BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional For Women podcast

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תוכן מסופק על ידי Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women. כל תוכן הפודקאסטים כולל פרקים, גרפיקה ותיאורי פודקאסטים מועלים ומסופקים ישירות על ידי Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women או שותף פלטפורמת הפודקאסט שלהם. אם אתה מאמין שמישהו משתמש ביצירה שלך המוגנת בזכויות יוצרים ללא רשותך, אתה יכול לעקוב אחר התהליך המתואר כאן https://he.player.fm/legal.

Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast

1
Case #28: Ian 47:46

לפני 7 ימים47:46

הפעל מאוחר יותר

רשימות

לייק

אהבתי

47:46

Ian Stedman suffered 32 years with full body rashes, debilitating headaches, joint pain and hearing loss without a clear diagnosis. His Mother Barb had gone over 60 years with the same symptoms. After hundreds of doctors visits and decades of frustration - they had resigned to believe there were no answers. That is until Ian’s daughter, Lia was born covered in that all-too-recognizable rash. Ian re-ignited his search for answers in an effort to save his family. We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakepipe.com/symptomatic DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content. * * * * * * ****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ****** You can learn more about the Canadian Autoinflammatory Network at www.autoinflammatory.ca SickKids CA can be found online at www.sickkids.ca See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

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Daily Devotional with Pamela Crim | BIG Life Mentor

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#Self-Improvement #Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women #Christianity #Society #Religion #Podcasting Education

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

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updated לפני 8 שעות

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Daily Devotional with Pamela Crim | BIG Life Mentor

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#Self-Improvement #Pamela Crim | Daily Devotional for Women #Christianity #Society #Religion #Podcasting Education

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BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
2003 What Are You Wearing? 18:10

לפני 8 hours18:10

18:10

Do you carry any shame? Is there shame for what you have done? Shame for your past? Shame for your failures? Shame is a feeling of worthlessness. Shame is a disgrace you assign to yourself. It’s a fear of the worst of you being exposed, and that fear makes you hide. But don’t you realize there’s absolutely NOTHING you can hide from God. He sees it all and knows it all. You don’t sneak behind God and get away with things. He’s fully aware of that secret. One of my best friends has a coffee mug that’s a picture of Jesus peeking over a pair of sunglasses he’s wearing and it says, “I saw that.” My friend, Jesus saw that. More than anything he wants to say about it, he wants to DO something about it. Jesus wants to cover your shame. In Genesis when Adam and Eve are disobedient and ate the fruit they were told not to eat, their very first feeling was of shame. Shame caused them to hide. But do you know what God did in response to their shame? Chapter 3, verse 21 says, “The Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” I’ve never noticed that before. God himself made the first real clothes to cover their shame. God doesn’t desire his sons and daughters to walk around in shame. Shame separates us from him and all he ever wanted was a close relationship with us. This is exactly why the enemy works so hard to cover you in shame. Shame separates us from God. We naturally hide in our feelings of worthlessness and self-assigned disgrace. The devil wants to poke at those unhealed wounds within to make that shame ooze from you. It’s all an attempt to keep you from God. But know this – Jesus saw it and he did something about it! God made the first clothes to cover the first shame in preparation for the coming covering for ALL shame. Notice what God used for the clothes. He used the skin from animals. Those animals had to die, they were sacrificed. Adam and Eve had originally made coverings from fig leaves in the garden to try and cover their shame, but that wasn’t good enough. God sacrificed animals and used their skins to cover them. That sacrifice was required. Shame is only covered by sacrifice. And there’s nothing we could ever sacrifice enough to make us righteous. We can’t change ourselves to be good enough. You could spend every day for the rest of your life trying to perform and earn your righteousness, but you would still fall short. A sacrifice beyond you is required. A sacrifice made by God. God made a covering for shame of Adam and Eve – and God has made a covering for your shame. That covering is the blood of Jesus. His sacrificed life is what makes you forever good enough. Yes, Jesus saw what you did and in response, he did something about it. He died for you. Now girl, you have absolutely zero right to be walking around in that shame. That’s already been bought. It’s already been covered. The high price was paid for you to feel love instead of worthlessness. A huge sacrifice was made for you to be covered in grace where there was once disgrace. That grace will radically change your life. RECEIVE IT! But then, don’t waste it. Don’t waste the grace offered to you. Don’t keep replaying the story. Don’t allow the enemy to poke at those wounds – no girl, bring those wounds to Jesus and let him completely heal you. Grace isn’t a bandaid to just get you through. Grace heals you perfectly. Grace takes your absolute worst and turns it into a testimony. My friend, you have a testimony of how God can meet you in your pit of shame, save you and change you – now what are you doing with that testimony? Are you telling it? Are you using it to help others? Is God getting any good out of the grace he has offered you? Or are you wasting that grace? I’m a girl who performed for so long that I sought the applause of people more than I appreciated the grace of Jesus. On most days, I honestly didn’t even feel like I needed grace because I was really good at performing. I could make things work. I could grind it out until it happened. And people really liked me. It all looked so good on the outside, but something nasty was happening on the inside. God loved me enough to see that and not turn away from me. I must have been disgusting to him in my self-righteous performance while using his name. But instead of disgust, he gave me grace. Grace I didn’t even know to ask for. Grace I didn’t even appreciate at the time. Grace for all I was doing wrong and time to turn it around and get it right. I’ve gone through a few years of deep humbling. It’s been a process of holy conviction that turned my performance into a heavy load I couldn’t carry. Pressure that made me crack. Stress that left this strong willed girl finally giving up. And that’s when grace came in! Grace that made me hate the stage and no longer crave a spotlight. Grace that broke my heart for what breaks God’s heart. Grace that saw me where I was and covered me to take me where God wanted me next. I’ve changed some things. Am I still embarrassed over the way I had done things for so long. Yes, no doubt. But it won’t become shame. Shame tells me I’m worthless, but God tells me I’m chosen as worthy. Shame tells me I’m a disgrace, but Jesus says his grace is sufficient for me. Shame has no place in a life covered by the blood of Jesus, it’s all been covered. Now, I know to truly be grateful for God’s grace and I won’t waste it. You see if God can be patient with a girl like me, he can be patient with a girl like you. If he can cover me, he can cover you. If I can change, so can you. My friend, whatever you’ve been carrying around deep inside of you, ashamed of what you did and who might find out – please know this – Jesus saw that and he did something about it. You have been covered in grace. Grace that makes you forever good enough. God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and Eve to cover the shame that made them hide from him. Blood was shed and a life was sacrificed to make that covering. But that covering would continually wear out and a new sacrifice would be required, or shame would once again enter and separate them from God. That’s why Jesus gave his life. The forever sacrifice that makes us eternally right with God. A permanent covering of grace for our shame. There’s a song called “Washed” by Elevation Rhythm. It says: I’ve been washed in the water, washed in the blood I’m as good as new, oh hallelujah You took away my shame and you nailed it to the cross Got me running out the grave, oh hallelujah, here I come Where are we running? Back to God! No more hiding in shame. We’ve been washed in the water, washed in the blood and we’re as good as new. All our shame has been taken away and nailed to that cross. When the enemy comes at you to try and strip you of that grace and reassign shame to you, please remember one thing – YOU’RE NOT THAT GIRL ANYMORE. YOU’VE BEEN MADE NEW. You don’t belong in that grave where you once wallowed. You’ve been made forever good enough by Jesus. Oh hallelujah. What are you wearing and who made that? Is that a name brand, girl? Where did that come from? If you’re wearing shame, that comes from the pits of hell, hand designed by the enemy of your soul. Get that off of you! God has a designer piece with the label of grace made just for you. Put it on. It will change you forever. 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
2002 The Warning Label 20:08

לפני 1 day20:08

20:08

I once thought living in full surrender to God would mean my life would become boring. I thought all my fun would end. So, for years I held back. I offered parts of me, while my hands were clinched tightly on my greatest desires. I just knew if I offered it all to God, he would take the best parts away and leave me with a life I didn’t love. Wow – was I wrong. This life lived in wild abandon and total trust in God is the greatest adventure I’ve ever been on. My hands are wide open and I’ve let go of everything, and somehow my life is absolutely overflowing. Those desires I was so afraid to surrender have been changed into even greater things and made realities. Why didn’t anyone tell me how good this would be? Instead, I lived so many years of my life fearful of what God might take away from me and suspicious of what he was withholding from me. Does God hold back the good stuff when we trust him? Can the best stuff only be found on your own, apart from a life of surrender? Do you have to make things happen for yourself? Do you have to look out for #1? Do you have to question God? Let’s be very clear – living like that will cause you to fall. You will fall for the tricks of the enemy of your soul when you begin to think God is keeping something from you. You will fall right into the traps of Satan when you try to get what you want in your own ways. When what you want takes first place and God is put in second, the door is open for absolute destruction in your life. My friends, that’s precisely what happened to Eve in the garden. She was tricked into believing God was withholding the best stuff from her. She thought there was something better for her that God had been hiding. And that’s exactly how it happens. A seed of doubt is planted, questioning if God is holding out on you, so you’re willing to go around him to get what you think you want. What is sin? It’s what God says you shouldn’t do, right? Actually, no. This isn’t about what you should and shouldn’t do. Sin is so much more about what falls short of God’s best for you. Sin isn’t just the forbidden things you’re not supposed to do, sin is what will harm you. Sin is the very thing God is trying to protect you from. Not because he’s withholding the good stuff from you and labeling it as sin. Actually, quite the opposite. God is protecting us from the things he knows would harm us the most. The things that cause shame, guilt and regret. The things that separate us from him. The things that confuse us, bind us, create addictions and separation. But do you know what Satan says? Satan says it’s only called sin to keep you from experiencing more in life. It’s not that bad. It won’t hurt you. You’ll just get to see what you’ve been missing. We live in a fallen world where Satan and his demons roam around like a roaring lion, trying to kill, steal and destroy everything that is good. You are good. Your life is good. The purpose for which you were created is good. The plans God has for your future are good. And it’s all under absolute attack. Everything good has a bullseye for evil. To fight this battle, it is crucial for you to know how the enemy attacks. How does he trick us? What does he say? Here it is – Satan quite simply TWISTS God’s words in a way that makes you feel like something is missing. He twists what isn’t good for you into looking like something that would make you happy. And he tricks you into doing things that will make you hide in shame. You see, once you know Satan’s game, you can quickly see his nasty moves. In a nutshell, the devil tries to make you think sin is not bad and God is not good. Sin is considered sin because God says it’s not good for you. Sin will hurt you. Don’t you think your creator knows what will hurt his creation? I have a Nutribullet blender in my kitchen. On the cord is a permanent tag that reads, “Never immerse in water.” I trust the manufacturer of that blender knows what isn’t good for their product. I don’t need to throw it in my kitchen sink to see if they really know what they’re talking about. Wouldn’t it be absolutely ridiculous for me to believe, “hmmmm, maybe this blender can do even greater things if I immerse it in water and maybe the maker doesn’t want me to know that. Maybe they’re holding out on me, so I’m going to have to try this on my own.” Splash. Stupid. That would be so stupid. The maker knows what isn’t good for their product. You must trust the warning label. Adam and Eve were given one warning label. Just one. They were put in the middle of paradise in the Garden of Eden and given everything they could ever want. And then the warning label, Genesis 2:16, “God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” It’s the equivalent of “Never immerse the blender in water.” It won’t be good. Then here comes Satan who has shown up as a serpent in the garden. And he asks a question in Genesis 3, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Now notice how Satan works – he engages Eve in a conversation. He baits her with a question that’s intentionally twisted. Then, he simply convinces her that what she’s been told would be bad isn’t REALLY bad, and that perhaps GOD isn’t good. Maybe God is just holding back the good stuff. Maybe her trust in God is causing her to miss out. Satan says, “You won’t die! God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” Yeah, just go ahead and take a little bite – it’s not bad for you. Take a drag, try the pill, here have a drink. Just a little peek. Try this. Go ahead and do it. Just one time, it will feel good. All those rules that tell you not to are just trying to take away your freedom. Your parents just always wanted to control you. God just doesn’t want you to have any fun. Hear that? COULD THAT BE SATAN? Eve fell for the twisted suggestions of Satan, thinking God just didn’t want her to have the best stuff in the garden and she committed the very first sin by eating the one fruit God told her not to eat. Then here comes Adam, convinced something good was happening without him and he ate the fruit too. And my friends, Satan is still doing it today! We’re blindly throwing blenders in a sink of water because we think the maker might be holding out on us with their restricting warning label. IF GOD SAYS IT’S NOT GOOD FOR YOU, THEN FOR REAL, IT’S NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Satan says sin is not bad and God is not good. Satan says you have to push the limits and try some things to really live, and God says, “Honey if you want adventure, I’ll take you on the adventure of a lifetime if you fully surrender everything to me. What I have for you is best and if I withhold anything from you it’s because it wasn’t the best.” You really can trust that! You don’t have to question God’s intentions. He is for you, not against you. He created you and he knows some things aren’t good for you. He knows some things will hurt you. He knows some things will eat away at you from the inside and cause you to hide in guilt and shame. That’s NOT what he wants for his girl. You can trust him. Here’s a simple guideline to help us on our journey of living our best life with God while the enemy attacks: Resist don’t discuss. When you hear a voice that makes you question anything God has said, you better run. When you see the twisting start to happen, lines being blurred, convictions being compromised, and the warning tags being torn off, you immediately think of Eve in the garden with the serpent. The serpent is the shrewdest of all. He is cunning and convincing. He’s slimy and and sneaky. DON’T MESS WITH HIM. Eve’s first mistake was having a conversation with Satan. ABSOLUTELY NOT! God’s girls have zero business talking to the devil. He has NOTHING we need to hear. You stiff arm him and keep walking. James 4:7, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That doesn’t say have a conversation with the devil. That doesn’t say discuss things with the devil. No, RESIST HIM. Think of a toddler who is resisting their mother. We’ve all seen it int he grocery store. Somehow that 3 year old is uncontrollable. They’re listening to absolutely nothing. They’re fighting, screaming, running. They’re not giving up. That resistant toddler uses every ounce of energy they have to break free of the desperate mother trying to hold them back. And THAT is what we’re supposed to do with the devil. You fight him HARD. You don’t listen to a word he says. You scream over him. You run. Girl, why are you trying to reason with the devil? Why are you trying to taste what he is offering you and hope you get away with it? The devil says sin is not bad and God is not good. He’s a liar from hell. God is good. There’s nothing bad in him. He withholds no good things from his children. If God withholds something, it’s because it wasn’t good for us. You can trust him fully. You can live in complete surrender to him. If God says it’s not good for you, then it’s really not good for you and it would hurt you. Don’t mess with it. Don’t entertain it. Don’t hang around with it. Don’t talk about it. Don’t fantasize about it. RESIST IT. Get out of there! Life lived in surrender to God, trusting his ways and his plans is anything but boring. Jump on in with me. What he has for you is better than anything the slimy devil could ever conjur up! You don’t have to hold back and fear the good stuff being taken from you by God. If he takes away the good stuff, it’s only to make room for the best stuff. Your maker really does know what’s not good for you. Don’t immerse the blender in water. You can trust that without testing 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
2001 The Last Forty 24:25

לפני 4 ימים24:25

24:25

Forty. As of tomorrow, November 22nd, we have 40 days left in this year. Just how fast has this year gone by? Wasn’t it just Summer a few weeks ago, and now here we are with only 40 days left in the entire year? 2026 is a brand new year of life on it’s way to us. It’s filled with promise and potential and if you will be consistently available to God, he will fulfill you in ways you never imagined possible. But … we’re not there yet, my friends. It is not time to begin focusing on a new year, it’s time to finish this one right! 40 days separate us from this new year of life, and those 40 days matter significantly. God wants to prepare you, equip you and mold you in the next 40 days. Forty. 40 is a critical number in the Bible. 40 often represented new life, growth and transformation. God worked in the 40 to prepare a way for the future. God changed people in the 40. The preparation for a breakthrough of change happened in the 40. My friends, that’s exciting!!!!! This 40 belongs to God and he’s preparing you for a new year of life in the next 40 days. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days by the devil. After that temptation, Jesus began his ministry on Earth and changed eternity. It rained for 40 days, flooding the entire earth. All life outside of Noah’s ark was eliminated. Then the waters receded and life began again from only that which had been saved. The giant Goliath taunted God’s people for 40 days. Then, the little shepherd boy David slays the giant with his slingshot and a rock and wins them victory and freedom. How many days were between Jesus’ crucifixion and his return to Heaven? 40! Forty. Then, completion, then renewal, then victory. In the next 40 days before 2026 comes, God wants to do a work in YOU! Will you partner with him in the transformational process that brings victory? Will you let him have his time and space in your life for the next 40 days? What have your past 40 days been like? Do you even really remember them? 40 days ago it was October 12th – what do you have to show for those days? Were they significant? Did you grow and get better, or did those days just pass with little to show for them? Don’t let the next 40 be like your last 40. It’s time to go deeper. It’s time for full heart surrender. It’s time to wake up with intention and live on purpose. On the other side of this 40 is that new life, that growth, that transformation only God has seen. God wants to do a work in you! Will you submit to the process? In the early days of Christianity, before someone could be baptized as a Christian, they were to wait 40 days. For 40 days they would simplify their life down to the basics and focus fully on living for Jesus. After 40 days, if they still wanted to commit their lives to Jesus, then they would be baptized. What if the next 40 days was an intentional simplifying of our lives with a focus on Jesus to prepare us for 2026? What if we took these final 40 days of this year and allowed God the space to work in us so we step into the new year changed. What if this is your renewal and re-commitment to Jesus. 40 days of focusing on Jesus. That sounds special doesn’t it … and basically impossible in your busy life. Especially the next 40 days of holidays, travels, gatherings and functions. It’s the busiest time of the year, certainly not the time you can slow down to focus on Jesus. That would be a huge struggle for the next 40 days, wouldn’t it? And do you know what God says about that – Okay, struggle it out! Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” That doesn’t mean you have to work to earn salvation, that’s a free gift given to you by Jesus, you simply accept that gift. But you do have to struggle to live like you’re saved. Work that out. Fight for it. Struggle with making time for Jesus in your daily life. Did you know it’s okay to struggle with finding time to pray? Did you know it’s okay to have to work to read your Bible and not really feel like it 97% of the time? That’s okay – work that out. Using the next 40 really busy, over-scheduled, cram packed days to re-commit to Jesus would be a struggle for you – AWESOME – work it out! Do it afraid that you might fail. Do it uncertain of how. Here’s what you’re feeling right now – you’re feeling a battle between your flesh and your spirit. Your flesh wants to pretend like you never even heard this. Your flesh is reasoning with why you don’t have time and how waiting until January would just make more sense. BUT YOUR SPIRIT is saying something else. Your spirit is saying, “Wow, I need this.” Your spirit is craving space for Jesus. Your spirit is willing to work this out! Right now, just lean into your spirit. This doesn’t have to be perfect. This isn’t about checking a box to meet a goal so you feel a sense of accomplishment. This is about giving God space to prepare you for a new year of life. This is about letting him work in your 40. Go ahead and struggle with this. Don’t avoid it. Don’t run from it. Choose to struggle. Choose to fight for a way to focus more on Jesus. There are a two things that have radically changed my life for the better. Perhaps one of these could be your way of making space for Jesus for the final 40 days of 2025. 1. Praying on my knees. At a retreat many years ago, a woman shared that during her time in a rehab she was taught to put her alarm under her bed every night when she went to sleep. This would force her to roll straight out of bed and hit her knees to turn off the alarm. And while she was there, she would pray. This changed my life. In the beginning, it was a short prayer to begin my day while I reached for my phone under the bed. Then it grew. Eventually I no longer had to put my phone under the bed, it was habit. I just roll right out onto my knees. In fact, you know those fancy pillows you put on the bed but you don’t sleep with them? Yeah, put one of those on the floor for your knees to hit. It works perfectly. Now, that is my primary prayer time. It’s my habit and it’s Jesus’ space. I begin my day on my knees and it has empowered me to walk through my days unlike ever before. Could you try that for the next 40 days? What happens if you miss a day? What happens if you forget? Remember, just work it out – struggle through it – it doesn’t have to be perfect – just make space. 2. Reading my printed Bible. If there’s an almost magic in anything, I would say it’s this. There’s something about God’s word. It’s unlike any other book. It’s alive and it gets within you. Suddenly your thoughts begin to change, your desires change, your impulses change. God’s word truly changes you. Make time to read your Bible. Write in it. Highlight it. Truly study it. I can’t explain it, but you will be transformed. This is how God works in you. And scripture says as he works in you, he gives you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Your whole world can change when you start opening your Bible. If you don’t have a print Bible and you can’t afford to buy one right now, MESSAGE ME! I will order one so fast for you that you have it on your doorstep by next week. Sadly, I’ve spent the majority of my life without a Bible. I would google scripture when needed, or read the daily verse from an app. That’s good, but oh my goodness, I was missing the GREATNESS of an actual Bible in my hands. Could you try reading the Bible for the next 40 days? Maybe a chapter a day? Or maybe listening for the scripture in the devotional and reading the paragraphs before and after that scripture? Or maybe just start with the book of John and read it slow. How will you remember to do this every day? How will you make time when it’s so busy? Girl, struggle it out. Just work on that. Let it be messy and imperfect. 40 days in God’s word will transform you! You will step into the new year as a new person with changed thoughts and desires. Remember our scripture, Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Embrace the struggle of making space for Jesus and let God work within you. He will begin to change you. Your desires will change. Your priorities will change. You won’t even have to force it. Give him this little space and watch it happen! 40 days. This is it. What will you do? The days will pass whether you commit to Jesus or not. Why not commit and come out better? Why not give Jesus a chance to work in you and make you better before the new year even gets here? Could you listen to Christian music for the next 40 days? Could you journal for the next 40 days on specific ways you see God working? There are countless things you could do, but what would you do? God uses the number 40 throughout scripture to radically change people and situations. He shows up in the 40 to unleash his power. And now he’s giving you this 40. 40 days left in 2025 before a new year. How will you make space for Jesus in your 40? 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
2000 EPISODE 2,000! 21:12

לפני 5 ימים21:12

21:12

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG – “I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’ve been living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.” Romans 2:4, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sins? 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.” Isaiah 50:4 MSG, “God has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders.” Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Isiah 6:8-9, “Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’ And he said, ‘Yes, go …'” BE CONSISTENTLY AVAILABLE. 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1999 Choose Your Tree 17:30

לפני 6 ימים17:30

17:30

Have you ever wondered why God would create a tree and place it in the middle of paradise, but not allow Adam and Eve to eat from it? Why would God make it possible to mess up? Wouldn’t it have been better if the option to sin were never even there? God, why put the tree there if it would cause so many problems? I’ve often wondered this. Why mess up paradise with the ability to sin? What was the point? Well, it was CHOICE. Free will is only free when there is an opportunity to do as much bad as there is good. Free will must include a choice. God desired for his greatest creation to choose him from their own free will, so he designed an opportunity to listen and obey him, or not. Unfortunately for us, Adam and Eve chose to not listen. But, the truth is, we would have all done the same. If you’ve ever made a wrong choice in your entire life, if you’ve ever messed up, then you would have eaten the apple too, my friend. But do you realize there are actually two trees in the middle of the garden where Adam and Eve were? There wasn’t just the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, but there was another tree, the tree of life. The tree of life offered eternal life to live forever. The fruit of this tree was not off limits, it was fully available. But the other tree which held the knowledge of good and evil was the one and only limitation given to them. One thing, Adam, don’t eat from that tree. And Adam, tell Eve too. Tell her not to eat from that tree, it will change everything. But, they fail. The temptation to do what they were told not to do is too great and they eat that fruit. Suddenly, their eyes are opened and shame comes into the world for the first time. The other tree stood untouched, the tree that offered life forever. Instead they chose to eat from the tree that brought guilt, shame and regret. It was the first sin. Sin is choosing what we think we want in life over what truly gives life. And guess what … we’re still doing it today. We’re still choosing the wrong tree. We’re still choosing the things that aren’t good for us. We’re still making messes. We’re still leaving the offering of true and abundant life just hanging on the branch. The first mistake was not filling up on the good stuff. They could have been so full eating from the tree of life that there was no room for the forbidden fruit from the other tree. The second mistake was eating the fruit they were told not to eat. The third mistake was hiding in shame. Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.” Shame was never part of God’s plan. Hiding from him was not the design of his masterpiece. But that’s what sin did. And that’s what sin still does. When we do what we know is wrong, we hide. My grandson is 3. When he gets quiet, we know there’s a problem. He’s either eating play-dough, drawing on a wall, or sneaking candy. He hides when he’s doing something wrong. Here we are, grown women, essentially hiding while we eat play-dough. Sneaking around hoping no one finds out. Pulling away from God because of the guilt we feel within. But imagine if Adam and Eve wouldn’t have hidden. Imagine if they would have ran straight to God after that first bite and said, “Oh no, we messed up! Help us!” Imagine if we did that! Wouldn’t everything change? The first mistake was not filling up on the tree of life. The emptiness created space for what wasn’t good for them. The second mistake was choosing to do what they knew was wrong. The third mistake was hiding in shame. Now, their fourth mistake was casting blame. Genesis 3: 9-13, “The the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the Lord God asked. ‘Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit and I ate it.’ (Not only is Adam blaming Eve, but he’s blaming God because God is the one who gave him this woman who messed things up. Hmmmmm, I wonder if we do that too?) Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ ‘The serpent deceived me’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it.’ The first sin was also the first opportunity to confess and repent. The first sin was the first opportunity for forgiveness. But shame caused them to hide and blame. Girls, now that we know better, we can do better. It’s not IF you mess up, it’s WHEN you mess up, don’t hide in shame. Don’t pull away from God. And don’t cast blame on anything or anyone else. Take responsibility for your choices. God gave you choices knowing you would surely screw them up. But he’s given you a greater power than shame. He’s given you GRACE. My friend, you are covered in the GRACE of Jesus. No, you don’t deserve it – and no, you can’t earn it, but it’s given to you anyway. His grace covers your guilt and shame and draws you back into him. Grace says there’s no one to blame. Grace says stop retelling the story. Grace says you messed up, but you’re still worthy because of Jesus. We’re still choosing the wrong tree, leaving the offering of true life often untouched while we chase after temptations and earthly pursuits. But the offering is still here for us. LIFE. Will we choose it? Adam and Eve were banished from the garden because of their choice. Could they have stayed if they would have sought forgiveness instead of hiding in shame and blaming away the guilt? Think about it. Could sin have been stopped right there? God saw their hearts would not turn to him, so they had to leave the garden and lose their opportunity to eat from the tree of life. God said in verses 22-24, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever! So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” They could have eaten from the tree of life and lived forever, but they chose the wrong tree. Now, here’s what’s really amazing. We read of this tree of life again at the very end of our Bible where we’re told of what awaits us in Heaven. In the last chapter of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 1-2, “The angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything.” The tree of life is there for us!!!! The offering for eternal life hasn’t been taken away from us. It will heal us. There’s no curse on anything! BUT, IT’S STILL A CHOICE. Just like it was a choice for Adam and Eve, it’s a choice for us. If we will eat from the tree of life, living in God’s right ways, we will be filled to overflowing and there won’t be room for the forbidden things. If we fill up on God, Satan won’t have space to trick us. There’s a tree of life and it’s available to you today. Come eat of it’s fruit. Get filled up on the good stuff so there’s no room for the offering of the enemy. Eternal life is in the offering. And when you mess up, which you will, don’t hide in shame and don’t cast blame. Seek forgiveness. You don’t have to run from God. He kinda knew you would get it wrong sometimes. But he still offers the tree of life to you. Make your choice. Which do you choose today? God offers us good things, and he also gives us the ability to really mess it up. We can ruin today with the wrong choices. We can ruin our opportunities. We can ruin our blessings. There’s a choice. The choice begins with the tree. Will you choose the tree of life and turn away from what is wrong? Grace continually invites us back. 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1998 You’re Just Right 18:56

לפני 7 ימים18:56

18:56

As a woman, you are specially designed and created to be a servant. Before you stone me, understand that being a servant is not a lowly position. According to Jesus, the greatest is called to be the servant. By divine order, to be great, you must be a humble helper. If you cannot be a humble helper, you will never be great. You will never live in your fullest potential if you are not willing to be a servant. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12, “The greatest among you must be a servant. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” My friend, there’s absolutely no wiggle room in this. There’s no gray area. If you’re going to get better and live a great life, you MUST humble yourself as a servant. Every time you assume the position of being better than someone else and above helping them, you have missed your calling. Here’s the question – do you trust God? Do you trust his design? Do you trust he knows what you don’t know and has a better plan? YES? Then trust your positioning as a woman. You are the helper by God’s divine design. Not because you’re lesser than, but because you’re chosen as God’s girl. After God created the first man, he saw it wasn’t good for man to be alone. Genesis 2, the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Then the Lord God made a woman from his rib, and he brought her to the man. GIRLS, WE ARE THE JUST RIGHT HELPERS. Think about that. It’s you. You are specifically designed to be just right. To fit perfectly in partnership with one who needs your help. It’s part of your design. This isn’t something to hate. This isn’t something to fight. This isn’t something to resent. This is something that makes you great. Again, according to Jesus, the greatest among you must be a servant. It is an honor to be the helper. It’s fulfilling to be the helper. The helper is who you were created to be in your greatest and fullest potential. Think about when Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist and knelt down to serve his disciples by washing their feet. Serving didn’t make him beneath them. It didn’t make him weak. It made him great. His humility showed a life-changing love. AND SO DOES OURS. Now again, if you’re pulling away and ready to fight, come back to trusting God. If God designed it, can you trust it? If God aligns it, can you walk in it? God designed the woman to be the JUST RIGHT HELPER for man. I’m blessed to have a wonderful husband. He’s easy to help, quite honestly. And he’s easy to help because he’s good to lead. If he were not a good leader, serving him would be extremely difficult. I must believe this is why the enemy attacks our men with such aggressive intent – if the man isn’t worthy of being followed, then the woman cannot follow and serve. If the woman cannot serve as the just right helper, then she is left unfulfilled by design. If you don’t have a good man to help, what should you do? PRAY FOR HIM. My sister, he’s under attack. He’s hurting. He’s been confused. The way you can be the ‘just right helper’ to a man who is not leading well, is to pray relentlessly for him. You can’t change him, you can’t fix him, but God can! Do you believe that? If you have been given a good man who is worthy of following, then HELP HIM. It is your role. Again, not because you are less than him, but because Jesus has called the greatest to serve and he showed us how. When we fight against this and rise up in with our feisty selves, refusing to be the chosen, called and equipped helper, then we quite simply miss the fullness of our design. We’re actually fighting against the very thing that is missing within us. We’re refusing our blessing. It is a blessing to serve. What an honor it is to be that just right helper. When sin entered the world through that first man and woman, struggles were created. Do you know that one of those very specific struggles is the fight over roles between men and women? It’s the discord and dysfunction in our relationships. To the woman, God says in Genesis 3:16, “You will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” That was NOT God’s design. That’s what sin did. Are you trying to control your husband? Is your husband trying to rule over you? That’s not within either of your designs. He is called to lead you towards God, and you are called to help him on the journey with God. If he’s not leading and you’re not helping, then it’s dysfunction. Lord, please lead us back to our blessed design in partnership. And start with me. Go to work on me! Let the change begin in me. If you don’t have a husband, you are still designed to be the helper. You’re not dismissed from helping. You don’t have to morph yourself into something you were never created to be. God’s girls are specially blessed to nurture, support, encourage and help. The world is starving for you to fulfill your designed role and help. If you do have a husband, but he’s not a leader worthy of following, then your help is to pray for him. God can use you to reach the heart of your husband unlike anyone else in this world. What a blessing it is to be chosen as God’s helper. We are following in great big footsteps. Jesus himself was a servant. He served and it made him great. He helped. And Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” God’s girls are blessed to be the just right helpers! 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1997 She’s ALIVE! 19:42

לפני 11 ימים19:42

19:42

Today, my retreat girls will go with me to the largest natural gathering place for manatee in the world. The cold of winter is beginning to set in, so the manatee have traveled for hundreds of miles to come to their winter home in the warm springs waters of Blue Springs State Park and Crystal River. We will kayak with these massive, marvelous creatures in the wild. We will swim with them. And every single one of us will be in awe of their beautiful and perfect design. GOD DID THAT! In fact, God did that on day 5 of creation. Genesis 1:20, “Then God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with fish and other life’ … So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water.” God created that manatee, uniquely designed it just as he desired, and you know what he said about it – he said it was GOOD! But really, have you see the shape of a manatee. They’re like a big ol’ baked potato with a round tail. And yet we will all be in awe of them. After God designed the manatee, do you know what he did the next day? Something even better. Something he said was not only good, but it was REALLY GOOD! Imagine this scene – The Father God, the son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all come together for a brainstorming session. They’re gathered to do their most creative and impressive work. Together, they will create YOU. They imagined you, designed you, then formed you. Just as they wanted for the purposes of your life. That’s precisely what happened. The Holy Trinity designing you! Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let US make human beings in our image, to be like us.'” You have always been seen. You have always been wanted. You have always been enough. Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” Let’s make this personal. When I pause insert your own name into this scripture. God breathed the breath of life into _________, and she became a living person. The purpose of life is to live it. Not just survive it, or endure it. Not sleep it away or wish it away. But live it. In order to LIVE this life you have been given and fulfill your purpose, you must be ALIVE. This breath of life God has breathed into you comes with a single expectation. That you would open your eyes, experience life fully and be ALIVE with life. Our scripture today says you came ALIVE – a living person. Not a miserable person. Not a tired person. Not a worried person. Not a stressed out person. But a LIVING person. Will you be a LIVING person? There is no time to waste. We can’t afford to wait until next month to wake up and start living. We can’t sleep away today. James 4:14 puts the brevity of life into perspective with “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” BUT YOU’RE HERE TODAY. You have a chance to live today. What a gift you and I have been given. And remember, with all great things comes great responsibility. Not everyone received the gift of life today, but you did, and you have a responsibility to live it. Today, let’s fulfill our purpose. Let’s do with this day exactly what we’re supposed to do. Let’s LIVE it! The dictionary uses 3 words to define ALIVE: Alert, Active and Animated. We will use that as our gauge and intentionally go to work. Today, we will be ALIVE by being ALERT. Wherever we are, we will actually BE THERE. Repeat to yourself, “right here, right now”. Hey, you will never get this back. Every moment today is a once in a lifetime moment, don’t miss it. Taste your food. Hear the sounds of life. Open your eyes and see life unfolding all around you. You are surrounded by unspeakable beauty. There is beauty before you, beauty behind you. Beauty to your left, beauty to your right. Beauty above you, beauty below you. Beauty within you. God’s creation is begging for you to notice. Today you will savor it because you are alert. Continue to bring your mind back to the state of right here, right now. Second, today we will be ALIVE by being ACTIVE. We refuse to sit and wonder and worry. If we are stuck in a rut, we won’t be by the end of the day because today, we’re taking the next step. We will be in action. We will get up and get going. My Daddy used to see the buzzards circling in the sky and he would say, “Sis, you better look alive!” The morale of the story – buzzards are always looking to prey upon the things just sitting still. Maybe you’ve been sitting still, just thinking about making changes, worrying about all that needs to change, making plans for change, that the buzzards are circling you. Girl, you better look alive. Be ACTIVE today. And third, today we will be ALIVE by being ANIMATED. This means be excited, energetic and lively. Put some pep in your step. You say you don’t have anything to be excited about … ah girl, that’s the result of not being fully alive. I guarantee you there are 10 reasons to be over the moon excited about your life surrounding you at this very moment. Even in the darkest of times and hardest of seasons, there is good. You’re not discounting the hardships by being excited over all that is good and right. There’s no guilt in that. Show your creator some energy today. Girl, don’t hide your happy. If you’re excited about something, let it show. The world is so hungry for positive energy. It’s literally contagious. If you’re struggling with energy, let me teach you the law of energy. Energy grows where energy is used. If you use all the energy you have today, tomorrow your energy tank will be refilled, plus a little more. You can literally BUILD your energy, but the only way is to use it all up today. Get up, get dressed up and show up. Even if you don’t have anywhere to go and anyone to see. Do it for you. Do it because you’re alive. Be ANIMATED today. What a recipe for a new day of life. Be fully ALIVE by being aware, active and animated. No one can live this life but you. You’ll never get this day again. The purpose of today is to live it. Will you fulfill your purpose the best you can today? Tell me you’re all-in! Yes, that’s what I wanted to hear. I bet God is smiling down on his girls right now saying …. ahhhh, it’s gonna be a good day! 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1996 Woah, Did You See That? 19:17

לפני 12 ימים19:17

19:17

Our God is a God of details. He has literally thought of EVERYTHING. There’s not a single thing he has overlooked. There’s nothing that he hasn’t accounted for. He has a plan and a purpose for all things. To see his attention to detail, look at his creation. This week, we’re studying Genesis 1, the account of creation. We see his glory in the details of this world he imagined, designed, formed and filled. How did God think of making snow falling from the clouds? That didn’t just happen because of an accidental atmospheric condition – no, that happened because God designed it. How did he think of lightening flashing from the sky? What made him create the colors of the Northern Lights or leaves on trees that turn to brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow before letting go? He thought of it all and spoke it into existence. Details – God is not only in them all, he is all up in them. He’s not only over all the details, he’s all over them. Nothing just happens because of coincidence. God knew how brilliant the skies would be. He knew how a stunning sunset would make his creation pause. Someone sent me a video of a sunset savoring dog. This golden retriever would go outside every evening at just the right time, then sit and watch the sunset with intention. This dog’s eyes were fixated on the setting sun as he sat in apparent awe and contentment. Then, after the setting of the sun, the dog would go back inside. And he did it every evening. My sisters – why aren’t we doing that? Why aren’t we enamored by the display of God’s power? My friend Kimberly gets completely giddy when she sees a fall leaving floating through the air. She breaks out in full song and dance, watching that single leave float it’s way down to the ground. She receives that little detail as if it were a special display of God’s love just for her. Now, why don’t we do that? Pick a detail of nature that could be God’s signature sign of love for you. For me, it’s a hot pink sunrise or sunset. I know God is thinking of me with that, because I’m thinking of him. My friend Nicole finds rocks in the shape of hearts, that’s God’s signature for her. I’m pretty convinced that God created mangoes just for me because he knew how much I would love them. What’s your thing? A little detail of creation that will be your and God’s special thing? And when you witness that special thing, will you give God praise for it? One time, as Jesus was riding through a crowd on a donkey, his followers began shouting praises. They declared his glory with their voices, giving him honor. When the Pharisees in the crowd heard the people, they said to Jesus, “Rebuke your followers.” Essentially, tell them to be quiet. Jesus replied in Luke 19:40, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” Someone or something is going to praise God for the details of his work. Will it be you, or will you let the rocks cry out in your place? God is putting his marvelous works on powerful display all around you, but you’ve been so busy that you’ve failed to even notice. One of my favorite songs right now is called “This Won’t Take My Praise” by Blanca and Taylor Hill. It talks about being down, being attacked, being surrounded as the weapons of Hell form against you, but declaring: This won’t take my praise I won’t let a rock cry out for me And this won’t take my joy Jesus, I’ll lift your name up louder than the noise This won’t take my praise What hardship or struggle has been taking your praise? Instead of joy, you have worry. God wants his praise back. Sometimes it’s not the hardships of life that take our praise, it’s simply the noise of life. We rush right past the details God designed to wow us, and we miss it. And when we miss those details in creation, then it’s easy to miss those details in the unfolding. Our lives are all unfolding one day at a time. Nothing is happening by chance. God is in the details of the unfolding. But when we’ve conditioned ourselves to pass by the details of God’s creation with glazed over eyes and distracted minds, we naturally miss the details of God’s divine workings in the details of the daily unfolding of our lives. We fail to give him praise and we let the rocks take our place. Is there a rock crying out to God because you’ve failed to do so? Is there a rock praising God because you’ve been to busy for that? Something unspeakable happens within us when we start intentionally noticing the details of God’s creation – we start recognizing the details of his work in our families, in our homes, in our lives. When you learn what God’s fingerprints look like on the details of the universe, then you are able to see those same fingerprints on the unfolding of your life. And when you know he is working, then you can surrender your details to him. That’s the whole point. When we read Genesis 1 and we see God created the heavens and the earth by his spoken word and he made all of this where there was once nothing but void and deep darkness – then we can believe God can create absolutely anything needed in our lives today with only a word. It doesn’t matter if for 3 generations it’s always been a problem in your family, one word from God now can change that for you and every future generation after you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve tried to overcome the same struggle for 30 years, one word from God now can give you a total breakthrough. Today could be the last day of that struggle ever again for you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been stuck in a dark funk for 3 solid years and you have no energy left to even hope for something different. one word from God now can bring light and healing to that darkness and you can find your way out and never go back to that darkness again. We know this because of Genesis 1. We see the power of God’s word to create anything and everything. The problem is, we are only allowing the lesson to impact us on the surface. We’re not getting the lesson into our spirits to change how we respond to real life. That’s what happened to the disciples. They had just worked with Jesus to miraculously feed a crowd of thousands with 5 small fish and 2 pieces of bread. We’re not even talking about a basket full of food to begin with, we’re actually talking about the lunch of a boy who was in the crowd. These were more like 5 little sardines and 2 pita breads. That’s what Jesus had to work with. Essentially a fish sandwich. As Jesus prayed over what little there was, he broke it and gave it to his disciples to feed to the crowd. They kept coming back to Jesus for more food, and from so little, there was so much. In the end, the entire hungry crowd of thousands had eaten until they were all full, and afterwards the disciples gathered 12 baskets full of leftovers. Miraculous. Jesus worked in the details and they saw it. Every detail was taken care of. There was a problem, and Jesus miraculously worked in the problem. But do you know what happened next? Next, Jesus told the disciples to get in a boat and go across the lake. Late that night, in the middle of the lake, they encounter serious trouble. A storm is threatening to sink their boat with wild winds and waves. Then, they see Jesus out walking on the water and they are terrified. But Jesus climbs in their boat and brings calm to the storm. Every detail was once again taken care of in the presence of Jesus. There was never any reason to worry. Jesus miraculously works in the problems. And here’s the point for us today – After Jesus gets in the boat and calms the storm, Luke 6:52 says, “They still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.” Jesus had just shown them his miraculous power in the details of a problem. They had literally just came from feeding the crowd of thousands of people with a boy’s lunch. After seeing Jesus working in those details, they should have known he would work in the details of the next problem too. The lesson of the loaves was sitting in their boat in the form of 12 baskets full of leftovers. But when the next problem hit, they forgot. The lesson hadn’t gotten into their heart. God is showing us, his girls, his power in the details all around us. May our hearts be soft and receptive. May we see his power in creation, and therefore trust his power in the unfolding of what is now and what is to come. The lessons are all around us. Let’s see them, receive them, trust them, and move forward in faith with them today. May your eyes be wide open today, may you SEE God working in the details. May your heart fully receive the lesson God is showing you so nothing takes your praise. If God can do that, then he can do this. If he has the power to make that happen, then he can make this happen. Open your eyes and see 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…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1995 Light of the Son 20:35

לפני 14 ימים20:35

20:35

If God says it, it happens. If he speaks it, it’s done. No further preparation is required. Impossible becomes possible. What has never been before will JUST BE. The creation of the entire universe is revealed in 6 days. Genesis chapter 1 says on day 1, there was light. Day 2, space. Day 3, land with trees and plants. Day 4, sun, moon and stars. Day 5, fish and birds. Day 6, animals and human beings. Now my friends, THAT is a work week! You think you get a lot done in a week, you’ve got nothing on God. How did he do it? He spoke it into existence. Every single thing was spoken into existence by the word of God. Some think these are 6 literal days – Some say each day represents an entire age of time – but what does it matter? God did it and you now see the proof of it today. We can be divided over the details of it, or we can stand in awe of the wonder of it. Science says the earth is billions of years old. Some Christians say you must ignore all science and follow the timeline of genealogy back to Adam and Eve, which is about 6,000 years. That’s a box, my friend. God doesn’t fit in our boxes. Don’t get hung up on details of division, instead, get swept away in the wonder of his creation. The creation of the world declares the glory of God. His mighty power is on display in creation. His glory is being declared all around you. Open your eyes and see it. His mighty power is on display in the sun that is shining, the snow that is falling, the trees, the waves, the mountains, your dog and cat, YOU! How absolutely marvelous. Look at what God did with what was formerly empty, deep darkness. As the Spirit of God was hovering over the deep dark waters, he speaks words of tremendous power. Genesis 1:3, Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The original Hebrew writing of this is even more powerful. It says “Light be: light was.” No further explanation. No delay. No struggle. Just BE, and it BECAME. What was this light? We quickly assume it’s the sun, but we would be wrong. The sun, moon and stars were not formed until day 4. This is day 1 and there is light that separates the day from the night. The former darkness was now lit up. This is the first thing God did in creation, and it’s the first thing he does when working in our lives. He brings light. The light is the presence of God. He’s there. God is the light. Revelation 22:5 tells of the future time when there will be no more sun and the light will go back to it’s original source. It says, “There will be no night there – no need for lamps or sun – for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.” The Spirit of God is hovering over the darkness and he brings the light of himself. Before anything else, he brings light to the situation. Where is there darkness of confusion, chaos, anxiety, depression or dysfunction in your life? Our impulse is to hide it. But my sister, hiding the darkness only perpetuates the problem. The light of God must shine on that. Bring that into the presence of God. Lord, bring your light to this dark situation. Your light is the beginning of change. Your light is the beginning of something new. Your light is where it all starts. What have you been trying to hide? What has created guilt and shame in you and caused you to pull away and self-isolate. Let me tell you what self-isolation really is – it’s self-sabotage. It’s you sitting in dark corners where more of the same darkness festers. Bring it to the light. I remember when one of my children was a young teen and they went through a really hard time. What they went through was unfair. What they went through turned their whole world upside down. And what they went through made them want to hide in shame. So they did. And we as parents, were completely clueless. The smile was still bright and beautiful, but we had no idea what was happening in the dark hidden spaces, until one day that darkness consumed them and made life feel like their life wasn’t worth living anymore. That’s what darkness eventually does. It consumes us. It traps us. It casts a dark shadow on everything and everyone and makes you feel so alone. The answer is the LIGHT. Let there be light, and there was light. Light be: Light was. So, we set out to create a safe space where everything could come out of the shadows and into the light. There would be no judgment or punishment. No questions. Just empty it out. If it stayed hidden in them, it would continue to eat at them like a flesh eating disease. But if it was brought to the light and no longer hidden, it would all lose its power and healing would begin. Looking back, we realize the things that were still never talked about and remained hidden in darkness were the very things that continued to cause harm. Whew, let me tell you something, I could be such a better Mom now! But, that’s the value of getting to be a Grandma, ya’ll. We get a second chance to get it right! This is the power of confession. Confession is shining light on what is hidden in darkness. James 5:16, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Who knows what you struggle with? Who really knows how to pray for you? Who helps bring the light of God into that situation? Whatever you keep hidden and secret will continue to hurt you. Whatever is brought to the light loses it’s power over you. It’s really why the enemy of your soul works so hard on keeping you hidden in guilt and shame. He knows if you crack that door open and let light shine on that darkness, then he has no where to hide. Light banishes the darkness. Darkness cripples you. Light heals you. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The light of day 1 is JESUS. It’s not the S-U-N that provides the ultimate light, it’s the S-O-N, our Jesus! He banishes darkness. He brings truth, hope and life overflowing. He is the answer to every threat of darkness. What happens when you bring a secret struggle or sin to the S-O-N, the light of Jesus? God speaks! And when God speaks, something happens! It happens immediately. It happens without explanation or understanding. This is how prison doors are flung wide open. This is how chains are broken. This is how you are set free. What once bound you is robbed of it’s power when in the light of Jesus. I get to mentor a beautiful young soul who has an unimaginable story. She wasn’t loved well as a girl. She was vulnerable and someone took advantage of her vulnerability for many years throughout her high school and college years. Hiding this secret shame became her number 1 mission in life, so she became the funny girl everyone loved. She was the life of the party. But within, she struggled with a darkness no one knew about. Until one day, she came to a retreat and she sat in a room of about 10 complete strangers, and for the first time, that darkness was revealed. She told her story. And God said, “Light be: Light was!” The light of Jesus started a healing work on her in that moment. Over the past 2 years, I’ve seen her grow and heal in unimaginable ways. Her life looks radically different today. She’s no longer the hurt girl hiding in the darkness behind her jokes. While she’s still one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, she’s also one of the most healed people I’ve ever met. She’s doing the hard stuff and she’s living in the light of Jesus. The day she was baptized at a later retreat, you could feel chains fall off of her. She left all that in the water of that hot tub and she is free now. LIGHT. It was God’s answer to darkness on day 1, and it’s still his answer to darkness today. His light is the S-O-N, Jesus. God’s word is powerful, he wants to speak his light over you today. Won’t you let him? Won’t you let him bring light to your darkness? Won’t you let him bring healing here? It can happen in an instant and you will never ever be the same. Your answer is the light of the S-O-N. And you know what God says about it next? He says, “It is good!” God knows good, and he knows light for your darkness is so good! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1994 Can You Believe It? 18:45

לפני 15 ימים18:45

18:45

Genesis means origin. It’s the source, the beginning, where every single thing got its start. I’ve always loved the book of Genesis, for one simple reason … it was the book of the Bible I was able to flip right too. I always felt so proud of myself when a preacher would say, “Turn to the book of Genesis”, and boom, I would be the first one there. Genesis is not only the beginning of our Bible, it’s the beginning of everything. It is our origin. And really, it’s pretty wild that we get to read about God’s amazing and miraculous acts to create everything we see today. No human was alive to see these acts. We only have this account today because God revealed it later to the author to record for us. Moses wrote the book of Genesis, but he likely used much earlier writings to gather his information. Perhaps writings from the first human, Adam. And perhaps Adam received directly from God the account of creation there in the Garden of Eden. The words of God were written so that we could read them today. To understand the Bible, you must first understand one thing – You won’t understand everything. There are some things that won’t make sense. Some things that we have absolutely no proof of. Some things that seem totally impossible. Faith will be required on your journey through the Bible. I’ve found one thing that has greatly helped me in my studies – I believe 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.” As you commit to either begin studying your Bible, or continue your studies, remember ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD. Every word of our Bible is inspired by God and it’s useful to us. Lean into it with faith instead of pulling away in doubt. There will be things you don’t understand, don’t get hung up on them. There will be things you don’t agree with, but keep reading. There will be things that even seem contradictory to science or common sense – In those cases you must make a choice. Either believe that God is beyond our understanding, or struggle to make an infinite God fit in our limited little box. There’s a whole lot of the Bible I don’t understand – heck, there’s a whole lot of the very first chapter of Genesis I don’t understand, and I simply don’t have to. But there’s so much that can help me see the truth and help me realize what may be wrong in my life. Together, we’re going to dive all-in on the book of Genesis. Today is day 1. I’m sure God will take us on several detours along the way and we’ll be all over scripture, so it will never be boring or dull. Remember, it’s me – I don’t do boring! This isn’t your typical devotional. In every day of our study, let’s keep coming back to ask 2 things: 1. What truth am I learning? 2. How does this show me what may be wrong in my life? Now, let’s get started. Genesis 1:1-2 (go ahead and dare to flip there now in your Bible with confidence – you can find it!), “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” God’s holy word literally begins with an opening sentence that challenges our human minds. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We will never understand a power that could do that. We will never know precisely when or how. It’s beyond our human capacity to even assign that thought a proper place in our inventory of historical events. Do you know how big the heavens and the earth are? This means EVERYTHING. Every distant galaxy, every unknown planet, every black hole beyond exploration or explanation. God created ALL of that in the beginning. When was the beginning and how did God get there in the beginning? I have absolutely no idea – and neither does anyone else. But does it even matter? Now, here’s the question – Can you BELIEVE Genesis 1:1? Can you believe, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Because if you can believe the opening scripture of the Bible, then you can believe every other verse in the Bible. Every other impossible thing, every other miraculous story, every other huge promise, every other thing beyond our human capacity – it’s all within reason if you can believe verse 1. So decide now – do you believe it? Did God create all that is? Is there a divine Creator behind all of this, or did it all just happen by chance? The God big enough for Genesis 1:1 is also big enough for every other verse and chapter of the Bible. He’s big enough to create you, know you, save you, redeem you, and offer you a place in eternity simply because you choose to believe his Word. Now, imagine verse 2 for a moment. Imagine there’s nothing but deep waters covered in darkness. Everything is empty and formless. And the Spirit of God is hovering over those deep, dark waters. Do you know what God is doing? He’s getting ready to unleash his power. He’s getting ready to design and create the entire universe. But he’s not creating it out of nothing – he’s creating it out of himself. All of this didn’t come from nothing – all of this came from God. God is EVERYTHING. He us unlimited. The sun and the moon are part of God. The mountains are part of God. The oceans are part of God. You and I are part of God. We’re not from nothing – we’re from God himself! Some scientist believe all of this came from dust molecules that evolved for eons, getting better and better until here we are with our upright walking and super advanced human brains. And honestly, I find it much easier to believe there’s God, there’s always been God, and he created all of this through himself and from himself. Nothing comes from NOTHING. And nothing creates more of nothing. You are not “nothing”, so you didn’t come from nothing. You came from God. This is your origin. The beginning of everything you know and every thing you don’t know. And here’s the Spirit of God hovering over the deep waters of darkness. And that Spirit is about to do impossible things that forever changed everything. The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Just hovering. Moving. Looking. Searching. Preparing. Something big was about to happen! And that same Spirit is still moving today. The Spirit that holds the power to create, change and move. The Spirit that is absolutely unmatched and unstoppable. Can you believe that Spirit is hovering over your life right now? He’s moving. He’s looking. He’s searching. He’s preparing. And something BIG can happen in your life! A few years ago at a New Year Retreat, I sat chairs in circle on the beach in Pensacola. As the sun came up, we each sat in that circle and worshiped. I had created a playlist of about 100 worship songs and I would just hit shuffle play, and see what song God played for us. Each time, the same song would play. Over and over again, sitting on the shores of the ocean, “Rest On Us” by Maverick City would play. What are the repeated words of this song? As the Spirit was moving over the water Spirit, come move over us Come rest on us Come rest on us God did something within each of us. The Spirit of God was moving over us, hovering, and he moved, he filled us, we were forever changed. The Spirit of God was hovering over the surfaces of the water when there were only deep waters covered in darkness – then EVERYTHING CHANGED. Your life may feel like deep waters of darkness right now, but I’m telling you my sister, the Spirit of God can come and change that! He’s hovering over you right now. What would God require to create something beautiful in your life? What would be needed to begin a work in you? Well, God doesn’t start with nothing, he starts with himself. He creates from himself. He forms from himself. God is here, so God has everything he needs. Invite him to hover over you and do his work! Spirit, come move over us. Come rest on us. The same powerful Spirit that created us and everything around us is not only here with us right now, but when you are a follower of Jesus, that Spirit lives IN you! Within you is the Spirit that can do impossible things. It’s not only all around you, not only hovering over you, but dwelling IN YOU! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1993 Will You Trust? 18:13

לפני 18 ימים18:13

18:13

Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” God is the source of our hope. Hope means you have something to look forward to, something to […]…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1992 Nailed Desires 19:54

לפני 19 ימים19:54

19:54

Do you ever feel like you get a spiritual spanking? Well, God’s word does say, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” God doesn’t want his girls to be self-indulged, spoiled brats. So he uses his rod to protect and discipline us. A shepherd carried 2 tools, a rod and a staff. The rod was a […]

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1991 The Key To Freedom 20:31

לפני 20 ימים20:31

20:31

Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” The Greek word translated into persecute was dioko which actually means to aggressively chase. Is anyone after you right now? They’re chasing after you for your money, for your position, for your reputation. Heck, maybe you don’t even know […]…

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1990 No Minions 24:38

לפני 21 ימים24:38

24:38

Following God is not a list of laws and rules that must be obeyed in order to be deemed worthy of salvation. We would never be worthy if that were the case. God knew that. Jesus came to fulfill all those laws and rules for us. He met the requirements on our behalf. His blood […]

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

1
1989 Love and Hate 20:31

לפני 22 ימים20:31

20:31

God demands that we both love and hate. We’re actually not supposed to be all love all the time. There are things to love and things to hate. The problem becomes when we confuse the two. And honestly, it’s really easy to get them confused. It’s easy to start hating what we’re supposed to love […]

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