Welcome to the God's Goodness podcast where our mission is to encourage and highlight God's
Goodness and modern-day miracles. We are your hosts, Josh and Shelley Hankins. Today we have
with us a special guest. I met her through social media, her name is Barbara Frone and the way God
connected us was really cool. I found this app called, well back when I found it, it was called
In Faith and now they changed it to Faithia but it's all social media that's exclusively Christian
content and Barbara, I got accepted into their program so I can post stuff in there. It's this new
app, it only came out this year so it's like around less than 10,000 people downloaded it so far so
it's fresh but I got ahold of Barbara through there and she agreed to be on the God's Goodness
podcast and here she is and God was still downloading stuff into her life over the last week because
we tried doing this a week ago and the podcast equipment just stopped working for whatever
reason remotely so sweet water if you need to get any equipment I'm telling you sweet water is the
way to go. They hooked us up with a brand new recorder so we wouldn't miss a beat and so today's
the day Barbara gets to share what the Holy Spirit has been working out in her life and I'm grateful
that we've become friends over the last however long it meant months that we've been connected
and I just thank you for being a blessing in my life Barbara and I hope that you can be a blessing
to others with this episode and I'll have you open us up with an opening prayer. All right thank you
Shelly and Josh Lord we just come before you today and we are so excited to see what you have for us
that just amazes me every day that you use us every day ordinary people to speak through and to
work through and to be you through us and so we just give this time to you Lord we just ask you to
bless it we ask you to cover it so there'll be no interruptions and Lord whatever you want it to
accomplish in people's lives may it be so exactly the way you want it because we are so unique and
each one of us we have unique needs and only you know them sometimes we won't even know them until
you reveal them to us so we thank you Lord this is your time have your way in us in Jesus name we
pray amen amen thank you for that so where would you like to get started oh goodness this this
morning I was just spending time with the Lord and just you know I never know what he's going to do
and all of a sudden I heard I heard this the devil is spreading lies about God and I thought what
you know what what is this and I I immediately thought of the but the truth is and then he just
get started downloading verses in me the truth is his loving kindness is better than life you know
you find that in Psalms the truth is his goodness and mercy shall chase you down all the days of
your life I believe you know the devil is spreading lies about God we don't trust him that he's going
to you know that is we don't trust in his goodness and how much he loves us and all of a sudden I
just started looking up the word goodness in the Bible and then I realized oh my gosh this podcast
is God's goodness and you know I'm like no no wonder you're this is what you're really wanting to
highlight devil is spreading lies about God that he is not good and like Romans one day 28 says he'll
work all things together for good and he once told me that since not all things are good but I'm
going to work them together for good isn't all things good it's um it's just beautiful because
I wanted to this is this one here I want to share this with you because this was this changed my life
I was meditating on Jeremiah 9 23 and 24 and I wanted to just I'm going to read that it says let
not the wise man glory in his wisdom let not the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man
glory in his riches but let him that glory at glory in this that he understandeth and know with me
that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness judgment and righteousness and I actually was
singing this because it's a scripture song throughout the day this was years ago when I when I was
working and I'd sing it out loud if I could and sing it in my mind if I couldn't and one time I said
one time after singing and I said Lord I want to understand and know you more and this is what I heard
look at the last part of the verse and I said okay it says in these things I delight I forgot to say
that yeah I am the Lord exercise loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for these
things I delight so I said okay you delight in loving kindness judgment and righteousness and
this is what I say this is where he gave me a gold nugget he said yes he said I exercised my judgment
on the cross I gave you my righteousness now all that's left is my loving kindness that's all that's
left so every day you know we don't we shouldn't wake up as Christians every day looking for his
judgment because it's done his righteousness we have it every day we should get up and we should
look for his loving kindness that will change your life because you will get what you look for
mm-hmm and I've been doing that ever since and that's all I see that's all I see every day
even just recently when he was saying I want you to praise me I want you to praise me especially
when things that are on your part that you don't like and what I've noticed this I've
only been doing this a few days what I've noticed is the moment I praise him not that anything changes
but my soul changes because immediately the upsetness inside of me gone and a joy comes back
knowing that he has it on there for a reason and he's going to work it together for good
excellent point yeah that my biggest one was I went through cancer I had breast cancer April
2017 I was diagnosed and um August of 2018 I finally I guess acquiesced and decided I mean I went to
healing ministers I cast it out I did well everything I could think of and finally I said okay lord
I guess you want me to go through chemotherapy and I was not very happy about that and started
taking chemo two months into it feeling sick as a dog and getting a little bitterness in my heart
because I couldn't understand why would he want me to put this poison in me and why he didn't heal me
you know I didn't yeah and you know God saw that and he he sent a lady that I barely knew I went to
lunch with her one time when I was living in Alaska and he told her to send me a book called
pretty a prison to praise by Merlin Carothers this it's a just a little tiny book written by a
a an army chaplain in the Vietnam era and the whole book you know the whole books message said
it was whatever you're going through is not worse than what my son went through on the cross I want
you to praise before it because I'm going to work it together for good and that day I just got out of
bed I went in front of my mirror and I said lord I thank you for what I'm going through I thank you
for this cancer I thank you for this chemo I thank you for the way I feel and the more I did that I
can't explain it it's like something supernatural happened in my soul the bitterness left and a
gratefulness came inside my soul that I cannot explain I went back to my bed but months of chemo
ahead of me still feeling sick but I I saw everything differently I looked around my my room I said oh
my gosh you know I saw nothing but blessings I saw that I could sleep as long as I wanted I could
watch TV when I wanted my husband was taken care of me I didn't have to go to work I had health
insurance I put I mean I just saw nothing about blessings hmm hmm that's like it was voice activated
yeah it's like it's it's super I mean praising him for his goodness even though things don't look
good it's like and it turned around to him yes it's like like like they say complain and remain
right remain in the situation as long as you're complaining but when you praise him for the situation
even especially when you don't like it it's like he either removes it or he he brings you above it so
it doesn't bother you you know like the eagles flying above the storms yeah you can't explain it
because I always say when the Holy Spirit does something if you can explain it it probably wasn't
the Holy Spirit it's he works miracles he does things super naturally yeah it's so neat how can
be in an instant too oh absolutely absolutely in an instant and God's goodness amazes me every day
every day I remember I was Rick Warren I think his name he wrote the book the purpose driven life
in years ago I was getting his I was getting like an email like a devotion every day I don't
anymore and this is the only one I remember he said I used to think life was full of like either
you're on the mountaintop or you're in the valley he says I don't think that anymore I think life is
like a train track you will always have good in your life alongside you know and you always have
bad on the other side always at the same time and then and that's when I when I meditated on that
then God that's when God gave me you know what and because I'm gonna work all the bad for good
isn't it really all good even the bad you know I'll share this with you because this this was one
where he that showed me something about his love that just blew my mind and I will I
it's the beautiful thing is that nobody can take that from you once you have it when he once he
gives that to you yeah this was actually a last year last summer I was having a very hard day I
was just I was very angry and had a lot to do with my mother-in-law living with us at the time
she's now in a nursing home and you know just long story short I was very upset about many things
in our home and my husband is very very kind he's sometimes too kind I think you know he's
he's he was doing things I did not agree with we had a caretaker come in and instead of him allowing
her to care for my mother-in-law he would care for everybody she'd walk in the door he'd make her
coffee he'd make her friends don't take care of his mom and I'm like what are you doing she's
supposed to be here helping us in other words that's just an example of what I was upset about
and I was so angry because I didn't know how to fix this it's like you know you're too nice you
that evening I was supposed to play Banco 30 minutes away at someone's house that I did not
I'd I'd never been there before and as I was driving and I turned into her street and I was
looking down at my phone to see where her house was it was like I hit something I hit something
that I felt like I was I had a brick wall they had some kind of contraption coming out on the street
I guess the slow cars down and I did not see it I had two flat tires so I called my husband of
course he had to get a tow truck he had to come pick me up this is 30 minutes away you know a
thousand dollars later basically I'm sitting he takes me home I'm sitting in my office at night
at night and I'm like Lord what's just happened I am so confused because this is not my daily
thing with the Lord my days are usually wonderful right yeah and all of a sudden this is what he
put on my heart my mama is German so I listened to a lot of you know I can speak German and I
he put on my heart I have a German playlist he put on my heart to play German music that's what I did
and the first song blew me away it was a love song and then this is what the words I was I won't
say I won't say it in German I'll say them in English the song is called I dream with open eyes of you
and the chorus is I dream of open eyes of you where I am you're always with me you brought me the
wonder of the world you make me happy and this is what I heard I'm singing that song over you
I'm like you're singing a love song over me when I am sitting here angry and everything
you know what he said to me I'll never forget it he said um it's because you still have an unhealthy
image of me I it just blew me away hmm yeah yeah that would do something to you he like he can take
us being angry and you know what to top and all just to finish this off this was a Monday evening
Wednesday my husband got a call from the place that was sending us this caretaker she actually
quit she quit and moved you know an hour and a half away because that's where her fiance was
wow and the very next day they said a new like a new young lady not younger I mean was obviously
she was only 23 tattooed from top to bottom right but the moment she walked in the door
both my husband fell in love with her and we knew that she was supposed to be there I can't explain
it and he she didn't drink coffee and right away my husband took her into the kitchen and taught her
how to make his mom french toast in other words he not only sang a love song over me when I was angry
he fixed my whole thing that I was angry about hmm turned that right around turned it right around
yeah his love is like we'll never comprehend it I think we as humans cannot love like that
our our love we cannot love like that no the way he works out all the details is just amazing
hmm I love that he he had these details worked out when he formed us in the womb
and we're stumbling through trying to figure out what these are like we're trying to anticipate
what the next move is and he already knows what it was here like the choices that we have
he's already knows what those choices are and so he was able to weave this tapestry before
even creations and here we are trying to stumble along like we're gonna please him in some way
when when he just wants us to learn who he is and how he is yes it's amazing that you just
mentioned that josh because I'm going through a bible study called created for much more or
something like that and I just read something about that in about what you just said that
this stuff has already happened in the heavenlies it's already done it's a done deal that's why he
knows everything it's not that he makes you know he takes our free will away he just knows it because
he's god and that that let me get this a book that's called created for so much more boring with god
this is what he says in the book it says Shane Willard I think is he's a full-time minister that
I guess he's a Hebrew scholar and Genesis 1 1 through 3 this is what he said how he summarized it
in the beginning God Jesus the Messiah created the heavens and the earth and the earth became crazy
and the craziness invaded your house because you did not have a revelation of the covenant
of the nail this led your life to a continual pattern of despair because the boundaries you
chose were consuming your covering this repair was presenting itself in the face of God's
hidden blessings so God responded to this slap in the face by relaxing and declaring a solution
full of grace and truth a word that was both with him and was him let the one who is light shine
that was the whole message in Genesis 1 1 through 3 yes it this even the author says I will admit
that this revelation of future natural events having already happened in the spiritual realm has
caused a major paradigm shift for me I was just learning that what you just said that I was just
I remember the day I I read that verse that says I know that he was slain before the foundation of
the world or the earth I'm like what yeah yes I look at it that God created time space and matter
therefore he can't exist within those parameters yes exist outside of it so if he exists outside
of time he sees past present and future simultaneously we're just plodding along on this timeline and
God sees it all from from the birth of Jesus right now to the death of Jesus right now he sees the
birth of you right now to the death of me right now he sees it all right now yes right now I
remember reading you know glaceons 220 says in the king james version it says I am crucified with
christ it says I am you know everything you're right because since there's no time in the spiritual
realm it's always now it's always and that's that's why Jesus could confidently take our sin away
because he's counting for the sin yesterday today and tomorrow because he saw it all at the same time
I know that's just see we can't even understand it can't understand that
it's mind-blowing we got people over here beating themselves up for the sins that they do or habitual
sins or things they can't keep themselves out of when they're in traffic or or things and they feel
to realize that Jesus paid for that sin because he paid for our future sins as well right and that's
why Paul says and acts you know all things are lawful for me but it's not that all things are
things that are good for the spirit good for the soul good for glorifying God so it's not all things
I ought to do and so I think as Christians we need to to understand that we are forgiven we're
going to mess up we can't walk like we're messed up we have to walk like we are in spirit with christ
because we are redeemed by christ and we want to get closer to him so we try not to do those things
but not because he hasn't forgiven us but because that's not how we want to walk in relationship
with him absolutely I think that's the biggest struggles that that christ has had the biggest
struggle is what to do with this sin that I'm still committing and I remember I just God gave me
this revelation that the reason we still struggle with it is because the only part of us that is
100 redeemed is our spirit because that's why God can live inside our spirit our soul and our body
have only been purchased so this I tell everybody too that you know that I can that you are going
to still sin till Jesus comes or you go to heaven or whatever you can't stop that's why Jesus came
he came and that's why the bible says what we do is we renew our minds to keep our minds just like
Isaiah 26 3 said we keep our minds on Jesus what he did for us keep our minds off ourselves
because every time we look at ourselves we will see something wrong and allow Jesus to do the work
in us to work things out of us that need to be worked out like pulling weeds and to work more of
himself into us that's all his work it's not our work and so you know that that's how we keep out
of just keep our hands out of that keep our minds always focused on him that's how I like to see my
role when I talk to other people about him it's my job to arrange the meeting but it's his job
to have that conversation with you right it's his job to convict your heart not mine but I'm the one
that needs to let you know that you can have that talk and how to talk to him and that anything is
on the table to talk about yeah and we can pray that people have our good soil like their hearts
are ready you know because we're always ready to plant that well most of us some of us are always
ready to plant that seed and if we if it lands on that good soil that's what we want so it takes hold
and God can do his work and what he does best that's why it's so important to hear him because if
you are if you're saying something to somebody and the timing is off it's not in his timing you
could actually hinder his work I mean of course he's gonna he's gonna work it all together for
good even with our messes but why hinder his work right you know why there's been things that I've
been wanting to say to people and it's like no no no you know he'll he'll I'm so go ahead for that
that's one of my I think that's my biggest desire is to teach people how to hear from God because
I get so many people that say I don't hear from him I don't know how to hear from him and um it's
just because they they just accept every thought they receive as their own like I used to but once
yeah once we start learning how to dissect these thoughts just like a sentence and not
it's a way of just thought just come from you know doesn't line up with the word yeah doesn't
line up with or it or even his his heart you know many things he says to me I don't see this in the
word but I but I but when I read it that's why I when he starts speaking I have pen in hand because
it means always right what I hear because I can look after and say oh that sounds like the heart
of God right I'm glad you brought that up because you you know you have to check it against the word
and not everything is in the word that you're going to come across so yeah you're correct
knowing his heart which is is this thought that I'm having displaying the fruit of the spirit
right is this is this thought love kind is this thought selfless is this thought something that
would edify someone else right and if if you can say no to these things then you can say well then
this probably isn't from God God wouldn't have me say something that would tear someone down you
know while they need it because it's encouragement oh God has better ways I promise absolutely you
know he has even when he's corrected me it has been so gentle I remember one time you know also
I was upset about something that lots of times I just walked my dog and I talked to God and I just
you know I'm just you know just ramble on to him and tell him what's upsetting me and all of a sudden
this one day I'll never forget I heard him this is what I heard do you really have it so bad
I mean it stopped me in my tracks I'm like no I don't you know and it just calmed my soul he has a
way of calming that soul that gets out of you know it's the flesh that gets out of whack I just love
it you know he's I remember even just everything that's going on in our country complaining one
time same thing I'm walking my dog just complaining about this country this is what he said to me
you have been blessed coming in and blessed going out and you will continue to be blessed
coming in and blessed going out again calm my soul meaning no matter what is going on in this
country in this world he is still on the throne and he is still going to bless his children
and take care of us we have nothing to worry about. Do you have any tips that you want to
share with the listeners about hearing better from God like I'm sure there's a few things they can do.
This is what the biggest thing that was a game changer for me is I took a bible study I did a
bible study in 2015 the book is called Four Keys to Hearing God's Voice by Mark Berkler and he has
a ministry it's called a communion with God ministries you can find that you know google it
you can either get the book from him or you can or I word the book on amazon that changed my life
and then he takes I think it's Habakkuk 2 2 or something he takes it from the bible that God
taught him you know it's two four keys is basically quiet yourself so this is what I do I come to my
office in the morning and a lot of times since I get distracted by noise by sounds dogs barking
lawns mowing I put in worship soaking worship music and you know with my earbud so that's it
keeps me kind of focused and then I just I just quiet myself and I a lot of times well use your
imagination where do you want to be with Jesus so I walk I'm always walking on the beach always
I love that with him I sometimes I will be a little child sometimes I will be older each time
it's a different vision and he's always we're just walking along the beach and I just start talking to
him and again I always have my pen in hand and sometimes I ask him a question and sometimes
even reading his word I'll be reading his word and like what is that and all of a sudden hear
something and immediately so pay attention this is what he says spontaneous thoughts pay attention
to those you know we we think analytically we reason this is what I'm gonna make for dinner
this is what I need you know we think all of a sudden while you're doing those you know reasoning
or you know you're thinking pay attention to all of a sudden boom this thought comes out of nowhere
you know all of a sudden maybe maybe a girlfriend her name will come to her mind your mind well
I've learned to pay attention to those because it takes practice pay attention to those spontaneous
thoughts that come into your mind and like what Lord why did why did you just highlight my friend's
name you want me to call her you'll be a pray for her you know you know he'll so I guess the biggest
thing is the spontaneous thoughts pay attention to them because they come from the spiritual realm
and yes they can come from the enemy so pay attention to them if those by me it was very
simple James 3 17 is what I say is a good test a good test of if you're hearing from above
it's it's like a wisdom from above it's don't have it with me right now the wisdom from above is first
pure peaceable easy to be entreated whatever you're hearing spot those spontaneous thoughts
if they're full of love and they're you know they calm you they're peaceful that's God but if any
thought comes to you spontaneously like you know all of a sudden you're thinking of a friend and
you're you know and not good thoughts about that friend are coming you can bet that's from the enemy
he's trying to get you you know he's he's the accuser of the brethren he's trying to get you upset
about about this you know this friend so you know pay attention to that and I've even taken I
even do that too when I start getting an upset thought about a friend or something that troubled me
I again I'll just start praying for them because that the devil will flee then because he doesn't
want you praying for them you want you upset with them that's good I like that yeah that envisioning
yourself walking with Jesus on the beach like you can't be there but what would you like it to be
if it was everything was perfect oh my shelly I mean I'll share this this help I'm not going to
remember every single word that'll have it in front of me this one morning this is how good he is
this one morning the moment I closed my eyes to spend time with him the moment I saw this huge hand
in front of me and he said something's troubling you give it to me and I know again in my eyes closed
I saw myself reaching into my heart and putting this trouble on his hand in his hand and he took the
he closed it and he threw that trouble into the ocean and all of a sudden I saw the hand again
and he said this time it's a person give it to me and it was my sister so I took my sister out
of my heart I put it in his hand this time he took his hand and he put it in his heart
and he said the I thought you were saying he's gonna throw it through the ocean
no no no he put it in his heart and he said I don't have the words in front of me but it was
you know what I can remember is is he said how can you dance before me like a little child
if you have troubles in your heart I mean you know he wants us free from all troubles that's why
he says cast your care on him you know don't let your heart be troubled because you know was it John
is it John 3 John 2 I think it is where it talks about a prospered soul right what's a prospered
soul if your soul prospers so will you and your health and a prospered soul is a soul at peace
he wants us calm and at peace he doesn't want us troubled about anything and you know I've even I
started a journal I call it cast my care journal this is not a part of your this is something that's
really troubling me it's something that is troubling me it's on my heart and they won't let you know
it won't leave me alone and I so I put then I actually start I write it in there and say Lord
this is troubling me and then I what that means to me is I've cast it to him and I'm not allowed to
think about it anymore or worry about it anymore because now it's basically I'm putting it in his
hands you know in my mind laying it down laying it down letting it go yeah and then once he answers
when I take a red pen and I write what he did oh I love it that's good yeah letting go will help you
a lot of people have a hard time they'll ask me how do you let go how do you stop worrying you know
you do what you have to do when it comes back to your mind you say just say thank you Jesus for
taking care of that thank you know it one time I was praying about something it was six months
and this was years ago I mean this was probably 15 years ago I was still different you know a little
less mature I guess it know God as well I said Lord I don't understand this I've been praying for six
months ain't nothing happening what am I doing wrong am I praying wrong and this is what I heard
start thanking me and that changed my prayer life I only ask him one time now and the next time it
comes to my mind I just thank him for it thank you for being on it thank you for taking care of it
that's how you let it go or listen go pick up the Bible listen to worship songs do what you have to
do sit down and think of a good memory you know you know a good vacation or something just get
your mind off of it because that's why I think miracles happen because when you let go you're
saying I trust you God yeah if you continue to worry are you really trusting it yeah he shows up in
that full surrender when you're when you're you got nothing left to lose sometimes that's when he can
do his best work yeah I want to I want to go back to the story where God didn't throw your sister in
the ocean but placed her in his heart like I've been just mulling over that for a little bit
and you know that's so very him to do to take that person who he loves who you love but is a
burden on you at the moment and replace that burden on himself because it is no burden for him
it just really speaks to the fact that every single one of us that call him papa abba father
that we are not a burden to him no not in the slightest whatever our care is whatever our
worry is whether we have first world problems or third world problems God doesn't want us to suffer
he doesn't want us to sit there disquieted he doesn't want our soul to be restless for anything
and he wants us to come to him no matter how small or petty our problems are and you know as we get
older and we get that wisdom we start being able to discern his voice a little easier we start being
able to not have such petty requests of him and and he really I think that's just part of our
journey of sanctification yeah you know you just reminded me because I said I didn't have the
testimony in front of me I didn't remember everything but you just reminded me of something
at the end of this testimony I said after I you know gave him those two things that were troubling
me I said to him Lord I feel lighter and I really did my soul I felt lighter physically sounds like
spot lighter and you know what I you know you know what he's this is what he said me you just
reminded me he said I feel lighter too I said you feel lighter when I give you my troubles he said
yes I do there's something there you know there's just there's something there about that when we
give him you know our troubles his joy is found in our joy at the same time and so we're lighter of
course he's lighter this is our our burdens don't bother him at all they're already cast away he
doesn't waste time on them either he tossed them in the ocean nope yes he's so good hmm I just
want to say that remind me of sponkna therapy it's this christian therapy and it had a totally spirit
led and it's just phenomenal because sometimes what your subconscious mind it remembers everything
from the womb to now and sometimes there's traumas that it hasn't gotten to work through and so they
get trapped and until they're released they can stay stuck and lead to even physical ailments
and when you work through that you totally feel lighter at the end of a session it's amazing
yeah definitely just another what came to my mind what really changed what really helped me in my life
to see that you know everything is you know his goodness everything is good is um not only
roman's 828 but Psalm 7610 now Psalm 7610 I don't get it in any other version I don't understand it
in any other version but the king james version because the rest that's where I guess where God
taught it to me Psalm 7610 I'm gonna read it it says surely the wrath of man shall praise thee the
remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain surely the wrath of man shall praise thee that means the evil
the evil that he allows he doesn't cause the wrath of man he doesn't cause evil that's the that's
from the enemy but if he allows it that evil will praise us it will be for our good and then it says
the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain so what he taught me is when I allow allow evil on your
path I will only allow the part of the evil the enemy is sending your way that I can use for good
the remainder of the of that wrath that evil I'm gonna restrain I'm not gonna allow it so it
really taught me is when something is on our path we're obviously we're talking about you know
troubles and evil and stuff that we don't like I heard once that some preacher said that the
apostle Paul never prayed for anybody's trouble to go away he always prayed that they would endure
it with a good attitude and so God taught me if something's on your path it is there for a reason
so you know come to me right away and ask me how to respond because the sooner you get what I'm
trying to get you to get you know the sooner that that will go away also sometimes it's there
but was it he also taught me something about surrender and obedience he said you know that if
you obey my voice inside of you instead of doing what you want to do that you can avoid nine out of
ten trials because these trials and tribulations are often they're on our path to get us to see
something about him about life to get us to move in a certain direction to get us to know more about
him and we can really we have a lot of say so in that I guess I'm just I'm right in the midst of
that I really see that because it wasn't that long ago he said to me how can I order your steps if
you are ordering your steps and this was this was maybe a couple months ago and I thought I understand
I really do I'm done I'm done ordering my steps and I literally it's rocked my world it's like
I don't even exercise I used to he would this is what he said to me so you plan to exercise Monday
Tuesday or Monday Wednesday and Friday and then when you don't what happens you get upset with
yourself I don't want you upset with yourself you let me tell you when to exercise and when I tell
you to do something I will along with my telling you you are ordering your steps will come a desire
energy and time that is huge to me because it really has proven to be true every time
he wants me to do something or even my time with him I'll see it a certain way and then
something interrupts me or my husband wouldn't even you're a dog or whatever something and I get upset
because I saw my time with him like this and he's taught me stop that if I want you to spend time
with me I will create a desire a time just everything no disruptions it's like he he does it all
you're just walking through the day you know doing your thing going to work making dinner and just
always paying attention to that still small voice that is leading you and telling you what to do
where to go it's a freedom that I've never I guess I'm just learning about
it just like the Bible says lean on until your own understanding right you know all things
acknowledge him all things and then he'll direct your past and that's what I'm seeing in my life
right now and I'm loving this this is where I think it's complete freedom you think it is
it you think oh you're not making a decision you know it's it's how you know how freeing it is I
don't have to constantly decide because when I decide like I said when I decided and I don't do
it just like it's supposed to be done or I don't do it I did upset with myself but when he decides
you know it's like you know if I could say tonight I already I already said to him I already feel
like that I'm supposed to walk 30 minutes tonight so I'm trusting that you're going to give me not
only well I've got the desire and the time that you're going to give me the energy yeah because
I've noticed I run my age I run out of energy a lot I don't have the energy that I had when I was young
I definitely got more energy after I started exercising it's a little you want to get going
then it'll get better yes oh actually I've always feel better it's the before what you
like that's the hard part getting started well after you at the endorphins and the dopamine
running you're like whoo-hoo done yeah that's the only real reason people like to run have you ever
seen anyone running smiling like never it's only after they're done yes absolutely I'll be that 0.0
for running anyway oh goodness I was watching one of your videos the other day what made
me in the yesterday for all I know about when you do take those steps in obedience it's like an
adventure you never know what you're gonna get but you know it's gonna be good because God is involved
hmm it's like pastor Rick with his his wandering this and God says go left okay just goes left and
there's an adventure every single time like there's no road here I didn't ask you if you saw a road
all right he took a river one time to this meeting that he ended up going to and it was just a wild
story he was camping and then he ended up at a grocery store and then he ended up invited to
a prayer meeting by these people he ran into and and then at the prayer meeting out there there was
probably healings and oh it's just like one thing led to another and then on his way back from that
meeting he was led back through the woods in the dark by this blue glowing ball and it just led him
back to the campsite it was a great story that's pastor Rick that's amazing I love that and see
I you know I see there too is God knows the pastor Rick and he knows you know that he can do that
with him and that he wouldn't like I say I'm thinking that if that was me that would probably freak me
out yes 100 yes the most people are afraid that well God doesn't talk to me this way or he doesn't
do this for me because he knows how to talk to you and you might think that you want that sign
that billboard to be visible to you that has your name that pops up says you I need you to talk to
me right now right it's not always something so bold and blatant as that it could be little things
throughout the day that subconsciously you pick up like I keep picking up this number and then
you open up your bible just to read something and and that chapter and verses that number you've
been seeing and you're like I'll just read that and it pertains to you and you're like oh man I mean
it's different for everybody and I don't think anybody should feel discouraged because they're
not having this big booming voice I need you to move over here I'm like it you know and it's not
that's not like that if God wanted to speak to us like that he wouldn't have whispered to Elijah he
wouldn't have had countless parts where we are all discussing what God voice actually sounds like
like he would be the same but it's not it's uniquely tailored to each and every one of us yes very true
yeah because you're right sometimes you'll like I hear I hear what you just said about pastor rick
I'd freak out because that's this you know that's just not me and I love how he you're right he takes
all that just our past are you know how if we're introvert if we're an extrovert just anything
and he works with that yes and even though of course he he changes us and you know he can make
an introvert an extrovert but I love how he how he trains each one of us very uniquely I remember
well eight years ago when I moved to Florida and I started teaching Bible study ladies Bible study
in my church I would be very like I had an hour and a half boy I would practice at home and I every
minute was accounted for right and I remember one time I only had an hour of material and I'm like
oh my gosh Lord I don't have I need 30 more minutes of stuff and he's like nope trust me I said okay
you know and he did this very slowly with me so after an hour all of a sudden he brought a lady's
name to my mind in the Bible study she was kind of like my wingman I call her I said Chris you
you know you must be up and she was prepared she she was prepared because she's not told her to
you know prepare for 30 minutes and she got up and talked for the rest of 30 minutes and that's
where it started to where now eight years later at any moment now anybody could say just start
talking for an hour and I know that he would fill it all up but it took him very slowly to teach me
to let my you know because I'm a very like I don't know I don't know what it is control I just let
go of control and let just trust him that's funny he says show up and let me and isn't it in the
Bible in the New Testament somewhere where he said you know you're gonna be brought before kings
but don't worry that you know I'll tell you what to say yes you know I'm to the point where I don't
I don't worry about any of that anymore and you know what and if he gives me nothing I'm just gonna
say I haven't gotten on it so let's just chat I think it's funny that that you said that you know
about losing control and I've mentioned this on another podcast that we really don't we never lose
control ever not once have we ever lost control because we've never had it we've only ever lost
our illusion of control and so we realize that we are never going to be in control surrendering
control to the one who has nothing but the periods of intentions for us becomes a little bit easier
yeah you're right you're right we think we do but we don't he just lets us he doesn't just have one
incident one malady come up and watch how out of control your life really is have one bad thing
happen have two flat tires just watch how out of control you are you're okay you think you're in
control until something bad happens and then you realize who that you're nothing in control
you're absolutely right you're absolutely right that's why I think he does he allows whatever he
needs to allow in our life to get us to realize that too that's what it is I think I had that in
my journal one time I I was just I've been saved 35 years and I was just thinking about the years
and I thought you know Lord my whole journey with you really is about it was about letting go
as soon as we let go about you know I let go my children let go about you know let go my my husband
let go of my till all the way till you get down into your life just let it go and trust that he's
got a good plan and like I love that verse I think it's second Samuel 22 23 where it says that God
makes your way perfect and I always pray that thank you Lord for going ahead of me making my
way perfect and just walking me through that perfect way and that's why again it's important
that we we have to hear his voice because how can he comfort us how can he lead us encourage us
warn us correct us if we don't hear his voice be a little hard it's like your parent telling you
what to do giving you all the warnings and all the stuff and you're just like I don't need to hear
any of it you know one morning when I was again I closed my eyes when I would picture and this
only happened one time I was actually very little I was like this little two-year-old and I like what
is that Lord he says because you have grown spiritually and you know spiritual maturity to
him actually looks like you become more like a child a two-year-old doesn't worry about money
it doesn't worry about the food comes from it doesn't worry about its clothes like a five-year-old
I pictured myself before they can you know they know about money and they know more things but
they often don't think about it but yeah you're at a two-year-old never thinks about it never
thinks about it yeah and so he really said that to him that's you know there is there are two I
think two sides to spiritual maturity one is dependence on him but also the other is an authority
in him you know like a spiritual warrior you know you know we need to learn to become like a child
but also know when we need to stand up and become you know take like like with these hurricanes
you know recently these are you know God taught me that two years ago two years ago a hurricane
was coming straight for Tampa Bay and this is where I live in this area and my husband said
we're not leaving you know so all of a sudden I heard the Lord tell me walk around your neighborhood
your community and you praise me and you command this hurricane it was heading straight straight
for us like the line was heading straight for us you command this thing not to come near you
your territory I said okay I even made a video I sent it to all my bible study ladies and um
sure enough long story short that thing made a complete right turn in the Sarasota
Sarasota does how do you say it's sestic sesticese area it's about I think two three hours south of us
now and then I said Lord then I started like I started feeling bad because now it's hitting
other people I didn't you know I don't want that either and so I talked to the God about it and he
said I want you to pray for my children in that area to take authority over their area
because I could not take I can pray for them but but he this is what I understand that I can't
take authority over something that's not my territory and it's that authority like it's
pretty for four hurricanes now the last two years that came was coming straight for Tampa Bay
that nothing in my community was hit nothing there was this last one was flooding all around us
you probably saw it on the news but my little community in Newport Richie nothing praise God
nothing we didn't even lose I mean there was a couple trees I don't know if I sent that to you
Shelly but they were like newly trees we had just planted a month ago they kind of unroof uprooted
but nothing nothing that we lost and so that spiritual that spiritual well I've sent you
some things on other people that have done that that is very true we you know so there's a
you know a childlike faith but also a time when we have to stand up and take our authority
and and tell the enemy no you are not touching what belongs you know to me
I love that you brought that up because next week's episode is with Rhonda Wiley and she shares
about how she was led to pray for her community and when this gas explosion made this house
blow up so much it only left two walls of the foundation remaining that nobody was killed
from it and the Hedge of Protection that she prayed for and there was it was amazing and then
you just got a tune in next week and she's the one I sent your prayers to about that Hedge of
Protection and commanding that authority over that storm because that the storm was a five and
they predicted it to go to a six but it dissipated it was barely a one when it hit landfall so the
power of our prayers and coming together it made a difference so I encourage everybody to pray and
pray out loud because your words have power and God spoke the word into existence he spoke everything
into an existence and if he is in you you have that authority as well so take heart and just
get closer to God and let him speak to you you'd sit there with your journal and be prepared to
hear him because then you can write it down and reflect and then he wants that closer relationship
with you. Absolutely. Thank you so much for being with us Barbara I had a great time talking with
you today and I'm so glad we got to know each other so far over this last couple months and
oh yes it is just such a blessing and I pray others are blessed by this episode and if this has
been a blessing to you we ask that you share on social media or with a friend and don't forget you
can hit the follow button so you can always be notified and we also have a fundraising campaign
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appreciated and do you have anything else before we go Barbara? No I thought this was wonderful
I thank you very much for inviting me and I look forward to continuing our friendship.
Ah same here and with that we'll talk to you next time. Just to be clear Rhonda's episode was already
released so you can check it out it was released October 25th so be blessed and share it with a friend.