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Hey guys, welcome to the salt not sweetener podcast.

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I'm your host Danielle Townsend and today we're

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going in on episode 21 and I wanted to start

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This podcast with reading you some scripture

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and I'm going to read to you the end of chapter

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23 in the book of Luke starting in verse 50 It

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says here now there was a man named Joseph from

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the Jewish town of Arimathea and he was a member

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of the council a good and righteous man who had

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not consented to their decision and action and

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he was looking for the kingdom of God this man

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went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus

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and then he took it down and wrapped it in a

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linen shrewd and laid him in a tomb cut in stone

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where no one had ever been laid and it was the

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day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning

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The women who had come with him from Galilee

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followed and saw the tomb and how his body was

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laid. And they returned and prepared spices and

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ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according

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to the commandment." Now, the Lord had me read

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the scripture a couple days ago. And y 'all,

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this was very powerful for me at the time. Because

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at the time when I was reading this scripture,

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There was something different I took out of it

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then versus what I'm taking out of it now. And

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what I had really taken out of it then was something

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that I felt the Lord was trying to remind me

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of and have been trying to remind me of for some

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time now. And that was that I needed to trust

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in His ability to raise up other people and move

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on other people's hearts. Y 'all, you know, if

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you have listened to this podcast, I have a history

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growing up. I was hyper independent. I wanted

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to handle everything on my own. I wanted control.

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And that was one of the really hard things when

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giving my life to Christ was releasing the control

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that I thought I had over my life. There was

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a time in my life when Jesus Christ literally

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told me to rely on Him for provision, to rely

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on Him for the provision to eat. to drink the

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provision to relocate across the country like

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when God gave me all of these visions and said

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these are all the things that I plan to give

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you and these are the things I plan to do in

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your life these are promises I'm making to you

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but these are things that I'm going to bring

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to you these are not things you are going to

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bring up to yourself now did the Lord call me

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to acts of obedience of course And I've shared

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testimonies to that to where God called me to

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do something and he blessed my act of obedience

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But in the grand scheme of things I didn't try

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to create any of those for myself The Lord was

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cooking and the Lord worked in people's hearts

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and stirred people's hearts because y 'all when

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I received the provision I received it was like

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off of the kindness and the good -heartedness

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of other people God didn't make me get a nine

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to five and like do all this extra work and do

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all these things to earn the provision to get

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the money I needed to move from California to

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Indiana. No, he had just called me to do an act

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of kindness and show the love and spread the

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gospel with a person and then moved on that person's

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heart who ended up blessing me and moving me.

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And God reminded me of that miracle that he worked

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when there appeared to be no way. And when I

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was reading that scripture, You know that that

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is what I took from that when I was reading about

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this man Joseph who this man Joseph was Seeking

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the kingdom of heaven There's a reason why scripture

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tells us to seek first the kingdom of heaven

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and all these things will be added on to you

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Right when God gives you promises when he gives

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you visions when he gives you dreams when he

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says like hey I intend to do this in your life

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one day He's not saying I intend to do all these

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things now. I want you to do everything you can

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to try to create it No way he what he wants you

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to do is he wants you to focus on your relationship

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with him He wants you to focus on growing and

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cultivating your relationship with the Heavenly

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Father he wants you to focus on being more Christlike

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seeking first the kingdom of heaven and trusting

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that these things will be added on to you as

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you are pursuing the Lord. Because when you're

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pursuing a relationship with Christ and you're

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pursuing to be more Christ -like and pursuing

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to live a life pleasing to the Lord, naturally

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God is going to call you to do things. You're

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going to have acts of obedience and he's going

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to move through those acts of obedience. Right?

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And we see that with this man Joseph. This man

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Joseph did not agree With Jesus Christ going

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to the cross. He did not agree with that decision

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to crucify him We see that pointed out that like

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he was not in agreement with Pilate. He was not

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in agreement with these elder priests He was

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not in agreement with this crowd that condemned

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Jesus But we also see that he was seeking first

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the kingdom of heaven and when he was seeking

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first the kingdom of heaven He was led to do

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this act of kindness Towards Jesus which was

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to ask for his body once he received his body,

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to care for his body, to lay his body in a tomb,

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to cover it in that linen cloth. So when you

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are seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven, God

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is going to call you to acts of obedience. There

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are going to be things that the Lord places on

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your heart, there are going to be things that

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he serves within you, and it is your responsibility

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to obey the Lord. Get your strength from him

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get your your courage from him get your boldness

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from him I can imagine that this Joseph guy may

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have been a little anxious in the situation At

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least I feel like I would have been right he's

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literally going up to pilot the man who just

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Condoned crucifying Jesus and saying hey, can

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I have his body? Can I care for his body? Like,

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I feel like that would be a little intimidating,

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right? But we also see God must have softened

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Pilate's heart in that time, because Pilate could

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have easily said no. Pilate could have easily

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been like, no, I'm gonna keep the body. No, I

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want to do this with it. We know that Jesus,

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you know, said that he was gonna rise again on

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the third day. I would imagine... Pilot would

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have wanted to keep Jesus's body like really

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close by right like God really had to have in

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that moment softened pilots heart in that way

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Worked in his heart did something I believe that

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God made a way whatever that looked like Because

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that's another thing that I took from this when

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I was reading that scripture the other day was

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trust that God has already gone ahead of you

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Right this Joseph man had to trust That God had

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already gone ahead of him in my pilot situation

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that when he went to pilot God had already gone

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ahead And we see Jesus didn't plan his own burial

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he he didn't go and pick out the tomb He didn't

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set aside the cloth ahead of time. He didn't

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give all these game plans. He knew his funeral

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was coming. He knew his death was coming. He

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knew his resurrection was coming. And he gave

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us a lot of prophecies for the future. And he

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gave us a lot of things to prepare for. He gave

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us a lot of warnings. He gave us a lot of clarity,

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right? But notice how this was the one thing

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he this was something that he didn't plan ahead

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for And I believe that Jesus was entrusting this

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process and already knew That way would be made

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and That was really what I took out that scripture

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the first time when I was rereading that a couple

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days ago and I was led to that was trust in God's

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ability to go ahead of myself. And you listening

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to this too, you need to hear that too. Trust

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in God's ability to go ahead of you. Maybe God

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is calling you to do something right now. Maybe

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he's calling you to reach out to a person. Maybe

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he's calling you to move to a place. Maybe he's

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calling you to start a new thing, start a new

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business, start a new relationship, start a new

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connection. Maybe he's calling you to leave something

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behind. Maybe he's calling you to have a hard

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conversation. there is something that you feel

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God is calling you to do right now and maybe

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you're fearful maybe you're anxious maybe you're

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worried maybe you feel like just extra drama

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is that extra conflict I don't need is that extra

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here today that you need to trust that God has

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already gone ahead of you in the situation I

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can't tell y 'all how many times I felt God place

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it on my heart to go and say something to a person

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to have a conversation to do something and then

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like once I do that thing and I'm talking to

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them they're like oh my gosh I was just praying

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about this or you know what I actually feel like

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God has been speaking me about this like when

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their response actually reveals to me that God

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has been working way ahead where they're like

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oh God has actually been I feel like I've been

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seeing a lot of scriptures about this and I actually

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just read this in scripture last night or I just

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have this situation happen and I have that moment

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where it's kind of like I want to look up at

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the sky and be like God you really know what

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you're doing you know it's up to us to trust

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in those nudges from the Lord trust in those

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nudges that we are receiving from the Lord Trust

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that He has already gone ahead. Trust that He

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has already made a way. So someone needs to hear

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that today. Pray for the strength from Him. Pray

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for the boldness from Him. Okay? If God is guiding

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you to it, He has already planned for whatever

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has happened. This leads me to think about the

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story of Saul turned Paul, right? And when Saul

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had that encounter, With the Heavenly Father

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and receive the truth of Jesus Christ at the

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same time. He was struck blind and For was it

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three days? I believe he was fasting. He wasn't

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eating and he was praying to God for healing

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and While he was praying to God for healing He

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was working on another man's heart And an angel

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of the Lord came and spoke to that man and told

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that man you need to go to Saul who would become

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Paul and pray for him, put hands on him so that

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he may be healed. And this man even got reassurance

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that like Saul already knows you're coming. He's

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already expecting you. Someone needs to hear

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this today listening to this podcast. Someone

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needed to hear that. That what if they're already

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expecting you? Whatever God has been guiding

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you to do, prepping you to do, leading you to

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do, what if God has already been speaking to

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that person too? What if God has already been

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speaking life into that situation? What if he

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has already been given clarity where clarity

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is needed? What if he has already been moving

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things around where it is needed y 'all? I will

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tell you about the most fine timing situation

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There's a time when the Lord was leading me to

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a job Okay, the Lord I was really needing a job

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really bad and I was this was after the Lord

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had relocated me moved me back to India and I

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got the provision and I had finally gotten a

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little bit of stability but spring to Lord was

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like word I'm ready for Consistent provision

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and the situation I'm in there's a lot of things

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going on a lot of walls pressing in and Like

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I'm ready to go back to work And I was praying

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day in and day out for a job and i did believe

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that the lord intended for me to be placed somewhere

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but i felt god answer me repeatedly the answer

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is yes but not yet you will have an income you

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will have a job but it's not ready yet and i

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wasn't ready yet and in the waiting period god

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was doing the work in me god was really cultivating

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fruits of the spirit, god was making me a person

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that would be good in the position i was in.

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because honestly, if god had given me that position

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like a year or two, three years before, i would

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not have been a good steward over it compared

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to what i actually was. you know, if god had

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given it to me earlier than he did, I would not

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have handled it correctly. I would have fumbled

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the bag. Honestly, I feel like I would have fumbled

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the bowl. It's a glory be to God that he's never

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early and he's never late. But when I tell y

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'all that the way he aligned it so perfectly

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because By the time I, it was honestly a position

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that on paper wise I didn't have the qualifications

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for and there probably would have been a lot

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of candidates hired before me. Honestly, the

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position I was going for, like I had no educational

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background in it. I had very little volunteer

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experience that could translate over or relate

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over. I didn't have the recommendations. I would

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have needed like on paper. This was something

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that I was not at all qualified for and something

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that like I probably shouldn't even get Like

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a call back from but God and his timing aligned

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it so perfectly he aligned he Number one for

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me even finding that job. I didn't find it But

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that job was revealed to me. I had felt the Lord

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speak to me much earlier that this was the next

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step the path -wise. And I didn't believe him

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because, again, I didn't have an educational

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background in it. You know, I was like, are you

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really sure that this is the general area you're

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calling me into next, Lord? Because I've never

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had a desire to go into that field. But if it's

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your will, make it happen. I had been praying

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for weeks before, like, God, if this is where

00:15:16.330 --> 00:15:19.210
you want me, if that's what you want me to do,

00:15:19.230 --> 00:15:23.450
open a door for it. And there was one day...

00:15:23.470 --> 00:15:28.809
when there was a person I was speaking to at

00:15:28.809 --> 00:15:33.570
church and I felt the Lord called me just to

00:15:33.570 --> 00:15:35.450
introduce myself to that person and talk to that

00:15:35.450 --> 00:15:40.529
person a little bit and I did and they asked

00:15:40.529 --> 00:15:44.110
me to schedule a meeting just to talk with them

00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:45.610
more and get to know them a little bit and I

00:15:45.610 --> 00:15:48.850
did and in that meeting that person found out

00:15:48.850 --> 00:15:50.570
that I was looking for work and they were like

00:15:50.570 --> 00:15:54.490
hey there's a position at this place. I'm trying

00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:56.509
to be very vague with it because I try to keep

00:15:56.509 --> 00:15:59.450
things very private. It said there's a position

00:15:59.450 --> 00:16:01.149
at this place. Why don't you interview for it?

00:16:01.309 --> 00:16:03.590
Like why don't you fill out an application and

00:16:03.590 --> 00:16:05.629
maybe you'll get an interview. Just fill out

00:16:05.629 --> 00:16:07.090
an application. I'll take you over there next

00:16:07.090 --> 00:16:09.190
door. I'll introduce you. And I was like, oh

00:16:09.190 --> 00:16:12.210
wow, okay. And I really see this now looking

00:16:12.210 --> 00:16:15.549
back as like God. God really bringing the opportunity

00:16:15.549 --> 00:16:17.450
to me, God really opening up the door because

00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:19.009
I wouldn't have been able to open up that door

00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:21.409
because that person was the best recommendation

00:16:21.409 --> 00:16:27.029
I could have honestly had. And I go in and I

00:16:27.029 --> 00:16:30.090
get an application and I interview and I feel

00:16:30.090 --> 00:16:33.690
like I fumbled so bad in that interview. I had

00:16:33.690 --> 00:16:37.549
the worst anxiety ever, like I just, it wasn't

00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:42.299
good. I didn't do good in that interview. and

00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:46.059
I had to wait weeks to really get like confirmation

00:16:46.059 --> 00:16:48.179
if I was hired or not because I guess the references

00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:51.779
I put down weren't more calling back like everything

00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.960
seemed to be going awry or going astray I'll

00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.179
tell you I ended up getting that job and that

00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:59.259
job was an absolute blessing it was a wonderful

00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:03.879
it was a gift from God and later on you know

00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:08.150
I find out that God had really been working ahead

00:17:08.150 --> 00:17:10.650
in that situation at the time. God had been softening

00:17:10.650 --> 00:17:12.250
hearts God had been working that situation I

00:17:12.250 --> 00:17:14.609
guess they had been waiting to hire someone in

00:17:14.609 --> 00:17:19.410
that position for a while and You know, I truly

00:17:19.410 --> 00:17:22.089
believe that them looking for a long time for

00:17:22.089 --> 00:17:26.029
a person to in that position, did open them up

00:17:26.029 --> 00:17:28.789
to new candidates that may not have all the qualifications.

00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:30.410
I believe if God would have brought me along

00:17:30.410 --> 00:17:33.230
earlier, I could have been rejected, you know?

00:17:33.250 --> 00:17:34.769
They could have been waiting for someone with

00:17:34.769 --> 00:17:37.390
better qualifications. And I truly believe, looking

00:17:37.390 --> 00:17:39.849
back, that God placed me in at the right timing,

00:17:40.549 --> 00:17:42.029
the right people were put in that interview,

00:17:42.190 --> 00:17:47.069
the right people were put in my path. The right

00:17:47.069 --> 00:17:52.269
hearts were softened, and God just worked miraculously

00:17:52.269 --> 00:17:54.650
in that situation. And when I look back, that

00:17:54.650 --> 00:17:56.750
was nothing that I had to bring up for myself.

00:17:57.109 --> 00:17:59.230
Did God call me to take actions? Yes. He called

00:17:59.230 --> 00:18:01.750
me to be patient, number one, not to rush the

00:18:01.750 --> 00:18:05.609
process. He called me to wait on Him to open

00:18:05.609 --> 00:18:09.089
the door, and He did open that door. But He opened

00:18:09.089 --> 00:18:10.769
it through. There was an act of obedience. He

00:18:10.769 --> 00:18:13.609
called me to... He gave me a nudge to go and

00:18:13.609 --> 00:18:17.140
talk to that person. Start an open line of communication.

00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:20.500
Just saying hey, my name is Daniel Nice to meet

00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:23.579
you and That was the act of obedience that God

00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:25.640
used to open up that door. He called me to fill

00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:29.519
out that application I had to fill out that application

00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:31.779
there were steps that the Lord called me to take

00:18:31.779 --> 00:18:34.119
that as I took those steps He blessed those acts

00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:37.180
of obedience Y 'all know that testimony I shared

00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:40.599
with you when God brought provision for me God

00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:42.920
had moved to move from California to Indiana

00:18:43.879 --> 00:18:46.059
God had called me. I felt him put on my heart.

00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:47.980
It's better to give than is to receive and I

00:18:47.980 --> 00:18:50.660
felt called to give the last like $10 I had to

00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:52.319
this person I believed to be homeless on the

00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.559
side of the street and I gave it to him and That

00:18:55.559 --> 00:19:01.240
person ends up blessing me financially Whoever

00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:02.880
you are listening to this podcast say you need

00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:05.000
to hear this say listen to those nudges and trust

00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:07.720
that God is going to bless your obedience and

00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:09.740
Trust that he has already gone ahead of you and

00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:12.930
the situations that you're in I've seen firsthand

00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:14.390
what it looks like when God has already gone

00:19:14.390 --> 00:19:16.750
ahead of you y 'all when I got hired in at that

00:19:16.750 --> 00:19:18.950
job even though I didn't have any of the qualifications

00:19:18.950 --> 00:19:21.410
and I felt like I was literally learning on the

00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:24.009
job I was told by multiple people we feel so

00:19:24.009 --> 00:19:26.349
blessed to have you here like you are literally

00:19:26.349 --> 00:19:28.190
an answered prayer being here right now like

00:19:28.190 --> 00:19:33.769
this is literally a blessing like God will go

00:19:33.769 --> 00:19:35.910
ahead of you because when I tell y 'all that

00:19:35.910 --> 00:19:37.930
job was everything I've been praying for I've

00:19:37.930 --> 00:19:40.369
been praying cannot feel like a number I've been

00:19:40.369 --> 00:19:43.440
praying to be useful. I had been praying to serve.

00:19:43.579 --> 00:19:45.039
I had been praying to be able to do all these

00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:48.339
things, and God really opened up the doors. Glory

00:19:48.339 --> 00:19:51.819
be to God. But I had to be willing to obey. And

00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:55.400
honestly, like I said, that wasn't a path I would

00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:57.660
have at first picked for myself. But when I was

00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:00.140
trusting God and listening to God and stepped

00:20:00.140 --> 00:20:03.769
in, oh my gosh. i can see now that it was a lot

00:20:03.769 --> 00:20:05.430
better than a lot of directions i would have

00:20:05.430 --> 00:20:07.529
picked for myself. it helped cultivate my relationship

00:20:07.529 --> 00:20:09.750
with the lord. it helped me step into purpose.

00:20:10.170 --> 00:20:12.269
it helped cultivate even more fruits of the spirit.

00:20:13.109 --> 00:20:18.750
it helped reveal things like god used this yes

00:20:18.750 --> 00:20:22.690
in so many different ways and when i tell you

00:20:22.690 --> 00:20:25.869
all that again i can't stress enough that this

00:20:25.869 --> 00:20:29.470
wasn't the direction um when i When I went to

00:20:29.470 --> 00:20:31.089
school, when I went to college, this was not

00:20:31.089 --> 00:20:35.289
my degree major. This was not my volunteer field.

00:20:35.490 --> 00:20:38.450
This was not pay wise, financially too. This

00:20:38.450 --> 00:20:41.369
wasn't one that I, my first thing I would go

00:20:41.369 --> 00:20:44.809
to, but God knew better than I did. And when

00:20:44.809 --> 00:20:48.390
I trusted him and obeyed him, he opened doors

00:20:48.390 --> 00:20:51.130
I could have never opened up for myself. He revealed

00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:52.990
to me things that I would have never seen. He

00:20:52.990 --> 00:20:56.170
did things in my life that I could have never.

00:20:56.490 --> 00:21:00.509
done. So I'm telling you all today to trust in

00:21:00.509 --> 00:21:04.890
the Lord's ability to go ahead of you and trust

00:21:04.890 --> 00:21:10.170
in what He has called you to do. And someone

00:21:10.170 --> 00:21:12.730
needs to hear this today too. You need to be

00:21:12.730 --> 00:21:16.490
preparing in the waiting period because the waiting

00:21:16.490 --> 00:21:19.750
period is what God uses. He will still use that

00:21:19.750 --> 00:21:22.250
time. No minute is wasted with the Heavenly Father,

00:21:22.470 --> 00:21:25.470
but you have to be prepared to lock in, okay?

00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:31.660
when I was when I was still living in the middle

00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:37.220
of the desert in California and I remember the

00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:39.960
night when it all clicked for me when I was like

00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:43.259
laying down to go to sleep and it had fully clicked

00:21:43.259 --> 00:21:45.779
for me where that was a day when I realized oh

00:21:45.779 --> 00:21:48.279
my gosh the Lord is calling me to leave my entire

00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:50.319
life of sin behind it was the night when I felt

00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.519
the conviction to throw away every tarot card

00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:56.220
I had and to throw away like It was the night

00:21:56.220 --> 00:21:59.200
where I felt the 100 % conviction of God is calling

00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:01.880
me to throw these things out and to not go back

00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:04.920
and trust in whatever his provision is. And like

00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:08.480
the next week after that, God was dropping heavy

00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:10.900
words on me. He was telling me that he was going

00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:14.460
to restore me. He told me that the things that

00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:16.460
I lost were going to be restored. He told me

00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:20.180
that he was going to relocate me. He told me

00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:23.960
that there was going to be a redemption in my

00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:28.799
life. And he made some pretty awesome, awesome

00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:36.019
promises to me. Okay? He gave me some big goals.

00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:40.640
And I want to pause here. Someone needs to hear

00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:42.559
that I was listening to this podcast right now

00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:44.599
that God didn't bring you this far to leave you

00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:48.779
where you are. Okay? If he's gotten you this

00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:50.759
far, he's going to keep moving you forward So

00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:52.259
you need to continue to put your faith in your

00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:54.019
trust in him because that was something that

00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:57.599
I That first showed me the mercy and the grace

00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.220
of the Heavenly Father was I at that point had

00:23:00.220 --> 00:23:02.380
been so Disobedient and have been doing everything

00:23:02.380 --> 00:23:04.980
my own way, but God was still protecting me.

00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:06.500
That was the first time my life I looked around

00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:10.900
and realized Wow Like I was in serious danger

00:23:10.900 --> 00:23:16.160
and like my life was It was the first time I

00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:18.839
looked around and it was like a fog had gone

00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:23.059
down where I realized like how Much even worse

00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:25.500
my situation could have been. I was so blessed

00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:27.500
the Lord didn't let it get even worse than what

00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:31.859
it was You know, so like I felt an overwhelming

00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:35.279
Appreciation for his grace and his mercy that

00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:40.299
he had kept me alive honestly and Just had taken

00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:42.880
care of me through what he had taken care of

00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:47.839
me through obviously he didn't have to and I

00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:50.259
was living a life so sinful and so displeasing

00:23:50.259 --> 00:23:53.420
him that like honestly he should have struck

00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:56.940
me down a long time ago beforehand so the fact

00:23:56.940 --> 00:23:59.039
that every day he was still waking up and allowing

00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.539
me to move forward and allowing me to have another

00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:08.839
day was a blessing in itself but I remember that

00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:11.599
when he had made those promises to me I was like

00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:14.680
looking around like okay let's go let's go I'm

00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:19.880
gonna be real with y 'all He made me wait a little

00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:25.819
while He didn't make me wait too long in that

00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:32.119
time period But he made me wait a while Okay,

00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:34.640
he made me I went through at this point I had

00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:37.339
already been doing fasting Intermittent fasting

00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:39.519
for a couple weeks and now this was the point

00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:43.000
where I had completely locked in And for a couple

00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:47.859
weeks Every day I was just reading scripture

00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:50.039
I was reading scripture like 12 hours a day all

00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:51.740
because I wasn't scrolling on my phone I wasn't

00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:53.880
doing anything like that. I was just focusing

00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:56.720
in on reading scripture Journaling reflecting

00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:59.559
on it and praying to the Lord and he used that

00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:03.359
waiting time period to cultivate new things in

00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:06.160
me You know, when God gives you a promise or

00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:08.480
gives you the things to look forward to, oftentimes

00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:10.200
our first reaction is, we want to immediately

00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:12.200
jump into them. I know that was my reaction.

00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:14.779
I was like, okay, God, bring, bring, you say

00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:16.819
you're going to move me back from California

00:25:16.819 --> 00:25:19.960
to Indiana? Okay, bring the money, bring the

00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:24.599
provision. Let's go. Let's do it right now. As

00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:28.400
much as I'm sure God probably loved the enthusiasm,

00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:35.920
I wasn't ready yet because That journey back,

00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:38.720
I was going to later on see, required me to take

00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.980
leaps of faith and trust in the Lord's ability

00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:44.740
to make a way. And it was really a Jesus feeding

00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:47.339
the 5 ,000 moment, where the provision I had

00:25:47.339 --> 00:25:51.579
didn't appear to be enough to get me everything

00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:55.740
I needed and to get me across like 2 ,500 miles

00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:59.259
like that. And God multiplied what I had, like

00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:00.599
I don't know how to explain it other than like

00:26:00.599 --> 00:26:04.519
the gas in my car just didn't run out. It was

00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:07.319
crazy, but I wouldn't have had that faith if

00:26:07.319 --> 00:26:10.799
in the weeks leading up to that I was facing

00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:14.319
trials and I was facing tribulations. I was facing

00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:19.480
testing moments and those tests produced things

00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:24.579
in me. Produced faith, right? It produced...

00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:26.960
Patience it produced self -control. There were

00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:29.599
things that needed to be produced before I could

00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:31.740
be led into that next situation So while I was

00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:34.299
in that waiting period, I was faced with intrusive

00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:36.779
thoughts I was faced with ideas and temptations

00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:40.079
to just go do it my own way. I Was I was faced

00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:41.759
with times where it's something appear to be

00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:43.839
presented and God told me to wait Don't go for

00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:45.400
it yet. Don't grab it yet. Don't say anything

00:26:45.400 --> 00:26:49.180
yet. Be patient wait Times when the Lord called

00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:52.819
me to place my faith and sow seeds and trust

00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:56.019
That he would do things with their seeds trust

00:26:56.019 --> 00:26:58.299
in his ability to bring things up So if you're

00:26:58.299 --> 00:26:59.980
in a waiting period right now, God has given

00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:02.200
you visions He's giving you promises and you're

00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:03.900
waiting wait. Well, and the best way that you

00:27:03.900 --> 00:27:07.460
can wait is to This was the prayer. I remember

00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:10.519
praying to him. I was praying him saying like

00:27:10.519 --> 00:27:13.900
Lord I don't want anything in my life that is

00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:16.480
going to lead me away from you So in this time

00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:20.220
period reveal to me and remove anything that

00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:22.779
is not of you and is not bringing me closer to

00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:25.619
you and only bring things into my life that are

00:27:25.619 --> 00:27:27.799
going to bring me closer to you. Strengthen my

00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:30.440
discernment. I started praying that God changed

00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:33.539
my heart to where I desired what he had planned

00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:36.779
for me. To hate what he hates and to love what

00:27:36.779 --> 00:27:41.579
he loves. Like that was that was it. I was praying

00:27:41.579 --> 00:27:44.079
that every day of like what do you need to shift

00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:45.619
in me today? What do you need to change in me

00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.539
today? And for a while I actually adopted a mindset

00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:51.859
of understanding that if it wasn't here yet,

00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:54.319
it was because it wasn't God's timing. So if

00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:56.480
it hadn't happened yet, it was either I wasn't

00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:59.000
ready or that thing wasn't ready. and understanding

00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:00.900
and humbling myself knowing that there is always

00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:02.799
a work that God can do in me there is always

00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:04.519
an improvement he can make there is always something

00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:06.759
that he can reveal to me I was able to start

00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:09.079
sitting down and being a student consistently

00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:11.579
I was at the Lord's feet just trying to be a

00:28:11.579 --> 00:28:13.359
student saying Lord reveal to me what I need

00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:15.779
to see today what is it in me you need to cultivate

00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:22.920
what is it in me that you need to grow and when

00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:27.720
the time came and that provision came In just

00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:29.640
like a two -week difference, I was completely

00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:37.759
different. So if you are in a waiting period,

00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:40.759
wait well. And that is, in my opinion, the best

00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:42.680
way you can wait is to be open and receptive,

00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:45.940
being in a humble state, recognizing that if

00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:47.700
it was God's timing for you to have it right

00:28:47.700 --> 00:28:53.819
now, God would make sure, okay? He is not late.

00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:59.140
He is not early. But there is something that

00:28:59.140 --> 00:29:05.619
can be grown in you in this waiting period. Okay,

00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:08.460
there's nothing, and this is from experience,

00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:11.859
I'm telling you, the worst that you can do in

00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:14.019
the waiting period than just trying to distract

00:29:14.019 --> 00:29:18.880
yourself with worldly things and just... Busyness.

00:29:19.059 --> 00:29:20.640
That's it. That's the thing I know a lot of people

00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:23.079
do to distract their mind is keep themselves

00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:25.839
busy and we like to think of like healthy distractions

00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:27.160
where it's like, okay Well, I'll just keep my

00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:29.680
mind busy with working all the time and volunteering

00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:31.559
all the time or maybe like content creation if

00:29:31.559 --> 00:29:33.720
you're a content creator or cleaning or doing

00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:37.720
all these things and like That's good but we're

00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:40.799
supposed to be resting in Christ Jesus and you

00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:46.079
know the the way to grow and the way to Growth

00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:50.740
takes uncomfortability right? in order to know

00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:52.440
you need to grow an area you need to be able

00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:54.880
to identify that that area needs growth that

00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:57.299
that area needs work and that happens through

00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:59.339
prayer to the Lord through scripture reading

00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:02.079
and meditating and reflecting okay if you're

00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:04.140
if you don't journal now i'm gonna tell you pick

00:30:04.140 --> 00:30:06.240
up a journal start working on journaling start

00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:09.259
working on you know when you read scripture write

00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:10.839
down your thoughts write down your reflection

00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:12.519
if you feel like you've heard a word from the

00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:16.529
Lord write that down okay if just write down

00:30:16.529 --> 00:30:18.430
what's happened throughout your daily life and

00:30:18.430 --> 00:30:20.750
see how that compares to things that god has

00:30:20.750 --> 00:30:23.170
been calling you to read or maybe things that

00:30:23.170 --> 00:30:24.750
god has been speaking of your life it's crazy

00:30:24.750 --> 00:30:27.130
y 'all how many times like i'm just writing down

00:30:27.130 --> 00:30:29.569
what happened today in my journal and i start

00:30:29.569 --> 00:30:32.210
thinking oh my gosh god god said something about

00:30:32.210 --> 00:30:34.329
something like this two weeks ago or two months

00:30:34.329 --> 00:30:38.329
ago and i flip back and i'm like oh wow god god

00:30:38.329 --> 00:30:40.569
god was prepping me for this moment or this is

00:30:40.569 --> 00:30:44.170
actually an answered prayer I'm telling y 'all

00:30:44.170 --> 00:30:49.390
right now to use the waiting period wisely. But

00:30:49.390 --> 00:30:52.650
I also want to share with y 'all that when God

00:30:52.650 --> 00:30:55.349
tells you it's time to go, when God tells you

00:30:55.349 --> 00:30:57.710
it's time to make a move, it's time to make a

00:30:57.710 --> 00:31:00.069
move. And I want to share with y 'all a moment

00:31:00.069 --> 00:31:04.250
of hesitation that I had. Okay? This was after

00:31:04.250 --> 00:31:09.349
the provision had came in. So it was a Wednesday

00:31:09.349 --> 00:31:12.069
that the provision that God had called me to

00:31:12.069 --> 00:31:14.700
plant that seed where I had given that person

00:31:14.700 --> 00:31:19.599
ten dollars and um at the end of that night I

00:31:19.599 --> 00:31:22.400
ended up having like a hundred dollars because

00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:24.400
that person a couple hours later shared this

00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:26.920
testimony on here before I believe came up to

00:31:26.920 --> 00:31:29.140
me with an old lottery ticket that they found

00:31:29.140 --> 00:31:31.339
on the ground dusty lottery ticket scratch off

00:31:31.339 --> 00:31:34.220
that hadn't been scratched yet and you know they

00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:36.559
gave it to me and called me a lucky lady and

00:31:36.559 --> 00:31:38.640
I scratched it off and it won a hundred dollars

00:31:39.399 --> 00:31:42.940
So I take it inside the there's a gas station

00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:47.559
or a truck stop and I take it inside and Cash

00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:49.819
it out and I come outside looking for that person

00:31:49.819 --> 00:31:51.299
just wanting to buy them a meal feeling like

00:31:51.299 --> 00:31:53.339
it's the least I could do I can't find them anywhere

00:31:53.339 --> 00:31:55.019
So I finally go in the restaurant across the

00:31:55.019 --> 00:31:56.680
street the fast food place and I see that person

00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:59.880
on there So I saw another seed where I just I

00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:01.380
buy them whatever meal they want and it's like

00:32:01.380 --> 00:32:04.410
a five dollar meal We both eat and they ask me

00:32:04.410 --> 00:32:06.750
what I'm doing. I tell them I'm, you know, waiting

00:32:06.750 --> 00:32:10.329
on provision to get back to Indiana. I wasn't

00:32:10.329 --> 00:32:13.670
expecting anything from them. And come back out

00:32:13.670 --> 00:32:15.390
to my car and there's some random person that

00:32:15.390 --> 00:32:17.309
walks up to me and just hands me five dollars.

00:32:17.750 --> 00:32:19.609
Basically says, like, God bless you and walks

00:32:19.609 --> 00:32:21.809
away. And I'm like, okay, God just gave me back

00:32:21.809 --> 00:32:24.069
the five dollars I just spent on this person.

00:32:24.210 --> 00:32:29.059
That's wild. And... Then this person comes out

00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:30.500
and talks to me and for a couple hours They tell

00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:32.099
me about all their hardships and what they're

00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:34.079
going through and I just preached to them the

00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:36.299
word of the Lord and you know I just share with

00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:37.940
them the gospel and share with them what the

00:32:37.940 --> 00:32:41.000
Lord has done in my life thus far and the dramatic

00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:44.000
changes that he's done in my life and The next

00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:46.200
morning this person comes to me with another

00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:49.039
two hundred dollars So like I have like they

00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:51.119
and says I want you to go back to Indiana like

00:32:51.119 --> 00:32:54.619
go go now like go So it's Thursday morning And

00:32:54.619 --> 00:32:57.799
I now have like $300 I didn't have before and

00:32:57.799 --> 00:33:01.680
honestly when that $300 for buying all the gas

00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:05.880
I need buying all the food I need Everything

00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:08.599
for 2 ,500 miles that's really cutting it tight

00:33:08.599 --> 00:33:10.619
and like when I was doing the math I didn't feel

00:33:10.619 --> 00:33:14.119
like that math was nothing and I started hesitating

00:33:14.119 --> 00:33:16.839
and I started spending all day Thursday planning

00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:19.640
out like Okay, when I felt like the Lord was

00:33:19.640 --> 00:33:21.640
telling me you need to go you need to go just

00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:27.059
go just go but I was frozen. I started thinking,

00:33:27.299 --> 00:33:29.900
well, what route should I take? Last time I went

00:33:29.900 --> 00:33:31.680
through Colorado and through those mountains

00:33:31.680 --> 00:33:33.220
and everything. Should I go through Texas this

00:33:33.220 --> 00:33:35.380
time? Should I go through this time? And I felt

00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:37.319
the Lord telling me, just go the way you came.

00:33:37.819 --> 00:33:41.279
Just go. And I started trying to do all the math.

00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:43.299
And I started talking myself out of it. It was

00:33:43.299 --> 00:33:45.740
like, every time I'd feel like, OK, it's time

00:33:45.740 --> 00:33:47.400
to go. I'd start talking myself out of it. And

00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:49.099
I'd start saying, well, what if God's doing more?

00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:51.559
I'd say, well, yeah, he gave me this provision,

00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:53.619
but like, what if he's waiting to bless me even

00:33:53.619 --> 00:33:56.559
more? And if I go now, what if I'm missing out

00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:59.180
on something bigger? Like, I all of a sudden

00:33:59.180 --> 00:34:01.640
lost appreciation for this miracle he did and

00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:03.779
the surety I'd had. I remember praying myself

00:34:03.779 --> 00:34:06.039
just days before where I was like, Lord, if you

00:34:06.039 --> 00:34:09.059
give me the provision to go, I'll go. And I started

00:34:09.059 --> 00:34:10.719
thinking about that where I was like, dang, I

00:34:10.719 --> 00:34:12.840
told the Lord if he gave me the provision to

00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:14.719
go, I'll go. And I know this is the provision.

00:34:15.309 --> 00:34:17.030
but there's a little part of me saying it could

00:34:17.030 --> 00:34:19.630
be better there could be more let's wait on the

00:34:19.630 --> 00:34:21.530
better let's wait on the more let's wait let's

00:34:21.530 --> 00:34:23.829
wait and when i tell you all that the longer

00:34:23.829 --> 00:34:26.769
i waited the more the temptation started coming

00:34:26.769 --> 00:34:30.309
in that were crazy like so many people started

00:34:30.309 --> 00:34:32.250
popping out of woodworks randomly coming up to

00:34:32.250 --> 00:34:33.869
my car and coming up to me and like trying to

00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:35.690
talk to me and trying to everything and these

00:34:35.690 --> 00:34:37.929
people weren't actually offering me anything

00:34:37.929 --> 00:34:40.710
but they were like counterfeit offers i don't

00:34:40.710 --> 00:34:42.989
know how to explain it where each thing was like

00:34:42.989 --> 00:34:47.739
it didn't sit right it was sinful it was it was

00:34:47.739 --> 00:34:50.639
like an attention I did not like having and it

00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:52.320
made me more and more uncomfortable and then

00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:53.900
there was an old man that came up to me I was

00:34:53.900 --> 00:34:56.260
like I've seen you over here a lot like I'm telling

00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:58.780
you right now you need to leave because it turns

00:34:58.780 --> 00:35:01.219
out he knows the man that gave me money and he's

00:35:01.219 --> 00:35:06.380
like get out like go go girl go and that he was

00:35:06.380 --> 00:35:09.480
saying that to me Friday morning late morning

00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:14.269
and it was Friday at like noon that I left and

00:35:14.269 --> 00:35:17.250
hit the road and a couple hours later I was driving

00:35:17.250 --> 00:35:20.730
through Vegas and heading back to Indiana, entrusting

00:35:20.730 --> 00:35:23.090
that God would make a way and he did make a way.

00:35:24.150 --> 00:35:29.150
But I remember Friday morning I had woken up

00:35:29.150 --> 00:35:33.989
and I had been woken up at like 3 o 'clock in

00:35:33.989 --> 00:35:35.769
the morning, right? Because I was sleeping in

00:35:35.769 --> 00:35:40.199
my car at a truck stop. And I look out my back

00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:42.380
window and there's this big semi just parked

00:35:42.380 --> 00:35:46.280
behind me that says heaven or hell, it's up to

00:35:46.280 --> 00:35:51.699
you. And I felt like the utmost conviction where

00:35:51.699 --> 00:35:55.760
it was like, am I gonna trust in God? Am I gonna

00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:59.360
trust in his provision? Am I going to make this

00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:04.340
move by faith? Or am I gonna stay frozen out

00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:09.630
of fear and let the devil win this one? That

00:36:09.630 --> 00:36:12.230
was my heaven or hell it was like am I going

00:36:12.230 --> 00:36:15.349
to succumb to the fear to the intrusive thoughts?

00:36:15.909 --> 00:36:17.929
To the there's a part of me that was still greedy

00:36:17.929 --> 00:36:19.690
right of well. I want it to be better I want

00:36:19.690 --> 00:36:22.050
it to be more. I don't want to take a leap of

00:36:22.050 --> 00:36:23.769
faith. I don't want to have to I want to know

00:36:23.769 --> 00:36:26.929
everything You know I was part of me was waiting

00:36:26.929 --> 00:36:29.829
on God to give me all the hotels to stay at and

00:36:29.829 --> 00:36:32.860
all these things went no and dang well. I was

00:36:32.860 --> 00:36:34.900
just sleeping at like rest, I was pulling over

00:36:34.900 --> 00:36:37.039
at rest areas, crashing there or stopping at

00:36:37.039 --> 00:36:39.380
a rest stop on the way home. I left on Friday,

00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:43.800
got back Sunday night, you know, so slept in

00:36:43.800 --> 00:36:46.239
my car Friday night, Saturday night, just driving

00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:49.179
through. But I was telling myself, trying to

00:36:49.179 --> 00:36:50.900
convince myself that if I weighed on God it would

00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:53.159
be even better and that it's like these leaps

00:36:53.159 --> 00:36:55.480
of faith were actually like not from God. Like

00:36:55.480 --> 00:36:58.699
my brain was working really weird. Like, I was

00:36:58.699 --> 00:37:00.059
like, well, if it was really from God, it would

00:37:00.059 --> 00:37:02.139
be like, chef's kiss, everything would be perfect.

00:37:02.719 --> 00:37:04.900
And I got like a real humbling where it was like,

00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:06.920
no, this is a take a leap of faith moment and

00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:08.880
trust that the Lord is going to bless us. And

00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:11.000
this is actually a testimony in the works that

00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:13.099
you're going to share with people later. And

00:37:13.099 --> 00:37:14.960
it really did become a testimony to share with

00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:18.119
people later. I'm sharing it today with y 'all.

00:37:21.119 --> 00:37:24.630
But yeah, I left Friday. and there was a lot

00:37:24.630 --> 00:37:26.869
of temptations and a lot of things. What's crazy

00:37:26.869 --> 00:37:30.969
is when I tried to leave that day, I don't know

00:37:30.969 --> 00:37:34.730
how it was like, I went to fill up my car with

00:37:34.730 --> 00:37:40.389
gas at like, I think it was like 11 and for some

00:37:40.389 --> 00:37:42.650
reason that truck stop was more busy than it

00:37:42.650 --> 00:37:44.409
had ever been before and I was waiting like 25

00:37:44.409 --> 00:37:48.349
minutes in line just to pay for my gas. and then

00:37:48.349 --> 00:37:50.949
I realized that I didn't put enough in I like

00:37:50.949 --> 00:37:52.909
didn't do the math right so then I'm waiting

00:37:52.909 --> 00:37:56.829
like another 20 minutes to pay for my gas and

00:37:56.829 --> 00:37:58.250
then when I'm getting ready to go all of a sudden

00:37:58.250 --> 00:38:01.369
I have to pee so bad so then I go back in and

00:38:01.369 --> 00:38:03.070
there's like this big tour bus that just stops

00:38:03.070 --> 00:38:05.849
and I'm waiting like another 20 minutes to go

00:38:05.849 --> 00:38:08.309
and it's like all these delays keep being created

00:38:08.309 --> 00:38:10.829
which I now view as like kind of spiritual warfare

00:38:10.829 --> 00:38:12.750
and like trying to create fear and trying to

00:38:12.750 --> 00:38:15.389
create doubt just that situation at that time

00:38:15.389 --> 00:38:19.329
was creating fear and doubt But I'm open to tell

00:38:19.329 --> 00:38:22.929
y 'all today that I hesitated I hesitated out

00:38:22.929 --> 00:38:26.090
of fear and out of anxiety and out of worry and

00:38:26.090 --> 00:38:29.010
believing lies from the enemy And believing him

00:38:29.010 --> 00:38:30.510
when he was telling me. Oh, it should be better

00:38:30.510 --> 00:38:32.869
than this. It should look better Since it's a

00:38:32.869 --> 00:38:36.130
leap of faith. It's not from God When if I read

00:38:36.130 --> 00:38:39.010
in my journal back God had been prepping me like

00:38:39.010 --> 00:38:41.070
every single day He was reminding me it is going

00:38:41.070 --> 00:38:43.110
to be a leap of faith You have to walk by faith

00:38:43.110 --> 00:38:46.199
not by sight. You have to trust I've been giving

00:38:46.199 --> 00:38:48.119
you these tests and tribulations and all these

00:38:48.119 --> 00:38:50.659
things to get you in a space where you will trust.

00:38:51.119 --> 00:38:53.059
Where you can see how I'll move in your life.

00:38:53.199 --> 00:38:55.400
You know, it makes me think of David. David didn't

00:38:55.400 --> 00:38:57.739
just show up to Goliath that day and that being

00:38:57.739 --> 00:38:59.519
his first time he placed faith in the Lord. We

00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:02.320
see that before David fought Goliath, he fought

00:39:02.320 --> 00:39:04.619
bears and he fought lions. And David wasn't ripped

00:39:04.619 --> 00:39:08.940
like Solomon. He was a shepherd boy. It was God

00:39:08.940 --> 00:39:11.159
giving him the strength. It was God helping him.

00:39:11.159 --> 00:39:14.000
God helped him take down that bear. God helped

00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:17.800
him take down that lion. So that way when it

00:39:17.800 --> 00:39:19.940
came time to face the life, David could say,

00:39:20.280 --> 00:39:22.599
God is with me and I've seen God help me take

00:39:22.599 --> 00:39:24.440
down a bear and I've seen God help me take down

00:39:24.440 --> 00:39:26.599
a lion. So I know if God is calling me, I've

00:39:26.599 --> 00:39:30.659
seen, you know, David was able and I'm, this

00:39:30.659 --> 00:39:33.059
isn't word for word from scripture. This is me

00:39:33.059 --> 00:39:35.500
paraphrasing right now, okay? David was able

00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:37.059
to look back and say, you know what, God helped

00:39:37.059 --> 00:39:40.070
me take down the lion. God helped me take down

00:39:40.070 --> 00:39:41.989
the bear. If God is calling me to Goliath, he's

00:39:41.989 --> 00:39:43.989
gonna help me take down Goliath too. He was able

00:39:43.989 --> 00:39:46.530
to confidently walk in, being able to pawn the

00:39:46.530 --> 00:39:49.489
armor of God, leaving King Saul's armor behind

00:39:49.489 --> 00:39:51.949
and walking in with that slingshot. And even

00:39:51.949 --> 00:39:56.590
though Goliath was laughing or talking his mess,

00:39:56.750 --> 00:39:58.909
David didn't allow that to create fear and doubt

00:39:58.909 --> 00:40:01.570
because he's seen already what God can do. Since

00:40:01.570 --> 00:40:03.829
he's seen what God can do, God had to report

00:40:03.829 --> 00:40:07.010
with him. He put his faith in God, not what the

00:40:07.010 --> 00:40:09.690
enemy was trying to make him see. him he walked

00:40:09.690 --> 00:40:12.369
by faith not by sight in that moment and y 'all

00:40:12.369 --> 00:40:14.690
I'm telling you God will do that in your life

00:40:14.690 --> 00:40:16.869
that waiting period is that prepping you that

00:40:16.869 --> 00:40:19.969
waiting period is your bear is your lion so that

00:40:19.969 --> 00:40:21.789
way when you face the life you can say I have

00:40:21.789 --> 00:40:24.909
seen God take this on I've seen God work miracles

00:40:24.909 --> 00:40:27.809
I've seen God make a way I've seen God radically

00:40:27.809 --> 00:40:30.030
change things I've seen God move mountains so

00:40:30.030 --> 00:40:31.570
I know that he's gonna do it in this situation

00:40:31.570 --> 00:40:33.829
too I've seen God go ahead in these past situations

00:40:33.829 --> 00:40:35.909
so I know he's gonna go ahead in this situation

00:40:40.210 --> 00:40:42.730
And I pray that this testimony is blessing y

00:40:42.730 --> 00:40:46.510
'all. You know, I don't think I have publicly

00:40:46.510 --> 00:40:48.889
shared that testimony of the hesitation that

00:40:48.889 --> 00:40:50.869
I had. Because sometimes, honestly, we don't

00:40:50.869 --> 00:40:52.710
want to talk about the hesitation. We want to

00:40:52.710 --> 00:40:55.150
share, yeah, God called me to make this mirror

00:40:55.150 --> 00:40:57.809
when I made it. And like, it all panned out.

00:40:58.090 --> 00:41:00.530
But I'm telling y 'all, there was that day in

00:41:00.530 --> 00:41:03.210
between. And God had to really remind me. He's

00:41:03.210 --> 00:41:07.280
like, I felt such a heavy conviction. Feel called

00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:09.619
to go back to so I felt a heavy conviction where

00:41:09.619 --> 00:41:11.860
God reminded me. He's like hey you you told me

00:41:11.860 --> 00:41:15.059
in prayer Like you you told me if I gave you

00:41:15.059 --> 00:41:18.900
the provision you would move by faith So move

00:41:18.900 --> 00:41:21.139
by faith and whoever you are listening to this

00:41:21.139 --> 00:41:23.800
thing. Did you say a prayer like that to God?

00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:27.019
Did you say God if you reveal this thing to me?

00:41:27.599 --> 00:41:29.420
God if you move this mountain God if you bring

00:41:29.420 --> 00:41:31.360
in this provision God if you do this thing I

00:41:31.360 --> 00:41:34.630
will make this move. I will do this thing We

00:41:34.630 --> 00:41:36.949
need to be very careful with the promises and

00:41:36.949 --> 00:41:38.369
the oaths that we take. Someone needs to hear

00:41:38.369 --> 00:41:41.090
that right now, okay? Scripture tells us to be,

00:41:41.489 --> 00:41:44.449
not to take oaths, like, tells us to be very

00:41:44.449 --> 00:41:47.989
thoughtful. Let your yes be yes, let your no

00:41:47.989 --> 00:41:49.190
be no, but I'm telling y 'all right now, when

00:41:49.190 --> 00:41:51.190
you make a covenant with the Lord, when you make

00:41:51.190 --> 00:41:53.590
an agreement with the Lord, you better stand

00:41:53.590 --> 00:41:56.690
by that covenant. You better stand by that agreement.

00:41:57.710 --> 00:41:59.849
God is graceful. God is merciful. Yes, but you

00:41:59.849 --> 00:42:01.849
better stand on that covenant You better stand

00:42:01.849 --> 00:42:03.869
on that agreement and that was an agreement I

00:42:03.869 --> 00:42:05.369
came into with the Lord that was a promise I

00:42:05.369 --> 00:42:07.210
made to him I said Lord if you bring me this

00:42:07.210 --> 00:42:10.610
provision, I will move by faith and God showed

00:42:10.610 --> 00:42:14.170
me grace You know, I didn't go that very moment.

00:42:14.170 --> 00:42:15.869
I didn't go that very night. I didn't even go

00:42:15.869 --> 00:42:22.710
the next day It took me like 48 hours Math like

00:42:22.710 --> 00:42:28.579
36 hours to go He showed me grace and mercy during

00:42:28.579 --> 00:42:30.199
that time. He didn't let me stay comfortable

00:42:30.199 --> 00:42:32.039
in my disobedience. It was a very uncomfortable

00:42:32.039 --> 00:42:34.940
36 hours where I was sitting on that provision

00:42:34.940 --> 00:42:47.719
and not doing anything with it. So y 'all...

00:42:47.719 --> 00:42:51.900
Honestly, I had no idea the direction this podcast

00:42:51.900 --> 00:42:54.119
was really gonna go in when I started this episode.

00:42:54.639 --> 00:42:57.320
I just knew that I was called to record an episode

00:42:57.320 --> 00:43:01.300
today to read that scripture and to trust that

00:43:01.300 --> 00:43:06.440
the Holy Spirit was gonna guide me. And I was

00:43:06.440 --> 00:43:09.639
about to close out the podcast and I had to pause

00:43:09.639 --> 00:43:13.980
for a minute because there is a warning that

00:43:13.980 --> 00:43:16.579
I feel being placed on my heart and this was

00:43:16.579 --> 00:43:19.840
a warning that actually had to be spoken to me.

00:43:20.820 --> 00:43:24.780
during this time period too. I had received this

00:43:24.780 --> 00:43:31.059
warning multiple times, and Heavenly Father,

00:43:31.179 --> 00:43:34.239
Holy Spirit, please guide my words with this.

00:43:34.739 --> 00:43:37.179
I started, in this pause, when I paused this

00:43:37.179 --> 00:43:40.880
podcast, I started reading a little bit of scripture

00:43:40.880 --> 00:43:44.320
from the book of Hosea in chapter 11. And just

00:43:44.320 --> 00:43:47.840
to give you a little bit of background with the

00:43:47.840 --> 00:43:52.059
book of Hosea, Here in my English standard version

00:43:52.059 --> 00:43:55.519
Bible, they actually give you just little summaries

00:43:55.519 --> 00:43:58.099
of each book and I want to read to you real quick

00:43:58.099 --> 00:44:00.139
the summary of the book of Hosea. It says here,

00:44:00.139 --> 00:44:02.460
Hosea has been called the deathbed prophet of

00:44:02.460 --> 00:44:05.159
Israel because he was the last to prophesy before

00:44:05.159 --> 00:44:08.320
the northern kingdom fell to Assyria. His ministry

00:44:08.320 --> 00:44:10.519
followed a golden age in the northern kingdom

00:44:10.519 --> 00:44:13.659
with peace and prosperity not seen since the

00:44:13.659 --> 00:44:16.900
days of Solomon. Unfortunately with this prosperity

00:44:16.900 --> 00:44:41.980
came moral decay and Israel Now, I do believe

00:44:41.980 --> 00:44:45.940
that the Heavenly Father is guiding me to read

00:44:45.940 --> 00:44:49.219
this to you. and tie this in with how just a

00:44:49.219 --> 00:44:51.179
moment ago I was talking about the covenants

00:44:51.179 --> 00:44:54.099
and the promises that we make to the Lord, okay?

00:44:54.739 --> 00:44:58.420
And that we are supposed to take them seriously.

00:44:58.920 --> 00:45:00.960
And I do want to be thoughtful with the way that

00:45:00.960 --> 00:45:03.699
I word this because these were warnings that

00:45:03.699 --> 00:45:06.940
I was... receiving a lot especially last year

00:45:06.940 --> 00:45:09.219
when God was really telling me that he's like

00:45:09.219 --> 00:45:12.059
when you receive this breakthrough and my breakthrough

00:45:12.059 --> 00:45:15.639
was me getting out of the living situation I

00:45:15.639 --> 00:45:19.320
was in receiving the provision to move back from

00:45:19.320 --> 00:45:21.199
California to Indiana when I tell you that God

00:45:21.199 --> 00:45:24.199
did drastically change my life like my life was

00:45:24.199 --> 00:45:28.219
drastically changed but the Lord had me spend

00:45:29.129 --> 00:45:31.809
those weeks just reading scripture and just being

00:45:31.809 --> 00:45:34.730
at his feet and every time I was tempted to go

00:45:34.730 --> 00:45:36.949
away from him I was picking to go to him and

00:45:36.949 --> 00:45:38.690
the Lord had warned me time and time again that

00:45:38.690 --> 00:45:40.710
when you are blessed when you receive this thing

00:45:40.710 --> 00:45:43.409
do not go away from me do not go astray there

00:45:43.409 --> 00:45:45.349
are gonna be so many temptations to fall away

00:45:45.349 --> 00:45:47.369
to go astray to go in opposite directions but

00:45:47.369 --> 00:45:49.130
you need to stay rooted in me you need to keep

00:45:49.130 --> 00:45:51.809
going back to me and boy was the Lord right because

00:45:51.809 --> 00:45:53.949
when I moved out although my living situation

00:45:53.949 --> 00:45:55.849
drastically improved when I got back to Indiana

00:45:56.269 --> 00:45:58.070
I was actually put in an environment that was

00:45:58.070 --> 00:46:00.670
not God -centered. I actually started having

00:46:00.670 --> 00:46:04.630
voices in my ears that were telling me not to

00:46:04.630 --> 00:46:06.289
pursue my relationship with God, that were making

00:46:06.289 --> 00:46:08.369
me feel guilty for pursuing my relationship with

00:46:08.369 --> 00:46:10.929
the Lord. I had voices telling me like, but God

00:46:10.929 --> 00:46:14.170
would ask you to deny yourself. Like really like

00:46:14.170 --> 00:46:18.989
outwardly questioning God. I had a lot of past

00:46:18.989 --> 00:46:21.710
people coming in and past things popping up.

00:46:22.039 --> 00:46:25.659
you know, finally having provision and having

00:46:25.659 --> 00:46:28.500
the financial, if I wanted to, I could have started

00:46:28.500 --> 00:46:30.900
putting my money in things that were ungodly

00:46:30.900 --> 00:46:34.179
again. I could have easily gone back to the lifestyle

00:46:34.179 --> 00:46:36.880
I had before. There were so many temptations

00:46:36.880 --> 00:46:39.900
and the Lord spent a long time really making

00:46:39.900 --> 00:46:42.079
sure before he gave me that blessing or gave

00:46:42.079 --> 00:46:44.360
me that thing, he was making sure that I was

00:46:44.360 --> 00:46:46.260
in a space where I wasn't just going to immediately

00:46:46.260 --> 00:46:48.840
fall away or fall astray. Because God loves me

00:46:48.840 --> 00:46:51.800
so much that He would rather keep me in that

00:46:51.800 --> 00:46:53.780
needing position I was in because it kept me

00:46:53.780 --> 00:46:56.179
going to Him than allowing me to have everything

00:46:56.179 --> 00:46:58.440
I needed and my heart to grow cold and fall away

00:46:58.440 --> 00:47:00.539
from Him again. And we see that in that book

00:47:00.539 --> 00:47:03.719
of Hosea, right? I was led to start reading in

00:47:03.719 --> 00:47:05.760
chapter 11 when I paused this podcast for a moment

00:47:05.760 --> 00:47:08.019
while I paused recording. And chapter 11 starts

00:47:08.019 --> 00:47:10.659
off with God saying His love for Israel, His

00:47:10.659 --> 00:47:13.639
love for His chosen people. You know that He

00:47:13.639 --> 00:47:16.400
loved them and that they loved Him, that as they

00:47:16.400 --> 00:47:19.940
grew older, they started turning away from him

00:47:19.940 --> 00:47:23.360
and they started turning to the world and, you

00:47:23.360 --> 00:47:25.139
know, they started worshipping these false idols

00:47:25.139 --> 00:47:26.800
and all of these things and they became like

00:47:26.800 --> 00:47:32.519
an unfaithful wife. And that's how we should

00:47:32.519 --> 00:47:34.380
look at our relationship with the Lord. Honestly,

00:47:34.420 --> 00:47:37.840
we're in covenant with the Lord. No matter if

00:47:37.840 --> 00:47:39.599
you're a male or female, I'm just sad. I'll say

00:47:39.599 --> 00:47:41.920
this way, like, you look at the Lord as your

00:47:41.920 --> 00:47:43.760
spouse, where that's who you're married to. So

00:47:43.760 --> 00:47:45.960
we can't be entertaining the devil even part

00:47:45.960 --> 00:47:51.019
-time. You can't make these promises to the Lord

00:47:51.019 --> 00:47:52.960
and then go do something else because he's graceful

00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:56.579
merciful. That's breaking that covenant And that

00:47:56.579 --> 00:48:00.539
was a heavy one for me to really take, you know

00:48:00.539 --> 00:48:04.119
like My brain sometimes still grasping out of

00:48:04.119 --> 00:48:07.039
like oh wow But like you need to take your covenants

00:48:07.039 --> 00:48:10.119
as seriously as and people don't even take marriage

00:48:10.119 --> 00:48:11.820
covenants seriously nowadays when they should

00:48:11.820 --> 00:48:16.179
be Like that is God the heavenly father like

00:48:16.179 --> 00:48:19.739
we are the bride, okay Christ the Bridegroom,

00:48:20.099 --> 00:48:27.619
the Heavenly Father the Bridegroom, like someone

00:48:27.619 --> 00:48:29.539
just someone needs to hear this today of take

00:48:29.539 --> 00:48:31.360
these covenants that you're making with the word

00:48:31.360 --> 00:48:35.599
seriously okay and do not fall away when he when

00:48:35.599 --> 00:48:38.440
you step into that promise when you step into

00:48:38.440 --> 00:48:40.320
that blessing and if you have found yourself

00:48:40.320 --> 00:48:43.880
falling away it's time now to get back on track

00:48:43.880 --> 00:48:48.389
what were the covenants you made with the Lord

00:48:48.389 --> 00:48:52.170
and I'll tell you that the first step is to seek

00:48:52.170 --> 00:48:54.909
first the kingdom of heaven seek first your relationship

00:48:54.909 --> 00:48:56.929
with Christ start working on your relationship

00:48:56.929 --> 00:49:00.889
with Christ start working on pursuing first the

00:49:00.889 --> 00:49:04.809
kingdom of heaven and Trust that he will get

00:49:04.809 --> 00:49:12.750
you back on the path that you need to be on As

00:49:12.750 --> 00:49:16.030
I'm telling y 'all right now there's We're sharing

00:49:16.030 --> 00:49:18.730
another testimony, okay? Okay. I didn't think

00:49:18.730 --> 00:49:20.809
I was going to share this testimony. I'm the

00:49:20.809 --> 00:49:22.809
perfect example of what happens when you break

00:49:22.809 --> 00:49:27.389
covenants, guys. Because I broke covenants. I

00:49:27.389 --> 00:49:32.989
grew up just kind of like Israel here in chapter

00:49:32.989 --> 00:49:34.610
11 where it says when they, you know, they were

00:49:34.610 --> 00:49:36.849
young, they loved the Lord. You know, I grew

00:49:36.849 --> 00:49:40.750
up going to church. I grew up singing really

00:49:40.750 --> 00:49:43.429
loud in the church. I grew up answering all the

00:49:43.429 --> 00:49:47.030
questions in my catechism glasses. I've said

00:49:47.030 --> 00:49:49.710
before, I didn't have a serious relationship

00:49:49.710 --> 00:49:53.570
with Jesus. Especially when I was getting older,

00:49:53.690 --> 00:49:55.309
I wasn't listening to the convictions, I wasn't

00:49:55.309 --> 00:49:56.969
feeling those convictions, I was not living life

00:49:56.969 --> 00:49:59.130
pleasing to the Lord. I've talked about on here

00:49:59.130 --> 00:50:00.889
before, it was a really weird thing where I would

00:50:00.889 --> 00:50:02.690
talk about God, and I loved to learn about God,

00:50:02.750 --> 00:50:06.269
and I saw God as a heavenly... I believed in

00:50:06.269 --> 00:50:09.199
Him, but... I saw him and Jesus as very separate

00:50:09.199 --> 00:50:11.980
and I never really had a relationship with Jesus

00:50:11.980 --> 00:50:16.619
and I never really tried to build a relationship

00:50:16.619 --> 00:50:21.739
with Jesus but when I was young I took the covenants

00:50:21.739 --> 00:50:24.460
you know when I was eight I was baptized and

00:50:24.460 --> 00:50:26.300
I said I would try to live a life pleasing to

00:50:26.300 --> 00:50:29.619
the Lord and I made all these promises I was

00:50:29.619 --> 00:50:31.699
taking the sacraments every Sunday when I was

00:50:32.299 --> 00:50:34.920
I believe I was 17 years old when I got confirmed

00:50:34.920 --> 00:50:37.780
in the Catholic Church. Again, you make these

00:50:37.780 --> 00:50:40.280
agreements saying that you're going to pursue

00:50:40.280 --> 00:50:45.079
a relationship with Christ. I've made these agreements

00:50:45.079 --> 00:50:47.139
saying, oh yeah, I'm going to pursue a relationship

00:50:47.139 --> 00:50:49.719
with the Lord. I'm going to try to live a life

00:50:49.719 --> 00:50:52.119
pleasing to the Lord. I'm going to set my mind

00:50:52.119 --> 00:50:54.599
on things above. And I did not do that, y 'all.

00:50:54.980 --> 00:50:59.309
I went right back to... sinful behaviors. I went

00:50:59.309 --> 00:51:01.409
right back to fornicating. I went right back

00:51:01.409 --> 00:51:04.889
to turning up. I went right back to gossiping.

00:51:04.929 --> 00:51:06.969
I went right back to being quick to anger. I

00:51:06.969 --> 00:51:09.409
went right back to all these things that were

00:51:09.409 --> 00:51:12.010
not, and I actually immediately stopped going

00:51:12.010 --> 00:51:16.409
to church. Like I didn't end up going for like

00:51:16.409 --> 00:51:19.849
seven years. I didn't open up my Bible again.

00:51:21.940 --> 00:51:23.780
and I actually turned to New Age spirituality.

00:51:23.980 --> 00:51:26.059
I turned to tarot card reading. I turned to all

00:51:26.059 --> 00:51:28.900
those things. I did not keep my covenants with

00:51:28.900 --> 00:51:31.079
the Lord. There are multiple times I'd be praying

00:51:31.079 --> 00:51:32.519
to the Lord and being like, Lord, if you help

00:51:32.519 --> 00:51:35.079
me with this, if you help me through this, I'll

00:51:35.079 --> 00:51:38.079
start going to church again. I'll do this. And

00:51:38.079 --> 00:51:43.079
I didn't. I didn't. I can't say, you know, I'm

00:51:43.079 --> 00:51:44.920
not saying those prayers were answered immediately,

00:51:44.940 --> 00:51:50.440
but I do believe God was working. And God one

00:51:50.440 --> 00:51:52.460
day allowed me to be turned over to the consequences

00:51:52.460 --> 00:51:54.260
of my own actions, just like we see how he did

00:51:54.260 --> 00:51:56.940
with the people in the Book of Jeremiah. Okay?

00:51:57.179 --> 00:51:59.099
I had to be turned over to the very things I

00:51:59.099 --> 00:52:02.940
turned away from God to please, you know? So

00:52:02.940 --> 00:52:04.820
the tarot reading started biting me in the butt.

00:52:05.500 --> 00:52:06.980
The New Age spirituality started biting me in

00:52:06.980 --> 00:52:08.539
the butt. The things I once found comfort in.

00:52:09.360 --> 00:52:12.420
I used to find anxiety relief and stress relief

00:52:12.420 --> 00:52:14.099
in 420, and all of a sudden I started getting

00:52:14.099 --> 00:52:18.420
panic attacks every time I smoked. Like literally

00:52:18.420 --> 00:52:20.619
the things that I used to find comfort in I could

00:52:20.619 --> 00:52:23.679
no longer find comfort in the things I used to

00:52:23.679 --> 00:52:26.320
It was kind of like that Jonah moment. You know

00:52:26.320 --> 00:52:29.420
Jonah got on the boat and these people were helping

00:52:29.420 --> 00:52:33.400
him get away from God's calling and then eventually

00:52:33.400 --> 00:52:35.500
when the storm finally got too bad They had already

00:52:35.500 --> 00:52:37.340
known Jonah was the source of the problem. Then

00:52:37.340 --> 00:52:39.760
they finally tossed him overboard That was what

00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:41.980
those things were for me new age spirituality

00:52:41.980 --> 00:52:44.940
tarot card reading Substances like all these

00:52:44.940 --> 00:52:48.159
things were my escape They were my control. They

00:52:48.159 --> 00:52:53.940
were my getaway car until they turned on me.

00:52:55.099 --> 00:52:59.480
God allowed those things to start spoiling to

00:52:59.480 --> 00:53:01.219
where I could finally look around and be like,

00:53:01.480 --> 00:53:03.820
okay, where's the good? What's the source of

00:53:03.820 --> 00:53:05.539
goodness? And I was able to see Jesus Christ

00:53:05.539 --> 00:53:07.739
as the source of goodness. He is the good. He

00:53:07.739 --> 00:53:09.380
is the answer. He's the way. He's the truth.

00:53:09.480 --> 00:53:13.539
He's the life. So I'm sharing that testimony

00:53:13.539 --> 00:53:15.900
with y 'all today too that like I can firsthand

00:53:15.900 --> 00:53:19.860
say I broke covenants with the Lord and I he

00:53:19.860 --> 00:53:24.059
gave me years years before I was turned over

00:53:24.059 --> 00:53:26.599
but even when I was turned over he didn't leave

00:53:26.599 --> 00:53:30.659
me and he was open to me coming back to him and

00:53:30.659 --> 00:53:36.289
He turned all of that into a testimony all of

00:53:36.289 --> 00:53:39.510
it was turned into a testimony. Because now I

00:53:39.510 --> 00:53:41.809
am able to talk to people and understand people

00:53:41.809 --> 00:53:44.889
who are in new age. You know, I can understand

00:53:44.889 --> 00:53:49.070
people who are participating in witchcraft and

00:53:49.070 --> 00:53:51.769
divination and all of these things. I can understand

00:53:51.769 --> 00:53:56.449
how the devil is working. I understand the lies

00:53:56.449 --> 00:53:59.329
that they believe, like I can empathize with.

00:54:03.309 --> 00:54:05.070
There are things that I wouldn't have believed

00:54:05.070 --> 00:54:09.849
if I hadn't seen them firsthand You know, I'm

00:54:09.849 --> 00:54:14.130
more It was like the scales have fallen off my

00:54:14.130 --> 00:54:17.690
eyes to a lot of the ways that the devil moves

00:54:17.690 --> 00:54:23.030
in occultism and New Age spirituality That I

00:54:23.030 --> 00:54:27.690
wouldn't have seen before You know, I had no

00:54:27.690 --> 00:54:29.510
clue what angel numbers and putting your faith

00:54:29.510 --> 00:54:31.769
in angel numbers and manifesting or any of that

00:54:31.769 --> 00:54:34.909
what I thought was all fun silly stuff in middle

00:54:34.909 --> 00:54:38.949
school and high school And now I look at it and

00:54:38.949 --> 00:54:44.050
I'm like, oh There are things that you know when

00:54:44.050 --> 00:54:46.489
people say to me now like my discernment I'm

00:54:46.489 --> 00:54:48.809
able to clock it when I wouldn't been able to

00:54:48.809 --> 00:54:52.309
clock it in the past God use these things to

00:54:52.309 --> 00:54:54.670
strengthen my discernment. God use these things

00:54:59.139 --> 00:55:03.840
To strengthen me But I had to be willing to allow

00:55:03.840 --> 00:55:05.360
these things to be a lesson I could have just

00:55:05.360 --> 00:55:09.980
like sulked and said like oh boohoo I You know

00:55:09.980 --> 00:55:12.099
went against God and I did all these sinful things

00:55:12.099 --> 00:55:13.800
like I'm just gonna act like it never happened

00:55:13.800 --> 00:55:15.440
and try burying it I could have done that but

00:55:15.440 --> 00:55:18.079
that wouldn't been helpful and God how's God

00:55:18.079 --> 00:55:22.539
gonna use that how's God gonna use shame and

00:55:22.539 --> 00:55:24.480
Embarrassment and upset those things aren't from

00:55:24.480 --> 00:55:27.530
God. God is the Redeemer Jesus Christ was the

00:55:27.530 --> 00:55:29.929
Redeemer. So he took all these sinful things.

00:55:30.489 --> 00:55:32.449
He took these breaking covenants in the past,

00:55:32.590 --> 00:55:35.230
these breaking promises in the past, allowed

00:55:35.230 --> 00:55:39.010
me to experience consequence, learn from them,

00:55:39.269 --> 00:55:42.889
and has redeemed them. And now, instead of some

00:55:42.889 --> 00:55:47.090
embarrassing, awkward, shameful past situation,

00:55:47.210 --> 00:55:50.329
it's a testimony of how forgiving God is, how

00:55:50.329 --> 00:55:52.949
graceful He is, and how He can pick you up out

00:55:52.949 --> 00:55:57.780
of whatever pit you're in. And how repentance

00:55:57.780 --> 00:56:02.019
is key. And that Jesus Christ can do a lot with

00:56:02.019 --> 00:56:07.340
a repentant, humble heart. I'm talking to y 'all

00:56:07.340 --> 00:56:09.480
today as someone who I've experienced God's anger.

00:56:10.280 --> 00:56:12.739
I've experienced the wrath. I have experienced

00:56:12.739 --> 00:56:16.599
Him turning me over to the consequences of my

00:56:16.599 --> 00:56:21.760
own sin. I have experienced the mocking. I have

00:56:21.760 --> 00:56:24.079
experienced in that time period, there were people...

00:56:24.119 --> 00:56:26.280
who were doing wicked things at me, who were

00:56:26.280 --> 00:56:29.340
rejoicing seeing I was suffering. So not only

00:56:29.340 --> 00:56:31.119
was I facing the consequences of my own actions,

00:56:31.199 --> 00:56:32.960
there were a lot of people watching me and laughing

00:56:32.960 --> 00:56:36.480
at me. There were a lot of people making up things

00:56:36.480 --> 00:56:38.659
about me. There were a lot of people seeing the

00:56:38.659 --> 00:56:40.639
knife already in me and twisting it harder. There

00:56:40.639 --> 00:56:42.199
were a lot of people already kicking me when

00:56:42.199 --> 00:56:46.239
I was down. There were people just mocking me.

00:56:47.119 --> 00:56:55.820
Like mocking me. You know it It's nowhere to

00:56:55.820 --> 00:56:58.460
compare to what Jesus Christ went through by

00:56:58.460 --> 00:57:02.579
any means, but the Lord did reveal to me I Remember

00:57:02.579 --> 00:57:05.099
at a time of journaling and just prayer that

00:57:05.099 --> 00:57:07.079
often times before the breakthrough There's a

00:57:07.079 --> 00:57:09.800
mocking that happens and we see that happen with

00:57:09.800 --> 00:57:11.860
Jesus Christ when he was going to the cross They

00:57:11.860 --> 00:57:13.780
were saying hail king of the Jews and spitting

00:57:13.780 --> 00:57:17.730
on him and taking his clothes and putting that

00:57:17.730 --> 00:57:19.769
crown of thorns on him and in that moment the

00:57:19.769 --> 00:57:21.849
devil appeared to be winning the enemy appeared

00:57:21.849 --> 00:57:23.829
to be winning his opposition appeared to be winning

00:57:23.829 --> 00:57:26.849
because they were allowed to hurt him and gloat

00:57:26.849 --> 00:57:29.889
over him and mock him and laugh at him and spit

00:57:29.889 --> 00:57:32.030
on him and do all these hurtful things to him

00:57:32.030 --> 00:57:40.530
and he took it in that moment but then he was

00:57:40.530 --> 00:57:45.159
resurrected and in his resurrection that conquered

00:57:45.159 --> 00:57:49.500
the devil. Okay, that secured victory for us

00:57:49.500 --> 00:57:54.219
as Christians who put our faith in Christ. And

00:57:54.219 --> 00:57:56.679
in that moment when he was lifted up, when he

00:57:56.679 --> 00:58:03.539
was resurrected, those mockers fell. Those mocking

00:58:03.539 --> 00:58:07.699
voices. We could see that they were not the victors.

00:58:07.719 --> 00:58:11.619
They were not the winners. They were the wicked.

00:58:12.860 --> 00:58:16.820
So the redemption, right, the resurrection, when

00:58:16.820 --> 00:58:19.460
Jesus Christ was lifted up, that shed a light

00:58:19.460 --> 00:58:22.760
on a lot of things. That shed a light on these

00:58:22.760 --> 00:58:24.480
people who were laughing, who were mocking, who

00:58:24.480 --> 00:58:26.380
were rejoicing in the suffering, and they were

00:58:26.380 --> 00:58:28.119
no longer seen as the people who had victory

00:58:28.119 --> 00:58:29.880
over Jesus. They were seen as the wicked people

00:58:29.880 --> 00:58:38.570
who tried to kill the Son of God. So whoever

00:58:38.570 --> 00:58:40.010
you are listening to said you were going through

00:58:40.010 --> 00:58:41.750
a stage where you were being mocked understand

00:58:41.750 --> 00:58:45.750
that Mocking and like humiliation rituals embarrassment

00:58:45.750 --> 00:58:47.869
like that from the enemy often comes before the

00:58:47.869 --> 00:58:53.070
breakthrough Because I was being heavily mocked

00:58:53.070 --> 00:58:56.110
y 'all like but before God came through with

00:58:56.110 --> 00:58:58.880
the provision and all of a sudden my life was

00:58:58.880 --> 00:59:00.559
changed and all of a sudden even my appearance

00:59:00.559 --> 00:59:03.860
changed because my life situation changed and

00:59:03.860 --> 00:59:05.480
the people who said I was never going to get

00:59:05.480 --> 00:59:06.980
out of the situation and the people who believed

00:59:06.980 --> 00:59:08.579
I'd never be anything and the people who were

00:59:08.579 --> 00:59:10.880
making up lies about how I got into the situation

00:59:10.880 --> 00:59:13.739
I was in no longer could answer for these things

00:59:13.739 --> 00:59:16.619
because when Jesus Christ decided to when the

00:59:16.619 --> 00:59:18.380
Heavenly Father decided it was my redemption

00:59:18.380 --> 00:59:22.840
time when he decided to clean me up and I was

00:59:22.840 --> 00:59:26.320
a new creation in Christ a lot of the lies and

00:59:26.320 --> 00:59:28.420
the dissections started falling off. A lot of

00:59:28.420 --> 00:59:31.480
the mocking words fell flat because they were

00:59:31.480 --> 00:59:36.280
disproven. But y 'all, I was allowed to experience

00:59:36.280 --> 00:59:39.380
that too, and that was a learning time for me.

00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:44.599
And oftentimes, like, and I know we don't have

00:59:44.599 --> 00:59:48.480
too much time to get into this today, but people

00:59:48.480 --> 00:59:51.239
who do not read scripture and who do not have

00:59:51.239 --> 00:59:54.880
a relationship with the Lord, um are easily deceived

00:59:54.880 --> 00:59:58.639
and when they see things like that when they

00:59:58.639 --> 01:00:00.960
see people being allowed to attack being allowed

01:00:00.960 --> 01:00:03.219
to mock being allowed to do these things they

01:00:03.219 --> 01:00:05.000
immediately assume that that means that the person

01:00:05.000 --> 01:00:07.320
being attacked or mocked jesus isn't with them

01:00:07.320 --> 01:00:08.980
or god isn't with them and that is not always

01:00:08.980 --> 01:00:11.139
true that isn't true god is with every single

01:00:11.139 --> 01:00:15.340
one of us god loves every single one of us but

01:00:15.340 --> 01:00:20.039
god allows these things for a reason and i know

01:00:20.039 --> 01:00:23.280
in my situation God allowed these things to happen

01:00:23.280 --> 01:00:24.900
because number one, it was a wake up call for

01:00:24.900 --> 01:00:30.019
me. It caught my attention. It got me back in

01:00:30.019 --> 01:00:31.940
touch with my empathy. It got me back in touch

01:00:31.940 --> 01:00:35.860
with honestly like a humility I needed. It allowed

01:00:35.860 --> 01:00:40.079
me to have testimony, right? It stirred a lot

01:00:40.079 --> 01:00:42.440
of things within me, but it was a strengthening

01:00:42.440 --> 01:00:45.929
for me too. Because it taught me how to react

01:00:45.929 --> 01:00:47.809
and how not to react to taught me how to tune

01:00:47.809 --> 01:00:50.230
out things and Listen to what the Lord has to

01:00:50.230 --> 01:00:51.889
say how to take these intrusive thoughts captive

01:00:51.889 --> 01:00:53.309
and make them obedient to Christ how to take

01:00:53.309 --> 01:00:56.369
these words from the enemy and Make them obedient

01:00:56.369 --> 01:00:59.889
to Christ the Lord The Lord allows these things

01:00:59.889 --> 01:01:01.849
because they're gonna be training ground for

01:01:01.849 --> 01:01:04.150
you. They're gonna be learning situations for

01:01:04.150 --> 01:01:12.079
you Speaking from experience And I have experienced

01:01:12.079 --> 01:01:17.840
God's great abounding love and mercy and grace.

01:01:19.179 --> 01:01:20.860
Because even after doing all of these things,

01:01:21.079 --> 01:01:24.260
after straying far from Him, y 'all, I remember,

01:01:24.699 --> 01:01:28.199
and this was when I was in New Age, and it was

01:01:28.199 --> 01:01:30.340
the craziest thing, and this sticks with me so

01:01:30.340 --> 01:01:33.280
heavily. When I was in New Age, I was meditating.

01:01:33.690 --> 01:01:35.909
all the time and when you're a new age and you're

01:01:35.909 --> 01:01:37.849
meditating you're like trying to connect with

01:01:37.849 --> 01:01:40.130
spirit guides and you're trying to get like reach

01:01:40.130 --> 01:01:42.090
a higher level of consciousness and everything

01:01:42.090 --> 01:01:44.210
like that and i will never forget it was one

01:01:44.210 --> 01:01:47.909
night that i was meditating um i i had a friend

01:01:47.909 --> 01:01:53.090
next to me who was also meditating and i believe

01:01:53.090 --> 01:01:56.809
in this meditation i had seen a biblically accurate

01:01:56.809 --> 01:02:00.710
angel um meaning like it was like an eye with

01:02:00.710 --> 01:02:05.820
like a lot of big eyes and I had ran away right

01:02:05.820 --> 01:02:07.820
like I started running away from this thing I

01:02:07.820 --> 01:02:10.840
was scared I feared it I started running away

01:02:10.840 --> 01:02:14.199
from it and ran to the top of a mountain and

01:02:14.199 --> 01:02:16.139
when I got to the top of the mountain that thing

01:02:16.139 --> 01:02:19.780
was there waiting on me and I just remember it

01:02:19.780 --> 01:02:23.219
saying back to me what are you doing and at this

01:02:23.219 --> 01:02:27.440
time I was in new age spirituality full -on tarot

01:02:27.440 --> 01:02:30.940
card reader full on and I had been learning all

01:02:30.940 --> 01:02:35.460
about Greek deities and Roman deities and I had

01:02:35.460 --> 01:02:37.699
been wanting to learn about just you know other

01:02:37.699 --> 01:02:41.519
gods and like other spiritualities and everything

01:02:41.519 --> 01:02:45.960
and I remember it saying to me this angel saying

01:02:45.960 --> 01:02:53.760
to me what are you doing and I said I actually

01:02:53.760 --> 01:02:56.460
can't believe I'm sharing this right now And

01:02:56.460 --> 01:03:02.699
I remember saying back, very honestly, I'm wanting

01:03:02.699 --> 01:03:06.199
to learn about other gods. I'm wanting to learn

01:03:06.199 --> 01:03:10.559
about other deities. I'm opening my mind to them.

01:03:11.760 --> 01:03:13.519
And I just remember the angels saying, okay.

01:03:14.500 --> 01:03:17.719
And right after that happened, I remember shooting

01:03:17.719 --> 01:03:20.599
up, like sitting up in that meditation, my friend

01:03:20.599 --> 01:03:24.050
at that time looking at me like, you know. because

01:03:24.050 --> 01:03:26.809
I felt panicked he was like what's going on what's

01:03:26.809 --> 01:03:29.010
going on I explained what happened to him to

01:03:29.010 --> 01:03:35.889
me and in that meditation and um you know that

01:03:35.889 --> 01:03:38.269
that appeared to be that and I went on I started

01:03:38.269 --> 01:03:41.610
learning more about other deities and other religions

01:03:41.610 --> 01:03:44.889
but it's crazy how after that day when I look

01:03:44.889 --> 01:03:50.619
back a lot of Things started to that used to

01:03:50.619 --> 01:03:53.699
just naturally work out fell off and it was almost

01:03:53.699 --> 01:03:57.820
as if I saw the favor of God out of my life It

01:03:57.820 --> 01:04:01.059
was as if I saw the favor of God had fallen away

01:04:01.059 --> 01:04:04.059
I was so used to just everything works out and

01:04:04.059 --> 01:04:05.800
everything pans out Maybe it wasn't beautiful

01:04:05.800 --> 01:04:08.159
but like it was just working out and I just all

01:04:08.159 --> 01:04:10.579
of a sudden the attacks of the enemy were Prospering

01:04:10.579 --> 01:04:12.619
like I'd never seen before the weapons that were

01:04:12.619 --> 01:04:14.739
filming appeared to be prospering and things

01:04:14.739 --> 01:04:20.719
were falling out And when I look back, I truly

01:04:20.719 --> 01:04:25.300
believe that was the moment where I fully turned

01:04:25.300 --> 01:04:33.739
away from the Lord. And I felt the Lord bring

01:04:33.739 --> 01:04:37.400
me back to that moment before. And it's a hard

01:04:37.400 --> 01:04:39.760
moment for me to look back on and think of if

01:04:39.760 --> 01:04:41.659
I can't believe I ever turned my back on the

01:04:41.659 --> 01:04:50.030
Heavenly Father. I can't believe. And that was

01:04:50.030 --> 01:04:53.190
truly the moment where I, because I see like

01:04:53.190 --> 01:04:57.570
months, years before how God was just showing

01:04:57.570 --> 01:04:59.789
me grace on grace on grace on grace on grace.

01:04:59.809 --> 01:05:02.630
Sometimes it's years and years. It's not always

01:05:02.630 --> 01:05:04.570
just days, weeks, months, and mornings. Sometimes

01:05:04.570 --> 01:05:11.130
it's years. And I believe that happened in like,

01:05:11.170 --> 01:05:13.429
I would say that was like January, that was January

01:05:13.429 --> 01:05:15.909
or February, and then I ended up giving my life

01:05:15.909 --> 01:05:21.010
to the Lord. September so it was less than a

01:05:21.010 --> 01:05:24.349
year period but like everything like all the

01:05:24.349 --> 01:05:26.829
sudden after doing that it had all started just

01:05:26.829 --> 01:05:30.070
crashing down and I can't explain other than

01:05:30.070 --> 01:05:33.090
the favor of the Lord felt like it left my life

01:05:33.090 --> 01:05:37.869
and that's something that I never planned to

01:05:37.869 --> 01:05:40.889
experience again in my life and the Lord really

01:05:40.889 --> 01:05:43.590
made sure I was rooted in him before he gave

01:05:43.590 --> 01:05:49.800
me any wiggle room again, because at that point

01:05:49.800 --> 01:05:52.780
that he had me in, in that September of, this

01:05:52.780 --> 01:05:55.940
was 2024, this was only a year ago, well, September

01:05:55.940 --> 01:06:01.539
2024, where that was the most that the Lord had

01:06:01.539 --> 01:06:04.460
ever had my attention in my entire life, the

01:06:04.460 --> 01:06:07.300
most willingly I had been at his feet, just wanting

01:06:07.300 --> 01:06:10.280
to follow him and wanting to do his will, and

01:06:10.280 --> 01:06:12.500
that was honestly the closest I'd ever been to

01:06:12.500 --> 01:06:14.260
the Lord, and the first time I ever felt like

01:06:14.260 --> 01:06:16.760
I was actually going to go to heaven in my life.

01:06:17.079 --> 01:06:19.539
Like that was the closest I'd ever felt to salvation.

01:06:20.639 --> 01:06:22.659
That was the first time I had ever truly experienced

01:06:22.659 --> 01:06:25.619
a relationship with Jesus Christ and truly seen

01:06:25.619 --> 01:06:28.000
God as a loving Heavenly Father and put my faith

01:06:28.000 --> 01:06:33.699
in Him. And I really felt like the Lord was prepared

01:06:33.699 --> 01:06:36.059
to keep me in that situation if that was the

01:06:36.059 --> 01:06:37.480
only way that I was going to be at His feet because

01:06:37.480 --> 01:06:40.960
He would rather have me that way than have me

01:06:40.960 --> 01:06:44.139
in the world and apart from Him again. And he

01:06:44.139 --> 01:06:46.960
made sure that my faith was in him. He made sure

01:06:46.960 --> 01:06:49.900
that I was at his feet. He made sure that there

01:06:49.900 --> 01:06:52.219
was a strong foundation that was not going to

01:06:52.219 --> 01:06:55.219
be shaken before he allowed me to even move an

01:06:55.219 --> 01:06:59.260
inch out of where I was. And believe me, he took

01:06:59.260 --> 01:07:03.519
me slowly. The past year has been baby step after

01:07:03.519 --> 01:07:07.070
baby step after baby step. Glory be to God because

01:07:07.070 --> 01:07:08.710
if he would have give me everything immediately

01:07:08.710 --> 01:07:10.190
at once I honestly think I would have gotten

01:07:10.190 --> 01:07:12.550
overwhelmed and either would have thrown it away

01:07:12.550 --> 01:07:15.210
out of panic Grasped onto the Lord and threw

01:07:15.210 --> 01:07:17.130
everything away because I'd be too fearful that

01:07:17.130 --> 01:07:20.969
these things would lead me away or you know it

01:07:20.969 --> 01:07:23.750
could have grabbed on to those things and Felt

01:07:23.750 --> 01:07:27.230
away got caught up not been able to steward over

01:07:27.230 --> 01:07:29.530
them while I had no clue what would have happened

01:07:29.530 --> 01:07:32.530
but glory be to God he took me step by step so

01:07:32.530 --> 01:07:35.389
I wasn't overwhelmed I wasn't consumed I was

01:07:35.389 --> 01:07:42.489
able to adapt and I was able to implement God

01:07:42.489 --> 01:07:45.469
is so amazing for taking me slower and you know

01:07:45.469 --> 01:07:47.250
sometimes I felt like God we're moving too slow

01:07:47.250 --> 01:07:49.829
I want it all now but when I look back glory

01:07:49.829 --> 01:07:51.530
be to God he didn't give it all to me then because

01:07:51.530 --> 01:07:54.309
I would have been so overwhelmed so overloaded

01:07:54.559 --> 01:07:56.000
and it just wouldn't have panned out the way

01:07:56.000 --> 01:07:59.179
it needed to pan out and he made sure that he

01:07:59.179 --> 01:08:04.039
gave me each step he took me i'll tell y 'all

01:08:04.039 --> 01:08:05.820
that there were some times when i felt myself

01:08:05.820 --> 01:08:08.480
leaning a little bit like too far away from him

01:08:08.480 --> 01:08:10.380
where i started really leaning into these new

01:08:10.380 --> 01:08:12.659
routines and leaning into these new things and

01:08:12.659 --> 01:08:15.360
like he would allow some things to come up that

01:08:15.360 --> 01:08:18.539
would cause me to come back to him i remember

01:08:18.539 --> 01:08:20.939
last year him telling me that you know the enemy

01:08:20.939 --> 01:08:22.979
thinks I remember writing it down in my journal

01:08:22.979 --> 01:08:26.140
that the enemy, the devil, thinks that putting

01:08:26.140 --> 01:08:29.979
me in hard positions and putting me in situations

01:08:29.979 --> 01:08:32.560
where it appears to be no way out are ways to

01:08:32.560 --> 01:08:34.840
get me to fold and return back to my own ways.

01:08:35.140 --> 01:08:37.340
But those are actually the times of superpower,

01:08:38.539 --> 01:08:40.239
the times of miracles, because those are the

01:08:40.239 --> 01:08:42.920
times when I lean not into myself or into my

01:08:42.920 --> 01:08:44.859
own control, but I choose to lean into the Lord.

01:08:45.180 --> 01:08:47.460
I choose to walk by faith. I choose to lean into

01:08:47.460 --> 01:08:49.000
hope, because the Lord did reveal to me that

01:08:49.000 --> 01:08:51.479
even during that time of when I lost my that

01:08:51.479 --> 01:08:54.739
favorite feeling with him that during that time

01:08:54.739 --> 01:09:01.439
period i still had like when everything appeared

01:09:01.439 --> 01:09:05.359
to be bad i was still finding positivity in each

01:09:05.359 --> 01:09:07.479
day like i still adopted a when life gives you

01:09:07.479 --> 01:09:09.420
women's mindset and i was still like you know

01:09:09.420 --> 01:09:11.500
what god's gonna use these things like these

01:09:11.500 --> 01:09:14.380
things are gonna work out like this is happening

01:09:14.380 --> 01:09:17.779
for a reason it'll all be over eventually like

01:09:17.779 --> 01:09:21.670
i still had that mindset And that's something

01:09:21.670 --> 01:09:24.010
that that was definitely very necessary, you

01:09:24.010 --> 01:09:26.970
know of Still keeping that gratitude and still

01:09:26.970 --> 01:09:28.609
keeping that optimism. I think I would have like

01:09:28.609 --> 01:09:31.250
drowned if I didn't have that gratitude I would

01:09:31.250 --> 01:09:33.069
have gotten consumed. I would have gotten depressed.

01:09:33.069 --> 01:09:36.529
I would have gotten overrun But it's when you're

01:09:36.529 --> 01:09:39.649
put in those times that like you cannot handle

01:09:39.649 --> 01:09:42.109
them yourself that you have two options and that's

01:09:42.109 --> 01:09:45.170
to Try to control and turn to the devil's tactics

01:09:45.170 --> 01:09:47.710
or give it to the Lord and surrender it to him

01:09:47.710 --> 01:09:52.020
and watch what he can do And over the past year,

01:09:52.659 --> 01:09:54.699
yeah, when God would introduce new things to

01:09:54.699 --> 01:09:56.460
my life and I would start getting overwhelmed

01:09:56.460 --> 01:09:58.659
or I would get focused too much on those other

01:09:58.659 --> 01:10:00.819
things, He would allow things to happen, do what

01:10:00.819 --> 01:10:02.880
He needed to do to get me to focus on Him again.

01:10:02.960 --> 01:10:05.460
Sometimes that looked like I would get sick or

01:10:05.460 --> 01:10:07.300
I would just have something come up that would

01:10:07.300 --> 01:10:10.199
stress me out. And like, I would find myself

01:10:10.199 --> 01:10:12.960
any time, any of these things, I would be running

01:10:12.960 --> 01:10:15.560
to the scripture and I would be running to prayer

01:10:15.560 --> 01:10:17.680
and everything. I would be at the Lord's feet.

01:10:18.300 --> 01:10:20.479
And I truly believe that he was allowing those

01:10:20.479 --> 01:10:22.199
things to happen because he knew in those time

01:10:22.199 --> 01:10:26.479
periods I was coming back to him. So praise God

01:10:26.479 --> 01:10:29.800
for the trials, for the tests, for the hardships,

01:10:29.979 --> 01:10:33.180
for the tribulations, because if they're bringing

01:10:33.180 --> 01:10:35.859
me back to his feet, they're being used for a

01:10:35.859 --> 01:10:41.869
good reason. Turn to the Lord in these times

01:10:41.869 --> 01:10:44.210
Okay, someone needs to hear that today the trials

01:10:44.210 --> 01:10:46.250
attest to tribulations are meant to make you

01:10:46.250 --> 01:10:48.050
weary from the enemy They're meant to wear you

01:10:48.050 --> 01:10:49.310
out. They're meant to break you down. They're

01:10:49.310 --> 01:10:53.470
meant to discourage you but instead Take this

01:10:53.470 --> 01:10:56.829
as a sign to be at the Lord's feet Remember that

01:10:56.829 --> 01:10:58.470
this is not your control. This is the Heavenly

01:10:58.470 --> 01:11:00.970
Father's control, but to obey him wherever he

01:11:00.970 --> 01:11:03.689
is leading and guiding you And I do feel these

01:11:03.689 --> 01:11:07.529
are the last of the testimonies to share today

01:11:08.880 --> 01:11:11.020
I didn't accept this to be the direction the

01:11:11.020 --> 01:11:13.500
podcast is going in, but I'm so happy that this

01:11:13.500 --> 01:11:18.100
is the direction that we did go in. And I just

01:11:18.100 --> 01:11:21.760
want to pray for you as we close out this episode.

01:11:22.939 --> 01:11:26.739
So dear Heavenly Father, I pray. that you i want

01:11:26.739 --> 01:11:29.380
to start by thanking you thank you for this platform

01:11:29.380 --> 01:11:31.760
heavenly father and thank you for the listeners

01:11:31.760 --> 01:11:33.840
thank you for the people who have tuned in thank

01:11:33.840 --> 01:11:35.720
you heavenly father for turning every single

01:11:35.720 --> 01:11:38.720
one of my tests into testimonies thank you heavenly

01:11:38.720 --> 01:11:42.520
father for the trials for the tests for the tribulations

01:11:42.520 --> 01:11:44.840
of all of those who are listening to this podcast

01:11:44.840 --> 01:11:47.819
because i know heavenly father that it is in

01:11:47.819 --> 01:11:50.020
your character that you will use these things

01:11:50.020 --> 01:11:51.920
for the good and i pray heavenly father that

01:11:51.920 --> 01:11:56.039
you reveal to those listening today what you

01:11:56.039 --> 01:11:57.859
are doing in their lives. I pray, Heavenly Father,

01:11:57.979 --> 01:12:00.359
that they have eyes to see and ears to hear of

01:12:00.359 --> 01:12:02.840
your goodness. I pray that the scabs fall off,

01:12:02.960 --> 01:12:05.319
Heavenly Father. I pray that they have a clarity,

01:12:05.399 --> 01:12:07.520
but I pray that they also have a peace that surpasses

01:12:07.520 --> 01:12:09.199
all understanding, and I pray, Heavenly Father,

01:12:09.300 --> 01:12:12.180
that they obey you and that they give you their

01:12:12.180 --> 01:12:13.899
yes. I pray, Heavenly Father, that they keep

01:12:13.899 --> 01:12:16.680
their covenants with you. I pray that in times

01:12:16.680 --> 01:12:19.180
of hardship, in times of tribulation, that they

01:12:19.180 --> 01:12:21.739
turn to you and not to themselves, not to their

01:12:21.739 --> 01:12:24.180
own understanding, not to their control. I pray,

01:12:24.319 --> 01:12:28.399
Heavenly Father, that you bless them. I pray,

01:12:28.579 --> 01:12:30.859
Heavenly Father, that they each grow and develop

01:12:30.859 --> 01:12:32.619
testimonies of their own that they're going to

01:12:32.619 --> 01:12:34.560
share to bring other people closer to you and

01:12:34.560 --> 01:12:37.220
to glorify the goodness of God. In Jesus' name,

01:12:37.220 --> 01:12:40.199
I pray. Amen. So thank you all so much for tuning

01:12:40.199 --> 01:12:43.739
in and listening to This episode this was a salt

01:12:43.739 --> 01:12:45.760
not sweetener podcast. I'm your host Danielle

01:12:45.760 --> 01:12:49.220
Townsend It has been a blessing talking to you.

01:12:49.300 --> 01:12:52.600
I will see you guys soon Please subscribe so

01:12:52.600 --> 01:12:56.460
that we don't miss the next episode Share this

01:12:56.460 --> 01:12:59.760
with someone anyone share it on Facebook share

01:12:59.760 --> 01:13:04.180
it on your social media wherever you share podcasts

01:13:04.180 --> 01:13:07.840
share it Get the word out there. I don't advertise

01:13:07.840 --> 01:13:12.590
it very much. So you're shared does a lot God

01:13:12.590 --> 01:13:12.930
bless.