You don’t have to know me well to know that I stan for Jesus. I’ve been a Christian forever and it is the best decision I’ve ever made. Recently, one of my favorite authors, Marshawn Evans Daniels, released a devotional journal, 100 Days Of Believing Bigger. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Shara, you just blogged about this author the other day.” I know, but hear me out. I have gone through my share of devotionals. Most published by big-name Christians and they have been good. But, none have come close to this one. To start, this devotional is so beautiful. When I first received it (purchased with my own money) and flipped through, I knew instantly it was going to be good. The aesthetic is ugh, so good. I’m a sucker for gold foil, white, and black (I’m not really a pink person but the blush pink works too!). The paper is high quality and you won’t have to worry about pen or highlighter ink bleeding through to the next page. What sealed the deal for me are Marshawn’s conversations with the reader, the journal questions, and prayers (they are simple but effective). In this post, I take you through the first five days of the devotional under the topic of trust.
Day 1: Trust Made Simple
“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7 NIV
Right out the gate through scripture, the devotional tugged at my emotions. Furthermore, Marshawn states, ” And if we’re acting in haste, we can get in the way of God’s intended blessings for us.” How many times have I been unwilling to wait on God and forced a situation? Too many. I should be embarrassed to admit this but I’m all about transparency here. There was one situation in particular when I was unemployed and became restless waiting on God to provide me with a job. I went back to an old place of employment and basically begged for my job back. They gave me a job and it was the worst year of my life. I will never force another situation again. No matter how bleak the situation may seem. Waiting can be very difficult, especially if you’re waiting on something that affects your livelihood like employment. Given my history, I will say God is worth waiting for.
Day 2: Seeing The Unseen
“Faith led Noah to listen when God warned him about the things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a ship to save his family. Through faith Noah condemned the world and received God’s approval that comes through faith.” – Hebrews 11:7 GW
“Remember, trust is what enables us to access the voice of God with greater intensity and clarity,” states Marshawn. The more we trust God and the more obedient we are to his instruction, the clearer His voice becomes. There is room for growth for me in the obedience department. I’m an extreme over-analyzer and I am working on it daily. As I learned and mentioned in a previous post (Trust vs Confirmation), overthinking/overanalyzing is based on fear. It took me months after deciding to start this blog to actually create the website and write my first post. I was too busy comparing myself with what everyone else was doing, that I neglected the thing God was telling me to do. Had God chosen my blog as the one that would save the world…we would’ve all been in trouble. At the time, I didn’t believe anyone would be interested in what I had to say. I learned that how I felt about what God was telling me to do was beside the point. God said go and I should’ve gone, immediately!
Day 3: Perfect Timing
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make all your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Where do you want me? Something I ask God often. My life has been nothing like I imagined it would be and I find myself frustrated. I decided a while ago to just surrender. Surrender every aspect of my life to God. It’s all I know to do. I had the habit of wanting to control everything failing to recognize I am not the one in control. I’m willing to try surrendering and see where that gets me. “Even in the midst of frustration, says Marshawn, know that every detour and delay has been divinely orchestrated.”
Day 4: Releasing Perfectionism
“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 138:8 NKJV
I’m going through something currently ( will be discussed at a later date) that I worry about intermittently. Given past experiences, I know better than to allow my present situation to lead me down the path of disbelief and disrupt where God is trying to take me. When I think about it, my focus is off. I have a tendency to focus on myself too much at times, instead of focusing on God and what his word says. Marshawn states, “You see, your destiny isn’t really yours. You’re a critical part of God’s bigger plan, but let’s not forget that it’s His plan we must learn to joyously and expectantly surrender to. Know that He will perfect everything that concerns you.” God will perfect everything that concerns me so there’s no need to worry and every reason to trust.
Day 5: Water Walking
Jesus: Indeed, come. – Matthew 14:29 THE VOICE
The famous walk on water scene from the Bible when Jesus tells Peter to come to him and Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water. We all would like to walk on water, right? For me, this would symbolize a time in my life when I’m focused on God and everything is working out beautifully. My career is going well, my family is healthy and happy, my edges are full and strong. Life is good! Then a distraction comes along and things get a bit shaky. Been there before and I’m actually there now. COVID-19 strikes the country. My husband and I are forced to become teachers and homeschool our son. I’m furloughed from the job I JUST started months earlier. Things don’t look good. Marshawn noted, “It’s not the waves that cause us to sink – it’s putting our trust in our circumstances.” I’m guilty of putting my trust in my circumstances, my paycheck to be exact. This year God expressed in a mighty way that my trust is never to be in anything other than him.
Day 5 Prayer:
Lord, make me like Peter. Draw me out of the boat of the familiar and safe man-made methods. I commit to keep my eyes on You. Invite me into miracles, signs, and wonders. Amen.
100 Days Of Believing Bigger Devotional Journal is such a considerate and smart way to get believers thinking about their lives and relationship with God. If you’re looking for a way to study the word of God, trust God more, tap into your purpose, or work through disruption (amongst other things) this is the perfect devotional for you.
*I do not have any affiliation with the author of this devotional (purely just a fan of her work).
With love,
S.
