard. Jesus Didn't Just Die for Us—He Modeled Life for Us In His final days, Jesus compresses a lifetime of teaching into lived example. Under pressure, facing betrayal, injustice, and unimaginable suffering, He reveals what a God-centered life actually looks like. We often ask, “How should I live?” Jesus answers that question most clearly in the week leading to the cross. The cross is where He paid for our salvation. But the path to the cross is where He showed us how to live. In 1 week, Jesus would finally hang on the cross and speak the words, “It is finished” … but before he said ‘it is finished', he showed us how to begin. To begin our journey to our final destination. Final destination is where Jesus was going to prepare things for us. That's where God's children are destined. That's our promised land. And this entire life here on earth is the beginning of our journey there. You're in the beginning – already on your way to Heaven. Now, live well, my friend. This will all be over soon. This week, study the path to the cross Jesus walked with tremendous intention. He moved forward without rushing. He was fully present in every opportunity. He sought his Father through the struggle. And oh how he loved with his life. He did more than die for us. Dying for us would have been enough. But Jesus showed us how to live. To live with eternity on our mind. To love with our entire being. And to be loved by God. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Have you ever asked God for one thing and you feel like you got something totally different? Jesus tells us, “ask and you will receive”, but maybe you're not so sure that applies to you because you haven't gotten what you've asked for. Yes, girl, ask. He wants you to ask. He answers every time you ask – it just might not look like what you thought it would. The Israelites were hungry in the desert and they asked God to supply their needs and give them food to eat. AND GET THIS – The next day they woke up to manna!!!! We know manna as this miraculous bread directly from God which sustained the Israelites where there was nothing else to eat. But let me tell you, THIS WAS NOT WHAT THEY WERE EXPECTING. Exodus 16: 13-15 “The next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. ‘What is it?’ They asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, ‘It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.” I propose they woke up that morning and saw this white dewy, sticky substance all over the desert ground and they really said “What in the world is THIS?” I don't know, maybe they were expecting Sarah Lee herself to appear at sunrise baking her fresh loaves of bread, but this … this is not what they were expecting. What is this and what am I supposed to do with it? Understand, nothing like this dewy, flaky substance had ever been seen before. This was totally new to them. And quite honestly, it didn't look like the miracle they were expecting of the God they were counting on for survival. And this is why they called it manna. Manna literally means “What is it?” For real, that's the defintion of manna – what is it? And if you don't know what it is, you certainly don't know what to do with it. The Israelites expected food they recognized. God gave them something they had to learn HOW to use. Sometimes the reason we miss God's provision is because it doesn't match our expectations. We expect things to look a certain way, but God works in the unexpected. You can't figure him out. You can't predict him. Your God is continually going to show up in ways that surprise you. And honestly, sometimes it's initially a disappointing surprise. A question of, really, what is this? What do I do with this now? Can you see how what God has given you is provision, even if it doesn't look like the “bread” you were expecting? The confusion you currently feel is the first stage of revelation to God's answer. In the beginning, you're asking, “Why did this relationship end?” – later you see God's protection in it. In the beginning you're asking, “Why did I lose that job?” – later you see God's great redirection. In the beginning you're asking, “Why did this happen to me?” – later you see God's preparation for something better he had for you next. Just because you don't understand it doesn’t mean God isn't in it. The Israelites didn't understand this bizarre looking substance all over the ground that morning, but it was still their miracle. Now it was time to learn what to do with their miracle. And my friend, if you've asked God to show up for you, he has … maybe you just don't understand what he is doing. It's time to learn what to do with the minunderstood miracle he has given you. In studying manna, this miraculous bread from Heaven that appeared on the desert ground each morning, I've learned the most practical and applicable lessons for exactly where we find ourselves today. Lessons on what to do with God's answers that you don't understand. It is believed that this manna was like a coriander seed covered in dew. Not loaves of bread, but a seed which could become something. Not a seed to be planted, but a seed to be ground. When worked, when crushed by hand, when grinded out, this substance miraculously covering the desert floor each morning became much like wheat and could be used to make bread. It wasn't what they expected and they didn't recognize its potential because IT HAD TO BE WORKED. They prayed for bread and they got something they could USE TO MAKE bread. God didn't drop baked loaves into their hands. They had to go out each morning, they had to gather this strange substance from the ground, then they had to prepare it. Now remember, they're in the middle of the desert where nothing grows or flows. This is literally a life-saving miracle. This was bizarre and beautiful. But it was only bizarre until they worked with it – then it became beautiful. I don't know what bizarre thing you might be facing right now, but maybe this is God's answer to your prayers, but some effort is required from you now to see it as beautiful. You have to get out there and gather this up. You've got to grind this out. You've got to work with this. And when you do, it will become exactly what you truly need. What if the very thing you've been confused about… The thing you've been questioning … The thing you've been overlooking … IS ACTUALLY YOUR MANNA?!!!! What if you've been asking God for bread, and he's been faithfully covering the ground in front of you every morning and you just keep walking past it because you don't recognize it. Well, my friend, you'll never recognize it for what it could be if you don't work with what God has given you! If you've asked God, he has heard you and he is moving on your behalf – just perhaps not in a way you recognize. But it's here. Can you see it? What will you do with it? Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

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

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

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

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

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

Today I'm going to share with you the sweetest scripture I've ever read. A scripture so powerful in its sweetness that it stopped me in my tracks. Psalm 27:8 “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.' And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.'” Woah. Does that touch you the way […]

We've all heard the nightmare stories of child stars who become wildly rich and famous and grow up to live a wreck of a life. We've seen the stories unfold. In a world where kid's primary goal in life is to become famous, we know where that road can lead. This is the result of […]

The answer for the problem you are facing is Jesus. The answer for the hurt you are feeling is Jesus. The answer for the person you can't fix is Jesus. Whatever you are going through, whatever it is you're struggling to understand, whatever you're trying to overcome, whoever or whatever you may be waiting on […]

Exodus 14: 20-30 Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! Then the Egyptians—all of […]

Exodus 14: 5-22 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt's best chariots, along […]

Wouldn't it be great to have a foolproof, absolutely ‘can't possibly miss it' type of sign as guidance for your journey? For real, have you ever prayed for flashing signs and illuminated arrows? God, make it clear. Don't let me miss it. Show me your path in an unmistakable way. Can God do that? Absolutely. […]

My GPS continually takes me on the roundabout way. It's laughable at this point. I'm not sure what hidden setting I have that makes my Apple Maps think I always want to go through the ghetto to my ultimate destination. I call it my Adventure Setting. I'll eventually get to where I'm supposed to be, […]

God is working something out in your life. And while it seems to be taking entirely too long for you, you can be assured his plan of deliverance and completion will happen in his pre-appointed divine timing. His plan for you will not fail. It will not be too late. Our God holds all time […]

All things are under God's control and he has the divine authority to allocate or reallocate absolutely anything he wishes. Where does he send his blessings? To the hands where he will get the glory. Where does he open heaven's storehouses? Where his kingdom work is being accomplished. The question is, will he get the […]

When God sees you, he sees something you don't see. He doesn't see your past. He doesn't see your future. He sees one thing – He sees the blood of his son, Jesus. That is, if you have accepted his sacrificial, redemptive blood over your life. That's the single most important question of your lifetime […]

Do you realize just how patient God has been with you. During your wandering, he has been steady. Through your silence, he has stood ready to speak. When you have been unfaithful, he has remained faithful. He has always held the power to come through for you, but sometimes you've failed to come to him. […]

Every supernatural occurrence is not by the hand of God. When we chase the supernatural, we are subject to confusion. Sometimes we're dabbling in a dangerous darkness while thinking we're tapping into godly powers. My friend, you have to know, not every power is godly. There are dark powers in this world. These are not […]

Luke 8: 22-25, “One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let's cross to the other side of the lake.' So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and […]

God, if you're in it, I want it – If you're not, I don't. Seek God's hand. Moses said to God in Exodus 33:15, “Lord, if you don't personally go with us, don't make us leave this place.” MSG – Lord, if your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now.” […]

What is one thing God has done for you specifically? How do you know he is real? Where have you personally seen him work? THAT IS YOUR TESTIMONY. How do you share your testimony without making it about you? MAKE IT ALL ABOUT JESUS. Here's the truth – nobody really wants to know all the […]

Are there parts of you that are hidden away? A secret shame, a private hurt, a lonely fear that resides in the darkness you don't talk about. Jesus knows about it and he wants to heal it. Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes.” […]

Isaiah 14:27, “The Lord of Heaven's Armies has spoken – who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?” 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Follow […]

You have a job to do. A job that often gets twisted in a way that either puffs you up with pride making you think you're better than someone else, or your job gets twisted in a way that makes you carry the burden of changing someone else. Let's be clear – saving someone is […]

God has promises for you. His word is full of promises over your life. But have you read his word to know his promises? Is it important to know God's promises for you? Absolutely. But it can't stop there. This has to go beyond just knowing. Now, you step into believing his promises. Trusting his […]

Walking in God's will should make life easier, right? Being on the right path should always feel good, right? Surely God's divine will comes with guarantees, stamps of approval and fast passes, right? Nope. Not in my Bible. It's easy to say things like, “If it's God's will, he will make it happen.” Okay, so […]

Your heart is up to you. How you perceive things, how you feel about things, and what you do about those things is completely your own choice. God will not force your heart to change. Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” If your heart gets […]

Does God ever get frustrated with us? Is there ever a point where our loving heavenly Father gets angry with his girls? Yes – but it's likely not over the things you've been worried about. We screw things up. We fail to get it right. We struggle. We fall short. These are the things we […]

Fear cripples us and keeps us stuck. Fear has our mind thinking thoughts we have absolutely no business thinking. Fear has us playing little, assuming the worst, and dismissing ourselves from the wild, faith-filled spaces God is calling us to. Do you want to taste the fullness of life God really has available for you? […]

There are some things you can work your way through. There are some things you can talk your way out of. And then there are some things that no matter what you do, it simply will never be good enough. You do not have the power to change this. You do not have the strategy […]