WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.179 Hey guys and welcome back to the salt not sweetener 00:00:04.179 --> 00:00:08.400 podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend and 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:12.240 today on the podcast I am taking a lovely nature 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:14.839 walk. You might be hearing the leaves crunching 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:19.160 under my feet. it is officially starting to look 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:22.620 more like fall. The leaves are falling. Today 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:26.359 it's a pretty hot, like 83 degrees. So although 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:28.739 it's starting to look like fall, it doesn't exactly 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:33.280 feel like it yet. But we know whether or not 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:36.439 it feels like it in the moment fall is creeping 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:43.719 in. And I feel like that analogy can be related 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:46.579 to the promises of the Lord. You know, there's 00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:48.939 sometimes when the Lord tells us something is 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:51.679 coming, you know, he's delivering on this blessing. 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:54.140 He's delivering on this promise. There's a shift 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:55.920 that's about to happen. There's all these things. 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:59.979 And a lot of times when God tells us that, our 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:02.439 surroundings look nothing like it. Oftentimes 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:05.500 when he tells us a breakthrough is coming, a 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:09.260 blessing is coming, a new opportunity is coming, 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:11.480 we're shifting into a new season. We're looking 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:15.909 around thinking, from where? What door? I see 00:01:15.909 --> 00:01:18.530 nothing. My situation doesn't look like that. 00:01:18.989 --> 00:01:21.269 It looks like it always does or maybe it looks 00:01:21.269 --> 00:01:26.650 worse than normal. Trust what God says over what 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:30.310 everything around you looks like. Someone needs 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:35.390 to hear that. But today's topic is going to be 00:01:35.390 --> 00:01:40.989 open doors. And by open doors, I mean open doors. 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:45.540 that are allowing the devil to have legal access 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:51.200 to your life. Y 'all, I'm speaking from experience. 00:01:51.659 --> 00:01:54.219 There are a lot of doors and I'm not perfect 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:57.000 in this. I'm not saying that, you know, God shut 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.760 all those doors and I've never tried opening, 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:01.420 I've never done anything. I am not perfect. I 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:04.920 found myself not too long ago having to close 00:02:04.920 --> 00:02:08.490 a door. And I feel like that's something throughout 00:02:08.490 --> 00:02:10.909 our lives. God is gonna reveal to us. Hey, this 00:02:10.909 --> 00:02:12.689 is not a door that should be open. You need to 00:02:12.689 --> 00:02:16.150 close the store. But let me just explain to you 00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:21.150 a little bit about open doors and how the Lord 00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:24.210 has really revealed them to me. To give y 'all 00:02:24.210 --> 00:02:28.490 a little bit of background, I wasn't always a 00:02:28.490 --> 00:02:32.610 loving, forgiving, joyful person. I used to be 00:02:32.610 --> 00:02:39.050 a very angry person. filled with mistrust and 00:02:39.050 --> 00:02:43.909 resentment and you know I experienced a lot of 00:02:43.909 --> 00:02:48.710 hard things and a lot of harsh things and I saw 00:02:48.710 --> 00:02:52.930 a lot of things and in that brood a lot of anger 00:02:52.930 --> 00:02:59.009 and frustration and resentment and let me tell 00:02:59.009 --> 00:03:01.569 y 'all that the devil that was a playground for 00:03:01.569 --> 00:03:05.419 him. because my lack of forgiveness, my lack 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:09.319 of joy, my lack of hope and faith in the Lord, 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:13.939 the devil was able to move in that. He was able 00:03:13.939 --> 00:03:18.939 to develop strongholds in that. That led me to 00:03:18.939 --> 00:03:22.180 sinful actions, that led me to say yes to temptations, 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:26.560 that led me to say yes to doing things that were 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:30.000 not Christ -like and distancing myself. from 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:33.479 the Lord. In short, an open door is something 00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:37.219 that you, it may be a sinful behavior, it may 00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:41.080 be something that is un -Christ -like that allows 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:47.300 the devil to get in. And then once he is in, 00:03:47.659 --> 00:03:49.860 he develops strong, he gets a foothold in your 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:55.169 life that then turns into a stronghold. I've 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:58.050 talked on this podcast before about the fact 00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:00.389 that when we are obeying the Lord and when we 00:04:00.389 --> 00:04:02.710 are doing things that are Christ -like and trying 00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:05.150 to move closer to Christ, the spiritual warper 00:04:05.150 --> 00:04:09.330 actually amps up. So I am not saying that you're 00:04:09.330 --> 00:04:11.930 being attacked because you're living a sinful 00:04:11.930 --> 00:04:13.889 life. That is not at all what I'm saying. But 00:04:13.889 --> 00:04:17.410 what I am saying is that when we have open doors, 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:20.389 we're giving more access to the enemy when he 00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:24.029 does come and attack us. And I'll give you guys 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:27.629 some examples of the open doors I had. One big 00:04:27.629 --> 00:04:31.089 one was unforgiveness. You know, I would say 00:04:31.089 --> 00:04:34.240 I forgive people. Well, you know, I'm not. Rubbing 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:36.560 things in their face or holding them to it every 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:40.399 day But I recognize I was still hoping that they 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:42.939 got that they reaped what they sowed I was still 00:04:42.939 --> 00:04:45.680 hoping that they felt guilt that they felt remorse 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:49.100 I was still at times like trying to expose them 00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:51.399 and reveal what they did to other people Like 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:54.000 I wasn't actually letting it go. I wasn't turning 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.620 these people over to the Lord There were a lot 00:04:57.620 --> 00:04:59.660 of areas where I was relying on my own control 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:01.939 and my own understanding other than the Lord 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:05.519 Impatience was a very big door for the enemy 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.839 to get access to me and my life was I was impatient 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:12.060 and waiting on God Takes time when you are doing 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:14.139 it God's way you're doing it the right way and 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:16.519 he's building a firm foundation which takes longer 00:05:16.949 --> 00:05:19.290 When you sin, of course you're going to get it 00:05:19.290 --> 00:05:21.230 quicker, but it's also going to leave quicker. 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:22.990 And it's also something that you're going to 00:05:22.990 --> 00:05:25.949 have to sin continually to keep. So when you're 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:28.569 doing it God's way, it's going to take longer 00:05:28.569 --> 00:05:31.189 and it might even be more painful because God's 00:05:31.189 --> 00:05:33.649 going to make sure that you're prepared. Before 00:05:33.649 --> 00:05:35.850 he puts you in that place or gives you that thing 00:05:35.850 --> 00:05:38.269 and the lessons you go through the way that you 00:05:38.269 --> 00:05:41.329 gain wisdom Doesn't always feel good. It can 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:44.110 actually make you very uncomfortable So God's 00:05:44.110 --> 00:05:49.550 way is honestly at times harder Than the fleshly 00:05:49.550 --> 00:05:52.370 ways than the sinful ways. So when you are impatient 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:56.089 the devil can get you to do a lot of things He 00:05:56.089 --> 00:05:58.089 can just plant that seed he can whisper in your 00:05:58.089 --> 00:06:00.089 ear and convince you that it is your own idea 00:06:00.089 --> 00:06:03.629 He can present to you with the offer the opportunity 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:07.149 in your way to jump on it because of your Impatience 00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:10.970 and y 'all for me. That was a big one. Lust was 00:06:10.970 --> 00:06:15.550 a big one Insecurity like not knowing my identity 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:18.199 in Christ And I'm not saying that not knowing 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:21.360 your identity in Christ is a sin. I'm not saying 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:23.540 you're sinning by not knowing your identity. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:26.740 But what I am saying is when that is a weak point, 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.199 when you don't have faith in who the Lord says 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:35.800 you are and the value that you hold, you start 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:38.560 to fold for certain things that bring you comfort. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.899 And that is an open door. Not having faith in 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:46.160 your identity as a Christian. You know, I can 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:50.899 tell y 'all when I I used to get my value from 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:53.709 attention from other people If it was people 00:06:53.709 --> 00:06:56.149 complimenting me, if it was people who were attracted 00:06:56.149 --> 00:06:58.769 to me and wanted to date me, it wasn't so much 00:06:58.769 --> 00:07:00.990 about, like, I just love to have the eyes on 00:07:00.990 --> 00:07:03.550 me. I love to hear the compliments. I love to 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:05.769 hear the attention. And I would find myself, 00:07:05.769 --> 00:07:08.050 even when I knew I wasn't supposed to be getting 00:07:08.050 --> 00:07:10.410 on dating apps, or I wasn't supposed to be wearing 00:07:10.410 --> 00:07:13.170 those outfits, I wasn't supposed to be, you know, 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:15.550 going to that environment, I would find myself 00:07:15.550 --> 00:07:18.110 getting on those dating apps and wearing those 00:07:18.110 --> 00:07:20.069 outfits and putting myself in that environment 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:23.220 just to have validation. Just because I knew 00:07:23.220 --> 00:07:26.339 I would get looks and I would get comments and 00:07:26.339 --> 00:07:28.399 I would get things like that and then that's 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:31.959 a spiral That's what I'll say is that can turn 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:35.000 into a spiral you can end up stepping into lustful 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:37.459 activities You can end up developing relationships 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:38.879 with people and connections with people that 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:42.220 the Lord, you know was intending you to go down 00:07:42.220 --> 00:07:46.279 that path and also you can start to rely on those 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:50.860 external sources for Comfort and validation that 00:07:50.860 --> 00:07:53.480 you should be getting from the Lord Jesus Christ 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.779 One big one y 'all who have listened to this 00:07:56.779 --> 00:07:59.259 for a while. No, I have a sobriety conviction. 00:07:59.259 --> 00:08:02.959 I do not drink I do not smoke. I have a 100 % 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:06.279 sobriety conviction. I'm not saying that Everyone 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:08.019 else has that conviction. There are many people 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:11.160 out there who can comfortably have a drink You 00:08:11.160 --> 00:08:13.660 know Jesus stepped on wine Jesus drink wine. 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:16.079 I'm not saying that having a drink in itself 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:22.620 is a sin Drunkenness. Being a drunkard is when 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:25.319 it becomes sinful. And I will tell you right 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:28.660 now that if you are going to drugs or alcohol 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:31.980 to cope with your emotional problems, to solve 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:35.480 your boredom, to help you relax, to help you 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:37.559 not get angry, to help you not crash out, that 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:40.620 is an idol. Because Jesus can provide those things 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:45.120 for you. I know from experience. and idol worship 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:47.940 is a big way that the devil is going to get access 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:51.360 to you. If you place anything above Jesus Christ, 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:55.980 that is an idol. Okay? I know it might bring 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:58.360 you comfort. I know you might feel like that 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:00.360 is your way out, but I'm telling you, Jesus Christ 00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:05.500 is a better way. Okay? Because once you are drunk 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:08.320 or once you are high, you are no longer in your 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:11.100 right state of mind. When you would normally 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:12.860 be able to hold back when you would normally 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:14.779 be able to say no when you would normally be 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:17.460 able to Discuss things rationally or view things 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:19.980 rationally. You're no longer in that headspace 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:23.419 and the devil does not play fair He will literally 00:09:23.419 --> 00:09:26.440 wait until you are in a vulnerable space like 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:29.259 that to come in and to take advantage of you 00:09:29.259 --> 00:09:33.419 to gas you up To get you frustrated to get you 00:09:33.419 --> 00:09:38.169 amped up Some people are not willing to admit 00:09:38.169 --> 00:09:39.450 But I know that there are a lot of people out 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:40.769 there willing to admit that there are things 00:09:40.769 --> 00:09:43.149 that they have said Or done when they are drunk 00:09:43.149 --> 00:09:45.309 or high that later on they were like dang if 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:47.330 I was sober I don't think I would have acted 00:09:47.330 --> 00:09:49.750 that way. I don't think I would have crashed 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:51.350 out that way I don't think I would have done 00:09:51.350 --> 00:09:54.590 this that way There's so many people who drink 00:09:54.590 --> 00:09:59.769 or smoke for boldness pray to the Lord for boldness 00:09:59.769 --> 00:10:06.860 Okay, do not start relying on a substance for 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:11.299 character building. That is another way that 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:13.779 the devil used to get at me and I know that's 00:10:13.779 --> 00:10:17.799 a way that he is getting at other people. A lack 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:21.679 of gratitude and the lack of appreciation for 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:24.139 where the Lord has you at now and that can kind 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:27.379 of tie in with impatience, right? You know, there 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:30.620 is and I believe it is in Philippians chapter 00:10:30.620 --> 00:10:34.240 4 where Paul discusses that he has learned to 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.129 be content. No matter where he's at in life if 00:10:38.129 --> 00:10:40.289 he is in the valleys or if he is on the hills 00:10:40.289 --> 00:10:42.990 if he has everything Supplied to him or if he 00:10:42.990 --> 00:10:45.370 appears to be lacking or in a drought He has 00:10:45.370 --> 00:10:48.590 learned to be content and put his faith in the 00:10:48.590 --> 00:10:51.389 Lord, you know Philippians 413 I can do all things 00:10:51.389 --> 00:10:53.570 through Christ who strengthens me a lot of people 00:10:53.570 --> 00:10:55.269 just look at that scripture But if you look at 00:10:55.269 --> 00:10:58.360 the context of it Paul is saying, despite my 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:01.139 circumstances, even if it doesn't look like I 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:04.080 have any provision, any support, even if it looks 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.200 like I'm in the lowest of lows, I trust that 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:09.559 if God wills it, his will shall be done. I trust 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:11.539 that if God is calling me to accomplish something, 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:14.559 to be something, to do something, then he will 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:17.519 give me the strength to do it. He will give me 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:21.340 the supply. You know what I mean? There are just 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:28.889 a few examples of open doors. I know a lot of 00:11:28.889 --> 00:11:30.669 people, you know at one point in my life I struggled 00:11:30.669 --> 00:11:34.549 with communication, intimacy before marriage. 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:38.009 That is a big one, a really big one. The first 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:39.830 one that the Lord really called me to start working 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:43.350 on was gossip. Gossip is an open door for the 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:47.710 devil. There is power of life and death in the 00:11:47.710 --> 00:11:49.429 tongue and when you are gossiping about someone 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:52.620 you are speaking death over them. Alright, participating 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:55.240 in witchcraft, looking at zodiacs. I'm telling 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:57.419 y 'all right now the manifestation ideals that 00:11:57.419 --> 00:12:00.379 you are your own creator that is making yourself 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:05.519 an idol. Putting yourself before God. A lot, 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:10.399 a lot of new age spirituality ideals. Putting 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:13.019 your faith in angel numbers, putting your faith 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:15.120 in the stars, putting your faith in astrology. 00:12:15.529 --> 00:12:18.629 putting your faith in horoscopes, tarot cards, 00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:21.470 divination, all of those things, which are sinful, 00:12:21.929 --> 00:12:25.289 which scripture does tell us not to do. But we 00:12:25.289 --> 00:12:28.529 find ourselves being subtly tempted into it because 00:12:28.529 --> 00:12:31.309 there are the thing with deception is it's not 00:12:31.309 --> 00:12:33.970 all lies. Deception is truth with lies sprinkled 00:12:33.970 --> 00:12:36.750 in or lies with some truth sprinkled in. And 00:12:36.750 --> 00:12:39.990 that is how new age really gets you, is it takes 00:12:39.990 --> 00:12:44.500 relative truths. It has part of it truth and 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:47.179 then adds in a lot of lies and a lot of deception 00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:49.259 And since there's that little bit of truth that 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:51.539 catches your eye, you know You see it all the 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:54.399 time with tarot readers as a former tarot reader 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:56.940 I'm telling y 'all straight up psychic mediums 00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:00.720 all of that. They will tell you a couple serious 00:13:01.049 --> 00:13:03.409 things that you're like who else could know that 00:13:03.409 --> 00:13:05.710 because monitoring spirits that have been watching 00:13:05.710 --> 00:13:08.210 you and your family since you were little generations 00:13:08.210 --> 00:13:10.870 back they whisper into the ears of your psychic 00:13:10.870 --> 00:13:16.789 mediums okay but you'll hear just a couple truths 00:13:16.789 --> 00:13:21.730 and because you hear those you're willing to 00:13:21.730 --> 00:13:25.830 eat up and believe all of the other lies that 00:13:25.830 --> 00:13:29.220 the demonic monitoring spirits are dropping in 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:31.820 you're coming into agreement with all of these 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:35.179 things that are untrue some saying right there 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:37.379 that is an open door putting your faith in anything 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:40.740 outside of jesus christ out of the heavenly father 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:43.139 putting your faith in any of these man -made 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:46.980 creations will become an open door for the devil 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:51.220 to access you okay like y 'all there are so many 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:54.779 you cannot serve two masters putting money putting 00:13:54.779 --> 00:13:57.700 financial provision Before what the Lord calls 00:13:57.700 --> 00:14:01.940 you to do before God The second you start prioritizing 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:04.440 money over Jesus Christ is the second you start 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:06.440 signing contracts that say that you can't say 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:09.519 the name Jesus Christ Is the second that you 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.299 start promoting things and saying things and 00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:14.240 doing things that are leading other people to 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:17.639 separation So right now y 'all I'm just giving 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:21.320 you I Had I'm telling you I had so many open 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:23.419 doors in my life that the Lord had to help me 00:14:23.419 --> 00:14:26.669 close over time Like it wasn't night and day 00:14:26.669 --> 00:14:29.090 that all these things were shut. It has been 00:14:29.090 --> 00:14:33.450 a process. But these are just an example of open 00:14:33.450 --> 00:14:37.710 doors that we ourselves create. You know, oftentimes 00:14:37.710 --> 00:14:40.710 we don't think that holding someone unforgiveness, 00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:44.029 gossiping, lying and slandering is a big one. 00:14:44.029 --> 00:14:46.409 Lying and slandering is not an act of God, is 00:14:46.409 --> 00:14:49.649 not Christ -like. That is the work of the devil, 00:14:50.330 --> 00:14:53.470 okay? Making assumptions and passing them off 00:14:53.470 --> 00:14:58.309 as truth. That is not Christ -like I'm telling 00:14:58.309 --> 00:15:01.110 y 'all right now that these things are open doors 00:15:01.110 --> 00:15:05.110 for the devil to move at you So when he does 00:15:05.110 --> 00:15:07.830 start attacking you when he does start coming 00:15:07.830 --> 00:15:13.100 at you he can go through these open doors So 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:16.279 many of us when we are facing warfare are so 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:18.860 focused on where it is coming from who the devil 00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:21.879 is operating out of We want to say oh, well the 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:24.179 devil is using this person to attack me So this 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:25.980 person is the bad guy and I'm gonna focus on 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.059 how do I defeat them? And how do I do this and 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:33.659 how do I do that? But we forget that God allows 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:36.789 and we'll use all things for our good. And we 00:15:36.789 --> 00:15:40.029 forget that the devil has to come to the Lord 00:15:40.029 --> 00:15:42.149 before he attacks us. We see that in the book 00:15:42.149 --> 00:15:44.570 of Job that the devil had to get permission from 00:15:44.570 --> 00:15:49.230 God to attack Job. So you best believe if God 00:15:49.230 --> 00:15:52.169 is giving the devil permission to come at you, 00:15:52.470 --> 00:15:54.980 there is something that you... can get out of 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:57.159 this. There is something that you can learn from. 00:15:57.500 --> 00:15:59.460 There is something that you can grow from. But 00:15:59.460 --> 00:16:02.240 you have to humble yourself. That's the big thing 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.399 here, y 'all. I'm talking humility. The Lord 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:07.059 had to truly humble me because I was not walking 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:09.679 in humility. I was not willing to humble myself. 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:12.080 I believe that everybody else was the problem 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:14.639 and I refused to take accountability for a very 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:18.009 long time. And that is another open door. um 00:16:18.009 --> 00:16:21.230 that the devil will use is lack of humility when 00:16:21.230 --> 00:16:22.850 you're in your ego when you're in your pride 00:16:22.850 --> 00:16:25.350 when no one can tell you nothing when you have 00:16:25.350 --> 00:16:28.470 an excuse for every single action yeah lying 00:16:28.470 --> 00:16:31.230 stealing all that stuff is bad yeah getting angry 00:16:31.230 --> 00:16:34.590 is a sin all of that but you have a good reason 00:16:34.590 --> 00:16:40.169 no you don't no you don't i understand that you 00:16:40.169 --> 00:16:43.700 feel you have a good reason But the fact that 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:46.360 you are defending the action right there is the 00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:53.179 lack of humility Okay, Jesus was tempted just 00:16:53.179 --> 00:16:55.919 like we were tempted just like we are tempted 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:59.379 There is no temptation that we are facing these 00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:01.919 days. That's one of our other brothers and sisters 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:05.619 in Christ has not yet faced Okay, and someone 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:08.599 needs to hear this today. Stop making excuses 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:12.779 for your open doors and take accountability for 00:17:12.779 --> 00:17:16.160 your open doors. That is humility. Humility isn't, 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:18.400 I used to think you were humble if you were able 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:22.579 to just like live below your means and like live 00:17:22.579 --> 00:17:25.400 with little income or, you know, do that and 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:28.019 still find joy because, and you know, I thought 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:29.880 I was super humble because I was like, oh, I 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:31.519 don't need all these expensive things. I was 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:34.220 living this kind of lifestyle. But I wasn't humble 00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:37.599 enough because I was defending my sinful actions. 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:39.259 And someone today needs to hear that you need 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.859 to stop defending your sinful actions. You need 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:44.839 to stop defending the open doors and take accountability 00:17:44.839 --> 00:17:46.920 for them because once you take accountability 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:49.079 for them, you can actually close those doors. 00:17:49.720 --> 00:17:51.799 If you are defending those doors being open, 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:54.000 you're going to find reasons to continue leaving 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:56.119 them open. They're not going to be closed and 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:58.839 the devil is going to keep coming in. So if the 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:01.500 Lord is allowing you to face these attacks, what 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:05.019 is he trying to show you right now? What is the 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:06.740 open door that the devil is coming through? Like 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:09.079 I said, y 'all, we so heavily want to like focus 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:11.920 on where is the attack coming from and like how 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:15.519 can we stop the attack? How can we stop? How 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.619 can we expose? How can we do all this? But we 00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:22.200 totally bypassed the lesson and all of it. We 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:24.779 want to throw the lesson out of the window. And 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:28.440 we need to stop and start asking, OK, but how 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:30.839 is the devil getting this much access to me? 00:18:30.940 --> 00:18:33.299 Again, guys, I'm not saying that being sinful 00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:36.140 is the reason why the devil is attacking you. 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:40.400 OK, I've said before and I'll say it again. That 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:42.200 the closer you get to Christ and the more Christ 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.619 like you actually get. Like the more the attacks 00:18:45.619 --> 00:18:47.559 usually pick up because now you are definitely 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:51.160 more competition for the devil. So I'm saying 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:53.400 that like actually warfare oftentimes picks up 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:56.720 when you are doing the right thing. But doing 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:58.380 the right thing doesn't mean you're perfect in 00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:00.819 the way that you're living your life. Pursuing 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:02.480 relationship with Christ doesn't mean that you 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:04.579 have no open doors. And once you're pursuing 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:06.720 relationship with Christ and humbling yourself 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:08.700 before him, is when you're actually going to 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:10.839 start being receptive to what do I need to work 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:16.470 on and what do I need to fix. I hope you guys 00:19:16.470 --> 00:19:19.410 are still following along with me. I know that 00:19:19.410 --> 00:19:22.549 this can be a lot to understand, like this can 00:19:22.549 --> 00:19:27.690 be a lot to really digest. And I do recommend, 00:19:27.710 --> 00:19:29.690 if you need to pause this, write things down. 00:19:29.730 --> 00:19:31.690 If you need to listen to this back, listen to 00:19:31.690 --> 00:19:35.970 this back. You know, the Lord really, it took 00:19:35.970 --> 00:19:39.509 me a while to really grasp all of this. And I 00:19:39.509 --> 00:19:43.109 feel like sometimes I'm still grasping it. but 00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:45.150 someone needs to hear that today too is like 00:19:45.150 --> 00:19:48.869 your intention and You following the Lord and 00:19:48.869 --> 00:19:50.910 you reading the scripture and all of those things 00:19:50.910 --> 00:19:52.549 is great, but that doesn't mean that your life 00:19:52.549 --> 00:19:58.710 is perfect There is always an area where we can 00:19:58.710 --> 00:20:03.130 develop You know, the Lord is always trying to 00:20:03.130 --> 00:20:06.869 grow us and we need to be open to that growth 00:20:06.869 --> 00:20:09.630 so I'm telling y 'all today that like Your first 00:20:09.630 --> 00:20:11.750 step is really humbling yourself and admitting 00:20:11.750 --> 00:20:15.809 that you are not perfect, admitting that whether 00:20:15.809 --> 00:20:17.930 or not you feel you can defend these open doors, 00:20:18.089 --> 00:20:20.049 you shouldn't be defending these open doors, 00:20:20.089 --> 00:20:23.210 right? So now that you've stopped making excuses 00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:25.849 for these open doors, you can start recognizing 00:20:25.849 --> 00:20:28.490 that having these open doors in general is unhealthy, 00:20:28.490 --> 00:20:31.430 and it's not something that Christ calls us to 00:20:31.430 --> 00:20:34.269 do. So now that you've recognized that this is 00:20:34.269 --> 00:20:36.769 something that is unhealthy and should not be 00:20:36.769 --> 00:20:39.640 in your life, the next step is How do we remove 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:42.420 this door? How do we close the store? And that 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:44.000 is one that you're gonna need to pray to the 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:47.160 Lord about. Because closing that door is gonna 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:49.420 look different for each person. Each person has 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:51.700 different coping mechanisms. They have different 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:54.819 reasons for why that door is open. Sit down with 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:57.700 your Bible. Be prepared to fast if you need to 00:20:57.700 --> 00:21:01.579 fast. Pray to the Lord for humility daily. Pray 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:05.980 that he humbles you. Pray that you have humility, 00:21:06.619 --> 00:21:10.930 okay? like that is a really big one here is pray 00:21:10.930 --> 00:21:14.990 for humility because it can be really tempting 00:21:14.990 --> 00:21:17.150 when you're looking at these things to like start 00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:21.529 wall putting walls up and to start defending 00:21:21.529 --> 00:21:23.849 what you're doing and why you're doing it and 00:21:23.849 --> 00:21:28.769 i know from experience like i i felt a real conviction 00:21:28.769 --> 00:21:31.069 of idolizing money over my relationship with 00:21:31.069 --> 00:21:32.650 the lord and at the time i felt that conviction 00:21:32.650 --> 00:21:35.130 i was in a space where i had like no money to 00:21:35.130 --> 00:21:37.940 my name and I had been living in my car and I 00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:40.160 felt like I was living the most humbly I ever 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:44.380 had. And I was like, of course I'm looking for 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:46.339 a financial opportunity. Lord, do you not see 00:21:46.339 --> 00:21:50.460 my living situation? I was so in my ego and so 00:21:50.460 --> 00:21:53.019 in my pride trying to find any single way to 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:57.380 defend it. And it was when I was in that space, 00:21:57.500 --> 00:21:59.119 it wasn't when I was taken out, it was when I 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.660 was in that space, that the Lord was able to 00:22:01.660 --> 00:22:03.799 start closing those doors for me. And I'm not 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:06.099 saying it was totally fixed in that moment. It 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:09.339 was a process. You know, the Lord took me through 00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:12.079 having different stages of like financial provision, 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:15.619 each stage recognizing how idolatry was being 00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:19.200 presented, but in different forms. Understand 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.339 too that it's not a night and day process. Sometimes 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:29.619 it takes days, weeks, months, years. But I'm 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:32.599 telling you right now that what works for someone 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:39.259 else in closing those doors is not going to be 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:42.059 the exact blueprint that may work for you, which 00:22:42.059 --> 00:22:44.460 is why you need to create a game plan with the 00:22:44.460 --> 00:22:49.259 Lord. Okay? You need to be open to deliverance. 00:22:50.029 --> 00:22:53.809 You need to be open to fasting You need to be 00:22:53.809 --> 00:22:56.430 open to denying self because that's a big thing 00:22:56.430 --> 00:22:59.289 with closing these open doors is denying self 00:22:59.289 --> 00:23:03.369 and fasting is a wonderful way to practice that 00:23:03.369 --> 00:23:08.950 Because these open doors come from Comforts right 00:23:08.950 --> 00:23:10.970 trying to comfort ourselves trying to give ourselves 00:23:10.970 --> 00:23:12.910 something to hold on to trying to give ourselves 00:23:12.910 --> 00:23:16.829 some kind of peace So you need to be open to 00:23:16.829 --> 00:23:21.380 self denial denying yourself, denying your flesh. 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:26.839 You also need to understand that the Lord is 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:28.940 not going to just develop these things in you. 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:31.180 He's going to give you the opportunities to do 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:33.960 these things. So closing that door is going to 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:36.980 look like being presented with opportunities 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:42.059 to open that door wider or shut it. Like when 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:45.059 I really started recognizing that I had idolatry 00:23:45.059 --> 00:23:47.779 and I was praying to the Lord to help me like 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:52.170 close out. idolizing money over the Lord. He 00:23:52.170 --> 00:23:55.890 gave me opportunities where there like for example 00:23:55.890 --> 00:23:57.730 there was someone who presented to me exactly 00:23:57.730 --> 00:23:59.990 what I thought I needed in that moment and exactly 00:23:59.990 --> 00:24:03.170 what I was waiting on the thought I was waiting 00:24:03.170 --> 00:24:05.549 on the Lord for. This was a counterfeit situation 00:24:05.549 --> 00:24:10.829 but it would require me to go against what I 00:24:10.829 --> 00:24:12.990 know God had called me to do. It would require 00:24:12.990 --> 00:24:14.950 me to sin. It would have required me to go against 00:24:14.950 --> 00:24:17.859 my morals. It was the perfect opportunity. for 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:21.759 me to either deny it, say no, close that door 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:24.019 and that was a situation of me putting the Lord 00:24:24.019 --> 00:24:30.000 before finances, or say yes, get that short -term 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:32.339 provision and put more distance between me and 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:34.549 the Lord and open that door up wider. If someone 00:24:34.549 --> 00:24:36.210 needs to hear that today, that like these things 00:24:36.210 --> 00:24:37.970 aren't just you pray about it and they're developed, 00:24:38.329 --> 00:24:41.509 the Lord gives you opportunities and you use 00:24:41.509 --> 00:24:44.650 the wisdom that you get through prayer and reading 00:24:44.650 --> 00:24:47.490 scripture. These are tied together. You can't 00:24:47.490 --> 00:24:49.630 ignore scripture. You cannot ignore the Bible. 00:24:50.670 --> 00:24:55.430 Okay. Gives you the knowledge on how to navigate 00:24:55.430 --> 00:24:59.549 through these situations. Okay. So prayer and 00:24:59.549 --> 00:25:07.000 scripture reading is so important. Now, like 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:10.980 I said, these doors don't close immediately overnight. 00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:14.759 It's a process. But you will notice the more 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:18.180 that you start denying the opportunity to open 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:20.700 that door, the easier it starts to get and the 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:23.140 more habitual it starts to get of putting the 00:25:23.140 --> 00:25:27.180 Lord first and saying no to these things. Y 'all, 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:29.400 there's some things that like... some doors I 00:25:29.400 --> 00:25:31.359 close that I thought I closed like a year ago 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:34.680 and every so often I still see like the opportunity 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:37.839 pop up the devil doesn't have new tricks he still 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:40.059 tries to bring up the old things that's another 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:42.680 thing too be prepared for even a year or two 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:44.779 years three years down the road the devil tries 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:47.420 to get you to open that door again but you say 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:51.319 no you know there are some people who have made 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:54.000 comments where they're like, wow, you react so 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.019 differently to things now, like you're like a 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:59.980 totally different person. And because they didn't 00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:02.319 see the process to them, it's a night and day 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:05.519 change. But to me, it's like, yeah, I had to 00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:08.039 go through about like 50 different opportunities 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:11.420 to go backwards. I had to go through a lot of 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:13.420 different crying sessions, a lot of different 00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:16.759 prayer sessions, a lot of different self denials 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:21.279 to get to this point. It wasn't overnight. It 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:23.299 was developed with the Lord and it wasn't my 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:25.660 own strength. It wasn't my own understanding. 00:26:26.299 --> 00:26:28.400 So I'm telling y 'all today and speaking to y 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:32.839 'all from experience. I'm not, you know, trying 00:26:32.839 --> 00:26:35.460 to be on some hilltop and speak down at you saying, 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:39.319 you're giving the devil too much access. Close 00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:42.539 the doors. I'm telling y 'all that I was someone 00:26:42.539 --> 00:26:45.700 who I was getting attacked so heavy. And I was 00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:47.339 like, God, I thought you said no weapons that 00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:49.740 form against me would prosper. I thought you 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:52.079 said, like, you were going to take care of me 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:55.019 and guide me and get me through this. And he 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:57.299 revealed to me, he's like, yeah, but like, I'm 00:26:57.299 --> 00:27:00.480 trying and you are going to make it out of this. 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:03.400 This is an opportunity for you to learn. And 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:05.859 this is an opportunity for you to see how many 00:27:05.859 --> 00:27:08.359 doors that you are still giving the devil access 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:11.140 to your mind, to your spirit, to your decision 00:27:11.140 --> 00:27:14.299 making. Because although I'm a new creation in 00:27:14.299 --> 00:27:16.559 Christ, it doesn't mean that all my actions were 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:21.640 immediately Christ like And let me tell y 'all 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:24.119 the more I started closing those doors The more 00:27:24.119 --> 00:27:26.279 I started seeing that the attacks the weapons 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:29.420 that the enemy was forming weren't prospering 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:33.759 The weapons were still forming But because I 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:35.839 was putting on the armor of God and because I 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:38.019 wasn't opening as many doors and freely letting 00:27:38.019 --> 00:27:42.180 him in and giving him access The storms that 00:27:42.180 --> 00:27:45.599 he was bringing weren't shaking me as much I'm 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:47.960 not saying the storm stopped coming, but they 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:51.079 stopped being as effective And someone needs 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:53.519 to hear that today that that is what closing 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:57.910 these doors is doing is it stops giving the enemy 00:27:57.910 --> 00:28:00.549 so much effectivity. You're wondering why these 00:28:00.549 --> 00:28:03.589 weapons are forming or seeming to prosper. I'm 00:28:03.589 --> 00:28:06.269 telling you right now the open doors may be the 00:28:06.269 --> 00:28:08.710 very reason why. And I'm telling you right now 00:28:08.710 --> 00:28:11.230 that the solution isn't to get in your ego and 00:28:11.230 --> 00:28:13.869 your pride and to defend these doors, but it's 00:28:13.869 --> 00:28:16.490 to humble yourself and understand that no matter 00:28:16.490 --> 00:28:19.309 the reason why you are opening these doors, these 00:28:19.309 --> 00:28:21.509 doors shouldn't be open period. And you need 00:28:21.509 --> 00:28:24.670 to find a healthier way to handle things. and 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:30.809 that healthy way is the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, 00:28:30.849 --> 00:28:34.809 I think this is it for today's episode. I honestly 00:28:34.809 --> 00:28:37.109 wish that there was a little bit longer, but 00:28:37.109 --> 00:28:38.829 I really feel like this is where we're supposed 00:28:38.829 --> 00:28:41.390 to cut it. This is where we're supposed to end. 00:28:42.589 --> 00:28:44.369 There's not much more I feel the Holy Spirit 00:28:44.369 --> 00:28:46.569 is really guiding me to say on this episode. 00:28:46.910 --> 00:28:50.849 But I do pray that this short episode has blessed 00:28:50.849 --> 00:28:54.309 you and given you a new understanding and helps 00:28:54.309 --> 00:28:56.549 you to grow in your relationship with Christ. 00:28:57.109 --> 00:28:59.809 Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, 00:29:00.309 --> 00:29:03.650 Danielle Townsend. This was the Salt Not Sweetener 00:29:03.650 --> 00:29:07.809 podcast. I do ask that you subscribe to the podcast, 00:29:08.430 --> 00:29:10.670 share this episode with people that you know, 00:29:10.869 --> 00:29:12.829 people that you feel might need to hear this. 00:29:13.509 --> 00:29:16.619 Get the podcast pushed out there. Thank you so 00:29:16.619 --> 00:29:19.500 much. I love you. I'll see you guys next time. 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:20.440 God bless.