Unshakeable Promises

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”. -Romans 8:18 NKJV

When I was growing up in the ‘70s, family time typically revolved around certain television programs. For our family, it was often weekly game shows. While I was studying and meditating on Romans 8:18 one recent morning, I thought about the particular game show “Let’s Make a Deal”, hosted by Monty Hall. Part of the show included Monty picking a contestant from the audience (the audience would dress in some crazy outfits in hopes of gaining his attention) and offering some moderately valued prize. He would then barter with them and offer a trade for something else in a particular box. The person had to weigh the value of their current prize against the potential of what was in the box. Sometimes it paid off to trade and the hidden prize was revealed to be of greater value, like maybe an appliance. Sometimes the trade was of little value, like a can of dog food. These prizes were called “zonks.” The person’s decision was based on chance and much uncertainty. 

When we think about the meaning of “revealed” and our certainty in Christ, it serves as a reminder that, unlike game show contestants who take chances in hopes of something better, we as believers have the assurance and certainty of what will be revealed in Christ. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.  But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NLT

God’s promises are beyond our comprehension, yet they are revealed to us through His Word and His Spirit, providing us with hope and assurance. Our hope is not based on uncertainty or chance but on the unshakable promises of God. We can hold on to this certainty, knowing that our future glory in Christ far outweighs any of life’s uncertainties we may face. 

To paraphrase what Paul says, anything else is a “zonk”.

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8-9 NLT

On the spot.

Deep down, we all want to be seen.

We want our efforts to be seen…

Our successes…

Not so much our failures.

God sees us.

He sees us in our weak moments.

He sees us in our “better” moments.

He sees us for who we truly are.

As Christians, we’re going to mess up. We’re going to sin. But when He died on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the condemnation and judgment we should have faced.

Romans 8:1 tells us, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

An example of this is in John 8 when the religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Obviously, a man was involved, but he was gone, and the religious leaders had set up a trap. They said, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (verses 4–5 NLT).

But Jesus knew exactly what they were doing. And instead of answering right away, He stooped down and wrote in the dirt. We don’t know what Jesus wrote, but whatever it was, it made had a big impact. Then He stood up and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (verse 7 NLT).

The Bible tells us that one by one, they all left, from the oldest to the youngest. So, Jesus said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

She replied, “No, Lord.”

Then Jesus told her, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (verse 11 NLT).

This woman knew she was going to die that day. But instead, everything changed when she looked into the eyes of Jesus and looked at the others who had condemned her. And she believed on the spot. That’s how long it takes to believe in Jesus. It’s instant.

God always sees us for what we can become. Think of Simon Peter. When he was still known as Simon, Jesus gave him a new name, Peter, which means “rock.” Now, if there was anything that Simon was not, it was a rock. He was hotheaded, compulsive, and argumentative. Yet Jesus said, “From now on, you’re a rock.”

Maybe the other disciples were laughing at this, thinking, “Rock? Does Jesus know Simon?” but they didn’t know him like Jesus did.

Because yes, Jesus did know him. But Jesus wasn’t calling Simon what he was; He was explaining what he would become. Where we see failure, God sees potential.

We see a Simon. God sees a Peter. We see the past. God sees the future. We see a mess. God sees a message. God sees us for who we are in Christ, not what we were in sin. God does not see us in our sin; He sees us in His Son. God can change everything in your story—if you’ll only let Him.

God’s Plan

Reading through the Bible Recap has me stopping in my tracks.

Saul was literally seeking counsel from people that God had told Him to kill.

What?

Now don’t get all Judgy McJudgerson – points finger at self.

I guarantee you there’s something that God has told you (me) to do that you (me) just flat out didn’t do or that you (me) decided would be best to do the opposite. Cause you know our plan is better. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Sit and stew.

Sit. And. Stew.

What was it? What is it?

What is God telling you to do?

Don’t wind up in a pickle because you’re scared, lazy, or just downright defiant.

God’s plan is the plan.

Because God is God – and we are not.

And thank God for that.

10 The Lord told Samuel, 11 “Saul has stopped obeying me, and I’m sorry that I made him king.” 1 Samuel 15:10-11

Yes.

Picture this. The flowers are blooming. The spring rain is misting. The sun has seemed brighter. The birds are soaring. The days start to be longer. It’s just that time of the year, again. I am here for it!

Springtime is a time like no other. It’s the time when we can look all around us and see the beauty of God’s creation blooming everywhere you look.

Springtime also means that beautiful Easter Sunday morning is soon approaching. Have you ever stopped to think about how Jesus must have felt on that Good Friday, when He knew He would be dying for all of our sins? Can you imagine how surreal that “yes” must have felt for Him to answer? His “yes” was greater than any of the “yes” answers He asks of us. At the Lord’s Supper, it was clear that He didn’t want to say “yes”, but He responded with “your will be done”.

Have you ever had a point in your life that required a courageous and bold decision to say “yes”? Can you recall the tug of Jesus at your heart to say “yes” to that new job, new house, new career, maybe a deployment, a new church family, or maybe a new baby or life change Jesus is calling you to follow through on?

Galatians 1:4 tells us, “He who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” By Jesus saying “yes” to giving Himself for our sins, He gave all of us the gift of eternal life waiting at the end of us saying “yes” to allowing Jesus into our heart and life and believing in Him.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.”

Our life is full of many choices that we must say “yes” to. While the most important “yes” you will ever choose will be accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He has many more times He wants us to say “yes” to Him throughout our life here on Earth. He will reward you for seeking Him in all that you do.

This upcoming Easter season, remind yourself that Jesus answered the ultimate “yes” to dying for our sins, so we must answer “yes” to that tug on your heart to that thing that Jesus is calling you to do. Just do the thing He is asking you to do. By following His plan for you, a fulfilling, long life will follow. Just say “yes” to Jesus as He said “yes” to dying for your sins.

Talk

A few days ago I was sitting at Chick-fil-A, and we were praying over our food when a lady walks up and says “Hey! Can I ask you a question?”

We end up having a 30 minute discussion about religion. She was telling me about her beliefs, and I was telling her about my Jesus.

She ended up leaving the conversation because she couldn’t give me answers to my questions.

Looking back on it I would have never initiated that conversation. I am not the type to begin talking to someone about different beliefs or religions. But that conversation went well for the Christians in the room.

A spark was started in her life and in mine.

It’s when we go out of our comfort zone that we can see more of how God uses us in the day to day.

It’s when we answer “yes” to the simple questions. And it’s when we simply share about Jesus and His miracle life!

Talk about the Lord. Don’t be afraid to share what He’s done for you.

Pep Talk Time

Hi 👋🏻

Here is the pep talk we all need this week.

Ma’am, you can’t do it all.

I repeat ————> You cannot do it all.

But you can:

▪️Plan

▪️Prioritize &

▪️Pray

And to put it in Daisy language (not fancy, kinda country): if you prioritize anything, it best be prayer. Because ladies – without prayer, it’s all gonna go to pot.

Now that’s just the truth.

Let’s plan to put God first this week.

Let’s prioritize God & be Kingdom-minded.

Let’s pray. Let’s pray for God to guide us every step of the way.

You’ve got this, girl. You’ve got this.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3

Bloom

Everywhere I look I see growth. Green grass, flowers in bloom, and new growth on the trees. It is literally everywhere I look. I feel like God is calling us to growth in relationship with him this season.

If you know anything about gardening or tending flowers and trees it is not an easy process. It takes time and devotion. Much like our relationship with our savior – it takes time and devotion.

We must weed out the things of the world, and we must fertilize with the word and gain knowledge. Possibly the most difficult part is the pruning. We must allow God to prune away the difficult parts of our lives. The dead or dying things that we hold close. The hurts, mistakes, rejections, and secrets that we hold onto because allowing God to prune them would be embarrassing or painful. If we let those go we release control of them.

Sisters, allow God to prune you today. He wants to bring growth to you. More than you can imagine. He wants to replace that hurt and longing and rejection with joy and those mistakes and secrets with peace.

Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Let him grow you in this season, and may you bloom wherever you are planted ❤️

Snags

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Romans 12:1

We like to boat ride on Pine Island Bayou. Last summer I was shocked to see how much the water level had dropped in just a couple of days. It was still a beautiful day, but I was nervous because of what had been revealed. Snags and stumps were all over the place. The safe boating lane was very narrow. I said a little prayer for safety and as I did I felt the Lord connect some dots for me on some things I had been studying.

Those stumps and snags represent the things that keep me from going all in and being that living sacrifice. To be all in, head under in…I have to dig all of them out. Not just step over them or wade around them, but dig out every snag and completely remove the trash. I have to surrender completely every area of my will to line up with His. Whew. We were in pretty shallow water for something that deep.

Whatever snag that may be holding me back, whether it is discouragement, pride, life circumstances, hidden sins, anxiety, you fill in the blank, it has to be completely surrendered to His will. He can handle it when I can’t. His yoke is easy and His burden is light and it is waiting for me out there in the middle.

Delight

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4, ESV.

When was the last time you experienced delight? I don’t mean a warm and fuzzy feeling, gratitude, or even reverence. Those are nice, but they are not delight. Perhaps it’s been a while and you need some reminding of what delight feels like.

Delight is . . .

. . . making snow angels at the age of seven.

. . . a kid on Christmas morning.

. . . looking into the face of a newborn baby.

. . . watching your child laugh and play.

. . . a rainbow over a waterfall.

. . . watching the Airforce Thunderbird show.

And delight is knowing the love of God. He is so great that his love brings us great pleasure. Psalm 37:4 tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord, and that when we do he will give us the desires of our heart. So, we first need to choose to delight in him. Delight starts with a choice to engage and allow ourselves to experience God. Spend time with him, look at his creation, feel his presence, listen to his voice, and learn to delight in him.

We know how to do this, as we have felt delight in moments like the ones described above. We sometimes forget in our prayer routines that he is not just the God we come to, he is a God we can and should delight in. And when we find that great and satisfying pleasure in God most high, he will honor our heart’s desires.

What is it about God that brings you delight? Write it down and allow your heart to smile at your God today.

Prayer: God, you are a delight. My soul longs for you and my heart needs you every day. Lord, thank you for giving me what I need and I ask you today for what my heart wants. I don’t ask out of selfishness or pride, I ask because I want to know and feel true delight in you alone and because your Word tells me you will give me those heart desires. Your Word is true and does not return void. God, I ask your forgiveness for the times I have been selfish or delighted myself in things other than you. Help me to keep my eyes and heart on you, and to use anything you give me to bring glory to your name. Amen

Answering the Call

Answering the Call: Embracing New Directions in Faith and Career

When God whispers “move,” it’s more than a nudge; it’s a transformative call to faithful action. As I reflect on my calling journey, I see a tapestry of trials and profound learning. This is not just my story, but an invitation for you to discover the beauty in your God-given calling, especially when life takes unexpected turns.

Whether you are feeling burnout, stuck, or just unfulfilled in your career, God is telling you something.

I shared a bit of my burnout journey last year. My path has been a mix of spiritual growth, revelation, and now empowering others through my new initiative, Burnout to Blessed. Each step of the way has been influenced by my divine design, purposeful passion, and life experience. I’ve realized that God’s callings are not static; they are dynamic, evolving with our life’s seasons and God’s intricate design for us.

At the heart of every call is serving others.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:10

When I was developing Teacher Revival last year, I knew I wanted to include the tagline: from burnout to blessed. It wasn’t just a catchy phrase but a revelation from the Holy Spirit about my journey and purpose. This revelation grew into a desire to support not just teachers, but to serve Christian career women, guiding them from frustration and career burnout to a place where their professional life is infused with spiritual fulfillment.

I’ve learned that understanding our unique calling is not just something for those called into ministry (sidenote: we are all called to ministry), but EVERYONE has a unique God-given calling—something He designed especially for you (Ephesians 2:10). I dove head-first into personality tests, spiritual gift assessments, and Bible studies, eventually becoming a Certified DiSC and Spiritual Gifts Facilitator. This knowledge has been instrumental in my own life and in helping others discover their divine design – a combination of personality, gifts, strengths, and God-given passions. The more I learn, the more I feel God pushing me to teach and share with others. (Did I mention that teaching is one of my spiritual gifts?!)

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8

The Calling Clarity Workshop, a free resource I offer, is a testament to my commitment to helping other women uncover their God-given calling. It’s a space for exploration, understanding, and clarity about how God uses every aspect of our lives for a greater purpose.

As I continue to blend my passions through Shake Up Learning, Teacher Revival, and Burnout to Blessed, I see a beautiful synergy emerging – one that supports, empowers, and uplifts. I invite you to join me in this journey of discovery, to embrace your calling, and to experience the joy of aligning your career with your faith.

Let us be bold, swiftly obedient, and open to the wonderful ways God is moving in our lives. God bless you on your career journey, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek in His divine plan.

Please reach out if I can serve you!