WEBVTT

00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:04.860
Hey guys and welcome back to the salt not sweetener

00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:09.980
podcast. I am your host Danielle Townsend and

00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:14.820
now guys This episode this topic has been on

00:00:14.820 --> 00:00:18.120
my mind the past couple days in all honesty I

00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:20.980
tried to record this episode a few days ago and

00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:24.039
I literally recorded a whole hour long episode

00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:27.260
and Immediately after I recorded it. I was like,

00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:32.479
no, this isn't it deleted the entire hour worth

00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:36.320
and honestly I'm glad I did because in this time

00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:39.020
period I feel like the Lord has really given

00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:47.820
me a depth to this topic that wasn't present

00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:50.539
in that last episode and there's a little bit

00:00:50.539 --> 00:00:55.479
more of a different direction now that last episode

00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:59.320
I focused more on pruning Right? And we know

00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:05.400
that pruning is part of the process when it comes

00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:08.780
to growth and healing and, you know, pruning

00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:10.700
is when the Lord is breaking those things off

00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:14.260
of you, breaking them down and allowing you to

00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:17.579
develop things like new habits, new coping mechanisms,

00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:21.140
new perspectives that bear fruit. So the episode

00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:26.750
I had recorded focused more on pruning. And I

00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:28.689
feel like the direction the Lord is actually

00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:32.189
more calling me to go in and we will discuss

00:01:32.189 --> 00:01:38.689
pruning y 'all is The promises process is in

00:01:38.689 --> 00:01:41.010
the past couple episodes. We've talked about

00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:43.950
Opposition we've talked about warfare We have

00:01:43.950 --> 00:01:45.989
talked about prophetic words and we have talked

00:01:45.989 --> 00:01:48.290
about the waiting period that comes with receiving

00:01:48.290 --> 00:01:51.290
a word from God But I feel led to do more of

00:01:51.290 --> 00:01:57.750
like an in -depth discussion today on What happens

00:01:57.750 --> 00:02:01.349
when you receive a promise from God? What is

00:02:01.349 --> 00:02:04.329
the process that comes along with that? And I

00:02:04.329 --> 00:02:06.310
know that this episode today is going to be helpful

00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:08.270
for anybody listening There's going to be something

00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:10.669
that you can take out of this whether you have

00:02:10.669 --> 00:02:13.270
just received a word from the Lord Whether you

00:02:13.270 --> 00:02:15.250
have been waiting for weeks on a word from the

00:02:15.250 --> 00:02:17.710
Lord whether whether he's given you a vision

00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:21.349
or a promise and you've been waiting months years,

00:02:21.930 --> 00:02:24.650
whoever you are, whatever part of the process

00:02:24.650 --> 00:02:27.909
you're in this is going to be helpful for you.

00:02:28.189 --> 00:02:30.229
There I want to start by saying there are some

00:02:30.229 --> 00:02:32.849
things that the Lord revealed to me over a year

00:02:32.849 --> 00:02:36.150
ago that I am still waiting to see the full fruition

00:02:36.150 --> 00:02:40.969
of and this has been a great reminder for me

00:02:40.969 --> 00:02:45.849
and an encouragement for me and I pray that whatever

00:02:45.849 --> 00:02:48.409
touches your heart in this episode today that

00:02:48.409 --> 00:02:52.280
it Refreshes you that it replenishes you that

00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:56.039
it renews your mind that it renews your spirit

00:02:56.039 --> 00:02:59.659
Believe it or not y 'all. I'm actually a little

00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:02.259
bit more organized today. I've taken time and

00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:04.659
actually written some things down I really felt

00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:07.039
prompted by the Holy Spirit today to have some

00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:08.979
things already written down You know, I usually

00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:12.659
kind of freestyle with the brock with the brock

00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:16.699
The podcast I'm usually freestyling this whole

00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:21.759
process Where I just get on here and you know

00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:24.659
where the Holy Spirit leads me is Where the Holy

00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:27.560
Spirit leads me and I really just allow the Lord

00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:34.460
To use me and Today was one of those rare days

00:03:34.460 --> 00:03:37.400
that I felt led to have some bullet points down

00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:41.840
have some extra notes to refer back to So I know

00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:45.280
that God intends to do something with this episode

00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:47.879
today. And the first thing I have written down

00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.560
here, y 'all, are promises from God come with

00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:53.979
healing, revealing, and opposition. I don't know

00:03:53.979 --> 00:03:55.419
about y 'all, but most of the time when I get

00:03:55.419 --> 00:03:58.539
a promise from the Lord, the first thing I receive

00:03:58.539 --> 00:04:02.780
is hope, right? When I gave my life to Jesus

00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:06.439
back in California, I've told you all the story

00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:09.340
before, there were some promises that he made

00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:11.699
to me. for example that he was going to change

00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:15.319
my living situation that my past pain was going

00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:17.360
to become testimony that I was going to live

00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:19.899
a life devoted to him and serving him and that

00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:22.220
he was going to impact other people's lives through

00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:26.300
my testimony there were some other things that

00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:29.199
he showed me restoration promises and the very

00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:31.939
first thing that came out of those was hope right

00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:35.079
because I believed I believed in what he spoke

00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:37.910
to me I believed in what he showed me so it gave

00:04:37.910 --> 00:04:40.829
me a hope it kind of gave me a goal to work towards

00:04:40.829 --> 00:04:44.610
right it gave me like a light at the end of what

00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:49.470
felt like a very dark tunnel and what i didn't

00:04:49.470 --> 00:04:53.269
know and i'm honestly glad i didn't know at the

00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:56.889
time is that those kind of promises come along

00:04:56.889 --> 00:05:01.389
with opposition and uncomfortability and hardship

00:05:01.389 --> 00:05:05.250
if god would have told me in all honesty y 'all

00:05:05.670 --> 00:05:08.050
When he made those promises to me that you were

00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:09.790
gonna have to do go through this and go through

00:05:09.790 --> 00:05:11.029
that and go through that I probably would have

00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:13.370
said, you know what? Never mind. No, thank you.

00:05:14.709 --> 00:05:17.129
I Would have gotten overwhelmed scared and dipped

00:05:17.129 --> 00:05:20.689
out So glory be to God. He didn't tell me and

00:05:20.689 --> 00:05:24.129
he took me through the process slowly I'm gonna

00:05:24.129 --> 00:05:28.209
say this again promises from God come with healing

00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:33.259
revealing and opposition Speaking from experience

00:05:33.259 --> 00:05:35.560
in the process because some of those promises

00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:38.420
I have seen God fulfill them. I have seen God

00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:42.040
fulfill them and The other ones I know he is

00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:45.160
working on it and I know it's going to happen

00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.819
one day and his timing I have the faith for that

00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:50.220
and I have seen things already falling into place

00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:56.819
for that glory be to God But in the waiting period

00:05:56.819 --> 00:05:59.720
before I received a lot of those things that

00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:03.220
the Lord promised to me There were areas of me

00:06:03.220 --> 00:06:07.379
that were healed first and those things weren't

00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:12.519
healed until those things were revealed and Those

00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:16.300
things were often revealed through times of spiritual

00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:20.819
opposition God we know that it is in his character

00:06:20.819 --> 00:06:24.410
to use all things for your good and that includes

00:06:24.410 --> 00:06:27.610
opposition whatever warfare you face whatever

00:06:27.610 --> 00:06:29.509
struggles you're going through whatever attacks

00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:34.750
of the enemy god can use those to strengthen

00:06:34.750 --> 00:06:39.389
you god can use those to further you and to help

00:06:39.389 --> 00:06:42.029
you step into your calling he will use them to

00:06:42.029 --> 00:06:45.129
prune you and that is what today's episode is

00:06:45.129 --> 00:06:47.490
really we're going to touch in a lot on how god

00:06:47.490 --> 00:06:49.410
uses the opposition because y 'all we have addressed

00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:53.069
opposition a lot here The pod right like we have

00:06:53.069 --> 00:06:55.610
addressed. How do you identify opposition? How

00:06:55.610 --> 00:06:58.069
does the devil sneak in? How does he manipulate?

00:06:58.170 --> 00:07:00.490
How does he plant seeds? We have spent a lot

00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:04.110
of time focusing in on how to spot warfare how

00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:07.470
to identify warfare and the purpose of the warfare

00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:10.189
from the enemy's perspective But today we're

00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:15.370
going to be talking about how God uses that And

00:07:15.370 --> 00:07:18.250
how the warfare in the opposition is actually

00:07:18.250 --> 00:07:22.779
it's literally the dirt That helps you to grow

00:07:22.779 --> 00:07:25.959
It's literally the footstool. You know how God

00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:28.160
will use your enemies as your footstool This

00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:30.959
opposition is literally your footstool and I

00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:33.639
pray that after listening to this episode today

00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:36.980
You are able to perceive what you are going through

00:07:36.980 --> 00:07:39.240
or what you have been going through in a different

00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:44.660
way Okay It's really important to know this y

00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:49.060
'all when you receive a promise from God you're

00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:53.600
also going to receive inner work and That inner

00:07:53.600 --> 00:08:00.439
work is usually tied to warfare Okay When God

00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:05.079
made a lot of promises to me I I was really hopeful

00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:07.279
right and I was like, okay God where they at

00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.399
where they at where they at and In my private

00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:13.670
time with him. He revealed to me I'm gonna do

00:08:13.670 --> 00:08:16.209
these things for you one day, but you are not

00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:19.730
yet able to steward over them. Basically, God

00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:21.689
was saying these promises are for one day, but

00:08:21.689 --> 00:08:24.529
they're not for right now. If I gave them to

00:08:24.529 --> 00:08:27.689
you now, you wouldn't be able to carry them.

00:08:28.889 --> 00:08:31.910
You wouldn't steward over them well. You were

00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:37.389
not yet prepared for these things. And when the

00:08:37.389 --> 00:08:41.429
Lord revealed that to me, I saw that as an invitation.

00:08:42.230 --> 00:08:45.269
into prayer and preparation. Y 'all, when God

00:08:45.269 --> 00:08:47.649
reveals, when He gives you a promise, when He

00:08:47.649 --> 00:08:49.950
gives you a hope, when He gives you a vision,

00:08:51.529 --> 00:08:54.850
sometimes we take that as like a signal to, okay,

00:08:54.889 --> 00:08:56.649
now I need to force it and now I need to push

00:08:56.649 --> 00:08:58.769
it, now I need to do this. That is not why God

00:08:58.769 --> 00:09:02.950
is revealing that to you. He doesn't reveal something

00:09:02.950 --> 00:09:05.730
for the intent of you to, in your own control,

00:09:06.330 --> 00:09:08.610
force it and work it around and make it happen.

00:09:09.700 --> 00:09:12.740
God revealing something to you is an invitation

00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:18.580
for you to first step pray on it. And often times,

00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:24.740
it's an invitation into preparation, right? It's

00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:29.740
an invitation to prepare yourself. So I saw these

00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:32.639
when God told me, this is what I want to do for

00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:36.620
you, but you're not yet ready for it. I was like,

00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:40.350
okay. God made me that promise that means I can

00:09:40.350 --> 00:09:43.610
get there like if God if God said This is what

00:09:43.610 --> 00:09:46.090
I'm gonna do for you one day. It's our it's been

00:09:46.090 --> 00:09:50.230
it's done So I'm gonna have the faith that that

00:09:50.230 --> 00:09:54.350
is for sure going to happen And if God says I'm

00:09:54.350 --> 00:09:57.070
not ready in my brain I was like, okay Well,

00:09:57.090 --> 00:09:59.389
then God what what needs to happen for me to

00:09:59.389 --> 00:10:01.789
be ready start getting me ready do what you need

00:10:01.789 --> 00:10:07.340
to do within me to make me ready and y 'all when

00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:11.320
I tell you God moved off that prayer it was almost

00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:13.960
instantly I started seeing things about myself

00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:16.259
that needed worked on and I started seeing things

00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:18.240
about myself that needed healed what the more

00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:19.539
I was reading the gospel the more I was like

00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:21.659
yep this part of me doesn't look very Christ

00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:23.779
-like this part of me doesn't align very well

00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:27.279
there were a lot of things that the Lord took

00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:31.559
and like literally broke down and me broke down

00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:36.710
and me and that was the pruning process That

00:10:36.710 --> 00:10:39.110
was the pruning process. We're skipping ahead

00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:41.269
a little bit here y 'all I didn't have pruning

00:10:41.269 --> 00:10:43.250
written down until later, but you know a Holy

00:10:43.250 --> 00:10:45.549
Spirit guiding us right now Pruning is talked

00:10:45.549 --> 00:10:51.149
about in John 15. So while I flip to that I Want

00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:53.690
to tell y 'all just how much the pruning process

00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:57.250
is absolutely crucial Because if you are not

00:10:57.250 --> 00:11:00.169
yet prepared to steward over that blessing a

00:11:00.169 --> 00:11:02.629
blessing from God may end up feeling like a curse

00:11:04.389 --> 00:11:07.950
Crazy, right? But it might. If you do not have

00:11:07.950 --> 00:11:10.529
the capability, because a gift from God comes

00:11:10.529 --> 00:11:13.450
with weight, it comes with an anointing, it comes

00:11:13.450 --> 00:11:16.750
with requirements of like certain fruits of the

00:11:16.750 --> 00:11:18.789
spirit to be able to steward over it long term

00:11:18.789 --> 00:11:23.529
and to use it to glorify God. Because we're not

00:11:23.529 --> 00:11:25.370
talking about just receiving something, we're

00:11:25.370 --> 00:11:27.009
talking about once you receive it, being able

00:11:27.009 --> 00:11:29.889
to steward over it well and use it to glorify

00:11:29.889 --> 00:11:32.110
the kingdom of heaven and use it to like build

00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:37.350
up. For example, there was a there was a job

00:11:37.350 --> 00:11:40.009
that God gave me that God absolutely blessed

00:11:40.009 --> 00:11:41.669
me with because I was not qualified for this

00:11:41.669 --> 00:11:44.149
job on my own God had to work things around for

00:11:44.149 --> 00:11:47.360
me to have that job And by the time I start working

00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:49.019
that job and receiving it, it was an absolute

00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:51.419
blessing for me. I was like, oh my gosh, I get

00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:53.440
to be in God's Word every day. Oh my gosh, I

00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:55.279
get to be around like I'm in a Christ -centered

00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:57.460
environment. Oh my gosh, I get to be around like

00:11:57.460 --> 00:11:59.820
all these different things. But I started thinking

00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:02.179
about it and I was like, yeah, if God would have

00:12:02.179 --> 00:12:05.120
given me that like a year ago when I wasn't focused

00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.220
on Him, when I wasn't craving a Christ -centered

00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:10.799
environment, when I didn't have fruits, when

00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.700
my patience, for example, wasn't... honed in

00:12:14.700 --> 00:12:17.000
as much as it is now. I started looking I was

00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:19.600
like I would instead see this job as like a high

00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.679
stress thing. I wouldn't be glorifying God and

00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:24.080
appreciating it. I would be looking around like

00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:25.919
can I have a different job? Can I have something

00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.600
else? I don't enjoy this. I don't like this.

00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:34.100
If God had given it to me too early it would

00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:36.139
have been a thing that I complained about instead

00:12:36.139 --> 00:12:41.519
of a thing that I rejoiced about. And the pruning

00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:43.860
process is what got me there. Let me tell y 'all,

00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:47.500
the patience, I had to be able to steward over

00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:50.940
that job well. It wasn't just I woke up with

00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:53.779
patience. It was God gave me a lot of opportunities

00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:58.159
to extend my patience. And that came by trials

00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:01.220
and testings and tribulations. And when you're

00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:03.379
facing those trials and those testings and those

00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:05.220
tribulations, you have the opportunity to, okay,

00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:07.940
I'm either going to react impatiently or I'm

00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:10.690
going to react patiently. And I'm gonna pray

00:13:10.690 --> 00:13:14.649
to God for the strength to react patiently. I'm

00:13:14.649 --> 00:13:17.210
gonna get the strength from him. And that is

00:13:17.210 --> 00:13:18.990
a little bit of an example of the pruning process,

00:13:19.090 --> 00:13:21.950
right? Because I wasn't the most impatient person

00:13:21.950 --> 00:13:24.730
in the world, but my patience could definitely

00:13:24.730 --> 00:13:27.549
have been extended. So you can think of it as

00:13:27.549 --> 00:13:30.309
my patience branch was bearing a little bit of

00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:33.629
fruit, but God recognized in order to go into

00:13:33.629 --> 00:13:35.789
the next season, it was gonna need to be capable

00:13:35.789 --> 00:13:38.700
of bearing a lot more fruit than it was. So what

00:13:38.700 --> 00:13:41.059
he did is he allowed me to go through situations

00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:43.240
where my patience had to be grown and my patience

00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:47.340
had to be extended. He cut off my old way of

00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:51.240
coping. He cut off my old way of being patient

00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:57.080
and allowed me to cultivate with him, because

00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:01.460
we don't do anything outside of him, a new branch.

00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.860
I'm going to read this to you all real quick.

00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:09.870
John chapter 15. I am the true vine, and my father

00:14:09.870 --> 00:14:12.350
is the gardener. Every branch in me that does

00:14:12.350 --> 00:14:15.289
not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every

00:14:15.289 --> 00:14:17.470
branch that produces fruit so that it will produce

00:14:17.470 --> 00:14:20.929
more fruit. You are already clean because of

00:14:20.929 --> 00:14:23.730
the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me and

00:14:23.730 --> 00:14:26.669
I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce

00:14:26.669 --> 00:14:28.950
fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine,

00:14:29.570 --> 00:14:32.669
neither can you unless you remain in me. I am

00:14:32.669 --> 00:14:37.539
the vine. You are the branches. The one who remains

00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:39.539
in me and I in him produces much fruit because

00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:42.100
you can do nothing without me. If anyone does

00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:44.159
not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch

00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:46.759
and he withers. They gather them, throw them

00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:49.259
into the fire and they are burned. If you remain

00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:51.980
in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever

00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:54.440
you want and it will be done for you. My father

00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.480
is glorified by this, that you produce much fruit

00:14:57.480 --> 00:15:01.659
and prove to be my disciples. And now I think

00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:03.360
this is very important that we acknowledge here

00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:07.220
that we are not mint. grow these branches we

00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:10.620
are not meant to do anything apart from Jesus

00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:12.639
and that's why I want to be very thoughtful in

00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:16.960
saying like when the Lord cut off my old way

00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:20.659
of being with the intent of me to produce something

00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:26.700
better I was meant to do it with him not apart

00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:30.669
from him It's very tempting when your source

00:15:30.669 --> 00:15:33.289
of comfortability is removed or a habit that

00:15:33.289 --> 00:15:35.350
brought you comfortability or perspective. When

00:15:35.350 --> 00:15:38.429
that is cut off, there is the temptation to go

00:15:38.429 --> 00:15:41.070
out and try to create something yourself. There's

00:15:41.070 --> 00:15:42.769
the temptation to go out and try to find comfort

00:15:42.769 --> 00:15:44.830
in the world. There's a temptation to go out

00:15:44.830 --> 00:15:48.389
and try to handle things in a worldly way. And

00:15:48.389 --> 00:15:51.169
that can even be seen as a testing of your faith,

00:15:51.470 --> 00:15:55.610
right? Do you trust God enough that the answer

00:15:55.610 --> 00:15:59.679
will be found with him and in his word? I can

00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:01.500
tell you all that every time my patience was

00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:04.440
put to the test, I didn't find comfortability

00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:06.460
in outside sources and distractions or things

00:16:06.460 --> 00:16:10.720
like that. My true comfort and my hope, my hope

00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:15.539
was found in Christ. And the patience I have

00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:18.860
now, sometimes is supernaturally given to me

00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:22.720
by Christ. There are things I can sit through

00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:26.860
and tolerate now. Like without having an explosion

00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:31.679
or break down or throwing in the towel that a

00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:35.000
year ago I would not have been able to go through

00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.559
I would not and especially two years ago. I Think

00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:41.159
it's very important that we acknowledge this

00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.960
that the habits the coping mechanisms the things

00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:50.419
that we develop are meant to be with like a reflection

00:16:50.419 --> 00:16:55.139
of Christ Jesus So, your coping mechanism, the

00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:59.379
way that you handle warfare, the fruit that you're

00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:03.659
producing should look like Christ. It should

00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:07.460
be a reflection of Him, right? We know some of

00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:11.180
the fruits of the Spirit, love, patience, peace,

00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:18.960
joy. These things should reflect Christ. I think

00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:20.559
there's someone out here today who needed to

00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.900
hear that. that Christ isn't like cutting these

00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:26.680
things off of you and intending for you to go

00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:29.420
out and find new ways and new methods in the

00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:33.200
world. He's intending for you to go to Him and

00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:34.980
be replenished through Him. That's why I will

00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:36.599
always say when you're dealing with warfare,

00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:38.240
when you're dealing with opposition, the answer

00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:41.720
is in distractions. It's not in busy work. It's

00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:44.480
not in relationships with other people. It's

00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:47.619
not in numbing the pain. It's not in the drinks,

00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:49.640
the smoking. It's not in the exercise. It's not

00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:51.140
in all those things. I'm not saying that those

00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:52.859
things are... I'm not saying that things like

00:17:52.859 --> 00:17:58.480
exercise or a relationship is bad. But that shouldn't

00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.500
be your go -to. Your go -to should always be

00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:03.359
Christ. Christ should always be first in your

00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:05.680
life. Christ should be your first therapist.

00:18:06.700 --> 00:18:09.480
Christ should be your first friend. Christ should

00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:15.809
be... your first advisor. And I've shared this

00:18:15.809 --> 00:18:17.490
from experience that at one point in my life,

00:18:17.609 --> 00:18:19.509
Christ called me to leave behind all of my coping

00:18:19.509 --> 00:18:22.089
mechanisms. Called me to leave behind smoking,

00:18:22.230 --> 00:18:23.730
drinking, called me to leave behind new age,

00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:25.490
called me to leave behind gossiping, called me

00:18:25.490 --> 00:18:27.450
to leave behind all these things. And I was like,

00:18:27.630 --> 00:18:29.349
well, what's going to fill the void? What's going

00:18:29.349 --> 00:18:31.750
to fill my anxiety? What's going to help me sleep

00:18:31.750 --> 00:18:33.269
at night? What's going to bring me peace? What's

00:18:33.269 --> 00:18:35.190
going to distract me? And Christ said, try me.

00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:39.000
Come to me and watch what happens. And in the

00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:40.480
times when I was tempted to go back to those

00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:42.700
old things, I chose to go to Jesus instead. When

00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:44.279
I was stressed and anxious, I chose to go to

00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:46.500
God's Word. And I found a peace that surpassed

00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:48.920
all understanding. When something was happening

00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:50.720
and I was really uncomfortable and the unknown,

00:18:51.099 --> 00:18:55.059
I went to Jesus about it. And he gave me a peace

00:18:55.059 --> 00:19:00.720
that he hasn't handled. Whoever you are listening

00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.039
to stay you need to hear these hardships are

00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:06.099
not the hardships opposition whatever warfare

00:19:06.099 --> 00:19:08.480
you're facing whatever whatever uncomfortability

00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:11.059
you're in right now because Growth comes with

00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:13.200
uncomfortability and the cutting off requires

00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:15.299
a stepping into the unknown, right? When the

00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:17.420
Lord is pruning something out of our life We're

00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:20.180
left in a little while of like an unsure space

00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:23.039
before that new thing really grows and develops

00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:25.160
We're left kind of like where do we go? And what

00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:28.039
do we do and I want to tell you today that question

00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:32.710
is Jesus Be in God's presence be in his word

00:19:32.710 --> 00:19:36.910
Be reading the Bible be worshiping be praising

00:19:36.910 --> 00:19:39.289
be in a space of prayer If you don't know what

00:19:39.289 --> 00:19:42.230
to do go to him and even if you think you know

00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:45.269
what to do go to him We believe not on our own

00:19:45.269 --> 00:19:50.349
understanding So if you've received a promise

00:19:50.349 --> 00:19:52.809
from God you can bet that you're also going to

00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:56.809
see a pruning season Okay, you can think of the

00:19:56.809 --> 00:19:59.819
pruning The pruning really is cutting out habits,

00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:03.099
methods, thought processes, maybe even relationships,

00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:06.160
friendships, connections. Because God intends

00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:09.339
for you to go into a new season, right? But this

00:20:09.339 --> 00:20:14.180
new season comes with a new weight. There's a

00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.299
saying I used to hear in new levels, new devils,

00:20:16.460 --> 00:20:19.000
and that is not... Word for word in the Bible.

00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.180
I want to be very clear But what people mean

00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:23.519
when they say that is when you go into a new

00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:25.960
space, you're gonna face new challenges You're

00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.000
gonna face new opposition and that's because

00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:33.180
you're walking in With like a new level of responsibility

00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:38.039
with a new with a new weight, right? When you're

00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:41.240
walking into an upgrade from God whether that

00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:45.019
is there's a career Promise for you a marriage

00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:47.960
restoration a relationship restoration, you know,

00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:50.900
whether it's something to do with ministry Whatever

00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:53.960
that next thing that you're stepping into That's

00:20:53.960 --> 00:21:01.380
an increase, right? You have to be able to not

00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:05.259
only like receive that increase but be able to

00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:08.960
continue to hold it and build on it and Oftentimes

00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:14.859
to go into the new season You have to have new

00:21:14.859 --> 00:21:17.200
ways of handling things, new ways of working

00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:19.619
through things, new ways of sorting through things.

00:21:19.660 --> 00:21:21.640
That is why the pruning process is so important,

00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:24.180
right? because god before you walk through that

00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:26.000
door god is looking at you and saying this isn't

00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:28.019
going to do well in that next season this isn't

00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:29.880
going to bear fruit this isn't going to be able

00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:31.440
to hold this weight this isn't going to be able

00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:33.920
so before you go into that i'm going to clip

00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.240
this out i'm going to snip this out i'm going

00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.099
to remove this and honestly y 'all that is relationships

00:21:39.099 --> 00:21:41.380
too there are some friendships relationships

00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:43.059
connections people you're close with right now

00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:44.859
that if you are close with them in the next season

00:21:44.859 --> 00:21:48.099
they would be the opposition they would be that

00:21:48.099 --> 00:21:50.460
thing that's constantly the thorn in your side

00:21:50.829 --> 00:21:52.650
The foot in the door, that thing that's dragging

00:21:52.650 --> 00:21:56.150
you back by the ankle. There have been times

00:21:56.150 --> 00:21:58.529
when before I have been able to step into a promise,

00:21:58.930 --> 00:22:00.910
there are boundaries I have to put up with certain

00:22:00.910 --> 00:22:03.349
people. Because God knew if those people were

00:22:03.349 --> 00:22:04.809
as close with me in the next season, they would

00:22:04.809 --> 00:22:09.390
take advantage of me. They would be used to plant

00:22:09.390 --> 00:22:11.130
seeds of doubt and fear. And remember, we're

00:22:11.130 --> 00:22:14.690
checking the spirit behind it. There's a spirit

00:22:14.690 --> 00:22:17.480
behind. the action we're not just looking at

00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.180
the people we're looking at the spirit offering

00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:21.599
behind them and we know that that is the enemy

00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:27.940
working in working against God's plan but there

00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:30.000
are times before you're able to go through that

00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:32.079
next door God is going to say you got to have

00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:35.420
boundaries you got to have a different circle

00:22:35.420 --> 00:22:38.440
you got to have different voices because the

00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:40.779
voices you're entertaining now will be detrimental

00:22:40.779 --> 00:22:45.559
to you in the next season The pruning process,

00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:47.700
although it's painful and it's uncomfortable,

00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:52.980
is so absolutely necessary. It's so absolutely

00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:56.920
necessary. And it's important to remember that

00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:59.079
the pain that you experience right now through

00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:02.900
that cannot match the joy that is coming on the

00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:07.319
other side. Now, what does the pruning look like?

00:23:07.380 --> 00:23:10.180
Like, how does this pruning? I will be the first

00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:13.640
to say, y 'all. That sometimes this pruning comes

00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:17.299
through opposition through warfare through tactics

00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:20.759
of the enemy God uses everything for your good

00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:23.140
and sometimes the pruning process has looked

00:23:23.140 --> 00:23:25.980
like I sit down and I'm in my journal and I'm

00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:27.960
like God like what do we and he and as I'm reading

00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:31.180
something I'm like, oh I do that. Oh, that's

00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:33.359
an unhealthy coping mechanism That's an unhealthy

00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:36.140
view and there's sometimes it's just you're sitting

00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:38.140
down and in prayer time and quiet time with him

00:23:38.140 --> 00:23:40.059
He reveals these things to me and we work on

00:23:40.059 --> 00:23:45.500
him the other times It looks like in the real

00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:50.079
world in life Going through a day by day and

00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:53.839
something just triggers me It's some kind of

00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:55.960
attack. It's some kind of warfare. It's some

00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:59.480
kind of opposition and It pulls out a side of

00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:01.079
me or a part of me where I'm like who I don't

00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:08.940
like that. Oh That's not Christ like Opposition

00:24:09.369 --> 00:24:15.390
can be used by God for your pruning. And I want

00:24:15.390 --> 00:24:18.670
to give y 'all one example of that, right? And

00:24:18.670 --> 00:24:23.849
we can look at Abraham and Sarah. God gave Abraham

00:24:23.849 --> 00:24:27.109
a promise. You're gonna be the father of nations.

00:24:27.470 --> 00:24:29.890
One day you're gonna have a child. It was the

00:24:29.890 --> 00:24:32.190
big promise that Abraham was already like, okay.

00:24:32.490 --> 00:24:35.210
Because Abraham was old by the time he got this

00:24:35.210 --> 00:24:38.450
promise, y 'all. but by the time he ended up

00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:39.990
having especially by the time he ended up having

00:24:39.990 --> 00:24:43.210
his child he believed to be like as good as dead

00:24:43.210 --> 00:24:47.690
like his body wise not very fertile and his wife

00:24:47.690 --> 00:24:50.250
was like a hundred years old she should have

00:24:50.250 --> 00:24:54.390
been barren so it was already like a long shot

00:24:54.390 --> 00:24:56.089
when he received this promise that you were going

00:24:56.089 --> 00:24:59.490
to be a father and oftentimes when God gives

00:24:59.490 --> 00:25:01.390
us a promise y 'all it doesn't happen the next

00:25:01.390 --> 00:25:04.269
day even the next week there are a lot of times

00:25:04.269 --> 00:25:06.210
when God will give us a promise or reveal something

00:25:06.210 --> 00:25:09.289
to us months before it happens years before it

00:25:09.289 --> 00:25:13.250
happens because as I said the promise is an invitation

00:25:13.250 --> 00:25:17.369
into prayer and preparation and it was roughly

00:25:17.369 --> 00:25:21.630
20 years in between Abraham receiving that promise

00:25:21.630 --> 00:25:23.650
and Abraham actually having that son and he had

00:25:23.650 --> 00:25:26.150
a hiccup in between and this is what we're gonna

00:25:26.150 --> 00:25:31.980
look in on right because opposition is also able

00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:35.420
to be used as like a testing of our faith to

00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:39.099
reveal where we're at, what we need to adjust,

00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:41.579
what we need to work on. And if you're like,

00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:43.400
Danielle, where's the scripture for that? Like,

00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:47.599
where is the scripture that like, you know, God

00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:50.279
allows us to be tested? I wanna read this to

00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:52.660
you real quick. 1 Peter, and we're gonna start

00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:57.509
in 1 Peter verse six. you rejoice in this even

00:25:57.509 --> 00:26:01.650
though now for a short time if necessary you

00:26:01.650 --> 00:26:04.930
suffer grief in various trials so that the proven

00:26:04.930 --> 00:26:08.269
character of your faith more valuable than gold

00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:13.190
though perishable is refined by fire may result

00:26:13.190 --> 00:26:16.710
in praise glory and honor at the revelation of

00:26:16.710 --> 00:26:20.250
Jesus Christ sometimes it's necessary for us

00:26:20.250 --> 00:26:22.170
to go through opposition for us to go through

00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:27.170
suffering grief trials Because this will produce

00:26:27.170 --> 00:26:30.950
this will what these trials and testings do What

00:26:30.950 --> 00:26:33.650
these trials and testings do is they kind of

00:26:33.650 --> 00:26:36.869
reveal where our faith is at, right? They reveal

00:26:36.869 --> 00:26:40.069
where our faith is at and When we see where our

00:26:40.069 --> 00:26:42.109
faith is that we can see oh, wow. I have come

00:26:42.109 --> 00:26:45.009
so far in this area We have really grown here.

00:26:45.210 --> 00:26:47.990
But also we may see this area needs some work.

00:26:48.130 --> 00:26:52.609
This area needs some growth It's refining our

00:26:52.609 --> 00:26:55.859
faith we may think our faith is good and we may

00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:57.819
think our faith is rooted but we don't actually

00:26:57.819 --> 00:27:01.799
know where our faith is at until we're put in

00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:04.559
a situation where we have to rely on our faith

00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:07.099
and stand on our faith and this was a situation

00:27:07.099 --> 00:27:11.299
that Abraham was put in okay Abraham and Sarah

00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:13.160
they they've received the promise and they're

00:27:13.160 --> 00:27:17.200
like 10 years in they're waiting well but this

00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:20.420
is where the doubts and the lies start coming

00:27:20.420 --> 00:27:25.349
in right They start believing the doubts of the

00:27:25.349 --> 00:27:27.450
enemy. They start believing the lies of the enemy

00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:29.609
They start believing the manipulation of the

00:27:29.609 --> 00:27:32.890
enemy. What did the enemy the devil say to Eve

00:27:32.890 --> 00:27:35.529
in the garden? He said did God really say that

00:27:35.529 --> 00:27:37.569
when she was rooted in when she was standing

00:27:37.569 --> 00:27:39.410
on business of God said I can't eat from that

00:27:39.410 --> 00:27:42.269
tree God said you shall die the enemy's first

00:27:42.269 --> 00:27:44.589
thing he did was he started to get her to doubt

00:27:44.589 --> 00:27:47.869
what God said and That God wanted her to wait

00:27:47.869 --> 00:27:51.990
on him and to trust in his word Like the enemy

00:27:51.990 --> 00:27:56.049
wanted her to start doubting, right? So he said,

00:27:56.170 --> 00:27:59.869
did God really say that? And we see here with

00:27:59.869 --> 00:28:02.769
Abraham and Sarah, right? They're waiting for

00:28:02.769 --> 00:28:07.089
a while and they start to entertain the idea

00:28:07.089 --> 00:28:11.349
of, well, God only said it had to come from Abraham.

00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:14.390
He never said that Abraham had to have the child

00:28:14.390 --> 00:28:21.599
with Sarah. God never said it was Sarah and Abraham's.

00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:26.539
He only said it was Abraham's. And they started

00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:29.920
entertaining that. And because they entertained

00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:32.319
that voice, because they entertained those thoughts,

00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:34.299
when we know if they would have held it up to

00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:36.259
God's character, God isn't calling Abraham to

00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:39.619
cheat on his wife. God is not calling Abraham

00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:47.059
to go into adultery, okay? But because they were

00:28:47.059 --> 00:28:50.140
listening lies of the enemy doubts fear that

00:28:50.140 --> 00:28:52.500
is a form of opposition because they started

00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:56.099
entertaining that He ended up falling into the

00:28:56.099 --> 00:28:58.779
temptation of taking Sarah's handmaiden. I believe

00:28:58.779 --> 00:29:03.539
her name was Hagar hooking up with her and they

00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:11.660
had a baby and That baby came with a lot of drama

00:29:11.660 --> 00:29:14.240
that whole situation came with a lot of drama

00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:16.279
and a lot of things that God Didn't intend for

00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:18.980
him to have to go through But God knew he was

00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:22.160
gonna go through God already knew he was gonna

00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:25.920
go sideways like that because God is all -knowing

00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.660
and we see that Abraham has to reflect on that

00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:32.079
and has to repent and understands where he went

00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:35.480
wrong and he has to humble himself before God

00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:41.160
and God works the situation out then Abraham

00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:46.440
has the opportunity to wait again and then eventually

00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:50.119
he sees blessing him and Sarah but what we see

00:29:50.119 --> 00:29:54.500
here is this was Abraham was standing on faith

00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:59.039
until he wasn't right the opposition opened the

00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:02.400
door and he fell into the temptation of believing

00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:05.480
the lies and the doubt of the enemy and because

00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:09.240
he fell into that you know him falling into that

00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:14.619
Was a revealing moment for him because he was

00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:18.000
able to see the areas where the enemy could kind

00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:20.779
of get through and He could see the areas where

00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:23.700
his faith fell short and where his belief in

00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:29.240
God and God's ability to do it fell short Where

00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:31.680
he his faith that God could do it and require

00:30:31.680 --> 00:30:34.380
him not to sin? Require him not to cheat on his

00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:37.079
wife require him not to do any of that fell short

00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:41.339
in that area And we see that God is merciful

00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:44.259
and gracious and gave him another opportunity.

00:30:44.380 --> 00:30:46.740
God didn't rip the promise away. God was like,

00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:48.819
yeah, he fell short. He fell into this, but the

00:30:48.819 --> 00:30:51.720
promise still stands. I will still do this for

00:30:51.720 --> 00:30:57.180
you. And this time around, Abraham waited on

00:30:57.180 --> 00:31:03.200
God. Opposition will reveal where our faith falls

00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:08.609
short. Opposition will reveal The space is where

00:31:08.609 --> 00:31:11.289
we're lacking. I didn't plan on mentioning this

00:31:11.289 --> 00:31:15.069
but look at Peter Where Jesus Peter loved Jesus

00:31:15.069 --> 00:31:18.029
and Peter was so convinced that he's like I will

00:31:18.029 --> 00:31:21.970
die for you and I will never deny you and then

00:31:21.970 --> 00:31:27.930
Jesus says You're gonna deny me three times And

00:31:27.930 --> 00:31:29.990
Peter was like no way no way that's not gonna

00:31:29.990 --> 00:31:33.109
happen And then he was put in the situation and

00:31:33.109 --> 00:31:39.130
when he was put in the situation To say I'm a

00:31:39.130 --> 00:31:41.750
follower of Jesus no matter what no matter the

00:31:41.750 --> 00:31:47.190
persecution and to be like ten toes down And

00:31:47.190 --> 00:31:51.430
instead of doing that in that moment he denied

00:31:51.430 --> 00:31:55.470
Jesus three times and That was a revealing moment

00:31:55.470 --> 00:31:59.029
for Peter that he may not have been as Bold or

00:31:59.029 --> 00:32:01.609
confident or rooted as he believed he would be

00:32:01.609 --> 00:32:03.490
and remembering all this was before the Holy

00:32:03.490 --> 00:32:06.380
Spirit was given to us because you know Jesus

00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:09.640
had to leave and Then the helper could come so

00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:12.000
that this was that period before the Holy Spirit

00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:15.160
was dwelling within us before that was gifted

00:32:15.160 --> 00:32:22.480
to us And we see how much Sadness Peter had when

00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:26.500
that happened and Sometimes when we face opposition

00:32:26.500 --> 00:32:28.579
and a thing like that is revealed when it's revealed

00:32:28.579 --> 00:32:31.859
that we fell short in an area There is a temptation

00:32:31.859 --> 00:32:35.380
to fall into the grief and the despair and the

00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:41.660
sadness right we oftentimes see people compare

00:32:41.660 --> 00:32:45.279
judas and peter because judas also betrayed jesus

00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:50.799
but judas didn't go and repent he he felt grief

00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:55.299
and he felt sad and he felt guilty and sure he

00:32:55.299 --> 00:33:01.079
threw that money back but he he ended his life

00:33:01.790 --> 00:33:05.849
that grief he was drowned out by that grief by

00:33:05.849 --> 00:33:08.250
that pain and by that suffering and Peter was

00:33:08.250 --> 00:33:15.529
also feeling grief and sadness you know he repented

00:33:15.529 --> 00:33:19.190
and he didn't submit to the condemnation the

00:33:19.190 --> 00:33:22.970
enemy when we inevitably fall short because as

00:33:22.970 --> 00:33:24.869
followers of Christ we're gonna fall short when

00:33:24.869 --> 00:33:26.950
we're faced with testing and trials and tribulation

00:33:26.950 --> 00:33:29.609
God doesn't expect us to pass the test every

00:33:29.609 --> 00:33:33.759
single time He'll allow us to face testings knowing

00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:36.559
that we're going to fail because he knows that

00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:39.619
it will reveal an area to us and where we need

00:33:39.619 --> 00:33:44.279
to grow. He will allow us to sometimes face tests

00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:47.000
that he knows we're going to fall short in because

00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:49.259
it will be revealing and it will actually be

00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:54.559
used to further our growth. That's why we say

00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:58.059
that condemnation is from the enemy, conviction

00:33:58.059 --> 00:34:00.670
is from God. because conviction will tell you

00:34:00.670 --> 00:34:03.109
hey you went wrong hey you went away hey you

00:34:03.109 --> 00:34:07.130
fell short but there is redemption and you can

00:34:07.130 --> 00:34:10.150
do better repent and submit your life to Jesus

00:34:10.150 --> 00:34:13.429
allow him to guide you and what condemnation

00:34:13.429 --> 00:34:15.429
says is you failed too many times you've fallen

00:34:15.429 --> 00:34:17.449
short too many times oh you did wrong there's

00:34:17.449 --> 00:34:19.349
no turning back like there's there's no up from

00:34:19.349 --> 00:34:21.929
here there's no better from here and unfortunately

00:34:21.929 --> 00:34:25.909
like it seems like that's what Judas fell into

00:34:25.909 --> 00:34:30.369
and someone listening to us say you may need

00:34:30.369 --> 00:34:36.449
to hear that although you've maybe fallen into

00:34:36.449 --> 00:34:41.090
fallen short in the testing a situation where

00:34:41.090 --> 00:34:42.369
you thought you're gonna handle it really well

00:34:42.369 --> 00:34:44.389
and you didn't handle it well situation where

00:34:44.389 --> 00:34:45.929
you're like man I should have known that was

00:34:45.929 --> 00:34:48.050
deception man I should have known that was a

00:34:48.050 --> 00:34:54.710
lie I pray that this helps you today don't submit

00:34:54.710 --> 00:34:59.860
to that Remember that there's hope in Christ

00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:01.619
Jesus and wherever you fall in short, he can

00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:03.900
redeem you and he can restore you You just have

00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:10.260
to trust him and give it to him The righteous

00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:14.619
they fall down the God lifts them up they get

00:35:14.619 --> 00:35:21.579
right back up So this I feel kind of kind of

00:35:21.579 --> 00:35:29.489
goes into how God uses the opposition to grow

00:35:29.489 --> 00:35:33.730
you and to develop you because when the enemy

00:35:33.730 --> 00:35:35.969
when the enemy is using these weapons when the

00:35:35.969 --> 00:35:37.929
enemy is attacking you when the enemy is delaying

00:35:37.929 --> 00:35:40.349
you the enemy isn't doing it in hopes it helps

00:35:40.349 --> 00:35:42.489
you he's doing it in hopes it blocks you destroys

00:35:42.489 --> 00:35:45.309
you delays you he comes to he steals kills and

00:35:45.309 --> 00:35:48.530
destroys and he does that through lies and deception

00:35:48.530 --> 00:35:51.489
and however he can do it but that's what he wants

00:35:51.489 --> 00:35:56.619
to do is he wants to steal kill and destroy And

00:35:56.619 --> 00:35:59.199
God will see these attempts to steal kill and

00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:02.400
destroy to steal your purpose to kill your faith

00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:07.320
To destroy the hope you have in God to try to

00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:11.440
destroy your salvation To try to destroy your

00:36:11.440 --> 00:36:15.019
belief in that but there's hope in Jesus Christ

00:36:15.019 --> 00:36:22.840
That is the enemy's motive but God will use it

00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:29.590
To heal you to reveal Here's another way that

00:36:29.590 --> 00:36:31.769
God uses opposition. He will use it to reveal

00:36:31.769 --> 00:36:35.670
the people around you and Not enough people realize

00:36:35.670 --> 00:36:38.989
this You know, there's a scripture that says

00:36:38.989 --> 00:36:41.989
that you shall know them by their fruit and that's

00:36:41.989 --> 00:36:44.889
discussing false prophets Right and how you can

00:36:44.889 --> 00:36:46.469
tell the difference like does their doctrine

00:36:46.469 --> 00:36:51.469
match up with Christ's doctrine? You shall know

00:36:51.469 --> 00:36:52.929
them by their fruits what kind of fruits are

00:36:52.929 --> 00:36:55.269
they producing we know the fruits of the spirit

00:36:55.269 --> 00:37:08.679
love peace patience Joy kindness And Speaking

00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:10.840
from personal experience now to be so thoughtful

00:37:10.840 --> 00:37:12.559
with the way I say this Holy Spirit helped me

00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:18.340
to where this God will use Opposition he will

00:37:18.340 --> 00:37:21.960
use the weapons forming against you to reveal

00:37:21.960 --> 00:37:25.840
your anointing I Want to start off with that

00:37:25.840 --> 00:37:30.920
one to reveal your anointing If God has anointed

00:37:30.920 --> 00:37:32.860
you for a position, if He has anointed you for

00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:34.860
an assignment, if He has given you a calling,

00:37:34.920 --> 00:37:36.400
you're not going to have to run around and tell

00:37:36.400 --> 00:37:38.039
everyone this is my calling and this is what

00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:41.900
I'm meant to do. God will speak for you. And

00:37:41.900 --> 00:37:43.920
oftentimes He will speak through the opposition.

00:37:44.739 --> 00:37:47.579
Because we know through reading scripture, how

00:37:47.579 --> 00:37:51.119
many times does God's calling come along with

00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:54.340
opposition? When someone's doing something that

00:37:54.340 --> 00:37:56.679
God calls them to do, inevitably there is opposition.

00:37:57.460 --> 00:38:00.610
Opposition? By people who know the Word and by

00:38:00.610 --> 00:38:03.849
people who are able to, who know the Holy Spirit,

00:38:04.349 --> 00:38:09.989
who know Christ Jesus, we'll be able to see and

00:38:09.989 --> 00:38:13.070
discern that opposition. Don't get me wrong,

00:38:13.150 --> 00:38:14.309
y 'all. There are sometimes people who are going

00:38:14.309 --> 00:38:16.369
through pain and suffering because of the consequences

00:38:16.369 --> 00:38:18.949
of their own actions. When we live a life disobedient

00:38:18.949 --> 00:38:20.989
to God, when we are living in wickedness, when

00:38:20.989 --> 00:38:23.570
we are living, there is pain and suffering that

00:38:23.570 --> 00:38:27.110
comes along with that. And there are some pain

00:38:27.110 --> 00:38:28.650
and suffering I've experienced in my life that

00:38:28.650 --> 00:38:34.670
was because of my poor decision -making. When

00:38:34.670 --> 00:38:38.210
you gossip, lie, and slander. For example, if

00:38:38.210 --> 00:38:41.489
you gossip, lie, and slander, and then it gets

00:38:41.489 --> 00:38:43.510
revealed that you're gossiping and lying and

00:38:43.510 --> 00:38:45.530
slandering, that's a consequence of your own

00:38:45.530 --> 00:38:47.349
action. If people don't want to be friends with

00:38:47.349 --> 00:38:49.409
you, or people don't want to be around you because

00:38:49.409 --> 00:38:53.130
all you do is gossip, lie, and slander, that's

00:38:53.130 --> 00:38:56.710
not... Warfare of the enemy that's a consequence

00:38:56.710 --> 00:39:02.210
of your own action Right and that's just an example

00:39:02.210 --> 00:39:04.769
coming from someone who I was a big gossiper

00:39:04.769 --> 00:39:07.730
I was a big and there were people who didn't

00:39:07.730 --> 00:39:08.869
want to be friends with me or didn't want to

00:39:08.869 --> 00:39:11.090
be around me because they Didn't tell me any

00:39:11.090 --> 00:39:18.230
business You know, I remember when I when I gave

00:39:18.230 --> 00:39:20.949
my life to Jesus I I've met a lot of people there

00:39:20.949 --> 00:39:23.739
were a lot of people who were frustrated. This

00:39:23.739 --> 00:39:25.300
was something that the Lord had really highlighted

00:39:25.300 --> 00:39:27.760
to me and it was helping me to discern a bit

00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:29.519
of the difference between warfare and consequences

00:39:29.519 --> 00:39:32.000
of their own actions. Because there were some

00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:35.019
people who were, they genuinely felt like a victim

00:39:35.019 --> 00:39:39.219
and they genuinely felt like other people were

00:39:39.219 --> 00:39:41.719
in the wrong because they got caught relying.

00:39:43.639 --> 00:39:45.780
That was a trend. There were multiple people

00:39:45.780 --> 00:39:49.039
around me who, it was around that time I was

00:39:49.039 --> 00:39:50.760
giving my life to Christ when I started walking

00:39:50.760 --> 00:39:53.139
in truth. and I started seeing God's ability

00:39:53.139 --> 00:39:55.440
to reveal and there were multiple people who

00:39:55.440 --> 00:40:01.019
had been lying a lot and a lot and a lot and

00:40:01.019 --> 00:40:04.159
some of their lies were coming out right and

00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:05.820
it was coming out the things that they were saying

00:40:05.820 --> 00:40:07.320
were lies or things that they were believing

00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:10.679
were lies and they were losing the ground that

00:40:10.679 --> 00:40:13.090
they had gained They were experiencing people

00:40:13.090 --> 00:40:14.550
not wanting to talk to them or people not wanting

00:40:14.550 --> 00:40:17.030
to be friends with them or you know Just they

00:40:17.030 --> 00:40:19.329
were experiencing consequences because of that

00:40:19.329 --> 00:40:21.969
and instead of taking responsibility for they

00:40:21.969 --> 00:40:24.710
lied and they did wrong and is a consequence

00:40:24.710 --> 00:40:27.309
of their own action they were looking at it as

00:40:27.309 --> 00:40:29.610
Warfare and other people being the problem and

00:40:29.610 --> 00:40:31.309
other people attacking them and other people

00:40:31.309 --> 00:40:33.730
hurting them and other people Y 'all, there are

00:40:33.730 --> 00:40:35.829
times in our life when we are experiencing warfare

00:40:35.829 --> 00:40:37.570
and opposition, but there are also times in our

00:40:37.570 --> 00:40:39.409
life when we are just experiencing consequences

00:40:39.409 --> 00:40:42.230
for our bad decision -making skills and our inability

00:40:42.230 --> 00:40:45.469
to own up and our inability to walk in the way

00:40:45.469 --> 00:40:47.630
that God is calling us to. And I want to be so

00:40:47.630 --> 00:40:49.309
clear that you have the opportunity, if that

00:40:49.309 --> 00:40:52.230
is you, if you fall into that category, you too

00:40:52.230 --> 00:40:55.630
can be restored. You too can be redeemed. It

00:40:55.630 --> 00:40:58.389
requires submitting yourself to Christ and submitting

00:40:58.389 --> 00:41:03.260
yourself to his word, humbling yourself. is possible

00:41:03.260 --> 00:41:10.579
there is no condemnation here okay but the way

00:41:10.579 --> 00:41:15.579
that you choose to respond this was where we

00:41:15.579 --> 00:41:17.579
were going at y 'all the way that you choose

00:41:17.579 --> 00:41:25.880
to respond responding in Christ -like ways What

00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:28.280
can actually reveal the people around you that

00:41:28.280 --> 00:41:30.199
aren't exactly Christ -like I remember there's

00:41:30.199 --> 00:41:31.699
a time in my life when God gave me a promise

00:41:31.699 --> 00:41:34.820
that he was like I'm gonna restore you and I'm

00:41:34.820 --> 00:41:36.880
gonna redeem you and at the time when Christ

00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:39.500
gave me that promise there was like a lot of

00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:41.780
lies being believed about me there was a lot

00:41:41.780 --> 00:41:44.960
of deception and The way I was being viewed by

00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:47.019
a lot of people was worked and people weren't

00:41:47.019 --> 00:41:49.260
seeing me They weren't seeing my intention. They

00:41:49.260 --> 00:41:51.559
weren't they weren't seeing Christ in me. They

00:41:51.559 --> 00:41:55.329
weren't any of that and all I wanted was to go

00:41:55.329 --> 00:41:57.730
and speak it for myself and to like reveal it

00:41:57.730 --> 00:42:00.090
and to do all these things and I remember God

00:42:00.090 --> 00:42:02.269
saying the way you live your life is gonna be

00:42:02.269 --> 00:42:05.869
revealing enough and I didn't understand what

00:42:05.869 --> 00:42:09.369
that meant at the time and looking back now I

00:42:09.369 --> 00:42:12.449
do where it's the fruits will speak for themselves

00:42:12.449 --> 00:42:16.530
the fruits will speak for themselves you know

00:42:16.530 --> 00:42:18.449
there there are people since God has given me

00:42:18.449 --> 00:42:20.730
that promise that I have had relationships restored

00:42:21.409 --> 00:42:24.710
I've had reputation restored and there are people

00:42:24.710 --> 00:42:27.110
who have honestly spoken to me that they're like

00:42:27.110 --> 00:42:29.469
yeah I believed you were this way and I believe

00:42:29.469 --> 00:42:31.329
these things about you and these lies about you

00:42:31.329 --> 00:42:33.730
and these things about you but just by seeing

00:42:33.730 --> 00:42:36.309
how you respond in life just by seeing how you

00:42:36.309 --> 00:42:38.630
operate just by seeing how you respond to daily

00:42:38.630 --> 00:42:42.489
challenges just by seeing how you you react differently

00:42:42.489 --> 00:42:45.409
now like I can see that Christ is working in

00:42:45.409 --> 00:42:49.389
you like people the lies fell off they stopped

00:42:49.389 --> 00:42:51.820
believing him just based off of the decisions

00:42:51.820 --> 00:42:55.739
I was making in my daily life. How instead of

00:42:55.739 --> 00:42:57.900
getting angrier, feeding into drama, I chose

00:42:57.900 --> 00:43:00.500
to be at peace, do my best to live peaceably,

00:43:00.639 --> 00:43:03.780
and how I would separate myself and just go into

00:43:03.780 --> 00:43:06.360
prayer time, how I chose to live apart from the

00:43:06.360 --> 00:43:11.460
world. They saw in Christ working in me, and

00:43:11.460 --> 00:43:14.280
me looking more Christ -like, the fruits I was

00:43:14.280 --> 00:43:17.760
producing, the fruits of the Spirit, they were

00:43:17.760 --> 00:43:25.449
able to see who I truly was. And they were also

00:43:25.449 --> 00:43:27.889
able to see, because they were able to see that,

00:43:28.449 --> 00:43:30.550
they were able to see some of the fruits being

00:43:30.550 --> 00:43:34.130
produced around me that weren't very Christ -like.

00:43:38.210 --> 00:43:41.920
God sometimes will use that opposition to reveal

00:43:41.920 --> 00:43:45.780
your anointing, to reveal who you are, and to

00:43:45.780 --> 00:43:48.599
expose things around you or people around you

00:43:48.599 --> 00:43:50.320
that might not be the most Christ -like. There's

00:43:50.320 --> 00:43:51.980
a reason why and you can read it multiple times

00:43:51.980 --> 00:43:54.880
in scripture, especially in Psalms. I believe

00:43:54.880 --> 00:43:59.619
is it Psalm 6 or Psalm 7 where it literally talks

00:43:59.619 --> 00:44:03.320
about enemies falling on their own sword when

00:44:03.320 --> 00:44:05.980
people set up traps and they fall into their

00:44:05.980 --> 00:44:12.539
own traps. How many times were in the gospel

00:44:12.539 --> 00:44:16.340
were the Pharisees asking questions to Jesus

00:44:16.340 --> 00:44:19.239
purposely trying to trip him up and Jesus knew

00:44:19.239 --> 00:44:21.039
that was what they were doing where they would

00:44:21.039 --> 00:44:24.179
you know ask questions they would hype him up

00:44:24.179 --> 00:44:26.059
and say like oh you're you know you're a teacher

00:44:26.059 --> 00:44:29.920
you're so smart you know everything and then

00:44:29.920 --> 00:44:32.119
they would ask him a question hoping that they

00:44:32.119 --> 00:44:37.519
could twist or manipulate his answer and Jesus

00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:41.380
being so far ahead of them knowing you know,

00:44:41.659 --> 00:44:44.159
had a perfect answer, answered in a way that

00:44:44.159 --> 00:44:47.960
would leave them baffled. And I think it's important

00:44:47.960 --> 00:44:49.940
that someone hears us today that that is a way

00:44:49.940 --> 00:44:54.730
that the enemy operates. That that is that can

00:44:54.730 --> 00:44:56.929
very well be an opposition That's something I've

00:44:56.929 --> 00:44:59.210
faced and I know other people have faced when

00:44:59.210 --> 00:45:01.329
someone comes to you and they're asking a question

00:45:01.329 --> 00:45:03.309
and like on the surface level They're hyping

00:45:03.309 --> 00:45:04.710
you up and they seem really kind but there's

00:45:04.710 --> 00:45:07.110
an ulterior motive behind the discussion There's

00:45:07.110 --> 00:45:08.789
an ulterior motive behind what they're saying

00:45:08.789 --> 00:45:10.389
and what they're speaking from personal experience

00:45:10.389 --> 00:45:14.610
y 'all especially I experienced that some there

00:45:14.610 --> 00:45:16.510
I had a handful of people doing that to me when

00:45:16.510 --> 00:45:18.789
I gave Especially when I was really fresh to

00:45:18.789 --> 00:45:21.230
give my life to Jesus and I did not have the

00:45:21.230 --> 00:45:24.199
words yet I did not have the wisdom yet. You

00:45:24.199 --> 00:45:27.039
know how God called me to respond? Was to be

00:45:27.039 --> 00:45:29.760
silent when I would receive messages or things

00:45:29.760 --> 00:45:31.539
that you know, the Lord would reveal to me Hey,

00:45:31.539 --> 00:45:33.500
there's an ulterior motive. I know it looks kind

00:45:33.500 --> 00:45:39.679
but this isn't actually a kind message The Lord

00:45:39.679 --> 00:45:42.400
knowing that I did not yet know how to respond

00:45:42.400 --> 00:45:44.400
lovingly or Christ like or how to answer that

00:45:44.400 --> 00:45:49.099
question because I didn't I Was very new the

00:45:49.099 --> 00:45:51.900
Lord called me to be silent to keep my mouth

00:45:51.900 --> 00:45:56.380
shut and to be patient and to wait on him and

00:45:56.380 --> 00:46:00.199
he even used that to reveal God can even use

00:46:00.199 --> 00:46:02.579
your silence if you're being silent out of obedience

00:46:02.579 --> 00:46:06.619
God will use that too and that was a testing

00:46:06.619 --> 00:46:10.130
of my faith I'm sharing that personal testimony

00:46:10.130 --> 00:46:11.730
with y 'all because I know that there are other

00:46:11.730 --> 00:46:15.190
people out here. There is no testing or tribulation

00:46:15.190 --> 00:46:17.789
that I have faced that someone else hasn't faced

00:46:17.789 --> 00:46:21.389
and that's biblical. There's no testing or like

00:46:21.389 --> 00:46:24.690
tribulation that you're going through, no temptation

00:46:24.690 --> 00:46:27.510
that is not known to man. That's the wording

00:46:27.510 --> 00:46:29.349
for it. There is no temptation that you are facing

00:46:29.349 --> 00:46:32.050
that you know man has already not experienced

00:46:32.050 --> 00:46:36.010
and no temptation greater than you are able to

00:46:36.010 --> 00:46:42.539
resist. So I'm sharing these things, these personal

00:46:42.539 --> 00:46:44.900
testimonies, knowing that like I'm not the only

00:46:44.900 --> 00:46:46.099
one who's been through it and there's someone

00:46:46.099 --> 00:46:47.599
else out there today who's gonna get comfort

00:46:47.599 --> 00:46:51.260
through that. And that was a test of my faith,

00:46:51.400 --> 00:46:53.280
right? For example, y 'all, as someone who I

00:46:53.280 --> 00:46:55.380
always wanted to defend and speak up for myself,

00:46:55.780 --> 00:46:59.800
I had to trust that God's way was better than

00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:02.260
my way. Even though to me I was like, God, being

00:47:02.260 --> 00:47:04.840
silent doesn't make any sense. Being silent actually

00:47:04.840 --> 00:47:07.519
looks like it like proves a point. me being silent

00:47:07.519 --> 00:47:09.920
actually in my mind I was like me being silent

00:47:09.920 --> 00:47:11.739
doesn't that just make me look like an avoidant

00:47:11.739 --> 00:47:13.780
doesn't that just make me look like more guilty

00:47:13.780 --> 00:47:17.860
and the Lord just really gave me a trust me trust

00:47:17.860 --> 00:47:20.260
me and when I look back now I'm like yeah I'm

00:47:20.260 --> 00:47:23.960
glad I trusted God with that but that right there

00:47:23.960 --> 00:47:26.559
y 'all is an example but that also revealed the

00:47:26.559 --> 00:47:28.860
opposition around me right because I'll give

00:47:28.860 --> 00:47:31.079
y 'all just a real -life example of this too

00:47:31.079 --> 00:47:39.219
is my silence and my lack of participation also

00:47:39.219 --> 00:47:41.579
meant that there was nothing left for me to be

00:47:41.579 --> 00:47:43.460
blamed for right they could no longer say danielle

00:47:43.460 --> 00:47:45.019
did this or danielle said that or danielle did

00:47:45.019 --> 00:47:47.699
that because i said nothing and i did nothing

00:47:47.699 --> 00:47:50.280
there was nothing to twist there was nothing

00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:53.179
to do you know there i was no longer able to

00:47:53.179 --> 00:47:57.460
be blamed in that way i was no longer it was

00:47:57.460 --> 00:48:00.260
no longer able i was no longer to look like the

00:48:00.260 --> 00:48:05.900
perpetrator either because i had no and my decision

00:48:05.900 --> 00:48:08.659
to focus on myself and do my own thing and other

00:48:08.659 --> 00:48:11.519
people's decision to continue to focus on me,

00:48:11.840 --> 00:48:14.420
to continue to attack me or to continue to gaslight

00:48:14.420 --> 00:48:16.739
me or things like that. It started to reveal

00:48:16.739 --> 00:48:20.360
who moved on and who hadn't. Who was trying to

00:48:20.360 --> 00:48:25.659
hurt who, right? It started to reveal how much

00:48:25.659 --> 00:48:31.400
I never really was doing things that people were

00:48:31.400 --> 00:48:34.329
saying I was doing. And that wasn't an overnight

00:48:34.329 --> 00:48:37.849
thing. It took a period of time for that to come

00:48:37.849 --> 00:48:39.949
out and for that to happen. And maybe you're

00:48:39.949 --> 00:48:43.349
someone today who God has talked about there

00:48:43.349 --> 00:48:45.690
was going to be a restoring of your reputation

00:48:45.690 --> 00:48:47.969
or truth coming out. I'm here today to speak

00:48:47.969 --> 00:48:50.150
from experience that God will do that. He's done

00:48:50.150 --> 00:48:51.670
it in my life and He can do it in your life.

00:48:52.309 --> 00:48:54.449
And oftentimes the instructions He gives you

00:48:54.449 --> 00:48:56.400
don't make sense in the moment. For me, it was

00:48:56.400 --> 00:48:58.880
be silent and focus on Jesus and just make the

00:48:58.880 --> 00:49:00.719
changes that he's called me to make. And when

00:49:00.719 --> 00:49:02.460
I look back now, I'm like, oh, wow, those were

00:49:02.460 --> 00:49:05.880
the fruits and they speak for themselves. Oh,

00:49:05.880 --> 00:49:07.599
wow. The Lord was literally allowing the enemy

00:49:07.599 --> 00:49:09.360
to fall on his own sword. People fell in their

00:49:09.360 --> 00:49:12.159
own traps like that. God, when I just focused

00:49:12.159 --> 00:49:19.119
on him, everything else fell into place. The

00:49:19.119 --> 00:49:23.320
truth about me was revealed because opposition.

00:49:24.980 --> 00:49:28.869
Continued. That's interesting thing is God used

00:49:28.869 --> 00:49:35.530
the opposition To show my response and my reactions

00:49:35.530 --> 00:49:40.030
and to prove my fruit That wouldn't have happened

00:49:40.030 --> 00:49:44.190
if there wasn't opposition And I hope this is

00:49:44.190 --> 00:49:45.869
your encouragement maybe this is your encouragement

00:49:45.869 --> 00:49:51.349
amen Y 'all we have got you know how I said I

00:49:51.349 --> 00:49:53.769
have like a note we haven't really been following

00:49:53.769 --> 00:49:57.530
that I have these notes written down and we've

00:49:57.530 --> 00:50:01.769
just kind of we've gone for it. So I think it's

00:50:01.769 --> 00:50:04.150
safe to say this notebook is about to just be

00:50:04.150 --> 00:50:06.949
kind of like set aside. But there are a couple

00:50:06.949 --> 00:50:09.949
other biblical stories of opposition I want to

00:50:09.949 --> 00:50:11.449
give to y 'all if you're like, okay, but Danielle,

00:50:11.489 --> 00:50:13.590
that's cool to hear your testimony. That's wonderful.

00:50:14.010 --> 00:50:16.369
But where where are the biblical testimonies?

00:50:16.699 --> 00:50:18.559
Let's get into this, babes. Let's get into this.

00:50:18.780 --> 00:50:20.880
First one is, and this is the one that the Lord

00:50:20.880 --> 00:50:22.940
really pointed out to me this morning when I

00:50:22.940 --> 00:50:25.340
was doing my scripture reading is Herod. King

00:50:25.340 --> 00:50:27.940
Herod and baby Jesus. When Jesus was just an

00:50:27.940 --> 00:50:32.139
infant, y 'all opposition starts long before

00:50:32.139 --> 00:50:34.400
you step into the calling or long before you

00:50:34.400 --> 00:50:36.219
step into the promise. Like how he said that

00:50:36.219 --> 00:50:38.119
there's promises I'm still waiting on God to

00:50:38.119 --> 00:50:40.539
deliver on in my life. Like I see things coming

00:50:40.539 --> 00:50:43.920
into place. I haven't seen the full thing. God

00:50:43.920 --> 00:50:46.380
gave me those promises well over a year ago,

00:50:46.599 --> 00:50:49.179
and the opposition against those things started

00:50:49.179 --> 00:50:51.500
well over a year ago. Actually, when he gave

00:50:51.500 --> 00:50:53.159
me those promises, I'm like, God, I think the

00:50:53.159 --> 00:50:56.019
opposition has already been going on for a while.

00:50:58.679 --> 00:51:01.920
The enemy doesn't wait until you have that thing

00:51:01.920 --> 00:51:04.219
to try to destroy it. The enemy will try to snuff

00:51:04.219 --> 00:51:07.539
you out before you can step into it, before you

00:51:07.539 --> 00:51:10.579
even start building it. If the enemy can get

00:51:10.579 --> 00:51:13.800
you to not do the pruning process, if the enemy

00:51:13.800 --> 00:51:16.039
can get you to not do that work, if the enemy

00:51:16.039 --> 00:51:19.099
can get you to not be that person, the enemy

00:51:19.099 --> 00:51:21.260
is going to stop you before you. He's going to

00:51:21.260 --> 00:51:23.820
try to stop you and block you and delay you long

00:51:23.820 --> 00:51:26.400
before you actually see it. When the enemy sniffs

00:51:26.400 --> 00:51:28.659
out or whiffs out that God has a plan or a purpose

00:51:28.659 --> 00:51:31.320
for you, he's going to try to snuff it out, sometimes

00:51:31.320 --> 00:51:35.480
before you even know it's there. And that example

00:51:35.480 --> 00:51:37.940
we have right here with Jesus. When Jesus was

00:51:37.940 --> 00:51:41.650
born, He was just he was a baby. He was an infant

00:51:41.650 --> 00:51:45.909
and King Herod Ordered for a massacre of the

00:51:45.909 --> 00:51:50.809
boys in Bethlehem all the boys two years old

00:51:50.809 --> 00:51:53.929
and under Here it ordered for all of them to

00:51:53.929 --> 00:51:58.590
be killed You remember Joseph actually got communication

00:51:58.590 --> 00:52:01.369
from Like God spoke to him in a dream. I believe

00:52:01.369 --> 00:52:03.349
it was an angel He sent to speak to Joseph in

00:52:03.349 --> 00:52:07.050
a dream and say do not go back You don't see

00:52:07.050 --> 00:52:11.110
it yet But Herod is about to start killing infants.

00:52:11.329 --> 00:52:14.650
Don't go back y 'all need to pick up and move

00:52:14.650 --> 00:52:17.750
and Joseph had faith in what God spoke over what

00:52:17.750 --> 00:52:19.449
he saw even though he didn't see the commands

00:52:19.449 --> 00:52:21.349
or the orders yet He wasn't sitting around to

00:52:21.349 --> 00:52:23.929
find out he trusted in God and because he trusted

00:52:23.929 --> 00:52:26.329
in God He was moved to a safe space so that way

00:52:26.329 --> 00:52:28.610
when that warfare did pick up when the opposition

00:52:28.610 --> 00:52:30.570
when all that started going down Jesus was in

00:52:30.570 --> 00:52:33.610
a safe space But what's the spirit behind here

00:52:33.610 --> 00:52:37.559
doing that because it's not God It's the opposition.

00:52:37.559 --> 00:52:40.719
It's the enemy. It's the devil and we see the

00:52:40.719 --> 00:52:43.179
devil trying to take Jesus out long before he

00:52:43.179 --> 00:52:44.920
stepped into his ministry Jesus didn't start

00:52:44.920 --> 00:52:46.519
doing his ministry until I believe he was in

00:52:46.519 --> 00:52:50.679
his 30s This was like a this was Close to like

00:52:50.679 --> 00:52:53.699
a 30 year gap. The enemy was already trying to

00:52:53.699 --> 00:52:58.320
take Jesus out long before long before The enemy

00:52:58.320 --> 00:53:00.380
was already trying to steal kill destroy long

00:53:00.380 --> 00:53:05.260
before Jesus was even ministering The enemy will

00:53:05.260 --> 00:53:07.480
try to take you out before you even step into

00:53:07.480 --> 00:53:09.860
the ministry He will try to take you out at the

00:53:09.860 --> 00:53:11.760
beginning of the pruning process or before you

00:53:11.760 --> 00:53:14.199
even know you're going through a pruning process

00:53:14.199 --> 00:53:17.739
So if you're like Danielle, where is the biblical?

00:53:18.260 --> 00:53:20.000
Where's the biblical example of the enemy is

00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:21.579
going to be trying to take you out long before

00:53:21.579 --> 00:53:25.039
you step into it right here Jesus inherited right

00:53:25.039 --> 00:53:29.619
here You're saying Daniel, where's the example

00:53:29.619 --> 00:53:32.500
that there's yeah, I know we have Abraham and

00:53:32.500 --> 00:53:35.139
Sarah, but where's another example? You having

00:53:35.139 --> 00:53:37.820
to wait in between the promise and warfare and

00:53:37.820 --> 00:53:40.019
trying to take you out. Look at Saul and David

00:53:40.019 --> 00:53:44.199
David was anointed to be king when someone else

00:53:44.199 --> 00:53:47.340
was already king Saul was still king When David

00:53:47.340 --> 00:53:49.840
was anointed and David was like a little shepherd

00:53:49.840 --> 00:53:52.880
boy David didn't appear to be qualified whatsoever.

00:53:53.000 --> 00:53:55.320
And this is where we talk about the pruning process

00:53:55.320 --> 00:54:01.059
will qualify you Okay, because David was the

00:54:01.059 --> 00:54:03.869
youngest of the brothers his brothers and his

00:54:03.869 --> 00:54:07.269
father didn't even think he was this is how under

00:54:07.269 --> 00:54:09.050
qualified they thought he would be is he wasn't

00:54:09.050 --> 00:54:13.010
even brought along when the prophet was anointing

00:54:13.010 --> 00:54:14.309
the king and he was looking through the bro's

00:54:14.309 --> 00:54:16.090
he's like is there anyone else because it's none

00:54:16.090 --> 00:54:18.570
of these guys and they're like i mean we do have

00:54:18.570 --> 00:54:21.010
a younger the youngest he's he's out in the field

00:54:21.010 --> 00:54:25.130
like his own family didn't even believe that

00:54:25.130 --> 00:54:27.110
he was deserving of the anointing his own family

00:54:27.110 --> 00:54:29.369
didn't even believe he was capable of that his

00:54:29.369 --> 00:54:33.369
own family didn't believe it And when he was

00:54:33.369 --> 00:54:35.110
anointed king, he didn't go straight to the palace.

00:54:35.130 --> 00:54:37.889
He went back to the fields. When he was anointed

00:54:37.889 --> 00:54:39.829
king, he went back to the fields. He went back

00:54:39.829 --> 00:54:42.269
to tending over the animals. He went back to

00:54:42.269 --> 00:54:47.210
doing all that. And then he went on to fight

00:54:47.210 --> 00:54:51.489
Goliath and he wasn't king yet. He went on to

00:54:51.489 --> 00:54:53.389
win a lot of battles for King Saul. He went on

00:54:53.389 --> 00:54:55.769
to be playing the harp to bring Saul peace when

00:54:55.769 --> 00:54:58.670
a wicked spirit was attacking him. He went on

00:54:58.670 --> 00:55:01.679
to be attacked again and again and again. He

00:55:01.679 --> 00:55:04.239
had the anointing on his head. The enemy knew

00:55:04.239 --> 00:55:06.599
he had an anointing and tried to snuff him out

00:55:06.599 --> 00:55:10.199
before he became king. Look at how many times

00:55:10.199 --> 00:55:12.000
the enemy, moving through Saul, tried to take

00:55:12.000 --> 00:55:14.059
David out before he stepped into the throne.

00:55:16.980 --> 00:55:18.679
There is a time period where David was literally

00:55:18.679 --> 00:55:22.840
hiding in caves. And this is another, if you

00:55:22.840 --> 00:55:25.380
all need another biblical example of waiting

00:55:25.380 --> 00:55:28.019
on God and not doing it yourself, look at David

00:55:28.019 --> 00:55:30.099
when he was in that cave and Saul came in to

00:55:30.099 --> 00:55:34.010
take a pee. He came in to take a pee and David

00:55:34.010 --> 00:55:35.869
had the opportunity to take Saul out right then

00:55:35.869 --> 00:55:38.269
and there. He was being encouraged by his besties

00:55:38.269 --> 00:55:40.289
to take him out. You know, there are some people

00:55:40.289 --> 00:55:42.269
who walk throughout this life with the mentality

00:55:42.269 --> 00:55:44.269
of, if God didn't want me to do it, why would

00:55:44.269 --> 00:55:46.530
he give me the opportunity? The devil gives you

00:55:46.530 --> 00:55:51.050
opportunities too. Not just because you can doesn't

00:55:51.050 --> 00:55:54.630
mean God condones. Everything is permissible,

00:55:54.809 --> 00:55:58.039
not everything edifies. And I used to be one

00:55:58.039 --> 00:55:59.579
of those people that walked with that, too. Well,

00:55:59.579 --> 00:56:01.119
if God didn't want me to take the job, if God

00:56:01.119 --> 00:56:02.699
didn't want me to date the person, if God didn't

00:56:02.699 --> 00:56:04.340
want me to say that thing or do that thing, why

00:56:04.340 --> 00:56:05.760
can't he allow me to be in the position where

00:56:05.760 --> 00:56:08.739
I could? And it's like, no. The devil will give

00:56:08.739 --> 00:56:10.699
you opportunities to stray and go away from God,

00:56:10.820 --> 00:56:14.440
too. And David was able to recognize that. And

00:56:14.440 --> 00:56:16.019
keep in mind, David had been weary at this point.

00:56:16.059 --> 00:56:18.039
He'd been running tired. David knew he was anointed

00:56:18.039 --> 00:56:21.619
to be king. He knew the kingship was his. It

00:56:21.619 --> 00:56:22.980
wasn't like he was trying to steal something

00:56:22.980 --> 00:56:26.039
that wasn't his. He knew it was his name on it.

00:56:26.110 --> 00:56:30.250
but it wasn't yet his time and he had the opportunity

00:56:30.250 --> 00:56:32.989
to take a shortcut to bypass God and try to force

00:56:32.989 --> 00:56:35.030
his way into kingship and that would have been

00:56:35.030 --> 00:56:37.789
by taking Saul out that moment and instead of

00:56:37.789 --> 00:56:40.429
taking Saul out he cut off a little hem of his

00:56:40.429 --> 00:56:43.230
garment just to show how close he got and he

00:56:43.230 --> 00:56:47.170
let Saul go and you know what in God's timing

00:56:47.170 --> 00:56:50.030
Saul fell on his own sword David didn't have

00:56:50.030 --> 00:56:52.769
to take him out David wasn't the enemy. David

00:56:52.769 --> 00:56:55.389
wasn't the one who took all the shortcuts. David

00:56:55.389 --> 00:56:57.650
wasn't the one to blame. The one who was to blame

00:56:57.650 --> 00:57:01.530
for his own fall was Saul. And trusting God and

00:57:01.530 --> 00:57:03.630
believing in him and listening to his steps and

00:57:03.630 --> 00:57:06.869
his guidance will do that for you. You'll be

00:57:06.869 --> 00:57:08.469
left in a place where the enemy falls on his

00:57:08.469 --> 00:57:11.289
own sword and you are not. The blood is not on

00:57:11.289 --> 00:57:15.590
your hands. But see, if David would have listened

00:57:15.590 --> 00:57:19.269
to the whispers, to the deceptive voices, the

00:57:19.269 --> 00:57:21.610
blood would have been on his own hands. And instead

00:57:21.610 --> 00:57:23.269
of being clean in the situation, he would have

00:57:23.269 --> 00:57:25.150
been the murderer. He would have been the killer.

00:57:25.449 --> 00:57:27.030
He would have been the one who snuffed out the

00:57:27.030 --> 00:57:33.730
competition. We see with David's life, David

00:57:33.730 --> 00:57:37.070
had the anointing and was sent back to the fields.

00:57:37.630 --> 00:57:39.750
Everything that David went through qualified

00:57:39.750 --> 00:57:43.110
him to be the king that he was. And was he perfect?

00:57:43.369 --> 00:57:46.170
No. But he was still favorable in God's eyes.

00:57:46.389 --> 00:57:48.409
When Jesus was here, he was known as being from

00:57:48.409 --> 00:57:51.760
the line of David. David's name was still, it

00:57:51.760 --> 00:57:57.480
was blessed. God doesn't expect perfection, but

00:57:57.480 --> 00:57:59.780
he does expect repentance and obedience and a

00:57:59.780 --> 00:58:01.599
humble heart. Like that's what he desires from

00:58:01.599 --> 00:58:03.480
us. He knows we're not going to be perfect, but

00:58:03.480 --> 00:58:06.320
that's what he desires. And although David fell

00:58:06.320 --> 00:58:09.860
short in many areas, especially when he was older,

00:58:10.699 --> 00:58:13.159
let's be so for real, you know, he didn't always

00:58:13.159 --> 00:58:15.280
wait on God like that. He didn't always, we see

00:58:15.280 --> 00:58:17.340
when he got older, he made some pretty big mistakes.

00:58:18.559 --> 00:58:21.440
But he still humbled himself before the Lord.

00:58:22.619 --> 00:58:30.039
He still repented. And I think David is a wonderful

00:58:30.039 --> 00:58:32.320
example, y 'all, of God will give you a promise,

00:58:32.400 --> 00:58:34.099
he will give you an anointing, he will say something

00:58:34.099 --> 00:58:36.039
for you, and then you will have to go through

00:58:36.039 --> 00:58:40.059
the preparation and the pruning process. Because

00:58:40.059 --> 00:58:42.719
when David fought Goliath, he wasn't yet king.

00:58:43.199 --> 00:58:46.030
When David was going through and... Winning all

00:58:46.030 --> 00:58:48.050
these battles and doing all these things he wasn't

00:58:48.050 --> 00:58:51.210
yet king. When David was playing the harp and

00:58:51.210 --> 00:58:53.690
bringing peace to Saul he wasn't yet king. He

00:58:53.690 --> 00:58:56.130
had the anointing but he wasn't yet king. God

00:58:56.130 --> 00:58:58.190
will sometimes reveal something or speak something

00:58:58.190 --> 00:59:00.090
to you far before it's your time because it gives

00:59:00.090 --> 00:59:01.929
you something to hope for and it gives you something

00:59:01.929 --> 00:59:05.230
to prepare for. Imagine like you're going through

00:59:05.230 --> 00:59:07.409
all this warfare and all this preparation and

00:59:07.409 --> 00:59:09.730
then you have no idea there's no hope for it.

00:59:10.030 --> 00:59:11.889
That's when you think like life just sucks to

00:59:11.889 --> 00:59:16.809
suck. But when you know that there is something

00:59:16.809 --> 00:59:19.929
greater coming of this there is a hope in that

00:59:19.929 --> 00:59:23.929
You know, it makes me think of Saul And I believe

00:59:23.929 --> 00:59:26.230
it's in the book of Acts when Saul is told by

00:59:26.230 --> 00:59:29.050
God like you need to go to this place I believe

00:59:29.050 --> 00:59:30.789
it's Rome he's going to it's been a while since

00:59:30.789 --> 00:59:33.429
I've read the Sibir with me all and He understands

00:59:33.429 --> 00:59:35.210
if he goes there's gonna be a lot of pain and

00:59:35.210 --> 00:59:37.880
there's gonna be a lot of suffering and the people

00:59:37.880 --> 00:59:39.519
around him find out that he's playing on going

00:59:39.519 --> 00:59:40.960
to that and there's actually prophets from the

00:59:40.960 --> 00:59:42.659
Lord different people that come up to him and

00:59:42.659 --> 00:59:44.820
start pleading with him do not go and they start

00:59:44.820 --> 00:59:47.000
saying if you go you're gonna be bound if you

00:59:47.000 --> 00:59:48.920
go you're gonna be in chains if you go you're

00:59:48.920 --> 00:59:50.940
gonna be in pain and they were thinking that

00:59:50.940 --> 00:59:52.960
you know saying this was gonna scare him away

00:59:52.960 --> 00:59:55.550
from going But to him, that was just more confirmation

00:59:55.550 --> 00:59:58.250
because when God told him, God also warned him

00:59:58.250 --> 00:59:59.570
there was going to be pain and suffering that

00:59:59.570 --> 01:00:01.670
comes with it. So when these people started speaking

01:00:01.670 --> 01:00:03.489
of pain and suffering and him going to that place,

01:00:03.510 --> 01:00:05.309
he was like, now I know God has called me to

01:00:05.309 --> 01:00:07.550
it. Now I know for sure God has called me to

01:00:07.550 --> 01:00:10.550
do it. There are sometimes, y 'all, when I remember

01:00:10.550 --> 01:00:12.449
I've written down promises in my journal from

01:00:12.449 --> 01:00:14.269
God and right after I write down that thing he's

01:00:14.269 --> 01:00:15.769
doing for me, I'm also writing down and there's

01:00:15.769 --> 01:00:17.929
going to be opposition and this is going to happen

01:00:17.929 --> 01:00:21.440
and that's going to happen. And then. When I

01:00:21.440 --> 01:00:23.639
go into that season, before God has blessed me

01:00:23.639 --> 01:00:25.619
with that promise, I see that very opposition

01:00:25.619 --> 01:00:27.699
I wrote down. And I'm able to start thinking,

01:00:28.039 --> 01:00:30.199
oh my gosh, I'm facing this opposition and everything.

01:00:31.159 --> 01:00:33.219
I'm in the birthing process. The promise is on

01:00:33.219 --> 01:00:36.760
the way. Opposition I'm facing isn't the fearful

01:00:36.760 --> 01:00:38.619
thing or the doubtful thing. It's a confirmation

01:00:38.619 --> 01:00:41.360
that God's about to do his big one. God's about

01:00:41.360 --> 01:00:48.920
to do his thing. Again, y 'all. Words, prophetic

01:00:48.920 --> 01:00:51.860
words, visions, promises from God are an invitation

01:00:51.860 --> 01:00:56.219
to prayer and preparation. Here's another story.

01:00:56.360 --> 01:00:59.079
We got another one right here y 'all. Look at,

01:00:59.219 --> 01:01:02.559
if you read the book of Nehemiah and the book

01:01:02.559 --> 01:01:05.460
of Ezra, right? They're rebuilding. It's about

01:01:05.460 --> 01:01:09.199
the rebuilding of the temple. Notice how the

01:01:09.199 --> 01:01:11.900
enemy didn't wait until the temple was rebuilt

01:01:11.900 --> 01:01:18.199
to start opposing or coming at them. It was as

01:01:18.199 --> 01:01:21.460
Nehemiah was building the temple. The people

01:01:21.460 --> 01:01:24.900
who opposed were lying and deceiving and trying

01:01:24.900 --> 01:01:26.739
to call him down, trying to take him out. They

01:01:26.739 --> 01:01:29.519
were trying to like literally off him. It was

01:01:29.519 --> 01:01:31.820
while he was in the building process, they were

01:01:31.820 --> 01:01:33.079
trying to take him down. They were trying to

01:01:33.079 --> 01:01:37.280
snuff him out. They didn't want as soon as they

01:01:37.280 --> 01:01:38.880
heard that that temple was going to be rebuilt,

01:01:39.360 --> 01:01:43.019
bam, they were on him. And he had to work through

01:01:43.019 --> 01:01:45.159
the opposition. Someone needs to hear this today.

01:01:45.519 --> 01:01:47.880
Opposition. isn't a sign to stop, it's a sign

01:01:47.880 --> 01:01:50.820
to keep going. I used to view opposition as a

01:01:50.820 --> 01:01:52.960
sign of, oh, God didn't want me to do this. If

01:01:52.960 --> 01:01:56.800
God called me to do it, I used to view God will

01:01:56.800 --> 01:02:00.840
make a way as the process will be easy. And if

01:02:00.840 --> 01:02:03.900
God has anointed it, if God has asked me to do

01:02:03.900 --> 01:02:05.579
it, that there's not going to be any opposition.

01:02:05.639 --> 01:02:07.280
And that's actually very far from the truth.

01:02:08.079 --> 01:02:10.219
We see throughout reading scripture that people

01:02:10.219 --> 01:02:12.199
who are stepping into their calling, doing the

01:02:12.199 --> 01:02:14.380
things that God called them to do, come along

01:02:14.380 --> 01:02:17.769
with a lot of opposition. Like a Paul everywhere

01:02:17.769 --> 01:02:20.309
he went he was persecuted, but he was doing what

01:02:20.309 --> 01:02:23.630
God called him to do look at Nehemiah And look

01:02:23.630 --> 01:02:25.869
at in the book of Ezra. They're rebuilding the

01:02:25.869 --> 01:02:29.909
temple And there's opposition every step of the

01:02:29.909 --> 01:02:36.010
way Look at Joseph Look at the opposition he

01:02:36.010 --> 01:02:37.789
faced while just trying to stay rooted in his

01:02:37.789 --> 01:02:42.809
faith to God If you're obeying God there's gonna

01:02:42.809 --> 01:02:44.489
be opposition of the enemy because the enemy

01:02:44.489 --> 01:02:46.769
doesn't want to see God's will come to fulfillment

01:02:46.769 --> 01:02:48.949
He doesn't want to see your faith be strengthened.

01:02:48.949 --> 01:02:50.869
He doesn't want to see other people's faith be

01:02:50.869 --> 01:02:52.329
strengthened through what God is doing in your

01:02:52.329 --> 01:02:59.190
life So, yeah, yeah if you're facing opposition

01:02:59.190 --> 01:03:01.170
opposition isn't a sign that this isn't from

01:03:01.170 --> 01:03:03.190
God opposition is actually often a sign that

01:03:03.190 --> 01:03:05.829
what you're doing is from God and To get your

01:03:05.829 --> 01:03:09.840
strength from him We look at in the book of if

01:03:09.840 --> 01:03:11.360
you're reading the book of Ezra, they're going

01:03:11.360 --> 01:03:13.340
through building the temple They are even having

01:03:13.340 --> 01:03:17.119
their things supplied from the king himself And

01:03:17.119 --> 01:03:19.179
there's some way some of the people who are up

01:03:19.179 --> 01:03:22.280
against them writing a letter to the king line

01:03:22.280 --> 01:03:24.579
saying oh if he Rebuilds it, you know, he's not

01:03:24.579 --> 01:03:27.239
gonna you they're not gonna donate. They're they're

01:03:27.239 --> 01:03:29.099
not gonna pay their taxes They're not gonna do

01:03:29.099 --> 01:03:31.320
these things like trying to say well if you if

01:03:31.320 --> 01:03:33.659
you allow them to do this They're actually gonna

01:03:33.659 --> 01:03:35.500
hurt you. They're gonna betray you. They're gonna

01:03:35.500 --> 01:03:38.800
do all these things They manipulated the king

01:03:38.800 --> 01:03:40.780
for a little bit and the king was like, oh, you

01:03:40.780 --> 01:03:42.639
know what? No, I'm not gonna help them. Oh, I'm

01:03:42.639 --> 01:03:48.119
not gonna allow this to happen And then God sent

01:03:48.119 --> 01:03:51.119
a prophet some prophets to speak to them and

01:03:51.119 --> 01:03:53.420
to encourage them and they start building regardless

01:03:53.420 --> 01:03:54.880
of whether or not the king said they could do

01:03:54.880 --> 01:03:59.199
it and then when the king You know when they

01:03:59.199 --> 01:04:01.099
when they defended themselves by just speaking

01:04:01.099 --> 01:04:04.000
to their testimony and speaking about what God

01:04:04.000 --> 01:04:06.389
has ordered them to do and their intentions the

01:04:06.389 --> 01:04:11.389
king allowed them to keep going and someone needs

01:04:11.389 --> 01:04:13.809
to hear this today opposition can actually be

01:04:13.809 --> 01:04:17.449
your deliverance and your breakthrough opposition

01:04:17.449 --> 01:04:19.389
can actually be the thing that allows you to

01:04:19.389 --> 01:04:21.969
step into your calling like when you look at

01:04:21.969 --> 01:04:24.329
i believe again referring back to the book ezra

01:04:24.329 --> 01:04:26.949
the people being able to build that temple was

01:04:26.949 --> 01:04:29.250
actually like their kind of exodus because there

01:04:29.250 --> 01:04:32.210
were people who were in slavery and in bondage

01:04:32.719 --> 01:04:34.679
And when it was permitted that they were able

01:04:34.679 --> 01:04:36.760
to go and rebuild the temple, they were freed

01:04:36.760 --> 01:04:41.480
and able to go do that. And opposition came along

01:04:41.480 --> 01:04:44.199
with it. But look at Esther. Let's look at Esther.

01:04:45.099 --> 01:04:48.300
Because she was set aside for a time such as

01:04:48.300 --> 01:04:50.579
this. And the opposition actually forced her

01:04:50.579 --> 01:04:54.900
to step into her calling. She became queen and

01:04:54.900 --> 01:04:57.320
she was keeping her Jewish heritage hidden and

01:04:57.320 --> 01:04:59.599
everything. She was living quietly. And it was

01:04:59.599 --> 01:05:02.760
when her people were put on the line in her own

01:05:02.760 --> 01:05:06.940
life. When opposition arrived, when it was, I

01:05:06.940 --> 01:05:09.840
believe his name was Haman, drafted up that decree

01:05:09.840 --> 01:05:12.880
to have them all taken out and she had to fast

01:05:12.880 --> 01:05:15.599
and go before God and she had to by faith reveal

01:05:15.599 --> 01:05:20.559
her heritage. She was able to be the deliverer

01:05:20.559 --> 01:05:23.760
for her people. Well, God was the deliverer and

01:05:23.760 --> 01:05:27.340
she was the vessel. Sometimes opposition will

01:05:27.340 --> 01:05:30.269
force you to step into your calling. That's another

01:05:30.269 --> 01:05:33.570
way God will use opposition with Esther. She

01:05:33.570 --> 01:05:36.610
was just living her life as queen, doing her

01:05:36.610 --> 01:05:38.889
thing. I'm sure it wasn't totally easy. We see

01:05:38.889 --> 01:05:42.670
that the king wasn't always, you know, the most

01:05:42.670 --> 01:05:45.789
peaceful. I imagine he wasn't the easiest to

01:05:45.789 --> 01:05:49.150
live with. I imagine it wasn't easy leaving her

01:05:49.150 --> 01:05:51.949
kinsmen behind or having to, you know, keep her

01:05:51.949 --> 01:05:56.550
Jewish heritage quiet. But when opposition arrived

01:05:56.550 --> 01:05:58.030
and she had the choice she could have either

01:05:58.030 --> 01:06:00.789
hid herself quietly and God would have brought

01:06:00.789 --> 01:06:03.070
up a deliverer out of somewhere else and she

01:06:03.070 --> 01:06:05.250
would have suffered. That was spoken to her.

01:06:05.719 --> 01:06:09.039
or she could by faith step into what God called

01:06:09.039 --> 01:06:11.239
her. God didn't put her in that position just

01:06:11.239 --> 01:06:12.960
for her to enjoy her life. God put her in that

01:06:12.960 --> 01:06:15.059
position so that one day she could be used by

01:06:15.059 --> 01:06:18.320
him. And that's to go around again y 'all and

01:06:18.320 --> 01:06:20.780
talk about how when God will give us blessings

01:06:20.780 --> 01:06:23.860
and things and he wants us to enjoy and he wants

01:06:23.860 --> 01:06:25.519
us to delight, but they should always be used

01:06:25.519 --> 01:06:28.400
to glorify him and to further his kingdom. And

01:06:28.400 --> 01:06:31.940
that's a perfect example with Esther, right?

01:06:34.179 --> 01:06:37.139
being put in that position of being queen and

01:06:37.139 --> 01:06:40.380
she has a lot of things to enjoy she has you

01:06:40.380 --> 01:06:45.000
know and a lot of areas a really nice lifestyle

01:06:45.000 --> 01:06:49.420
but she's called to put that on the line to do

01:06:49.420 --> 01:06:52.000
something that glorifies God God didn't put her

01:06:52.000 --> 01:06:54.059
in that position simply to enjoy it and to keep

01:06:54.059 --> 01:06:56.500
it all to herself God put her in that position

01:06:56.500 --> 01:06:59.500
so that way she would be ready to be used by

01:06:59.500 --> 01:07:02.710
him in a time such as this look at Nehemiah Looking

01:07:02.710 --> 01:07:06.130
back to Nehemiah when Nehemiah was ordered by

01:07:06.130 --> 01:07:08.590
God to go and start rebuilding the temple Look

01:07:08.590 --> 01:07:10.349
at the position. He was in I believe he was the

01:07:10.349 --> 01:07:13.949
cup bearer for the king He was already in the

01:07:13.949 --> 01:07:18.829
position to be able to go talk to the king He

01:07:18.829 --> 01:07:21.070
wasn't that cup bearer just simply to enjoy the

01:07:21.070 --> 01:07:23.570
life being a cup bearer who's that cup bearer?

01:07:23.590 --> 01:07:26.110
So that way when God decided it was time he would

01:07:26.110 --> 01:07:28.010
be there to speak to the king. Look at Moses.

01:07:28.289 --> 01:07:35.139
Look at Moses Moses grew up around Pharaoh We

01:07:35.139 --> 01:07:36.900
know he left spent that time in the wilderness

01:07:36.900 --> 01:07:39.039
and then when he started be using by God he came

01:07:39.039 --> 01:07:41.440
back He had the ability to go speak to Pharaoh

01:07:41.440 --> 01:07:46.420
that other people did not God will put you in

01:07:46.420 --> 01:07:50.000
a position to be used by him that position sure

01:07:50.000 --> 01:07:51.940
He wants you to delight and enjoy in the things

01:07:51.940 --> 01:07:54.739
But you should be ready to use that to glorify

01:07:54.739 --> 01:07:57.480
him and maybe someone needs to hear this and

01:07:57.480 --> 01:08:00.000
maybe this is your conviction today If you're

01:08:00.000 --> 01:08:02.099
in a position, you're in a space, there are things

01:08:02.099 --> 01:08:04.260
that you're enjoying, whether it's money, or

01:08:04.260 --> 01:08:06.619
fame, or attention, or notoriety, or wherever

01:08:06.619 --> 01:08:09.139
it is, how is God calling you to use that to

01:08:09.139 --> 01:08:11.199
glorify him? And is there a way he's been calling

01:08:11.199 --> 01:08:13.400
you to use it, that you've been refusing because

01:08:13.400 --> 01:08:16.199
you're afraid of loss, you're afraid of uncomfortability,

01:08:16.579 --> 01:08:21.640
you're afraid of whatever hardship? Because that

01:08:21.640 --> 01:08:25.039
was Esther. And Esther was about to lose her

01:08:25.039 --> 01:08:28.609
life. Okay, she could have been killed just by

01:08:28.609 --> 01:08:32.369
approaching the king. Moses could have easily

01:08:32.369 --> 01:08:35.350
been taken out by Pharaoh at any point walking

01:08:35.350 --> 01:08:39.489
up there. Pharaoh could have just had him offed.

01:08:40.850 --> 01:08:42.729
Like when we're talking about looking at the

01:08:42.729 --> 01:08:45.409
fleshly stance of it, right? Those were the fears

01:08:45.409 --> 01:08:48.590
they were probably moving with. Think about the

01:08:48.590 --> 01:08:51.390
rich man who... He said, God, he was talking

01:08:51.390 --> 01:08:52.970
to Jesus, what do I have to do to enter the kingdom?

01:08:52.970 --> 01:08:54.350
And Jesus said, you have to sell everything you

01:08:54.350 --> 01:08:56.050
own. And he walked away sad because he had a

01:08:56.050 --> 01:08:59.529
lot of stuff. Even though his life looked very

01:08:59.529 --> 01:09:01.850
perfect in all those other areas, he was refusing

01:09:01.850 --> 01:09:05.010
to give up that security and that comfort when

01:09:05.010 --> 01:09:06.710
God called him to. And I'm not telling you that

01:09:06.710 --> 01:09:09.229
God is calling you to donate all your money or

01:09:09.229 --> 01:09:11.390
do anything like that. I'm just saying, is there

01:09:11.390 --> 01:09:14.670
something that God has placed on your heart?

01:09:15.160 --> 01:09:17.560
to do with the position you're in. Is there something

01:09:17.560 --> 01:09:21.180
you can do, whatever it is, if it's fame, career,

01:09:21.579 --> 01:09:24.039
money, if it's you have a testimony to share

01:09:24.039 --> 01:09:26.119
that you've been holding in. This doesn't have

01:09:26.119 --> 01:09:29.899
to be something seemingly extreme like that.

01:09:29.920 --> 01:09:31.800
This can be God has been calling you to go and

01:09:31.800 --> 01:09:33.859
share a testimony with a person. God has been

01:09:33.859 --> 01:09:36.359
calling you to speak a truth. God has been calling

01:09:36.359 --> 01:09:39.439
you to do a thing. Maybe it's just one person

01:09:39.439 --> 01:09:42.939
God has been calling you to speak to. Or one

01:09:42.939 --> 01:09:45.159
person he's been calling you to impact and you're

01:09:45.159 --> 01:09:48.079
afraid to do it Has God put you here for a time

01:09:48.079 --> 01:09:50.420
such as this? Has God allowed you to be blessed

01:09:50.420 --> 01:09:53.100
with these things for a time such as this? Opposition

01:09:53.100 --> 01:09:56.119
will cause you to step into your calling Look

01:09:56.119 --> 01:10:02.060
at Esther And here's another one one more example,

01:10:02.079 --> 01:10:05.199
we'll talk about Joseph y 'all when Joseph had

01:10:05.199 --> 01:10:09.539
a vision from God That one day his brothers were

01:10:09.539 --> 01:10:12.039
going to be bowing down before him And he went

01:10:12.039 --> 01:10:13.880
and told his brothers, his brothers, at first

01:10:13.880 --> 01:10:15.779
wanted to kill him, but decided to sell him into

01:10:15.779 --> 01:10:20.439
slavery. It appears like he has no favor. You

01:10:20.439 --> 01:10:24.439
know, sometimes people assume, and I'm being

01:10:24.439 --> 01:10:29.819
so thoughtful with the way I word this, How we

01:10:29.819 --> 01:10:32.399
said earlier that opposition will be revealing

01:10:32.399 --> 01:10:35.079
of your anointing people who don't know about

01:10:35.079 --> 01:10:37.220
opposition people who aren't rooted in the word

01:10:37.220 --> 01:10:39.899
People who don't know how God operates may mistake

01:10:39.899 --> 01:10:44.420
opposition for God's wrath And we've talked about

01:10:44.420 --> 01:10:45.859
this in many episodes that there is sometimes

01:10:45.859 --> 01:10:47.199
when God will allow you to be turned over to

01:10:47.199 --> 01:10:48.739
the consequences of your own actions and you

01:10:48.739 --> 01:10:50.899
will see wrath and That is how we may know that

01:10:50.899 --> 01:10:53.260
God is displeased look in the book of Jeremiah.

01:10:53.819 --> 01:10:56.770
It's all up in the book of Jeremiah We see it

01:10:56.770 --> 01:10:58.529
in parts of the book of Ezekiel, but there's

01:10:58.529 --> 01:11:01.310
always a redemption with it too, right? But there

01:11:01.310 --> 01:11:05.890
are times when there is pain and suffering and

01:11:05.890 --> 01:11:07.930
hardship that is actually what we talked about

01:11:07.930 --> 01:11:11.109
earlier in verse Peter, where this is the testing

01:11:11.109 --> 01:11:13.109
of your faith, the proving of your faith, or

01:11:13.109 --> 01:11:17.989
this is your pruning. But if you take a close

01:11:17.989 --> 01:11:19.909
look at Joseph's story, you can still see the

01:11:19.909 --> 01:11:23.029
anointing shine through. If you know God's hand,

01:11:23.850 --> 01:11:27.170
You can see it in Joseph's story. Okay, because

01:11:27.170 --> 01:11:30.770
Joseph, you know from an outside look Oh, does

01:11:30.770 --> 01:11:32.489
God really favor him? He was able to be sold

01:11:32.489 --> 01:11:36.189
into slavery But we see what happens when Joseph

01:11:36.189 --> 01:11:38.810
is sold into slavery Potiphar's house is blessed.

01:11:39.170 --> 01:11:41.930
God blesses Potiphar's house. So that way Joseph

01:11:41.930 --> 01:11:45.510
may be blessed Even when Joseph is hurt God's

01:11:45.510 --> 01:11:48.489
hand still shows through it's so clear that God

01:11:48.489 --> 01:11:51.430
is pleased with Joseph because he's still seeing

01:11:51.430 --> 01:11:56.859
blessing And we see Potiphar's wife trying to

01:11:56.859 --> 01:11:59.920
come on to Joseph. And Joseph, this is where

01:11:59.920 --> 01:12:02.199
the fruits are put to the test, right? Is Joseph

01:12:02.199 --> 01:12:06.500
going to give in to that? Or is he going to keep

01:12:06.500 --> 01:12:09.760
his faith in God, his faith in God's Word, and

01:12:09.760 --> 01:12:11.960
how he knows God calls him to act? And he's like,

01:12:11.960 --> 01:12:13.960
no, I'm not going into adultery. I'm not going

01:12:13.960 --> 01:12:18.800
into that. And sometimes standing on faith comes

01:12:18.800 --> 01:12:21.939
with opposition. And what happened when Joseph

01:12:21.939 --> 01:12:24.710
was rooted in faith? He gets tossed in a jail,

01:12:24.850 --> 01:12:27.409
she falsely accuses him. Sometimes we'll have

01:12:27.409 --> 01:12:31.489
to suffer for a short period of time on behalf

01:12:31.489 --> 01:12:36.149
of our faith. That's biblical. Again, look back

01:12:36.149 --> 01:12:38.189
to 1 Peter, how we read about it. And we see

01:12:38.189 --> 01:12:41.590
that with Joseph, but we still see his anointing

01:12:41.590 --> 01:12:43.710
shining through. And we might not have been able

01:12:43.710 --> 01:12:46.460
to see his anointing. on this level if he hadn't

01:12:46.460 --> 01:12:48.399
been put in those places of suffering because

01:12:48.399 --> 01:12:50.239
even when he's put in the jail he is put in a

01:12:50.239 --> 01:12:52.500
position where he is like in a leadership position

01:12:52.500 --> 01:12:56.000
and he is still blessed in the jail and he is

01:12:56.000 --> 01:12:58.720
still able to interpret dreams in the jail he

01:12:58.720 --> 01:13:02.359
is still being used in the jail and one day someone

01:13:02.359 --> 01:13:07.720
remembers him from the jail talks about him to

01:13:07.720 --> 01:13:10.560
uh talks about him to and i forget what his title

01:13:10.560 --> 01:13:14.779
is if he was um the emperor the pharaoh the the

01:13:14.779 --> 01:13:16.500
king, it's been a while since I read the story

01:13:16.500 --> 01:13:20.659
y 'all, but he gets spoken to. And immediately

01:13:20.659 --> 01:13:22.460
Joseph is brought out, he interprets a dream,

01:13:22.520 --> 01:13:26.460
and he is put in a position of high place. And

01:13:26.460 --> 01:13:28.420
his brothers are brought before him, and God's

01:13:28.420 --> 01:13:29.960
word is fulfilled, and they are bowing before

01:13:29.960 --> 01:13:33.380
him. And this is also an opportunity for Joseph's

01:13:33.380 --> 01:13:36.180
roots to be tested. Was he going to get vengeful?

01:13:36.199 --> 01:13:37.800
Was he going to make fun of his brothers? Was

01:13:37.800 --> 01:13:39.460
he going to say, ha ha, now y 'all are bowing

01:13:39.460 --> 01:13:41.439
down before me, coming towards me? Was he going

01:13:41.439 --> 01:13:45.590
to be spiteful? And we see what Joseph showed

01:13:45.590 --> 01:13:50.449
was love and forgiveness and understanding Now

01:13:50.449 --> 01:13:52.909
at first he was a little his methods weren't

01:13:52.909 --> 01:13:55.729
very good, you know with like, you know planning

01:13:55.729 --> 01:13:58.229
those things in the bags and yeah, he wasn't

01:13:58.229 --> 01:14:03.130
perfect, but He forgave them and we see that

01:14:03.130 --> 01:14:04.729
the brothers were even skeptical at the point

01:14:04.729 --> 01:14:06.970
when Joseph's dad died The brothers were like,

01:14:06.970 --> 01:14:09.090
oh now he's gonna turn on us and Joseph was like

01:14:09.090 --> 01:14:16.609
no, no, no Times like that God will use to reveal

01:14:16.609 --> 01:14:20.310
the fruit and we see Joseph's fruit in that moment

01:14:20.310 --> 01:14:22.649
And I hope that me sharing these stories with

01:14:22.649 --> 01:14:25.390
you has spoken to you or helped you in some way

01:14:25.390 --> 01:14:27.170
I truly feel like God is going to move through

01:14:27.170 --> 01:14:29.489
this episode. I truly feel like this episode

01:14:29.489 --> 01:14:32.850
is going to be a blessing Like each person listening

01:14:32.850 --> 01:14:34.510
to say there is something you can take out of

01:14:34.510 --> 01:14:38.130
it I know we've touched on opposition a lot and

01:14:38.130 --> 01:14:40.050
how to identify and what the enemy is trying

01:14:40.050 --> 01:14:42.729
to do. I pray that listening to this today has

01:14:42.729 --> 01:14:45.050
given you a new perspective, a new point of view,

01:14:45.069 --> 01:14:46.729
and maybe there's some questions you've been

01:14:46.729 --> 01:14:48.630
asking God, you've been asking him for direction,

01:14:48.869 --> 01:14:50.829
and I pray that in a way he has spoken through

01:14:50.829 --> 01:14:52.909
me to you today. I pray that there is a refreshing

01:14:52.909 --> 01:14:56.569
and a renewal, that there is a new understanding.

01:14:57.310 --> 01:14:59.369
I pray that the instructions you've been waiting

01:14:59.369 --> 01:15:01.270
on God to give you, you receive those instructions,

01:15:01.510 --> 01:15:04.130
you receive the guidance, you receive the clarity

01:15:04.130 --> 01:15:07.310
and the boldness to move through them. And I

01:15:07.310 --> 01:15:09.390
pray that my personal testimony has helped you

01:15:09.390 --> 01:15:13.529
in a way, y 'all, because I know that God...

01:15:13.980 --> 01:15:16.279
funny enough talking about promises y 'all I

01:15:16.279 --> 01:15:19.579
remember God telling me when I was really in

01:15:19.579 --> 01:15:21.319
a low space and this was right when I was giving

01:15:21.319 --> 01:15:23.359
my life to Christ I remember God saying all this

01:15:23.359 --> 01:15:25.859
pain and all these mistakes that you've made

01:15:25.859 --> 01:15:27.420
in your life and all these places where you feel

01:15:27.420 --> 01:15:29.640
unworthy and you feel like you've fallen short

01:15:29.640 --> 01:15:33.279
I will turn those into testimony and you will

01:15:33.279 --> 01:15:36.640
glorify me by sharing your testimony with people

01:15:38.930 --> 01:15:41.770
And me even being able to share these testimonies

01:15:41.770 --> 01:15:43.470
with y 'all today in a way of look at what God

01:15:43.470 --> 01:15:46.090
did and look at how He can use them is God fulfilling

01:15:46.090 --> 01:15:49.909
His promise to me. Me being able to do this today

01:15:49.909 --> 01:15:53.630
is God fulfilling His promise to me. And again,

01:15:53.649 --> 01:15:57.210
I know that anything that I have faced is not

01:15:57.210 --> 01:15:59.109
uncommon, that there is someone else out there

01:15:59.109 --> 01:16:01.890
today who has faced a variant of what I have

01:16:01.890 --> 01:16:06.090
faced. And I pray that my sharing how I went

01:16:06.090 --> 01:16:09.149
through and God has helped me overcome or how

01:16:09.149 --> 01:16:11.930
God has used it helps you and encourages you

01:16:11.930 --> 01:16:14.970
now I do ask y 'all hit subscribe wherever it

01:16:14.970 --> 01:16:17.550
is you're listening to this podcast hit subscribe

01:16:17.550 --> 01:16:21.529
like it leave a review it helps to leave reviews

01:16:21.529 --> 01:16:25.210
if you're listening on Apple Amazon Spotify and

01:16:25.210 --> 01:16:26.569
share it with somebody share it with someone

01:16:26.569 --> 01:16:28.090
that the Lord is putting on your heart to share

01:16:28.090 --> 01:16:29.649
a shirt with a friend shirt with a family member

01:16:29.649 --> 01:16:33.880
share it on social media it helps And I hope

01:16:33.880 --> 01:16:36.340
that y 'all have a wonderful new year. I'm recording

01:16:36.340 --> 01:16:39.159
this on December 31st, the last day of 2025.

01:16:39.939 --> 01:16:43.319
And I will see y 'all in 2026. God bless.