James Goll - Fearless and Free: 40 Devotions for Women

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Fearless and Free : 40 Devotions for Women

Copyright 2018 James W. Goll

ISBN 978-1-4245-5716-5 (faux leather)

ISBN 978-1-4245-5717-2 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright 1995 by American Bible Society.

The content of this book contains excerpts from A Call to Courage: Overcoming Fear and Becoming Strong in Faith, A Call to Compassion: Taking Gods Unfailing Love to Your World, and A Call to the Secret Place: Pursuing the Prize of Gods Presence, all by James Goll and Michal Ann Goll. Copyright 2016 by Broad-Street Publishing. Used by permission.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email .

Cover by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Interior by Katherine Lloyd at theDESKonline.com

Printed in China

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This book compiles the stories of some women of the faith who have served their Master throughout the centuries, often behind the scenes. The women you will read about in these pages are some of the heroines that impacted my dear wifes life. We give them honor.

It is my great honor to dedicate this book to the legacy and lineage of another great woman of God in this generation who stopped for the one, whose walk matched her talk, and who lived a life devoted to Jesus. It is my deepest honor to dedicate Fearless and Free in the memory of Michal Ann Goll, a friend and servant of God.

Her loving husband,
James W. Goll

M y late wife, Michal Ann, was an amazing and truly inspiring woman and a deeply devoted lover of Christ all the days of her life. She embodied the definition of what being a true Christian isone who had a personal relationship with the living Savior and one who loved back to the degree that she was first loved. Michal Ann (Willard) Goll was the most pure and real believer I ever had the pleasure of knowing in this life.

This forty-day devotional journal is a compilation of the best from her three books in the Women on the Front Lines series: A Call to Courage, A Call to the Secret Place, and A Call to Compassion. You will enjoy the depth of compassion found within each daily devotion along with the peace and comfort you will feel as you allow God to immerse you in His love and grace.

Michal Ann wrote about women who were committed to others and to spreading the love of the gospel throughout the world in practical ways. May you be empowered to share His living Word with others as you meditate on the lives of these Christian role models of courage, devotion, and compassion. As Michal Ann always said, We each must build our own Hall of Heroes of the Faith. In these pages you will be introduced to some of Annies inductees into her Hall of Heroes who inspired her life.

And now, I introduce you to one of mineMichal Ann Gollwho has joined the great cloud of witnesses.

James W. Goll

And we know [with great confidence] that God

[who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work

together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those

who are called according to His plan and purpose.

ROMANS 8:28

I was raised in a devout Methodist family. My grandmother was a sweet, wonderful woman who loved God. Even when she was suffering from cancer she always challenged me and my cousins to put Jesus first in our lives. I cherish that rich heritage from which I received a deep deposit of the Word of God.

However, I did not understand the ways of the Spirit. For a long time after I married Jim (James), I tried to hang onto his coattails; I simply followed what he was doing. Unknowingly, I was comparing my walk with God to Jims walk, thinking that his was better than mine. God did not see it that way, and He told me so.

One day the Lord said to me, Ann, you cant hold onto Jims coattails; hold onto Mine. I am your God! I created you, and I am jealous over you. I wont settle for a relationship through your husband; I want a relationship with you.

He desires the same for each of us. We cannot relate to Him through anyone elsespouse, pastor, parents, friends, or anyone else.

Our God is a personal God!

We are His beloved and we are beautiful in His eyes. He sees us through the precious blood of Jesus, His Son. He doesnt see our faults; rather, He sees only Jesus righteousness covering us. Instead of sin, He sees the beauty of a forgiven soul. We are beautiful to Him when were sweating, or when were lying on the floor in deep travail, or when were crying with runny noses because God is touching a hurting heart. We are beautiful to Him whether were shaking, trembling, or jumping. We are beautiful to Him when we are at home with our hearts breaking and we think no one knows or cares.

God looks for the beauty of the heart. I believe that any time we bring life into the world or into some needy soul is a time of unparalleled beauty in Gods eyes. God loves life! Consider for a moment the appearance and condition of a woman in childbirth: vulnerable, painful, difficult. Most of us who have been through it dont want to be reminded of our appearance! God, however, tells us to look at the heart of the issue.

Our approval from God doesnt depend on whether or not our fingernails are polished, our hair is combed, or our houses are neat and tidy with everything in order. God looks at the heart. He created each of us as unique individuals with a fragrance all our own, and He waits in longing to smell that fragrance rising to Him. He loves us and fashioned us to be creative according to how He has gifted us. Let God release you to be who He made you to bea creative individual free from intimidation and the fear of others.

Have you ever found yourself at a buffet and, as you pick up your plate to go through the line, you check to see how much food everyone else is taking, then take the same amount? You dont want to take too much. After all, you have to be careful how you present yourself, right? Thats intimidation speaking!

Ive got good news for youGod has a buffet all laid out, and He wants you to take the biggest plate you can find and load it up. There are all kinds of breads, pastries, salads and vegetables, luscious fruits, and scrumptious desserts. Wow, what a feast! He wants you to pull your chair right up to the table and dig in because the table is spread for