Believing Like Jesus

This devotion is dedicated to Burris.

Thank you for remembering who you are.

Everything lovely that has risen in me, is because you chose to rise ﬁrst.

I love you forever. Table of Contents

Introduction

DAY ONE Great Things Start With Great Thoughts DAY TWO: Every Step You Take DAY THREE Bring Your Empty DAY FOUR: Their Cross, Not Yours DAY FIVE: His Methods Are Effective DAY SIX: Believing like Jesus DAY SEVEN: You Can Afford To Be Bold DAY EIGHT: Belief Increases With Tracking DAY NINE: You Are NOT Your Temptation DAY TEN: Praise On Credit DAY ELEVEN: A Time For Adventure DAY TWELVE: He Celebrates The Steps DAY THIRTEEN: Are You “Shoulding” All Over Yourself? DAY FOURTEEN: Biblical Optimism > Positive Thinking DAY FIFTEEN: You Are A Walking Miracle DAY SIXTEEN: A Stepping Stone, Not a Monument DAY SEVENTEEN: Your Plane is NOT Going Down DAY EIGHTEEN: 500 Ways To Get There. DAY NINETEEN: Honor In The Tent DAY TWENTY: Skillful Sailors (Are Not Developed in Calm Seas) DAY TWENTY ONE: Decide In Advance DAY TWENTY TWO: Don’t Let Anyone Try To Curse You DAY TWENTY THREE: When Exaltation Comes (Because It Does) DAY TWENTY FOUR: The Art of Micro-Practices DAY TWENTY FIVE: One Small Seed DAY TWENTY SIX: Quiet Road Trips DAY TWENTY SEVEN : You Are Clean DAY TWENTY EIGHT : It’s Proof DAY TWENTY NINE : Called Before We Are DAY THIRTY : Transformation Abounds

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the author. Introduction

He is genuinely interested in your personal growth. Do you know that?

Two years ago I found myself frustrated with traditional personal development tools that didn’t include hearing from the Lord. I wanted His input on my family, friends, my business and more, but I didn’t know what that looked like.

This personal transformation devotional is everything I learned and applied in those two years, but in one simple 30 day format. It’s for those of you who want to move into a space where Jesus is not your habit, but He is your friend who shows up daily. My goal is to ask questions that will make room for Him to change you from the inside and affect everything on the outside.

After completing this devotional, you will walk away with an ability to see clearly how He is moving in your life and the lives of those around you. You will experience a shift in your friendship with God, hear Him more intimately, and have a boost in conﬁdence in His commitment to your growth.

Would it be ok if I made a suggestion?

To get the most out of this book, I suggest you get a notebook or your journal that can be dedicated solely to this devotion. Each day, write the date and the catchy #HESGOTYOU slogan of the day at the top of your page. Consider what it says and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the area of your life where it applies and write down your bold beautiful heart. The Lord is going to start a conversation with you that you will want to document and reﬂect on for years to come.

For some of you, this 30 day period is going to set in motion many breakthroughs in areas you’ve been frustrated with. Spending time with the Lord was never meant to be confusing, boring, or lifeless. Being a friend of God has perks and one of them is transforming your life on the daily. This will have a profound effect on your family, friendships, career, and all the things you care about. The most transformative times in my life have come through writing down my vulnerable heart and watching God move through my raw curiosity. “Come as you are and leave changed”, is one of His many banners over His children. He doesn’t expect you to have it all together. He does expect you to remember #HESGOTYOU in every moment.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, make He make His face shine upon you and may you see His goodness in the land with which you are living. Let’s do this thing!

XO,

LB Great Things Start With Great Thoughts

A great day? Starts with a great thought. A great marriage? Starts with a great thought. Great inﬂuence to those around you today? Starts with a great thought.

I would like to suggest that the areas of life you desire to be great, are tied to what you think about them.

Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. THEN the God of peace will be with you.”

What ARE you thinking about right now?

More importantly, how are you thinking about it? Often times we meditate on things that are NOT true, NOT honorable, NOT lovely, NOT admirable. And the fruit? Heaping amounts of anxiety.

HOW TO TURN YOUR NOT-SO-GREAT THOUGHTS INTO GREAT THOUGHTS:

1. Write down your thoughts. Whatever they are. Don’t shy away, He can handle it. 2. Write down the opposite of the negative thought. (Google “the antonym of” the negative word you wrote down) 3. Use your imagination to picture what your life would look like if that were true. 4. Ask Him to strengthen you and bless your good thoughts.

That not-so-great thing you wish were great? This is the small act of faith of where that new reality begins. Gaze on what is possible in the Lord, especially if you’re angry that they aren’t your current reality. Ask Him to heal you while you open your heart again.

What in your life would turn great, if the Kingdom of Heaven touched it? Think on that. Every Step You Take

Before Jesus went to heaven to take His rightful place on the throne, He left us with ﬁve glorious words,“I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). In order for these words to have meaning, He sent us the Holy Spirit to fulﬁll this promise. He is with you always, because He lives inside of you. Right here, right now, God lives inside you. You are His “mobile home”. Ha!

In order to fully enjoy your relationship with the Lord and be personally transformed, you must have this truth in front of your face as much as possible: Everywhere you need to go today and everything you need to get done, He is with you. ALWAYS.

He is unlike any relationship in your life. Your parents aren’t there with you always, nor your spouse, or your kids, or your BFF. But He is. He is with you always. #NeverAlone

What’s really cool? You’re not required to feel it in order for this to be true. It’s like gravity. It just is.

Where are you going today? What are you up to?

Write out your to-do list here, and at the end of each thing you need to do, write “He is with me”.

At my job today - He is with me. While I do dishes - He is with me. As I change a diaper - He is with me. While I’m at a coffee date - He is with me.

Be speciﬁc and posture yourself to marvel at the fact that you get to have Jesus with you today and everyday. What a thought! You’re never alone. You have access to His input, His wisdom and insight at all times. In order to take full advantage of His presence in your life, add this simple practice. We often won’t call on someone we don’t know is there to help. WARNING: Pondering this idea today and each day will get you talking to Him more and experiencing profound relationship goals. Don’t be shocked to hear His whisper more often because you chose to recognize His presence in all you do! It’s the BEST! Bring Your Empty, He Will Fill It

He is able to take all your nothing, and turn it into something. That is God’s specialty and totally His jam. I mean, He made this entire world out of nothing. (Genesis 1)

Something is going to shift in you this season because you see your void as a set up for a ﬁll up.

Today, let’s begin by writing down all the things you need. Any gaps you need Him to ﬁll.

“The same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches” (Philippians 4:19).

Is it not a great thought that He is poised to supply all your needs? Not just for things and provisions, but relationships, restoration, and reconciliation!

There was a time I was desperate for a gap to be ﬁlled in my marriage. I longed for my husband to step up and chase after God and lead our family into a life full of Him. There was literally nothing I could do, but it was my NOTHING that acted as a key ingredient to the miracle He performed. Because. There was nothing I could do to change my husband’s heart. Only Jesus could do that.

In light of the gap I just mentioned, maybe now you are considering what your real gaps are. The gaps I am talking about are things you can do nothing apart from a miraculous touch from heaven.

Oh. Wait. You’re pausing? Is there a hesitation here, because the last time you had a gap to be ﬁlled, it didn’t turn out the way you hoped?

This. This is the tender moment He is after. It is a pivotal piece in your personal transformation. Recognizing your need, admitting your longing, asking Him for it, and then in faith choosing to trust Him because He is able. Lean in sweet friend. That is where He wants to go with you today.

Bring your empty hope, your barrenness, and your once dead-end ideas, because He wants to overﬂow you with hope as you trust in Him (Romans 15:13). He is not only able to ﬁll that gap, but He is willing. It’s Their Cross, Not Yours

Last year, I endured the loss of a child. Along with my own grief, I had a front row seat to watching those around me I love, walk through theirs. It. Was. Painful.

O how I wanted to spare them! I wanted so badly to keep them from feeling pain, shedding tears, and experiencing the loss. In every possible way I tried to take it for myself in addition to my own.

One morning I was stood over the stove preparing breakfast when I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, and one tear after another fell into the oatmeal upon His request; “Do not pick up their cross.”

It’s a temptation we have as humans, you know? Spare people from pain.

But we can’t do that. Our own cross is enough to carry.

“Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Make a list of all the people you are concerned about today.

Ask the Holy Spirit, “Who’s cross am I trying to carry? Who do I need to give back to you?”

Your love for others is not proven by how much of their pain you can carry. It’s proven by how much you can trust Him for their needs of healing to be met. Yes, we are to weep with those who weep. Compassion is an extraordinary gift. Personal transformation comes for everyone while we are carrying our own cross.

You are much more helpful when you hand back over the things you were never meant to carry. And that looks different for each of us.

In addition to making a list of all the people you are concerned about, ask Him to show you two people He would like you to give back to Him and a verse that you can speak over their circumstances. Great things, start with great thoughts!

Not only does #HEGOTYOU, but #HESGOTTHEM. Personal transformation happens for us all when we walk through the valley along side one another. Not for one another. His Methods Are Effective

A fun part in personal transformation happens when we put a stake in the ground to remind ourselves; The Lord is REALLY resourceful and has a sense of humor.

The joke is that if you expect Him to come through the door, He will choose to come through the kitchen faucet. Oh wait. No one said faucet? Maybe it was the window. Whatever. He can totally come through the faucet, too.

“Your ways are not my ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9), and I am 100% certain that He wants to do some things in this season of your life that are unconventional!

Unconventional does NOT equal ineffective. That might be one of the reasons we are nervous to give it a go. He may ask you to step out in faith on some things, and you are wise to bring the idea back to Him to be sure He would like you to proceed, but don’t let yourself get caught up in skepticism and jump to the conclusion that what He is asking will be ineffective.

The Lord is effective, especially with His word. Check this out: “It is the same with my word, I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all that I want it to, and it will prosper wherever I send it” (Isaiah 55:11).

When He asks you to step out in something that makes no common sense, don’t blow it off by deducing it would be ineffective.

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to bring up which unconventional thing He is asking you to do.

If it ends up being something you know you needed to do long ago, but wrote it off because you didn’t think it would be effective, ask Him to forgive you and He immediately will. Go back to #HESGOTYOU Day One and consider thinking great thoughts about it, too!

P.S. Dying on a cross didn’t make common sense, yet here we stand in total freedom because of what was done effectively over 2000 years ago!

Believing Like Jesus

One of the most amazing things you ever did in life was to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But in this new season, let’s go ahead and move into believing like Jesus did.

He believed for miracles. He believed for healing. He believed for transformation in others. He believed for salvation. He believed the Father was only good. He believed in the word and grew to learn it. He believed who God says He was.

People can believe very good doctrine, but not believe like Jesus believed. I myself had to scrutinize my beliefs after the Lord provoked me. We cannot afford to believe anything that God never believes about us.

What are some beliefs you have about you that He doesn’t believe about you? What are some ideas about yourself is He provoking you to question?

Some of my examples:

“I’m not a good speaker.” “I’ve always been shy” “I’m kinda weird, and don’t ﬁt in.” “I came from a family who did nothing, therefore I’ll never do anything of importance.” “I’m too bossy, people won’t like it.”

What if just for today, you could lay down any beliefs you have about yourself that He never intended for you to have? You can have them back at the end of the day. (Maybe. That’s between you and Him). Spend some time considering all the people of the Bible who changed what they believed about themselves because God himself called them to do it. There is no better way to live, than by living as the person He says you are! You Can Afford To Be BOLD

I sat there smiling, scratching out my list with pride.

You see, the Lord nudged me one day to write out everything I would be doing if I were 10x more bold. I got excited! Because. I knew exactly what I would be doing.

The moment the list was complete, I waved it at the Lord with such pride that it caught me off guard when He responded, “If you have even one thing on that list, fear is ruling you!”

Fear, according to the Bible, is a spirit (2 Timothy 1:7).

This spirit will keep you held down and ensure that you don’t live free and be your best creative self. God says in Colossians 2 He disarmed the rulers and authorities here and you were transferred from the kingdom of darkness into His glorious kingdom, and that transfer is a powerful gift of boldness in your possession. Right here, right now.

Today, I will ask you the question that He asked me that fateful day; What would you be doing if you were 10x more bold?

Where has fear reduced you?

Ask the Holy Spirit what to do about your list. Notice He is bringing up nearly the same things as yesterday when we talked about believing like Jesus. Ask Him how you can be moving in the direction that includes walking in perfect love, which casts out fear.

Personal transformation will include an encounter with the love of God that changes the way you live more BOLD. He already paid for it, which means you can afford to! Belief Increases With Tracking

“Oh man. I’ll pray for sure.” I texted.

I’m sure you are much better at stopping and praying for people on the spot than I was, but something tells me I am not the only one who has given someone the “I’ll pray for you” and dash technique.

Condemnation would scream, “ARE YOU EVEN A CHRISTIAN? YOU COULDN’T EVEN STOP TO PRAY? See. You are not a good person. Told you.”

The Lord however, whispered in my ear one day, “Your belief would increase if you tracked what you prayed for.”

In the next 22 days, you are going to experience such growth in the Lord. He is going to ask you to step out in some things that will require more faith, and your belief will need an upgrade this season.

One of the ways we upgrade our faith is paying attention to the prayer needs of people and writing it down. Make one page in your journal devoted to listing people to pray for. This works best when you don’t make it long and drawn out. It’s as simple as writing down “Betty Sue - Healing for knee”.

When you have the person and their need, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to do something simple. “Holy Spirit, Im asking you to do what you do best, heal my friend’s knee. Allow it to have less swelling and more range of motion. Thanks for doing that! I love you.” Short, sweet, and full of belief that He is able, is the best. It’s your enemy who wants you to think this has be a two- hour long prayer session. #hesannoying

The next time you talk to Betty Sue, ask her, “Hey! How’s your knee doing? Swelling down? More movement?” One of two things are going to happen. You will either ﬁnd out that she needs more prayer (do it again) or that there has been increase of healing. Many times, people come back and say they noticed a big difference! This. Is. Where. The. Magic. Happens.

When you track a few things here and there, and see results, you get an increase of belief that when you talk to God, things move and change. The increases to your faith will bring so much impact that you want to do it more often and become more BOLD about it! Overlooked answered prayer are often the reason we don’t believe He is on the move.

But He is.

Those small prayers added up over time are proof, and when He asks you to do something out of your comfort zone, this list gives you collateral on why your prayer is effective.

Can I make a suggestion?

Keep this practice easy enough that a four year old could do it. The deepest personal transformations happen at an elementary level, and honestly, Jesus wasn’t impressed by long drawn out religious prayers (Matthew 6:5-15).

“The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer” (Psalm 6:9). Increased Opposition

“He will strike your head” (Genesis 3:15).

Have you noticed an uptick in opposition? Good. That is a sign that you’re making a splash in the spirit realm (Ephesians 6:12). What you’re doing obviously matters or you wouldn’t be getting hit so hard.

It is always best to keep our eyes on the Lord and what He is concerned over. Giving too much attention to the father of lies quickly drives us to despair, but we can’t not talk about it.

One the the most helpful things in my own walk with the Lord is knowing that He didn’t send the devil to torment me. He put you and I here on the same earth as Satan (he was cast down from heaven Revelation 12:9), so we could play a part in his eternal punishment.

You see, Satan wanted to be like God. He went from lead worshipper to lead adversary.

There once was a time when humans gave away their authority (Adam and Eve). However, when Jesus came and died on the cross, He took back what was His and now shares it with us. Shifting our minds from powerless to all authority in Jesus is a game changer in our walk with the Lord!

Today, spend some time thinking on how you are made in God’s image and your enemy is not. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the areas in your life where the enemy is tormenting you, and ask how you can better torment him. There is a reason the father of lies hates you; you look like God and God lives in you.

Jesus paid a high price for you to have dominion here on earth while we are here. All the enemy can do is strike our heel (which can sting and make us nervous), but we have what it takes to crush him. Consider increased opposition as a “Badge of Honor.” He leaves alone those who aren’t intentionally following Jesus.

GOING DEEPER: A helpful book on spiritual opposition is “Spirit Wars” by Kris Vallotton Praise On Credit

The ground work of our journey together has been laid and today the Lord is nudging you to go beyond the faith that you have been carrying up to this point. It’s a new season of growth, and He wants to overﬂow you with hope which comes through TRUSTING.

The very deﬁnition of hope is anxious expectation for good things coming your way.

Today, let’s thank Him on credit for all the good things He has coming your way.

John Piper once said, “The Lord is up to 1,000 things on your behalf even when you can only see 3.”

We often do a decent job on being grateful for things we have, but when was the last time we thanked Him for the good things we don’t yet hold in our hand?

I know. This one will require tenderness and vulnerability, especially living in culture that begs you not to get your hopes up.

There was a time we were told we couldn’t have children, and the Lord asked us to praise Him on credit for babies. It felt like He was scrubbing a weeping wound and I KNEW it would be painful. But the Bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12), not “your heart gets sick when the thing you’d hoped for doesn’t come.” Having hope is the remedy for a hurting heart.

Please oh please, lean in to this kind of transformation and do not fear the emotions that come by doing it. He is so unafraid of your anger, your tears, or bitterness. He is always in the mood to comfort and heal you where it hurts the most.

This day might feel sacriﬁcial and one that requires you to bring up some topics that you decided along the way He wasn’t going to do. And that’s good. A Time For Adventure

Nothing we do is ever wasted, but the things we don’t do are.

In our desire to create stability and routine, sometimes we end up in this bubble that leaves little to no room for adventure. Adventures in life are a secret sauce in personal transformation!

When I was 37 weeks pregnant with our fourth child, we packed ourselves up and drove three children under the age of ﬁve from Denver, Colorado to Traverse City, Michigan. Our plan was to live in an RV on my friends property for a few weeks as we waited for our new baby to be born.

You see, after going through a season of heartache in our marriage, we were delighted to ﬁnally have a season of love and restoration. I had given birth to our third child during the dark days with a midwife who didn’t deliver any of my other children.

I DESIRED A BIRTH WITH MY MIDWIFE BACK HOME.

I wanted to create a monument that represented healing in our marriage and since we loved our midwife back in Michigan, we thought…”Why not?”

Is there anything on your heart you’d like to do that is a bit daring, out of the box, and adventurous? Write some things down. Remember that list of things you said you would do if you were 10x more bold? Maybe start there!

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow” (Psalm 25:4).

Dont always assume that the right path to take requires you to forfeit adventure. If you are interested in diving deeper in becoming more adventurous, check out the book “Moment Maker” by Carlos Whittaker. Transformation includes stepping into adventure on purpose! He Celebrates The Steps

Have you ever been weary over your goals?

I have. And it seems like people only clap for you when you come to a high mark of success. A milestone they deem worthy of praise. The pattern of this world is that it will only clap when you get there.

I would like to suggest that the Lord is in a good mood today (like He is every day), and is clapping over every action you take toward your goals. Every drop you squeeze out toward this thing you’re up to, is an act of worship. He is proud when you put a drop in the bucket.

God is different from the world in that He celebrates every single step, every single day, all the way up until you ﬁnish it out. He sees you doing that task when no one else does. As long as you are doing something, He is clapping.

EXAMPLE: You want to make the switch to unprocessed foods, but because of funds or time, you are going to swap out a couple things here and there as you go. The Lord isn’t going to wait to clap until the whole house is rid, He is going to clap when you exchange just one item. One small step, on top of another small step repeated, turns into a gigantic set of steps over time.

The world will marvel over your staircase when it’s complete, but the Lord claps for every step built!

What actions are you planning to take toward your goal today? What actions have you already completed today? List out everything you have done and take a moment to imagine Him clapping for each accomplished thing!

Sound silly? It’s actually not. “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind“ (Romans 12:2). Make your mind new with this thought: God is not waiting until you crush that goal to clap for you. He’s clapping today!

Are You “Shoulding” All Over Yourself?

Psalm 37:5 says, “Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way, you’ll ﬁnd out that He pulled it off perfectly!”

Today lets lean in on a truth that will set you free: You’ve never done ______before. (ﬁll in the blank)

You’ve never been your age, or lived in this era, or experienced this kind of thing. Whatever that “thing” may be.

One day I found myself sitting at my desk “shoulding” all over myself.

“I should be better at this. I shouldn’t be so ______. I should be further along in my parenting.”

Then the Lord whispered so kindly into my heart; “Hey LB, just checking but, you’ve never done this before, right?”

His peace and release washed over me in an instant as the permission slip was granted.

What are you doing right now that is NEW? A permission slip is needed for new things as you walk out personal transformation.

Whatever new thing or new season you ﬁnd yourself in, there is no need to should all over yourself. You’ve never been here before! When the Bible says “be still” (Psalm 46:10), one of the connotations for being still is to “give slack”. You need a whole new grace for this new season and He is poised to bring it.

There are a couple things that you can do in the practical sense when you are going through something new and you need some grounding: 1. Get a few wins under your belt. Do some tasks that you know you are good at and and do them quickly. The purpose of doing something you’re good at is to give you conﬁdence and ﬁll your tank in preparation for the moments you feel vulnerable doing the new thing.

2. Commit to trusting the Lord. He offers a safe haven under His wings while you step out on to the waters for the things that are new right now in your life.

3. Just say NO to “shoulding”. I know you aren’t sure if you are going to sink or swim in this new endeavor, but I do know that you can make things a lot better by not “shoulding” all over yourself. Pay attention to what you’re saying to yourself. You can’t afford to have a thought toward yourself that He doesn’t hold in His word.

There is no need to be rude to yourself and devalue your current life stage. His desire for you is to humble yourself under His mighty hand, so that at the proper time He can exalt you. It’s a new season of growth. Like a child learning to walk, you’ve never done this before and the stumbling is part of His joy! Lighten up and be vigilant to cut down the voices that tell you where you “should” be. Biblical Optimism > Positive Thinking

Book shelves are loaded with ideas tied to positive thinking. Positive thinking without the Lord is the equivalent of blowing up a balloon that has a pinhole, it works for a moment, but by the end of however long it takes to deﬂate, it always does. You have to work REALLY REALLY hard to keep that think aﬂoat. #Exhausting

Biblical optimism, however, is mighty like a hot air balloon. It will take you higher, further, and as long as you have ﬁre, you won’t be coming down. With it, you will be able to devote more time to the things He has called you to do, rather than wasting time blowing up that dinky balloon called positive thinking.

Biblical optimism says that NO THING is impossible with God. You have permission to go full throttle in believing His ability. It looks foolish to the world, and that’s by His design (1 Corinthians 1:27).

What do you think all the experts would have said when Ezekiel was prophesying over dry bones (Ezekial 37)?

What do you think the Department of Natural Resources experts would say about when Peter ﬁshed all night long and Jesus just pulls out…“try the other side!”(John 21)?

GETTING OUT OF THE GRAVE? Positive thinking? Or? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

Jesus is all about you jumping in with both feet and believing for the Father’s ability in all things! If you’re feeling light headed from blowing up the positivity balloon, it’s time to exchange it for the hot air balloon that is available to you because of Jesus.

Today, consider who your influences are and ask the Holy Spirit if they are keeping you busy blowing up a balloon or if they stoke a fire that keeps you filled with biblical hope. He will lead you in the way you should go (Psalm 32:8)! You Are A Walking Miracle

A dog was pregnant when she endured the tragic loss of her two back legs to a lawn mower. The vet assured her owners that the puppies would be ﬁne if they decided to proceed with healing, and help her to learn to walk on her front two legs.

It wasn’t pretty, but the mama got around with what she had to work with. (Her back-end jumping up and down while she balanced on two front legs)! Just a few short weeks after the incident, her perfect litter of eight puppies came into the world. As soon as they could open their eyes, they gazed upon their mother and learned to walk.

The strangest thing happened. Even though the puppies had four legs, they all hobbled on two front legs just like she did! What a sight! Perfectly healthy dogs walking around in ways that were not necessary for them.

Today’s transformation includes taking a look at all the ways we might be unnecessarily hobbling in our own life. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you some habits you picked up along the way, that are great for someone else who needs them, but hinders you from walking in how He fully intended for you.

I grew up in a home watching my mother hobble around in life because her dad died when she was nine years old. There were some things that she needed to implement in her life to make it work, some good and some not-so-good. I, however, grew up with a father, so when I began mimicking her behavior, it obviously didn’t make sense. The things that worked for her wouldn’t work for me. She hobbled, I grew up hobbling but didn’t know.

Man oh MAN! The Lord is so not boring and He is committed to transforming you in this breakthrough moment. May you have revelation upon revelation today as you talk to Him about this.

Take a look at this verse today: “I am allowed to do everything. But not everything is beneﬁcial” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Dry Ingredients & Wet Ingredients

Before the cake boss movement ever came to be, I lived with one. My mother was a cake decorator at our local Meijer grocery store when I was a kid. If I close my eyes and think hard enough, I can remember the smell of sweets when she walked in the door and bright pink food dye forever staining her hands. She was the coolest and wanted to be like her.

I won’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of being a baker, but I do know this; in order to make a cake, you need both dry ingredients and wet ingredients.

In our time together today, whenever I say “dry ingredients” I am referring to “how-to” resources, and when I say “wet ingredients” I am referring to hope.

We are living in a day of age where dry ingredients abound. YouTube can teach you anything. We literally ﬁxed my car once because of it! There’s a podcast for every subject known to man. Kindle, webinars, Facebook Live and even Instagram is loaded with tutorials for just about anything. It’s a great day to be caught up in your niche and learning all the ways to put your content out there for the world to enjoy!

Looking to start a new business? Order the books, get the webinar, go to the class, do do do do. If I had to guess, you probably have pounds and pounds of dry ingredients in both your home and on your mobile device.

Dry ingredients alone are not enough to make a cake for the world to enjoy.

My fear is that in all our desire to become successful and grow the desire hidden in our heart, we focus so much effort collecting dry ingredients. We see other bakers, buy their ﬂour, and set out to bake a successful cake like they did. But at the end of the day when we think we tried to do it, what we really made is a big powdered mess.

Hope is crucial in whatever you are trying to do (Proverbs 13:12). Bakers who make people drool over their work, did not set out with the expectation for things to not turn out. They did not show up day in and day out convincing themselves that they don’t have what it takes. They showed up with both knowledge and hope that it would be wildly successful!

In order to make a moist masterpiece, equal amounts of dry and wet ingredients must be present. You cannot step into success with hopelessness on the scene.

Today, consider and count all the books, podcasts, how-to books, webinars, classes, videos that you have invested in. If you have many of these great tools, but are not yet looking at a beautiful cake, you might be missing hope. Your personal transformation cannot come from information alone. Without the presence of hope (anxious expectation that good things are coming your way), you’re not going to have the success you’re looking for.

The Lord sees your tenacity and eagerness to learn, and today He is poised to provide equal amounts of hope to mix for your masterpiece. All you are required in this day to have the revelation of how much hope you are working with, and how much more you need!

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will ﬁnd. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, ﬁnds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Your Plane Is NOT Going Down

Have you ever heard of spatial disorientation?

It’s most commonly known among pilots. It is when they FEEL like their aircraft is upside down, or aren’t sure of their altitude or distance or speed or trajectory. Spatial disorientation is responsible for 40% of the deadly small aircraft crashes, mainly for pilots who do not know how to read gauges.

The pilot will get so confused, that they end up flipping their right side up aircraft upside down because they felt like they were already upside down and needed to flip right side up. They need to rely on the gauges and trust that everything is fine and keep the course, even when things feel dangerously off during storms, horizon shifts, and all the things.

Ok look. I’m not here to explain to you about a profession I know nothing about, but there are times when I relate to spatial disorientation. I feel like my plane is upside down when it’s not.

I took off in 2018 with great intent, conﬁdence and speed. I wrote down and shared with everyone the things I was going to go after and participate with the writing of our story.

1. Have baby number ﬁve. 2. Crush a promotion in my career. 3. Settle in a couple more years and save for our dream home. 4. Bring my husband out of a job he hated. 5. Write and travel (whatever that might look like).

Losing my daughter was the start of my spatial disorientation in 2018, but I chose to trust the gauges. I leaned in and knew He was up to good on my behalf (aka HOPE). A few months later, we were given an opportunity to move to Texas and work on crushing the promotion.

I didn’t crush the promotion. And my husband left his job behind when we moved to Texas. As I sat there, tears pouring out in fear, He whispered to me,“You’ve been walking with Me for 10 years and know my instrument panel. What do your gauges say, sweet girl?”

Choking back more tears, I read back to Him all the gauges I could recall from my heart:

THE GAUGES “Children are a gift” Psalm 127:3 “He is with me” Hebrews 13:5 “I have the mind of Christ” 1 Corinthians 2:16 “He is my Healer” Exodus 15:26 “He knows what I need before I even ask” Matthew 6:8 “Rest (in spirit) is available all day long” Matthew 11:28 “Humans torment the enemy, not the other way around” Genesis 3:15 “There is no decision you could make that would deter His purpose for your life” Romans 8:28

“Who wants you to believe that this plane is going down?” He nudges.

“The father of lies wants me to believe this plane is going down, Lord, and I choose to believe Your gauges. Even while it’s scary. I choose to look to the future and LAUGH, because you said I could and you promised that nothing could separate me from Your love.” I replied.

Today you are going to spend some time recalling a time in your life where you felt like your life was upside down, or anything that is making you FEEL like it’s going down right now. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that is causing you panic and ask Him to remove it in Jesus’ name.

Look for at least three verses from God’s word for any disorienting season and write them down. Say them back to Him and do everything from His power to not flip your plane. You are flying right side up. Personal transformation includes flying steady when everything threatens to bring it down. It’s a feeling. Not reality. Trust the Gauges. #HESGOTYOU 500 Ways To Get There

Sometimes we get caught up in the false idea that if you make the wrong move, you’re going to blow your calling and/or purpose. It’s not true! Not even in the slightest.

God has a plan and purpose for your life (Jeremiah 29:11) and He knows exactly where to ﬁnd you (Psalm 139:2). Your ability to make choices is a gift and He loves when you take calculated risk! It doesn’t phase Him if and/or when you blow it. Everything about your life was paid in full AND paid for in advance.

We either succeed, or we learn. And with Him, nothing is ever wasted.

Today, check out Psalm 139:16.

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

If you have ever seen a movie with an alternate ending, I’m pretty sure if there were 100 alternate scenes in your life, He knows what they could and would be. He is so big, and to think He doesn’t know how your life will turn out, is to think of Him as small or out of control.

Where are you afraid to make a wrong move? What is something you’ve thought about doing, but you aren’t sure?

Here is where He wants to camp with you today. He wants to remind you that there is nothing that could ever separate you from His love or miss His purpose for your life. There are 500 ways to get there and He knows them all. You have the freedom to make the best decision based on the info you have and trust Him for the rest. He has seen you invest in enough worry over missing something that you couldn’t miss even if you tried! Advance in peace, knowing #HESGOTYOU. Honor In The Tent

We are all one decision away from making a regretful choice. When someone in your life does it, you get the honor of stepping in and creating for them a kind of covering that allows them to rise up with grace.

Let’s look at an unusual story in the Bible about Noah. Noah is known for his tenacious faith when for years he continued to labor over a boat that the Lord told him to build. In the desert! Even if we haven’t been a Christian long, most of us have heard the epic tale of how a man brought animals two by two and watched as the rain poured from the heavens, enough to ﬂood the entire earth.

But look what happened a few seasons after the ﬂood:

“After the ﬂood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham (Noah’s son), the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: ‘May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives’” (Genesis 9:18-24).

Noah saw everyone perish. All his friends, mockers, and extended family members who were not on the boat. Can you imagine the emotional trauma and pain that a memory of hearing people drown would bring?

There was a lot of life to be had after the ﬂood and he got to work planting a vineyard that would eventually produce fruit that would ferment. The Bible says that he became drunk and took his clothes off. You know. College day style (the Bible isn’t boring, y’all). Here’s where honor comes into play. The ﬁrst son to enter the scene saw Noah passed out naked in the tent and immediately went to tell his brothers. The other sons walked in BACKWARDS with a robe to cover him, without the desire to bring shame or condemnation. They cared about their father’s honor, despite the decision.

How do you honor those who make mistakes? When you see a family member or friend making a choice that is unwise, are you the one who runs to others in gossip, or do you back into the tent?

Right now a spirit of honor is rising in both your home and your heart. You know the difference between gossip and caring. One brings shame and one brings kindness that leads to people experiencing God’s love and change of heart (repentance). Your personal transformation comes when you back in and honorably cover those who have been deceived. Jesus himself said, “you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged” (Matthew 7:2).

Decide today who you are going to honor, even when they make regretful choices. Ask Him for help when the opportunity rises, and He will do it! Skillful Sailors (Are Not Developed in Calm Seas)

Picture with me for a moment, a sailboat smack dab in the middle of a calm lake. There’s no sign of wind, you’re with all your friends/family, eating delicious food, laughing and yakking it up. These are beautiful moments in life, when all is well.

We both know that all of life is not a calm lake, and the good news is we are wired for adventure!

Life is riddled with storms, and we know skillful sailors are not developed in calm seas. Some of the most impactful people in your life and in mine have experienced tremendous waves. They not only lived to tell of it, but they turn around and give us a leg up with the wisdom learned when we face our own.

If you don’t have storms in life, you don’t get better.

A skillful sailor determines how to maneuver the sails as the wind increases. They learn to adjust and take advantage of every moment, knowing that the wind and rough waters serve a purpose in getting them to their ﬁnal destination. With God, all storms can do is pose a threat. They will not take us out (Matthew 7:24-27).

Today, list out the storms you have endured and ask Him where He was in the midst of them. He wants to show you exactly where He was. Recall the things you learned in the storm and consider yourself how it made you a skillful sailor. How is the Lord allowing you to use your skills with others facing a similar storm?

Are you noticing a pattern in transformation here? It is happening all the time! Our part is to pay attention to all the ways we are growing and leverage it to love and serve our neighbor. Decide In Advance

A powerful truth stands before us today: God decided in advance.

He decided in advance that:

We would be his children (Ephesians 1:5). We would be royalty (1 Peter 2:9). He would forgive us (1 John 1:9). He would empower us with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:17-19). He would protect us (2 Thessalonians 3:3). He would guide us. (John 16:13) He would be with us (Matthew 1:23). He would comfort us (John 14:16). He would bless us (Genesis 12:3).

These are just a few examples of His on-purpose goodness toward us!

The Bible says that you are made in His likeness and image. That means, like God, you also get to decide things in advance.

What are you deciding today?

Jesus said, “you will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:17-20). Taking count of your fruit is one way to know what you have been deciding in advance up to this point. Is there anxiety, despair, hopelessness? Fruit like this can point to decisions you’ve made in advance that aren’t His heart for you. That is where He wants to go with you in this moment. Count your fruit.

In my walk with the Lord, I have noticed that abundant life includes being like Him and making some decisions in advance, so when trials come, I don’t get caught up in asking myself what I ought to do. I have decided:

I will forgive. I will walk with the Holy Spirit. I will protect others. I will guide others as I follow Him. I will comfort others, as I have been comforted. I will behave as the royalty that I am. I will empower others as I have been empowered. I will believe that there is room at the table for me, and that jealousy is not necessary. I will rejoice with those who rejoice. I will weep with those who weep.

If you ﬁnd yourself on the rollercoaster of reactions to the things that come at you in life, consider being like your Father and decide how you are going to react in advance. Don’t Let Anyone Try To Curse You

In 2018 I gave birth to my daughter Lulu Monroe at just 22 weeks pregnant. She passed away due to complications from Turner Syndrome.

Genetic doctors ran in and demanded that after her birth I do testing, claiming “Something is wrong with your reproduction.”

Did you catch that? That jarring sentence laced with discouragement? How did we go from a random unknown genetic disorientation to something being wrong with my reproduction? Do we not yet realize how powerful our words are? They bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21)!

Listen, faith does not require you to deny your problems. Have the testing. Pursue answers. But to jump to a conclusion and make the agreement that something is wrong in my reproduction? That is a fast track on the road of despair.

Faith requires you to view your circumstances through the lenses of God’s ability, remembering that hope is anxious expectation that He is up to GOOD on your behalf. No matter what your circumstance (Romans 8:28).

As soon as I hit those double doors of that hospital, holding the pieces of my broken heart in a keepsake box that was the memory of my daughter, I decided to consider what they said without attaching their curse that something was wrong with my body.

The Giver of LIFE says:

“I am a fruitful vine” Psalm 128:3. “I am a child of light” John 12:36. “Nothing is impossible with Him” Luke 1:37. “The Lord is with me, He will never leave me or forsake me” Hebrews 13:5. “I am free in Christ” Romans 8:1-3! “He is pleased with my faith” Hebrews 11:6! Today, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any thing threatening to curse you. Question it and hold it up against His ability. Ask Him to give you verses that speak life over your circumstance. Considering the things that were spoken over you, and asking Him to reveal the truth, is crucial in your personal transformation journey! When Exaltation Comes (Because It Will)

“Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in the right time he will exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6). This is a very common scripture among the community of believers, but one that seems to cause a lot of mischief and strife for those of us who are uncomfortable with exaltation.

We have a tendency to get nervous when exaltation from God comes, because we know the world is busy striving for the sole purpose of being exalted. But we must not ignore what the Scripture says here. People who think of themselves less will be exalted. Increase is one of the many demonstrations that the Kingdom of Heaven is at work.

Perhaps one of the reasons we are more comfortable with the “humble yourself” part than we are the “exaltation” part is because we know that when it happens, people will question our motive. The same way we have done to others in the past.

Yet we are called to a transformed life and that includes moving beyond being misunderstood, just like Jesus did while He walked the earth. He was HIGHLY misunderstood, highly humble and highly exalted. We are Christ-like, and this is an ingredient in your personal transformation regardless of what others believe about God’s decision to exalt us.

Today, make a list of all the people around you that the Lord has exalted. These could be people you know through social media, in real life, or acquaintances. How has it made you feel when they are exalted? Do you instantly go to despair? Are you rejoicing with those who rejoice and expect good things to come your way like they did for them? Talk to the Lord about this today.

What areas has God exalted you? Is He increasing your following? Your favor? Is He increasing any area of your life because you’ve submitted it under His mighty hand? How are other people around you handling it? You need to know that when He is exalting other people and you’re still in the place of humbling yourself under his mighty hand, #HESGOTYOU and if you’re in a place where your humility has led you to his exaltation and others are watching, #HESGOTYOU.

Grace and increase are from the Lord. If we aren’t prepared for the people we love to be exalted, I fear the enemy will side swipe us and tempt us to jealousy, envy, and strife. These are not from the Lord. We’re supposed to increase (Mathew 25:14-30)!

Think back on DAY TWENTY ONE. What will you decide in advance to do when it happens? Ask Him where your heart is on this today and write it out. He can handle the real talk. The Art Of Micro-Practices

I spent many years being up and down in my faith. One moment I would be riding high, lapping up the moments of mountain top experiences in the Lord. It was coming down from the mountain and getting back into the grind of real life I would begin to feel cold and distant with Him.

The Bible says to pray in the spirit at all times (Ephesians 6:18). Not just sometimes. I couldn’t seem to make the connection of doing that without it being highly religious, the opposite of what Jesus died for (Matthew 25:31-46). I found myself stuck in a cycle where I would pray at church, small group, or blocked times of devotion and that’s it. You know, macro-practices.

What was missing were micro-practices; small moments of pause to praise, connect and increase my awareness of Him being with me every moment, not just when I am in church, small group, or in times of purposeful devotion. #GETTINGSETFREERIGHTNOW

It’s the 30 seconds in the Starbucks drive-thru, where you say “hi” to Him and check in. It’s giving Him thanks in the three minute window where your children are being wonderful. It’s pausing as a friend sends you a text message asking for prayer, and asking the Holy Spirit how you can encourage. It’s talking to Him while you’re standing over the sink washing up a single dish. It’s a moment of transition when you ask for strength as you walk in the house after a long day.

These small but powerful actions are like a slow drip of hope throughout your day. They sustain you and build you up between the macro-practices. They keep you primed and aware of His presence

I ﬁnally understood what was missing and what I longed for in my walk with the Lord:

“Remain in me and I in you…so you may be fruitful” (John 15:4). Today, let’s set three alarms on our phones. When the alarm comes on, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, pause and talk to the Lord. Just say “hi”. Breathe in the moment and whisper, “I know you're here and I’m so glad you are. Is there anything you would like to say in this moment?”

Yes, I'm convinced that micro-practices are going to take you to the next level in transformation you’re looking for. Embrace them, make them your own, ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you throughout each day. Remember that many 15 second moments of worship, added up over time, will turn you into a true hope stirrer. One Small Seed

God loves to take seemingly insigniﬁcant things in your life and turn them into abundant provision for your future. It’s His jam. One of the biggest lies we believe is that we need to start with big ﬂashy resources in order to be successful. But God says, “if you had faith the size of a mustard seed you could move mountains. Nothing would be impossible” (Matthew 17:20).

He loves to hand you small things that hold large potential. It’s as if He gives you a pocket full of seed and says, “Here is something that could be awesome! It seems small and insigniﬁcant now, but if you planted it with Me in faith, prepared good soil and put it in proper conditions, I can turn that dead seed into large provision for you!”. Yes, He is The Holy Show-Off!

My career started with one seemingly insigniﬁcant box. A lot of people own the same box. Some of us sowed into its potential and now reap a generational blessing that will be abundant for years and years and years to come. Most do nothing with it. They either don’t see or know of what is possible or they do not have the desire to do anything with it.

The same small opportunity is in the hands of many, but it was faith that moved it from a seed of an idea into bountiful harvest.

What small opportunities do you hold in your hand? What seed have you been carrying in your pocket for years that He is asking you to plant? What are your “seemingly small” gifts? Ask Him what they are, write them down and seek direction for the next step.

He is the God who creates massive things out of a small seed. A part of your personal transformation is viewing a small seed as being tied to huge opportunity. Jesus himself was a seed buried in the ground, and His resurrection is responsible for the most massive harvest that most are enjoying the fruit of today!

Become convinced that God moves in small things and has designed it that way so you could move forward in faith with His ability to make it grow. Quiet Road Trips

“Stay in the right lane to take the exit. Turn left in 600 feet. Then turn right. In 200 feet, turn left.”

When you are driving in a busy town, the GPS has you on high alert. Radio turned down, squinting at signs, you’re paying full attention to every direction it has because you’re looking for a destination you’ve never been before.

Arrived. Whew.

On the other hand, some designations has your GPS very quiet. Long stretches of road give you an opportunity to put up your feet and enjoy the ride. It’s 10 miles until your next turn before it speaks again. If you have ever driven from Dallas to Atlanta before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s hundreds of miles of silence, with an occasional glance to make sure you’re still on the right path.

Sometimes the Lord speaks to us like this.

There will always be aspects of your life where He's talking frequently, giving direction and guidance just as if you were driving in a busy town that required you to make turns quickly. “Hey, go here. Go there. Try this.” He clearly makes known the path you are to take and it feels fast and exciting. Many of those fast paced decisions are clear calls from the Bible. It’s wonderful!

There are other areas in your life He has given you a long road to take. (Have you read the book of Job? Or considered the 400 years of silence between Malachi and Matthew?) In faith you began to travel, put your feet up and trust His goodness to make it come to pass. But now you’ve been on the road for so long without Him saying a word. Like. A really long time. You bring it up in prayer, maybe question if you should take a different route, or wonder how many more miles you have left on this thing. Maybe it’s for healing in your body, or a relationship you stepped out for, a wayward friend, business growth….

Today, write down something that you have been praying about for a long time.

Offer Him thanks for all the times He talks to you about the million other things going down in your life right now, and that you are trusting Him to guide you in the areas He has been quiet. Ask Him for strength as you continue to travel and to give you a verse that will speak directly to it as you carry on in faith.

Personal transformation has its perfect work, when we are committed to taking the avenue that is laid out for us even while He is being quiet. Spend time with Him often over this list. Read Psalm 37 and bathe in His comfort! You Are Completely Clean

It happened again. I was so frazzled in fear that I came unglued on my husband. Conviction washed over me for name calling, criticizing, and tearing down my very best friend. Oh the guilt. Yet, my inner hot head attorney was hard at it, giving me all the reasons why my outrage was warranted (Ephesians 6:12).

Sometimes fear, disappointment, or pain beg us to lay down our royal identity and we choose to act on it. We behave as a faithless saint. The good news is that even when this happens, it doesn’t mean we are sinners. It means we momentarily chose to go our own way and not be led by the Holy Spirit in that moment.

When you believed in Christ you were once a sinner who is now a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:7). You are no longer a person who is powerless.

In the prophetic scene where Jesus is preparing to wash the disciples feet, Peter speaks up and out of his unworthiness exclaims, “You will never wash my feet” (John 13:8)! The response from Jesus is a stunning truth for all of us believers; “The one who has bathed, does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean" John 13:10.

Because Jesus was obedient on our behalf, died and rose again to make us sons and daughters, we no longer stand in judgement. We are completely free from any punishment we deserved. Our whole body is clean because of what He did for us, and if we sin, we only need our feet washed. We are, in Jesus’s words, completely clean.

Check this out. “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (1 John 2:1).

“Sinner" is no longer our identity. Righteous is (Romans 5:17). We only need confess when we do it and He is faithful to forgive. When you are overcome by fear of lack or anxiety and fail to ask the Holy Spirit for help, you need only to ask Him to forgive you and receive it. When the accuser comes and attempts to convince you with, “thats what you always do, because it’s who you are”, remind him that you died and were made alive in Jesus as a new creation. Your momentary failure is just that. You need only your feet washed, and your position with God has not moved.

What are you riddled with guilt over? What have you done that you are not proud of and need to confess and make right? Start with Him, ask Him how to move forward, and know that His desire for you is always freedom. Even when you fail!

There is absolutely no way He will EVER stop loving you and there is nothing you could EVER do to change his mind about it. A crucial part of your transformation is linked to seeing yourself as one who is clean. Completely clean, because He made you to be. It’s Proof

Do you see others getting blessed with the very thing you’re praying for?

When you see Him doing great things among others, it’s to remind YOU that He is on the move in the land and up to great things (Psalm 27:13)! Whatever He is doing for others, He is most certainly able to do for you. Isn’t that the best news?!

He is provoking you to a level of faith that you’ve never tapped into before because of a distraction dressed as jealousy. But what if you could get to a place where someone else’s promotion built your faith rather than drive you to despair?

Oh friend, it’s possible!

Why would the Lord do something for others and not for you? Are you the one person He began a good work in but won’t bring it pass (Philippians 1:6)? Of course not. Silly talk.

That’s the enemy working to convince you that you are not a son, you are forgotten, and there’s no room for you at the table. He’s a liar. It’s proof that there is something of value here.

Today, the Holy Spirit wants to talk to us about all the ways we are feeling sorry for ourselves. Who have you recently witnessed receive something you desire to have for yourself? Make a list of all the people who have received something you desire and write next to it “if you do it for them, you can do it for me!”

Exchange the pity party for a celebration, the expectation of good things that are showing up! He is not going to prepare you and then fail to put you in the right place. GOING DEEPER: Sometimes we get into a cycle where we are so disappointed with ourselves for being jealous in the ﬁrst place (because the Bible warns us of the dangers of jealousy and your heart’s desire to please the Lord), that we miss out on the how it can be used to stir our heart for good. What if the enemy wants to distract you with condemnation (jealousy) as a tactic to keep you from praising God when promotion for others comes? What if we could begin to view His work in the lives of others as proof, that He is able to do it for us? Called Before We Are

Can I tell you something?

When I branded myself the “Hope Stirrer”, I was as hopeless as they come. We were on state assistance, making pennies and owing dollars, having baby after baby, and on top of it all, I almost filed for divorce. I was a mess and not anxiously expecting God to do good things on my behalf. If things improved even for five minutes, that five minutes was invested in waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was bad.

But one day I heard the Lord call me the way He did to Gideon, “Lovely stirrer of hope, arise! We have many great things to get excited over!” Then afﬁrmed what He said through Judges 6.

Wait. What? I heard what He said, plain as day, but why would He call me a hope stirrer while I was so….hopeless?

It was while I was drowning in hopelessness and despair that His word came with a force and moved me to rise up. In faith, I began to behave and move as the hope stirrer He said I was, leaning into anxious expectation for good things to come in my life. I chose to believe that He was at work in this moment and it was going to impact everyone around me. It made no sense to the natural eye, but that is where the magic happens.

The Lord delights in calling people into their destiny this way; He sees you as you are. Not as how you are currently behaving.

Today, it’s your turn to receive. Ask the Holy Spirit to impart to you a Gideon moment/ calling to rise. Go read that story and watch what happens in you. There is something He is going to bring up that will begin to transform an area of your life that will have you marveling in wonder! Oh hey…FYI.

When I moved into this arena with the Lord, I felt like a fraud. The accuser was right there screaming, “You’re a fake! You’re lying! That will never be you! ” Oh yes. It will get loud. Treat this as a banner of conﬁrmation for you to lean in and keep going with Him.

If you already know what He as called you and you have begun to walk it out in faith, reach out to Him in every moment you feel fraudulent for operating in who He calls you. He is present with you as you walk this thing out. Keep moving until your identity is fully enveloped in the freedom to which He is calling you.

“For He who has begun a good work, is faithful to bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Transformation Abounds

I tuned in to the Ransomed Heart Podcast a few years ago and listened to them share with one another the word theme of their year and the word they felt the Lord leading them to apply to the upcoming year. Maybe it’s just my predisposition, but if I see you holding something cool in your hand from the Lord, I immediately ask for it too!

After it was ﬁnished, I grabbed my journal and began to write, “Lord, what was my theme word for last year and what is the theme for this year?” I paused and waited. (Side note: if you don’t hear Him straight away, ask again. Trusting that the Lord is going to answer you is faith at work, and He is faithful. Keep pressing in (Matthew 7:7-12).

This is a practice I have done for three years and it has brought my relationship with the Lord to a whole new intimacy. I’m able to see Him at work both in hindsight and in anxious expectation for things to come. Without this intentional seeking, transformation is sneaky. Tragically, small transformation can be overlooked simply because we are not paying attention.

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal one single word that speaks life over your year. Don’t hesitate to ask Him for one for a past year, especially if that year needs healing. He is your Healer and He wants to do it. Also ask Him for a word in this coming year, then get your hopes up! He is going to blow your mind with all the ways He brings it to pass.

Pro TIP: At the end of 12 months with your word, go back and comb through your social media and those of your friends to see how that word touched you all through-out your time with Him. This will increase your gratitude and your faith. When that happens, you are taking a front row seat to the fabulous transformation taking place in your heart and in the heart of others. “They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty - and I will meditate on your wonderful works” (Psalm 145:5).

Everything you do to reinforce #HESGOTYOU, the more impact He will have in your heart and the more impact you will have in the world! About the Author

Leslie Burris was born and raised in the beautiful Traverse City, Michigan. She grew up as the daughter of a ﬁsherman on the local docks of East Bay, running around in dresses and holding up trophy salmon. She witnessed many hardships inside her family and those around her, without knowing the Lord. Church was something you needed to get cleaned up for and act your best.

In her early twenties, she followed in the footsteps of hardship and began an outward life of drinking and a secret life of drug abuse. One night in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere of Upper Peninsula Michigan, The Fisher Of Men revealed Himself. “Would you like a brand new life? Follow me and I will do unbelievable things! I have a plan and purpose for your life that will blow your mind. Come.”

Someone had given her a bible just four months before and she began to know The One who was speaking to her. One foot in front of the other, she exchanged circumstances that were bringing her bondage for the freedom that her Heavenly Father had in mind all along.

Today, her life is just that. Mind-blowing. For those who grew up knowing her, or have had a front row seat to the signs and wonders that mark her dependence on Him, many are stirred to follow Jesus in the same life-altering way! She has been married 10 years to a man after God’s heart, has six children (two in heaven), and is still on the hunt for a place to plant roots. Her on-the-ground relationship with Jesus is refreshing and stirs much hope in this present age.