BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Girl, let me tell you something – God is working in you! You live with you every day, so you’re likely too close to the situation to see it, but I’m telling you, God has been doing a work in you. Deep within you, there’s been a shift. And this shift has been changing you from the inside. Deep within, in your heart and your mind, your innermost being has been under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He’s been cleaning house in there! Some old things have been thrown out. Some new things have been brought in. And here’s the really wild thing – you didn’t even have to do that yourself. GOD HAS BEEN DOING THAT WORK IN YOU. We often dismiss ourselves from believing we could ever become someone new and different because we think it would all be up to us – under the power of our own will and strength. But honey, it’s just NOT. That’s a God work! You don’t change you. God changes you. You partner with him in the process. He leads, you follow. He throws things out of your life, you let go. He brings new things into your life, you lean in. And through this process of letting go and leaning in, you find God is literally changing you. He’s making you this new person with a totally new inner being that looks nothing like the old you. My friend Catherine is one of my favorite examples of this. She is absolutely unashamed of what God brought her out of and saved her from. She will drop her testimony into a normal conversation with zero concern of what anyone else may think. She lives so unapologetically FREE! Free from her past. Free from addiction. Free from performance. Free from fear of rejection or judgment. She’s let go of so much and she’s leaned in day after day. Her life today looks nothing like it used to. And let me tell you something – If God can change her life, he can change yours. If He can take a life devastated by addiction, a family deeply wounded, a woman who hit rock bottom in rehab, a soul desperately searching for answers in every other place—and turn it into a woman who walks in healing, restoration, wholeness, and joy—there is no telling what He can do in your life! Today, Catherine’s family is so healed it’s ridiculous. She’s so filled with the power of God that you can’t help but see Him through her. The addictions of her past were left at the cross, along with the desire to ever return to them. Catherine is now my traveling retreat assistant. You know why? She makes me better! The Spirit in her stirs up the Spirit in me. She makes me more bold and courageous. Her continual prayer today is, “God, break my heart for what breaks yours.” AND HE IS. She simply will never be the same. And because I’m close to her, I won’t be the same either. Let me tell you exactly what happened for her, because it’s in the process of happening for you too! Philippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Don’t make it any fussier than it needs to be. It really is that simple. GOD IS WORKING IN YOU. God is changing your desires. God is filling you with the power to do the things that please him. This is how your life changes. This is how your goals shift. This is how what used to make you happy simply doesn’t make you happy anymore. This is how you suddenly don’t want what you used to want. This is how you begin to crave things you never used to crave. This is how you find yourself saying no to things you once couldn’t imagine saying no to—and yes to things you once would have been afraid to do. This is how you become different. Not because you finally figured out how to change yourself. Because God is working in you. Your role in this is letting go and leaning in. Whatever you’ve been too afraid to let go of is the very thing God is asking you to trust him with. Let him have it, then lean in to see what he has for you instead. Lean in by spending time with him. Lean in by seeking him. Lean in by daring to walk in obedience, even for just today. Recently, there have been a few things God asked me to trust him enough to let go of. I hate to admit how long I reasoned with God and justified my excuses to keep holding on. And you know how God handled that – he was patient with me. He let me continue walking my own way while he went to work on me from the inside. He didn’t strike me with lightening, he just shifted my heart. Eventually, I decided to lean in. And do you know what I found as I leaned in to him with open hands? He had shifted my desires. He had given me the power to turn away and not go back. I didn’t do that – GOD DID. That was God’s work. I just finally partnered with him in the process. Now, my desire has changed and the very thing I fought so hard to hold on to is no longer even wanted in my life. That’s healing! My friends, God not only heals bodies of disease – He heals addiction – He heals hurts – He heals broken hearts. He heals relationships. He heals the places in us that have been wounded by rejection, betrayal, disappointment, failure, and fear. And sometimes His healing looks different than we expected. Sometimes healing isn’t God changing the situation. Sometimes it’s God changing you in the middle of the situation. He changes what you want. He changes what you tolerate. He changes what you’re willing to chase. He changes what you think you need in order to be happy. He changes what has power over you. And sometimes you don’t even realize how much He’s changed you until you find yourself standing in a situation that used to have a grip on you—and suddenly, it doesn’t. You don’t want it anymore. You don’t need it anymore. You don’t have to fight yourself to walk away anymore. That’s God working in you. Maybe you’ve been praying for God to change something around you, while God has been quietly changing something within you. Maybe you’ve been asking Him to remove the temptation, while He’s been changing your appetite. Maybe you’ve been asking Him to fix the relationship, while He’s been healing your heart. Maybe you’ve been asking Him to give you a different life, while He’s been making you into a different woman. Don’t miss the miracle because it doesn’t look like the miracle you expected. God is working in you. So let go. Lean in. Open your hands and trust Him with whatever you’ve been white-knuckling. You don’t have to know exactly what He’ll do with it. You don’t have to understand the whole process. You don’t even have to feel ready. Just trust Him enough to release it. Because when you let go of what God is asking you to surrender, you make room for Him to put something new in your hands. And girl, if God can change your desires, He can change your whole life. You don’t have to manufacture the change. You don’t have to force the healing. You don’t have to become a brand-new woman by sheer determination. God is working in you. Let Him work. Let Him lead. Let Him change you. If you look at your life today and think, I’m still so far from who I want to be, I want you to stop and look again. Look a little deeper. Maybe the evidence isn’t in what you can see yet. Maybe it’s in what you no longer desire. Maybe it’s in the peace you didn’t used to have. Maybe it’s in the things that don’t have a hold on you anymore. Maybe it’s in the fact that you’re still here, still seeking God, still saying yes, still leaning in. Girl, God is working in you. And the beautiful thing is—you don’t have to finish the work. He will. And then one day, you’re going to look back and realize the thing you thought you could never live without is the very thing you’re now thanking God you had the courage to let go of. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

You and I are called to have the same attitude as Jesus. That sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? And then you get out of bed. Someone has already left a mess in the kitchen. You have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Someone says something that rubs you the wrong way. Your plans get interrupted. You feel overlooked. Somebody isn’t pulling their weight. And suddenly, before you’ve even finished your coffee, your attitude is showing you exactly what is happening inside your heart. So let’s get personal. What is your attitude? Not the attitude you wish you had. Not the attitude people think you have. Not the attitude you have when everything is going your way. What is your attitude when you’re tired? When you’re inconvenienced? When you don’t get your way? When someone doesn’t appreciate you? When you feel misunderstood? Those moments reveal something. Viktor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Your attitude is your choice. It’s the way you think about what is happening, the way you interpret it, and ultimately the way you respond. And your attitude doesn’t just affect you. It walks into the room before you do. It sits at the dinner table with your family. It gets in the car with you. It shows up in your texts. It comes to work with you. It affects the way you listen, the way you speak, the way you love, and the way you treat people. Your attitude is shaping your everyday life. And sometimes… our attitude is the thing making an ordinary day harder than it needs to be. Have you ever shared a house with someone who had a bad attitude? You know what I’m talking about. The sighs. The short answers. The eye rolls. The silence. The irritated tone. You can feel it before they even say anything. Now here’s the uncomfortable question: Have you ever been that person? Have you ever walked into a room carrying an attitude and expected everybody else to adjust to you? I have. And if we’re honest, we all have. So how do we snap out of it? How do we stop letting our circumstances dictate our attitude? Well, let’s put it simply … we stop being so self-centered. When we make life all about us, our attitude suffers. Paul tells us like it is. Philippians 2:3–5 says: “Don’t be selfish: don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” We have a unique way of continually making everything about ourselves. It’s what we want, how we feel, what we think. We end up spending our days in these self-absorbed worlds where our primary objective is to make everything easier for us, all while making everyone like us. Funny, because we never see Jesus doing either of those things. It’s hard to admit how selfish we really are. But when we’re being honest, even the kind, generous, giving things we do are most often about making ourselves look or feel good. And if you think living with humility is hard today, consider how hard it was in the time when Jesus walked this earth. During Biblical times, humility was often seen as an absolute weakness. Social status was honored. It was all about what you were wearing, who you had to your house for dinner, and who you were seen with. You were either in, or you were out – everyone wanted to be in. Then comes Jesus and he flips everything upside down. He holds more power than anyone and everyone in all the world, yet he is without a palace. He had no value for money or riches or status. He let people talk about him. He performed miracles without explanation or a need to be understood. He let them make their assumptions. He let them join him, or just walk away. He took 12 men, and he changed the world forever. And he did it all with humility. Wearing sandals, walking from town to town, staying where a place was offered, with no agenda other than fulfilling his Father’s will. Was Jesus selfish? No. He literally gave up Heaven to come save us. Was Jesus trying to impress anyone? No. He had all the power in the world to shut down every negative opinion and prove them all wrong in an instant. He could have called down a thousand angels to fight for him – that would have been impressive. But he didn’t. Instead, he let them nail him to the cross and crucify him. And there, hanging on that cross, he shows us how to think about others more than we think about ourselves. I assure you he was not comfortable. Without a doubt he was suffering. This was NOT the easy way. Yet, he chose it – for you and for me. Then, he let us make up our own minds about him. Still today, we can live our lives for him, or deny him. He will let us make our own decision. And Paul writes, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Girls, how do we do that today? We start by asking a different question. Instead of, “How can I get this day to go the way I want it to go?” we begin asking, “Jesus, how can I love the people in front of me today?” That’s a completely different way to live. The goal isn’t to wake up every morning and force yourself to have a better attitude. The goal is to become so aware of Jesus that you begin responding to life the way He would. When your husband says something that irritates you, you have a choice. You can make the moment about being right, or you can make it about loving him. When your kids interrupt you for the hundredth time, you can see them as an interruption to your plans, or you can recognize that they are your opportunity to love someone God has placed right in front of you. When a friend doesn’t text you back, you can create an entire story in your head about what she must be thinking, or you can choose not to make someone else’s silence about you. Why do we always make it about us? Really you know what the truth is – It’s usually not about you at all! When somebody is rude to you, you don’t have to return the rudeness. When your plans fall apart, you don’t have to let your entire day fall apart with them. When you’re tired, you don’t have to make everyone around you pay for it. And when you don’t get your way? Oh, girl. That’s where the Jesus attitude gets real. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking about yourself less. Jesus didn’t spend His days asking, “How can I make my life more comfortable? How can I make everyone understand me? How can I make sure people appreciate me? How can I prove them wrong?” He was free from all of that. He knew who He was. He knew Whose He was. And because He knew that, He didn’t have to spend His life defending Himself, impressing people, controlling outcomes, or demanding that everyone see things His way. He was secure enough to serve. That’s what we want. We don’t want to simply have a nicer attitude. We want the attitude of Jesus. Imagine your life with the attitude of Jesus. How would Jesus see this? How would Jesus respond? What would Jesus do? You want to be the woman who can walk into a difficult situation and bring peace instead of adding to the chaos. You want to be the woman who doesn’t have to win every argument. You want to be the woman who can apologize without adding a giant “but you…” to the end of it. You want to be the woman who can celebrate someone else’s blessing without secretly comparing it to your own. You want to be the woman who can listen without immediately turning the conversation back to you. You want to be the woman who notices when somebody is hurting instead of being so consumed with your own stuff that you miss it. You want to be the woman who doesn’t need everyone to like you because you know you are already deeply loved by God. And you want to be the woman who can have a really, really bad day without becoming a really, really difficult person. Because let’s be honest: You don’t get to choose everything that happens to you today. But you do get to choose what happens inside of you because of it. That doesn’t mean pretending you’re not frustrated. It doesn’t mean stuffing your feelings. It doesn’t mean allowing people to mistreat you. And it certainly doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. Jesus had boundaries. Jesus walked away. Jesus spoke hard truth. Jesus confronted hypocrisy. Jesus said no. Jesus wasn’t controlled by people’s opinions. But He was never controlled by His ego. That’s the difference. So maybe today, before you react, pause. Just pause. Take a breath and ask: What would the attitude of Jesus look like right here? Not in some grand spiritual moment. Just right here. In the kitchen. In the car. In the text. In the meeting. At the grocery store. When you’re tired. When you’re disappointed. When you’re misunderstood. When somebody pushes your buttons. When you don’t get your way. When nobody notices what you’ve done. Right here. Because this is where we become like Jesus. Not just during our quiet time. Not just when we’re worshiping with our hands in the air. We become like Jesus in the tiny, ordinary, frustrating moments of everyday life. Every time you choose patience instead of irritation… Every time you choose forgiveness instead of keeping score… Every time you choose encouragement instead of comparison… Every time you choose humility instead of needing to be right… Every time you choose to serve when you’d rather be served… Every time you choose love when your feelings are screaming for something else… You are practicing the attitude of Jesus. Jesus, change my attitude. Not just my circumstances. Not just the people around me. Not just the things that are frustrating me. Change me. Teach me to see people the way You see them. Teach me to hold my plans loosely. Teach me to stop making everything about me. Teach me to be secure enough that I don’t need to prove myself. Teach me to love when it’s inconvenient. Teach me to serve when nobody notices. Teach me to surrender my right to be right. Teach me to respond instead of react. And when I forget—and I will—bring me back to You. Because I don’t want people to encounter my mood when they encounter me. I want them to encounter Jesus. Here we are girls – on the journey of a lifetime – a journey where we’re increasingly becoming like Jesus, one ordinary moment at a time. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

The enemy has been trying desperately to intimidate you. Intimidation through means of fear, through means of overwhelm, through means of anxiety, even through thoughts of not wanting the very things God has been revealing to you. Check yourself – how successful have his ploys of intimidation been? Have you been quietly giving up? Have you been gradually pulling away? Have you been shrinking, fading, losing ground? Sis, what you have to understand is the enemy has only fear tactics and intimidation against you. His threats against you are powerless when you’re covered in the blood of Jesus. 1 John 5:18 tells us that we are held securely by God’s Son and “the evil one cannot touch us”. Do you hear that – HE CAN’T TOUCH YOU. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus you are not only saved by Jesus, but you’re also protected by Him. My dog Tank is a big boy with a fierce bark. In his prime, he was 130 pounds, one of the biggest yellow labs you will ever see. He decides to bark on the very rare occasion when the UPS man seems threatening. And when he does, you notice. His bark sounds furious. But there’s no bite behind his bark. He’s nothing but slobbers and tail wags. He’s anything but a guard dog. A little yappy chihuahua will put him in the corner every time. Sometimes it’s as if we’re walking through this life terrified of a bark that simply can’t bite us. Girl, listen to me – THE EVIL ONE CANNOT TOUCH YOU. We’re so quickly to give the devil credit for the attacks in life, but most often he’s not even the source. Is there a spiritual battle happening all around us? Absolutely! Are we protected? NO DOUBT! As a sold-out follower of Jesus, you are a girl with Heaven on her side. Angels are in charge all around you. God has good plans for your life that cannot be cancelled. Every moment of your life is held in the mighty hands of your Creator. Why in the world would you be intimidated by an already defeated enemy? Why would you play little with your life? Why would you dismiss your God-breathed dreams and desires because the enemy is barking? LET HIM BARK. Let him hate that you are no longer paralyzed in fear. Let him shake when your knees hit the floor each morning and you’re infused with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let him know that Hell lost another one. Show him you’re on a mission to rob Hell and make Heaven crowded! Paul writes in Philippians 1:28, “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.” DON’T BE INTIMIDATED. And Scripture tells us exactly what to do when the enemy comes at us with intimidation. James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Notice the order: Submit to God, resist the devil. We don’t defeat the enemy by becoming obsessed with the enemy. We don’t spend all day looking for demons behind every difficult circumstance. We don’t have to live on high alert, wondering where the next attack is coming from. We fix our eyes on Jesus, submit ourselves to God, and when the enemy comes with lies, fear, temptation, accusation, or intimidation, we resist. How do you resist? You refuse to agree with the lie. When he says, “You can’t do this,” you remember, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When he says, “You’re alone,” you remember, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When he says, “You should be afraid,” you remember that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. You fight the lie with the truth. That’s why knowing God’s Word matters so much. Jesus Himself responded to the enemy’s temptation with Scripture. He didn’t negotiate with Satan. He didn’t entertain the lie. He answered with the truth of God’s Word: “It is written.” Girl, you need some “It is written” in your life! When fear comes, you need to know what God has already said. When anxiety starts shouting, you need truth louder than the thoughts in your head. When intimidation tells you to back down, you need the Word of God reminding you who you are, whose you are, and who is with you. Ephesians 6:10–11 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Did you catch that? TAKE YOUR STAND. The goal isn’t that you never experience fear. The goal is that fear doesn’t get to move you. You may feel intimidated and still stand. You may feel anxious and still obey. You may feel overwhelmed and still take the next step. You may hear the bark and still keep walking. That’s courage—not the absence of fear, but refusing to let fear become your master. Your job isn’t to defeat Satan. Jesus has already defeated him. Your job is to remain surrendered to Jesus, stand firm in truth, resist the lies, and keep moving forward in obedience. That’s what intimidation cannot stand against: a woman who knows who she is, knows whose she is, knows what God has said, and refuses to back down. When you fear the enemy you give him hope and confidence in his schemes against you. If he sees his fear tactics against you are successful, he’ll double down to drag you into his darkness and keep you there. He’ll send his demons to attack your mind and discourage your heart. Is that what he’s been doing to you? Girl, are you going to let him have access to your heart and mind like that? But let me tell you what happens when you’re NOT INTIMIDATED by him – he withdraws in defeat. Unlike God, Satan is limited. He does not hold all power. He cannot be everywhere at once. He cannot move heaven and earth. He is not unlimited. Therefore, he continually seeks the weak spot and attacks where his efforts are most effective. He zeros in on what is working. And honey, if his attacks haven’t been intimidating you, then he won’t waste his time continuing. Today, you let the enemy of your soul know you will not live in fear of him. Shut down his fear tactics. Refuse his invitation to overwhelm. Stiff arm his offer of anxious thoughts. Deny his suggestions of no longer wanting everything God has for you. Don’t give him the satisfaction of intimidation. Enemy, you’re wasting your time trying to keep me awake in worry. When my alarm rings, I’m still hitting my knees in prayer. I’m still showing up. I’m still giving God my best. That’s how you defeat him! Satan, the anxious thoughts you try to offer me are straight up denied. You’re wasting your time with the attack on my mind. I know the truth, I stand in the truth, I speak the truth. You are powerless against God and I’m under His divine protection. When spiritual enemies cannot intimidate you, they’ve lost all weapons because all they had was fear and intimidation. Now, you know how to disarm the enemy. Stop listening to him. Stop being influenced by him. Stop believing him. You don’t have to argue with him. You don’t have to fight him in your own strength. You simply have to stand. Stand in truth. Stand in faith. Stand in the authority Jesus has given you. Stand your ground and keep moving forward. Because here’s what intimidation is trying to do: it’s trying to make you smaller than your calling. It’s trying to convince you that the dream God whispered to you is too big, the assignment is too hard, the risk is too great, the people won’t understand, and you’re not capable of doing what God is asking you to do. But God didn’t call you to live a small, safe, fear-controlled life. So get back up, girl. Take back the ground you’ve surrendered. Start praying again. Start dreaming with God again. Start showing up again. Start saying YES to the things God has been putting on your heart. You don’t have to know exactly how it’s all going to work. You just have to be willing to take the next step. The enemy can bark, but he cannot cancel what God has ordained. He can make noise, but he cannot have the final word. He can threaten, but he cannot separate you from the God who holds you. So let him bark. You keep walking. Let him make noise. You keep obeying. Let him try to intimidate you. You keep becoming everything God created you to be. Because, Sis, you are not walking into your future alone. You are walking with Jesus. And when Jesus is with you, fear doesn’t get to decide where you go. The enemy’s bark is not your stop sign. It’s your reminder to keep moving forward. DON’T BE INTIMIDATED. Don’t shrink. Don’t retreat. Don’t quit. Stand up. Stand firm. And LIVE BIG. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Something is happening within you as you surrender your life to God and grow more in Jesus – You are becoming so incredibly attractive. You have a certain glow about you. You stand out. There’s something magnetizing about you. There’s a deep joy within you and it just seeps out of your pours. Others are seeing it! Something supernatural happens when your life is lived in close relationship with God. You can’t explain it and you can’t duplicate it in any other way. Let me tell you a story … At our Redwood Forest Retreat this past weekend, there was a lady named Kayla. Kayla is a sold-out, bold and courageous follower of Jesus. She knows exactly what Jesus saved her from and she lives every moment of her life in loud praise of him for that rescue and redemption. Life hasn’t been easy for her, but God has done a radical work of redemption in her. Let me tell you, you don’t spend time with Kayla and walk away the same. The Holy Spirit she carries in her truly does shift the atmosphere. On the final morning of our retreat, everyone except for Kayla went down to the shore for a time or worship, cold plunge and baptisms. Kayla said the Holy Spirit had prompted her to stay behind in the retreat house to spend alone time with him. That’s rare for her because Kayla has 10 kids and is actively involved in a street ministry in Sacramento. Sitting with God in this glorious cottage in the redwoods was perfection for her. While we were all floating around in freezing cold water allowing God to breath into us, Kayla was singing and praising back at the retreat house. Without any of us knowing, she was specifically praying to be a Christ-like-fragrance. Hmmmm, have you ever prayed that? Well, me neither! 2 Corinthians 2:15, “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.” We returned to the retreat house within an hour to find the praise music blasting. And one of our retreat girls, Janiel, caught a whiff of the most beautiful perfume. It was coming from Kayla. In fact, the fragrance was so unique and beautiful, Janiel turned to Kayla’s sister and asked if she knew what perfume Kayla was wearing. Later we found out about her prayer that morning to be a Christ-like-fragrance. How wild is that? The Holy Spirit’s work in you makes you a beautiful fragrance!!!!!! Now, understand why. Why does a life surrendered to Jesus and lived in close relationship with him make you stand out with a glow? Why does it change your very fragrance? Well, this isn’t about you. This isn’t about you being noticed. This isn’t about you looking better. This isn’t about anyone admiring you. Trust me, this isn’t about you smelling good. This is about JESUS! Philippians 1:11 MSG, “Live a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.” There it is – the Holy Spirit’s work in us with the results of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control all growing in us – this makes Jesus Christ ATTRACTIVE! Our surrendered lives make Jesus look good to others! And yes, that makes us stand out, that makes people see us different, that can even make us smell different – to the point that they ask, “What’s up with her, what does she have, and how do I get some?” But we have a unique way of making everything about us. We forget this isn’t about YOU being attractive – this is about JESUS BEING ATTRACTIVE IN YOU! Come back to that, Sis. You don’t need anyone to give you glory or praise. If that’s what you’re seeking, this has gotten twisted. And really, that happens so easily – I know it got really twisted for me for a really long time. God has been so patient with me. His grace over me has been undeserved. He humbled me and continues to humble me so I untwist this – it was never about me – it was always about Jesus. MAKE JESUS ATTRACTIVE! Then what happens as we make Jesus attractive with the way we live our lives? Go back to the rest of that scripture – We get “everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.” I sat back and noticed exactly how this happens while at retreat. We sat around a firepit on opening night and each shared what God is doing in our lives right now. Many had praises of how God has worked things out for them. Some had stories of how God was still carrying them through a reality they would have never chosen, yet they could see his fingerprints in the details. With each shared story we could see God’s glory and participate in his praise. While our stories were different, we could relate to God’s faithfulness on our own journey and apply his promises to our own lives. Every time someone shared a piece of their story, we all got involved in the glory and praise of God! On a very practical level, that’s how it happens! And let me tell you, Jesus was so attractive in our circle around that firepit! The fragrance rising up was glorious! So, Sis, this is what I want you to remember: You don’t have to try to be attractive. You just have to stay close to Jesus. Stay surrendered. Stay in His Word. Stay in His presence. Let the Holy Spirit keep doing His beautiful, sometimes uncomfortable, always transformational work inside of you. Because when you spend enough time with Jesus, He starts showing up on you. His love starts coming out of your mouth. His joy starts showing up in your face. His peace starts changing the way you respond. His kindness starts changing the way you treat people. His goodness starts changing the way you live. His self-control starts changing what you say yes and no to. And suddenly, without trying to be impressive, you become a living invitation to Jesus. People see something different. They feel something different. They may not even know what it is at first, but they notice. They wonder. They ask. “What’s different about you?” “How are you so peaceful?” “How did you get through that?” “Why aren’t you bitter?” “What do you have that I don’t have?” And that’s your moment. It’s not me. It’s Jesus. That’s the fragrance. That’s the glow. That’s the attraction. Not so people will notice you, but so they will notice Him. Your life becomes a little window through which someone else gets a glimpse of Jesus. Your story gives someone else courage. Your peace gives someone else hope. Your praise reminds someone else that God is still faithful. Your surrendered heart becomes an invitation for someone else to know the One who changed you. All around you, Jesus is calling people to him, and he’s using you as the reflection of his love and life-changing power. Those whom he is calling to him will be attracted. Those who are not being called, well – they won’t like you at all. You need to know that so you’re not discouraged. After Paul tells us about being a sweet perfume and Christ-like-fragrance rising up to God, he prepares us for the 2 very different ways that is received in this world. 2 Corinthians 2: 15-16, “BUT this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.” Remember this – it’s not up to you who is invited into that life-saving relationship with Jesus. This isn’t about you. To those Jesus is inviting, you will help attract them to him. To those who are not, you will be repulsive. You won’t be liked. They will not be receptive to you. Can you be okay with that? Can you continue to show up has God’s sweet perfume in this world, even when some reject you, even while some ridicule you, even while some are hateful towards you? Or will you decide you’re too fragile for the criticism of a few so you stop showing up for the ones who are ready to respond to Jesus? I’m so grateful Jesus didn’t sit out his mission because of the ones who would ridicule him. I’m so grateful he didn’t cancel his coming because some would be ugly. He came anyway. He taught anyway. He loved anyway. And he gave his life anyway. Now he asks us to do the same. Stop being detoured by those who don’t like this Jesus in you. Stop playing little and hiding your fragrance and your glow because they don’t receive it well. It’s not about you – this is about Jesus! And there are people around you who desperately need it! Make Jesus attractive. Not with your perfection. Not with your performance. Not by pretending you’ve got it all together. Just live so close to Jesus that He can’t help but rub off on you. And then walk into the room. Carry His fragrance. Shift the atmosphere. And let everybody around you get involved in the glory and praise of God. Because the most beautiful thing about you should never be you. It should be Jesus. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Today, there are 100 days left in this year of life. Just 100 days, and we all know how quickly those final days go. As of yesterday, we stepped into the new season of Fall, next will come Winter and we will be in the Holidays, then boom … the whole year is over … again. It all goes by so fast now, doesn’t it? Have you noticed how the years are going faster and faster? Have you ever wondered why that is? There’s actually a reason. Each year of your life keeps going by faster because the older you get, the less one year of your life represents to your total life experience. When you were a little girl at 8 years old, it took a whole 1/8 of your life to get all the way back around to your next birthday. Now, if you’re 50, one year is only 1/50th of your life, so although the days are the same, they seem less. Imagine how fast time will speed up in the future. If a year already goes this fast, add 20 more years to the clock … girls, this is all going by so quickly. With 100 days left in this year, it’s important for us to pause and consider what these days could be. How could we use 100 days to grow and get better? I have an idea – LET’S ASK GOD!!!!! Lord, what do you want for us in the final 100 days of 2026? What do you want your girls to do? What do you want us to commit to? We are asking you – please show us. Now just sit in that for a moment. Listen. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you? The world has countless ideas for you. Run every day for the next 100 days. Eliminate soda. Do a social media fast. Wake up earlier. Read. Let go of one thing in your house every day to declutter. And all of those are fantastic. Great ideas! I’m a fan. Do it! But … what if God has something deeper for you? What if he has an invitation for you for the next 100 days, and accepting that invitation would be life-changing. I believe he does. This morning, I asked God what scripture he has for us as a guide to step into these final 100 days, and here’s what he gave me. Psalm 90:12 TPT, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” Number our days. Why? To make each one count. If they’re numbered, they’re singled out and separate. When days are lumped together they are not individually important, but our prayer for the final 100 days is to live each day as uniquely valuable. With the realization that these days are few, we will value each one more and spend them as we should. If you have massive amounts money, it’s easy to waste money. You buy new things without consideration – and honestly when you can do that, you simply don’t appreciate it as much. But, when you are on a tight budget, buying something new is a big deal. You will choose wisely and that one thing becomes more valuable to you. And so it is with the days of life. When you count them and recognize how few they are, you are less likely to waste days. You truly value a day and choose to spend it wisely. That is how God wants his girls to live! But I want to go a little deeper with this idea of numbering our days. Psalm 90 doesn’t say, “Teach us to fill our days.” Isn’t that what we often do? We just fill the days. We fill them with tasks and chores. Checklists and routines. One day, two days, three days, there’s a week, then another week, soon a month. Filled. Just so filled. Let’s stop filling our days. Scripture says, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to SPEND them as we should.” Spend them. Not fill them, spend them. Spend your days. Final 100 days – how will you spend them? That’s an interesting word, isn’t it? Spend your days. We spend money. We spend energy. We spend our attention. And every single day, we spend a little bit of our life. You are spending this day of your life right now. You are spending it whether you’re intentional about it or not. You can spend a day worrying. You can spend it scrolling. You can spend it being offended. You can spend it comparing yourself to someone else. You can spend it trying to prove something. You can spend it chasing something you think will finally make you happy. Or you can spend it loving someone. You can spend it serving. You can spend it laughing. You can spend it talking with God. You can spend it noticing God’s goodness. You can spend it doing the thing God has been asking you to do. Either way, the day gets spent. And you don’t get to put it back. That’s why I think numbering our days is actually meant to wake us up. This day is valuable and it’s limited – how will you SPEND IT? We’re not supposed to number our days so we become afraid of how little time we have. We’re supposed to number them so we finally realize how incredibly valuable today is. Maybe you’ve been living like someday is guaranteed.Someday I’ll get serious about my relationship with God.Someday I’ll forgive them.Someday I’ll make that phone call.Someday I’ll take the trip.Someday I’ll use the gift God gave me. Someday I’ll slow down and enjoy my life.Someday I’ll stop letting that thing control me. But girls, we don’t know how many somedays we have. We know we have today. And right now, we have 100 more days in 2026. (and even those aren’t guaranteed to us all.) Numbering our days isn’t about creating an anxious panic – it’s about waking us up to the gift of today. The truth is, we’ve been sleepwalking through entirely too many of our days. We’re little zombies looking at screens and routinely living days we won’t even remember. Really, how many days of this year do you distinctly remember? How many days REALLY MATTERED? We often live as though today is rehearsal for the real thing: I’ll start later. I’ll call her later. I’ll forgive later. I’ll serve later. I’ll slow down later. I’ll enjoy my kids later. I’ll do what God is asking me to do later. But eventually later becomes never. And that’s the urgency of Psalm 90:12. These days are numbered, limited, precious and few. Teach me to live them now as I should! So maybe the question isn’t, “What can I accomplish in 100 days?” Maybe the better question is: “Jesus, what do You want to do in me in these 100 days?” What do You want me to release? What do You want me to begin? What do You want me to stop? Who do You want me to love? Who do You want me to forgive? Where do You want me to obey? What part of my heart do You want to heal? What have I been putting off that You’re asking me to finally step into? Because I don’t want to simply have 100 more days. I want 100 days that matter. I don’t want to just get to December 31 and say, “Wow, that went fast.” I want to look back and say, “God was in those days.” I want to have grown. I want to have loved well. I want to have obeyed. I want to have noticed Him. I want to have made memories. I want to have helped somebody. I want to have become more like Jesus. Ephesians 5:16 TPT, “Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes.” Take full advantage of every one of these final 100 days of 2026. Spend your life for HIS purposes. Well, what are his purposes for your life? His purposes for your life are to do the good things he has planned for you. (Ephesians 2:10). What if we just started asking him what good things he wants us to do each day? What if that became our daily ask of the Holy Spirit. “Holy Spirit, show me the good things You want me to do with You today. I’m available.” So let’s stop asking, “How much can I get done in 100 days?” And let’s ask a better question: “Lord, how do You want me to spend them?” This isn’t about productivity, this is about stewardship. Lord, who do you want me to become in these final 100 days of 2026? Give me wisdom about what actually matters here! This isn’t a self-improvement project. Let’s go deeper than losing 10 pounds or reading a few books or eliminating sugar – let’s see the invitation beneath that from God – the invitation the steward these precious days better. The goal isn’t to have a really impressive 100 days. The goal is to have 100 days that mattered to God. These days belong to God. They are gifts He has placed in our hands, and we don’t know how many more we will be given. So, Lord, teach us to number them. Teach us to recognize how precious they are. Teach us to spend them well. “Holy Spirit, show me the good things You want me to do with You today. I’m available.” Not tomorrow. Today. Because these 100 days are going to pass whether we pay attention or not. December 31 is coming. The days will disappear from the calendar one by one. But what if, when we get there, we don’t just say, “Wow, that went fast.” What if we can say: “God was in those days.” I loved people. I forgave. I obeyed. I noticed Him. I said yes. I made memories. I used what He gave me. I became more like Jesus. I did the good things He prepared for me to do. I didn’t just fill my days. I spent them well. So, girls, we have 100 days. Not 100 days to become perfect. Not 100 days to prove something. Not 100 days to accomplish some giant self-improvement project. 100 days to be awake. 100 days to be available. 100 days to walk with Jesus. 100 days to love well. 100 days to do good. 100 days to live on purpose. The clock is ticking. The days are numbered. And today is a gift. Let’s not just let these 100 days pass. Let’s live them. Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com