1737 Just Start Small

BIG Life Devotional | Daily Devotional for Women

Yesterday we began the conversation of being faithful in little things so that we can be trusted with more. God is looking for faithful girls. Faithful girls who will be consistent with their commitment. Faithful girls who will show up every day and do what they said they would do.

Have you accepted the challenge for 75 Faithful by choosing 1 little thing to be faithful with every single day for the final 75 days of 2024? What is your “little” thing? Remember, all big things first begin small and this little commitment could grow to become so much more in your life.

That’s precisely what has happened for me. I live a life that is beyond my wildest imaginations and I owe God all the glory. I could have never created this on my own … heck I couldn’t even dream of it on my own, and that’s the truth! There are 2 little things I’ve been consistently doing that have created the biggest growth and change in my life. Both of these would perhaps make fantastic choices for your own 75 Faithful challenge.

The first one we discussed yesterday – Reading your Bible. God’s word is alive like a seed. When you put that seed within you, it grows in the unseen and produces a harvest to become so much greater than it began.

I received so many messages after yesterday’s podcast episode saying, “this is my little thing I will be faithful with.” Some are studying the book of Proverbs, some are studying Psalms, others are studying Romans. Some are committed to the daily Bible reading from an app. Great … it’s all God’s word and it’s all alive. Plant that seed, Sis!

Now, the second little thing that has radically changed my life – Prayer.

I’m going to make this so practical today and tell you exactly where I started to make prayer a positive daily practice that didn’t feel like punishment or a habitual waste of time. Maybe you’ve heard me share this before, or maybe it’s your first time. Maybe you need to hear it again, or maybe this will be perfect to share with someone else.

Many years ago, I was completely stagnant in my faith. Life was going pretty darn well, so I didn’t have a need to necessarily pray over. Isn’t it funny how we quickly forget the God who rescued us last time when the threat has passed? I was often the girl who had to be knocked to her knees before she would kneel to pray, and if I wasn’t being knocked down, I wasn’t praying. And the longer I went without praying, the more distant I grew with God.

God brought a friend into my life named Suzanne and placed her on our leadership team for a perfect season. Suzanne brought the sweetest spiritual component to our team when I was trying my best to really leave God out of everything. She taught a little class on the 4 Sentence Prayer that began my journey back to God. The practice was so simple and it took all the stress out of praying. Just 4 simple sentences:

1. Tell God what you’re thankful for.
2. Confess where you’ve messed up and ask for forgiveness.
3. Tell God what you’re worried about.
4. Ask God for help.

Every evening, as I got ready for bed, I would slip into my closet and close the door. There, I would drop to my knees and pray those 4 sentences. Some nights 4 sentences turned into 40. With this practice, it became easier and easier to talk to God.

Do you want to know a really interesting fact? Within a few months of starting this practice of praying daily, I started hearing from God. Do you know what he told me? He told me so clearly, “My girl, I want you to host a morning devotional.” Me … the girl who didn’t know a single scripture, the girl who couldn’t pray out loud without crying, the girl who was trying so hard to leave God out of everything.

What you listen to today began because I started praying. And trust me, I was NOT praying about leading devotionals!

Another really simple thing that I’ve learned along the way that really helped in my prayer life is to pray on my knees every morning the moment I wake up. Now, to do this, there are 2 secrets:

1. Set an alarm for 30 minutes before you need to get up. Why? So you can go pee, then go back to bed. Trust me, a full bladder really limits a morning prayer.
2. Place your alarm under your bed. Why? Because you’ll have to get down on your knees to turn it off, and while you’re down there, you can pray! It’s the most simple and practical reminder to hit your knees. I put a pillow right beside my bed for a nice soft place for my knees to land each morning. I’m telling you, it works!

I have a simple outline I follow for my morning prayers.

1. I thank and praise God. I begin by focusing on all that is good, right, working and coming together and give God full credit for it all. Remember the Birthday Girl devotional … yeah, it’s starting the day with predetermined joy by saying, “Thank you, God – I love it”, before I even know what the gift of today holds.
2. I pray over each member of my family.
3. I confess my sins and ask forgiveness. I ask God to search my heart for anything that needs to change, and I ask for help in doing better.
4. I pray over you. Seriously, I do. I pray that God will use me to speak directly to you. (I really love how he does that so specifically.)
5. Finally, I open the note section I keep on my phone titled PRAYER LIST, and I begin praying over specific people and situations.

Keeping a prayer list helps me to actually pray over the things I’ve been made aware of, instead of casually saying, “I’ll pray for you”, but then never think of it again. Gosh, I used to do that so much.

I met a man named Jim on the island of Oahu who runs a tiny coffee truck. He gives away free Bibles with his coffee and he has a hand painted purple sign out front that says, “If Jesus could save a wretch like me, he could save anyone.” I took my Hawaii Retreat girls to meet him and while chatting he said, “does anyone have anything I can be praying over?” As one of our girls began sharing with him about her granddaughter who was ill, he grabbed his notebook and wrote down her name. It was his prayer list.

How genius. A literal written prayer list. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?!!!! That day, I began keeping a prayer list on my phone, and when I pray, I open that note up and pray over each person and situation. It’s always an exciting day when I get to remove someone from the list because we know God has already taken care of it.

Prayer. Could it be your little thing to be faithful with for 75 days? It could be that little thing that grows to become so much more. It could be that little daily practice that helps you become the girl who could be trusted with more.

There’s a story in Acts 12 that perfectly demonstrates the power of prayer. Peter has been thrown into prison and the next day he is facing a public trial. Now, let’s be clear, this public trial was a definite execution. His friend and fellow disciple James had just been executed and now it was Peter’s turn.

Verse 5 says, “But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.” We’re talking about some alarms under the bed, some knees hitting the floor, some prayer lists on their phones being prayed over. And here’s what happened as a result of their prayers …

Verse 6, “The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers.” My friends, that is the result of prayer. Peter was able to sleep! It’s the night before he knows he’s going to be executed and he’s sleeping. That’s the peace only God can give, and that peace comes through prayer! When it’s been prayed about, you can have peace about it.

The church was earnestly praying, so Peter was sleeping when it was time to sleep. But then, when it’s time for Peter to wake up, he wakes up. Check this out …

Verse 7, “Suddenly there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up! And the chains fell off his wrists.” Peter left the cell, following the angel.

Y’all, Peter walked right out of his prison. How? People were praying!

Your prayers are powerful. When you pray, Heaven listens and God is moved.

I have family and friends going through unimaginably hard times. I can’t fix it for them, but I can call God in to do what only he can do. My prayers can help them sleep. My prayers can fill them with peace. My prayers can get them out!

That’s what your prayers can do. You have no idea the power you have access to, Sis.

So, could your 75 Faithful be a commitment to pray daily? Maybe start with that 4 Sentence Prayer. That’s where I started! Or maybe throw that alarm under your bed, put a pillow on the floor, and let that be your reminder to hit your knees every morning. Start a prayer list as a note on your phone and bring those requests to Heaven every day.

Daily prayer has radially changed my life. It started so small and it’s grown. I don’t have to put my alarm under my bed anymore because it’s naturally my first waking thought. My body just naturally rolls on out and I start talking to God.

The same God that got Peter out of prison is working in your life today. The same God that heard the prayers of the people praying then, hears your prayers today. Tap into the power God has graciously allocated you. Partner with him in the divine workings of Heaven’s plans.

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