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Hey guys and welcome back to the salt not sweetener

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podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend and

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Today we are gonna be discussing love and honestly,

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I I don't know the exact direction We're gonna

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be going in with this podcast, okay? There are

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so many, so many different avenues we can go

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down. And when I was praying that the Lord revealed

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to me what to discuss today in today's podcast,

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I felt Him lead me to talk about love. And the

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first verse that came to mind was John 3, 16,

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which was, God loved the world this way, that

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He gave His only Son. that everyone believes

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in him will not die, but will have eternal life

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and You know that that is such I just we're gonna

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dive in we're just gonna dive right in y 'all

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that Is such a wonderful example of God's love

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for us and Jesus's love for us, right because

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God loved Each of us every single one of us so

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much in our imperfect state because remember

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that that we are imperfect We're sinning, you

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know, we have gone against God's will we are

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not Deserving of this but he loved every single

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one of us so much that he wanted us to have the

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opportunity to have our sins paid for and to

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have eternity with him. He loved us that much

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that he sacrificed his only son so that we may

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have the opportunity that we may have the choice

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to choose to put our faith in Jesus Christ. And

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look at how much Jesus loved us, right? Jesus

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loved every single one of us so much that he

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went through the pain. When I'm talking about

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this, y 'all, right now I'm thinking about what's

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coming to mind right now is the movie The Passion

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of the Christ. And I recently watched that movie,

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again, for the first time in a long time, and

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just seeing how Jesus was beaten. like how he

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was whipped and tortured and laughed and made

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fun of and spit on and mocked in every way how

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he was disfigured like how he took all of that

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and then carried his cross and was crucified

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he endured all of these false accusations He

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heard himself called all of these things that

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were not true like he He experienced suffering

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in every single way and didn't deserve it and

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he did it simply because he loves us and He loved

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the Heavenly Father so much The reason why he

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did it was love You know, it's so interesting

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though last night I was I was at my young adult

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group and we were talking about kings and how

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jesus was a king and the pastor said something

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that Really stuck out to me and is sticking out

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to me more now We're talking about this is that

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all the kings we see today Like all the kings

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that we know in our history books, right? Have

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other people suffering for them have other people

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dying for them every other king has armies, has

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people hired by them that will go to war for

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them, that will, you know, spill blood for them,

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that will put their lives on the line for them

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to protect their money, their livelihood, their

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peace, their land, their power, their whatever

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and Jesus was the opposite of that. You know,

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his kingdom wasn't of this world and what he

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did was he laid down his life. He laid down his

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life because he loved us. He spilled his blood

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for our, for our eternity, for the forgiveness

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of our sins. His spilling his blood when we put

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our faith in christ when we're covered in the

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blood of jesus We have an authority in christ

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jesus. Yes his spilling of the blood Like that

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that is what pays our debt for us to go Into

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eternal life with the heavenly father But that's

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also our protection as we're navigating life

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now, right? You know, I have seen spiritual warfare

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with and without Blood of Jesus. I've shared

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this before y 'all when I was in New Age spirituality

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I was experiencing warfare and I was trying to

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protect myself and the ways that the New Agers

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know to protect themselves which is wearing crystals

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and wearing veils and using incense and evil

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eyes and sigils and all of these things and None

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of these things will protect you like the blood

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of Jesus Christ will protect you Okay, I used

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all of those things. I did all those things and

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I still saw weapons Prospering appearing to prosper

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after they formed I saw hit after hit suffering

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after suffering but when I Surrender my life

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to Jesus and when I put my faith in him and when

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I was covered in the blood of Jesus y 'all When

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I was covered in the blood of Jesus The weapons

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that were forming started falling to the floor

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There was another in the fire with me. I wasn't

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facing these things alone I was putting on the

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armor of God and the armor was Working Like I'm

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telling y 'all Jesus Christ spilling that blood

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is a protection. It is a covering for us, being

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covered in the blood of Jesus. That is how you

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step into the authority that's in the name of

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Jesus, y 'all. You know that, and I'm, there

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is, here in scripture, you can find it in scripture,

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where there are men who tried to cast out demons

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using Jesus's name. And the demons laughed at

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them. The demons let me tell you all right now

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the demons weren't rebuked the demons didn't

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believe The demons stood their ground because

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they said, you know Paul we know like these other

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people we know Jesus we know But who are you?

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Demons recognize when you when you are claiming

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the name of Jesus When you are trying to use

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the authority in Jesus's name, but you are a

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true follower of Jesus When you aren't covered

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in the blood Okay, when you have open doors When

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you are playing both sides when you're lukewarm

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the enemy knows these things So when people tried

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to use the authority, but they weren't actually

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covered in the blood the demons The demons didn't

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leave. The demons laughed. They said, who are

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you? We don't know you. We know Jesus. We know

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Moses. We know Paul. We know these other people.

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Who are you? Who are you? But Jesus loved us

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so much that he spilled his blood so that we

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may have the choice to put our faith in him.

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and have His blood as a covering. Y 'all, the

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love of Jesus, the love of the Heavenly Father

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is sacrificial. There's a scripture that we've

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been reading a lot in my church, and I'm paraphrasing,

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I'm pulling out the depths of my mind right now,

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y 'all. That there is no greater love than to

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lay down one's life for one's friends. It's just

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like dang. That's what Jesus did for us y 'all.

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He loved us so much. He laid down his life for

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us knowing The sins we were gonna struggle with

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in this lifetime knowing that even after we submitted

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to him even after You know, we gave our lives

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to him and put our faith in him that we weren't

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going to be perfect, that we were going to stumble,

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that we were going to fall at times, and that

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we were going to have to turn to him to be picked

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up this entire life. You know, putting your faith

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in Jesus and turning to him doesn't mean that

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like one day you're not going to need him or

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that you're meant to like get healed or fixed

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by him and then go along your merry way. No,

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we are meant to, it's a relationship that we're

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going to be walking with the Lord for as long

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as we're here on Lyser. There's a reason why

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our Father prayer says give us a stay our daily

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bread. We're supposed to be going daily for our

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bread, which is our sustenance, what we need

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to get through the day, our guidance, our provision,

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our spiritual nourishment from the Lord. We're

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supposed to be getting that daily. We're supposed

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to be going to the Lord consistently. We're not

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meant to charge up and just pop back in every

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couple months. No, we're meant to go consistently

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And I want to read some scripture y 'all that

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I've been led to that talks about love and It's

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in first Corinthians chapter 13 titled the way

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of love and it says here if I speak in the tongue

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of men and of angels but have not love I am a

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noisy gong or a clanging symbol and if I have

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prophetic powers and understand all mysteries

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and all knowledge and if I have all faith so

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as to remove mountains but have not love I am

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nothing I want to pause there I want to pause

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there I want to break that down you know reading

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this I could have all of the gifts I could have

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the prophetic powers i could have i could know

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everything in the world i could have all understanding

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i could have the answer to every single one of

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your questions i could have all the faith in

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the world i could have all my faith in jesus

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christ that i i could say to this mountain move

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and it would move i could have all of these things

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but if i don't know the love the Heavenly Father

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if I don't know Christ like love if I'm not moving

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in love I am nothing all of those things mean

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nothing if you can't do it from a loving space

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from a loving place it is nothing y 'all this

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was something and I know I'm not perfect in this

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That the Lord has really had to work on me with

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the past couple years y 'all. I just want to

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share a little bit of personal testimony in this.

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I used to have all truth, but no love. I used

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to say things to people so bluntly of like, you

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know, someone would be dealing with an emotional

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thing or they'd be dealing with a pattern or

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they'd be dealing with a thing. They would come

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to me and I would just start speaking so plainly

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to them. Like I would say well you're doing this

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and you're doing this and this is a problem and

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this is the source of all these problems and

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This person is doing this and I think this and

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this is what I think and I would just say it

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so bluntly so bluntly and I would say that while

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I'm just I'm not being fake. I'm telling them

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what they need to hear Well, if I sugarcoat it

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I would always call it sugar coating it y 'all,

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you know, there's a reason I call this podcast

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salt not sweetener just to sidestep a little

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bit the Lord has reminded me of scripture that

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you are the salt of the earth and he had reminded

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me that I was not the sweetener and that was

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because for a while I was too much watering things

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down I was sugarcoating things out of not wanting

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to offend or not wanting to hurt people but I

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can tell you right now that to say truth with

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empathy and with love and with thoughtfulness

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is not sugarcoating things there is a difference

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okay we should never water down the gospel What

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God says is a sin is a sin Okay, what God says

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to do you do you do not change the gospel do

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not change the gospel But I'm telling you right

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now y 'all that your delivery Your delivery is

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important the way that you connect with people

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is important Okay You have to be able to do things

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with love and I want to be very clear that doing

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things with Christ like life and we will go we

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will Continue to read in the scripture in a moment.

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Okay, y 'all but love is truth and honesty For

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the longest time I was raised You know, I had

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a lot of different ideas thrown at me of what

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love is and one of the things was What someone

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doesn't know won't hurt them you know, hide things

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that might be harmful to someone. Even if this

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thing is true, don't tell that person because

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it might hurt their feelings or you know, like

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just watering things that someone needs to hear

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and someone needs to know. And I was told that

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that was love and that's not love. Okay, that

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keeps you comfortable and that keeps the other

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person and kind of like a bit of a lala land.

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I want to be very clear that truth and honesty

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is a form of love. Jesus Christ spoke the truth

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and he spoke with honesty and he spoke with authority

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Right So we know that Jesus set an example right

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there that speaking with truth and speaking with

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honesty That is a form of love Okay, but we can

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speak with truth And we can speak with honesty

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and not be trying to cut someone deep. I feel

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like someone needs to hear that today, okay?

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There needs to be some love in your delivery.

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There needs to be some love in the way that you

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communicate it. Let's read further. If I give

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away all I have, And if I deliver up my body

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to be burned but have not love I gain nothing

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and this is saying right and Where i'm going

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with this next is you can You can be so self

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-sacrificial how we just said a few minutes ago

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that the love of god was sacrificial Right that

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he sacrificed his only son and we see that jesus

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sacrificed his life So we can see that sacrifice

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Love But sacrifice Sacrifice is a way to show

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your love right but sacrifice without there actually

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being love behind it is Nothing saying you could

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give away everything That you own you could give

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away it all You could give up your body But if

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there is not the love of Jesus behind it then

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it's nothing. What is it pointing to? What is

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it leading to if not the love of Jesus? Love

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is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast.

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It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist

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on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful.

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It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices

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with the truth. Love bears all things, believes

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all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will

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pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As

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for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know

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in part We prophesy in part. But when the perfect

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comes, the partial will pass away. When I was

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a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like

00:17:54.740 --> 00:17:58.799
a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became

00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:03.400
a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see

00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:08.019
in a mere dimly, but then face to face. Now I

00:18:08.019 --> 00:18:12.519
know in part. Then I shall know fully. even as

00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:16.940
I have been fully known. So now faith, hope,

00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:21.380
and love abide, these three, but the greatest

00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:27.079
of these is love. And you all, I thought we were

00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:29.900
moving past the speaking with love, but there's

00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:33.549
an example. That I want to give y 'all of where

00:18:33.549 --> 00:18:37.170
the delivery really matters Now i'm someone y

00:18:37.170 --> 00:18:39.990
'all who like I I have a heavy gossiping conviction.

00:18:39.990 --> 00:18:43.170
I have had a heavy gossiping conviction um before

00:18:43.170 --> 00:18:47.670
I Talk about somebody if it's something I experienced

00:18:47.670 --> 00:18:50.269
if I experienced it with just an example a family

00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:53.750
member Or a co -worker or someone that i've seen

00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:56.950
out and about or something like that And I feel

00:18:56.950 --> 00:18:59.250
drawn to bring it up in conversation with someone

00:18:59.250 --> 00:19:04.279
I I I feel convicted, and I'll be honest with

00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:05.799
y 'all, I'm not perfect in this, but there is

00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:08.480
a conviction of why am I talking about this?

00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:11.660
Why am I bringing up this person? Why am I bringing

00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:14.380
up the situation in this setting or in this scenario?

00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:17.700
Is it to help this person? Is it to gain more

00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:21.980
of an understanding? Or is it... for me to be

00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:24.640
relatable is it for me to have something to talk

00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:26.539
about is it for me to have something to discuss

00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:28.660
is it for me to feel more righteous is it for

00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:31.220
me to feel better is it for me is it for this

00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:34.019
person to feel put down because y 'all when i

00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:35.900
gossiped in the past those were the reasons why

00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:38.279
one of the top reasons why i gossiped with people

00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:40.900
i was um you know i i used to have a friend group

00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.039
where that was what we did was gossip one of

00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:45.240
the main reasons is it was a camaraderie builder

00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.940
right so um It was just a thing where like everyone

00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:51.059
could throw in something to say, you know, you

00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:53.299
would have like one center topic. So if we were

00:19:53.299 --> 00:19:55.980
talking about a person or a situation, everyone

00:19:55.980 --> 00:19:57.680
could add something in. So it was kind of like

00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.619
a bonding thing. We would use gossip to bond,

00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:03.759
right? Gossip also in a way of relating when

00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:05.720
someone would say, oh, I'm dealing with this,

00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:07.660
you know, I would throw out, oh, I've dealt with

00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:09.960
that, too. And this is what happened. And da

00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:13.019
da da da da da da. And I start throwing out things

00:20:13.019 --> 00:20:15.750
that I shouldn't be throwing out. I have no reason

00:20:15.750 --> 00:20:18.170
to be talking about that. It turns into gossip

00:20:18.170 --> 00:20:22.890
very quick to relate to someone, right? There

00:20:22.890 --> 00:20:25.349
were times when you would disguise gossiping

00:20:25.349 --> 00:20:28.049
as venting right of a one just talking about

00:20:28.049 --> 00:20:30.750
I had to deal with this and Acting like you're

00:20:30.750 --> 00:20:33.089
unpacking emotionally when let's be real that

00:20:33.089 --> 00:20:36.450
wasn't bothering you too heavy an hour ago or

00:20:36.450 --> 00:20:41.650
two hours ago Gossip is it's a very easily slid

00:20:41.650 --> 00:20:44.450
in and disguise and before you know it you're

00:20:44.450 --> 00:20:47.289
speaking death over a situation You know, there's

00:20:47.289 --> 00:20:49.329
so many times people use gossip to feel better

00:20:49.329 --> 00:20:51.269
about themselves, you know if they're able to

00:20:51.269 --> 00:20:53.029
kind of talk about Well, this person's dealing

00:20:53.029 --> 00:20:55.450
with this sin and this person's dealing with

00:20:55.450 --> 00:20:57.029
this problem. This person's dealing with this

00:20:57.029 --> 00:20:59.670
It makes me feel better about mine. It makes

00:20:59.670 --> 00:21:01.569
me feel better about what I have going on it

00:21:01.569 --> 00:21:04.250
makes me feel better about what I'm doing and

00:21:04.250 --> 00:21:07.049
You have to be so thoughtful of it even as a

00:21:07.049 --> 00:21:12.220
follower of Christ When you're a follower of

00:21:12.220 --> 00:21:14.299
Christ and getting the conviction, it's important

00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:17.319
that you listen to the conviction. Y 'all know

00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:19.519
I share lots of personal experiences on here.

00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:22.140
There was a time, there was one time when I was

00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:25.079
with a group of other people who loved the Lord,

00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:28.119
who loved Christ, right? And it was like a really

00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:32.640
good conversation. And I was really vibing with

00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:34.420
the conversation. I was really getting into it.

00:21:34.539 --> 00:21:36.980
But I, not too long in the conversation, started

00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:40.940
to get a gossiping conviction. And when I am

00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:42.900
convicted of something, y 'all, I close my mouth

00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:46.000
very quick. I have learned if I can't like immediately

00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:48.160
exit the conversation or I can't immediately

00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:50.579
redirect the conversation, I'm not going to feed

00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:53.259
into the conversation. I've learned to really

00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:57.880
zip my lips and keep my mouth shut. and the conversation

00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:01.299
had started with people kind of discussing what

00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:04.680
they, just kind of what they had going on personally,

00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:08.079
but somehow it kind of shifted to talking about

00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:12.259
someone who wasn't there, who was sinful, right?

00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:16.119
We'll just say that someone started discussing

00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:18.440
this person's act of sin that they had going

00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:21.220
on in their life And then soon enough there were

00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:24.759
other people who also started harping in and

00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:27.180
talking about that specific sin and there's a

00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:29.819
group of people who participate in that sin as

00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:32.910
well say like that sin like There's a group of

00:22:32.910 --> 00:22:35.069
people who I think that's the best way I could

00:22:35.069 --> 00:22:37.970
word it. And before long, the conversation no

00:22:37.970 --> 00:22:40.069
longer focused on the sin, but started focusing

00:22:40.069 --> 00:22:42.450
on the group of people. And it started to feel

00:22:42.450 --> 00:22:46.029
more of like, um, a shaming the sin of that group

00:22:46.029 --> 00:22:48.900
of people. And it started to feel like, and I

00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:50.599
don't think these people intended to, but the

00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:52.480
way that the conversation started to feel is

00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:55.039
that their sin that they have going on was separate

00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:57.460
than these other people. That in some way these

00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:59.759
other people were worse sinners than what they

00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:05.480
were when sin is sin, right? You know, like even

00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:07.519
there are some sins that were very much compared

00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:10.039
and I really felt the conviction to pull myself

00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:12.519
out of the conversation because I realized that

00:23:12.519 --> 00:23:14.339
although the things that they were saying were

00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:17.900
biblical, were accurate, that these things were

00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:20.200
sins and that the scriptures that they were saying

00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:23.859
were, the delivery of it wasn't it, right? The

00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:28.420
delivery of it felt more judgmental and separating

00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:31.900
and there didn't feel a love behind it, there

00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:39.240
felt like more of a speaking from a high place,

00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:44.000
an attacking, if you will, a kind of like trying

00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:47.700
to poke And I don't know a better way to put

00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:51.660
it, but although the message was biblical, although

00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:55.480
what the people were saying was biblical, right?

00:23:56.099 --> 00:23:58.799
It could be backed by the word and it was true

00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:02.660
that these things were sins. The delivery that

00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:05.920
they had with it, it didn't feel loving. It didn't

00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:08.039
feel like they were actually trying to welcome

00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:10.920
these people closer to Christ or trying to educate.

00:24:11.550 --> 00:24:14.750
or trying to like gently teach and guide. It

00:24:14.750 --> 00:24:17.490
didn't feel like there was an empathizing. It

00:24:17.490 --> 00:24:19.789
really felt like there was a divider and a wall

00:24:19.789 --> 00:24:23.309
up and instead of a love, it felt like more of

00:24:23.309 --> 00:24:28.210
a distaste, right? It felt like more of a judgment,

00:24:28.410 --> 00:24:32.069
a condemnation. So I felt very quickly convicted

00:24:32.069 --> 00:24:35.549
not to feed in and just kind of wait on the conversation

00:24:35.549 --> 00:24:38.690
to shift and move forward. And that's what I

00:24:38.690 --> 00:24:42.960
did. And again, like these people, I don't believe

00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:46.799
by any means that they actually like hate these

00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:49.619
groups or that there was hate involved in that,

00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:54.000
but the delivery matters. The delivery matters

00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.240
just as much as the truth behind the message.

00:24:56.299 --> 00:25:01.359
There needs to be love with that, right? So yeah,

00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:04.039
that was one. And again, I'm not perfect in that

00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:05.680
at all. I felt convicted of that time and time

00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:07.759
again. It's something I'm still working on. I

00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:10.180
still find myself sometimes when my view starts

00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:11.859
getting a little short or I feel like I've been

00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:15.299
repeating myself, I start to get very cut and

00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:18.170
dry. I found y 'all that sometimes I'll start

00:25:18.170 --> 00:25:20.190
saying something lovingly at first, but if I

00:25:20.190 --> 00:25:23.069
feel like it's not being heard, I start to get

00:25:23.069 --> 00:25:25.849
snippy and cold. And that's something that I

00:25:25.849 --> 00:25:28.789
have to personally work on. But yeah, I want

00:25:28.789 --> 00:25:32.529
to tell you all that love can be shown in the

00:25:32.529 --> 00:25:35.190
delivery. And you can be truthful and honest

00:25:35.190 --> 00:25:37.970
and not sugarcoating while also showing love.

00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:42.990
Right? Now let's see this here. Love is patience.

00:25:43.369 --> 00:25:46.549
Love is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not

00:25:46.549 --> 00:25:50.950
boast. That goes directly against what our generation

00:25:50.950 --> 00:25:54.470
glorifies as love. And I feel like right now

00:25:54.470 --> 00:25:56.970
we're going to talk a little bit more in a romantic

00:25:56.970 --> 00:25:59.609
sense and what we look for in partners, right?

00:25:59.890 --> 00:26:02.589
Because I can tell you all that this right here,

00:26:02.609 --> 00:26:06.309
this wasn't what I looked for in partners growing

00:26:06.309 --> 00:26:11.039
up. And I can definitely attribute that. To a

00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:13.880
lot of the content I consumed growing up a lot

00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:16.579
of the TV shows I watched a lot of the movies

00:26:16.579 --> 00:26:18.299
I watched a lot of things that were available

00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:21.380
online to watch a lot of the books I read I was

00:26:21.380 --> 00:26:24.940
a watt pad Middle school and high school or so,

00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:28.019
you know, I read a lot of the stuff I shouldn't

00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:31.859
have been reading and just about every like movie

00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:36.359
and book modern day involves toxic romance and

00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:41.539
like toxic couples, you know, I We can look at,

00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:44.819
I don't know if I can say all of these by name.

00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:50.079
There's a very popular book to movie series that's

00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:57.720
about this billionaire dude that it's definitely

00:26:57.720 --> 00:27:01.000
rated R. And I remember that was really popular

00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:03.299
when I was in high school. And when you actually

00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:05.140
look at it, it's the most toxic kind of love.

00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:08.660
That man was not patient. Okay, that man was

00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:11.660
not patient with her I Can tell you that right

00:27:11.660 --> 00:27:13.460
now. He was not kind. He was kind to everyone

00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:15.980
but her he was only nice to her He wasn't kind

00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:18.559
to anybody else just about he was very cut and

00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:21.819
dry with a lot of people He was very envious

00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:24.519
Right, he would go out and buy all these things

00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:27.619
just so no one else could look at her when there

00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:31.660
are all these pictures When we see and and so

00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:33.720
many people I know I used to glorify that as

00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:36.950
the best relationship There are so many people

00:27:36.950 --> 00:27:41.150
who I see talking on social media who consider

00:27:41.150 --> 00:27:43.410
dumping their partners because they're not jealous.

00:27:43.569 --> 00:27:45.809
There are trends constantly all going around

00:27:45.809 --> 00:27:49.130
on TikTok of like girls playing sounds to see

00:27:49.130 --> 00:27:51.210
if their boyfriend gets jealous, to see if their

00:27:51.210 --> 00:27:54.250
boyfriend gets mad or guys playing sounds or

00:27:54.250 --> 00:27:56.809
like talking about certain accounts to see if

00:27:56.809 --> 00:28:00.450
other women get jealous and like people take

00:28:00.450 --> 00:28:03.730
envy. as a sign of love of like well if they're

00:28:03.730 --> 00:28:07.849
not jealous for me if they're not you know envious

00:28:07.849 --> 00:28:11.349
of other people if they're not like overprotective

00:28:11.349 --> 00:28:13.269
like there are people who will purposely try

00:28:13.269 --> 00:28:16.269
to trigger envy or jealousy in a partner and

00:28:16.269 --> 00:28:18.690
when that's not triggered they'll say oh they

00:28:18.690 --> 00:28:23.849
don't love me there there are There are people

00:28:23.849 --> 00:28:26.509
who say, well, my person doesn't post me all

00:28:26.509 --> 00:28:28.809
the time and brag about me and boast about me

00:28:28.809 --> 00:28:31.490
and go around boasts. So if they don't boast...

00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:34.460
Then they don't love me and I'm and I'm not saying

00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:36.140
that your partner supposed to be keeping you

00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:38.680
secret Okay, your partner that that's not love

00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:41.140
either is like keeping things hidden. But privacy

00:28:41.140 --> 00:28:44.319
is powerful There's there's a powerfulness and

00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:48.240
a certain level of privacy Okay, but our generation

00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:50.380
glorifies. I remember y 'all grown up people

00:28:50.380 --> 00:28:52.460
would always be posting woman crush Wednesday

00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:58.359
a man crush Monday You know There was like literal

00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:02.190
you were supposed to every week post your partner

00:29:02.190 --> 00:29:03.710
and there are people who would literally break

00:29:03.710 --> 00:29:05.650
up because they wouldn't get a woman crush or

00:29:05.650 --> 00:29:11.990
a man crush it was crazy it was crazy patient

00:29:11.990 --> 00:29:14.390
and kind let's go back to that there's so many

00:29:14.390 --> 00:29:17.609
people who say i only want a partner that's kind

00:29:17.609 --> 00:29:20.759
to me and no one else There are so many people

00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:22.599
who actually love that where they're like, I

00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:24.240
don't want someone who's nice to other people

00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:25.759
I don't want someone who's kind to other people

00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:28.119
I want them to be mean and all these things other

00:29:28.119 --> 00:29:32.940
people but only nice to me only kind to me That's

00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:37.259
toxic y 'all that's not the love of Jesus that's

00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:43.880
not the love of Jesus Okay Patient Jesus is patient.

00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:47.599
The Heavenly Father is patient with us So you

00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:49.799
best believe. Notice how all of these things

00:29:49.799 --> 00:29:52.700
that God shows, all of these things that Jesus

00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:57.440
shows are what we should be looking for in our

00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:00.519
partner and in our friendships and in our connections.

00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:04.480
Because love is platonic to write love isn't

00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:06.160
just romantic I know right now we're focusing

00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:08.519
on romantic love But these are things you should

00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:11.200
be looking for in friendships and close connections

00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:14.299
as well Right someone who is patient with you

00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:17.500
someone who isn't rushing you but notice y 'all

00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:19.339
and we're gonna look at some fine lines with

00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:23.599
this That God is patient with us, right? Jesus

00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:28.750
is patient with us He doesn't rush us He allows

00:30:28.750 --> 00:30:31.329
us to take our time. He allows us to check in

00:30:31.329 --> 00:30:34.410
with him He allows us to move at the pace that

00:30:34.410 --> 00:30:36.910
he knows we need to move out, but he also doesn't

00:30:36.910 --> 00:30:41.049
condone laziness He also doesn't condone us.

00:30:41.049 --> 00:30:43.509
Just you know, once we give our lives to Christ

00:30:43.509 --> 00:30:46.210
He doesn't say okay now you stay perfectly you

00:30:46.210 --> 00:30:48.490
you stay as you are continue that willful sin

00:30:48.490 --> 00:30:51.250
continue doing all these things No, once we start

00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:53.049
pursuing relationship with Christ and surrender

00:30:53.049 --> 00:30:55.690
our lives to him. He starts changing us and improving

00:30:55.690 --> 00:31:00.109
us, right? there he starts the sanctification

00:31:00.109 --> 00:31:03.890
process and You'll notice that with people who

00:31:03.890 --> 00:31:06.670
love you is they'll encourage you to grow and

00:31:06.670 --> 00:31:09.369
they'll encourage you to be better Okay, they

00:31:09.369 --> 00:31:12.109
may they may be encouraging you to branch out

00:31:12.109 --> 00:31:15.630
to try new things to go to new places Things

00:31:15.630 --> 00:31:17.549
are gonna be edifying your relationship with

00:31:17.549 --> 00:31:21.579
Christ. I'm not saying leading you to sin People

00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:23.680
who love you are going to be patient with you.

00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:26.480
They're not going to be rushing you They're not

00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:29.380
going to be trying to force you to cross boundaries

00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:33.579
or to overstep or do anything like that but patience

00:31:33.579 --> 00:31:38.500
isn't laziness, okay patients isn't also just

00:31:38.500 --> 00:31:42.259
condoning unhealthy habits and unhealthy behaviors

00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:45.440
and I think that sometimes we get that confused

00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:51.220
in our generation with patients of someone who

00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:54.900
Holy Spirit give me the words sometimes we mistake

00:31:54.900 --> 00:31:59.660
patience with someone who has a lack of boundaries

00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:03.940
or a lack of Standing up for themselves a lack

00:32:03.940 --> 00:32:07.099
of communication a lack of speaking up when we

00:32:07.099 --> 00:32:09.339
think of someone who's patient sometimes we think

00:32:09.339 --> 00:32:13.960
of someone who is willing to And I want to be

00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:18.430
so thoughtful with the way I word this Accept

00:32:18.430 --> 00:32:21.309
treatment and behavior that they should not be

00:32:21.309 --> 00:32:24.170
accepting or treating But they should not be

00:32:24.170 --> 00:32:25.849
accepting right they shouldn't be accepting that

00:32:25.849 --> 00:32:27.750
kind of treatment. They they shouldn't be accepting

00:32:27.750 --> 00:32:30.750
that kind of behavior Okay, and that's why and

00:32:30.750 --> 00:32:32.990
we'll get in on this a little bit more, too That's

00:32:32.990 --> 00:32:35.490
why it's so important before we love others to

00:32:35.490 --> 00:32:38.210
know the love of Christ Well when I look back

00:32:38.210 --> 00:32:40.930
at how I and I used to think I was loving people

00:32:40.930 --> 00:32:43.769
Well and loving people right those before I knew

00:32:43.769 --> 00:32:47.299
the love of Jesus So I didn't know how to show

00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:49.220
that love to other people and I can see just

00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:53.359
how much I was incorrectly loving people. You

00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:56.579
can't know the love of Jesus. You can't show

00:32:56.579 --> 00:32:58.660
people the love of Jesus if you don't know it

00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:01.480
and I'm gonna say this and I heard someone say

00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:03.359
this a while back. I believe it was Pastor Bobby

00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:05.599
Chandler and it struck a chord with me. You cannot

00:33:05.599 --> 00:33:08.359
be, as a follower of Christ, you cannot be loved

00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:10.599
correctly by people who don't know the love of

00:33:10.599 --> 00:33:13.619
Jesus. They cannot love you correctly. no matter

00:33:13.619 --> 00:33:16.000
how much they try or no matter how much you want

00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:17.819
them to, if they don't know the love of Jesus,

00:33:17.819 --> 00:33:19.799
they cannot love you in the way that you're meant

00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:27.059
to be loved. Yeah, I want to say that our generation

00:33:27.059 --> 00:33:30.579
has such a thing of like, I owe nobody nothing.

00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:33.579
And these are all my boundaries. And I feel like

00:33:33.579 --> 00:33:36.859
people confuse boundaries with just kind of like

00:33:36.859 --> 00:33:40.079
being really selfish. Speaking as someone who

00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:42.400
I used to have a major lack of boundaries and

00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:45.519
not able to stand on them and the Lord has really

00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:50.839
shown me how to set boundaries and Stand on boundaries.

00:33:50.920 --> 00:33:54.460
There are some people who y 'all our generation

00:33:54.460 --> 00:33:59.720
Will just say this uses boundaries sometimes

00:33:59.720 --> 00:34:04.579
as an excuse for selfish behavior selfish behavior,

00:34:05.019 --> 00:34:08.139
unhealed behavior, okay, and uses boundaries

00:34:08.139 --> 00:34:12.579
as an excuse. Have the Lord help you set boundaries,

00:34:12.780 --> 00:34:15.239
set biblical boundaries. I promise they will

00:34:15.239 --> 00:34:19.300
be healthy. But let's go on and move forward.

00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:22.460
Love does not envy, love does not boast. If someone

00:34:22.460 --> 00:34:29.260
is envious or jealous all the time, I'm gonna

00:34:29.260 --> 00:34:31.320
tell y 'all right now that person's not showing

00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:34.860
you the love of Jesus. If it's a consistent thing

00:34:34.860 --> 00:34:40.579
that isn't being grown, that isn't actually being

00:34:40.579 --> 00:34:43.679
worked on, that isn't being developed, okay?

00:34:46.139 --> 00:34:49.019
Have an open eye. And I'm speaking from experience

00:34:49.019 --> 00:34:52.400
of someone who I used to love jealous men. I

00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:55.780
used to love envious men, okay? I was one of

00:34:55.780 --> 00:34:57.989
those people when I was... Because again, y 'all,

00:34:57.989 --> 00:35:02.989
I had a very toxic view of love. And as someone

00:35:02.989 --> 00:35:06.230
who I was always seeking attention for validation,

00:35:06.849 --> 00:35:09.849
jealousy and envy was a way to get it. I remember,

00:35:09.969 --> 00:35:14.510
especially when I was like 18, 19, 20 years old,

00:35:14.809 --> 00:35:16.610
that was when, you know, you're posting all the

00:35:16.610 --> 00:35:19.190
thirst traps on Snapchat and everything. When

00:35:19.190 --> 00:35:21.809
someone's not texting you back or snapping you

00:35:21.809 --> 00:35:23.769
back, you post something because you're hoping

00:35:23.769 --> 00:35:26.880
that they'll see that and get jealous. You know

00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:29.099
you go out and you post that you're out hoping

00:35:29.099 --> 00:35:31.900
that they'll see it you trying to trigger someone's

00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:33.539
jealousy Someone needs to hear the state you're

00:35:33.539 --> 00:35:37.019
trying to trigger someone's jealousy That's not

00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:39.719
the love of Jesus operating through you right

00:35:39.719 --> 00:35:43.800
now Okay, if you find yourself consistently being

00:35:43.800 --> 00:35:46.820
jealous or envious you need to take that to the

00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:52.079
Lord and if the person you're with has a The

00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:53.980
person you're romantically involved with, a friend

00:35:53.980 --> 00:35:56.960
or a family member, you notice jealousy and envy

00:35:56.960 --> 00:35:59.960
problems. These things aren't being adapted.

00:36:00.019 --> 00:36:02.920
These things aren't being worked on. You need

00:36:02.920 --> 00:36:06.199
to take that to the Lord on what to do in regards

00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:08.519
to that person. Okay, there may be a boundary

00:36:08.519 --> 00:36:12.420
that needs to be put up. But that's something

00:36:12.420 --> 00:36:14.860
to be thoughtful of. Okay, let's move forward.

00:36:15.619 --> 00:36:20.579
Let's move forward here. Love is not arrogant.

00:36:20.889 --> 00:36:26.130
or rude it does not insist on its own way it

00:36:26.130 --> 00:36:30.349
is not irritable or resentful wow that has me

00:36:30.349 --> 00:36:32.929
thinking again y 'all to that series that i was

00:36:32.929 --> 00:36:34.750
telling y 'all about earlier that book to movie

00:36:34.750 --> 00:36:36.869
series because that's kind of describing the

00:36:36.869 --> 00:36:39.789
main character of that book who was meant to

00:36:39.789 --> 00:36:44.099
be like the most eligible bachelor ever um who

00:36:44.099 --> 00:36:47.420
he was kind of like very rude and hurt to people

00:36:47.420 --> 00:36:49.800
that didn't have anything that he wanted he was

00:36:49.800 --> 00:36:54.070
very rude and very um Kurt to those people and

00:36:54.070 --> 00:36:56.369
he very much insisted on his own way It was his

00:36:56.369 --> 00:36:58.389
way or the highway and that's actually a thing

00:36:58.389 --> 00:37:01.090
that our generation Seems to really be interested

00:37:01.090 --> 00:37:03.090
in for some reason is kind of like being told

00:37:03.090 --> 00:37:06.190
what to do and having someone else Execute their

00:37:06.190 --> 00:37:10.530
will over ours and think about how God oh Lord,

00:37:10.530 --> 00:37:12.190
thank you. I feel like you just kind of dropped

00:37:12.190 --> 00:37:17.380
this on me God doesn't do that to us. He doesn't

00:37:17.380 --> 00:37:20.460
execute His will over us. We have a choice. When

00:37:20.460 --> 00:37:23.920
Jesus Christ went to the cross and spilled the

00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:26.960
blood, now we have the active choice to put our

00:37:26.960 --> 00:37:29.500
faith in Jesus or not. We have the active faith

00:37:29.500 --> 00:37:32.940
to obey God or not. We have the active choice

00:37:32.940 --> 00:37:35.739
to obey God or not. We have the active choice.

00:37:36.380 --> 00:37:39.420
We have the free will. God gave us the ability

00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:42.710
to choose to obey Him or disobey Him. to choose

00:37:42.710 --> 00:37:45.130
to submit or not submit to choose to love him

00:37:45.130 --> 00:37:47.510
or not love him and that is what heaven and hell

00:37:47.510 --> 00:37:50.969
is essentially right um heaven eternity with

00:37:50.969 --> 00:37:53.610
the heavenly father is when we choose to have

00:37:53.610 --> 00:37:56.349
a life eternal life with the lord and when we

00:37:56.349 --> 00:37:58.769
go to eternal separation that is because in our

00:37:58.769 --> 00:38:01.949
free will we chose to live separately from the

00:38:01.949 --> 00:38:06.309
lord so he's giving that to us for eternity that's

00:38:06.309 --> 00:38:08.989
another thing jesus christ the heavenly father

00:38:08.989 --> 00:38:14.880
showed us Free will he didn't execute his will

00:38:14.880 --> 00:38:17.800
over ours So you best believe when someone is

00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:20.920
showing you Christ like love they are not Executing

00:38:20.920 --> 00:38:25.119
their will over yours. It's not my way or the

00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:28.059
highway y 'all For though this was something

00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.320
that I had to learn very heavily I have a lot

00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:32.940
of people in my life and I tell you I had so

00:38:32.940 --> 00:38:35.239
many different Examples of in quotation marks

00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:37.739
love that I started later on to realize that's

00:38:37.739 --> 00:38:41.480
not love That's control or that's dominance or

00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:44.179
that's manipulation And I've shared with you

00:38:44.179 --> 00:38:46.340
all before I grew up with people with addictions

00:38:46.340 --> 00:38:51.059
and mental health problems so naturally Yeah,

00:38:51.059 --> 00:38:53.039
if they especially if they don't know the love

00:38:53.039 --> 00:38:57.719
of Jesus My my treatments and my relationships

00:38:57.719 --> 00:39:01.059
are gonna look drastically different than the

00:39:01.059 --> 00:39:06.690
love of Jesus and was very used to be as long

00:39:06.690 --> 00:39:10.690
as you do what I Want you to do and what I'm

00:39:10.690 --> 00:39:14.710
telling you to do all love you kind of love I

00:39:14.710 --> 00:39:17.289
was very used to the my way or the highway kind

00:39:17.289 --> 00:39:20.530
of love of if You know, this is what I expect

00:39:20.530 --> 00:39:22.510
from you. This is what I want from you. This

00:39:22.510 --> 00:39:25.449
is what I'm telling you to do This is my will

00:39:25.449 --> 00:39:29.010
for your life follow all of this and you know,

00:39:29.010 --> 00:39:33.510
I will I'll show you love That was honestly what

00:39:33.510 --> 00:39:36.030
I was used to is do all this and then sometimes

00:39:36.030 --> 00:39:38.929
I'd hear congrats, sometimes I wouldn't. You

00:39:38.929 --> 00:39:41.829
know, I'll buy you things or I'll supply you

00:39:41.829 --> 00:39:44.449
with this or I'll do this. Each person had different

00:39:44.449 --> 00:39:46.230
ways of showing love. I knew some people that

00:39:46.230 --> 00:39:48.690
the way that they loved you was by buying you

00:39:48.690 --> 00:39:50.610
things. I knew other people that the way that

00:39:50.610 --> 00:39:53.849
they loved you was by boasting different things.

00:39:53.969 --> 00:39:56.030
Like each person had different love languages,

00:39:56.030 --> 00:39:59.300
I guess you could say. But I was very used to

00:39:59.300 --> 00:40:01.739
that conditional kind of love right as long as

00:40:01.739 --> 00:40:04.619
you meet these requirements I'll show you this

00:40:04.619 --> 00:40:06.380
love and if you didn't meet those requirements

00:40:06.380 --> 00:40:08.420
It's usually when you would get in quotation

00:40:08.420 --> 00:40:11.900
marks tough love which was I'm going to punish

00:40:11.900 --> 00:40:15.320
you in some form Like I'm gonna take this away

00:40:15.320 --> 00:40:18.280
or I'm going to say this thing about you or I'm

00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:21.280
gonna do this thing Or I'm gonna withhold this

00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:24.340
from you. Isn't that crazy that the love of Jesus

00:40:24.340 --> 00:40:28.159
isn't withholding? You know what goes on here

00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:31.619
next to say is like is not irritable or resentful

00:40:31.619 --> 00:40:35.860
I've dealt with a lot of resentment in People

00:40:35.860 --> 00:40:38.380
who claim that they left me of you know once

00:40:38.380 --> 00:40:40.940
things wouldn't go the way that they wanted If

00:40:40.940 --> 00:40:43.739
I stepped out of the box or the image they had

00:40:43.739 --> 00:40:47.300
created for me if what I did or said went against

00:40:47.300 --> 00:40:51.579
You know what they had envisioned There would

00:40:51.579 --> 00:40:54.519
be a resentment there there would be a resentment

00:40:54.519 --> 00:40:56.699
there. Like if they felt like what I was doing

00:40:56.699 --> 00:40:59.559
wasn't, I remember there was this one time, this

00:40:59.559 --> 00:41:04.559
person, you know, they're family. And they really

00:41:04.559 --> 00:41:07.760
did, when I look back, like show love kind of,

00:41:07.760 --> 00:41:12.860
and not price like ways. But there was one time

00:41:12.860 --> 00:41:14.460
when they had voiced to me that they felt like

00:41:14.460 --> 00:41:17.179
I was taking advantage of them when I was when

00:41:17.179 --> 00:41:19.300
I was doing things when I tell y 'all I was checking

00:41:19.300 --> 00:41:22.119
in with the Lord daily on what I was supposed

00:41:22.119 --> 00:41:25.119
to be doing because I I was really new navigating

00:41:25.119 --> 00:41:29.519
my relationship with the Lord and I wasn't perfect

00:41:29.519 --> 00:41:34.019
and what I was doing but I was waiting on the

00:41:34.019 --> 00:41:36.500
Lord in this time period. And I was talking to

00:41:36.500 --> 00:41:38.300
a person who didn't have a relationship with

00:41:38.300 --> 00:41:40.679
the Lord, didn't love the Lord like that. And

00:41:40.679 --> 00:41:42.420
they had said to me very clearly that they felt

00:41:42.420 --> 00:41:44.340
like I was taking advantage of them. They didn't

00:41:44.340 --> 00:41:48.300
like the situation. And some of the things that

00:41:48.300 --> 00:41:51.199
they proceeded to say to me and kind of like

00:41:51.199 --> 00:41:53.780
threaten me with, it was very clear that they

00:41:53.780 --> 00:41:56.139
were resentful over that, right? So they felt

00:41:56.139 --> 00:41:59.380
like I was benefiting from the situation and

00:41:59.380 --> 00:42:02.059
they were not. And there was a resentment that

00:42:02.059 --> 00:42:05.719
was there. so they gave me some ultimatums and

00:42:05.719 --> 00:42:07.820
they laid some things out that very quickly i

00:42:07.820 --> 00:42:09.800
was like this doesn't feel like love this feels

00:42:09.800 --> 00:42:13.500
like revenge this this feels like a way to kind

00:42:13.500 --> 00:42:16.360
of make me feel bad this feels like a way to

00:42:16.360 --> 00:42:18.960
kind of dig a knife in me this doesn't feel like

00:42:18.960 --> 00:42:20.960
love um this definitely doesn't feel like an

00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:25.860
unconditional love and that was really you know

00:42:25.860 --> 00:42:27.739
one of my first that was actually really eye

00:42:27.739 --> 00:42:30.679
-opening moment for me and when i think about

00:42:30.679 --> 00:42:34.570
jesus i'm like That wasn't required from Jesus.

00:42:35.210 --> 00:42:38.349
When I gave my life to Amnon, when I repented,

00:42:38.730 --> 00:42:40.829
when I was coming out of New Age spirituality

00:42:40.829 --> 00:42:44.210
and giving my life to Christ, he didn't require

00:42:44.210 --> 00:42:48.090
me to like go and jump through all these hoops

00:42:48.090 --> 00:42:52.130
to be forgiven and to experience his love. Like

00:42:52.130 --> 00:42:54.750
I just had to admit to him like, hey, I'm wrong

00:42:54.750 --> 00:42:57.949
and I need you. Like my way isn't right and I

00:42:57.949 --> 00:43:07.119
need you and Asked for his forgiveness And I

00:43:07.119 --> 00:43:09.239
was met with so much love and so much grace and

00:43:09.239 --> 00:43:14.159
so much mercy from the Lord it you know He didn't

00:43:14.159 --> 00:43:18.219
say I Didn't feel scolded. I didn't feel all

00:43:18.219 --> 00:43:22.280
of this condemnation. It was like jesus didn't

00:43:22.280 --> 00:43:24.639
tell me okay now you have to pay this money and

00:43:24.639 --> 00:43:26.940
do this and do this and do this to get right

00:43:26.940 --> 00:43:29.579
and for me to forgive you and like for us to

00:43:29.579 --> 00:43:33.360
be on good terms or to experience my love to

00:43:33.360 --> 00:43:36.079
be covered in the blood you have to do all of

00:43:36.079 --> 00:43:38.219
these things he didn't make me clean myself up

00:43:38.219 --> 00:43:40.380
and check all these boxes now of course once

00:43:40.380 --> 00:43:43.849
i started living life submitted to the lord And

00:43:43.849 --> 00:43:46.269
being repentant isn't just feeling guilty for

00:43:46.269 --> 00:43:48.090
something being repentant is no longer being

00:43:48.090 --> 00:43:50.949
able to defend That thing right repentant is

00:43:50.949 --> 00:43:53.449
a change of a heart placement at its roots So

00:43:53.449 --> 00:43:55.170
once you're repentant for something, it's not

00:43:55.170 --> 00:43:57.969
just you feel guilty or feel bad. It's like you

00:43:57.969 --> 00:44:01.030
actively Okay, I my heart position on this thing

00:44:01.030 --> 00:44:03.289
changed. I no longer want this thing I no longer

00:44:03.289 --> 00:44:05.710
desire this thing so your actions start to look

00:44:05.710 --> 00:44:08.869
different So, of course my actions and my life

00:44:08.869 --> 00:44:12.360
started to change You can't help but change when

00:44:12.360 --> 00:44:15.340
you are truly submitted to Jesus. But just seeing

00:44:15.340 --> 00:44:18.639
how, like, I didn't have to earn forgiveness.

00:44:18.820 --> 00:44:22.019
I didn't have to earn love. Even when I did things

00:44:22.019 --> 00:44:24.880
that went directly against God that I knew probably

00:44:24.880 --> 00:44:27.860
angered him or upset him and I did feel I experienced

00:44:27.860 --> 00:44:30.360
the wrath of God at times in my life in all honesty.

00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:34.780
Like when I turned to him, he wasn't resentful.

00:44:35.900 --> 00:44:39.019
it wasn't full of God trying to get revenge or

00:44:39.019 --> 00:44:43.719
get a lick back or anything like that and That's

00:44:43.719 --> 00:44:45.400
how I'm able when I see that in other people

00:44:45.400 --> 00:44:47.559
I'm like that's not the love of Jesus being shown

00:44:47.559 --> 00:44:50.139
to me in that minute and when I have a temptation

00:44:50.139 --> 00:44:56.460
y 'all to be vengeful or to be You know wanting

00:44:56.460 --> 00:44:59.980
a lick back or wanting feeling resentful I'm

00:44:59.980 --> 00:45:01.599
able to pinpoint that and be like that's not

00:45:01.599 --> 00:45:06.599
Jesus That's not a love of Jesus filled feeling,

00:45:06.599 --> 00:45:11.119
right? To move on here, it says, love does not

00:45:11.119 --> 00:45:17.659
rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the

00:45:17.659 --> 00:45:20.559
truth. So I want to be very clear on this. The

00:45:20.559 --> 00:45:25.380
love of Jesus is not bearing false witness. It's

00:45:25.380 --> 00:45:28.480
not bearing false witness. It's not lying. It's

00:45:28.480 --> 00:45:32.269
not deceiving. we said earlier in the podcast

00:45:32.269 --> 00:45:36.250
where you know I was taught that what they don't

00:45:36.250 --> 00:45:39.150
know won't hurt them to sugarcoat some things

00:45:39.150 --> 00:45:41.869
to hide some things that's really just protecting

00:45:41.869 --> 00:45:45.349
you in all honesty and your uncomfortability

00:45:45.349 --> 00:45:50.570
and that's more just and when I look at it at

00:45:50.570 --> 00:45:52.730
the very root that was things I would tell myself

00:45:52.730 --> 00:45:54.969
so I wouldn't have to have hard conversations

00:45:54.969 --> 00:45:57.969
or so I wouldn't have to have uncomfortable conversations

00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:03.440
most of the time it wasn't actually to help someone

00:46:03.440 --> 00:46:06.320
else because the truth is what's gonna help the

00:46:06.320 --> 00:46:11.320
person, right? And it's confirmed right here

00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:13.960
in scripture. It's confirmed right here in scripture

00:46:13.960 --> 00:46:16.199
that love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but

00:46:16.199 --> 00:46:18.659
it rejoices in truth. And we know so many places

00:46:18.659 --> 00:46:21.880
in the Bible where it's stated like, and it's

00:46:21.880 --> 00:46:23.920
actually a commandment, thou shall not bear false

00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:29.199
witness, like, which means you should not lie.

00:46:29.449 --> 00:46:32.429
You should not falsely accuse someone. You shouldn't

00:46:32.429 --> 00:46:36.329
say this happened when it didn't happen. You

00:46:36.329 --> 00:46:39.289
shouldn't wrongfully target someone. You shouldn't

00:46:39.289 --> 00:46:43.250
wrongfully attack someone. You should be doing

00:46:43.250 --> 00:46:50.690
good. You should be fleeing from evil. Where

00:46:50.690 --> 00:46:53.909
in the Bible do we see Jesus rejoicing and wrongdoing?

00:46:54.130 --> 00:46:58.489
Where in the Bible do we see God rejoicing at

00:46:58.489 --> 00:47:03.219
people being deceptive and evildoers. We don't.

00:47:03.260 --> 00:47:06.000
That's opposite of the character of God. That's

00:47:06.000 --> 00:47:07.860
opposite of who he calls us to be and what he

00:47:07.860 --> 00:47:12.420
calls us to do. Moving forward in here, it says,

00:47:12.639 --> 00:47:16.519
love bears all things, believes all things, hopes

00:47:16.519 --> 00:47:20.739
all things, and endures all things. And I feel

00:47:20.739 --> 00:47:24.900
this endures all things. so heavily highlighted.

00:47:25.260 --> 00:47:27.940
You cannot run away. You can't escape the love

00:47:27.940 --> 00:47:31.119
of Jesus. You can't escape the love of the Heavenly

00:47:31.119 --> 00:47:37.820
Father. You could sin every which way. And when

00:47:37.820 --> 00:47:40.780
you repent and turn to the Lord, He loves you

00:47:40.780 --> 00:47:46.219
just as much as He loved you before. I'm speaking

00:47:46.219 --> 00:47:51.739
from experience, y 'all. I did so many simple

00:47:51.739 --> 00:47:55.780
things. I had sex before marriage. I was a drunkard

00:47:55.780 --> 00:47:59.260
at one point in my life, a stoner, which I'm

00:47:59.260 --> 00:48:02.059
sure fits in with the drunkard. I was a liar.

00:48:03.179 --> 00:48:07.059
I was a diviner. I was participating in the new

00:48:07.059 --> 00:48:09.599
age. I was doing all these things. I was leading

00:48:09.599 --> 00:48:12.480
people astray. I was a false voice for such a

00:48:12.480 --> 00:48:19.420
long time. I was envious. I was jealous. Was

00:48:19.420 --> 00:48:22.579
boastful I was arrogant all of these things all

00:48:22.579 --> 00:48:25.719
of these things I know that God does not like

00:48:25.719 --> 00:48:31.960
that are detestable to him But his love never

00:48:31.960 --> 00:48:34.179
ran out even when I went through a season where

00:48:34.179 --> 00:48:37.500
I ran away when I turned my back on the Lord

00:48:37.500 --> 00:48:42.219
and Went deeper in the new age When he pulled

00:48:42.219 --> 00:48:45.340
me out of that his love still endured he didn't

00:48:45.340 --> 00:48:49.809
stop loving me During that time period it wasn't

00:48:49.809 --> 00:48:52.989
oh She's going against my commandments. I don't

00:48:52.989 --> 00:48:56.230
love her anymore. It wasn't oh She's doing this.

00:48:56.269 --> 00:48:58.710
I can't love her anymore. I can't show her love.

00:48:58.730 --> 00:49:02.030
I don't love her I don't love her now have did

00:49:02.030 --> 00:49:05.389
the Lord show me wrath at a time Yeah, he turned

00:49:05.389 --> 00:49:07.650
me over to the consequences of my own sin because

00:49:07.650 --> 00:49:10.289
he knew that was the only way that I would turn

00:49:10.289 --> 00:49:13.190
back to him God used it to get me to turn back

00:49:13.190 --> 00:49:15.170
to him to see I needed him to put my faith in

00:49:15.170 --> 00:49:17.250
him because he had big he had bigger plans for

00:49:17.250 --> 00:49:20.010
me so he stopped showing me grace and mercy and

00:49:20.010 --> 00:49:22.769
laying my sin work out and started laying the

00:49:22.769 --> 00:49:27.030
weapons for me against me or you know like I

00:49:27.030 --> 00:49:29.150
had a point where I was like dang I need God

00:49:29.150 --> 00:49:33.650
but his love endured when I turned back to him

00:49:33.650 --> 00:49:37.739
his love was there waiting for me And that is

00:49:37.739 --> 00:49:40.039
what the love of Jesus is, is it's a love that

00:49:40.039 --> 00:49:42.880
doesn't run out. And we can kind of take that

00:49:42.880 --> 00:49:46.900
to tying it back to when Jesus said to when someone

00:49:46.900 --> 00:49:50.480
forgive them 70 times seven. Like when it's like

00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:54.579
an infinite forgiveness, our love should be infinite.

00:49:56.380 --> 00:50:00.179
And of course, we can talk for hours too on boundaries.

00:50:00.639 --> 00:50:02.599
okay because it is important to have boundaries

00:50:02.599 --> 00:50:05.480
and to show someone the love of Jesus doesn't

00:50:05.480 --> 00:50:07.599
mean that you let every single boundary down

00:50:07.599 --> 00:50:09.980
or let every single wall down if someone is going

00:50:09.980 --> 00:50:13.079
to mistreat you if the Lord has revealed to you

00:50:13.079 --> 00:50:14.960
that you need to be having certain boundaries

00:50:14.960 --> 00:50:17.760
with a person you can still love someone and

00:50:17.760 --> 00:50:20.860
hold those boundaries It's important that your

00:50:20.860 --> 00:50:24.199
love for someone does not in any way cause you

00:50:24.199 --> 00:50:27.260
to be disobeying God or to overstep what he has

00:50:27.260 --> 00:50:29.860
told you to do. You can show people the love

00:50:29.860 --> 00:50:34.659
of Jesus and still be walking in God's will and

00:50:34.659 --> 00:50:44.900
still be obeying him, right? So, yeah, love endures

00:50:44.900 --> 00:50:49.679
all things. It's not I'll love you except for

00:50:49.679 --> 00:50:55.000
A, B, C, D, E, F, G. But again y 'all, love doesn't

00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:58.400
mean... I want to be very clear with this because

00:50:58.400 --> 00:51:01.360
there's some people who have like this conception

00:51:01.360 --> 00:51:03.659
that love means that like you can kind of be

00:51:03.659 --> 00:51:07.400
like spit on and stepped on and all of these

00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:09.260
kind of things and you're expected to just be

00:51:09.260 --> 00:51:11.619
like puppy dog eyes, golden retriever waiting

00:51:11.619 --> 00:51:15.400
to be hit again and yes we are supposed to turn

00:51:15.400 --> 00:51:20.809
the other cheek. But when the Lord calls you

00:51:20.809 --> 00:51:22.949
to set boundaries if someone is consistently

00:51:22.949 --> 00:51:26.769
mistreating you and like it's not changing Take

00:51:26.769 --> 00:51:30.289
it to God. Okay, because there's gonna be something

00:51:30.289 --> 00:51:33.309
for him to say to you There's gonna be some kind

00:51:33.309 --> 00:51:35.230
of guidance. There's gonna be some kind of advice

00:51:35.230 --> 00:51:37.429
There's gonna be some kind of boundaries to set

00:51:37.429 --> 00:51:40.849
because I can tell you right now that God loves

00:51:40.849 --> 00:51:43.610
you so much He wants you to be around people

00:51:43.610 --> 00:51:47.269
to also show you love and it is so important

00:51:47.519 --> 00:51:50.980
You know, we are meant as Christians to show

00:51:50.980 --> 00:51:52.900
people who don't know the love of Jesus the love

00:51:52.900 --> 00:51:57.059
of Jesus Okay, but boundaries are important.

00:51:57.460 --> 00:51:59.420
You know, I'm thinking back to the scripture

00:51:59.420 --> 00:52:03.440
of you shouldn't cast Your pearls before swine

00:52:03.440 --> 00:52:08.119
No less they trample on them Like it is so important

00:52:08.119 --> 00:52:11.139
for you to have boundaries. Okay, because if

00:52:11.139 --> 00:52:15.630
you if you're constantly over pouring or like

00:52:15.630 --> 00:52:17.949
letting down certain boundaries and certain walls

00:52:17.949 --> 00:52:21.590
to people who are purposely going to overstep

00:52:21.590 --> 00:52:25.570
them, who are going to continue to hurt you and

00:52:25.570 --> 00:52:27.389
do things like that, that can actually be really

00:52:27.389 --> 00:52:30.869
damaging for you. Okay, that can be really kind

00:52:30.869 --> 00:52:33.150
of setting back for you. So I want to be very

00:52:33.150 --> 00:52:35.989
clear that like loving someone doesn't mean that

00:52:35.989 --> 00:52:38.860
you're like a doormat to be walked on. And if

00:52:38.860 --> 00:52:41.679
you're struggling with what boundaries to set

00:52:41.679 --> 00:52:44.440
and how to set boundaries, take it to God. Take

00:52:44.440 --> 00:52:47.880
it to God. He knows the relationship. He knows

00:52:47.880 --> 00:52:50.840
what you need. He knows what this person needs.

00:52:52.300 --> 00:52:55.460
And we know through reading scripture, right

00:52:55.460 --> 00:52:58.119
now I'm sharing with y 'all different ways that

00:52:58.119 --> 00:53:02.489
you can still show this person love. Okay, but

00:53:02.489 --> 00:53:04.190
I just someone needs to hear that today and I

00:53:04.190 --> 00:53:06.070
just want to make that very clear that loving

00:53:06.070 --> 00:53:10.510
someone doesn't mean being a doormat Okay Now

00:53:10.510 --> 00:53:13.489
to move forward love never ends as for prophecies

00:53:13.489 --> 00:53:16.349
they will pass away as for tongues They will

00:53:16.349 --> 00:53:18.849
cease as for knowledge it will pass away for

00:53:18.849 --> 00:53:22.329
we know in part and we prophesy in part But when

00:53:22.329 --> 00:53:25.190
perfect comes the partial will pass away when

00:53:25.190 --> 00:53:28.150
I was a child. I spoke like a child I thought

00:53:28.150 --> 00:53:32.130
like a child I reasoned like a child When I became

00:53:32.130 --> 00:53:36.250
a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see

00:53:36.250 --> 00:53:40.150
in a mere dimly, but then face to face. Now I

00:53:40.150 --> 00:53:44.349
know in part, then I shall now fully, even as

00:53:44.349 --> 00:53:47.769
I have been fully known. So now faith, hope,

00:53:48.150 --> 00:53:52.809
and love abide, these three. But the greatest

00:53:52.809 --> 00:53:59.739
of these is love. Now y 'all I want to I want

00:53:59.739 --> 00:54:02.860
to share a little bit of personal testimony For

00:54:02.860 --> 00:54:06.179
just how much the love of Jesus has truly changed

00:54:06.179 --> 00:54:08.260
my life and I want to tell you all that I didn't

00:54:08.260 --> 00:54:11.679
always speak like this and I didn't always view

00:54:11.679 --> 00:54:14.539
God in this way and when I was first giving my

00:54:14.539 --> 00:54:17.320
life to Christ it was actually really hard for

00:54:17.320 --> 00:54:21.719
me to see God as a Loving father because God

00:54:21.719 --> 00:54:24.400
was my first God and Jesus Christ y 'all was

00:54:24.400 --> 00:54:30.909
my First ever there is one other person in my

00:54:30.909 --> 00:54:33.630
life Okay, and I've talked about her before my

00:54:33.630 --> 00:54:35.789
grandmother who took me to church growing up

00:54:35.789 --> 00:54:39.849
who loved Jesus She loved the ward and when I

00:54:39.849 --> 00:54:43.110
look back she was the truest example of Christ

00:54:43.110 --> 00:54:47.750
like love I have ever seen like in this lifetime

00:54:47.750 --> 00:54:50.929
She had every reason to be cynical and angry

00:54:50.929 --> 00:54:55.210
and like but she was just full of love every

00:54:55.210 --> 00:54:58.130
time when You know, I couldn't I wouldn't hear

00:54:58.130 --> 00:55:00.650
her gossip. I wouldn't hear her saying mean word

00:55:00.650 --> 00:55:03.550
Like she was always who she was not quick to

00:55:03.550 --> 00:55:05.849
anger that woman was patient on patient on patients

00:55:05.849 --> 00:55:08.710
She had the love of Jesus in her and she was

00:55:08.710 --> 00:55:12.469
sharing it to everybody and that's actually how

00:55:12.469 --> 00:55:15.329
You know now that I know the love of Jesus. I'm

00:55:15.329 --> 00:55:17.969
able to look back and see that that's what it

00:55:17.969 --> 00:55:22.610
was but Besides her y 'all there was so many

00:55:22.610 --> 00:55:25.699
contaminated forms of love And I know that these

00:55:25.699 --> 00:55:28.079
people believe that they were loving me and they

00:55:28.079 --> 00:55:30.659
were probably loving me the best way that they

00:55:30.659 --> 00:55:36.440
knew how to love. But I could not, in my brain,

00:55:36.780 --> 00:55:44.719
fully grasp what this type of love was like and

00:55:44.719 --> 00:55:48.300
that this type of love was really possible. Y

00:55:48.300 --> 00:55:51.380
'all, in my mind, love had to be conditional.

00:55:51.690 --> 00:55:55.190
Like, it was not, I will always love you. There

00:55:55.190 --> 00:55:58.670
was gonna be some kind of exception. There had

00:55:58.670 --> 00:56:01.409
to be some kind of exception. And even growing

00:56:01.409 --> 00:56:03.070
up in the church, I thought, well, God loves

00:56:03.070 --> 00:56:06.820
me unless I'm a sinner. so there is a part of

00:56:06.820 --> 00:56:08.840
me honestly all that didn't believe that god

00:56:08.840 --> 00:56:12.000
loved me because i experienced pain and suffering

00:56:12.000 --> 00:56:13.980
again this was also y 'all i didn't have the

00:56:13.980 --> 00:56:17.239
biblical literacy i didn't understand fully understand

00:56:17.239 --> 00:56:19.699
the concept of the fallen world i had scabs on

00:56:19.699 --> 00:56:22.360
my eyes they'd yet to fall off i was not seeing

00:56:22.360 --> 00:56:25.599
things through a spiritual lens okay i had a

00:56:25.599 --> 00:56:29.920
very skewed and cynical view of the world and

00:56:29.920 --> 00:56:35.679
i struggled so badly actually believing that

00:56:35.679 --> 00:56:40.219
there that God could be like an unconditional

00:56:40.219 --> 00:56:44.699
loving father like a love that encompasses all

00:56:44.699 --> 00:56:47.500
things and I think especially like when you don't

00:56:47.500 --> 00:56:49.900
feel like you have truly seen that through like

00:56:49.900 --> 00:56:53.260
your own parents again I believe I was shown

00:56:53.260 --> 00:56:55.539
the love that they know how to love me best but

00:56:55.539 --> 00:57:00.590
it wasn't the same love that Jesus has okay It's

00:57:00.590 --> 00:57:03.969
really hard when you hadn't experienced that

00:57:03.969 --> 00:57:09.050
growing up to Believe that you could experience

00:57:09.050 --> 00:57:11.389
that when you're like in your mid 20s, right?

00:57:11.449 --> 00:57:15.170
I was freshly 20 I was freshly 25 when I gave

00:57:15.170 --> 00:57:18.289
my life to Christ and it was hard at that point

00:57:18.289 --> 00:57:20.590
everything has been so ingrained in you and it

00:57:20.590 --> 00:57:24.090
was really hard for me to grasp that fact and

00:57:24.090 --> 00:57:28.940
I looked at God more as a the all -powerful being

00:57:28.940 --> 00:57:33.019
in the sky that sure was graceful and merciful

00:57:33.019 --> 00:57:36.960
but it was really hard for me to really know

00:57:36.960 --> 00:57:41.340
that true love and I learned it through experience

00:57:41.340 --> 00:57:45.619
because I read it all on paper you could read

00:57:45.619 --> 00:57:47.840
it and I had so many people telling me how loving

00:57:47.840 --> 00:57:51.699
God was how loving Jesus was but it was so hard

00:57:51.699 --> 00:57:54.519
for me to understand it until I felt it myself

00:57:55.179 --> 00:57:58.559
And you know the way I felt it y 'all was by

00:57:58.559 --> 00:58:05.079
messing up and going to God You know, I I committed

00:58:05.079 --> 00:58:07.579
all those sins being a terror reader being all

00:58:07.579 --> 00:58:09.420
of these things and when I went to God and he

00:58:09.420 --> 00:58:13.619
still loved me I was like what Like you're not

00:58:13.619 --> 00:58:16.820
expecting me to like burn the cards I'm like

00:58:16.820 --> 00:58:19.760
do all these then make all these like do all

00:58:19.760 --> 00:58:22.559
these crazy things to establish like I don't

00:58:22.559 --> 00:58:24.659
need to earn back your love in all these radical

00:58:24.659 --> 00:58:27.579
ways I had so long learned like that forgiveness

00:58:27.579 --> 00:58:31.179
you had to earn it earn back love and earn forgiveness

00:58:31.179 --> 00:58:34.260
and work your way and with god I didn't have

00:58:34.260 --> 00:58:36.500
to do that and that was such a foreign concept

00:58:36.500 --> 00:58:39.320
to me of like you just want me you just want

00:58:39.320 --> 00:58:44.579
my heart like you just want like it was so hard

00:58:44.579 --> 00:58:48.719
for me to compartmentalize that right like it

00:58:48.719 --> 00:58:56.400
was so hard for me to grasp that But when I started

00:58:56.400 --> 00:58:59.159
putting that into practice of, okay, God, you're

00:58:59.159 --> 00:59:02.599
telling me that my repentance right now is enough.

00:59:02.699 --> 00:59:05.119
You're telling me that I am forgiven from just

00:59:05.119 --> 00:59:08.440
confessing this to you. And then just listening

00:59:08.440 --> 00:59:11.679
to what he called me to do. You know, with New

00:59:11.679 --> 00:59:14.500
Age, it was throwing away the tarot cards. It

00:59:14.500 --> 00:59:16.579
was, you know, slowly starting to use my platform

00:59:16.579 --> 00:59:18.659
to speak about the Lord and different things

00:59:18.659 --> 00:59:20.699
like that. He didn't tell me all those things

00:59:20.699 --> 00:59:22.380
day one. Those things started happening over

00:59:22.380 --> 00:59:26.659
like... period of time right and i started to

00:59:26.659 --> 00:59:30.900
see wait god is blessing my steps i'm not happy

00:59:30.900 --> 00:59:32.739
to go through all these periods of suffering

00:59:32.739 --> 00:59:36.360
and pain like i truly am forgiven because he's

00:59:36.360 --> 00:59:38.739
blessing this next step i'm taking he's showing

00:59:38.739 --> 00:59:41.139
me love in this way y 'all there was recently

00:59:41.139 --> 00:59:44.619
i had the biggest and i talked about it on my

00:59:44.619 --> 00:59:47.579
ruth and boaz episode like not ruth and boaz

00:59:47.579 --> 00:59:49.340
every time you like think about ruth i think

00:59:49.340 --> 00:59:52.840
of ruth and boaz the um Like every time I've

00:59:52.840 --> 00:59:54.460
talked about this before, when I read the story

00:59:54.460 --> 00:59:56.760
of Ruth and Boaz, when I read the story of Ruth,

00:59:56.860 --> 00:59:59.500
the book of Ruth, I just always immediately type

00:59:59.500 --> 01:00:01.639
Ruth and Boaz. But this past time when I was

01:00:01.639 --> 01:00:04.840
reading the book of Ruth, I was focused on her

01:00:04.840 --> 01:00:07.179
commitment to God through her commitment to Naomi,

01:00:07.760 --> 01:00:10.519
right? And I shared that I went through a time

01:00:10.519 --> 01:00:13.340
when I honestly like I was crying out to God

01:00:13.340 --> 01:00:15.780
and I was just upset and I was like, God, like.

01:00:15.849 --> 01:00:18.550
You know, I don't have to obey like I have the

01:00:18.550 --> 01:00:20.710
free will I could go the other way and I'm still

01:00:20.710 --> 01:00:22.969
choosing to be here and it was like all these

01:00:22.969 --> 01:00:25.710
emotions and they're things that like I was like

01:00:25.710 --> 01:00:30.409
You know, I've said before like I'm not proud

01:00:30.409 --> 01:00:32.730
because those things weren't righteous. I was

01:00:32.730 --> 01:00:35.730
like You know, I'm looking out like okay. I'm

01:00:35.730 --> 01:00:38.869
glad I took it to God That was what I was supposed

01:00:38.869 --> 01:00:40.690
to do in that moment. At least I wasn't like,

01:00:40.690 --> 01:00:44.219
you know Consuming and like pouring into all

01:00:44.219 --> 01:00:46.380
these other vices or anything like that I was

01:00:46.380 --> 01:00:49.619
taking my anger to God and I was angry at my

01:00:49.619 --> 01:00:54.639
situation and I was directing that at God and

01:00:54.639 --> 01:00:56.760
You know, I was getting a little bit vengeful

01:00:56.760 --> 01:00:59.179
in my speaking of I don't have to be doing this

01:00:59.179 --> 01:01:01.940
Which I was able to identify that's not the love

01:01:01.940 --> 01:01:04.880
of Jesus speaking through me at that moment Those

01:01:04.880 --> 01:01:06.559
aren't some Christ like things speaking through

01:01:06.559 --> 01:01:12.190
me, right? but it was like Five minutes after

01:01:12.190 --> 01:01:14.969
I had stopped crying that I felt the Lord say

01:01:14.969 --> 01:01:16.789
okay now go get that stuff from the store that

01:01:16.789 --> 01:01:19.230
you forgot at the store And when I go there,

01:01:19.230 --> 01:01:21.050
it's already saying they're pretty packaged up

01:01:21.050 --> 01:01:23.789
and they're so kind of me here you go and I just

01:01:23.789 --> 01:01:26.190
felt like I Just felt like that was God saying

01:01:26.190 --> 01:01:29.349
like I got you and then later that day like there

01:01:29.349 --> 01:01:33.030
were some blessings that God delivered on some

01:01:33.030 --> 01:01:37.530
little breakthroughs Which were for me confirmation

01:01:37.530 --> 01:01:43.019
of God has already forgiven me And his forgiveness

01:01:43.019 --> 01:01:49.880
doesn't come with suffering and restriction and

01:01:49.880 --> 01:01:52.059
all of these things. He was already ready to

01:01:52.059 --> 01:01:54.320
help me and he picked me back up and he was already

01:01:54.320 --> 01:01:56.579
moving me forward. There are so many times y

01:01:56.579 --> 01:01:59.960
'all when, because with love is forgiveness,

01:02:00.380 --> 01:02:02.780
right? And so many times. I knew throughout my

01:02:02.780 --> 01:02:04.179
life when someone would say, yeah, I love you

01:02:04.179 --> 01:02:06.420
and yeah, I forgive you, but I'm going to restrict

01:02:06.420 --> 01:02:08.739
this thing for me for right now. And I'm going

01:02:08.739 --> 01:02:11.079
to withhold this thing from you for right now.

01:02:11.260 --> 01:02:13.940
And I'm going to, I'm going to cause kind of

01:02:13.940 --> 01:02:16.820
like, and I think for them that was, you know,

01:02:16.880 --> 01:02:18.219
they would, they would say it to me as like trying

01:02:18.219 --> 01:02:22.019
to teach me a lesson or like, you know, trying

01:02:22.019 --> 01:02:24.320
to make themselves feel better. That when I look

01:02:24.320 --> 01:02:28.639
at, I recognize that as type of resentment right

01:02:28.639 --> 01:02:32.159
as a type of Trying to revenge whether or not

01:02:32.159 --> 01:02:34.280
they feel like it's revenge when you try to hurt

01:02:34.280 --> 01:02:37.840
someone who has hurt you that is Getting revenge.

01:02:38.320 --> 01:02:41.659
Okay? Trying to prove a point trying to whatever

01:02:41.659 --> 01:02:43.699
it is at the end of day That's you executing

01:02:43.699 --> 01:02:46.539
your will over and I was so used to that. I was

01:02:46.539 --> 01:02:49.519
so used to Well, yeah, I'll forgive you all of

01:02:49.519 --> 01:02:53.909
you. But now these are the new Restrictions and

01:02:53.909 --> 01:02:56.750
now here are the new all of these things Here's

01:02:56.750 --> 01:02:59.449
the suffering and here's this withholding and

01:02:59.449 --> 01:03:02.909
the Lord didn't do that to me and For so long

01:03:02.909 --> 01:03:05.550
I learned that once you mess up if you want forgiven

01:03:05.550 --> 01:03:07.130
if you want to get right like there is gonna

01:03:07.130 --> 01:03:10.150
be another Suffering period there's gonna be

01:03:10.150 --> 01:03:12.150
another hardship period. There's gonna be another

01:03:12.150 --> 01:03:18.550
and that wasn't I'm telling y 'all like I saw

01:03:18.550 --> 01:03:21.349
the love of God each time I messed up and went

01:03:21.349 --> 01:03:24.360
back Each time I said that thing I said I was

01:03:24.360 --> 01:03:27.760
never gonna say. Each time I acted that way that

01:03:27.760 --> 01:03:29.500
I never thought I was gonna act. Each time I

01:03:29.500 --> 01:03:31.719
did that thing I never thought I was gonna do.

01:03:38.039 --> 01:03:40.460
Like... God, it's so amazing. I didn't know that

01:03:40.460 --> 01:03:43.099
kind of love existed. I didn't know that kind

01:03:43.099 --> 01:03:44.780
of love existed. I didn't think that kind of

01:03:44.780 --> 01:03:47.719
love existed. I thought all love was contingent.

01:03:47.900 --> 01:03:50.480
I thought that all love was, and that was the

01:03:50.480 --> 01:03:53.039
kind of love I was showing people, y 'all, because

01:03:53.039 --> 01:03:55.000
that was the love I was seeking. That was the

01:03:55.000 --> 01:03:59.519
kind of love I was showing. And when I look back

01:03:59.519 --> 01:04:01.719
at all the people that I thought I had loved

01:04:01.719 --> 01:04:03.940
well before, and I'm like, I did not love them

01:04:03.940 --> 01:04:08.670
well, because I was vengeful. I was resentful.

01:04:08.670 --> 01:04:12.869
I was envious. I was boastful. I was executing

01:04:12.869 --> 01:04:15.550
my will over them. I was like, I was doing what

01:04:15.550 --> 01:04:18.050
I believed was right for them over what they,

01:04:18.409 --> 01:04:21.329
over what they desired. Because I was like, this

01:04:21.329 --> 01:04:24.309
is, this is, and not in a Christ -like way. I

01:04:24.309 --> 01:04:26.110
want to be, I want to be thoughtful with the

01:04:26.110 --> 01:04:29.269
way I word that. Things I thought was right that

01:04:29.269 --> 01:04:31.289
weren't going to lead closer to Christ, that

01:04:31.289 --> 01:04:33.670
I was executing my will over others. This is

01:04:33.670 --> 01:04:35.949
not in regards to prayer or anything like that.

01:04:36.070 --> 01:04:40.880
Okay. Am a full side note, but I am a full advocate

01:04:40.880 --> 01:04:43.099
for I don't care whether or not they want me

01:04:43.099 --> 01:04:45.440
to pray for them I'm gonna pray for them because

01:04:45.440 --> 01:04:47.780
I'm I'm here today because other people prayed

01:04:47.780 --> 01:04:49.280
for me even when I didn't when there are people

01:04:49.280 --> 01:04:52.380
praying for me I'm talking about things that

01:04:52.380 --> 01:05:00.360
don't leave you closer to Christ Okay Okay, I'm

01:05:00.360 --> 01:05:02.659
not talking about prayer. I'm not talking about

01:05:02.659 --> 01:05:04.619
prayer. I'm not talking about taking things to

01:05:04.619 --> 01:05:07.860
the Lord But there are so many times when you

01:05:07.860 --> 01:05:09.900
know, I would when someone would say like hey,

01:05:09.920 --> 01:05:12.059
I don't want to do that thing I don't want to

01:05:12.059 --> 01:05:13.519
be a part of that thing I don't want to do that

01:05:13.519 --> 01:05:15.400
kind of thing But when I would think that I know

01:05:15.400 --> 01:05:17.639
better than them and I would try to send them

01:05:17.639 --> 01:05:19.559
things before anyway I would try to sign them

01:05:19.559 --> 01:05:21.420
up for it. Anyway, I'm trying to do this and

01:05:21.420 --> 01:05:25.780
it's like no God doesn't do that to me. Why am

01:05:25.780 --> 01:05:30.300
I so tempted to do that to them y 'all? If if

01:05:30.300 --> 01:05:32.980
anything I'm saying to do today you are noticing

01:05:32.980 --> 01:05:36.460
some flags You're starting to think oh, I kind

01:05:36.460 --> 01:05:39.139
of do that like oh, I'm kind of envious. Oh,

01:05:39.139 --> 01:05:42.619
I'm kind of boastful. Oh I'm kind of vengeful

01:05:42.619 --> 01:05:44.480
like oh, I'm kind of impatient take it to the

01:05:44.480 --> 01:05:46.780
Lord and he'll help me fix it because he helped

01:05:46.780 --> 01:05:49.639
me fix it. I was the most impatient person in

01:05:49.639 --> 01:05:52.980
the past. I'd be talking to someone for like

01:05:52.980 --> 01:05:55.380
two days and be like if you're so into me and

01:05:55.380 --> 01:05:57.159
you love me, why aren't we like dating and married

01:05:57.159 --> 01:06:00.039
now? Now that was more when I was like 1920,

01:06:00.599 --> 01:06:02.809
okay. Because I went through a time period for

01:06:02.809 --> 01:06:04.690
a good couple years after that where I would

01:06:04.690 --> 01:06:06.389
be like, no, I need to be talking to you for

01:06:06.389 --> 01:06:08.389
six months to determine whether or not I want

01:06:08.389 --> 01:06:10.829
to take anything further. And that was when I

01:06:10.829 --> 01:06:12.610
was really emotionally disconnected. I've been

01:06:12.610 --> 01:06:17.730
on both sides of the spectrum. But yeah, love

01:06:17.730 --> 01:06:22.190
is patient. It's not going to rush you into making

01:06:22.190 --> 01:06:25.440
all of these huge decisions. It's not going to

01:06:25.440 --> 01:06:28.079
rush you. Someone needs to hear this today. Love

01:06:28.079 --> 01:06:30.460
is not going to tell you to make a decision before

01:06:30.460 --> 01:06:33.940
you go to God. Love is not going to tell you

01:06:33.940 --> 01:06:36.039
to make that choice to take that jump before

01:06:36.039 --> 01:06:42.099
praying about it. And I used to be one of the

01:06:42.099 --> 01:06:44.360
most impatient people. I wanted an answer right

01:06:44.360 --> 01:06:47.300
now. I wanted results right now. And I actually

01:06:47.300 --> 01:06:50.079
felt convicted about that. Not too long ago,

01:06:50.079 --> 01:06:52.059
I was having a conversation with someone where

01:06:52.059 --> 01:06:56.440
I was telling them, like, yeah about like the

01:06:56.440 --> 01:06:59.159
little breakdown I had with God and saying like

01:06:59.159 --> 01:07:01.000
one of the things was I was so mad but like you

01:07:01.000 --> 01:07:03.079
know I felt like he hadn't fully delivered on

01:07:03.079 --> 01:07:07.420
the promises yet and this person said and I'm

01:07:08.019 --> 01:07:10.340
paraphrasing. This wasn't word for word. I can't

01:07:10.340 --> 01:07:12.539
think of word for word, but the gist of what

01:07:12.539 --> 01:07:14.920
this person said is basically like, you can't

01:07:14.920 --> 01:07:18.119
rush the process. Like one day when you finally

01:07:18.119 --> 01:07:19.820
get it, you're going to see why it needed to

01:07:19.820 --> 01:07:21.599
take that time. And you're going to be appreciative

01:07:21.599 --> 01:07:23.900
that it took the time. Like it's going to be

01:07:23.900 --> 01:07:27.079
worth the wait. This person said, and I felt

01:07:27.079 --> 01:07:29.360
like very convicted with that because that was

01:07:29.360 --> 01:07:32.300
my problem in the past as well as you can't like

01:07:32.300 --> 01:07:35.710
microwave things. With god god will take you

01:07:35.710 --> 01:07:38.469
the long way god will take you the harder way

01:07:38.469 --> 01:07:40.329
because it's going to build a firmer foundation

01:07:40.329 --> 01:07:44.329
That can't be shaken when the winds come When

01:07:44.329 --> 01:07:48.570
the rains come when the winds blow? And I felt

01:07:48.570 --> 01:07:50.250
like convicted with that word is like yeah, like

01:07:50.250 --> 01:07:53.550
i'm i'm trying to micro I'm mad at god for not

01:07:53.550 --> 01:07:56.269
microwaving results when if he handed me those

01:07:56.269 --> 01:07:59.369
microwaved results It wouldn't be what I wanted

01:07:59.369 --> 01:08:02.920
anyway It would be it would be falling down in

01:08:02.920 --> 01:08:05.059
like two months because that's the thing y 'all

01:08:05.059 --> 01:08:07.500
is when I was saying To God the other day of

01:08:07.500 --> 01:08:09.920
like I'll have to wait on you. I can go get those

01:08:09.920 --> 01:08:11.500
things I felt an immediate conviction of but

01:08:11.500 --> 01:08:15.219
that's not what you want though Like the reason

01:08:15.219 --> 01:08:18.300
why Like I was sitting here saying God I've been

01:08:18.300 --> 01:08:21.159
single for years. I've been waiting on the husband.

01:08:21.340 --> 01:08:24.750
Where's he at? I could just go get one Like,

01:08:25.149 --> 01:08:27.890
there's a lot of DMs I don't answer. There's

01:08:27.890 --> 01:08:30.170
a lot of things like I don't, and I felt so convicted,

01:08:30.229 --> 01:08:32.569
but why don't you answer them? I'm like, well,

01:08:32.609 --> 01:08:35.890
cause that's not my husband. Why don't you entertain

01:08:35.890 --> 01:08:39.770
it? Well, cause those aren't the, that's not

01:08:39.770 --> 01:08:42.149
the man of God I want. I shared this in my single

01:08:42.149 --> 01:08:46.710
season episode, y 'all. That like, even people

01:08:46.710 --> 01:08:48.989
who were close to what I was looking for when

01:08:48.989 --> 01:08:51.449
I knew that that wasn't who I was waiting for,

01:08:52.029 --> 01:08:54.420
I turned it down. Because I knew that God had

01:08:54.420 --> 01:08:55.840
something bigger in store and that was my that

01:08:55.840 --> 01:08:59.060
was my immediate click of like yeah But whatever

01:08:59.060 --> 01:09:01.579
I would go out and get would be settling compared

01:09:01.579 --> 01:09:07.119
to what God has I wouldn't be happy like You

01:09:07.119 --> 01:09:09.939
know, there are other things like when it comes

01:09:09.939 --> 01:09:12.539
to you know, the way that I do my podcast and

01:09:12.539 --> 01:09:15.550
the way that I post my content and honestly y

01:09:15.550 --> 01:09:18.289
'all my lack of advertising right now is actually

01:09:18.289 --> 01:09:21.710
more of a god -led thing my lack of posting it

01:09:21.710 --> 01:09:25.010
up everywhere all the time I do a little bit

01:09:25.010 --> 01:09:31.189
but that's a god -led thing too okay I'm listening

01:09:31.189 --> 01:09:33.729
to God I'm listening to his instruction his guidance

01:09:33.729 --> 01:09:39.079
now sitting there like I could I could could

01:09:39.079 --> 01:09:40.899
figure out clickbait things I could probably

01:09:40.899 --> 01:09:43.579
get like a lot more traction now I could at least

01:09:43.579 --> 01:09:45.899
attempt for it but I'm not because I know that

01:09:45.899 --> 01:09:48.880
that's not what God is calling me to do right

01:09:48.880 --> 01:09:51.939
it's like all each of these things where I'm

01:09:51.939 --> 01:09:54.640
upset of like God hasn't delivered on this yet

01:09:54.640 --> 01:09:56.420
I don't feel like he's delivered on like the

01:09:56.420 --> 01:09:58.260
big thing in this I could go grab it myself there

01:09:58.260 --> 01:09:59.979
is that immediate conviction of yeah but it's

01:09:59.979 --> 01:10:03.630
gonna be like half of what I actually want It's

01:10:03.630 --> 01:10:06.310
not actually gonna be what I want. It's not actually

01:10:06.310 --> 01:10:08.930
gonna be what I desire. It's actually gonna be

01:10:08.930 --> 01:10:12.229
like and I would just end right back up at square

01:10:12.229 --> 01:10:16.369
one Months down the road and maybe accidentally

01:10:16.369 --> 01:10:18.369
pick up something that wasn't meant for the promise.

01:10:18.430 --> 01:10:22.350
No, thank you That's the thing is anything that

01:10:22.350 --> 01:10:24.869
we try to do outside of God is not gonna compare

01:10:24.869 --> 01:10:27.130
to his promise is not gonna compare to what he

01:10:27.130 --> 01:10:29.250
can develop and grow for us if we wait on him

01:10:29.250 --> 01:10:35.369
and submit to him instead And the root of diverting

01:10:35.369 --> 01:10:37.890
from that y 'all is usually newsflash, the lack

01:10:37.890 --> 01:10:42.550
of patience, is an impatience, might be a lack

01:10:42.550 --> 01:10:45.489
of gratitude, a lack of appreciation. I think

01:10:45.489 --> 01:10:49.550
that's what was mixing for me, right? Like I

01:10:49.550 --> 01:10:52.250
was, I want it and I want it now. And then also

01:10:52.250 --> 01:10:54.430
unappreciative of what God had done in my life

01:10:54.430 --> 01:10:57.729
thus far. I hit a moment forgetting what he had

01:10:57.729 --> 01:11:00.210
already done and focusing on what I felt like

01:11:00.210 --> 01:11:04.479
he didn't do. And notice how quickly a lack of

01:11:04.479 --> 01:11:08.340
gratitude and impatience can be like a recipe

01:11:08.340 --> 01:11:12.579
for disaster. Like it can be like a legit recipe

01:11:12.579 --> 01:11:23.560
for a disaster. So if you feel like some of these

01:11:23.560 --> 01:11:26.800
things, like if you're like, I relate, like I

01:11:26.800 --> 01:11:30.909
feel like I'm impatient or I feel like... I'm

01:11:30.909 --> 01:11:33.989
a big one is the truth and that's when a lot

01:11:33.989 --> 01:11:36.529
of people like to dance around we've discussed

01:11:36.529 --> 01:11:39.569
that today that God's Word It doesn't praise.

01:11:39.590 --> 01:11:44.229
It doesn't glorify wrongdoing It It supports

01:11:44.229 --> 01:11:47.569
truth and honesty There are so many people who

01:11:47.569 --> 01:11:50.909
justify lying and sugarcoating and deceiving

01:11:50.909 --> 01:11:53.430
and like withholding things And there are so

01:11:53.430 --> 01:11:54.810
many people who say well, I'm doing it for this

01:11:54.810 --> 01:11:56.789
reason I'm doing it for this reason like I got

01:11:56.789 --> 01:11:59.569
a good reason for doing it I'll be the first

01:11:59.569 --> 01:12:01.489
to say and I've said it in podcasts before y

01:12:01.489 --> 01:12:03.609
'all when we sin it's not because we don't feel

01:12:03.609 --> 01:12:05.529
like we have a reason to often times when we're

01:12:05.529 --> 01:12:07.470
sinning We feel like we have a reason to defend

01:12:07.470 --> 01:12:10.630
it, especially if it's an active sin in our life

01:12:10.630 --> 01:12:15.489
Like if someone is doing something continuously

01:12:15.489 --> 01:12:18.109
even after feeling conviction likely they feel

01:12:18.109 --> 01:12:19.829
like they have a good reason for doing I'm not

01:12:19.829 --> 01:12:21.470
saying that you do have a good reason there is

01:12:21.470 --> 01:12:24.489
no good reason for the sin the sin needs to be

01:12:24.489 --> 01:12:31.600
cut out period, okay, but There are a lot of

01:12:31.600 --> 01:12:33.420
people who justify what they're doing and feel

01:12:33.420 --> 01:12:35.359
like they have a just reason for what they're

01:12:35.359 --> 01:12:37.859
doing I'm telling you right now the root of it

01:12:37.859 --> 01:12:39.979
is identifying that you and knowing that you

01:12:39.979 --> 01:12:42.000
shouldn't be doing it point blank period and

01:12:42.000 --> 01:12:44.039
taking it to God on how can you break free of

01:12:44.039 --> 01:12:48.279
that and how can you move through that sin is

01:12:48.279 --> 01:12:53.180
Center like chains, right? They start to bind

01:12:53.180 --> 01:12:57.159
us. We start to become bound by our sin Jesus

01:12:57.159 --> 01:13:00.880
is the chain breaker the blood of Jesus Okay,

01:13:01.319 --> 01:13:05.199
so you need to take these chains to Jesus and

01:13:05.199 --> 01:13:08.520
I'm not speaking to you guys from like some high

01:13:08.520 --> 01:13:11.579
place I'm speaking to you from experience Because

01:13:11.579 --> 01:13:14.159
like I have had these convictions and I am not

01:13:14.159 --> 01:13:16.760
perfect in this area Like I said y 'all the gossiping

01:13:16.760 --> 01:13:20.619
one heavy heavy heavy heavy God started working

01:13:20.619 --> 01:13:25.489
with me on that in 2012 and was it 2022 or 2023

01:13:25.489 --> 01:13:28.970
actually, 2023, fall of 2020, we're going into

01:13:28.970 --> 01:13:31.130
spring of 2023. I started feeling heavy convictions

01:13:31.130 --> 01:13:33.250
and that was when I was still in New Age spirituality.

01:13:33.949 --> 01:13:36.869
That was way before I gave my life to Christ.

01:13:37.210 --> 01:13:39.489
And he was already working on my heart in that

01:13:39.489 --> 01:13:41.149
one. I was already starting to realize that power

01:13:41.149 --> 01:13:42.689
of life and death lies in the tongue and I need

01:13:42.689 --> 01:13:47.149
to stop speaking death. I was like, it's crazy

01:13:47.149 --> 01:13:49.310
when I look back how the Lord was actually starting

01:13:49.310 --> 01:13:52.640
to plant seeds and work on certain things. before

01:13:52.640 --> 01:13:57.819
I had fully stepped out of all my sin. You know,

01:13:57.920 --> 01:13:59.859
before I'd thrown away the tarot cards when I

01:13:59.859 --> 01:14:01.300
was a tarot card reader, when I was a New Age

01:14:01.300 --> 01:14:04.060
spirituality, before I had stepped away from

01:14:04.060 --> 01:14:06.100
those things, God was working in my heart and

01:14:06.100 --> 01:14:09.680
other areas. And that wasn't perfect. Obviously,

01:14:09.760 --> 01:14:11.680
when I threw out those tarot cards, there was

01:14:11.680 --> 01:14:13.300
still a lot of work that the Lord just had to

01:14:13.300 --> 01:14:16.149
do with me. but I when I look back I see he was

01:14:16.149 --> 01:14:18.510
already making progress in my heart like before

01:14:18.510 --> 01:14:20.390
then he was already starting to develop fruits

01:14:20.390 --> 01:14:22.529
he was already starting to plant seeds that he

01:14:22.529 --> 01:14:25.710
was going to use later on to teach me right and

01:14:25.710 --> 01:14:28.550
I'll tell y 'all the gossiping one that was something

01:14:28.550 --> 01:14:31.710
I did all day every day that was my main topic

01:14:31.710 --> 01:14:34.229
of conversation and there are times when I would

01:14:34.229 --> 01:14:36.829
do it and claim like oh I'm just trying to vent

01:14:36.829 --> 01:14:40.369
or like I'm just like I can relate and God really

01:14:40.369 --> 01:14:44.449
revealed me he's like that's still gossip If

01:14:44.449 --> 01:14:46.470
that's still gossip, you're still hurting that

01:14:46.470 --> 01:14:51.710
person. Like, what kind of healing are you bringing

01:14:51.710 --> 01:14:55.369
into? That was where someone needs to hear this

01:14:55.369 --> 01:14:57.109
say, these are a couple of questions I really

01:14:57.109 --> 01:15:00.149
started asking myself when I really felt the

01:15:00.149 --> 01:15:04.350
gossiping conviction, is when I felt... tempted

01:15:04.350 --> 01:15:06.649
to bring up like if I felt like someone else

01:15:06.649 --> 01:15:08.250
was sinning or someone else had something going

01:15:08.250 --> 01:15:10.829
on and Like I felt tempted to bring that up.

01:15:10.989 --> 01:15:13.930
My first question was why why am I bringing this

01:15:13.930 --> 01:15:18.649
up? Am I saying this because someone else mentioned

01:15:18.649 --> 01:15:20.630
because oftentimes y 'all the reason why gossip

01:15:20.630 --> 01:15:23.390
is if someone would say oh my gosh I dealt with

01:15:23.390 --> 01:15:25.930
like there's this person who does this thing

01:15:25.930 --> 01:15:28.449
and it was so da da da and I would usually perk

01:15:28.449 --> 01:15:30.529
up and be like oh my gosh I I have a similar

01:15:30.529 --> 01:15:32.369
experience and I knew that I knew a person like

01:15:32.369 --> 01:15:35.189
this too and then would start kind of mouthing

01:15:35.189 --> 01:15:38.989
off about them gossip And that that was me personally

01:15:38.989 --> 01:15:42.149
like I had like a gossip conviction with that

01:15:42.149 --> 01:15:44.350
And I realized I was like, okay, I'm only talking

01:15:44.350 --> 01:15:46.510
about this or discussing this so that way I could

01:15:46.510 --> 01:15:49.149
be relatable in conversation This isn't worthy

01:15:49.149 --> 01:15:54.170
of being brought up the big one was is our Who

01:15:54.170 --> 01:15:58.430
is going to be? Healed or like experience any

01:15:58.430 --> 01:16:01.189
kind of growth from this that was that was the

01:16:01.189 --> 01:16:02.569
really big root of it because I was looking I

01:16:02.569 --> 01:16:05.510
was like, okay Is me bringing this up? Am I gonna

01:16:05.510 --> 01:16:08.159
have some kind of healing? Conversation with

01:16:08.159 --> 01:16:11.720
us like is me talking about this person or the

01:16:11.720 --> 01:16:15.939
situation like am I about to get Actual am I

01:16:15.939 --> 01:16:19.380
actually seeking wisdom that I intend to implement

01:16:19.380 --> 01:16:22.560
to be able to love this person better To be able

01:16:22.560 --> 01:16:25.760
to fix things about myself like am I in an open

01:16:25.760 --> 01:16:28.500
space right now? to be able to hear that I'm

01:16:28.500 --> 01:16:30.960
actually speaking wrong or I'm actually handling

01:16:30.960 --> 01:16:33.739
this wrong or like I have something to fix about

01:16:33.739 --> 01:16:35.979
myself like I have something to reflect on I

01:16:35.979 --> 01:16:37.880
have something to do am I actually in the space

01:16:37.880 --> 01:16:39.979
or do I want to hear other people come into agreement

01:16:39.979 --> 01:16:43.520
with what I'm saying like what am I seeking for

01:16:43.520 --> 01:16:46.159
here like am I if someone tells me I'm wrong

01:16:46.159 --> 01:16:48.319
if someone tells me to love this person this

01:16:48.319 --> 01:16:50.100
way or to do this thing am I actually going to

01:16:50.100 --> 01:16:53.560
leave and try to implement all these things like

01:16:53.560 --> 01:16:58.859
what am I trying to gain from this Am I bringing

01:16:58.859 --> 01:17:01.520
that person into the conversation so that way

01:17:01.520 --> 01:17:04.180
they may hear because if this person like never

01:17:04.180 --> 01:17:07.079
Hears some things that they need to change and

01:17:07.079 --> 01:17:09.199
like they need to shift. How are they actually

01:17:09.199 --> 01:17:12.060
gonna know? Right because we plant seeds, but

01:17:12.060 --> 01:17:15.140
we don't do the work. We don't change people's

01:17:15.140 --> 01:17:18.680
hearts. That's God's job But like are you having

01:17:18.680 --> 01:17:22.159
these conversations but never involving the person

01:17:22.159 --> 01:17:25.460
like how are they gonna know? And those were

01:17:25.460 --> 01:17:27.439
just a couple of the big questions I had to ask

01:17:27.439 --> 01:17:29.979
myself. Whereas when I'm having this, who is

01:17:29.979 --> 01:17:34.060
being helped by this conversation? Is this person

01:17:34.060 --> 01:17:36.880
that I'm focusing on actually going to be helped?

01:17:37.380 --> 01:17:39.760
Or is this just making me feel better or keeping

01:17:39.760 --> 01:17:43.460
a conversation going or making me seem relatable

01:17:43.460 --> 01:17:46.159
or whatever? And I'm telling you all this because

01:17:46.159 --> 01:17:50.979
again, I did it. This was a very big problem

01:17:50.979 --> 01:17:54.300
for me and I am not perfect with it. And I'm

01:17:54.300 --> 01:17:56.319
telling you all right now, when I feel that conviction,

01:17:57.100 --> 01:18:00.279
if you're new and just trying to think, and you

01:18:00.279 --> 01:18:01.979
need some ideas on how to handle it, these are

01:18:01.979 --> 01:18:03.479
some of the things that the Lord really gave

01:18:03.479 --> 01:18:06.739
me, is number one, redirecting. Redirect the

01:18:06.739 --> 01:18:10.140
conversation. Change the direction of the conversation.

01:18:11.420 --> 01:18:17.279
Bring up a different topic, redirect it. If you're

01:18:17.279 --> 01:18:22.090
feeling led to rebuke, correct rebuke and correct

01:18:22.090 --> 01:18:24.590
keep in mind not everybody is open to rebuke

01:18:24.590 --> 01:18:27.550
and correction there are some times when it is

01:18:27.550 --> 01:18:29.770
better not to cast your pill your pearls before

01:18:29.770 --> 01:18:32.409
swine allow the Lord to guide you on is this

01:18:32.409 --> 01:18:35.170
a situation where you are called to speak and

01:18:35.170 --> 01:18:36.890
the plant sees I have been in both situations

01:18:36.890 --> 01:18:38.649
I've been in sometimes where the Lord has not

01:18:38.649 --> 01:18:42.909
told me to rebuke and correct and I tried it

01:18:42.909 --> 01:18:48.539
anyway and I was Figuratively not literally and

01:18:48.539 --> 01:18:52.539
it was a learning time for me. Okay There are

01:18:52.539 --> 01:18:54.300
times when the Lord is more calling you to pipe

01:18:54.300 --> 01:18:56.819
down and let him speak up and let him do his

01:18:56.819 --> 01:19:00.239
thing There there are times when our light I

01:19:00.239 --> 01:19:02.359
just I want to quote this for you Let your light

01:19:02.359 --> 01:19:04.319
shine before others so that they may see your

01:19:04.319 --> 01:19:06.380
good works and give glory to your father who

01:19:06.380 --> 01:19:10.060
is in heaven That's Matthew 5 16 Okay, sometimes

01:19:10.060 --> 01:19:12.220
it's not with our words, but it's with our actions

01:19:12.220 --> 01:19:14.439
It's with our responses and the Lord has shown

01:19:14.439 --> 01:19:16.119
me that sometimes the most powerful thing you

01:19:16.119 --> 01:19:19.680
can do is like Be silent sometimes the most powerful

01:19:19.680 --> 01:19:21.979
thing you can do is not be involved Sometimes

01:19:21.979 --> 01:19:26.720
the most powerful thing you can do Is to just

01:19:26.720 --> 01:19:28.619
sit there quietly and sometimes that's how I've

01:19:28.619 --> 01:19:32.880
had to handle something like when someone's Gosping

01:19:32.880 --> 01:19:35.079
or there is someone's speaking a lot of death

01:19:35.079 --> 01:19:37.060
or something like that's happening And I'm just

01:19:37.060 --> 01:19:38.800
sitting there quietly waiting on them to finish

01:19:38.800 --> 01:19:43.840
talking and like letting it go from there and

01:19:43.840 --> 01:19:46.840
Then there were some people that the Lord actually

01:19:46.840 --> 01:19:51.020
really brought me to the bad Company corrupts

01:19:51.020 --> 01:19:52.680
good morals and revealed to me that there were

01:19:52.680 --> 01:19:55.500
some people that I was not going to be able to

01:19:55.500 --> 01:19:57.699
be close with anymore and there are actually

01:19:57.699 --> 01:20:01.149
some people that the Lord called me to Love from

01:20:01.149 --> 01:20:03.590
a distance as best I can wear that is to not

01:20:03.590 --> 01:20:05.890
have daily conversations and daily communications

01:20:05.890 --> 01:20:08.229
with them Because no matter how many times I

01:20:08.229 --> 01:20:13.289
would redirect that conversation or correct They

01:20:13.289 --> 01:20:15.729
were not repenting they were not seeking the

01:20:15.729 --> 01:20:17.630
Lord they were not they were going in a very

01:20:17.630 --> 01:20:20.470
opposite direction right and There comes a point

01:20:20.470 --> 01:20:22.489
in time when that starts to be an influence for

01:20:22.489 --> 01:20:24.449
you or a stumbling block for you or a hindrance

01:20:24.449 --> 01:20:26.909
for you And that's what that situation was for

01:20:26.909 --> 01:20:29.329
me Okay, so there are so many and that's why

01:20:29.329 --> 01:20:31.750
I tell y 'all when you recognize that something

01:20:31.750 --> 01:20:34.090
isn't right and there are some kind of boundaries

01:20:34.090 --> 01:20:35.829
that need to be set or something that needs to

01:20:35.829 --> 01:20:38.189
be done take it to God because he knows the person

01:20:38.189 --> 01:20:41.430
he knows the relationship he knows the best way

01:20:41.430 --> 01:20:44.689
there were some Methods I was able to take with

01:20:44.689 --> 01:20:47.250
some people that worked marvelously that with

01:20:47.250 --> 01:20:49.590
others would have been more of a harm and a hindrance

01:20:49.590 --> 01:20:54.819
for me or for Each person is unique, each relationship

01:20:54.819 --> 01:20:57.859
is unique, and allow the Lord to help you navigate

01:20:57.859 --> 01:21:06.359
that. And this isn't a night and day thing, y

01:21:06.359 --> 01:21:08.659
'all. I'm not saying that all of these changes

01:21:08.659 --> 01:21:12.600
are going to be made night and day. But I will

01:21:12.600 --> 01:21:14.739
say that the more that you practice these things,

01:21:14.800 --> 01:21:16.640
the more natural it starts to become for you.

01:21:18.979 --> 01:21:21.739
avoiding gossip is a lot more natural for me

01:21:21.739 --> 01:21:26.340
now compared to how it used to be okay patience

01:21:26.340 --> 01:21:29.079
is more natural for me now than it used to be

01:21:29.079 --> 01:21:32.600
I'm not saying I'm perfect at any of these things

01:21:32.600 --> 01:21:34.539
again y 'all I'm speaking to you about these

01:21:34.539 --> 01:21:38.420
things because I've been through these things

01:21:38.420 --> 01:21:45.680
meaning I'm not like On some separate hill like

01:21:45.680 --> 01:21:48.520
trying to talk down at you right now. I'm trying

01:21:48.520 --> 01:21:53.380
to say like shame on you convict you point like

01:21:53.380 --> 01:21:55.680
whoever you are listening to this podcast or

01:21:55.680 --> 01:22:00.140
make you feel some type of way like From a loving

01:22:00.140 --> 01:22:02.939
space I'm speaking to you today as someone who

01:22:02.939 --> 01:22:08.979
has been there done that Okay that These things

01:22:08.979 --> 01:22:12.399
no matter how much we defend them or we may glorify

01:22:12.399 --> 01:22:16.439
them or romanticize them Going back just to the

01:22:16.439 --> 01:22:18.880
love of Jesus a lot of things that we embrace

01:22:18.880 --> 01:22:22.000
or look for or naturally gravitate towards especially

01:22:22.000 --> 01:22:26.680
in this younger generation Isn't Christ like

01:22:26.680 --> 01:22:29.979
you know the jealousy the envy all of these things

01:22:29.979 --> 01:22:34.420
and I want to encourage you today To pursue Christ

01:22:34.420 --> 01:22:39.060
and to pray to him and to ask him to show you

01:22:39.060 --> 01:22:43.479
His love show you his love I want to challenge

01:22:43.479 --> 01:22:47.680
y 'all listening to us to ask God God like so

01:22:47.680 --> 01:22:52.260
I want to truly experience your love and Help

01:22:52.260 --> 01:22:56.550
me to better show that love to other people Because

01:22:56.550 --> 01:22:58.369
in order to show that love to other people you

01:22:58.369 --> 01:23:00.810
need to experience it and to recognize that y

01:23:00.810 --> 01:23:02.550
'all it was crazy It was about like a month and

01:23:02.550 --> 01:23:04.229
a half ago. I was really going through it emotionally

01:23:04.229 --> 01:23:08.109
and I was in this space where people pray for

01:23:08.109 --> 01:23:10.350
each other There was someone who didn't know

01:23:10.350 --> 01:23:11.989
what I needed but started praying over me and

01:23:11.989 --> 01:23:14.729
they kept saying Lord, you love her so much like

01:23:14.729 --> 01:23:16.930
show her your love She needs to see how much

01:23:16.930 --> 01:23:18.569
you love her and I didn't feel like I needed

01:23:18.569 --> 01:23:20.310
that in the time I was like, I know God loves

01:23:20.310 --> 01:23:23.090
me like what I'm doing with this other stuff

01:23:23.090 --> 01:23:28.140
and It was the next day. I was in the morning

01:23:28.140 --> 01:23:30.560
getting ready for work and I felt the Lord call

01:23:30.560 --> 01:23:32.739
tell me to like get in prayer and I went to get

01:23:32.739 --> 01:23:34.340
in prayer and I felt like he told me like to

01:23:34.340 --> 01:23:36.880
kneel so I got on my knees and started praying

01:23:36.880 --> 01:23:41.579
and it was like It was just like the most loving

01:23:41.579 --> 01:23:45.159
feeling that washed over me and I want to keep

01:23:45.159 --> 01:23:47.119
some of these some of the things in this prayer

01:23:47.119 --> 01:23:50.060
time private but I feel like I'm really led to

01:23:50.060 --> 01:23:54.069
keep that between me and the Lord but I just

01:23:54.069 --> 01:23:56.250
remember him saying like I'm so well pleased

01:23:56.250 --> 01:24:01.510
with you and I love you so much and I started

01:24:01.510 --> 01:24:03.909
like I was trying to hold in so much from crying

01:24:03.909 --> 01:24:05.670
because I had just did my makeup and I had to

01:24:05.670 --> 01:24:09.890
leave right like I had to go and it just it drastically

01:24:09.890 --> 01:24:14.909
changed how I perceive things and how I felt

01:24:14.909 --> 01:24:17.800
were because I didn't realize it but I was starting

01:24:17.800 --> 01:24:20.779
to operate out of a space of the love I used

01:24:20.779 --> 01:24:22.739
to experience in the past of where I felt like

01:24:22.739 --> 01:24:25.739
I had to earn love I didn't realize I was in

01:24:25.739 --> 01:24:27.399
a space when I was going through all these hardships

01:24:27.399 --> 01:24:29.800
I started thinking maybe God's mad at me maybe

01:24:29.800 --> 01:24:31.380
I'm experiencing these things because he's not

01:24:31.380 --> 01:24:33.319
pleased with me maybe I'm experiencing these

01:24:33.319 --> 01:24:34.979
things because I'm just not doing things correct

01:24:34.979 --> 01:24:37.180
I'm not doing things right and he took that moment

01:24:37.180 --> 01:24:39.600
to say like that is not that that's not my character

01:24:39.600 --> 01:24:43.649
like that's not the love of jesus that's not

01:24:43.649 --> 01:24:45.770
the love of the heavenly father that you know

01:24:45.770 --> 01:24:49.189
you're comparing it to a worldly love a worldly

01:24:49.189 --> 01:24:53.109
experience let me show you my love right here

01:24:53.109 --> 01:24:56.510
right now and it was an amazing moving experience

01:24:56.510 --> 01:24:58.329
and i was actually able to love people better

01:24:58.329 --> 01:25:01.449
that day you know when you're poured into you're

01:25:01.449 --> 01:25:09.409
able to share it with others and i just i want

01:25:09.409 --> 01:25:13.010
y 'all to experience that too So I'm gonna encourage

01:25:13.010 --> 01:25:17.390
you today to pray that God shows you That love

01:25:17.390 --> 01:25:20.550
and that you're able to show that love to other

01:25:20.550 --> 01:25:23.609
people I know this episode was a little bit longer

01:25:23.609 --> 01:25:26.989
than we usually Go, so I am gonna go ahead and

01:25:26.989 --> 01:25:29.430
end it here. Thank you all so much for listening

01:25:29.430 --> 01:25:32.350
This was the salt not sweetener podcast if you're

01:25:32.350 --> 01:25:34.609
not already. I do ask that you subscribe hit

01:25:34.609 --> 01:25:37.100
that subscribe button wherever it is you're listening

01:25:37.100 --> 01:25:39.539
to podcasts and share it with someone share it

01:25:39.539 --> 01:25:41.439
with a friend share it with a family member share

01:25:41.439 --> 01:25:45.380
it on social media it really does make an impact

01:25:45.380 --> 01:25:48.720
and i do appreciate your support thank you so

01:25:48.720 --> 01:25:52.420
much guys i'll see you next time god bless