BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

2120 Before the Sun Sets

16 min · 21 de may de 2026
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Portada del episodio 2120 Before the Sun Sets

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Just as God has a work he wants to do in your life, so does the enemy. The devil wants to do a work in your mind. He wants to do his nasty work in your heart. And he wants to bring absolute destruction to your relationships. And here’s the really dangerous thing … you may just be doing the devil’s work for him. That’s right – you might be causing the destruction yourself. Most of us have partnered with the enemy and without even knowing it, we’ve been doing his nasty work for him. We’ve made his job easy. Paul warns us of this in Ephesians 4: 26-27, “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Here’s what this DOES NOT MEAN – this does not mean you can never be angry. This doesn’t mean you have to smile and always be happy. There is righteous anger. There are times when it is right to be angry. Jesus flipped a few tables in his day. You don’t have to be a pushover. In fact, God’s word even warns us that it’s not good to just go along with the crowd. We are to stand up for what is right. We are to be the light in the darkness. We are to cast out demons and evict evil. But, here’s what we cannot do – we cannot let anger control us. You can have anger – but don’t let anger have you. There’s a difference. When anger has you, it takes control of your mind and your mouth. When anger has you, you lash out and you act in a way that is not honoring of God. When anger has you, you sin. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Where has anger taken control of you and left you thinking, saying and doing things you don’t even want to? Do you see this anywhere in your life? Do you know how that happened? Plain and simple, you didn’t put a time limit on that anger. You can feel what you need to feel, but you can’t allow yourself an open ended space to feel those negative feelings because then they take root and they begin growing in you. Whatever grows in you begins to take over you. This week I was sitting in a small village in southern Italy just looking at the old stone buildings and architecture. I noticed a grapevine that had grown up the side of the building. But then the grapevine had began to grow into the building. Attaching itself to the stone, wrapping itself around the railings, and literally growing to become part of the building. The grapevine was creating damage to the stone walls and taking over the walkway. This is the perfect picture of what happens within us with anything we allow to grow. We are taken over. Some of us have angry grapevines growing on every surface, creating damage and destruction. It didn’t happen instantly, it happened over time. Time. God works with time, but so does the enemy of your soul. If you give God time, he will radically change your life and set you free. If you give the devil time, he will wreck your heart, corrupt your mind, and destroy your life. And this is why Paul says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” This is about time. If you give the devil time with your anger, he will do his nasty work and eat you up on the inside. All anger, even justified anger, must be managed with a time limit. Anger absolutely cannot take up permanent residence in your heart and mind! How much time will you give anger? Something makes you mad – okay – so how long will you allow yourself to be mad over that? Paul says, NOT EVEN A FULL DAY. That’s what it means to not let the sun go down on your anger. Don’t let today’s anger flow into tomorrow. Don’t go to bed mad about this and wake up mad about it again. Set a time limit on that anger. Unlimited anger with the free rein of time gives the devil a foothold. Do you know what a foothold is? Think of it like this – if a bad guy is chasing you and you run into your house, but he sticks his foot in the door before you get it closed, that’s a foot hold. With his foot in the door, he can gain access and do damage. It might only be a 3 inch crack, but if he gets his foot in the door, then you are left vulnerable. That’s what anger without a time limit does in your life – it lets the devil get his foot in the door to your life. That small opening gives him access to do great damage. It may not feel like it, but even that justified anger that lingers can make you spiritually vulnerable. There comes a point with anger where we almost cherish it. We find delight in replaying the story, retelling the events, and rekindling the anger. The more people we can get to join us in that anger, the better. But that’s only better for the enemy. Now he has greater access to more hearts. Footholds are everywhere, and we are creating them! 1 Corinthians 13:6 TPT says, “Love finds no delight in what is wrong.” Really think about that. We are called to love. That is our purpose and our mission. Love finds no delight in what is wrong. That means when we are living according to the way God has called us to live, we don’t happily point out and talk about what is wrong. We don’t joyfully retell the story about what is wrong or who is wrong. Why are we making our conversations all about what is wrong? We have to stop that! Find something better to talk about. My goodness, there has to be something better to talk about. And here’s the thing … someone just has to turn the conversation and redirect it to what is right … I’m pretty sure God has asked YOU to be that person. I often make it a daily goal to “take no delight in what is wrong”. I can fall into the trap of watching something bad unfold and secretly enjoy the show. I caught myself just yesterday watching an angry old man on the train to Rome causing a ruckus for everyone around him. It was delighting to my eyes like entertainment. I wanted to hear the fighting. I wanted others to get involved. I was literally delighting in what was wrong, and that simply IS NOT LOVE. The enemy had a little opening to my heart and actively began working on my dislike of this human who I didn’t even know. My facial expressions told everyone else on that train that I was with them in their anger towards an old man who was clearly having a very bad day. That’s not right. That’s not God’s way. In fact, I’m just actively doing the devil’s work for him. I’m part of the problem. Paul gives us the solution earlier in Ephesians 4:2, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Can we just make allowance for each other’s faults? Can we be tolerant with one another? Can we remember that sometimes people have bad days? Can we remember that some people are carrying heavy burdens within that we know nothing about? Can we assume the best instead of the worst and allow space for our differences without anger? This isn’t just for strangers on a train, this is for the people we live with. Can we just allow space for rough mornings, overwhelmed minds, and poor choices of words sometimes? Can we give grace where they are wrong without making it all about us? You know what that does – that slams the door on the enemy. If his foot was trying to slip in there, his toes got smashed! The devil gets no foothold because my anger isn’t necessary and it’s simply not allowed here in the things that ultimately don’t even matter. But when it does matter – and sometimes it does – what’s important for us to remember is SET A TIME LIMIT on that anger. Don’t let the anger grow and fester. If you keep replaying the offense, the resentment will grow and bitterness will take root. And that bitterness is like the angry grapevine that attaches to you and creates destruction. It just won’t let go. It will wrap around you and force its way in. The foothold given to the devil becomes his stronghold. And if he has a stronghold on your heart, then you become the angry bitter woman you never wanted to be – and the woman no one wants to be around. Clinging to anger helps the enemy accomplish his work. He is the accuser, the divider, the destroyer, the condemner … and we partner with him in our anger and begin doing his work for him. We accuse instead of restore. We divide instead of reconcile. We wound instead of heal. We rehearse offenses rather than extend grace. This isn’t love … this is the enemy’s trap and we fall right in and become his slaves in his nasty work. When you feel angry, deal with it quickly. Don’t nurture it. Don’t let it settle it. Set a time limit and when the time is up, let it go. Your heart NEEDS YOU TO LET IT GO NOW. Before the sun goes down, let it go. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela [https://instagram.com/headmamapamela] Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim [https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim] Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com [http://biglifehq.com]

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episode 2132 Faith Under Fire artwork

2132 Faith Under Fire

Here we are, God’s daughters, under attack. Every day the enemy attacks with the hopes of distracting us or distancing us from God. That’s why we must put on the full armor God has offered us. He doesn’t want his girls vulnerable to the devil, he wants us victorious. Last week we studied the first 3 pieces of our God given armor for the spiritual battle: The Belt of Truth The Breastplate of Righteousness The Shoes of Peace Now, it’s time for us to pick up our shield. Ephesians 6:16, “In addition to all these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Okay girls, let’s learn about this shield and about those fiery arrows coming our way. Roman soldiers had 2 kinds of shields. One was a small, handheld shield. This is not the shield Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about the other type of shield – the one almost as big as a door. This shield was called the scutum (pronounced sk-U-tum). This shield, the sputum was about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide, made of layers of laminated wood, then covered with leather and bound with iron. The shield was big enough for a soldier to crouch behind and be completely protected. You’ve likely seen the movies where soldiers are carrying these large rectangular shields and when the enemy forces shoot their arrows, the soldiers stand together in formation with their door like shields held tightly ,forming a barrier all around them, in front of them and above them. That’s the precise image of our faith as a shield. We are protected, but not only protected, we are enabled to move forward even while under attack. In this formation with their shields fully protecting them on all sides, the army wouldn’t just crouch and endure the attack, they would MOVE FORWARD. Forward towards the objective. Forward towards the goal. Forward towards their mission. Forward, even while the enemy attacked. This is the power of our shield of faith. Now, what bout those arrows? Paul says the devil shoots “fiery arrows” at us. Soldiers in these days would often dip their arrows into a flammable liquid, then light them on fire before launching them at their enemy like a missile. AND THAT IS SATAN’S STRATEGY AGAINST US. Fiery, blazing arrows. His objective is to destroy you and he’ll use every single thing at his disposal to do so. Don’t be so naive to think he won’t come after you. Scripture says he’s “like a roaring lion”, and honey, lions don’t care if you’re cute, they don’t care if you’re happy, they don’t care if you’re rich, they don’t care if you’ve got a whole family depending on you … lions want to kill you. Period. You have been under attack. No doubt, it’s been happening. Even just this past week, fiery arrows were flying at you. Let me help you identify them: Arrow 1: Tempt you to sin Arrow 2: Get you to ignore the things that would help you Arrow 3: Make you miserable Arrow 4: Make you doubt Arrow 5: Make you settle Remember when you just ignored praying about it? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you didn’t make time to open your Bible? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you thought it wasn’t a big deal and you could hide it? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you felt so tired, so defeated and so discouraged that you just sat there? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you checked the box but didn’t really give it your best? Yip – that was an arrow. Remember when you knew you should, but you didn’t – Yip that was an arrow. Remember when you felt guilt and shame over it – Yip that was an arrow. Not to mention all the things you’ve been dealing with that make you scared, make you hurt, and make you question – All arrows. Now do you see the attacks you are continually facing? This is your every day reality. Girl, you are always under attack. That’s why you need this shield of faith. To put it quite simply, the way you defend yourself from Satan’s attacks is on a very practical level TRUST WHAT’S TRUE ABOUT GOD. Faith isn’t just hearing about God – Faith isn’t even just knowing about God – Faith is actively positioning God’s promises between your vulnerability and the enemy’s fiery assaults. The devil is going to shoot his fiery arrows to tempt you, distract you, discourage you, detour you and defeat you, but that big ol’ shield of faith in God’s promises is what you actively pick up and hold up to protect you. I know my God. I know his ways. I feel his presence. I receive his strength. I believe his promises. I trust my God. My sister, that is your defense! Faith is what will protect you when the fiery arrows are coming at you. Faith is what will help you advance even when you’re under attack. Faith is not optional for this battle, it is essential! So really, what is faith? What a really hard thing to describe. If we’re not careful, faith becomes nothing more than hoping or wishing. You know when you apply for a job and you’r pretty sure you’re not going to get it because you’re not even remotely qualified for it and someone says, “Well, you’ve got to have faith.” No, that’s not faith. That’s not what our Bible is talking about. That kind of faith is not a defense. When you’re under attack, just wishing that something is true will never give you the defense you need. Let’s give faith a real definition. I read about a missionary named John Paton – someone you’ve likely never heard of before. He was a Scottish missionary who went to the islands of the South Pacific in the 1800’s to tell these remote people about Jesus for the first time. He wasn’t welcome there. His wife and child died. Yet, he continued. He learned their language, then he set out to translate the entire Bible into their language so they could know about Jesus. While translating scripture, he got to Ephesians chapter 6 and he was stuck on verse 16, “Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” Their language had no word for faith. Faith was non-existent in their world, without even a word for it. As John sat in his island hut, stuck on translating this word “faith”, a local man came running and and flopped himself in a chair. He said to John, “It’s just so good to rest my whole weight in this chair.” And that’s when John knew – that’s what faith is. This is how he could explain faith to the islanders. Faith is resting your whole weight on God. With that translation, the islanders understood faith and they came to put their whole weight on God through Jesus. Faith is putting your whole weight on God. If God said it, then it’s true, and I believe it. That is faith. Faith is believing what Jesus has done for us, believing what God says about us, and living it out because it’s THE truth. That’s a shield of faith. Protected from the attacks of the enemy and able to advance! Through the Bible, we know: • God has chosen us. Before this world even began, he predestined that we would be his girls. He chose us first, gave us the family name, and bestowed upon us all the privileges of being his daughters. • God has blessed us. In everything that God has done for us, his intention is to bless us and give us what we don’t deserve. • God has sealed us. He put his mark on us saying we belong to him and we’re protected by him. • God has promised us an inheritance. We are in line to inherit the kingdom of God and eternal life. Through Jesus, it’s our guaranteed destiny. Girl, that’s where you’re heading and today you’re one day closer! God has held absolutely nothing back from you. He’s given his all, he’s given his best. He’s actively taking everything in your life and making it work together for eternally good purposes. And when you put your whole weight on that, you will be able to survive the attacks of the evil one. Not only survive, but advance! When the fiery arrows come flying at you, and they always do – When you’re tempted to doubt, leaning towards fear, hurting and questioning, avoiding the very things that will help you most, wandering down paths not meant for you and knocking on the wrong doors – STOP AND REMEMBER WHAT YOU KNOW OF GOD. Remember his promises for you. Remember what he’s already done for you through Jesus. But don’t just think about those things, LIFT THEM UP. Lift up that shield of faith by actually leaning into what you KNOW IS TRUE ABOUT GOD. Put your full weight on him. You know what you need to do in that moment of wandering, wallowing, wondering and wavering … you need to have a good talk with yourself. Listen here, self, stop this depressed, unhappy nonsense. Stop this wavering. Stop this delaying. Stop wallowing. You stop it now. Stop letting this steal your praise. Stop letting this distance you from Jesus. Stop it. Put your full weight on God. Remember his promises. Lean on them now! It’s not going to be easy, but we all need to do this. We need each other to do it for us. Preach to yourself. Remind yourself of God. Arrange your life so that you’re in the path of grace as much as possible — reading Scripture daily, praying, surrounding yourself with the right people. Know where you’re vulnerable. Look to God, who will grant you the strength that you need. Then put your whole weight in what we know to be true about God. Remember the Roman shield formation? It’s one thing to be a single soldier with a shield. Something much better happens when we come together with faith. As we create a shield-wall of faith, we’ll be able to advance even when we’re under attack. That’s why you and I are connected. That’s why God has given us an Army of sisters here. We fully put our weight on God in this together and we move forward even while under attack. Where are you being attacked? What fiery arrows are coming your way? What truths about God can you lean into today? Take up your shield of faith! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela [https://instagram.com/headmamapamela] Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim [https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim] Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com [http://biglifehq.com]

8 de jun de 202622 min
episode 2131 Don’t Fight Barefoot artwork

2131 Don’t Fight Barefoot

There are 3 pieces of God’s armor we are to “put on”. 1. The belt of truth. 2. The breastplate of righteousness. 3. The shoes of peace. In getting dressed for the unseen spiritual battle, the final thing we put on are our shoes. And think about it, you’re not ready to leave if you don’t have your shoes on. My husband knows I’m not really walking out the door if my shoes aren’t on. My shoes are the sign I’m really ready and we’re going … until then, I’m not really going anywhere. God has places for you to go. A stand you are to take. Purposes you are to fulfill. Good plans you are to walk in. But, without your shoes, you’re not really ready to go with him. The soldier’s shoes were a valuable piece of their armor. Remember in these days, they were foot soldiers. They weren’t riding around in tanks and helicopters. They were marching in, climbing up, standing ground. In military battles of these days, the army who had the best battle shoes was set apart. There’s a story of an army who won countless victories because they put nails in their shoes, creating the first cleats. They could climb what no other army could climb. As women, we know shoes make or break the outfit – but in battle, shoes can make or break the victory. So Paul says in Ephesians 6:15, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Without your shoes, you’re not ready. With the wrong shoes, you’re not winning. Barefoot, you’re injured. The shoes in the Armor of God are specifically the PEACE that comes from the Good News. Sounds a little fruity doesn’t it? That’s sweet – but does it really mean anything to you? I’ll be honest – that just never meant anything to me at all – until today. Until I really studied what Paul is saying. Now I get it, and I’m so excited to share it with you. Peace – what’s your image of God’s peace? Someone once asked 2 very famous painters to each paint a picture of God’s peace. One painted the image of a beautiful, calm, serene lake in the most peaceful setting you could imagine. It’s basically where I am right now – North Italy’s Dolomite mountains. The lakes here are the deepest, calmest blue, fully protected by stunning mountains that reach straight up in the sky. Such calm. Such peace. That was one artist’s painting. But the other artist paints the ocean. Not calm water, but the ocean in a violent storm. Massive waves crashing in the fierce winds. Lightening flashing in the sky. And in the very bottom corner of the painting was a small bird, totally protected from the storm, standing on a rock with a solitary beam of light shining on it. If there was a soundtrack to the painting it was the bird singing his completely unbothered song of perfect peace in the midst of that raging storm. Both are pictures of peace. One is a picture of peaceful circumstances – the other is a picture of the power of God’s peace. God doesn’t promise peaceful circumstances, in fact Jesus warns us of the oppoisite – “in this world you will have trouble”. But God does promise us the power of his peace – the unshakable knowing he is with you, he sees you, and he is in control. We’re so quick to assume only the good days contain God’s peace, but you’ve never experienced God’s peace on the most extreme level until you’re in the middle of something that demands you absolutely freak out, but instead you have an unspeakable peace within. With this peace you’re not rendered incapable, you’re strengthened in the battle. My friend, if you find yourself currently in a battle, God has peace available for you. And his word isn’t just offering it to you as an option, his word is telling you, “PUT THIS ON!” But how? How do you put on God’s peace? Thank God, his word actually tells us. We’re not left to guess and wonder. It’s clear. Philippians 4: 6-7. First, there is an offer you have to REFUSE to make room for God’s offer of peace. If you don’t refuse it, there will simply be no space for peace in you. What is the offer you have to refuse? Worry. Here’s precisely what God’s word says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. THEN you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” This is a formula and a process. First you refuse worry. Worry is always in the offering. There’s always something to worry about, right? But you must turn away from it. Turn it off. Resist it. Evict it. Absolutely take a stand against worry. You know what we often do instead? We make excuses for it. “Oh, it’s just who I am. I’m a worrier. I always have been.” That’s the equivalent of saying, “Oh, I’m just muddy, it’s just who I am. I go out and roll around in the mud so I’m always muddy. I always have been.” ALL WHILE YOU COULD CHOOSE TO TAKE A SHOWER! If you’re a worrier, there’s something you can do that’s the equivalent of a shower for a muddy person – PRAYER. And just as you have to take a shower again and again, you must pray again and again. The only way you refuse worry is to talk to God about it. Push it right over to God and let him have it. Tell him what you need. Thank him for everything he has already done for you. That’s your part of the equation. Then, God does his part. His part is filling you with PEACE. Peace that doesn’t make sense. Peace like the little white bird sitting in a beam of light during a furious storm on the ocean, just singing his happy song. I don’t care how much you worry or how long you’ve been worrying, peace is available to you. But my sister, you always have to choose it. Now you may think your worrying is harmless, but it’s not. Without God’s peace, you’re facing a battle with no shoes on. Without your shoes you’re simply NOT READY!!!!! Now here’s where this gets really really really good. This is the part you may not have ever understood before and you’re going to have a little light bulb go off. Paul says these shoes of peace come from the Good News. What is the Good News? It’s literally the message of Jesus. It’s the salvation story of God sending his own son to die for you so that you might be saved. It’s the promise of his Holy Spirit dwelling in you offering what you could never manufacture for yourself. It’s all this GOOD NEWS, not bad news that applies directly to our lives because of Jesus. Good, good, good news. Shoes of peace from this Good News of Jesus. And here’s why this is important in battle – GET READY … Your enemy, the devil, is always going to try and convince you that God is against you, that God doesn’t love you, that God is too busy for you, angry at you, distant from you. The devil continually tries to convince you that every little bad thing, and certainly every big bad thing, that happens in your life is proof of God’s absence, God’s distance, or God’s disapproval of you. You’ve heard it and felt it before. You’ve questioned why God would allow this to happen to your family and you start feeling like God doesn’t care about your family. Like he’s too busy for you. Like he doesn’t hear your prayers. Like he’s always out to take things from you. Like he’s just against you. The more you hear it and the more you feel it, the more dark your thoughts become, the more alone you feel, and the more hopeless the future looks. And that’s precisely what happens if you don’t have your shoes on. Your shoes of peace from the Good News know exactly who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and what he has promised. And just like a pair of cleats can dig in and hold your ground, KNOWING the GOOD News can help you stand firm when every doubt comes to rock you. The devil wants to remind of you all the bad news, but Jesus says, “I’ve GOT GOOD NEWS!” Feel the peace in that! The shoes of peace tell you even when bad things have happened, “GOD USES ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR GOOD”. The shoes of peace tell you even when the storm rages that, “YOUR GOD CONTROLS THE WINDS AND THE WAVES.” The shoes of peace tell you when everything falls apart that, “GOD HOLDS IT ALL IN HIS HANDS AND NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH HIM.” The Good News fills us with peace when the battle rages. And in peace, we stand, We don’t run. We don’t panic. We don’t worry. We stand firm. Girl, put your shoes on and dig in! Dig in to God’s promises over you and refuse to back down. Refuse to be shaken. Refuse to give in to worry. His promises will fill you with peace so you can stand through the storm and come out the other side. Jesus made us a promise of HIS PEACE. His peace that would hold us steady. His peace that would guide us. His peace that would fill us in ways that don’t make sense. But do you know precisely WHEN he promised us this peace? Jesus promised us that peace on the edge of his own horrific storm. On the very night one of his very best friends would betray him – on the night he would be arrested – on the night before he was to bear the sin of the entire world on the cross, on the edge of the greatest storm all creation had ever seen, Jesus promised us his own peace. John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Jesus had immeasurable peace, and he offers us that same peace. But it’s always up to us to PUT IT ON. With peace, you are ready for battle. With peace you can stand on God’s promises and not worry. With peace as shoes, you can dig in with cleats and stand your ground regardless of circumstances. With peace as shoes, you can climb any mountain and overcome the obstacles in your way. You have to choose what you’re walking in – Peace or worry. Worry will never win the battle. Peace already has. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela [https://instagram.com/headmamapamela] Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim [https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim] Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com [http://biglifehq.com]

5 de jun de 202624 min
episode 2130 The Bulletproof Vest artwork

2130 The Bulletproof Vest

Part of your armor against the ploys of the enemy is a bulletproof vest for your heart. If Satan can twist your heart, if he can harden your heart, if he can damage your heart, then he renders you ineffective. Nobody looks at a cynical, irritable, negative, grouchy Christian and says, ‘wow, I gotta have what she has.’ Yip – ineffective! Zero impact for Jesus. Saved but not set apart for good works. For these reasons you are given the breastplate of righteousness, the bulletproof vest for your heart. If you feel righteous, there’s a problem. You’re not. There’s nothing you could ever do to make yourself clean enough, good enough, or holy enough to be considered righteous in our perfect God’s sight. And this is exactly why Jesus was required. Only he could make you righteous. His righteousness is imparted to you. His name is stamped on your account of debts and you’re forever marked as “GOOD ENOUGH”. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Jesus did for you. Righteous – this means to be free from guilt or sin. Not without guilt or sin, but free from it. No longer bound by it. No longer in debt to it. No longer victim to it, but FREE from it. And the righteousness of Jesus has now empowered you to live better. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:14, “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.” Other translations call it the “body armor of God’s righteousness” or “God’s approval as your breastplate.” TPT says, “Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart.” Here’s what we know – without this right standing, without God’s approval, our most vital organs are completely vulnerable. The chest shot is the easiest shot and without God’s covering, we will go down in the battle against our enemy. God did for us what we could never do for ourselves. No amount of good works, no amount of changed habits, no amount of perfectly met goals, nothing we could possibly do would make us righteous. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23. That includes you on your worst days and you on your best days. So here’s what God did – he stepped in and bridged the gap where we fell short of his glory. He bridged that gap with a cross. A literal cross where Jesus hung – and that cross allows us to cross over from forever not good enough no matter what we do, to forever good enough because of what was done for us. When you wear that as your bulletproof vest, the flaming arrows of the enemy just bounce right off. Oh, he’ll still shoot them out you, but ping ping ping, they just bounce. Your heart is untouched when you fully know the stamp of Christ’s full approval on you. But … there’s one little problem. The devil and his demons know full well how unworthy of this bulletproof vest of righteousness you feel when you aren’t living right. It’s hard to put on our divinely given righteousness when deep down we know darn good and well we’re not living right. When we engage in sin, we open the door for the devil to have influence in our lives. You don’t even have to open the door fully to him, but a little crack will do. A little dabble in that sin. A borderline gray area that no one knows about. Even that crack in the door will give him an opportunity. Ephesians 4:27 says, “give NO opportunity to the devil.” About 2 years ago, I began praying that God would reveal to me any part of my life that was not pleasing to him. Well that was dangerous and I didn’t even know it. Suddenly the Holy Spirit started revealing all my little cracked doors to the enemy. But these were really fun things. Things I enjoyed. Things that made me happy. Things I wrestled to understand how they could be wrong. After wrestling and reasoning for months, I finally began to release these things and make changes. And let me tell you what happened – it’s like the lid was taken off! I was free like never before. Blessings upon blessings. Now I wonder why I waited so long to trust God with those doors that needed to be closed. The devil had access to my heart through the little cracks I had left open, doing things God had asked me not to do. When I finally partnered with God and slammed those doors, my heart was once again fully protected with the righteousness Jesus offers. Here’s the truth – the devil can’t take your righteousness from you, but he sure will offer you temptations to enter into a life that is so far from God’s way of living that you just dismiss yourself. When you know you’re living in wrong ways, it’s almost impossible to keep putting on that breastplate of righteousness. What God has given you as protection becomes a heavy reminder of your unworthiness today because of what you did yesterday. So, guess what … guilt and shame eventually make you leave the breastplate in the corner. It’s too painful to put on righteousness when you know you’re not living right. And boom – you’re vulnerable. Now with your hidden guilt and quiet shame, your heart is left unprotected. The offered righteousness of Jesus lays on the floor as the enemy’s fiery darts come flying. No, your righteousness cannot be taken from you. What Jesus did is forever done. But what can happen here is you can feel so terrible about your life that you no longer put on that righteousness. PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. THIS IS PART OF GOD’S DIVINE ARMOR FOR YOU IN THE UNSEEN SPIRITUAL BATTLE. GOD. LOVES. YOU. With full awareness of every single thing you would ever do wrong, every bad choice you would ever make, every failure, every wandering step, he knowingly and willing CHOSE to give his son Jesus for you. He knew it was the only way you could be made right, and he deemed you worthy of that sacrifice. SATAN. HATES. YOU. With full awareness of God’s covering of undeserved righteousness over you, Satan continually tries to remove that covering. Let me tell you something, Satan has no power to take the breastplate of righteousness from you but he certainly can convince you into living a life that makes that breastplate feel entirely too heavy to wear. Tricky little sucker will deceive you into picking up guilt and shame instead of righteousness, and wear that over your heart. My human mind cannot understand why God would do this for me. I’m messed up, and wow, I have a really special way of getting things wrong sometimes. But I choose to believe His word concerning me – I choose to believe that I am made righteous through Jesus. That his cross allows me to cross over to the righteousness I fall short of. Over and over again, God helps me when I cannot help myself. On the days when I get it right, I must remember that breastplate of righteousness has absolutely nothing to do with my good works. It was given to me to wear. It protects me from pride. On the days when I get it wrong, I must remember the breastplate of righteousness is still mine. It was given to me to wear. It protects me from guilt and shame. For his girls wearing this breastplate of righteousness, we are called to then live RIGHT. Clean up our lives. We’re not given permission to continue living in the ways his Spirit tells us are wrong. That’s the beauty of this walk with Jesus – we learn more and more how to live right. And as he lovingly invites us into better living, it’s for our greatest benefit to trust him and leave behind our old ways. Continuing in our old ways makes it harder to put on the armor over our hearts, and without that armor, our hearts are left vulnerable. Jesus, I’m not a good guard of my own heart – I need your righteousness to guard this heart of mine. So today, for the one who feels so totally unrighteousness because of your past or present choices, please know the breastplate of Jesus’ righteousness is still here for your heart. Bring him your guilt, bring him your shame, bring him your regrets and receive his holy exchange. You, the real you, all of you, forever made righteous. That’s everything Satan doesn’t want you to know. But when you know, your heart is protected! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela [https://instagram.com/headmamapamela] Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim [https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim] Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com [http://biglifehq.com]

4 de jun de 202617 min
episode 2129 Put Your Belt On artwork

2129 Put Your Belt On

When you really know about the unseen spiritual battle happening, you then have a choice … stand with God in the battle, or sit down and dismiss yourself from it. Sadly, most of us either refuse to acknowledge the battle happening at all – or – we refuse to allow our self-centered little lives to be bothered with it. But the truth is, we are bothered by it, continually. Every single family has wounds from a spiritual battle. God’s word calls us to know about it and then do something about it. Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” What is this time of evil? You can assume it’s a future time that may not even impact your life, but I encourage you to consider the time of evil is anytime the enemy zeroes in on you. Remember, the devil is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. His plan is sure: Kill, steal and destroy. If you are without the supernatural infusion of God’s strength that comes through a connection with Jesus, and if you are without the full armor of God, you won’t be able to stand up against the enemy’s attack. There is a battle. It’s real. And my friends, it’s personal. Have you ever felt like the devil just had your number? Like his attacks were so personal and so direct? Yeah – well they are! As real as God’s good plans are for you, the devil’s bad plans for you are real too. Yes, God sends his angels to protect you, but Satan sends his demons to attack you. No, I don’t like it, but that doesn’t change the battle. What changes the battle is believing what God’s word tells me and receiving everything he offers me. He offers me supernatural strength for his power to flow in me and through me. How? Through connection and relationship with Jesus. Then, he offers me detailed pieces of armor for the battle against evil. But it’s always up to me whether or not I put on the armor. It’s up to you to either put on the armor, or not. And if you don’t, you are vulnerable. When the time of evil comes and the enemy zeros in on you, he’ll know you’re like a sitting duck. If your family is unprotected, it’s time you realize it and change that! God has armor for you, and the armor is guaranteed to protect you from the spiritual battle happening in the unseen … but it’s up to you to put it on! Some of us have all our armor piled up in a corner collecting dust, while we wonder why life is so darn hard. Why does this stuff just keep happening? Maybe, you’ve been sitting when you should have been standing with God. Maybe you’ve been fighting with your own power and you’re 100% outmatched by powers greater than you. Maybe you’ve picked up a couple pieces or armor here and there, but you don’t know how to use it so you’re a dangerous disaster with weapons you’re throwing around. The enemy is after you and you have to be able to resist him. If you can’t resist him, you will fall prey to him. You will be fooled, you will be subdued, you will be overcome, and then you’ll be held as his prisoner, stuck in a life that is far short of all God created you for. Look around – are you living a life that is less than the great big Almighty God really has for you? Did you get stuck somewhere along the way, discouraged and depressed, so you gave up and let that little flame within you just go out. And here you are settled in, just trying to get through life when that is such a distant cry from God’s great big plan for you. But how do you resist the devil? WITH THE TRUTH! Now we begin looking at each piece of the Armor of God as written by Paul. First, understand that Paul was never a Roman soldier. He was never in the military. He didn’t have armor, he didn’t wear armor. He was a scholar, not a soldier. But what Paul did have was a personal and up close encounter with a real Roman soldier. As Paul wrote the book of Ephesians, he was in prison. When I was in Rome, I listened to the audio of a guided tour to orient precisely what I was looking at. Sometimes the very things that looked like nothing were totally something. In very broken English, my audio guide pointed out locations of important events and buildings to examine. As a total side note, he said, “Look to the left of this stately building – there you will see a small, unassuming, stone building – this is where Paul was impriosoned.” The guide quickly moved on to other facts and ruins. But here I was, standing in front of the very building where Paul sat imprisioned. Radically important events happened right here! Here was where the Holy Spirit guided him to tell us about the spiritual battles happening in the unseen and how to stand with God in the battle. And while Paul had never worn a soldier’s armor before, he was likely sitting on a prison floor literally chained to a Roman soldier in that moment. Envision that – Paul is looking at the soldier he’s chained to, the one guarding him and holding him captive, the one to ensure he was there to face his future death sentence. And piece by piece, Paul notices the literal armor of the solider and the Holy Spirit reveals to him the armor God has for us. Paul begins the listing of the armor in verse 14, “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth.” Maybe you’re familiar with this list of armor – but have you ever questioned why it would begin with the BELT? Isn’t the belt the accessory? Isn’t the belt the last thing you put on when getting dressed? Why would we begin with the BELT OF TRUTH. Well to understand, you have to first remember the dress of the day … literally, the dress. Even men, and yes even soldiers, wore dress like long garments. Running and fighting in this long garment was very troublesome. You would easily get tripped up and lose the battle before your enemy even hit you. So the belt was perhaps one of the most important pieces in the soldier’s armor. The belt tied up the long garment so their legs were free to run. The belt held their weapons in place. The belt literally tied the other armor together and without it, they would be defeated. So Paul says, to stand your ground against the devil and his demons, you begin with the belt of truth. My friend, if you don’t know the truth, you will get tripped up before you even get to the real battle. The devil is called the deceiver. His number 1 tactic is to twist the truth and sell you a lie. It was how he made his very first move against humanity. In the garden, he shows up to Eve as a snake and he introduces a lie. “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Eve engages. HUGE MISTAKE. When you know you’re being questioned by the devil, don’t engage. Don’t talk to him, and for heaven’s sake, don’t dance with him. There’s a whole lot of God’s girls getting throughly confused and lost in life because we’re just dancing with the devil, assuming it’s harmless. He’s not harmless. He’s vicious. He’s on attack. He’s a liar, an absolute deceiver. Now Eve is engaged in conversation with the enemy, and he confuses her. He tricks her into thinking God won’t let them eat from that one special tree in the garden because God is hiding something good from them. The devil convinces her God is holding out on her. So, she eats the apple, gets Adam to eat the apple with her, and now sin has an entry into humanity. God wasn’t holding out on Adam and Eve by telling them they couldn’t eat the apple – God was PROTECTING them. But, they didn’t know the TRUTH – and because they didn’t know the truth, they fell for the enemy’s lie. They were deceived. The TRUTH is ground zero for the unseen spiritual battle. If you don’t know the truth, you will battle the wrong things, hide when you should be standing, play little when you have a BIG spirit within, and settle for a defeated life when the victory has already been won through Jesus. My friend, do you KNOW the TRUTH? I mean for real – the truth. The truth about God. The truth about God’s plan. The truth about who you are. The truth about who you’re battling. The truth about God’s ways and the tactics of the enemy. Without the truth, everything else is twisted and useless. Faith without truth becomes wishing thinking. Salvation without truth becomes cultish and self-created religion. Righteousness without truth becomes pride and self-will. Peace without truth becomes a naive la-la land. The word without truth becomes nonsense stories we believe and then fight over. And that is why the enemy is the deceiver. He’s most afraid of the truth and he works his hardest to keep you confused and without God’s truth. So yes, Paul begins teaching us about the Armor of God for our spiritual battle, first with the belt of truth. This is what holds everything together. You begin with truth, otherwise everything else is wrong. You may be climbing a ladder, but what good is it if the ladder is against the wrong wall. You may be fighting for what you think is right, but if what you think is right is actually wrong, it doesn’t matter how much you believe in what you’re fighting for, it’s still wrong. What is the TRUTH about this God who created you, chose you, loves you and saves you? What is the truth about this one life you have been given to live? What is the truth about mercy and grace that covers you and makes you whole? What is the truth about a deeper calling on your life and a heavenly purpose for your days? The devil’s first tactic is always to confuse you and deceive you. Do you know what you believe? Do you know why you believe it? You will get tripped up on your way to the battle if you don’t. God has a whole lot of his daughters running around without their belts on! We’re confused, we’re naive and we have been deceived. Now he says, “MY GIRL, PUT YOUR BELT ON!” Have you ever asked God to help you know the truth? Have you sought him for a heart that really understands his will? GOD ANSWERS THAT PRAYER. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Solomon is a young man and he’s made King, but he’s afraid because he doesn’t know how to lead his kingdom. In 1 Kings 3, Solomon asks God to give him an understanding heart to know the truth, to know right and wrong. And here is God’s reply – verses 12-13, “I will give you what you have asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has ever had or ever will have. AND I will also give you what you did not ask for – riches and fame” You want the truth – ask God for it! He will give you a heart that understands. And with the truth comes even more things you didn’t even ask for. Start there. The belt of truth. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela [https://instagram.com/headmamapamela] Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim [https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim] Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com [http://biglifehq.com]

3 de jun de 202618 min
episode 2128 See the Unseen artwork

2128 See the Unseen

Yesterday we studied the importance of becoming strong in the Lord before we try to armor up for battle against our enemy, the devil. Again, what good is the best armor in the world if the soldier has no strength to stand? God is strong and he wants his girl strong. God is strong and he’s not raising weak daughters. Remember, how do you gain this strength? By supernatural infusion! It’s our CONNECTION with Jesus that allows God’s strength and power to flow in and through us. Now, the next 2 verses in Ephesians 6. Verses 11 & 12, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Spending time with Jesus and growing in your relationship with him through connection then makes us ready for God’s armor. Piece by piece, we will put it all on. But don’t miss this – you are in a battle you cannot see, but you absolutely feel. Some of the pain you’re carrying didn’t start with a person – it started with a battle you couldn’t see. All those wounds you carry in this life of struggles, hardships, broken relationships … that’s proof of the unseen battle. Hurt people hurt people – but behind a lot of hurt people is a deeper enemy who has been wounding them for a long time. The devil and his demons have created a whole lot of hurt people who are now making real messes in real life. You see that mess, but you haven’t see the real battle happening creating those messes. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see.” It’s foolish for us to deny the reality of all things just because we can’t see them. I’m a strong 7 on the enneagram. I avoid all things negative, all darkness and all threats. I have a tendency to stick my head in the sand and pretend everything is okay. That makes me an incredibly fun person to be around … and potentially oblivious to the true threats happening on the daily. But God has made me aware of these things through personal encounters with the miraculous as well as the darkness. I’ve witnessed the hand of God and I’ve experienced the presence of evil. I’ve spent over 2000 episodes of this podcast generally avoiding the topic of evil, but what good does that do you when you’re in a real spiritual battle with the unseen? I’ve avoided talking about evil for a long time – but avoidance doesn’t make it less real. Scripture doesn’t just acknowledge a spiritual world – it shows us active engagement on all sides. With God and with the devil. With angels and with demons. The Bible makes it clear that there is a real interaction between us and God. God promises when we draw near to him, he will draw near to us. (James 4:8). God says, “Call to me and I will tell you great and unknown things.” (Jeremiah 33:3). God is literally working within you. (Philippians 2:13). On the contrast, the bible also makes it clear there is real interaction between us and Satan. One of Jesus disciples warns us that the “devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus tells Peter how “Satan has demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat.” (Luke 22:31). That’s real. He’s here and he’s roaming this earth actively. There are also real interactions between us and angels, God’s agents sent on his behalf. In Psalm we read, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11). Lot is visited by 2 angels. Abraham is visited by 3 angels. The angel Gabriel speaks to Mary. The angel Michael fights for Daniel. An angel rescues Peter from prison. Girl, you have no idea how many times God has sent help you never saw. But even so, there are interactions between us and demons. Demons are the fallen angels that chose to follow Satan in his rebellion. Many believe scriptures are describing 1/3 of the angels in Heaven became Satan’s demonic warriors. Yes, fallen spiritual beings opposed to God – and therefore opposed to us, his girls. Nope, I don’t like it, but it’s foolish of me to pretend it’s not real. How will you battle what you won’t even acknowledge as real? Here’s the thing about these spirit forces – God, the devil, angels and demons – they are invisible to human eyes, but look around – their fingerprints are all over our world. We see the beauty and we see the distraction. We see the miracles and we see the evil. The wounds from the spiritual battle are felt in our lives and in our families. What if it’s time to stop just surviving your spiritual life – and start walking in the strength God is actually offering you? Don’t you think it’s time you learn how to be the warrior God created you to be, stand on his side, and join the forces of good against this evil? There’s an old saying, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” If we do nothing, darkness grows and consumes. Darkness grows not because it is stronger – but because light stays silent. We have a light within us that must be unveiled. DON’T HOLD BACK WHAT GOD HAS PUT WIHTIN YOU! Don’t just walk by – shine your light. Don’t settle for doing nothing – shine your light. Evil triumphs when God’s girls do nothing about the darkness, the hurting, the suffering, and the evil around us. There was a time in my life where I did nothing about the darkness growing in my own family. I just made it look pretty on the outside and ignored the reality within. That darkness was given power because my light was silent. I played little. I don’t do that anymore – how about you? Oh that God would open your eyes to see the real battle happening in the unseen places. May he make you SPIRITUALLY AWAKE AND AWARE. We’ve been sleeping, girls. Many of us have been spiritually dulled – distracted, overwhelmed, and constantly stimulated – while unaware of the deeper battles affecting our minds, our peace and our relationships. We’ve been hypnotized by our screens and lulled by TikTok. And you know what is happening … the enemy has been attacking our minds, making us depressed and anxious, making our families distant, twisting our desires to be all about our image and our imagined influence. Lord, WAKE US UP!!!!!!! In 2 Kings 6 there’s a story of Elisha facing a battle where he and his soldiers are outmatched. Elisha’s young servant boy was terrified at the sight of the enemy’s great army with chariots and horses surrounding their city. But Elisha had such a connection with God, such an infusion of supernatural strength and power, that he knew about the UNSEEN. And this is what Elisha prays for his young servant who was afraid, “O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.”. Then verse 17, “The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and then he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” The army of God was already there – Elisha just had the spiritual awareness to know it. Heaven’s army was there, fighting for them. Battles in the unseen heavenly realms. What do we have to be afraid of when we understand Heaven is literally on our side when we stand with God? Oh that our eyes of faith may be opened. Dare to believe there’s MORE happening all around you! Here’s what you have to know, while the devil and his demons are real, they are already defeated. Jesus defeated them at the cross. But the defeated Satan and his demons are still present trying to do their damage. It’s a whole lot like this story: A little girl was riding in the car with her father. She cries out, “There’s a bumble bee in the car!” The father grabbed the bee, got stun in the hand, and released the bee. The little girl cries again, “There’s a bumble bee in the car!” But the father answered, “No problem, I’ve got his stinger in my hand.” Yes, Satan roams around like a roaring lion looking to kill, steal and destroy, BUT HE HAS NO TEETH. A lion with no teeth. Your Heavenly Father took away his bite. Satan is defeated – but he is not silent. He still roars, still pressures, still intimidates. But he is a lion without authority over those who stand in Christ. But here’s the problem … when we don’t connect with Jesus for our infusion of supernatural strength, then put on the full armor of God for the battle, we end up being gummed to death by Satan. He just chews away at us. He can’t bite, but he sure can chew. That’s what he does – he just chews away at you. He discourages you and wears you out. He roars and scares you into settling for a little life. He keeps you cornered and makes you play little. Even a toothless Satan is stronger than us when we don’t use our divine resources to defeat him. Every single believer and follower of Jesus is involved in spiritual warfare to some degree. Every believer is powerless in this battle unless they rely on the resources God has given them. But every believer can achieve victory over Satan if we receive strength in our connection with Jesus and then put on the full armor of God. Every piece of armor is important and every piece is effective. You may not even realize how spiritually tired you’ve become. May God awaken your spirit – not to fear the battle, but to finally see it clearly. Up next in our series, we will study each piece of the armor. Gear up, Sis. The battle is real … but remember, he’s a toothless lion! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela [https://instagram.com/headmamapamela] Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim [https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim] Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com [http://biglifehq.com]

2 de jun de 202617 min