***Listen To Audio Version: Held, Not Controlled Audio 620

The Message For Today (August 19, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Held, Not Controlled Audio 620

My alarm went off, and my hand was on my phone before my feet even hit the floor. I had meant to get straight up. Instead, I was awake and scrolling; reading notifications, chasing one small thing I “needed” to look up until half an hour had slipped away. By the time I sat down to pray, the morning I’d promised myself was fizzling away. I actually have an app that shuts my other apps off so I’ll stay on track. That morning, it buzzed, and I absentmindedly turned it off. So much for my backup!

Maybe you know that morning. Or maybe yours wears a different face. The snooze button, the worry that sets in before your feet hit the floor, the scroll that quietly eats the quiet you meant to enjoy. Either way, we’ve stood in the same spot. That relentless pull.

The App That Jumped In First

Here is what stood out to me: tools are good. They can be helpful! I’m grateful for the apps, the alarms, the systems that fence in my worst habits and keep temptation at bay. But a fence is not the same as freedom. A tool restrains me from the outside. Self-control grows something from the inside. And Scripture doesn’t file self-control under willpower. It calls it fruit.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23 KJV).

Temperance. Self-mastery. It’s the last one on the list, and it’s the one I reach for an app to do for me.

So are we meant to just lean on our apps and tools? They can strengthen our resolve, but they’re only ever a means to an end; a temporary holding place that gives us room to do the real work. Using a tool to step back from temptation frees us to go looking for the real thing: true strength and temperance, from God.

God isn’t trying to fence you in. He’s trying to grow something in you that no earthly application can install! Love, joy, peace: these add to a life and free us from the distractions that aren’t of God. And there are sooooo many. When we turn to Him, He fills our souls from a well the world can’t reach and cannot drain.

A Love That Will Not Move

That same morning I read a line that stopped me cold: our weakness doesn’t repel God; it stirs His compassion. I had it backwards my whole life! I thought I had to arrive strong; that to be weak was to fail. Maybe you’ve carried that too: that shame of what we think is failure? But God gifts us our fragility on purpose, as the very place His presence can bloom.

There’s a hymn I loved and sang in church for years and never really heard until I began this reflection: “Though the mountains may fall and the hills turn to dust, yet the love of the Lord will stand…” This morning it fully hit me, because I found the verse it was built on and realized I’d been singing this promise most of my life:

“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.” — Isaiah 54:10 KJV

Read that slowly. The mountains, the things we swear are permanent, will go before His love does. This is covenant language, and covenant is sacred. That is the promise that holds even when we don’t. Even when we’re distracted from Him, scrolling, numbing, holding a grudge, His love is a fixed point. Unshakable, and not as a feeling. As a fact. A promise our Creator made to us, and it is humbling.

Two Voices, One Weakness

On any given morning, there are two voices in our head that see the same weakness in us, yet they want opposite things from it.

One voice waits for us to fall so it can profit from the failure. It offers the quick fix, the sugar, the scroll, the numbing hit of feel-good-now, and it calls that “relief.” Yet that voice has no interest in us getting strong. A woman who stays weak is easier to control. That voice capitalizes on the cracks in the wall and labels it “comfort” for the weaknesses to continue.

The other voice sees the exact same weakness and moves toward us with compassion; not to exploit the crack, but to fill it. To comfort us and strengthen us. To hand us tools, then put us back on our own two feet.

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” - 2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV

In those moments, ask yourself plainly: Do I want the voice of the One who loves me and is always there for me? Or the one waiting to prey on my weakness? The one whose compassion makes me stronger, or the one who compounds my weakness to keep me small?

God has no interest in controlling us. He gave us the freedom to choose His path freely; He offers grace and mercy. That’s the tell. Anything that shows you how to be gracious comes from God. Anything that feeds on your weakness to keep you needing it, does not.

The Woman Who Recoiled

I was at a health conference once, sitting beside a woman I didn’t know. Feeling light and joyful, I was chatting with everyone around me. At one point I leaned across her without thinking, and when I caught myself, I turned to apologize and made a small gesture to touch her shoulder, and she recoiled in something like horror, leaning hard into the person on her other side. It wasn’t the touch; it felt like real fear.

I tried to apologize for that too, and she quickly asked to switch seats to get away from me; not from anyone else in that room. Through all the uplifting talks that followed, she spoke over the speakers, pulling at the room’s attention. So I began to pray over her in my mind, just for her peace. When I looked up at the end, she was gone, and I never saw her again. It was the strangest encounter, and it felt like she was repelled by lightness itself.

I have reflected on that encounter many times. That is how the darkness responds to the light. It recoils. It cannot abide a joy it can’t manipulate. Just know, when a woman walks closely with God, the darkness doesn’t leave completely; it scampers just beyond the light, looking for the holes in her fortress. Fatigue. Hunger. A lonely hour.

A low point in the afternoon. And then: “How about a little temporary pleasure to take the edge off?” Those demons are relentless, and let’s be honest, they’re a lot more sparkly than they used to be. Yet here is the promise that outlasts all of it: the brighter a woman shines in God, no matter what is happening around her, the more the darkness backs away. His light is not for a season. It’s for now, and it is for always.

Turn Toward, or Turn Away

True health is not the result of one grand decision. It’s a hundred small ones, and you can feel the outcome in the body, the mind, and the spirit. Think about the last time you truly felt good. Deep-in-your-soul good. You were probably loving someone, laughing with your whole body, being gentle, witnessing kindness happen. That is the true fruit of the Spirit: you can feel it when you pay attention, and it comes from God, not the enemy. And we get to turn toward that fruit in every small decision. Again and again.

Every day, through our thoughts, words, and deeds, we turn toward the light or away from it. We follow the lamp of the Lord, or we bump around in the dark. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). One direction strengthens the whole woman.

The other quietly weakens her. And here is the beautiful, almost unfair part of the covenant: the enemy is waiting for you to fall, but God, who indeed knows we will fall, is already waiting to lift us up. Again, and again, and as many “agains” as it takes.

A Question to Carry

Take this one question into your day and let it be simple. In the moments I feel weak, tired, tempted, reaching for the quick fix, am I turning toward the One who wants to comfort and strengthen me? Or toward the thing that only wants to keep me weak and needing it?

The enemy calls his version “relief,” but it’s really a weight. God calls you to rest and means it: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” You don’t have to arrive strong. You just have to turn; turn toward His light. He’ll meet you in your weakness and bring you comfort and strength. He always has.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father, thank You for a love that will not move; even for the precious daughter reading this prayer right now. In every weak moment today, turn her heart toward You. Let her remember not only who she is, but whose she is. Comfort her, and in that comfort, make her strong. Give her rest that restores her soul and keep her close to Your light: a lamp for her feet, a promise for her path. In Your holy name, Amen.

Written by

Mo’s Gift to You

My morning got away from me before it even began, so here’s the little practice that pulls me back, and it’s yours, free. The 5-Minute Morning is my simple way to give God the first five minutes of your day, before the phone, the noise, or the to-do list gets a vote. Start tomorrow with Him instead of the scroll.

→ Grab your free 5-Minute Morning:

https://5mm.mocoopercoaching.com

Mo Cooper is a health coach at Mo Knows Health, helping women build a body, mind, and soul that hold steady under pressure. Find her at momindbodysoul.com.

***Listen To Audio Version: Testimony In Real Time Audio 619

The Message For Today (August 18, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Testimony In Real Time Audio 619


Most of us know how to reach for scripture after the fact. We find the perfect verse once the crisis has passed, once we can look back and see how God has moved. But there is a way of using the Word that does not wait for the ending, because scripture is meant to be used in real time.

Not later. Not after it has been processed into something trending enough to share. While it is still happening, while your hands are still shaking. While there is chaos all around. While the enemy is whispering his best lies.

A Court Case In Heaven

The “accuser of our brethren” is the enemy of our souls himself. If he was in an earthly criminal proceeding, he would be the prosecutor.

Zechariah saw the same scene: Joshua the high priest standing before the Lord in filthy garments, and “Satan standing at his right hand to resist (accuse) him.” Zechariah 3:1-3 KJV.

Satan is the one laying the charges against you, day and night, which is probably why the Word of God tells us in Joshua 1:8:

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8 KJV.

Not as a suggestion, but out of necessity. Not standing silent, but speaking His Word, thinking on His Word, and meditating on His Word, day and night.

The Blood is the Evidence.

The Word tells us that the accuser is overcome two ways, and the first is already a done deal: by the blood of the Lamb. His blood has never once been successfully challenged: “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” Romans 8:33 KJV. The verdict is in, and it was settled without us.

As to the second, let me preface it by saying: evidence sitting in a drawer does not acquit anybody. It has to be brought into the courtroom.

“Testimony” does not only mean the thing we say at the women’s breakfast once it has a happy ending. Nothing is wrong with that. God is still glorified in it, but that is not primarily what the word means here.

In the original language, “testimony” is a legal word. It means sworn witness or statement given under oath, as we would call it. The testimony is not the highlight reel. The testimony is the plea. It is saying out loud, in the middle of the accusation, the blood of Jesus Christ has already answered this.

And that is what “real time” means. You say it while the prosecution is still talking. It is the same thing I do as a lawyer in a courtroom the moment a question goes somewhere it has no business going: “I object!”

Not after. Not in the appeal. Right then, out loud, while the words are still in the air.

Jesus did it that way too.

When the enemy came at Jesus in the wilderness, He did not wait for the forty days to end. Three times the accusation came, and three times He answered in the moment: “It is written.” That was the blueprint and battle plan.

What it looks like in my house.

My twin toddlers have hard days. Meltdowns on top of meltdowns, screaming that fills every room in the house. There are afternoons when I come to the end of myself and then keep going past it, and what is on the other side of that is not strength. It is a woman sitting on the floor staring into the middle distance, unable to move and unable to speak, asking what David asked: “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD?” Psalm 13:1 KJV.

But when I pick the sword (the Word of God) back up, and instead of staring into space defeated, start speaking it, the atmosphere changes. I won’t tell you the screaming stops. Sometimes it does not. But the dread lifts off my chest. My hands steady. I stop parenting out of despair and start parenting out of authority, and I get through that day with my head up instead of in my hands.

That is the difference between believing something quietly and testifying to it. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10 KJV.

Both. The heart and the mouth.

Whatever is being said over you today: a diagnosis, a bank balance, or your own mind at two in the morning, none of us is required to sit there and take it. The blood has already acquitted us. Say so. Out loud. Now, while our accuser is still talking.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Father, thank You that the case against this mighty woman was closed at the cross, and that she did not have to win it. Thank You that when she has nothing to say for herself, You have already answered for her. But thank You also that You have taught her how to open up her mouth in real time, not after the storm, but while still in it, because Jesus showed the way when He was taken up to be tempted for forty days and nights in the wilderness. Put Your Word in her mouth and give her the boldness to speak it while the accusation is still in the air. I plead the blood of Jesus over her mind, her home, her family, and her future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by , The Praying Lawyer

The Praying Lawyer by Marshay Iwu

A spirit-led publication demonstrating the power of God through modern parables, devotionals, and occasional livestreams. We unapologetically believe in the power of prayer and surrender in every part of our lives.

***Listen To Audio Version: Protected Hearts and Minds Audio 618

The Message For Today (August 17, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Protected Hearts and Minds Audio 618

Guard Your Heart

Sometimes we wake up feeling tired and don’t know the reason. Even after a full night’s sleep, regular exercise, and healthy eating, the feeling of weariness can still linger.

Once we know it’s not a health issue, we often stop looking for answers. But many times, this tiredness is really about what’s going on in our hearts and minds.

A good way to check in with yourself is to sit quietly for five minutes. It may seem simple, but spending a few quiet minutes each morning can help you see how you’re guarding your heart and mind for the day ahead.

While you sit in stillness, can you focus on God and His Word, or do your thoughts race and repeat like background noise you hardly notice anymore?

When King Solomon wrote Proverbs 4:23 and told us to ‘keep’ our heart, he was teaching us to be watchful. In his day, a watchman guarded the city gates, letting nothing in without careful thought. If the gate was left open, the city was at risk. In the same way, our hearts and minds need our careful attention.

We spend a lot of time caring for others, but we sometimes forget that our own hearts and minds need just as much care.

When we decide to guard our hearts and minds, we pay attention to every thought, feeling, and desire. We pause long enough to talk to God about them and, with His help, decide what to keep and what to let go. We set boundaries that follow His ways, not just our own.

Untended

How do our minds get so crowded with things we aren’t meant to carry? How do we go from starting the day with hope to feeling overwhelmed so quickly?

To understand this, think about your first thought when you wake up. Are you excited about what today could bring, or are you already worried about everything you need to do now and in the future?

We sometimes imagine problems that may never happen and worry about things that aren’t meant for today. These worries drain our energy and make our bodies react as if we’re facing real danger, even when we’re not.

We often feel overwhelmed because we try to handle tomorrow’s worries today. God’s grace is enough for us right now. As Matthew 6:34 says, God gives us what we need for today, not for all the extra things we add to our list. Our stress often comes from wanting to control everything and not trusting Him fully.

Sorting it out

When we guard our hearts carefully, we choose to be active instead of passive. We don’t let worries and random thoughts come and go as they want. Instead, we use discernment and take every thought captive, just as 2 Corinthians 10:5 teaches. We become the gatekeeper, noticing each thought before our minds get cluttered and anxiety builds. It all begins with awareness.

When a thought comes, don’t let it wander freely. Pause and ask, ‘What is this thought doing in my mind, and is it from God?’ If it isn’t, take it captive and give it to God, who will show you if it’s from Him.

Next, ask yourself, ‘Is this something God wants me to handle today? Has He asked me to act on this now?’ If it’s just a worry about tomorrow, let it go.

We need to set boundaries, which means knowing what God’s Word says about what should stay in our lives and what shouldn’t. This is something we practice all day long. That’s why we’re told to meditate on His Word day and night, so we can focus on His ways and stay close to Him.

When we do this, we notice what doesn’t belong and can let it go. There’s real freedom in releasing what we’re not meant to carry.

Faithful Stewardship

God’s Word shows us how to have a healthy mind by managing our hearts and thoughts His way. We find real peace when we let go of our own demands and the need to control everything, and instead focus on what He’s asked us to do each day. We ask Him, “What have You given me to handle today?” and let go of the rest.

When we focus on being faithful with what God has given us, the outside worries start to fade. We pay attention to what He wants us to carry and how He wants us to do it, together with Him.

As we guard our hearts and minds, we also choose to be present with God right now, trusting that He will guide us through each day, week, and year. His wisdom and promises are always with us.

For Today

Before you start your day, take a few minutes to guard your heart:

1. Write down the top three things you are thinking or worrying about today, and what obligations are crowding your mind.

2. Read each one carefully and say, “Can I take action on this today? And is this something God is calling me to steward right now?” Or, is this even from God?

3. If the answer is no, put a big ‘X’ through it, take that thought captive, and cross it off your list.

Give your list to God in prayer. Some things may be part of His plan for you, but maybe not for today. Focus on what He’s called you to do right now.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father,

You search our hearts, and You know us completely. You see the places where our thoughts run rampant and where we try to take control of our days and even our seasons that really belong to You. Please forgive us for the times we have tried to step outside of Your design and Your plans.

We thank You for guarding our minds and hearts against anxieties, and for keeping us from allowing fear to control our decisions or from meditating on things that are not of You. We choose to meditate on Your Word and Your ways, which are higher than ours. We accept Your truth over the enemy’s lies, and we choose Your peace over any anxiety.

Please teach us to stand guard over our hearts with all diligence, and quiet any thoughts that are not from You. We believe that You are anchoring our hearts and minds on what You have placed in our hands right now, for today.

Give us the wisdom to steward what is ours, and the humility to surrender and let go of what is not. We keep our trust in You, and our minds stayed on You, as You grant us Your peace that surpasses all understanding while we walk faithfully with You today.

In Your mighty name we pray, Amen.

Written by

What Endures

Welcome. Are you seeking clarity when life feels noisy, peace in the storm, and love that steadies your steps? I don’t have all the answers, but I have walked this road—and I’d be honored to walk it with you.

By Jennifer Rene

***Listen To Audio Version: Look Within Audio 617

The Message For Today (August 16, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Look Within Audio 617

The Courage to Look Within

Life is busy; there’s a lot of noise, distractions abound. This makes it easy for us to disregard or hurry past some of the important places in our hearts that need attention.

The enemy loves to misdirect our attention away from what is most important and give us plenty of excuses as to why we should leave them untouched.

But when God calls us into a set-apart season, He invites us to slow down long enough to look at what is really there.

This is the work of the inner spiritual audit… an intentional journey into the heart to explore the forgotten and unattended-to things hiding there.

It’s an invitation to look in the rooms we don’t often visit and see what’s there. Much like an annual audit in business, only this is a spiritual and soul-level audit to “balance the books” of our lives with God.

It gives us an opportunity to put everything on the table and ask:

“Okay, God, what needs attention here? What needs to be restored? What needs to be released? What do You want to heal? What do You want to develop next?”

This takes courage, and trust.

It takes courage to pull away from the noise and enter an intentional wilderness experience with God. And, it takes trust to believe that He loves you even when He reveals difficult things.

The wilderness is a quiet and set-apart place where distractions are stripped away and the true condition of the heart can be brought into the light.

It’s “off grid” if you will, necessary and needed, but not always comfortable…

Sometimes, the wilderness reveals spiritual dryness. Sometimes, it exposes hidden compromises, unconfessed bitterness, anxious patterns, recurring reactions, or areas where culture has quietly reshaped our standards.

It may reveal a place where disappointment has created distance from God or where an old wound continues to influence present choices.

God’s Word Reveals and Heals

This is why keeping a foundation in the Word of God is so important in the process.

Hebrews 4:12 says:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Nothing is hidden from God’s sight, and His word is the revealer and healer of our heart wounds.

God’s Word reaches beneath surface behavior. It reveals the thoughts, intentions, motives, and agreements operating within the heart.

But it is important to understand why God reveals these things.

God is not exposing your heart to reject you.

He is lovingly revealing what needs attention so you can release what no longer serves you and return those areas to Him with greater freedom, clarity, and wholeness.

No Shame. No Blame.

This is not a search for reasons to step into guilt, shame, regret, or self-condemnation. It is also not an attempt to earn God’s love and approval.

In Jesus, we begin from a place of acceptance, and God’s love for us is already granted, unconditionally.

Romans 8:1 declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

The distinction here is between conviction and condemnation. The two are not the same thing.

Condemnation attacks identity and says, “This is who you are. You will never change,” and it brings with it feelings of shame and guilt.

Conviction, on the other hand, identifies an area of misalignment and says, “This does not belong in your life. Bring it to God so He can heal, restore, and realign it.”

Condemnation and shame push you away from God and make you want to withdraw and hide.

Conviction invites you closer, to repent, restore, and heal.

Your Spiritual Audit

Last Monday, we talked about the special “Set Apart” season we are in right now, called Elul. It started a few days prior to this writing.

It’s an entire month dedicated to deep self-reflection, prayer, repentance, and deep heart work.

It’s the intentional wilderness mentioned earlier.

If you choose to do this, partner with the Holy Spirit to examine your relationship with God, your relationships with others, and your stewardship of yourself and your assignments.

Remain open to both conviction and affirmation.

Notice where you have drifted, but also recognize where God has already produced growth.

Acknowledge what needs to change, but don’t overlook the places where healing, maturity, and obedience are already becoming visible.

This spiritual audit is not a pass or fail scorecard. It is a self-awareness practice that helps identify the areas where you may need to lean in closer with the Holy Spirit and make corrections or get His help.

As things are revealed, choose how to move forward…it may require you to release the defenses and the offenses. Lay down the excuses, forgive people that hurt you, let go of some things, and make some different in your life…

Ask the Holy Spirit to speak plainly and clearly reveal to you what God is asking of you in this season.

Set Apart From Something

Remember, when you choose to set yourself apart from something, God can set you apart for something greater.

This is where true transformation begins, when we get honest with ourselves in the King’s presence and invite His wisdom to help transition us into freedom.

Don’t be afraid to lean in deeply.

Your past does not define your future. What God reveals in this season is not meant to overwhelm you. It is meant to become the starting point for healing, freedom, and lasting transformation.

Reflection Questions

1. What part of your spiritual life have you tried to keep closed to God, and why?

2. Is there a recurring reaction, anxious pattern, hidden compromise, or area of spiritual dryness the Holy Spirit may be highlighting?

Today’s Response

Set aside uninterrupted time and ask the Holy Spirit to show you one area that needs to be healed, released, restored, or realigned. Write down what He reveals, then ask Him for one practical step of obedience.

Closing Devotional Prayer

Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth and Counselor of the soul, I pray that you search every area of our hearts and reveal what has been hidden or hurriedly overlooked. Help the mighty woman of God to see clearly, not through shame or condemnation, but through grace.

Expose spiritual dryness, anxious patterns, hidden compromises, and unresolved wounds that she may be unaware of. Affirm the growth You have already produced and show the mighty woman of God what she needs and what needs her attention next.

Give her the courage to release every excuse, receive Your correction, and walk with You into greater freedom, clarity, and wholeness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by

P.S. If you are ready to go deeper in this process, it’s not too late to join the free Meet the King Challenge. It will guide you through a 40-day journey of spiritual reflection, healing, realignment, and preparation for what God wants to do next. Learn more at: MeetTheKingChallenge.com

Today’s Devotional Scripture:

“...who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”

-Hebrews 5:2 KJV

The Message for Today (August 15, 2026):

There is a massive homeless problem where I live.

Drive anywhere, and you’ll see them, pushing carts, shouting at the air, or begging for money.

In such an environment, it can be easy to become calloused to the cries of the needy.

After all, there have been many stories about people pretending to be homeless in order to swindle others out of their money.

Other homeless people act in ways which endanger themselves and others, often addicted to drugs.

Yet, God reminds us He has compassion on all. He understands what it is like to be homeless. After all, Jesus didn’t truly have a home when he was preaching and doing ministry, instead relying on the hospitality of others. He even said he was unwelcome in his hometown (Luke 4:24).

Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry, uncertain of where to sleep, and probably had worn clothing. Because of these years of need, he had compassion on others in these situations, as this verse points out. The verse also applies to having compassion on those struggling with sin, which Jesus does.

So when it comes to the homeless, we can know Jesus would have had compassion on them.

This doesn’t mean that he would help them all.

Consider the blind man at the pool of Shalom. Many who came to that pool were blind and sick, yet Jesus didn’t heal all of them. He healed one man for a purpose (John 9:1-11). A similar event happens with the paralytic lowered from the roof. At first, Jesus doesn’t heal him, but instead, forgives his sins. It is only after the Pharisees confront him that he heals him, so that others might believe (Matthew 9:1–8, Mark 2:1–12, and Luke 5:17–26). Yes, there were days when Jesus healed many. But even he could not reach everyone in the entire world when he lived in Israel.

Jesus had compassion on the poor and downtrodden, and so should we. But that doesn’t mean allowing swindlers to take advantage of us or giving money to everyone who asks. Instead, pray the Holy Spirit leads you in who to give money to and who to provide for.

Personally, I have done this and found the Lord led me to give food to several homeless people. I don’t give to everyone, but to who God leads. I pray for compassion and ask for his forgiveness when I grow callous. So, when you see a homeless person in your area, consider what you should or should not do, but always keep compassion in your heart.

Closing Devotional Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help me to do what is right when it comes to the homeless. It can be hard to have compassion on someone who seems undeserving on the surface. But you remind me that I, too, am undeserving. So, my priest, guide my heart and my actions to show compassion to others. In Your Son’s Name, Amen

Enter the Giveaway

***Listen To Audio Version: Reset The Habits Audio 616

The Message For Today (August 13, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Reset The Habits Audio 616

There comes a point when what we believe has to become visible in how we live. In my hood, you would hear “don’t talk about it, be about it” often.

Here’s a reality: we can pray for change, load up vision boards, declare scripture daily, listen to sermons, read devotionals, attend conferences, and say we are ready for something different. But eventually, transformation will and should ask us to show our work.

That is what I believe James 1:22 confronts so clearly: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” And deception can be a silent killer when God wants us to live. There is an inherent danger in hearing truth repeatedly without allowing that truth to change our behavior.

You understand, we can know what is right and still not have the capacity to practice it? Or we can have head knowledge on what we should do and still delay doing it. More importantly, in my opinion, we can be highly spiritually informed but practically inconsistent. And if we are not careful, we can mistake exposure to truth, only, for transformation. When exposure actually has the power to lead to expansion.

You see, knowing is not the same as doing. Just as believing is not the same as building. Nor is desiring the same as developing. And wanting freedom, certainly, is not the same as practicing the habits that will produce it.

That is why this week’s financial reset is about our habits.

For our reset to be effective, we have to deal with the patterns and cycles of behaviors that have been formed by what we have repeatedly believed. In spending time in this space, examining my own life and helping my clients transform, I discovered that habits are “something else”. They are so subtle but very powerful because they operate quietly.

Habits do not always feel dramatic but run deep and can happen automatically without warning.

Let’s explore a few:

We wake up and reach for our phones. We get paid and spend before we save--living 100% off of earned income. Oftentimes we allow immense pressure and react before we pray. We feel disappointed and withdraw, and will wear isolation like a badge of honor.

Sadly, for some of us we receive an opportunity and immediately think of why it will not work or talk ourselves out of not accepting it.

We tell ourselves we are going to do something later, and later keeps getting pushed further away. The “shoulda”, “coulda” and “wouldas” become common place, unchallenged.

Sure, one habit does not seem significant in the moment. However, that’s the deception without understanding, because those habits become patterns. Patterns become lifestyles. And lifestyles produce outcomes.

This is why freedom has to be a desire, it is so often connected to what we repeatedly do and don’t. When aligned with God, what we do yields freedom and relieves us from what “we” do that doesn’t.

We may want financial stability, but if our habits (what we do) continue to support instability, our desire and our discipline are moving in two different directions. These are competing interests of the Father. We may want peace, but can we really expect it if we constantly consume confusion, chaos, conflict, and comparison?

We may desire growth, but if we continue avoiding the very things that require maturity, then growth remains something we talk about instead of something we experience. Habits really do display what we are practicing. It could be a few dollars or few minutes here or delay, impulse or excuse there.

We are forming habits. And over time, they either become support systems for our future or stumbling blocks to it.

Now, please don’t rush to obsessing with perfection. I don’t believe God is asking us to live flawless lives, just to become faithful to His will and way for them.

You see faithfulness is different from perfection. Faithfulness says, I will keep practicing what aligns with the life I am asking God to help me build. I strongly believe that faithfulness gives grace room to work through consistency.

That grace allows us to embrace this truth, any habit, that is in-congruent with the will of the Father, can be changed. Therefore, we are not permanently bound to the patterns that may have brought us to needing a reset. Yes, even the ones, we may have learned in childhood, developed them in survival and repeated for years. But, please know, repeated responses do not have to be permanent ones.

And, that matters because many women live with a quiet belief that, “This is just how I am”. Even if the habit didn’t serve them in the past and is evident today.

We must be careful with the language we use about ourselves. Because if we repeatedly label ourselves by our worst habits, we begin protecting patterns God is trying to help us change. A habit is something you do. It is not who you are.

The Word of God calls us to renewal, obedience, maturity, and transformation. That means our behaviors should continue growing as our faith grows. The more we understand, the more we should begin to practice.

This is where faith, finances, and freedom meet in a practical way.

Faith gives us the courage to believe that change is possible. Financial stewardship requires us to create habits that support stability and wisdom. Freedom is what begins to emerge when our daily behavior stops working against the life we say we want.

Let’s think about finances for a moment.

Financial freedom is not usually created by one large moment. It is often built by very ordinary habits repeated over time. Looking at your numbers: knowing what is coming in and going out. Saving consistently and reducing unnecessary spending. Paying obligations on time, preparing before emergencies happen and learning before investing. Building margin by increasing income intentionally and avoiding decisions based only on emotion.

We cannot expect extraordinary results while repeatedly practicing habits that undermine them.

At some point, we have to ask whether our routines are cooperating with our prayers.

If we are praying for financial stability but repeatedly spending without awareness, something is out of alignment. If we are praying for growth but resisting accountability, something is out of alignment.

God can absolutely open doors. But sometimes our responsibility is to become the kind of person who can walk through them well.

Jesus often taught principles of faithfulness in small things.

Luke 16:10 says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”

There is something deeply spiritual about how we handle small things.

Small amounts of money. Small commitments. Small acts of obedience.

We often pray for more while overlooking what “more” will require from us. More income may require stronger management. More influence may require better boundaries. More freedom may require saying no to habits that once provided comfort. The question is not only, What do I want God to give me? I believe the better question is, What habits would help me steward well what I am asking Him to trust me with?

That is where implementation becomes essential.

Because revelation without implementation becomes another thing we heard but did not apply.

James warns against deceiving ourselves because it is possible to feel spiritually productive while remaining practically unchanged. We can underline the verse and still avoid the action. We can say amen and still keep the pattern. We can be deeply inspired and still return to the same routine by Monday. This is not condemnation. It is an invitation.

This week, as always, the goal is not to overhaul your entire life. It is to interrupt one pattern, just one.

One habit that has been working against your faith, weakening your finances or delaying your freedom.

Maybe it is spending without a plan, checking out emotionally when things become difficult, avoiding your bank account, saying yes to everyone and leaving no margin for yourself. Perhaps it is waiting until the last minute, starting but not finishing, talking about the vision more than you work on the vision.

Or these three, equaling one: staying up too late, waking up too rushed, and starting every day in reaction mode.

The habit itself may look small or seem normal. But changing it can create more room than you realize.

This is why we should not despise small beginnings. Small, repeated obedience becomes a powerful force over time. A small savings transfer each week can become a reserve. A small reduction in spending can become margin. A small commitment to morning prayer can become peace.

There is something powerful that happens when you become the woman who does what she said she would do. Not because you are perfect, but because you are becoming intentional, which creates order and capacity for increase.

This is the kind of freedom we are building.

Not simply freedom from a bill or a difficult season. But freedom from patterns that keep recreating the same problems. Freedom that is spiritual, financial and practical. Freedom that allows us to live with greater peace, stability, and choice.

Here’s a grace gift: your habits may not change overnight; they just need to begin moving in the right direction.

So this week, do not focus on becoming a completely different person. Focus on practicing the behavior of the woman you are becoming.

If she is financially wise, practice one financially wise action. If she is spiritually grounded, practice one spiritually grounding habit. If she is free, stop repeatedly choosing what keeps you bound.

Then do it again tomorrow. And again the next day. That is how change becomes a lifestyle.

Faith in Focus

Faith is not only what we say we believe. It is revealed in how we respond to what God has shown us.

A faithful life is built through repeated acts of obedience, especially when those acts seem small.

Financial Wisdom

Financial stability is created through consistent stewardship habits.

We do not need to fix everything at once. We need to stop allowing small financial habits to quietly work against the future we are trying to build.

Freedom Step: This Week’s Implementation

This week, choose three things:

One habit to stop.

Choose one repeated behavior that is working against your faith, finances, or freedom.

One habit to start.

Choose one simple action that supports the woman you are becoming.

One habit to strengthen.

Identify something you are already doing well and become more consistent with it.

Keep the actions small enough that you can actually complete them.

Weekly Declaration

I am not bound to old patterns. I am becoming a doer of the Word. My habits are coming into alignment with my faith, my financial goals, and the freedom I desire to walk in. I will be faithful in small things. I will practice what supports the life God is helping me build. Through His grace, I am becoming more consistent, more intentional, and more prepared to steward what He places in my hands.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, In Jesus’ name. Your Son, Your Only Son, Your Holy Son!

I pray for your daughter today. Thank You for Your Word and the grace provided for her to grow.

Lord, I Thank You she is not permanently bound to old habits, old patterns, or old ways of responding. I thank you that she is only constrained by your love. Glory To God!

Father, in Jesus’ name, help her to become a doer of Your Word and not a hearer only.

Reveal and uncover the habits that are working against the life You are calling her to live. Give her, hallelujah, wisdom to recognize what needs to change and courage to take responsibility for her choices. Hallelujah, understanding that there is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walketh after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Glory To God!

Father where she has been inconsistent, strengthen her. Holy Spirit, where she has procrastinated, help her to begin. Father, In Jesus’ name, where she has avoided responsibility, give her the courage to face what needs her attention. We denounce the spirit of anxiety and avoidance. In Jesus’ name.

Where she has repeatedly chosen comfort over discipline, help her remember the future she is building in. Father, remind her that you are the Chief Architect, that your plan is perfect, and when she walks in the ordered steps you have provided, the burden is lifted and the path is clearer. Holy Spirit help her to be faithful in small things, so that she can be ruler over many! Glory To God!

Lord, help her to steward the finances you make accessible with wisdom.

Grant her the grace to practice what supports peace, stability, growth, and freedom.

Father, I declare that she won’t just want to simply know what is right but she lives it and reaps a harvest! Hallelujah, Glory To Your Name! I declare in Jesus name that her daily choices reflect the faith she professes. I decree that her routines support the prayers she prays. Holy Spirit, help her habits prepare her for the opportunities, resources, and responsibilities she is asking for you to place in her hands.

Father, I thank you that even if she misses the mark, with humility and repentance, she will lean into Holy Spirit, solicit help to reset without shame.

We come against any illegal spirit of discouragement and defeat. Father, I am asking you to remind her that consistency is built one decision at a time and she can always begin again! Hallelujah!

I thank you now, that when old patterns try calling her back, that the Angels you have given to have charge over her, will give her the strength to choose differently.

In this moment Lord, receive her surrendered habits and yes to You! Order her steps, strengthen her discipline, renew her commitment. And help her to become faithful in the small decisions that are shaping her future. In Jesus’ name!

Lord, may her faith become visible through her actions. May her finances reflect wisdom and stewardship. And may her daily choices continue moving her towards greater freedom.

In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Terri Talks Official

Terri Talks Official is a Substack designed to help women embrace Faith, Finances and Freedom as a Kingdom Mandate, helping them to advance it as they increase in impact, influence and income!

***Listen To Audio Version: Rooted and Flourishing Audio 615

The Message For Today (August 13, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Rooted and Flourishing Audio 615

Rooted and Flourishing: The Power of Mindset and Resilience in Life and Business

There’s a phrase I hold dear: “Storms may bend us, but they don’t break us when we’re rooted in truth.” In both life and business, storms will come.

There will be disappointments, detours, and deadlines. But what determines whether we bend or break is not the size of the storm, it’s how we bend in the storm that increases our resilience meter and the strength of our mindset.

Having a positive mindset is not being naive, or pretending everything is fine. It’s choosing to be optimistic and believe that even in the adversity, something good can grow.

In business, our mindset shapes our momentum. Setbacks are not dead ends, they’re opportunities for feedback. A slow season isn’t failure, it’s preparation. A “no” isn’t rejection, it’s redirection.

I’ve learned that when we anchor our thoughts in truth, grace, and possibility, we build our resilience meter.

Resilience isn’t about being tough.

It’s about being tender and tenacious. It’s the quiet courage to rise again. To reframe the narrative. To say, “This didn’t go as planned… but I’m still called, capable, and committed.”

There was a time in my journey as an author where a succession of setbacks ended up being huge God winks.

As I was preparing to launch my first book, the timeline kept changing. There were delays in approval updates, covers not measuring up, releases held back due to back office delays with the websites I was self-publishing with. The frustration was building as the book was called 31 Days to A Stable Christmas and it was now Thanksgiving.

Thankfully, the people who had pre-purchased were understanding as the book’s official launch was unable to take place until the 20th of December.

Then came my second book and for this one, I need to go back in time a bit. I had sown a seed a couple years before because I wanted a LEAP in life due to illness. I felt like a few years had passed me by as I had experienced physical hardship through cancer. Ever feel like you’ve lost time and you want God to catapult you to where you would be but for the interruptions of life?

Once I sent my check out, I ended up finding a program that helped me gain skills that would help me make the leap I had on my heart. More delays came with this book as well, as it was supposed to launch in the beginning of February.

The day before the launch, one of my clients dropped off a little gift at my door. It was a pink frog. Hmmmm, I inquisitively thought to myself. I brought it to my office and put it on my desk. The book launched on the 29th. I had a major doctor’s appointment that morning which cleared me for a much needed surgery.

As doctor’s appointments can be sometimes, I had to rush home and made it just in time for the morning launch. As I was in the Zoom room, I looked up at that little pink frog and I realized my book, which has a pinkish cover launched on February 29th, leap day.

That LEAP seed sown came to be launched on God’s timeline, not my own. It was God’s wink saying “I see your seed and I’m honoring it. You have been catapulted and I want you to know that My delay was not My denial, but My love for you to show up big and to say ‘we did it!’”

I could have taken all those frustrating setbacks and questioned the validity of the work that I was doing. Whether I was really called to get these books out to the world, and if my desires were aligned with God’s.

I could have taken those crickets and used them as reasons to stop in my tracks, but I chose to silence the chatterbox of doubt and continued on my path.

I paused, prayed, and pivoted with each thing that hit me.

I asked myself:

• Did I clearly hear God’s message?

• Is the audience ready?

• Is my mindset rooted in truth?

• Am I operating in fear?

• Did I do everything required of me to get this out?

Because if you’ve done all that you could do, the rest is up to GOD.

I didn’t let these setbacks break me. I chose to let them build me.

Because I realized: resilience isn’t just bouncing back. It’s building forward.

And that’s what mindset does: it gives us the lens to see setbacks as setups. It helps us move from “Why is this happening to me?” To “What is this teaching me?” One of my favorite affirmations to say when life happens is… “This is happening for me, not to me.”

In life as well as business, mindset and resilience can be our lifelines.

They help us:

• Speak LIFE over our work, even when results are slow.

• Celebrate PROGRESS, not just perfection.

• Show up with INTEGRITY, even when no one’s watching.

• Stay rooted in PURPOSE, even when the path feels unclear.

So today, I invite you to reflect:

• What thoughts are you allowing to take root in your mind?

• What truths are you standing on?

• What story are you telling yourself when things get hard?

Because our mindset is the soil. Our resilience is the root. And our life is the garden.

Let’s be people who rise and flourish, not because life is easy, but because we are anchored in purpose.

Let’s be rooted. Let’s be resilient. Let’s be radiant.

Here are a few Scriptures to help you be rooted and grounded so you can flourish…

Psalm 1:3

³ And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

⁷ Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

⁸ For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Ephesians 3:16-18

¹⁶ That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸ May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

Colossians 2:6-7 states:

⁶ As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

⁷ Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My prayer for you:

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for this word. Thank you for the mighty women of God reading this devotional right now. I pray that she be covered by your love and grace this moring. As the mighty woman of God rises this morning, I pray that she be rooted in your will and your way.

May the grace and glory of God go forth over her and her family in a mighty way. Bless the work of her hands and empower her to finish the old seasons with peace in her heart and praise on her lips. The enemy desires to sift her as wheat but you came that we would have life and have it more abundantly.

Cover her this morning as she anchors into your word. The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow. May the weight of every stronghold come down and clarity come forth for how she can become fully rooted in you. May she be the tree that is rooted in you and flourishes in every season. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, Amen.

Written by our Thursday writer - You can find her books here on Amazon: Ann Marie’s Books

Ann Marie Thrives

Ann Marie is a Certified Human Behavioral Specialist, Coach, Speaker, Skin Care and Self-Care Enthusiast, AND 4X Bestselling Author.

***Listen To Audio Version: Travel Light Audio 614

The Message For Today (August 12, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Travel Light Audio 614

The Unlabeled Boxes

There are boxes stacked all over my apartment right now. Mad chaos. Some are labeled. Most are not. Friends showed up to help me move; that is a gift I will never forget! And in the beautiful chaos, nobody wrote on a single box. Oh dear. So here I am, opening them one at a time, deciding what stays and what goes. Kind of like Christmas but not quite as fun!

And the strangest thing keeps happening. Every box or bag I set by the door to give away, my shoulders drop an inch. Every single thing I release, I breathe a little deeper. Three words keep popping up in my head: let it go. Let it go. Let… it… gooooo.

Truly, this isn’t about boxes at all. Jesus once said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30 KJV). Not heavy. Not crushing. Light. Somewhere on the journey, most of us picked up a load that He never handed us and started calling it ours. Why do we insist on bearing that which is not ours to carry?

The Weight We Were Never Given

Here is what a woman is rarely told: the body keeps score of everything the heart holds on to. The tension in the shoulders, the tightness in the jaw, the stubborn weight that settles around the middle and will not budge. So much of it is not a willpower problem. It is a pressure problem. The body was built to be a temple, not a storage unit!

And the mind is worse than any cluttered closet. It replays the conversations from nine years ago. It rehearses tomorrow’s worry before tomorrow even arrives. It keeps receipts on every person who caused pain: filed and ready. I feel this. And yet, scripture offers another way: “Let us lay aside every weight… and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 KJV). Oh yes. The race is hard enough without carrying “boxes” we were never meant to bear.

Made to Travel Light

So this is the invitation for the whole woman: mind, body, and soul. The grudge we keep rehearsing. The shame we keep re-reading. The guilt that just refuses to let go. And a big one: the picture of who we were supposed to be by now. Sister in Christ, that is not ours to carry. He said, “Come unto me and I will give you rest.” Not, “come unto me and I will give you more than you are equipped to carry.” The lesson here: releasing the physical burden is simply practice for releasing the mental and emotional burdens we carry unnecessarily. And a soul that sets things down can finally move in love, free to truly enjoy the fruits of the Holy Spirit. That is light!

A Question

What have you been carrying that God never actually handed you: in your body, in your mind, in your heart?

And if you named just one of those things this week, said it out loud, and set it by the door the way I am setting out these boxes, what might your shoulders (your soul!) feel like by Sunday? What would be released from your heart to allow a deeper relationship with the Lord?

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You never ask us to carry what only You can hold. You see every invisible thing the woman reading this has been carrying: the weight in her body, the noise in her mind, the ache she has stopped mentioning, even to You. Lord, by Your authority, we declare this her season of release. Loosen the grip of every burden she was never meant to hold. Remind her that her body is Your temple and her soul was made for peace and rest. May she walk lighter this week than she has in years. And when the weight tries to climb back on, let her hear Your voice say: not this one, daughter; I’ve got it. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Written by

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***Listen To Audio Version: While I’m Here Audio 613

The Message For Today (August 11, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: While I’m Here Audio 613


I had to take my one-year-old baby boy to the hospital last week because of how he sounded while breathing. It was later diagnosed as croup. I had to leave the comfort of my home at 3:00 a.m. or so, with just my son and me, and drive thirty minutes away from home to the hospital, hypervigilant because that’s when drunk drivers are out.

When we arrived in the ER, they took us back and did three or four breathing treatments. After the third, the ER physician said he would have to be admitted so that they could continue to monitor him. They moved us to our room, and we spent the whole day Tuesday in the hospital and didn’t leave until the next morning.

Let me show you in real time how the Holy Spirit took me from complaining to praying.

When my baby woke me up from my deep sleep with the loud sound of his wheezing, I immediately began wrestling with God. My first thought was: “Here we go again. I just cannot get any sleep. I just cannot get a full night’s rest. The only time I can sleep is if I’m out of town. Why is this even allowed? Why are You allowing this to happen? How is this fair? You know how exhausted I am, and now I have to drive across town to spend hours in a hospital. How does my baby just wake up sick out of nowhere?”

On the car ride to the hospital, I was in tears and angry that this was happening yet again, and that I’m usually the one having to handle hard things by myself.

Once we arrived at the hospital, the Holy Spirit started quietly making His Presence known. Every nurse we had was the nicest. The physician on duty had the most serene, quiet nature. I have honestly never encountered anyone like him. A calm and steady presence in the storm raging inside my mind.

There were two phrases that stood out to me that this physician told me: (1) he commented that my baby was “sleeping like a baby,” which made me immediately wonder why it’s so hard for adults to do yet so natural for babies; and (2) he said: “don’t worry, he won’t remember any of this,” which made me pray that the Lord help us adults to forget the trauma and failures and mistakes like His Word says:

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13 KJV

Both of these comments deserve their own devotionals, but we will save those for another time.

Once we arrived in our new room, we got settled in, and more testing and breathing treatments were done. At some point in the early evening, my baby boy became antsy, so I started walking him up and down the long hallways in his stroller, back and forth. The hallways are shaped like a track, so we did one lap with my head down, focused on him.

But on the second lap, Holy Spirit had me lift up my head, O ye gates. What did I see? The names of each child in each hospital room as I passed by. For privacy, I will not say their names here, but I began walking past every room on that floor, quietly saying the child’s name and then “by His stripes you are healed, and your family strengthened.”

After that second lap, I did two more, repeating the same prayer over every room. And for the rooms that didn’t have a name on them because they were empty, I said “Whoever left this room, by His stripes you are healed, and your family strengthened.”

He took me from wallowing in self-pity to worshiping Him and recognizing and praying for others in the same pit as me.

That exercise led me to say out loud: “While I’m here.”

While I’m here in this season called sickness, I will pray for those with physical or mental illnesses and diseases. While I’m here in this season called singleness, I will pray for those who also want to go from Ms. to Mrs. While I’m here in this season called wandering, I will pray for those who don’t know what their next steps are. While I’m here in this season called hopelessness, I will pray for those hanging on by a thread when it looks impossible. While I’m here in this season called infertility, I will pray for those who also do not see two lines on the pregnancy test.

While I’m here.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father, meet the mighty woman of God reading this right now exactly where she is. Let Your Holy Spirit gently lift her head by the chin so she can look up and out at what she sees around her, so that she doesn’t get consumed with self-pity. No matter the pit she finds herself in, let her remember first and foremost that You are with her; and then that there are others desperately needing the light You placed in her to be shined into their dark places as only she can. That, O God, is the remedy to wallowing in grief due to the troubles of this world: the mindset that while I’m here, I will pray for and bless those here with me. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Written by - You can subscribe to her Substack below:

The Praying Lawyer by Marshay Iwu

A spirit-led publication demonstrating the power of God through modern parables, devotionals, and occasional livestreams. We unapologetically believe in the power of prayer and surrender in every part of our lives.

***Listen To Audio Version: In the Waiting Audio 612

The Message For Today (August 12, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: In the Waiting Audio 612

Most of us are familiar with the story of King David slaying Goliath as a young shepherd. Though biblical scholars disagree on the details, there were at least 10 years (and likely closer to 20) from the time Samuel anointed him and the moment he was crowned King of Judah, and another seven years before he was crowned King over all Israel.

But before Samuel poured the first drop of anointing oil onto David’s head, he was faithful in silence, when nobody was watching. He first fought a lion and a bear, though many disbelieved him. We see that even before the calling and the waiting, his character was being built in private. He was in the training ground.

During those transitional years, he went from being an outcast and a nobody to killing a giant and winning the favor of his people and Saul’s court. He went from being a lonely shepherd boy to marrying the King’s daughter and forging a deep friendship with Jonathan. Later, out of jealousy, he became a fugitive, hiding in caves and the wilderness from Saul’s infamous spear.

Most of us are not facing physical weapons against our calling or our lives, but at times the opposition seems unfair or even brings us to the edge of emotional burnout. There are things we lose along the way and people who may betray us despite the love we show them.

David served faithfully, playing his harp to soothe the torment caused by Saul’s own pride. All this, despite knowing he was to be King, and still choosing to humble himself and serve. Later, David was hunted with spears but never chose to return the violence with violence and kill the one who was anointed before him.

It was only after Saul and his dear friend Jonathan died in battle that he was crowned King of Judah at age 30. And later, when Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, was killed, David was crowned King of all Israel at age 37 (2 Samuel 5-8 KJV).

Often, as we wait on the Lord in our callings, He is healing our hearts, and we are asked to duck the spears of betrayal without picking them up and aiming them at the ones who hurt us.

The Preparation

We see that during this time between anointing in obscurity and reigning over all of Israel, there were trials, tribulations, and joy. All of this worked together to prepare him for God’s promise. God had to cultivate his inner capacity to carry the weight of his calling.

We see this in our own lives, and many times we find ourselves asking, “Why the wait? Why so long, God?”

He loves us enough to see ahead, to where we cannot. He grows us in strength, courage, capacity, wisdom, grace, and all the fruit of the Spirit. He grows us in relationship with Him, and as we run our race with perseverance, we demonstrate our reliance on Him despite what we see around us. We are refined, pruned, purified, tested… and so very loved in the process.

During David’s time in the wilderness, he poured out his heart to God, writing some of the most beautiful and timeless scripture in the Psalms as he processed his grief, fear, and betrayal. He let it pour out, and then praised God for always being the answer. He didn’t choose avoidance, and he didn’t pretend he wasn’t in pain.

“ 1. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? For ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?...5. But I have trusted in thy mercy; My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13: verse 1 and 5 KJV)

He was going through the much-needed inner work of processing his raw emotions with God, rather than becoming bitter at God about His timing. This type of emotional transparency is why David was a man after God’s own heart.

Surrender the Timeline

David had at least two opportunities to take the throne by force by killing Saul, but instead he chose to allow God to elevate him into his anointed position at the proper time, God’s time.

Imagine what might have happened if he had taken matters into his own hands?

Would he have been truly ready?

How would God have viewed this?

There is always a danger to taking shortcuts and taking things into our own hands. Most of us have learned the hard way. We should never try to force a door open before God opens it. This causes us to carry a weight we were never meant to carry; a burden meant to be light because when we walk it out with God, in His timing, we are sustained by His grace.

Reflection and Action

• Is there an area of your life where you feel divinely called to do something, yet feel it is delayed?

• What inner heart and mind work might God be quietly doing in you right now to prepare you for what lies ahead?

• How can you shift your focus today from waiting for the promise to who you are becoming in the process?

Closing Devotional Prayer:

My prayer for you:

Heavenly Father, we praise you! You know exactly the right time for every good thing you have called us to. We know your ways are higher than ours, and we thank you for the protections you have placed around us as we wait on you. We thank you for making sure we are ready for the weight of our calling, for you promise us that your yoke is easy and your burden is light.

Please forgive us for our impatience or desire to push past your pace, and heal the parts of us that are anxious or disappointed in the process. We trust that your timing is perfect and we trust in your preparation over our own performance. In the Mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Written by our Monday writer

What Endures

Welcome. Are you seeking clarity when life feels noisy, peace in the storm, and love that steadies your steps? I don’t have all the answers, but I have walked this road—and I’d be honored to walk it with you.

By Jennifer Rene

***Listen To Audio Version: Set Apart Audio 611

The Message For Today (August 9, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Set Apart Audio 611

In a recent dream, Jesus spoke two words to me, then He showed me a piece of paper with the same two words written in all capital letters.

SET APART

That was it. There was no long explanation, just a clear instruction that carried the weight, not just of His voice, but the command or decree of a King.

When a King says or declares something, it is not a suggestion; it is a command and it is expected that the people will carry out the command.

Even more weight is given when the King writes it.

Once written, it is now considered a “Royal Decree” which means it is established and firmly decided as an official order or command that must be carried out.

Jesus declared and decreed in writing two words: SET APART.

What does it mean to be set apart?

To be set apart means to be consecrated, dedicated, marked for a specific purpose, and reserved for God.

This is something that shows up throughout the Bible. God sets apart times and seasons. He sets apart places, and He sets apart people.

Leviticus 23:4 says, “These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” (KJV)

God placed appointed (or set apart) times on His calendar and called them holy.

These seasons were intentionally set apart to remind His people of who He is, what He has done, and how they were called to live in relationship with Him.

Right now, we are standing at the threshold of one of those significant times…. a specific set of dates that God has set apart for a specific purpose.

A Set Apart Time Is Here

In just a few days from this writing, on August 13, 2026, the Hebrew month of Elul begins. Elul is the last month on the Hebrew calendar, a 29-day period leading up to the 10 Days of Awe.

This 10-day period between Rosh Hashanah (the new year) through Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is considered to be the holiest time of the year.

It’s a time God (The King) has set apart to be most attentive and closest to His people.

In Hebrew tradition, the month of Elul is set aside to prepare the heart for these High Holy days, by doing a spiritual audit…much like a business would do an annual audit of their books.

This is a whole month dedicated to deep self-reflection, prayer, and repentance, and deep heart work. A time to examine the heart, restore what has been neglected, and return to God.

What Does This Have To Do With Christians?

Now, as Christians, we are under no obligation biblically to do this. There is no command in the New Testament requiring the observance of Elul.

We have been atoned for already through the blood of Jesus.

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10 KJV

So we do not “have to” do this in order to gain forgiveness, love, or acceptance from God. This is not a religious act or Christian duty. Through Christ, we have already been redeemed and accepted.

There is, however, great value to be found in having awareness around the biblically appointed times and seasons on God’s calendar, so we can partner with God in what He is doing now in the Spirit.

In many ways, this is something we as Christians should already be practicing on a regular basis anyway…

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 KJV

A healthier perspective then is, we don’t “have to,” rather we “get to.” Partnering with God in this season that He has already set apart as sacred opens us up for a new and expanded connection with Him.

These “set apart times” have a different level of grace and intimacy on them. Elul is a season where God is calling us into a deeper and more intimate setting with Him.

The King Is In The Field

Elul has traditionally been associated with the phrase, “The King is in the field.”

The idea presented here paints a beautiful picture of the king leaving the palace and making himself accessible to the people in the fields where they live and work.

In the palace, things are formal and official. In the fields, they are more personal and intimate.

For followers of Jesus, this serves as a reminder for us. Through Christ, we have already been invited to draw near to our King. He meets us in the ordinary fields of our lives every day.

But during this season, just as in my dream, He is asking us to set apart time to come closer, to draw nearer (James 4:8).

He is inviting us to slow down and listen, to look honestly at our hearts, relationships, stewardship, and our assignments with Him.

He has set apart time on His calendar for us, and He is calling us to set apart time with Him on ours.

Elul gives us an opportunity to put everything on the table and ask:

“Okay, God, what do we need to fix here? What do we need to do more of? What do we need to let go? Who do we need to forgive? What do we need to make right?”

It’s a time to search our hearts with Him and get things in order. Balancing the books, so we are properly positioned for the new blessings and assignments He wants to bring us in the new year.

It’s a time to get rid of what no longer serves us and let go of old things so we can step into new things.

This is not a search for reasons to step into condemnation, guilt, or shame. It is an invitation to notice where we are flourishing, where we may have drifted, and where greater alignment is needed.

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21

That is the heart of this invitation.

God is asking us to be set apart during this special season because He wants to prepare us for what comes next.

When Jesus spoke the words SET APART, they had a multi-dimensional meaning. Set apart from and set apart for.

God sets us apart FROM something so He can set us apart FOR something.

What is God asking you to set yourself apart from in this season?

And, what is he setting you apart for in the season ahead?

The King is in the field. He wants to meet with you. Will you respond to His invitation?

Here’s how you can respond:

Ask:

What would it look like to intentionally be set apart this season to meet with God? What areas of your life need to be evaluated?

Decide:

Everything is on the table; nothing is off limits for God to talk with you about in this special season. Be prepared and willing to respond to what He shows you.

Set Apart Time:

Choose a consistent time and place during this special season to meet with God. Put away the distractions, slow down, and create room to hear what He is saying.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer For You:

Father, thank You for setting apart this time and inviting us to meet with You. Reveal where there has been drift, neglect, or misalignment in our lives. Give us grace to slow down, lean in, and partner with what You are doing right now. Search our hearts and show us any areas that need attention. Help us balance the books of our lives in this season. Cleanse our hearts, restore what has been neglected, and prepare us for every good work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by our Sunday Writer

P.S. If this invitation is stirring something in your heart, the free Meet the King Challenge will help you intentionally set apart this season to meet with God, complete a spiritual audit, and prepare for where He wants to take you next. Tap the image below or tap this link to learn more: MeetTheKingChallenge.com.

Today’s Devotional Scripture:

“For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins…”

Hebrews 5:1 KJV

The Message for Today (August 8, 2026):

What is a shepherd?

If you read Psalm 23 or similar shepherd passages, you’ll learn the many roles a shepherd has. There are many characteristics of a shepherd, but some stood out to me when I read the passage. I realized a shepherd guides, protects, guards, and provides for the sheep.

Jesus is a shepherd-leader to us, but priests, and anyone in leadership, can be a shepherd, too.

High Priests were specifically selected (”taken from among men”). This was a privilege, for not every priest was given permission to enter the Holy of Holies.

They were “ordained for men” which means they were chosen to be leaders and shepherds over a specific group of people. They were to do what God asked of them.

If you ask a modern day pastor or priest, they’ll probably tell you their job is more than the service on Sunday. They take calls from parishioners, do home or hospital visits, have coffee or dinner with other members, lead Bible Studies, and confer with other leaders. Their job is almost 24/7, especially if there is an emergency at the church. It isn’t easy.

Many pastors and priests suffer from burnout and some leave the profession entirely because of drama. Sometimes they become disillusioned because they lose sight of what matters most. In this passage, the author refers to the priest offering sacrifices and gifts. In the modern day context, the priest is sacrificing their time and income to do God’s work.

Every year, there is a pastor’s appreciation week. Whatever denomination you may be, remember to thank the shepherd leaders in your life. Write them a card. Provide them dinner. Compliment more than complain. Honor the men and women God has placed as leaders over you. You never know–your kind word may be all that’s needed to encourage them to keep going.

Closing Devotional Prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to recognize and honor the needs of the shepherds in my life. Let me find ways to thank them for serving you. Intercede and encourage them with your Spirit. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.

Enter the Giveaway

***Listen To Audio Version: A Mind Reset Audio 610

The Message For Today (August 7, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: A Mind Reset Audio 610

WEEK TWO: RESET YOUR MIND

A new season does not always guarantee a new opportunity. Sometimes it requires a new way of thinking which yields a new capacity in the new season.
Sure, we can change our schedules, set new goals, purchase new planners, create new ideas, and make new declarations, but if our minds remain committed (yes, we can be loyal to a mindset) to old beliefs, we will eventually return to old patterns and cycles of behavior.

That is why Scripture does not simply tell us to behave or act differently.

Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Understand this, trauma and wounds run deep. Therefore, transformation is deeper than modification. It must be.

You see, modification specializes in changing what is visible for a moment. Transformation, however, changes the source from which our decisions are being made. It has the potency to change how we see ourselves, how we interpret our circumstances, and how we respond when life does not go according to plan, permanently. Many of the, “all out”, battles we experience in our faith, finances, relationships, and pursuit of freedom begin in the mind.

Before a person/woman gives up, she usually thinks about giving up first. She often declares she’s done before other parties are aware.

Financially, before she avoids her finances, she may have already told herself that the situation is too overwhelming to face. Before she misses an opportunity, she may have decided that she won’t be received. And more conclusively, that she is not qualified, prepared, worthy, or capable.

Before she returns to an unhealthy pattern, she may have accepted the thought that real change will never come for her because it is not possible for her.

The enemy does not a need to destroy an opportunity if he can convince you and I not to pursue it. The liar does not have to take away our resources if he can keep us confused, fearful, and undisciplined in how we manage them. That buzzer, yes I get mad, does not have to physically restrain us if he can persuade us to live within mental limitations God never intended for us to get in agreement with.

This is why mind renewals and resets are essential.

A renewed mind does not dismiss or explain away realities. It learns to interpret reality through the truth of God’s Word. Which allows us to live in two realities: earthly and spiritually. But we take our cues from the latter.

Faith is not pretending that bills do not exist, that disappointments do not hurt, or that challenges are not real. Faith acknowledges what is happening without allowing what is happening to become greater than what God has spoken and His presence in our lives. The unrenewed mind says, this is how it has always been, so this is how it will always be.

Here’s one I heard, often, growing up, “nothing comes easy for our family.”

The renewed mind says, my history may explain where I come from and even where I am, but it does not have the authority to determine where God can take me.

The unrenewed mind says, I will never have enough. The renewed mind says, I will faithfully steward what I have, seek wisdom, make the necessary adjustments, and trust God as my Source. Because in Him money is not hard to make, manage nor multiply.

The unrenewed mind says, I have made too many mistakes. The renewed mind says, there is therefore no condemnation to him or her who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. I can learn, repent, reset, and move forward with greater wisdom.

The mind must be renewed, daily, because we often carry thoughts that were formed in previous seasons. Some of us learned to expect struggle because it was familiar and became normal. Ever on edge about “the bottom expectantly about to fall out?” Unadmittedly, we learned to prepare for disappointment because it felt predictable. We learned how to just make it through the crisis, but we were not always taught how to build systems that could prevent the next one.

I have prided myself on being the most resilient and resourceful person around town. After all, I have my Heavenly Father’s Spirit, right! Absolutely!

But survival can teach resourcefulness too (and with a twist). It can also produce hyper-vigilance, fear, urgency, and short-term thinking. When we have spent years responding to emergencies, stability can feel unfamiliar. Planning can feel difficult and rest can feel irresponsible. So deceptive!

This one used to get me all the time. Receiving. I can feel you yelling, “me too Sis”. Receiving can feel uncomfortable and unjustified. When waiting for something to go wrong, progress can even feel suspicious.

But, please renew your mind around this truth and set your mind here, God did not bring us through survival so that it could become our permanent identity. He desires to renew our minds so that we can move from merely reacting to life into intentionally building the life He designed, Christ died for and the one we really desire.

This renewal is key! It affects our finances because money decisions are rarely only about money. Our financial behavior is connected to our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, experiences, and expectations.

A person may overspend because she believes she deserves relief after a hard work week. She may avoid checking her account because she believes facing the truth will make her feel worse and unable to get through the day. She may over give because she believes saying no makes her selfish. She may refuse to invest in her own growth because she has been conditioned to put others first.

She may remain underpaid because she does not believe she can ask for more. Doing so would be ungrateful. These patterns cannot always be corrected by simply telling someone to make a spending plan (aka, budget). A spending plan may organize the numbers, but the mind must be renewed if the person is going to consistently honor the plan by carrying it out.

This is why, I believe, faith and finances cannot be separated.

Our faith teaches us that God is our Source, but stewardship requires us to take responsibility for what He made available. We pray for provision, but we must also practice discipline. We believe God for increase, but we must become prepared to manage it. We ask for freedom, really wanting relief, but we must be willing to release the habits and beliefs that keep reproducing bondage.

Freedom requires a mind that agrees and aligns with the future we are asking God to help us build.

Philippians 4:8 gives us instruction concerning our thoughts:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

This does not mean that we avoid difficult conversations or deny uncomfortable facts. It means that, in this state, our minds won’t be governed by lies, fear, hopelessness, comparison, and defeat.
It is critical for you and I to become intentional about what we repeatedly allow ourselves to think.

Here’s a gentle reminder, one I believe keeps us free: Other than the word of God, every thought does not deserve agreement. Some thoughts must be challenged, replaced, taken into prayer and confronted with Scripture. Full Stop!

When the thought says, “You will never recover,” the Word reminds us that God restores and is a repairer of the breach.

When the thought says, “You are alone,” the Word reminds us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

When the thought says, “You cannot do this,” the Word declares, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” and it becomes the final authority in our lives.

When the thought says, “There is no way forward,” faith asks God for wisdom and then takes the next responsible step because we are reminded that He is the way, the truth and the Life. Period.

We renew our minds through the Word of God, prayer, wise counsel, truthful self-examination, and obedient action. We also renew our minds by becoming more selective about what we consume. We guarded our hearts yesterday; today we, intentionally, guard our minds.

Think about it, can we continually fill our minds with fear, comparison, outrage, and hopelessness and expect to consistently produce faith-filled decisions? Glad you ponder that and came back with a strong no!

Here’s the progression: what we repeatedly hear begins to influence what we believe. What we believe influences what we expect. What we expect influences how we act. Hence, protecting your mind is protecting your future.

This week, do not attempt to change every thought you have ever had, as there are some you just won’t remember. Begin with one thought that has been limiting your faith, finances, or freedom.

Here are a few for starters:

1. I am behind

2. Everyone else knows more than you.

3. I can’t get it right; I will always struggle financially.
   
   

Now, these all might feel true but only because they have been repeated. However, real talk, repetition does not make a lie become truth.

The year is not over. The window of opportunity hasn’t closed. Your ability to learn is not lost. Your ability to make a new decision is not gone.

This is what I know: one renewed thought can lead to one better decision. One better decision can create a new habit. One new habit can change the direction of your life forever.

You do not have to wait for a dramatic moment to begin transforming your life. Renewals and Resets are always available.

I don’t believe God is asking you to know every step. I do believe that He is asking you to allow His truth to govern the next one.

The mind that created the old pattern cannot remain unchallenged while we attempt to build a new life.

Today, no more delay, let God renew how you think about yourself, money, discipline, responsibility, receiving, giving, building, and becoming.
You are not renewing your mind merely to feel more positive. You are renewing your mind so that your thoughts, decisions, and actions can come into agreement and alignment with the will of God.

That is where transformation begins and what it looks like.

Faith in Focus

God’s truth is greater than the conclusions we formed during painful or difficult seasons. Through His Word, He renews our thinking and teaches us to see ourselves and our lives through faith instead of fear.
A renewed mind does not mean we will never experience a negative thought. It means we no longer automatically accept every thought as truth.

Financial Wisdom

Our financial decisions often reveal the beliefs operating beneath the surface.
Financial renewal begins when we replace avoidance with awareness, impulse with intentionality, shame with responsibility, and fear with faith and works.
While, we do not have to be ashamed of where we are, we must, however, become honest enough to begin where we are.

Clarity is everything, except condemnation, in the life of a believer.

Freedom Step: This Week’s Implementation

Identify one recurring thought that has been limiting your faith, financial progress, or personal freedom. Write the thought down. Beside it, write one truth from the Word of God that corrects it. Then take one practical action that agrees and aligns with the new truth.

Declaration

I will not be conformed to fear, scarcity, shame, or the limitations of my past. That’s my old mind. I am being transformed by the renewing of it. My thoughts come into agreement and alignment with the Word of God. I will think with faith, act with wisdom, steward with intention, and move forward in freedom. I am capable of learning, changing, growing, and building. Through Christ, I have the strength to take the next faithful step because I know He orders it.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father, In Jesus’ name, thank You for your daughter. Thank you Lord, for the power of Your Word. I thank you that transformation is possible because she chooses to renew her mind. Glory To God!

Father, I bind up every thought that has been shaped by fear, disappointment, shame, scarcity, comparison, and survival. Hallelujah!

Forgive her for the times she has agreed with thoughts that contradict what You have spoken concerning her life. I declare, in Jesus’ name, that you will always be the final authority in her life! Yes, Lord!

Help her to recognize the beliefs that have been influencing her choices. Give her wisdom to challenge what is false and courage to replace it with Your truth. Thy word is Truth. You are Truth!

Father, I am believing that, even now, you are renewing how she thinks about herself. How she thinks about her today, tomorrow and overall future. In Jesus name. Glory To God!

Father let her receive your provision of resources not just for relief because of survival but for a revival and for her capability to steward well what you have entrusted in her hands. Do it for your Glory Father!

Teach her to approach finances with honesty, discipline, wisdom, and faith. Deliver her from avoidance and help her make decisions that support stability, security, and lasting freedom and wealth. In Jesus’ name.

When she feels discouraged, I am asking that you remind her to pause, renew, reset and begin again.

Father when she feels overwhelmed, show her the next faithful step, your ordered steps.

I denounce, disarm and dismantle fear, destroying it’s power to speak louder than your voice. Help her remember that Your truth is greater. AND greater is you in her than he that is in the world.
Guard her mind from confusion, hopelessness, and every belief that would keep her from obeying You. In Jesus’ name. Help her to fill her heart and mind with what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.

Lord Jesus, may her thoughts produce decisions that honor You every time at every turn. Glory To God! May her decisions produce habits that support the life You have designed for her. Let her faith be visible in the way she lives, leads, works, gives, saves, builds, and stewards. Advancing the Kingdom not just in word but also in deed!

Father, thank You for your abundance of grace to grow, wisdom to change, and strength to take action. In the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!

Written by

Faith. Finances. Freedom. You can subscribe to her below:

***Listen To Audio Version: Rest is God’s Reset Button Audio 609

The Message For Today (August 6, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Rest is God’s Reset Button Audio 609

Has your voice gone quiet? Have you been holding back, waiting, while looking ahead in observation mode to see what’s coming? Leaning on God, in patience and anticipation, allowing the Wonderful Counselor to say, “GO!”?

There are silent seasons in life when we are growing within, resting as we grow before we emerge. During this growing season, there will be times of rain, times of drought, darkness, and pain. All are necessary for our growth because they each help our process.

Recognize your growing season and embrace it. God has provided for this growing season. As the Word says, giving time for the land to rest, we need rest as well. If we do not take that rest, our harvest will suffer, the quality will be diminished, and the produce will not be as abundant as it would have been without that rest.

It may be a challenge for some of us to rest. Maybe you feel unproductive during the resting periods. Perhaps you’re in this rest due to injury, illness, or life circumstances. Either way, a resting rhythm and a productive rhythm are both necessary in life. By taking the time to rest, we are building strength and resilience. We’re being deeply rooted in peace as we’re growing.

Ask the Lord to help you develop your rhythm. Make room in your schedule for this rhythm and give yourself grace if an unexpected circumstance throws it off. Breathe, steady yourself, and reassess so you can continue. To keep your peace and rhythm, practice emotional check-ins in your mind and, if necessary, write them in your journal so you can reset and continue to grow.

Every growing thing experiences changes, rough patches, and wonderful growth spurts. If you prepare mentally and physically beforehand, when things happen, you will not be caught by surprise, and your mind will remain steady.

Rest, listen, lean in, and wait.

He will speak, and we will reap in due season if we faint not.

What is one area of your life where you are struggling to rest, and how can you hand it over to the Lord today?

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Lord, help the mighty woman of God to embrace the quiet seasons just as much as the busy ones. When she feels unproductive, remind her that You are working beneath the surface, strengthening her roots. Give her the grace to rest, the patience to wait, and the faith to trust Your perfect timing. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray, Amen.

Written by our Thursday morning writer

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***Listen To Audio Version: The Weight and The Sin Audio 608

The Message For Today (August 4, 2028):

***Listen To Audio Version: The Weight and The Sin Audio 608

Every Weight Is Not a Sin, But It Still Must Be Laid Aside

On Saturday night, I had a dream that I actually remembered when I woke up on Sunday morning. This is significant and an actual answered prayer, because before I went to sleep on Saturday night, I did my first livestream for the month of August covering the first day of a 30-day series on childlike speech (“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18‬:‭21‬, KJV).

At the very end of that livestream, unscripted, I prayed that the Lord would give us prophetic dreams when we went to sleep, and that we would actually remember them upon waking, because for months I have had countless dreams where the Lord was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t remember it 30 seconds after I woke up.

Back to the dream. I dreamt that I was in a store with my mother and my daughter, and I had picked up an enormous amount of things to purchase: a lot of clothes that were on sale. Some I specifically remember were $0.49. I was so happy about my haul, but for some reason, I asked the cashiers to hold my stuff while I went to shop some more in a different part of the store.

As I continued walking around the store, I came to a part that looked just like a grocery store. While searching the aisles, I found an amazing dinosaur toy that I wanted for my twin boys who, in real life, might as well be dinosaurs because of their love for them. I was so excited when I found a second, identical toy on another aisle, which happened to be the last one they had.

When I went back to the original counter I had been at to check out, Ms. Rachel was now my cashier. As she was scanning tags, she whispered, “They are firing me,” in a way that we knew what “they” were doing was wrong. My mother then said if that’s the case, we shouldn’t spend our money there, and as she was about to walk out of the store, I felt such sorrow about leaving my “good” haul behind, especially the 2 dinosaur toys. I did not want to leave without making the purchase, because my finds were so cheap and such a good deal. After all, who wants to walk away from a bargain?

But I begrudgingly left it and walked out of the store.

Are you like me in this season where you need to put some things down? Outright leave some things, or delegate others, because all the heavy weights you are carrying are preventing you from running the race that is set before you?

The heavy weights are not bad.

They are not sin. However, they require something that you cannot sustain and run at the same time. Imagine running a marathon with a weighted vest. That is a very different race.

For me, this is showing up in my motherhood. I have been grieved lately about who I become when I am running on empty after carrying so many heavy weights from day to day. That version of me is not very patient with my children at the end of a long day. I do not want to be a mother that my children need therapy for when they grow up. I do not want them to get the depleted version of me because I’m carrying too much weight.

Paul says lay aside every weight, AND the sin.

The weight and the sin are listed separately because they are not the same. The word translated weight in that verse is a runner’s word. It means bulk, mass, anything that adds drag. For example: extra clothing or a full stomach. There is nothing sinful about those extra items, but you will almost certainly lose the race if you try to run with a full stomach.

Many in the Body of Christ are not running as freely as we could, not because we are in rebellion, but because we are carrying heavy weights. Good things. Things we found on sale (like in my dream). Opportunities that cost us so little to pick up that we cannot fathom laying them aside, which is why they are so hard to release. I’m reminded of so many movies where a collector of art brags on how they “picked up this little piece” for the deal of the century.

Nobody agonizes over quitting something expensive and miserable. We agonize over the bargains we lose: “It was such a good deal;” “It’s barely any trouble;” “It’s only forty-nine cents;” “I’ve been doing this for so long it’s second nature.”

Even a forty-nine-cent item, added to a full cart, is a load you cannot run with.

Hebrews 12:1 shows us that He is not asking us to repent of carrying the heavy weights. He is asking us to set it down. There is a difference, and the enemy would love for you to confuse the two, because if you believe every weight is a sin, you will spend your time repenting instead of unloading, and the cart will still be full in the morning.

What is in your cart that isn’t wrong, but too heavy?

Closing Devotional Prayer

Let us pray:

Father, I thank You that You are loving enough to show me the difference between what is sin and what is simply too heavy for me to carry and run at the same time. Forgive me for carrying what You never wanted me to hold, and for calling it faithfulness or service to You. Give me the courage to leave a cart full of good and cheap items in the aisle and walk out with my hands free so that I can run the race that YOU have set before me.

Where I have been grieved over my own weakness, remind me that conviction is Your kindness and condemnation is not of You, for there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Help me run this race with patience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Written by - Our Tuesday writer.

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The Praying Lawyer by Marshay Iwu

A spirit-led publication demonstrating the power of God through modern parables, devotionals, and occasional livestreams. We unapologetically believe in the power of prayer and surrender in every part of our lives.

***Listen To Audio Version: Outside the Box Audio 607

The Message For Today (August 3, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: Outside the Box Audio 607

Boxed In

Most of us have heard of the phrase, “think outside the box”. But what exactly is the box? And what does thinking outside that box look like?

Well, I believe it might look different for each of us, but I know that for many, including myself, it was a box of confined thinking. Thinking based on past religious or legalistic environments, and thinking based on past hurts and even abuse. Thinking based on what the world around us tells us is right and good.

According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for “be transformed” is (metamorphóō) (G3339). This is derived from meta (‘change after being with’) and morphoo (‘changing form in keeping with inner reality’), meaning a total transformation, from the inside out. This type of change is present and continuous when our thoughts are saturated by, and aligned with His Word. A great way to envision this type of metamorphosis is that of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

The word “renewing” (anakainōsis) comes from ana, meaning “up, completing a process,” which intensifies the root word (kainos), or “make fresh, new”. We are again pointed to a complete change, a structural makeover; removal of old toxic, fear-based, and legalistic or worldly thinking. The old thought patterns are removed and replaced by His new Spirit-filled framework (Strong’s G342).

It is also interesting to note that the word “conformed” (syschēmatízō), in this scripture, is derived from syn, or “identified with,” and schema, “having outward shape.” In other words, you are fashioning or making yourself like someone else, or conforming to their pattern. This can be equated to someone trying to fit into a mold or shape (like a box) that isn’t their size, or masquerading as someone they are not.

You can almost hear Paul saying to us through this scripture, “Stop allowing the world to squeeze you into their mold…their box…their way of thinking!”

Remember, the enemy will always try to lure us into conforming to the world’s standards and make our decisions based on fear. The Holy Spirit allows us to see life in God’s perspective, as we abide in Christ and His fruits of the Spirit.

Beyond the Box

We know this is a process, and that we must renew our minds daily, choosing to clear out the mental disarray and clutter. This happens when we “…bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ...” (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV).

In doing this, we aren’t ignoring the negative thoughts; we are taking them captive and replacing them with God’s living truth, as supplied through His word.

We also know that whatever we meditate on, we become.

“…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report…think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8 KJV)

And wisdom tells us to:

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. (Proverbs 4:23 KJV)

Today, let us choose to step outside the box and abide in Christ. As we abide in Him, outside the confines that once bound us, we choose a life of freedom. An expansive place to heal, dream, and grow with Him. It is here that He equips us with wisdom, peace, and revelatory knowledge.

For we know that His plans for our lives are always

“…exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…” (Eph. 3:20). And that “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV)

A Question

What have you been thinking or meditating on that is stealing your peace…your joy…your love?

And what life-giving truth is the Holy Spirit giving you today to replace any of these negative thoughts with an exponentially better thought, a higher thought, one that forces you to step outside the box and into His presence?

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father, You are amazing, and we thank You for sending us Your Son, offering us a better way to live. Thank You for giving us Your living Word as our guide, pointing back to You on this journey of healing and renewal. Thank You for making us new as we abide in Christ. Forgive us for the times we’ve tried to cram ourselves into the world’s way of thinking and being, and grant us the Wisdom to know what walking in Your Freedom looks like. Thank you for giving us Your clarity and Your peace as we go through this week, taking every thought captive and thinking on every good thing. In the Mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

Personal note from Jennifer:

I pray this morning’s devotional has been a blessing to you. If you would like 1:1 support at this time, you can tap the link below to book a confidential 1:1 consultation. My schedule for August is open.

https://coach.whatendures.org/

***Listen To Audio Version: The Arm That Reaches Others Audio 606

The Message For Today (August 2, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: The Arm That Reaches Others Audio 606

The Arms of Outreach

Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Branches are proactive; they are the part of the full body that is capable of producing and bringing forth fruit (as long as they remain attached to the vine, of course).

Did you know in the vinedressing business that the branches of a vine are oftentimes called arms?

Arms. Like the arms we have on our physical body.

Think about everything we do with our arms and what their functions are on our body.

They reach for things, provide support, lift up, pull out, extend, and push forward. The arms are an extension to the hands, feeding it signals, blood flow, and supply so they can do their job. And each finger on the hand, is like a “mini-arm” doing the same thing…ready and equipped to do the work in front of them.

It’s fascinating when we really stop to think about the functions of various parts of our body…and how they relate to our walk of faith and the body of Christ as a whole.

If we are the branches (arms) connected to the vine (Jesus), then it’s reasonable to consider that our function is to do for Him, what our own arms do for us.

What Do Arms Do?

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20 KJV

Arms reach out.

Part of our function is to reach out to others and be an extension of His love and support to those around us. To carry source and supply to them through generosity and kindness, meeting their needs and providing hope.

Arms provide strength, rescue and redemption.

Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.” Exodus 6:6

The outstretched arm of God reaches in to lift up and pull us out of bondage, it’s the source of rescue for those who need it.

We are the arms of Christ, so part of our function is to strengthen and lift up those around us who may be stuck or trapped in areas of life that hold them back from God’s promises.

Is there someone God has placed in your life that needs help, rescue or support while they walk out of the metaphorical bondage of Egypt and into a new life with God? How can you help them? How can you support them?

Arms bring deliverance and protection.

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee…” Deuteronomy 33:27

This verse shows God’s arm as being one of deliverance, pushing back our enemies. Arms not only lift up and pull out those who are in need of rescue, but they protect and push away things that are fighting against us.

As extensions of Jesus to the world around us, the way we protect and push back the enemy is through exercising our spiritual arm muscles through prayer and praise.

Arms produce praise.

“Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.” Psalm 63:4 KJV

Prayers of intercession and lifting our arms in praise to the Lord on behalf of those around us who need support, protection, deliverance or help pushing back the enemy is how we do this for others.

You’re Armed For Action

There are so many more biblical references to arms and hands and parallels to how we are called to function as believers in Christ.

Spend some time searching out God’s word for this to go deeper on your own.

But today, “you are armed” with what we’ve already covered, so look around, and find how you can reach out, support, protect, rescue, and bring hope or healing to someone today..

Choose to cultivate a lifestyle of “being the arms” of Jesus that reach out to others with his love and help them get connected to the source (vine) themselves. That’s how we produce fruit in the Kingdom. That’s how others are able to taste and see that God is good (Psalm 34:8).

Declare

My life extends God’s love to those around me, and they taste His goodness through the way I live. I am His arm reaching this world, with the love and hope of Jesus.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My prayer for you:

Father, thank You for making the mighty woman of God an extension of Your love in the world. Show her the people today that you want her to reach out to, and provide support, to lift up, and pray for. Let all of her interactions today carry the flavor of Your goodness. I pray that anyone she encounters today will walk away having experienced Your love and power, and that they will have a renewed sense of hope and connection to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Dr Krista Abbott

Author | Speaker | Coach | Digital Marketing and Online Strategist

Today’s Devotional Scripture:

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 KJV

The Message for Today (August 1, 2026):

Imagine a church with stained glass windows and ornate wooden pews.

Beautiful arched ceilings with decorative metal lanterns hanging from it.

There’s a single aisle that leads to the altar.

Behind the altar is a crucifix.

Flanking the crucifix are the elaborate paintings.

Imagine God reaching toward Man like Michelangelo’s famous work.

You stand among many others, facing the altar, waiting.

Then He arrives.

Walking down the middle aisle with confidence.

He is dressed in golden robes, with a sash around his waist and a crown on his head.

His face looks young, but his eyes look ancient.

He arrives at the altar and kneels.

You are captivated by him.

It is He who you’ve been waiting for, all this time.

He prays, and the words he says are ones you’ve longed to say, but never could express.

He prays perfectly.

Light floods the room, and an incomprehensible booming voice echoes through the space.

You are filled with peace.

This is what I imagine when this passage says Jesus is the high priest who intercede for us to the Father. I visualize his beauty and magnificence, and I imagine falling down and worshiping him right then and there.

Of course, this entire scenario is fictional. Yet, it also feels real because it is the truth. We have someone who cares about us. Someone who hears and understands us. When we cannot pray, he prays for us with words like groans. (Romans 8:26)

Sometimes I think of him as an interpreter. Like someone who motions for the deaf or speaks another language for a foreigner, I wonder if that is what Jesus does for us. He speaks God the Father’s language because He is one with Him. The harmonious relationship of the Trinity is hard for us to understand. Because Jesus was human and because he paid the penalty for our sins, he alone is qualified to be that intercessor we so desperately need.

When you pray, don’t worry about what you’re trying to say. Pray earnestly, knowing God the Son will interpret your words correctly. Seek His face, and He will answer you with his quiet, still voice. Then, you must listen.

Closing Devotional Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help me when I can’t speak what I am feeling. Help me to find the words and know you are listening. Please give me an answer, even if it is a no or not yet. I trust you to be my high priest. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.

Enter the Giveaway

***This one is a little longer.***
You Can Listen To The Audio Version Here: A Heart Reset Audio 605

The Message For Today (July 31, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: A Heart Reset Audio 605

There are moments in life when we find ourselves praying, “God, change my situation.” We ask Him to change our finances, change our family, change our career, change our relationships, change our opportunities, and sometimes even change the people around us.

No doubt, we believe that if the circumstances would shift, then we could finally have peace. We think that if the money increased, the pressure could decrease, the doors open, or the burden would lift, and then we would be free

But many times, while we are asking God to change what is happening around us, God is beginning His work within us. He goes beneath the visible problem and addresses the condition of our hearts, which is often the invisible problem. He does this because the heart influences every area of our lives. Our thoughts, beliefs, reactions, habits, choices, relationships, and stewardship all flow from what we are carrying on the inside.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The word “keep” means that we must guard, protect, watch over, and tend to our hearts intentionally. We guard our homes. We protect our children. We monitor our bank accounts. We secure the things we believe are valuable. Yet sometimes we allow anything to enter and remain in our hearts: fear, resentment, disappointment, comparison, shame, scarcity, rejection, and unbelief.

The scripture does not tell us to guard our hearts casually.

It says to do it “with all diligence.” That means this is serious spiritual work. It requires our attention because the condition of our heart eventually becomes visible in the very condition of our lives. What we believe in our hearts influences what we are willing to attempt. It affects what we tolerate, what we avoid, what we pursue, and what we think we deserve.

A woman can love God and still be making decisions from fear. She can pray faithfully and still carry a belief that there will never be enough. She can desire freedom while remaining emotionally attached to the very habits, relationships, or mindsets that keep her bound.

Perhaps you have been praying for financial freedom while secretly believing that financial struggle is simply your portion. Perhaps you have been asking God for increase while avoiding your numbers because you are afraid of what you might discover. Perhaps you have been believing for a new opportunity while allowing rejection from a previous season to silence you.

Perhaps you have been praying for peace while replaying and rehearsing the offense. Perhaps you have been asking God for something new while continuing to define yourself by what happened in the old season.

This is why a reset must begin in the heart.

A reset is not punishment. It is not proof that you have failed. A reset is an opportunity to return to truth, to realign with God, and to begin again with greater wisdom. It is the decision to pause long enough to examine what has been influencing your life and ask,

Is this producing the fruit God desires for me?

God is not merely trying to make your circumstances more comfortable. He is developing a woman who can live in freedom regardless of what the circumstances look like today. He is building your faith, strengthening your character, renewing your mind, and increasing your capacity to steward what you have been praying to receive. I don’t believe the Father takes us where our character can’t keep us.

Faith is not pretending that the problem does not exist. Faith is choosing to believe that the problem does not have the final word. Faith says,

“I see the numbers, but I also know who my Source is. I acknowledge the disappointment, but I will not allow disappointment to become my identity. I recognize the delay, but I will not confuse delay with denial. I may not know every step, but I trust my God who orders my steps.”

This is where faith, finances, and freedom begin to come together.

Faith shapes the way we see. Finances reveal much about how we think, choose, prepare, prioritize, and steward. Freedom is what becomes possible when our beliefs and our behavior come into agreement with the Word of God.

Financial freedom is not only about having more money. More money in the hands of an unhealed, fearful, or undisciplined heart can create more confusion. Financial freedom begins when we are no longer controlled by fear, shame, avoidance, impulse, comparison, or survival thinking. It begins when we can look honestly at what we have, thank God for it, seek wisdom, make a plan, and take faithful action.

Some of us learned to survive before we learned to steward. We learned how to stretch, hustle, help everybody else, and make something happen under pressure. That was definitely my story growing up in Public Housing, on the Streets of North Philadelphia. We must be careful; survival may have been necessary in one season, but it was never meant to become our permanent identity.

I adamantly believe that God desires to move us from constant reaction into intentional living: from fear into faith, from confusion into clarity, and from bondage into freedom. We are not supposed to live perpetual cycles of stress, strain, struggle, or survival. We are supposed to live a life of being, living, and thriving.

That transition begins when we allow Him to search our hearts.

Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

This is a courageous prayer. It is an invitation for God to reveal what we may have normalized, excused, hidden, or ignored.

When God reveals something, He is not exposing us to shame us. He is revealing it so He can heal it, correct it, and free us from it. The Holy Spirit may show you that you have been making decisions from fear. He may reveal that you have connected your worth to your income, your relationship status, your productivity, or the approval of and from others.

He may show you that you have been avoiding responsibility because accountability feels uncomfortable. He may reveal unforgiveness, pride, impatience, or the belief that you must carry everything alone. Whatever He reveals, do not run from it. Bring it into His presence. Transformation begins when truth is acknowledged and then acted upon.

The reset of your heart may require you to forgive. It may require you to apologize. It may require you to stop calling avoidance “peace.” It may require you to open the statement, review the account, cancel the unnecessary expense, begin saving, ask for help, establish a boundary, or follow through on the instruction God already gave you.

Implementation matters because revelation without response does not produce transformation. We can underline the scripture, say amen, share the quote, and still return to the same patterns and cycles of behavior. The word becomes fruitful when we receive it, believe it, and obey it. Here’s a truth: we can have agreement with God but not alignment.

James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

God is not calling us to admire truth from a distance. He is calling us to live it.

So today, do not simply ask God to change your situation. Ask Him to change anything within you that would keep you from stewarding the answer well. Ask Him to heal the places that still expect disappointment, literally waiting on it. Ask Him to uproot beliefs that contradict His Word. Ask Him to give you the courage to face what you have avoided and the discipline to do what freedom requires.

Your next season may not begin with a dramatic external event. It may begin with one quiet, honest decision in the presence of God. One decision to forgive. One decision to look at the numbers. One decision to stop spending for comfort. One decision to believe again. One decision to obey before you have all the details. Never underestimate the power of one surrendered decision. A heart aligned with God can produce a life that looks completely different immediately and consistently long-term.

The freedom you desire is not built in one emotional moment. It is built through faithful, repeated choices. It is built when your faith informs your finances, your finances support your priorities, and your daily decisions move you toward the life God designed.

Today, let the reset begin within.

Faith in Focus

God is not only concerned with what you receive; He is deeply concerned with who you are becoming. A surrendered heart becomes fertile ground for His wisdom, peace, provision, and purpose. Before asking God to change everyone and everything around you, allow Him to reveal what He desires to renew within you. After all, it’s not what’s outside that defiles a man or a woman.

Financial Wisdom

Financial freedom does not begin with a bigger paycheck. It begins with truth, stewardship, and a transformed heart. Fear may cause us to avoid our finances, spend impulsively, hoard excessively, or remain dependent on unhealthy systems. Faith gives us the courage to face the truth, make wise decisions, and trust God while taking responsibility for what He has already placed in our hands.

Before asking God to increase what is in your hands, ask Him to strengthen what is in your heart. Greater resources require greater wisdom, discipline, and capacity.

Here’s a Heart Check

1. What belief has been directing my decisions more than the Word of God?

2. Where have fear, shame, disappointment, or scarcity influenced my financial choices?

3. What have I been asking God to change around me that He may first want to address within me?

4. What instruction have I already received but delayed implementing?

Freedom Step: You’ve been informed; now onto this Week’s Implementation

Set aside at least fifteen uninterrupted minutes with God. Bring your journal, your Bible, and a willing heart. Begin by praying Psalm 139:23-24. Then ask:

“Lord, what belief, attitude, fear, or habit is in my heart preventing me from fully trusting You and walking in freedom?”

Write down what comes to mind. Do not judge it, excuse it, or immediately try to make it sound spiritual. Be honest. Then identify one action that demonstrates agreement with God’s truth.

• If God reveals financial avoidance, review your accounts and write down your current numbers.

• If He reveals fear, write one KJV Scripture that directly confronts that fear and speak it daily.

• If He reveals unforgiveness, begin the process of releasing the offense before God.

• If He reveals disorder, create one simple system for your spending, saving, calendar, or commitments.

• If He reveals delayed obedience, take the first step to fully obey before the end of this week.

Do not try to fix your entire life in one day. Choose one obedient action and complete it. Small, faithful implementation creates momentum.

Your Declarations

I choose to guard my heart according to the Word of God. I release fear, shame, disappointment, scarcity, and every limiting belief that contradicts God’s truth.

I will trust the Lord with my life, my finances, my family, and my future.

I am not bound to old patterns of survival thinking. Through the grace of God, my heart is being renewed, my decisions are becoming wiser, and my life is moving towards freedom. I will be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.

I am becoming the woman God designed me to be.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My Prayer for You:

Heavenly Father, in Jesus’s name. Thank You for meeting the woman of God in this moment. Thank You for loving her enough to address not only what is happening around her, but also what is happening within her.

Your Word tells us to keep our heart with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life.

Father, today, I pray for You to search our hearts. Reveal every fear, wound, belief, habit, and attitude that is influencing our decisions and keeping us from walking fully in faith, wisdom, and freedom. In Jesus’ name.

Where her heart has been hardened by disappointment, soften it, Father. Where she has allowed shame to silence her, remind her that she is redeemed. Glory To God. Where her fear has controlled her decisions, strengthen her faith. Where scarcity has shaped her thinking, teach her to trust You as her source while becoming a faithful steward of what You have already provided. In Jesus’ name.

Father, forgive us for the times we have heard Your Word but delayed applying it. Give us the courage to face what we have avoided and the discipline to complete the next step You place before us. Lord Jesus, I declare and decree that we will walk in ordered steps with the help of the Holy Spirit. In your name, Lord Jesus. You are the way over, under, and through.

Teach the mighty woman of God to steward her faith, her finances, her time, her relationships, her gifts, and her opportunities in a way that honors You. Help her to stop reacting from survival and begin living with intention, wisdom, and peace. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, align her heart with Your truth. Let her faith influence her decisions. Let prayer be her first option, not her final resort. Let her financial choices reflect wisdom and stewardship. Lead her into the freedom that comes from trusting and obeying You.

Father, I pray she surrenders her past, her present circumstances, and her future into Your hands. I believe that, even now, You are renewing our minds, healing hearts, ordering our steps, and preparing us for everything You have designed for our lives.

Thank You for the grace to begin again. Thank You for wisdom to move forward. Thank You that I do not have to remain bound to old beliefs, old habits, or old seasons, and she doesn’t either. In the mighty and matchless name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

| Faith. Finances. Freedom.

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***Listen To Audio Version: He Knows The Plans Audio 604

The Message For Today (July 30, 2026):

***Listen To Audio Version: He Knows The Plans Audio 604

We’ve all heard the verse, Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

God designed everyone’s life for an expected end. He has a specific plan for all of us. AND… He wants to give us hope and a future.

I wandered for so long, not believing that and not thinking I was worthy of a special purpose. I didn’t think I was valuable enough for Him to give me my own purpose. I had no idea why I was on this planet. I wanted and needed to be isolated. To stay in a place of hiding.

For most of my life, I was in a state of shame.

Practically every area of my life was shameful, or so I felt. Physically, because I was overweight. Career-wise, I had an entrepreneurial mind. Back in the day, entrepreneurship was not as accepted a concept as it is today. Doing something out of the norm was frowned upon.

I was looked at and thought of as a wayfaring person. Some even said it to my face. People of “substance” in those days were working 9-to-5 jobs. Those who held such positions were considered “steady.”

Spiritually, I felt lost. Despite my searching, I always felt like I was coming up short, as if I had no way to reach the place where the bad things I had done could be forgiven and eradicated. The havoc I had caused in my life was just too much even for God to handle. He couldn’t possibly forgive me for the things I’d done. I had gone too far in so many ways.

Relationally, things were crazy. Family, friends, all crazy and unbalanced as well as minimally functional, or unhealthy. In one way or another, there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Ever have one of those days or weeks? Maybe years or decades? Welcome to my world. There were momentary periods of greatness followed by periods of tremendous tragedy and pain.

Where did this pain come from? My own stupid choices and a lack of knowledge of the Word of God that would provide the freedom that would allow goodness to penetrate deep down into my soul. What I needed to live a peaceful and full life eluded me. I was searching, but it felt like my progress was slow. There was a disconnect between my heart and mind.

The Word was getting into my head, but wasn’t sinking into my heart long enough to make the change needed. Like the parable of the sower, my seed kept falling by the wayside and kept getting choked by the things of life. Every time something in life happened that was contrary to the Word, I would start doubting God’s goodness, grace, and mercy.

I may as well have been reaching for air because that is what I felt like I was grabbing: a whole lot of nothing. The Word wasn’t sinking in long enough to take the proper effect needed to foster permanent life changes.

Transformation was taking so long because I kept taking one step forward and two steps back, ultimately staying stuck in the same place.

Have you done that in your life? Taking things on, thinking victory is just around the corner but never seeming to reach the corner of the street you’re walking on?

If I could go back, what would I do differently? Maybe I’d spend more time in the Word. Perhaps I would not listen to the voices that silenced my own. What is the answer for you? What do you wish you had done differently? Would it make a difference to your overall outcome?

In my case, I moved away and distanced myself from anyone and anything that was part of my life. I just left, went on my own, figured things out, and ultimately made my own decisions without everyone else’s voices in my head. It was bold but necessary.

I kept relationships with things and people that were not the best for me. Some of those people you can’t get away from, but some you can. You can distance yourself from toxic people, even when they’re your family, by making a choice to keep them at arm’s length.

The distance and the Word started changing my life.

The Word says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). It was through daily immersion in His Word and many mistakes that transformation started to happen in my heart. As I learned more of what the Lord wanted for my life within His Word, healing came, transformation came, prosperity came.

Each day, as I took care of the physical me, I also took care of the spiritual me. Each Word I put in me began the transformation of my heart. That transformation permeated other areas. It’s not the big things we do, but the little things, often behind closed doors, that foster true and lasting transformation. One decision at a time, we change.

As I was finding my way each day, my relationship with God changed. I was taught that God was on some throne somewhere, unreachable by us. When I saw Matthew 27:51, I realized that when the veil in the temple was torn the moment Jesus died, I personally had access to the Holy of Holies. I no longer needed a mediator to go to God. I could go boldly myself, and that separation that had been in my heart all those years was gone.

There are moments in life when we give our hearts to Him in different ways. Not long after the scripture in Matthew lit up my heart, I prayed to draw closer. I realized I had been holding on to things that were not of God. It’s true what they say about the onion: one layer at a time we change.

I was praying on my bed, and I reached out with my heart. I closed my eyes and spilled all I could to Him. Then I saw Him. He was this big, bright light coming toward me. He enveloped me with His arms, and I could feel His presence. You couldn’t slip a piece of paper between us; we were so close. He whispered in my ear, “Now there is nothing between you and Me.”

This encounter crushed all of the old traditions. It was the doorway to a deeper relationship. I could read the Word without someone reading it for me. I could go before the throne in boldness and seek His help. I could put everything before Him.

For me, an intimate relationship with God was my transformation. I didn’t just see Him as the God of the Bible, distant and unapproachable. I saw Him in my heart. I saw Him in my life, and He became real to me. So real that I talked with Him more than I talked with others.

Little by little, I gained confidence as I shed layers of the old me according to His Word. I took the scriptures of our identity in Him and made them personal. That allowed me to start seeing myself differently. As the shedding began, confidence grew. The more I shed, the more confident I became. That transformation overflowed into my physical life and every other area, gently removing debris and making all things new.

It doesn’t happen overnight.

Our walk is daily, and some days may be more triumphant than others. When we walk with Him, He meets us where we are and takes us where we need to be. As we delve into His Word, our identity unfolds. We see the truth, and that truth becomes the plumb line in our lives. We begin to measure what’s around us.

Our hearts begin to change, and there is a new “check” there. The Holy Spirit becomes our Wonderful Counselor, and through Him, if we listen with an intent ear, we know which direction to follow.

Some of those who had walked with me before did not understand the new choices and changes I was making in my life. I didn’t want to do the same things that yielded no fruit and further distanced me from God. If there was no peace within me, I was not going to do it. If I didn’t feel God in a situation, I distanced myself from it, and sometimes it was lonely.

My friend circle changed, and as I spent time with those who were spending time with God, my conversations changed, my mind changed, and eventually, with these deposits, my life changed. One day I woke up and the fruit of all of those little decisions made up the life I was living. I no longer saw myself in the same way. My mind had been renewed to the point where I didn’t recognize the old me. What I had gone through seemed like someone else had been through it.

Make the choices necessary to foster change.

The first change is more Word. That is how our hearts change. Choose the places you’re going to be in and keep your distance from the things that cause you to stumble. You may not be able to put too much distance from some who are close to you.

Some things you have to do, so to speak... but the choice you make for the time you’re going to be with them and how you’re going to be while you’re there is up to you. Be light that draws them to God and breaks barriers. We are walking epistles.

My sin and shame no longer define me. I see myself through Christ and His Word. I walk in peace instead of confusion because Jesus bought that for me, and I remind myself of the price He paid. I have confidence and boldness because of Him. The despair that once guided my days was replaced by the hope I found in God’s Word. We can set healthy boundaries and love others without losing ourselves when we are around them.

My relationships changed. I no longer sat quietly while people hurt me. I expressed my feelings or walked away. I no longer felt as if I had to continue so as not to hurt their feelings or not be a good witness. There were situations where walking away without discussion was the best thing to do because some are unwilling to listen, and you cannot change a person’s heart. You can only change how you respond. Some were open to discussion, some were not, and with others, graciously walking away without discussion was best.

There is a cost to everything in life.

There is a cost in expending energy, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. So, what price are you willing to pay to exercise? What price are you willing to pay to spend time with that difficult sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend? Time with them will draw from your balance of peace. Your peace balance has to stay in the black, or you will go into the red and suffer the consequences.

There are healthy ways to build boundaries and protect yourself from the energy drainers. Manage your life and schedule properly so that you don’t deplete yourself to the point of overdraft.

Mostly everything I do in life, especially when I’m in the right frame of mind, is measured in those ways... How much is this event going to cost me - physically and financially? What will be the pluses and minuses of attending this family gathering? Do the pluses outweigh the minuses? How will I choose to add to them, and will they be adding to me?

Are you going to be a blessing to them before they’re a hindrance to you, and will you be planting good seeds that will help them see the light? Measure out what you will do and how you will come out in the end. At the risk of sounding selfish, you and your protection are what matter most. Protect yourself from harm and harmful things, and rely on the Lord to show you where you’re supposed to be today and your purpose for being there.

We all have a purpose, an expected end. It doesn’t have to be some huge, drawn-out plan that impacts millions. Jesus just asked us to reach one and go from there. Your BIG and others’ BIG are not the same. God’s weights and measures are unlike ours.

Save yourself from the comparison game. Stay in your own lane, towards your destination, not someone else’s. Distractions cause delays, and sometimes accidents. Focus on one moment at a time. With the Holy Spirit counseling you and your obedience to that counsel, there is no way you will lose. Your BIG will be just as big to God because it is your BIG.

Closing Devotional Prayer

My prayer for you:

Father, make my heart good ground for Your Word and for what You have for me. Let time soaking in Your Word and Your presence be the priority of my life, for everything else flows from it.

When I am tempted to go after what You have not planned for me, help me to come back to the Word and the focus You originally gave me. Help me to look forward instead of over my shoulder, for You have forgiven my past and have provided for my future.

Lead me on my expected path and stay close to me as I stay close to You until the end. And Lord, I pray that every woman of God listening and reading this devotional is mightily blessed. I pray that every chain is broken. I pray that the release of Your love covers her the way it has covered me.

I pray that the grace of God will cover her physically, financially, and emotionally, and that you will show her her expected end. Show her God, her purpose. Bless her in the name of Jesus. I thank you, Lord, and I pray in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

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