Are you ready to leave your brokenness behind and walk confidently into a new season with God? No more shame, no more regret. Maybe you’re ready to silence your worst critic and begin to believe in yourself again. If this is you or you wish it was, the wide open arms of your Heavenly Father are beckoning you to come just as you are and run to Him for all you need.

My prayer for you today is one I prayed for my sister back in 2016.

She was dying in a hospital bed with a rare blood disorder that had broken her body’s ability to function. Literally every organ was shutting down at the same time and the doctors (scores of them) were doing all.they.knew yet it wasn’t enough. After reading the story of the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “Jesus is the only answer.”

So, I prayed this simple prayer:

“Jesus, I’m calling on all You are to be everything she needs. Amen.” 

And, friend, that’s my prayer for you today. When broken is all we’ve known how to be, Jesus is our answer. When we’re sin-sick, heart-sick, or just plain sick of ourselves, we need the Great Physician to heal our weary, worn out souls and help us leave broken behind.

The lifter of your head loves you wildly and will speak life over the broken, seemingly dead things in your soul.

One of my favorite names for God is the lifter of our heads because that’s exactly what we need. Shame turns our eyes downward because we don’t want to be seen. God cups our chin and draws our eyes to Him. God speaks kind words over our lives bringing the healing we need.

The first brave step to becoming a broken girl made whole is to look God in the eyes and believe He loves you. No matter what you’ve done or what’s been done to you, God adores you. Right now, before you’ve said you’re sorry or cleaned up your mess.

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3

Once we’ve got our eyes on Jesus, the real work begins.

The hard, heart work of allowing God to call US out on our bad behaviors is daunting. However, yours may not be as awful as mine have been. Maybe it’s wanting what your neighbor has and letting jealously reign in your heart. Perhaps you have patterns of selfishness causing a rift in your relationships, ruining even your best friendships. Or, what about indulging in that thing that makes you happy for a moment and then makes you sickened the next…

is that your brokenness?

Beneath our futile attempts to be on our best behavior, that thing that keeps rearing its ugly head is the very thing God wants to uproot. Because the second brave step to becoming a broken girl made whole is handing over our hearts in humility to the Lord. Letting Him shine His light on the dark corners where our pet sin likes to hide. You know the one we know we need to let go, but in reality it’s got a hold on us. Repeated sin reveals deeply rooted brokenness. God longs for us to linger with Him and let His love loosen the hard soil of hearts.

Trusting God do some hard heart work in you will move you gently toward the wholeness you desire. Yes, the process is painful, but the only way out is through. Humble your heart before God. Being brave means trusting our ugly truths to the grace giving God who sees us and loves us still. Not for a moment will He forsake us when we come broken before Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD , and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8

After realizing our hearts are in need of a revival, the above verses are the remedy for our reckless, rebellious hearts. If you’ve read my recent guest blog in the Brave Women Series:  Brave Enough to Admit Infidelity: The Power of Telling the Truth, then you know my story got real ugly before God made something beautiful from my brokenness.

Part of my painful process was learning to tell the truth.

Often, when God reveals the root of our brokenness, it requires us to make amends. Choosing to tell the hard truth to the ones you love most and knowing it will cut deep is never easy (and not always necessary).

In many cases, our truth leaves a gaping wound only God’s grace can heal.

The third brave step to becoming a broken girl made whole involves moving beyond humility with God to honoring others with our truth. This will look vastly different for each person. These hard truths may or may not need to be confronted in actual conversation with others. But when necessary, obedience will prove to be the right choice, though the consequences crushing.

Some matters are a conversation only with God where He releases us from going to others because He has dealt with the issue at hand. Please seek godly counsel before making any rash decisions when you’re tempted to become a tell-all. (Disclaimer: This is between you and God to decide when, if ever, the timing is right for your situation. Only God knows.)

“…a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak–” Ecclesuastes 3:7

Leaving broken behind doesn’t mean we never look back.

Contrary to that popular thought process, the Bible tells us to remember God’s faithfulness over our lives. If He’s been good to us (and He has) then we’re encouraged to shout it from the rooftops. Reminding ourselves of how far we’ve come and offering refreshment to those who are dying of thirst for a drink of Living Water is imperative to our continued healing process.

Refreshing Words for the Wounded Soul

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, shout from the rooftops. Matthew 10:27 (NIRV)

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 

Rarely is transformation a one and done deal. Change happens when we routinely revisit how we got to where we’re at now. Because we’ve taken a step forward after telling the truth to God, ourselves, and others, we then become a Truth teller. The fourth brave step to becoming a broken girl made whole is to be a Truth teller, pointing people to Jesus. One who shares her story all for God’s glory. That may sound cliché, but I mean it.

Our story becomes meaningful in the hands of our grace-slinging God.

He deals in grace, bought by the blood of the cross. Jesus is the whole reason we step out of our comfort zones to not so much tell on ourselves, but to show just how good God has been in our lives.

Whether on a comfy couch or on a stage, sharing our stories is Kingdom work. Indeed, our testimonies are one of  the bravest forms of spiritual warfare I know. What feels like certain death or the ultimate humiliation is only a ploy to keep our mouths shut. Giving voice to our redemption stories brings with it a reaction from the enemy of our souls.

Leaving Broken Really Makes The Enemy Mad

Don’t be surprised when a spiritual attack ensues after you’ve shared your story with someone in dire need of Jesus. The enemy hates it.  Yet,  when prompted by the Holy Spirit, I continue to share the messiest parts of my story in hopes of keeping women from making the same mistake (okay, we all know I mean mistakes) I have.

My heart is to encourage women like you and me to be brave enough to believe change is possible.

It’s only the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that helps us become a broken girl made whole. In and of ourselves, we remain stuck in our sin, but with God by our side, we can leave broken behind.

They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Revelation 12:11 

4 Brave Steps to Becoming A Broken Girl Made Whole ™

1. Choose to look up. Look God in the eyes and believe He loves you.
2. Choose to humble yourself and let God do some hard, heart-work in you.
3. Choose to honor God and others with our truth. trust God with your loved ones’ hearts.
4. Choose to be a truth teller and you’ll become a Truth teller.

PRAYER: Father God, You’ve been so good to me. I can’t help but tell of Your faithfulness. I want to point people to Jesus. Help me to know when to hold my tongue and when to shout my story from the rooftops. Use my mess to bring about the miracle of salvation in the lives of those You place in my life.

May my words always be an echo of the beautifully broken things made whole in my life. Make me a broken girl made whole who chooses humility, honor, and honesty as the trademarks of my life. May You be known through me. Lord, make me brave enough to trust the process and tell the Truth. 

FINALLY, MORE ON MOVING ON…

I hope you’re having a wonderful summer. Recently we moved from the beautiful mountains of Colorado to play on the plains of Oklahoma. While I’m getting settled back into the swing of things, the Past to Power Podcast(formerly Real Victory Radio) took a little time off which has really turned into an accidental sabbatical.

The Fruitful Living Series includes some of my favorites. We started with an impromptu conversation about The Dwelling Place and wound up recording a whole series on the Fruit of the Spirit. You can listen on Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

I’d love for you to hang out a while here on my a broken girl made whole blog.

Take a look around and see which ones meet you where you are in this season. And, here’s a recent blog to give you words for the prayer your heart might need to take your first brave step towards wholeness.

all my love,

The Prayer That Changes Everything

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