Daily Joy

 This week was a whirlwind. A beautiful, exhausting, exhilarating whirlwind. I launched one of the most personal books I’ve ever written— a book that carries pieces of me between its pages —and with it came the podcast, the interviews, the late nights, and the full schedule. I knew it was going to be busy. I knew the weight of what I was releasing. And I knew if I wasn’t intentional, peace would slip through my fingers before I even had the chance to hold it. So I made a decision before the chaos hit. I decided that peace wasn’t going to be an afterthought—it was going to be a priority. I wouldn’t wait until I felt overwhelmed to go looking for it. I was going to guard my peace before the storm rolled in. That meant taking deep breaths when my mind started racing, whispering “God, I trust You” when the pressure crept in, and refusing to let anxiety run my schedule. It meant knowing that I don’t have to carry what God has already covered. And now, on this Sunday night, as I sit wit...

  Day 5: The Wedding Day – Stepping Into the Promise Scripture: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." —Revelation 19:7 (NIV) Devotional: The waiting is over. The long nights, the prayers, the preparation—it all led to this. The bride stands at the altar, fully dressed, fully prepared, fully ready . She doesn’t hesitate. She doesn’t question if she belongs here. She knows this moment was always meant to be. But how many of us pray for the promise, only to freeze when it finally arrives? We question if we’re qualified, if we’re worthy, if we can really handle what we’ve been waiting for. But sis, let me remind you— God didn’t bring you this far to leave you standing at the altar in fear. The same God who prepared you for this moment is the same God who will carry you through it. Every delay, every lesson, every “not yet” was God making sure you’d be ready when the doors opened. This isn’...

  Day 4: The Wedding Rehearsal – Preparing in Faith Scripture: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." —Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Devotional: Before the big day, there’s a rehearsal. A walk-through. A moment to act like it’s already happening before it actually does. The bride doesn’t wait until the wedding day to figure things out—she steps into the rehearsal fully believing that the real thing is on its way. She practices her steps, fixes her posture, and moves with confidence because she knows it’s coming. And that’s exactly what faith looks like. Faith isn’t waiting until the door opens to get ready—it’s preparing before you even see it happen. It’s walking like it’s yours before it’s placed in your hands. It’s making room, shifting your mindset, and putting things in order as if you already have the answer in front of you. Sis, are you waiting or are you preparing ? Because there’s a difference. One sits still, hoping something...

  Day 3: The Guest List – Letting Go of Distractions Scripture: "For many are invited, but few are chosen." —Matthew 22:14 (NIV) Devotional: Every bride knows— not everybody gets an invite. She sends out her invitations with care because this day is sacred. It’s not for just anyone. It’s for the ones who truly belong in the room, the ones who celebrate with her, pray for her and want the best for her future. And just like a bride refines her guest list, you have to refine yours. Not everyone can go where God is taking you. Not everyone has earned a seat in your next season. Some people are in your life for a moment, but they can’t handle your forever . Some distractions feel comfortable, but they are keeping you from the preparation God is calling you into. It’s time to ask yourself—who and what is in my space that doesn’t belong? Who in my life is building me up in faith, and who is draining it? What habits, conversations, and mindsets are pulling me away from what God is...

  Day 2: The Dress – Clothed in Righteousness Scripture: "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness." —Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) Devotional: Every bride knows—the dress isn’t just fabric. It’s a statement. A declaration. It says, I’m ready . But before she steps into that moment, before she walks down that aisle, she has to go through fittings. She gets measured, altered, reshaped. Sometimes, what she thought would fit needs to be adjusted. Sometimes, what she envisioned isn’t what she actually needs. And isn’t that just like God? He’s fitting you for the future He’s promised, but some of us are still trying to wear what no longer fits. Old mindsets. Past wounds. Comfortable sins. Connections that no longer serve where He’s taking us. We hold onto them, thinking they still belong in our story, but God is saying, Let it go. That’s not your size anymore. Righteousness isn’...

Day 1: The Engagement – Saying Yes to the Process Scripture: "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." —2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV) Devotional: A proposal shifts everything. One moment, life is normal—then suddenly, you’re chosen. Set apart. Marked for something greater. And when a bride says yes, the countdown begins. Dresses, venues, invitations—every detail is about preparing for what’s coming. But preparation requires faith because the wedding day isn’t today, it’s ahead. And sometimes, between the promise and the fulfillment, it doesn’t feel like preparation—it feels like waiting. Waiting isn’t glamorous. It’s the space where doubt creeps in. Where you wonder if you misheard God, if the promise is still coming, if you’re forgotten. But here’s the truth—Saying yes to God isn’t just about the what He’s promised, it’s about the who you’re becoming while you wait. Just like a...

I had a dream the other night. I was preaching. (We’ll skip over that part for now. 😅) But in the dream, the message I was preaching was Here Comes the Bride . I woke up thinking, Okay, Lord… what does that mean? Then I heard Him say, "This week, I want you to tell my people to prepare for the promise that’s coming." No  one prepares for the ins and outs of the big day like a bride. That hit me differently. Because let’s be real—brides don’t just hope for the wedding day, they prepare for it. They don’t just dream about walking down the aisle; they plan every detail. They get the dress, send the invites, schedule the rehearsal, and make sure everything is ready. Even when there are delays, even when it costs more than expected, even when people don’t understand the vision—they keep preparing because they know the day is coming. And that’s the kind of faith God is calling us to have. He’s saying, Stop waiting like you’re unsure and start preparing like you’re certain. Tha...

  Day 5: The Other Side of Greater Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:23 (NIV) - “But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors.” Devotional: You didn’t go through all of that just to stay in the middle. The wilderness wasn’t your final destination. The Red Sea wasn’t the end of the story. God didn’t bring you out just for you to exist in survival mode—He brought you out to bring you in to the promise. For too long, we’ve accepted partial deliverance, living with a “just enough” mindset. But the same God who parted the sea and provided manna didn’t do all of that just to leave His people wandering. There was a land waiting for them, a place of abundance, a place of greater . Now is the time to stop doubting and step fully into what God has for you. The other side of greater isn’t just about leaving Egypt—it’s about possessing the promise. Walk boldly. You didn’t come this far to settle. There is greater ahead of you, and it’s ...

  Day 4: Destroying What Chases You Scripture: Exodus 14:28 (NIV) - “The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.” Devotional: Some things can’t go with you into your next season. What’s been chasing you—fear, insecurity, shame, that toxic cycle, that doubt—was never meant to cross over into your greater . But the enemy is bold. He will chase after what God has already called free, hoping you’ll turn around and surrender to what God already delivered you from. Pharaoh’s army thought they still had a claim on God’s people. But God had other plans. When the Israelites stepped onto dry ground, God let the sea do what only He could—He wiped out the threat completely. The very thing that had tormented them for generations was swallowed up, never to rise again. This is your confirmation: What used to haunt you has no power anymore. That pain, that rejection, that failure—i...

  Day 3: Miracles in the Middle Scripture: Exodus 17:6 (NIV) - “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Devotional: The middle of the journey will test your faith. It’s the place where you’re too far from where you started but not close enough to see the finish line. This is where frustration can make you forget that God is still working. The Israelites were in the desert, and water was nowhere to be found. They panicked, accused Moses, and doubted God. But what they didn’t realize was that their lack was setting the stage for a miracle . God told Moses to strike the rock, and from a dry place, water flowed. God still works miracles in dry places. He still provides in the middle of uncertainty. If you’re in the middle of your journey and wondering how you’ll make it, take heart—what you need is already in God’s hands. The same God who brought you this far will provide exactly what you need for the next step. Declaration: Even in the middle, God is...

  Day 2: The Wilderness is Not the End Scripture: Exodus 16:3 (NIV) - “The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve to death.’” Devotional: The wilderness will make you question everything. The Israelites had just experienced a miraculous escape, yet the moment they felt lack, they romanticized their bondage. Isn’t that how we do? When the journey to greater gets uncomfortable, we start reminiscing about what we asked God to free us from. But the wilderness is not punishment—it’s preparation. It is the place where God removes the residue of Egypt from your soul. It is the place where trust is built, where miracles are revealed, where identity is formed. The wilderness isn’t a dead end; it’s a passageway to destiny. Don’t allow frustration to distort your vision. God didn’t bring you out to leave you here. He’s sustaining you even...

Day 1: When God Says Move Scripture: Exodus 14:15 (NIV) - Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” Devotional: Sometimes, we mistake stillness for obedience when God is actually saying move . The children of Israel had prayed for deliverance, and when God sent Moses to lead them out, fear gripped them. The Red Sea was in front of them, Pharaoh was behind them, and in their panic, they cried out. But God didn’t tell them to stay stuck in their fear—He told them to move forward. How often do we cry out to God, asking Him for a way out, yet hesitate when He actually opens the door? We hesitate because the unknown feels riskier than the bondage we’ve become familiar with. But when God says move, He has already prepared the way. What looks like an impossible sea before you is actually a path waiting for your obedience. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to know every step. But you do have to trust that when God cal...

This past week was a week of expectation. For the first time in a while, I was expecting greater . Not hoping, not wishing, not daydreaming—I was expecting it. And that’s a different type of faith. Expectation makes you sit up a little taller. It makes you clear space for what’s coming. It makes you move like you know something good is about to break through. But let me be real—expectation isn’t always easy. It’s a fight. It means choosing to believe in greater even when life still looks like less . It means preparing for doors to open when all you’ve seen lately are walls. It means waking up each morning and telling doubt, fear, and frustration, “I hear you, but I’m still moving forward.” Because when you expect greater, you don’t just sit around waiting—you start making room for what’s on the way. And making room is uncomfortable. It requires clearing out the clutter—mindsets that don’t serve you, patterns that keep you stuck, people who only know the old version of you and can’t ...

Shake It Off Written by Joy Harris-Bird | Contributing Author - Cathleen Harris I was sitting at work talking to my sister on my break, like we normally do. And she hit me with a revelation I wasn’t ready for. She said, "Jesus called Lazarus forth, but he still had his grave clothes on. But when Jesus was resurrected, He left His behind." That shook me. Because too many of us are trying to walk into new life while dragging dead things with us. God is calling us forward, but instead of stepping into the new, we’re still wrapped in the old. We still carry mindsets, relationships, and habits that no longer fit who we’re becoming. Lazarus came out of the tomb, but he was still bound. Alive, but restricted. Free, but wrapped up in what was. And then there was Jesus. He left the grave clothes behind when He walked out of His grave . He didn’t bring His past into His resurrection. He didn’t hold onto the evidence of what He had been through. And neither should you. But let’s be rea...