Bad-Day-Turn-Around Prayer (Surrender Principle #3)

Bad-Day-Turn-Around Prayer (Surrender Principle #3)

by | Apr 27, 2026 | Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, The Surrendered Life

Hi Friends!
 
It’s the third week of our series, “The Surrendered Life." Last week, I received this powerful email from Chrystal about Surrender Principle #2, which is: I can choose to live by faith, rather than rush to follow my feelings.
 
She gave me permission to share this note and she hopes that it will encourage you:
:
Barb, while I was on a break at work, I started reading your email on Surrender Principle #2. Then, after work,  I volunteer at our local food pantry. While I was at the food pantry, I received a text message from my fiancé.  Let me tell you, the steam was coming out of my head! I had big feelings! The text message said that his youngest son's mom's car broke down. He let her use a car that he doesn't really drive. I didn't like the idea, and my emotions were running wild. I began to think of your email: I needed to talk to God.  I decided not to act on my feelings but have faith in God and our relationship. I choose to look at the bigger picture rather than my feelings. Thank you so much for the email!
 
I love this!  God knew the encouragement Chrystal needed and let's celebrate her decision to pause to check in with God first instead of following her fire-up feelings. You can do this, too!
Here's this week's Surrender Principle #3 from my Surrendered Bible study:
I can always let go and give my problems to God.
 
Did you know that anytime you're overwhelmed, you can stop and give your problems to God? Sounds so easy, but we forget! Once there's a problem, most of us believe it is up to us to hunker down and stay with it until it's resolved.
Yet some problems start out one size and then grow bigger. And we're still in there thinking we can handle it when we can't. We become overwhelmed and discouraged.
 
Once our hearts start racing and we begin to panic, that's the sure sign it's time to pause and say, "Wait, I don't have to carry this on my own. I can stop and give it to God!"
 
Here's one of my all-time favorite verses: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. -1 Peter 5:7 NLT
 
God never runs out of room in His arms to hold what's too heavy for us. Even better, there's no timeframe on this verse. We can do it as often as needed! I love the premise that at any time, we can declare a new start for our attitude, our perspective, or our choice to live God's way rather than ours.
 
At any time, you can let go of speaking to others in negativity and choose words that reflect God's grace and love.
 
At any time, you can let go of nagging or helicoptering and choose to allow other adults to be responsible for their decisions.
 
At any time, you can let go of fear and focus on God's blessings and promises.
 
What a blessing it is that we can start over at any time because God's faithfulness and mercy are always available, at any moment! 
 
This means you are never stuck in a bad day, and best of all, you never have to feel hopeless in a difficult situation.
 
INTRODUCING THE BAD DAY TURN AROUND PRAYER
If you need to start your day over, prayer is the best way to reset your heart and mind. In my life, I realized that having a “Bad Day Turn Around” Prayer was helpful. Now, I’m sharing that prayer with you.
 
There are fill-in-the-blank sections so you can personalize it for your situation. If you engage with this exercise and it helps, hit reply and share that with me.
 
Even if you don’t need this Bad-Day-Turn-Around prayer now, keep this handy for a day when you do need it. You can take a screenshot of the prayer. If you know someone who needs this Bad-Day-Turn-Around prayer, you can forward this email to her!
 
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Did you need this prayer? Comment “turnaround” and I'll know that this devotion resonated with you!  Also, what songs or Bible verses help you turn around a bad day? Tell me about it!
BUY SURRENDERED STUDY

Read the Entire Series: The Surrendered Life!

Holding on to Hope in a Heavy World | Episode with Shannan Martin

Holding on to Hope in a Heavy World | Episode with Shannan Martin

by | Apr 20, 2026 | Bold Brave & Beautiful Podcast

Most of our days are lived in the in-between; ordinary hours filled with small griefs, flickers of joy, quiet disappointments, and unexpected beauty. 

In this heartfelt conversation, Barb sits down with bestselling author Shannan Martin to talk about her newest book, Counterweights, and how to stay hopeful in a world that often feels heavy. With humor and honesty, Shannan shares the life-changing practice of “counterweights” — learning to hold both the good and the hard at the same time. Together, they explore how to navigate what’s outside our control, notice the ordinary delights hiding in plain sight, and experience life as deeply good, even when it’s tough.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or weary, this episode is a gentle invitation to remain upright, hopeful, and fully alive right where you are.

 

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

Connect with Shannan on Instagram

Counterweights: An Essential Practice for Holding Hope in a Heavy World

Visit Shannan's Website

 

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Shannan Martin is the bestselling author of several books, including Start with Hello, The Ministry of Ordinary Places, and the popular Substack The Soup. She is a wannabe gardener, a news geek, a fighter for justice, and a thrift store stalker. She and her family live as grateful neighbors in Goshen, Indiana, where Shannan is on staff at the local community kitchen.

Experience Life-Transforming Power of Prayer

Pray Like This Bible Study by Barb Roose

As a Christian, you know you’re supposed to pray. But do you ever find yourself wrestling with any of these questions related to prayer?

Do I have to pray the right way for God to answer my prayer?

Do I have to pray the right way for God to answer my prayer?

Am I still praying if I read pre-written prayers?

If you’ve pondered these questions or others about prayer, my Pray Like Bible Study is for you.

Even if you're a prayer warrior, Pray Like This sharpens your prayer focus and is a great resource for you to teach others about prayer.There's a reason why Jesus was passionate about prayer and I want to show you how!

Click Here
Keep Big Feelings from Making a Big Mess (Surrender Principle #2)

Keep Big Feelings from Making a Big Mess (Surrender Principle #2)

by | Apr 20, 2026 | Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, The Surrendered Life

Hi Friends!
 
Welcome back to our Happy Monday series, The Surrendered Life.” If you missed last week’s kick-off on Surrender Principle #1, you can read it here.
 
This week, we’re moving on to Surrender Principle #2: I choose to live by faith, not rush to follow my feelings. How do we keep our faith in the driver’s seat of our thoughts and decisions and make sure that our feelings don’t grab the wheel? For sure, when our feelings are at the wheel, it’s always a wild ride that doesn’t always end well. Today’s devotion tackles that question with a powerful verse and a helpful tool to calm your big, anxious feelings.

Welcome to our new Happy Monday friends from this weekend's Aspire events in Frankenmuth, MI, Midland, Mi and Garden City, MI. God moved powerfully and I'm so honored we were able to share the Aspire experience with all of you! 

You’re supposed to have emotions! God created us to experience a wide range of emotions in our bodies. Feelings and emotions can be messy! Some of us were raised in families where big feelings led to careless words, yelling, or even abuse. Or, you may have grown up in a family where feelings were suppressed, or you were shamed if you showed emotion.
 
The truth is that our emotions are neither good nor bad. Friend, whatever you feel is real. But our feelings aren’t facts, just attention-getters. Your emotions should draw your notice, not determine your direction.
 
This brings us to today’s verse:
 
Guard your heart above all else,
  for it determines the course of your life.
-Proverbs 4:23 NLT
 
Whenever I see this verse, I’m reminded of comedian John Crist’s popular saying, “check your heart.” That phrase warns us to stop scrolling so much or take regular rest so we can pay attention to what’s happening in our hearts. The wisdom of Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to guard what we think and feel, because our behavior is shaped by them.
 
Back to Surrender Principle #2 - think about the difference between living by faith versus following feelings. If we guard our hearts well, living by faith means we protect our time with God, so we have plenty of time to pray and read scripture, and we can think about them during the day. On the flip side, when we don’t guard our hearts against excessive negativity or go too long without prayer or reading the Bible, the walls of our hearts weaken, and our feelings can run wild all through our bodies. That’s not good. 
 
Here are some questions to consider:
·      When’s the last time that you checked your heart?
·      What are the emotions you’ve been feeling most often lately?
·      How often do you feel like your emotions are bigger than your ability to handle them?
 
I want to be careful to point out that Surrender Principle #2 is about “letting go of following feelings,” but not letting go of feeling. Again, God created us to experience emotions, so we don’t need to beat ourselves up for our big feelings. The goal of guarding our hearts isn’t to make us feel nothing. This Surrender Principle gives us wisdom on how to avoid the mess that usually comes when something strong stirs in our hearts, and we act on it without checking with God first.
 
Here’s some background on how this week’s Happy Monday impacted me: I wrote today’s devotion while traveling with the Aspire Tour this weekend. We had a great weekend, but I also experienced some big, unexpected feelings that shouldn’t have been a surprise, given today’s topic. Life is always waiting to teach a lesson!
 
Last night’s powerful event was hosted by a church that I spoke at in 2017. On the way, I remembered that I was still married when I last visited this church. Cue lots of big emotions all at once!  I felt a wave of grief, sadness, peace, and excitement hit me all at once.
 
This happens to all of us. Then, add in some perimenopause hormones for some of us, the negativity of the daily news cycle, and lack of sleep  - we need to guard our hearts well because this has the potential to create big feelings leading us to say or do things we regret.  
 
Then, let’s add in a little perimenopause, the news cycle, and my preparation for multiple talks, I knew that I needed to anchor myself in God so I wouldn't bounce around emotionally all day. That’s exhausting.
 
I decided to use a tool that I wrote about in my Stronger Than Stress book called SOS Exercise. SOS stands for "stressed, overwhelmed, or struggling." I utilize the SOS exercise regularly. I can anchor myself in God’s care instead of flopping in the wind of my unpredictable feelings. Here’s the exercise:
 
Repeat the following statements to yourself:
1.     I am safe and not in physical danger.
2.     I am secure. I trust God to provide everything that I need.
3.     I am unconditionally loved by God, and He is with me right now.
 
Speaking these present truths to yourself informs your body, especially your nervous system, that even when you feel overwhelmed by emotions or other reasons, your body is physically safe. Even though you may be deep in difficult circumstances, this, too, reminds you that God loves and cares,, so you don’t need to fear the future. This is how we speak faith over our feelings.
 
One more tip: It’s more helpful to calm my body first before I attempt to discern what’s going on.  If you’re like me, intellectualizing (thinking things through) comes easily, but that doesn’t mean it has an effect. Let’s calm the body and then ask God to help us from there.
 
I hope today’s devotion on Surrender Principle #2 was helpful. Only you can guard your heart, dear friends! I promise that the SOS Exercise is effective when used regularly.
 
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! How do you handle your big feelings, or do you stuff them? What verse helps refocus on God and calm down when you feel lots of emotions all at once?

ARE YOU TRYING TO TRUST GOD, BUT STILL HOLDING TIGHTLY TO CONTROL?

 

Last night, I met Char when she asked me to sign her Surrendered Bible study. Check out all of those tabs! Her Bible study group attended last night's event in Garden City, MI. Char's group leader told me that they are finishing up the study soon, and they will miss it because they've had such a great time. 
 
Char told me that those tabs helped her keep track of everything that she was learning. Love it! If you haven't done my Surrendered study, check it out!
BUY HERE
START A GROUP!

Read the Entire Series: The Surrendered Life!

You Were Never Meant to Hold It All Together (Surrender Principle #1)

You Were Never Meant to Hold It All Together (Surrender Principle #1)

by | Apr 13, 2026 | Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus, The Surrendered Life

Happy Monday, friends,
 
Welcome to our Happy Monday series called "The Surrendered Life." If you've been overwhelmed by situations or circumstances that are out of your control, I'm praying this series equips you to experience more of the peace that God alone can provide!
 
First, a special welcome to our new Happy Monday friends who joined us from my recent Aspire Event and from the ABIDE Conference in Lubbock, TX on Saturday. Welcome to our beautiful community of women around the world! We pray that you will be blessed as we spend time together each Monday morning

I love meeting Happy Monday friends when I'm on the road. Meet Cheryl! She became a Happy Monday reader after completing my Joshua Bible Study. Cheryl attended the ABIDE Conference in Lubbock on Saturday. So nice to meet you, Cheryl!

During this series, we'll cover the six Surrender Principles from my Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus Bible study. Let's jump into Surrender Principle #1: I am not in control of others or outcomes.
 
Not being in control is so hard to accept! In my Surrendered Bible study, I write that as women, we want three things: to protect what we love, fix what's broken, and keep everyone and everything on track. We do a great job at all of this! And because of that, people rely on us for help and we'll do whatever we can. But doing whatever we can doesn't mean that God has put us in control.
 
Sometimes, certain circumstances are beyond our control. Last week, one Happy Monday reader gave me permission to share her story:
 
Barb, I'm invited to my great-granddaughter's birthday party. Yet my grandson did not invite his dad because they're having some kind of issues. I really don't know the whole ordeal, but it's something between my daughter-in-law and my grandson's wife. This problem hurts me so much. I just want to get the four of them together and sort this out. But I'm not in control of others or outcomes. It's in God's hands. -from B
 
I know many of you can relate to family situations between other adults where you truly want to help. And how many of us have tried to help, only to have good intentions blow up in our faces?
 
1. Let's look at the first half of Surrender Principle #1: "I am not in control..."
The reality is that the only person we're in charge of is ourselves. One well-known Christian business owner said, "If I could control the person in my mirror, I'd be skinny and rich." We struggle to manage ourselves, and yet something inside us wants to tell others what they should do.
 
Dear friend, I know you're smart and resourceful. You know how to figure things out! I suspect you've prayed a lot about your situation or about the person who really needs to be straightened out. But that still doesn't mean God has placed the responsibility on you to fix what isn't yours to fix, even if you're impacted by the consequences.
 
Here's the bottom line: Acknowledging that we're not in control is a practice we should take time to do each day! If we don't acknowledge this, we will carry either the weight of the situation or the weight of responsibility, and feeling stressed out or hopeless is sure to follow.
 
The good news is that when we proclaim with our heads and our hearts, "I am not in control..." we begin to make room for God to restore our peace, settle our hearts, and calm our minds. We feel the weight roll off our shoulders, the tension in our necks release, and we can finally breathe again. You may even sleep better at night knowing that God's got it! Think of Surrender Principle #1 as a form of self-care that helps you fight anxiety.
 
Let's Try It: Think of something you are not in control of and say the following:
I am not in control of __(fill in the blank)___.
 
2. Let's move on to the second half of Surrender Principle #1, which is just as challenging:"...of others or outcomes."
 
There's a picture in our heads of how we think others should live or how the future should turn out. Maybe it's a really lovely picture of everyone sitting in church together, robust bank accounts, thriving kids or grandkids, or a husband who picks up his socks off the floor. There's nothing wrong with that!
 
When we release control of others and outcomes, the blessing is that we're more able to cling to hope in God's promises. Another bonus is that we avoid running ahead of God and inserting ourselves into situations that may create conflict with others.
 
Does this mean you stay quiet when someone is hurting themselves or others? Absolutely not! There's wisdom in Scripture that tells us how to approach others, particular believers, but you can reference this wisdom:
 
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
-Galatians 6:1 NLT
 
This verse guides us to helping others, but this teaching doesn't mean you're now responsible for their lives. They belong to God, not you. If you are concerned and would like to talk with someone in a healthy way, here is a resource you can check out.
 
As we wrap up today's devotion…
Even though we may not have control of others or outcomes, God never loses control. We can trust Him! Rather than feeling discouraged by what we see, let us never forget that nothing is too hard for God! With Him all things are possible, and part of that is trusting His timing and His ways.
 
SURRENDER PRINCIPLE #1 REFLECTION
  1. What do you need to admit to God and yourself that you aren't in control of?
  2. Who do you need to stop trying to fix because you realize you're doing too much?
  3. What picture in your head do you need to let go of so that you can ask for help, live in reality, or make decisions that are healthy for you?
 
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! As you reflect on today's devotion, what situation or person do you need to release control of and surrender to God?

ARE YOU TRYING TO TRUST GOD, BUT STILL HOLDING TIGHTLY TO CONTROL?

 

My Surrendered: Letting Go and Living Like Jesus Bible study is my most popular study! This six-week study offers a powerful, Scripture-based Bible study that helps women release control and fully trust God in every area of life. Rooted in Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness, this study reveals how surrender is not weakness, but the ONLY path to God's peace, freedom, and spiritual strength.

BUY HERE
START A GROUP!

Read the Entire Series: The Surrendered Life!

Searching for God in Seasons of Silence | Interview with Dominique Young

Searching for God in Seasons of Silence | Interview with Dominique Young

by | Apr 6, 2026 | Bold Brave & Beautiful Podcast

Sometimes it feels like God is silent, leaving us unsure of where to turn or how to keep going.

In this episode, Barb speaks with Dominique Young, author of God, Where Are You? and founder of Faith Mamas, as she shares her own journey through grief, doubt, and unanswered prayers. They discuss why healing is often a slow process, how faith and therapy can work together, and why dropping the “masks” we wear is essential for real growth. 

This episode is full of honest reflection, practical guidance, and hope for anyone navigating seasons of silence, struggle, or uncertainty in their faith.

 

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

Connect with Dominique on Instagram

Connect with Dominique on Facebook

God, Where Are You?: Unmasking Your Pain, Uncovering His Presence

Visit Dominique's Website

Download the Faith Family Worldwide App

 

ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Dominique Young is the founder of Faith Mamas Inc. (Faith Family Worldwide), a community of more than 6,000 Christian women and a private app serving over 1,700 believers. She helps people break free from fear through Scripture and has been featured on the Don’t Mom Alone podcast and The Refreshed Moms Podcast. Dominique holds a psychology degree from Hampton University and a master’s in theology from Fuller Seminary. She is also a devoted wife and a mother of four.

Experience Life-Transforming Power of Prayer

Pray Like This Bible Study by Barb Roose

As a Christian, you know you’re supposed to pray. But do you ever find yourself wrestling with any of these questions related to prayer?

Do I have to pray the right way for God to answer my prayer?

Do I have to pray the right way for God to answer my prayer?

Am I still praying if I read pre-written prayers?

If you’ve pondered these questions or others about prayer, my Pray Like Bible Study is for you.

Even if you're a prayer warrior, Pray Like This sharpens your prayer focus and is a great resource for you to teach others about prayer.There's a reason why Jesus was passionate about prayer and I want to show you how!

Click Here

Pin It on Pinterest