WEBVTT

00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:05.000
Hey guys and welcome back to the salt not sweetener

00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:10.240
podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend and

00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.839
This topic is one I'm looking forward to talking

00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:18.660
about y 'all and our topic today is Relationship

00:00:18.660 --> 00:00:24.519
over religion and just how much your life and

00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:27.379
your walk with Christ is gonna be transformed

00:00:27.929 --> 00:00:32.229
when you focus on the relationship with Christ.

00:00:32.850 --> 00:00:35.609
And I'm gonna share with y 'all today about how

00:00:35.609 --> 00:00:37.409
focusing on the relationship with Christ has

00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:40.070
been life -changing for me, and give you some

00:00:40.070 --> 00:00:45.090
tips on how to do that yourself. I'm sure this

00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:46.950
is not the first time you've heard, like, hey,

00:00:46.990 --> 00:00:49.170
it's not about the religion, it's about the relationship.

00:00:49.429 --> 00:00:51.109
You're not saved by your works, you're saved

00:00:51.109 --> 00:00:53.770
by your faith. And you're like, Danielle, okay,

00:00:54.070 --> 00:00:57.649
I understand, but how do I implement that? How

00:00:57.649 --> 00:01:00.350
do I know if that's what I'm doing? How do I

00:01:00.350 --> 00:01:03.729
know if I've fallen into religion? And I pray

00:01:03.729 --> 00:01:06.650
that me sharing my personal experience with y

00:01:06.650 --> 00:01:09.590
'all today, as well as pulling from scripture

00:01:09.590 --> 00:01:12.930
and sharing with y 'all the steps I took that

00:01:12.930 --> 00:01:16.189
improved my relationship with Jesus can help

00:01:16.189 --> 00:01:19.390
you to take steps in your life that are going

00:01:19.390 --> 00:01:23.799
to be transformational. This episode feels a

00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.840
little bit different and this episode honestly

00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:30.840
feels like a little bit more What's the word

00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:35.299
thought out and Helpful, I don't know. I think

00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:37.620
every one of my episodes I pray is helpful for

00:01:37.620 --> 00:01:40.379
y 'all but this one feels just a little bit more

00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:43.739
like kind of devoted almost to like Self -help

00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:46.980
steps when in all honesty all this is not self

00:01:46.980 --> 00:01:50.019
-help. This is all completely Christ led in my

00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:57.000
life But I think the first thing that I wanted

00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.560
to remind y 'all of is that we are called into

00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.540
fellowship and relationship with Jesus. We're

00:02:03.540 --> 00:02:06.340
told that in 1 Corinthians 1 9, right? That we

00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:11.240
are called into fellowship with God's only Son,

00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:14.819
Jesus Christ. And every time I have heard the

00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:18.759
word fellowship as a Christian, it's talking

00:02:18.759 --> 00:02:21.550
about community. it's talking about relationships,

00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:24.189
it's talking about friends, right? Like when

00:02:24.189 --> 00:02:26.490
I'm spending time with a brother or sister in

00:02:26.490 --> 00:02:28.830
Christ, like when we're having dinner together,

00:02:28.889 --> 00:02:33.169
just eating, we'll call that a fellowship time,

00:02:33.789 --> 00:02:35.610
because that's a time when we're in relationship,

00:02:35.750 --> 00:02:38.289
that's a time when we're, you know, lifting one

00:02:38.289 --> 00:02:40.530
another up in prayer, that's time when we're

00:02:40.530 --> 00:02:43.229
being supportive of one another, just being a

00:02:43.229 --> 00:02:46.069
rock for one another, right? When I attend small

00:02:46.069 --> 00:02:49.780
groups, that's a time of fellowship. When I am

00:02:49.780 --> 00:02:53.039
hanging out with my brothers or sisters in Christ

00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.020
Fellowship when I am at church fellowship when

00:02:57.020 --> 00:03:00.039
I'm talking to my pastor a time of fellowship

00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:07.460
Fellowship is relationship How can we be in fellowship

00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:11.020
with Christ if we don't have a relationship with

00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:14.969
Christ? Okay, and that that's the first thing

00:03:14.969 --> 00:03:17.110
I want to get out here and I want you to take

00:03:17.110 --> 00:03:20.389
a moment Pause this episode if you need to pause

00:03:20.389 --> 00:03:24.650
it and write down like what is your relationship

00:03:24.650 --> 00:03:29.689
with Jesus like right now? What is your relationship

00:03:29.689 --> 00:03:36.870
with Jesus like right now? And I'm gonna share

00:03:36.870 --> 00:03:40.449
with y 'all Where my relationship with Jesus

00:03:40.449 --> 00:03:44.129
is that now? and where it was at in the past

00:03:44.129 --> 00:03:47.969
in hopes that this will help you to kind of gauge

00:03:47.969 --> 00:03:52.689
where you are at okay most of my life i was raised

00:03:52.689 --> 00:03:55.729
in the church right most of my life i was raised

00:03:55.729 --> 00:03:58.270
in religion but i didn't have relationship and

00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:00.169
i've shared with you all many times before it

00:04:00.169 --> 00:04:02.389
was clear i didn't have a relationship with jesus

00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:05.719
because i didn't pursue him Right. I wasn't trying

00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:09.099
to get to know Jesus. I wasn't regularly talking

00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:12.659
to Jesus I wasn't trying to look more like Jesus

00:04:12.659 --> 00:04:15.699
when it came time to deny my flesh I loved my

00:04:15.699 --> 00:04:20.240
flesh more than I loved Jesus So I didn't deny

00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:24.199
the flesh I didn't deny the things that the Lord

00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:26.779
told me to deny. I didn't die to self because

00:04:26.779 --> 00:04:30.399
I love those things. I prioritize those things.

00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:33.720
I elevated those things more than I elevated

00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.740
Jesus Christ. These things were an idol for me

00:04:36.740 --> 00:04:41.500
in my life. When I knew, I knew that I wasn't

00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:45.000
supposed to be participating in lustful activities.

00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:50.759
But that was where I got my That's where I got

00:04:50.759 --> 00:04:52.660
kind of like my quick dopamine hit. That's where

00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:54.519
I felt good about myself That's where my confidence

00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:56.740
boost came from and because I wasn't rooted in

00:04:56.740 --> 00:04:59.339
who Jesus Christ said I was Because I didn't

00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:04.560
get my identity from the Lord. I Found my identity

00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:08.680
in worldly things, right? I found my comfort

00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.860
in worldly things and because I didn't have a

00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:14.120
relationship with Jesus even when I would read

00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:16.439
those things in Scripture I didn't trust them

00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:18.889
and it didn't mean much to me When someone would

00:05:18.889 --> 00:05:20.889
say God's word says this or God's word said that,

00:05:20.910 --> 00:05:23.029
I would shrug it off because I didn't know God

00:05:23.029 --> 00:05:25.870
like that. I didn't have a relationship with

00:05:25.870 --> 00:05:28.069
Jesus like that. It was almost like some random

00:05:28.069 --> 00:05:29.829
person on the street stopping and saying, hey,

00:05:29.850 --> 00:05:31.930
I don't like this about you. I'm like, okay,

00:05:31.949 --> 00:05:34.949
cool. I don't care. Goodbye. It hits a lot different

00:05:34.949 --> 00:05:37.110
if it's someone that's really close with you

00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:39.329
that you've known for a long time that's been

00:05:39.329 --> 00:05:41.930
there for you says, hey, I really don't like

00:05:41.930 --> 00:05:46.319
this thing about you. This is hurting me. Do

00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.480
y 'all kind of see the difference here? I'm a

00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.160
lot more likely to feel convicted, to take that

00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:56.980
thing to heart, to really reflect on it when

00:05:56.980 --> 00:05:59.319
it comes from someone that I truly value their

00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:02.879
opinion. And I have a relationship with them

00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:05.680
and I care about what they think and I care about

00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:07.920
how they feel. A random person on the street

00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:09.420
throwing something at me, I'm like, okay, you

00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:11.899
don't know anything about me. Okay, I'll never

00:06:11.899 --> 00:06:15.379
see you again. Why should I value your opinion

00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:17.019
to the point of changing myself and changing

00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:19.680
my life? And when I look back that was my relationship

00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:23.279
with Jesus When I would hear these things of

00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.220
like this hurts Jesus Jesus doesn't want you

00:06:25.220 --> 00:06:28.180
doing this, you know, like These things are gonna

00:06:28.180 --> 00:06:31.879
be hurting you Because I didn't have a relationship

00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:37.519
with Jesus. I kind of shrugged it off And it's

00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:42.920
so different now y 'all Where it's like I'm just

00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:45.240
going about my day and it can be so something

00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:49.279
so simple as there's a I fall into Gossip for

00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:52.740
even 15 seconds and I walk away and there's a

00:06:52.740 --> 00:06:54.759
conviction I feel where it's like I shouldn't

00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.620
have talked about God's child that way God loves

00:06:57.620 --> 00:07:02.620
that person, too I feel a conviction of that

00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:05.540
grieves the Lord's heart Because just as I'm

00:07:05.540 --> 00:07:07.300
a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit that person

00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:09.769
was a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit And

00:07:09.769 --> 00:07:13.230
what I'm doing to them, I'm doing to God. Remember

00:07:13.230 --> 00:07:15.910
how Jesus, and I'm pulling this out of the depths

00:07:15.910 --> 00:07:20.709
of my brain, so please forgive me. I'm trying

00:07:20.709 --> 00:07:24.209
to quote this as best as I can. But when Jesus

00:07:24.209 --> 00:07:27.439
is talking about, you know, like... When I was

00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:29.839
hungry you gave me food when I was thirsty you

00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:32.040
gave me drink He's like what you did for these

00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:34.139
others you did for me when they say like Lord

00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:36.139
Like when did we do those things to you for you?

00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:37.680
He's like when you didn't for others you didn't

00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:39.959
for me But he also has the vice versa of like

00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:42.759
I was hungry and you gave me no food I was thirsty

00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:45.519
and you gave me no drink Those things that you

00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:48.600
didn't do for them. You didn't do for me. And

00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:51.079
it's like now I get hit with that conviction

00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:54.139
And when I get hit with that conviction, it's

00:07:54.139 --> 00:07:56.420
very quick that I go into a repentance of forgive

00:07:56.420 --> 00:08:01.300
me Jesus Like forgive me like when I do something

00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:04.459
wrong now Like something that I don't even want

00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:09.240
to say wrong when I when I sin now it's like

00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:13.579
I Feel like I'm truly green like I'm grieving

00:08:13.579 --> 00:08:16.500
the heart of a parent who loves me with everything

00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:19.939
they have I feel like I'm grieving a best friend

00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:22.959
who loves me with everything that they have.

00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:27.639
But then I also, because I know that God loves

00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:30.500
me and he doesn't like tell me to flee sin and

00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:32.200
do all these things just to make up rules, he

00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:34.480
does it to protect me. I've seen what happens

00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:36.600
when I open the door for sin. I've seen what

00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:39.000
happens when I open the door for idolatry. I've

00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:41.460
seen all the pain and suffering where there's

00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:43.279
a grieving too that comes with where I'm like,

00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:47.990
man, I'm hurting myself. disobeying God I'm hurting

00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:51.129
myself so it's almost like I feel like I'm doing

00:08:51.129 --> 00:08:54.450
a disservice to myself it's a totally different

00:08:54.450 --> 00:08:57.570
that that's just one way and that's just one

00:08:57.570 --> 00:09:03.730
example of like my relationship now versus my

00:09:03.730 --> 00:09:06.009
relationship then when it comes to conviction

00:09:06.009 --> 00:09:10.409
y 'all back then conviction I don't even know

00:09:10.409 --> 00:09:12.230
if I call it a conviction because I shook it

00:09:12.230 --> 00:09:15.899
off real quick this conviction I want to be so

00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:17.519
clear y 'all this conviction doesn't come with

00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:19.980
condemnation it's not a thing of where it's like

00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:22.980
oh my gosh I did this like I'm not good enough

00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:25.740
I'm not I've had those thoughts hit and I'm able

00:09:25.740 --> 00:09:27.980
to identify that it's not from God that's from

00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:31.879
the enemy because there's redemption in Christ

00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:34.220
Jesus now when the conviction hits it's like

00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:37.200
I'm called to hire and I'm called to do better

00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:39.879
and I'm called to be better and I believe someone

00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:42.460
needs to hear this today we're not expected to

00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:44.789
be sinless I don't know who needs to hear this,

00:09:44.870 --> 00:09:48.610
but we're not gonna be spotless until Jesus Christ

00:09:48.610 --> 00:09:54.470
comes back. Our goal, when we accept Jesus Christ,

00:09:54.490 --> 00:09:55.970
I don't even know if I want to call it a goal,

00:09:56.210 --> 00:09:57.950
but something that's supposed to happen the more

00:09:57.950 --> 00:10:00.110
we're walking with Christ is we start to look

00:10:00.110 --> 00:10:02.830
more Christ -like, right? Meaning we're denying

00:10:02.830 --> 00:10:05.889
the flesh more. We're trying to stop gossiping.

00:10:05.909 --> 00:10:08.649
We're trying to stop slandering. We repent when

00:10:08.649 --> 00:10:11.429
we fall short. If something causes us to sin,

00:10:11.429 --> 00:10:13.740
we cut it off. You find you're falling in the

00:10:13.740 --> 00:10:15.200
gossip with that friend group. You stop spending

00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:16.940
time with that friend group. If the Lord has

00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:18.740
revealed that's your best method, that's your

00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:22.580
best method. You can't, you know, only have one

00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:25.840
drink. Sobriety is a problem for you. Cut off

00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:31.799
the drinks entirely. When we are repentant for

00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:33.980
something, we also take the active steps to not

00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:36.940
go back to it. There's a difference between feeling

00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:39.460
guilt and repentance because you can feel guilty

00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:43.730
and go back to it, right? And That never -ending

00:10:43.730 --> 00:10:46.490
state of like guiltiness that is also kind of

00:10:46.490 --> 00:10:48.450
a symptom of condemnation I feel like we can

00:10:48.450 --> 00:10:51.730
do a whole other episode on that at some point

00:10:51.730 --> 00:10:56.509
but this may be a good moment for you to again

00:10:56.509 --> 00:11:00.110
pause and like if you have a notebook write down

00:11:00.110 --> 00:11:05.350
like How do you feel when you receive conviction,

00:11:05.429 --> 00:11:11.299
how do you feel? When it's revealed to you that

00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:13.220
something you're doing is against the word of

00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:16.860
God Like what's your first reaction? Because

00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:19.960
I know like back in the day my very first reaction

00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:22.539
is I would say well I don't believe in that or

00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:24.940
that doesn't apply to me or I would try to manipulate

00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:27.340
the scripture To make it apply to me or I would

00:11:27.340 --> 00:11:30.220
say God knows my heart When I look back it's

00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:31.960
like did he really though because I didn't even

00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:34.200
have a good enough relationship with God to know

00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:36.620
his heart Yes, God knew my heart. God is all

00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:39.600
-knowing That's funny how I'd say God knows my

00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:41.399
heart, but I didn't have enough relationship

00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:46.220
with him to know his heart, right? It was really

00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:48.080
hard for me to discern his voice and we'll get

00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:50.480
into that in a minute This may be a good time,

00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:53.519
you know, like when something is pointed out

00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:57.309
to you all when you recognize like hey that thing

00:11:57.309 --> 00:12:00.809
I'm elevating in this life this thing I'm idolizing

00:12:00.809 --> 00:12:02.950
this thing I'm doing this thing I'm putting my

00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:08.669
faith in this goes against God's word is your

00:12:08.669 --> 00:12:14.809
first reaction like repentance is your first

00:12:14.809 --> 00:12:18.149
reaction like listening to that conviction and

00:12:18.149 --> 00:12:22.610
taking it to God and like implementing it Where

00:12:22.610 --> 00:12:25.129
is your first reaction kind of like excusing

00:12:25.129 --> 00:12:28.330
it? Defending it away throwing it away I know

00:12:28.330 --> 00:12:29.870
that there's something that a lot of people run

00:12:29.870 --> 00:12:32.230
into and it's something I ran into a lot Especially

00:12:32.230 --> 00:12:34.070
if that conviction comes through someone else,

00:12:34.549 --> 00:12:36.330
you know someone saying hey This is what God's

00:12:36.330 --> 00:12:37.850
Word says or hey, you shouldn't be doing this.

00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:40.570
I know my first reaction used to be Well, you're

00:12:40.570 --> 00:12:42.750
not perfect. You can't tell me nothing. Will

00:12:42.750 --> 00:12:47.090
you do this? Who are you to talk? And if we are

00:12:47.090 --> 00:12:49.669
waiting on perfection, if we think that the only

00:12:49.669 --> 00:12:52.409
person who God can use to speak to us, to convict

00:12:52.409 --> 00:12:55.070
us as someone who's perfect, you're gonna be

00:12:55.070 --> 00:12:58.330
waiting for a moment that's too late. Because

00:12:58.330 --> 00:13:00.450
the church is only gonna be spotless when Jesus

00:13:00.450 --> 00:13:05.990
Christ returns. Nowhere in scripture are we going

00:13:05.990 --> 00:13:09.970
to be as sinless and perfect as Jesus. We've

00:13:09.970 --> 00:13:12.429
all already sinned. That's why we need Jesus.

00:13:12.730 --> 00:13:15.110
So there's gonna be something out of every single

00:13:15.110 --> 00:13:17.190
person i'm going to be able to say well you did

00:13:17.190 --> 00:13:22.269
this you did that you did that if my determination

00:13:22.269 --> 00:13:25.730
of whether or not god can speak through someone

00:13:25.730 --> 00:13:34.110
to me is whether or not they have sin i'm eliminating

00:13:34.110 --> 00:13:39.809
everybody and that's a pride thing that's a pride

00:13:39.809 --> 00:13:42.409
thing i see now how god can use me and i have

00:13:42.409 --> 00:13:44.899
such a sinful past and i know that there are

00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:46.379
people who look at me and they're like god can't

00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:48.379
use you you have that kind of past i'm like that's

00:13:48.379 --> 00:13:50.519
not what god's word says i remember there was

00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.320
a time when people would try to speak to me and

00:13:53.320 --> 00:13:56.259
i'd be like you're one to talk so it's like i'm

00:13:56.259 --> 00:14:00.860
able to extend grace in a way but i i want to

00:14:00.860 --> 00:14:03.120
extend this question to you too is that how you

00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:06.720
react are you very quick to say well who are

00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:09.379
you to say something who are you people are very

00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:11.980
quick to say like they're passing judgment on

00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:14.710
me They're passing judgment. You can't judge

00:14:14.710 --> 00:14:17.269
God is the only judge I want to be so clear God

00:14:17.269 --> 00:14:19.370
is the only one who decides who goes to heaven

00:14:19.370 --> 00:14:21.950
and goes to hell I do not determine that you

00:14:21.950 --> 00:14:24.169
do not determine that which is why it's so important

00:14:24.169 --> 00:14:27.509
for us to be forgiving one another right because

00:14:27.509 --> 00:14:31.929
That kind of judgment is an arse That's actually

00:14:31.929 --> 00:14:37.230
our responsibility as Christians When someone

00:14:37.230 --> 00:14:40.610
is falling off the path when someone is going

00:14:40.610 --> 00:14:51.669
astray to bring them back. We've talked in previous

00:14:51.669 --> 00:14:54.409
episodes about how important it is to have brothers

00:14:54.409 --> 00:14:57.710
or sisters in Christ that will lift your hands

00:14:57.710 --> 00:14:59.789
when you are too tired to raise them, that will

00:14:59.789 --> 00:15:03.350
pick you up when you are falling down. And sometimes

00:15:03.350 --> 00:15:06.450
that falling down is a moral falling down. Sometimes

00:15:06.450 --> 00:15:10.259
that falling down is stumbling into sin. And

00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:14.480
you need that person to say, hey, this isn't

00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:19.580
something that God wants for you. This isn't

00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:22.379
something that God designed for you. This isn't

00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:24.600
the life that God has for you. God has better

00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:33.860
for you. I think we've seen in the Bible how

00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:37.480
many times God will send people to groups of

00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:41.409
people. And we see how frequently people in their

00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:44.570
pride and their ego rejected for whatever reason.

00:15:44.750 --> 00:15:49.889
Jeremiah is one example. Then we also see what

00:15:49.889 --> 00:15:56.870
happens when people accept it. Jonah. So I just

00:15:56.870 --> 00:16:00.049
want to encourage y 'all today to not harden

00:16:00.049 --> 00:16:02.090
your heart in that way. Understand that God can

00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:04.029
communicate through people because we are dwelling

00:16:04.029 --> 00:16:06.830
places for the Holy Spirit. And God speaks through

00:16:06.830 --> 00:16:09.559
his children every day. He has not is not stop

00:16:09.559 --> 00:16:16.399
speaking so harden not your heart speaking from

00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:19.399
experience y 'all i know it's not always easy

00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:22.000
and this would be my encouragement to you start

00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:26.600
praying to god that your heart isn't hardened

00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:30.039
and he keeps you in a humble space to receive

00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.220
correction i cannot tell y 'all how many times

00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:34.840
i've had to pray that prayer and i still have

00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:41.480
to pray that You know pray Psalm 139 23 and 24

00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.559
search me God and know my heart test me and know

00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:47.519
my concerns See if there is any offensive way

00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:50.899
in me. Leave me in the everlasting way Y 'all

00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:53.940
y 'all see me right now how I'm able to just

00:16:53.940 --> 00:16:57.610
like speak with the confidence and share these

00:16:57.610 --> 00:17:00.490
testimonies and this different wisdom but y 'all

00:17:00.490 --> 00:17:04.349
didn't see the past like year and a half of it

00:17:04.349 --> 00:17:07.109
seemed like every other day God revealing a part

00:17:07.109 --> 00:17:09.769
of me that wasn't pleasing to him and happened

00:17:09.769 --> 00:17:12.069
to break it down and strip it out all the different

00:17:12.069 --> 00:17:14.089
ways he revealed to me I wasn't trusting him

00:17:14.089 --> 00:17:16.470
all the ways he revealed to me I was in my pride

00:17:16.470 --> 00:17:21.089
all the ways I had to be humbled most of my prayers

00:17:21.089 --> 00:17:25.329
for like over a year Just to get out like I felt

00:17:25.329 --> 00:17:27.630
like I was in a never -ending wilderness season.

00:17:28.009 --> 00:17:30.910
I was like God What more do you need to break

00:17:30.910 --> 00:17:33.549
out break down and you remember y 'all the Israelites

00:17:33.549 --> 00:17:35.710
were in the wilderness because they weren't yet

00:17:35.710 --> 00:17:38.549
the people Capable of going to the promised land.

00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:41.569
They didn't have the faith. They had pride. They

00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:43.289
had ego They have a lot of things that need to

00:17:43.289 --> 00:17:50.680
be broken down first And we elevate when we talk

00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:52.400
about relationship with Christ a lot of people

00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:54.720
think about like the he gives you the peace that

00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.039
surpasses all understanding and the love and

00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:01.099
all this but we don't talk about as much or think

00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:04.059
about the pruning part the part where you are

00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:07.579
called to hire and you were called to be better

00:18:07.579 --> 00:18:11.559
Jesus Jesus met people where they were but he

00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.480
did not validate them to stay in their sin How

00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.750
many people did he say go and sin no more? He

00:18:17.750 --> 00:18:21.109
called people to do better. He calls you to hire.

00:18:21.970 --> 00:18:25.190
He loves you, so he will meet you where you are.

00:18:25.190 --> 00:18:27.390
You don't need to clean yourself up first, but

00:18:27.390 --> 00:18:32.529
you need to allow him to clean you. Which means

00:18:32.529 --> 00:18:35.769
being open to correction, being open to hearing

00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:38.329
you're wrong. Y 'all, I had such a hardened heart

00:18:38.329 --> 00:18:40.269
for the longest time of where I felt like everybody

00:18:40.269 --> 00:18:42.549
else did me wrong. And I want to be so clear

00:18:42.549 --> 00:18:45.309
that a lot of people hurt me in a lot of hurtful

00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:49.930
ways. But it was funny how God sat me down and

00:18:49.930 --> 00:18:52.089
started revealing to me all the ways I hurt those

00:18:52.089 --> 00:18:56.450
people. And he wasn't negating what they did

00:18:56.450 --> 00:18:58.329
to me or saying what they did to me was okay,

00:18:58.349 --> 00:19:00.930
but he was showing me you're not a 100 % victim.

00:19:02.910 --> 00:19:05.049
And you need to take accountability for what

00:19:05.049 --> 00:19:08.549
you did to. Because once you take accountability,

00:19:08.549 --> 00:19:12.150
I can actually heal this and we can make it better

00:19:12.150 --> 00:19:16.660
and move on. Y 'all I used to think I was always

00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:21.079
gonna be a crash out. I'm not anymore I Used

00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:23.880
to be like control freak 101 overthinking thinking

00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:25.599
of a million different outcomes and couldn't

00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:28.200
let it go and now just about everything is God

00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:30.380
I'm giving it to you. I'm not perfect in it,

00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:35.410
but man the way I give it to God now I used to

00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:37.930
thrive on ranting and gossiping and complaining

00:19:37.930 --> 00:19:40.269
and now when someone rants or gossips to me for

00:19:40.269 --> 00:19:42.349
more than 15 seconds I'm like, all right, I don't

00:19:42.349 --> 00:19:43.930
want to entertain this. This is too negative

00:19:43.930 --> 00:19:49.309
for me. I got to go But I wouldn't have got to

00:19:49.309 --> 00:19:51.710
the spaces if I hadn't first acknowledged the

00:19:51.710 --> 00:19:54.089
parts of me that enjoyed the gossip and Enjoyed

00:19:54.089 --> 00:19:56.190
the ranting and enjoyed the attention and enjoyed

00:19:56.190 --> 00:19:58.430
the victim mentality There are a lot of people

00:19:58.430 --> 00:20:00.970
who are stuck in victim mentality and then say

00:20:00.970 --> 00:20:06.019
but I don't like being a victim But they refuse

00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:08.039
to see the areas where they don't have to be

00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:14.880
a victim So I'm encouraging y 'all to pray to

00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:17.019
God consistently not just a one -time prayer

00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:20.019
pray to him consistently of God keep me humble

00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:22.920
God keep me receptive to correction. I pray when

00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:27.119
you reveal correction I implement it and it's

00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:33.420
rooted in me Pray every day Because it's not

00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:35.039
just you're gonna get to a point one day where

00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.859
it's like, okay I'm humble and I'm gonna be humble

00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:39.960
the rest of my life. You are going to continue

00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:43.480
Because without Christ we can do nothing Christ

00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:46.480
is the one who perfects us Like Christ is the

00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:49.819
one who working in us makes us holy Christ is

00:20:49.819 --> 00:20:53.000
the one who working in us when we have when we

00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:56.319
are covered in the blood of Jesus is What has

00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:58.500
us forgiven for our sins and we are able to enter

00:20:58.500 --> 00:21:01.210
heaven. It's not our own works it's not we walk

00:21:01.210 --> 00:21:02.910
with jesus long enough and then we've earned

00:21:02.910 --> 00:21:07.829
it it's having our faith in him throughout life

00:21:07.829 --> 00:21:16.730
enduring so yeah i'm encouraging y 'all if there's

00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:19.930
one prayer that i'm encouraging y 'all to pray

00:21:19.930 --> 00:21:23.509
today pray that psalm pray that god reveals your

00:21:23.509 --> 00:21:25.750
heart and pray that when he reveals it you don't

00:21:25.750 --> 00:21:28.569
recoil and you don't double down in it and you

00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:31.049
don't get offended Pray that he breaks the spirit

00:21:31.049 --> 00:21:33.369
of offense off of you. Pray that he delivers

00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:36.329
you. Did y 'all know that pride and ego is something

00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:39.529
you can be delivered from? I've shared in the

00:21:39.529 --> 00:21:42.490
past my deliverance, where there was a two month

00:21:42.490 --> 00:21:44.710
period when I was giving my life to Jesus, that

00:21:44.710 --> 00:21:46.490
I went through an intermittent fasting, where

00:21:46.490 --> 00:21:48.269
four or five days at a time I wasn't eating,

00:21:49.130 --> 00:21:51.430
and I was just praying and seeking him and in

00:21:51.430 --> 00:21:53.450
his word, and at that time too I was denying

00:21:53.450 --> 00:21:57.150
my flesh, I was... Refusing to I wasn't scrolling

00:21:57.150 --> 00:21:59.109
on my phone. I was denying my flesh in that area.

00:21:59.130 --> 00:22:02.390
I wasn't scrolling on my phone I wasn't Participating

00:22:02.390 --> 00:22:04.289
at that point the Lord was breaking new age off

00:22:04.289 --> 00:22:06.670
me and I refused to go back to tarot card reading

00:22:06.670 --> 00:22:09.849
all these things I was actively denying my flesh

00:22:09.849 --> 00:22:12.349
and seeking the Lord and going through that fasting

00:22:12.349 --> 00:22:15.470
and That was a deliverance period for me where

00:22:15.470 --> 00:22:18.910
the Lord broke things that had been burdens for

00:22:18.910 --> 00:22:21.730
me for decades things I thought were unchangeable

00:22:21.730 --> 00:22:24.049
things that therapy couldn't change in me things

00:22:24.049 --> 00:22:28.369
that medication couldn't change things that um

00:22:28.369 --> 00:22:31.170
new age couldn't change things that relationships

00:22:31.170 --> 00:22:33.890
couldn't change things I just accepted as this

00:22:33.890 --> 00:22:36.450
is who I am and how I am and the Lord was like

00:22:36.450 --> 00:22:39.670
no I call you to hire this is not who you are

00:22:39.670 --> 00:22:42.910
let me show you who you are and that is what

00:22:42.910 --> 00:22:45.069
a relationship with Jesus did for me too y 'all

00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:47.779
It didn't even realize we were going into this

00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:50.079
relationship with Jesus has broken things off

00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:52.259
of me that I thought to be impossible there were

00:22:52.259 --> 00:22:54.599
things that literally I was diagnosed with I

00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:56.099
was told you're just gonna have to live with

00:22:56.099 --> 00:23:00.319
this for the rest of your life and Jesus broke

00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:04.420
those things off of me. He healed me Like there

00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:06.200
there were literally like some and I'm not talking

00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:09.940
mental health diagnosis Which the Lord did do

00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:12.400
an amazing work on my mental health there were

00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:16.059
physical health things. I was dealing with From

00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:18.960
a young age that I had been told this is you're

00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:20.700
gonna have this for life. There's no cure for

00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:29.779
this And I felt Jesus tell me You're never gonna

00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:32.920
have to deal with this again like I will heal

00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:35.519
you and there were steps of faith I had to take

00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:38.920
like getting off a medication and just trusting

00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:42.440
That I was never gonna have to go through that

00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:46.980
again No such a debate debilitating like especially

00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:52.119
mentally it's crazy what physical like a physical

00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:58.160
disorder can have on your mental and he delivered

00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:01.240
me from that and I haven't had to deal with that

00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:03.140
oh my gosh I'm about to start crying talking

00:24:03.140 --> 00:24:04.839
about this because it was something that's not

00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:08.359
supposed to be possible like there's no surgery

00:24:08.359 --> 00:24:15.619
for it there's no like I was just told you're

00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:19.640
gonna have to deal with it for life and while

00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:22.779
I was going through that deliverance and the

00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:26.640
Lord actually showed me scriptural verses that

00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:30.920
lead me to believe that that thing I was dealing

00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:33.380
with was also due to the open doors of sin and

00:24:33.380 --> 00:24:35.799
demonic oppression I had going on in my life

00:24:35.799 --> 00:24:38.720
because interesting enough when I got diagnosed

00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:41.220
with that thing y 'all was when I started getting

00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:44.789
into lust I started getting heavy into drinking

00:24:44.789 --> 00:24:48.750
and smoking and lying and gossiping and just

00:24:48.750 --> 00:24:55.710
when I went into like the most unhealed just

00:24:55.710 --> 00:25:02.569
mean worst version of myself no self -denial

00:25:02.569 --> 00:25:09.740
and when I look back that was when like I I had

00:25:09.740 --> 00:25:12.799
really fully given myself over to the world and

00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:16.000
to Satan without realizing it was Satan. I've

00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:19.680
really fully given myself over to myself and

00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:24.319
I got diagnosed with that thing and it was so

00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:27.259
consistent. It felt like it affected every area

00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:31.119
of my life and the Lord actually showed me in

00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:34.559
Scripture where that very disorder thing I was

00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:36.680
dealing with were symptoms of people with demonic

00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:40.650
oppression. In the scripture and demonic possession

00:25:40.650 --> 00:25:44.049
The demon literally trying to kill them and I

00:25:44.049 --> 00:25:46.130
cannot tell you how many times y 'all that disorder

00:25:46.130 --> 00:25:48.809
put me in life endangering situations Like it

00:25:48.809 --> 00:25:51.430
happened at the worst time possible Where it

00:25:51.430 --> 00:25:54.509
was like I think I almost died like I'm so lucky

00:25:54.509 --> 00:25:59.190
I didn't die And when I look back and I'm not

00:25:59.190 --> 00:26:02.190
saying that's everybody's situation But I am

00:26:02.190 --> 00:26:03.890
saying that I truly believe the Lord revealed

00:26:03.890 --> 00:26:06.589
to me that that medical thing I was dealing with

00:26:07.130 --> 00:26:11.309
Was a result of my sin like my open doors to

00:26:11.309 --> 00:26:15.990
letting the devil in Now I want to be so clear

00:26:15.990 --> 00:26:17.710
I'm not saying that God gave me that the sword

00:26:17.710 --> 00:26:20.670
to punish me for my sin I want to say that my

00:26:20.670 --> 00:26:24.369
sin my willful sin and my refusal to deny the

00:26:24.369 --> 00:26:27.950
flesh open the door for demonic influence in

00:26:27.950 --> 00:26:30.009
my life that eventually became an oppression

00:26:30.009 --> 00:26:32.609
that was able to affect me mentally and physically

00:26:32.609 --> 00:26:34.910
because that was also the time when my depression

00:26:34.910 --> 00:26:36.809
hit an all -time high it was years later i started

00:26:36.809 --> 00:26:39.049
having panic attacks panic disorder i had eating

00:26:39.049 --> 00:26:44.369
disorder like my crash outs were crazy like everything

00:26:44.369 --> 00:26:47.990
or when i look back i'm like every single aspect

00:26:47.990 --> 00:26:49.769
of myself was a symptom of someone dealing with

00:26:49.769 --> 00:26:55.250
demonic oppression and it's actually crazy i

00:26:55.250 --> 00:27:01.279
made it through as long as I did but when I was

00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:03.619
seeking Jesus and keep in mind y 'all I didn't

00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:05.839
see all that at that point at that point when

00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:07.619
I was seeking the Lord I just saw it as a medical

00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:10.779
thing I was dealing with and I saw it as like

00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:13.539
I can't continue to live with this like I can't

00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:15.940
continue to pay the medication and doing all

00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:17.859
this and then also like Lord if you're calling

00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:19.539
me to do all these things this disorder is going

00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:21.400
to be prevented I don't see how I can keep doing

00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:25.200
this and he said like Will heal you of this you

00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:27.059
will never have to deal with this again put your

00:27:27.059 --> 00:27:29.880
faith in me and and put my faith in him He called

00:27:29.880 --> 00:27:32.960
me to get off the medication and he called me

00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:38.700
to distrust and I did and he delivered on his

00:27:38.700 --> 00:27:43.339
promise. So I want to say that y 'all Your relationship

00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:46.720
with Jesus will heal you it has healed me physically

00:27:47.629 --> 00:27:50.690
It has healed me mentally. It has healed traumas.

00:27:50.829 --> 00:27:52.950
There were things I unpacked in the counselor

00:27:52.950 --> 00:27:57.029
and the psychologist's office for years When

00:27:57.029 --> 00:28:00.130
I was basically told like you're too self -aware

00:28:00.130 --> 00:28:02.869
for therapy like I could sit in the therapist

00:28:02.869 --> 00:28:06.509
office and say this is what I do and I know it's

00:28:06.509 --> 00:28:08.730
unhealthy and this is why I do and I compartmentalize

00:28:08.730 --> 00:28:11.930
this and I deal with this and I do this and like

00:28:11.930 --> 00:28:14.470
all these things it's like I understand why I'm

00:28:14.470 --> 00:28:17.279
doing it and I understand what this is and how

00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:19.539
it's affecting me and all these things and when

00:28:19.539 --> 00:28:21.380
they would literally they just started putting

00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:24.079
me on a lot of medication because they're like

00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:28.279
clearly you understand it but I had like a self

00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:30.119
-awareness where it was like there was nothing

00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:33.859
they could really show me or reveal to me and

00:28:34.849 --> 00:28:37.069
It wasn't long after y 'all that I started going

00:28:37.069 --> 00:28:39.930
into new age because new age offered like a healing

00:28:39.930 --> 00:28:42.329
and you can Manifest your own reality and all

00:28:42.329 --> 00:28:44.430
this kind of stuff and it seemed like the answer

00:28:44.430 --> 00:28:47.329
I was someone who was seeking truth and healing

00:28:47.329 --> 00:28:50.690
and a world that told me like there was none

00:28:50.690 --> 00:28:54.049
Unfortunately, I had to go through new age to

00:28:54.049 --> 00:28:57.240
find Jesus Like I say, unfortunately, like having

00:28:57.240 --> 00:28:59.619
to go through that stage, but I've seen how many,

00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:01.539
I don't even want to say unfortunate scratch

00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:03.380
that y 'all because it's fortunate because now

00:29:03.380 --> 00:29:07.180
I'm able to discern things. I have learned things

00:29:07.180 --> 00:29:09.839
that I wouldn't have learned. I'm able to see

00:29:09.839 --> 00:29:12.220
things and be like, that is witchcraft. I'm able

00:29:12.220 --> 00:29:14.420
to see things and be like, that is manipulation.

00:29:14.579 --> 00:29:18.799
That is new age garb, like mumbo jumbo. in ways

00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:20.440
that I wouldn't have been able to if I hadn't

00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:22.240
been like embedded in it and experienced it.

00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:24.579
It's crazy just side note y 'all how many times

00:29:24.579 --> 00:29:27.700
I catch people like just through the daily through

00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:30.619
my daily life where in the past I wouldn't have

00:29:30.619 --> 00:29:35.180
been able to discern like hey that's like a new

00:29:35.180 --> 00:29:38.400
age term hey that's that I'm able to catch it

00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:42.799
now it's crazy how God has used it um but yeah

00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:45.079
y 'all sorry we're going back we're going back

00:29:45.079 --> 00:29:46.980
we're getting a little off track your relationship

00:29:46.980 --> 00:29:49.859
with Jesus will heal. Your relationship with

00:29:49.859 --> 00:29:52.440
Jesus can deliver you from things that you never

00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:55.019
thought possible to be delivered from there were

00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:57.140
traumas There were things that haunted me that

00:29:57.140 --> 00:30:05.140
I was delivered from And these things happened

00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:09.880
because I sought the Lord and I denied the flesh

00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:12.640
and This is the direction. I think we're kind

00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:14.960
of going where we talk about y 'all its relationship

00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:20.329
over religion and The religion I'm talking about

00:30:20.329 --> 00:30:23.150
say when we look at the Pharisees where they

00:30:23.150 --> 00:30:27.269
did all the proper steps They kept themselves

00:30:27.269 --> 00:30:30.009
clean. They kept the law. They did it this way.

00:30:30.089 --> 00:30:33.210
Remember what Jesus said to him said to the Pharisees

00:30:33.210 --> 00:30:36.609
He's like on the outside y 'all look great But

00:30:36.609 --> 00:30:40.710
on the inside y 'all are nasty. This is me paraphrasing.

00:30:40.710 --> 00:30:43.210
He's like on the outside you look holy you look

00:30:43.420 --> 00:30:45.500
You look clean, you look all these things, but

00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:48.220
on the inside, you're hypocritical. On the inside,

00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:51.380
there's greed and jealousy and all these icky

00:30:51.380 --> 00:30:56.380
things. You got a lot of skeletons in your closet,

00:30:56.559 --> 00:30:59.140
sir. Like, is how he's kind of talking to them,

00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:04.099
like... He said, y 'all go out of your way to

00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:06.539
convert someone, but now that they're converted,

00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:08.819
you make them twice the child of hell that they

00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:15.460
were before. You double condemn them. You saying

00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:17.960
you tell everybody that they're unworthy of God

00:31:17.960 --> 00:31:19.859
you tell everybody that they're unworthy to heaven

00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:26.700
you close the door you say no one's worth There

00:31:26.700 --> 00:31:30.200
I was someone who Unfortunately, you know was

00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:33.880
a victim of religion not relationship. I knew

00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:40.690
scripture growing up. I was baptized i would

00:31:40.690 --> 00:31:43.430
go to confession i would sing the gospel songs

00:31:43.430 --> 00:31:46.650
but because i didn't prioritize a relationship

00:31:46.650 --> 00:31:48.569
with christ i didn't see the transformations

00:31:48.569 --> 00:31:55.710
i didn't see promises of god i didn't see these

00:31:55.710 --> 00:31:59.289
things i didn't have we know that the one who

00:31:59.289 --> 00:32:02.589
believes in jesus will do the works he does right

00:32:02.589 --> 00:32:05.309
and we shall know them by their fruits i didn't

00:32:05.309 --> 00:32:10.670
have those fruits the peace patience love you

00:32:10.670 --> 00:32:14.289
know like the forgiveness these things you could

00:32:14.289 --> 00:32:17.710
it sometimes mimic them but it wasn't who you

00:32:17.710 --> 00:32:22.089
were compared to who I was in the past y 'all

00:32:22.089 --> 00:32:25.609
like and I know the Lord will continue to do

00:32:25.609 --> 00:32:27.769
better with me I am so patient compared to the

00:32:27.769 --> 00:32:31.809
person I used to be man I am loving and forgiving

00:32:31.809 --> 00:32:34.170
I used to think I was a forgiving person no I

00:32:34.170 --> 00:32:38.819
was a person with bad boundaries people pleasing

00:32:38.819 --> 00:32:42.460
mentality now I know what forgiveness is because

00:32:42.460 --> 00:32:51.099
Jesus has shown me there are people today who

00:32:51.099 --> 00:32:54.779
are in religion and the relationship has kind

00:32:54.779 --> 00:32:58.660
of taken a backseat right there are people today

00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:01.619
who they say well I read the Bible and I listen

00:33:01.619 --> 00:33:05.730
to the sermon You know, I I do the little Bible

00:33:05.730 --> 00:33:09.089
studies and I make sure to go out and tell people

00:33:09.089 --> 00:33:13.250
this is what God's Word says I flee lust I Keep

00:33:13.250 --> 00:33:16.410
myself clean in this area. I do these things

00:33:16.410 --> 00:33:22.210
I do these things But then like when you start

00:33:22.210 --> 00:33:25.089
to ask about like okay, but what's your personal

00:33:25.089 --> 00:33:26.990
relationship like with Jesus like what's your

00:33:26.990 --> 00:33:31.640
prayer life like How do you worship him? How

00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:33.279
do you spend time with him? And I want to be

00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:36.140
so clear y 'all that and I have said a million

00:33:36.140 --> 00:33:39.519
times over Reading scripture is important. Like

00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:42.720
we as Christians need to have a Christian worldview

00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:47.519
meaning like The way that we view the world our

00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:51.180
values our morals Are based off of what God's

00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:53.160
Word says not our thoughts and our feelings and

00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:56.259
you only know that through God's Word When you're

00:33:56.259 --> 00:33:58.099
facing spiritual warfare, you need to be able

00:33:58.099 --> 00:33:59.880
to combat it with God's Word, the lies of the

00:33:59.880 --> 00:34:02.039
enemy. You take these thoughts captive and make

00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:06.039
them obedient to Christ. In order to know God's

00:34:06.039 --> 00:34:08.780
voice, to be able to hear when the Lord is speaking

00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:10.980
to you, you've got to know his character. You'll

00:34:10.980 --> 00:34:12.460
learn all these things through reading scripture.

00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:17.900
But there are a lot of people who will read and

00:34:17.900 --> 00:34:20.619
consume all this knowledge and they feel like

00:34:20.619 --> 00:34:23.079
the knowledge consumption is the relationship.

00:34:26.739 --> 00:34:30.039
And I was one of those people for a while there

00:34:30.039 --> 00:34:32.239
is a period in my life after giving my life to

00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:35.119
Jesus Remember y 'all at first it was really

00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:37.199
good. It was for months. It was just me denying

00:34:37.199 --> 00:34:40.619
the flesh praying to the Lord Like just reading

00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:42.760
my Bible every day. No one's outside influencer

00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:45.599
opinion. It's just me and the Lord but then when

00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:50.619
I got back into Social life again, and I joined

00:34:50.619 --> 00:34:52.659
a church and I went back to the church I was

00:34:52.659 --> 00:34:57.710
raised in in this church Now I'm non -denominational,

00:34:57.730 --> 00:35:00.309
but this was a church that was like a very religious,

00:35:00.750 --> 00:35:04.929
old religion. There were a lot of religious practices

00:35:04.929 --> 00:35:09.170
in place that you're supposed to do very consistently.

00:35:09.349 --> 00:35:11.710
And I did all those things. And what's interesting

00:35:11.710 --> 00:35:14.150
is in doing all those things, those things started

00:35:14.150 --> 00:35:17.889
being my gauge for how good standing I was with

00:35:17.889 --> 00:35:19.710
God. And that can be a whole nother topic for

00:35:19.710 --> 00:35:21.849
another day. But I started thinking, okay, did

00:35:21.849 --> 00:35:26.059
I say these... Pre -rehearsed prayers, which

00:35:26.059 --> 00:35:28.420
is like, you know the our father and like these

00:35:28.420 --> 00:35:30.559
different things. It's like which are fantastic

00:35:30.559 --> 00:35:35.360
Jesus gave us that prayer But I I was in a consistent

00:35:35.360 --> 00:35:37.800
just praying the rosary and praying these prayers

00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:40.739
I wasn't pulling anything personal out and laying

00:35:40.739 --> 00:35:44.579
it at Jesus's feet, right? I was honoring him

00:35:44.579 --> 00:35:46.260
and I was doing these things. I wasn't really

00:35:46.260 --> 00:35:49.880
getting deep and personal with him. I was reading

00:35:49.880 --> 00:35:56.690
his word a lot learning about him but I wasn't

00:35:56.690 --> 00:35:59.889
speaking to him I wasn't communicating with him

00:35:59.889 --> 00:36:05.809
I wasn't pouring it out to him and the direction

00:36:05.809 --> 00:36:09.070
we're going in next y 'all is prayer life because

00:36:09.070 --> 00:36:12.219
you can do all these things You can have all

00:36:12.219 --> 00:36:14.639
of these things, right? You can have all of the

00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:17.380
biblical knowledge. You can go to all these Bible

00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:20.039
studies. You can listen to the pastors who have

00:36:20.039 --> 00:36:23.019
seen all these moves of God in their life. You

00:36:23.019 --> 00:36:25.860
can have all these things, but you can still

00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:29.559
find yourself to be spiritually dry. Meaning

00:36:29.559 --> 00:36:33.619
you can find yourself feeling like I see no healing

00:36:33.619 --> 00:36:36.000
and I don't feel like God speaks to me and I

00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:37.519
don't feel like I've seen any of these things.

00:36:38.250 --> 00:36:41.869
And there are some people who emphasize so much

00:36:41.869 --> 00:36:47.289
the knowledge intake and the religious practices

00:36:47.289 --> 00:36:49.789
of the going to church and doing all these things,

00:36:50.110 --> 00:36:52.489
but they put aside the intentional prayer time

00:36:52.489 --> 00:36:56.369
and the just fellowship with God. And then they're

00:36:56.369 --> 00:36:59.110
wondering, why don't I hear from God? Why don't

00:36:59.110 --> 00:37:01.670
I see these changes? Why don't I see these transformations?

00:37:01.829 --> 00:37:04.170
And they may even start to get cynical. They

00:37:04.170 --> 00:37:05.929
may start to look at other people who hear from

00:37:05.929 --> 00:37:07.650
God consistently and be like, oh, there's no

00:37:07.650 --> 00:37:09.369
way you hear from them because I don't, so you

00:37:09.369 --> 00:37:11.590
don't. There's no way God speaks to you every

00:37:11.590 --> 00:37:13.929
day. There's no way he's just revealing things

00:37:13.929 --> 00:37:15.369
to you. There's no way he's just telling you

00:37:15.369 --> 00:37:17.050
to read the scripture. There's no way he's giving

00:37:17.050 --> 00:37:20.110
you dreams. There's no way he's doing this. Fun

00:37:20.110 --> 00:37:22.070
fact, y 'all, I used to be one of those people.

00:37:22.289 --> 00:37:24.949
I used to be like, are you sure you prayed to

00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:26.530
God and you heard from him while you were praying

00:37:26.530 --> 00:37:30.219
with him? Are you sure that God gave you dreams

00:37:30.219 --> 00:37:33.219
about that? Are you sure that every day you pray

00:37:33.219 --> 00:37:35.820
and every day you hear from God? Because I felt

00:37:35.820 --> 00:37:37.780
like I was hearing from God once in a blue moon.

00:37:38.059 --> 00:37:40.039
And I felt like I was only getting bits and pieces.

00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:42.460
So when other people would get something very

00:37:42.460 --> 00:37:44.719
detailed from God, I was like, yeah, no, there's

00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:48.019
no way. Because I didn't personally experience

00:37:48.019 --> 00:37:51.280
that, I wrote it off completely. And now that

00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:54.179
I personally experienced it, I'm like, oh god,

00:37:54.300 --> 00:37:56.559
there's so much more I'm sure you can do. Like

00:37:56.559 --> 00:38:01.880
I want to see it all. But I got to that point

00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:05.659
through prayer and where we're getting at today

00:38:05.659 --> 00:38:08.059
y 'all is you can do all these religious things

00:38:08.059 --> 00:38:12.860
and none of these works are bad. Our father prayer

00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:14.739
is an amazing prayer. That's what Jesus Christ

00:38:14.739 --> 00:38:20.639
gave us to show us how to pray. Reading scripture

00:38:20.639 --> 00:38:23.039
is how we know God all these things are good,

00:38:23.039 --> 00:38:27.800
but these things without relationship Without

00:38:27.800 --> 00:38:32.340
intentional time with God Is when we find ourselves

00:38:32.340 --> 00:38:34.679
starting to put God in a box when we find ourselves

00:38:34.679 --> 00:38:36.639
starting to condemn everybody else because that's

00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:40.659
not our experience with God An interesting thing

00:38:40.659 --> 00:38:42.679
is this very well could be your experience with

00:38:42.679 --> 00:38:47.079
God With intentional time with him and that's

00:38:47.079 --> 00:38:49.199
where we're getting that y 'all is Prayer is

00:38:49.199 --> 00:38:54.619
gonna change your life. And I'm talking intentional,

00:38:55.340 --> 00:38:58.780
laying it all out, relationship with God prayer.

00:38:59.880 --> 00:39:02.760
And I'll tell y 'all and give you a little bit

00:39:02.760 --> 00:39:06.619
of just how I've changed my prayer life. Because

00:39:06.619 --> 00:39:08.059
there was a time when I felt like my prayer life

00:39:08.059 --> 00:39:10.079
was very, very consistent. And that was when

00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:12.260
I was waking up every morning and I was praying

00:39:12.260 --> 00:39:15.119
the rosary before I went about my day and...

00:39:15.179 --> 00:39:17.480
That was for those of you all who didn't know

00:39:17.480 --> 00:39:20.460
I was raised Roman Catholic and when I came to

00:39:20.460 --> 00:39:23.739
Jesus You know, I had those couple months with

00:39:23.739 --> 00:39:25.400
him and when I came back to social I tried to

00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:30.219
go back to that church and Just the more time

00:39:30.219 --> 00:39:35.039
I spent in there the Lord led me To a church

00:39:35.039 --> 00:39:38.239
that he needed me to be out which is a non -denominational

00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:43.449
church Then that's what I'll say with it because

00:39:43.449 --> 00:39:46.590
I saw that old church I went to I loved it. I

00:39:46.590 --> 00:39:51.829
love the people there But where I'm at now is

00:39:51.829 --> 00:39:55.630
Where God needed me to be in this time with him,

00:39:55.809 --> 00:39:58.630
right? To work on my relationship with him and

00:39:58.630 --> 00:40:01.090
to show me things and to kind of grow me to where

00:40:01.090 --> 00:40:05.230
I needed to be Spiritually God has used it in

00:40:05.230 --> 00:40:11.170
so many ways But at that time I was really kind

00:40:11.170 --> 00:40:14.269
of deep in that religion, right? Trying to throw

00:40:14.269 --> 00:40:16.630
myself into that and one of the things I was

00:40:16.630 --> 00:40:18.170
doing is every morning I was waking up praying

00:40:18.170 --> 00:40:22.250
the rosary, you know Having that time and I felt

00:40:22.250 --> 00:40:24.150
like very good. I found myself actually kind

00:40:24.150 --> 00:40:25.769
of bragging to people I'm like, yeah, I pray

00:40:25.769 --> 00:40:29.289
my rosary every morning and all these things

00:40:29.289 --> 00:40:33.150
And it was good right like that that's a reverence

00:40:33.150 --> 00:40:36.269
for God and it's me taking time away from my

00:40:36.269 --> 00:40:39.889
life and away from like what I want to do in

00:40:39.889 --> 00:40:44.909
setting aside time for God. But what the Lord

00:40:44.909 --> 00:40:51.110
revealed to me personally was I stopped having

00:40:51.110 --> 00:40:54.510
intentional prayer time with him. That stuff,

00:40:56.050 --> 00:40:58.650
say those prayers, and what I mean by pre -written

00:40:58.650 --> 00:41:02.199
prayers is these are the prayers that Millions

00:41:02.199 --> 00:41:04.179
of people are praying every day, word for word,

00:41:04.380 --> 00:41:06.000
right? And they are good prayers. Our Father,

00:41:06.179 --> 00:41:07.940
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy

00:41:07.940 --> 00:41:09.760
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as is

00:41:09.760 --> 00:41:11.820
in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and

00:41:11.820 --> 00:41:13.780
forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those

00:41:13.780 --> 00:41:15.480
who trespass against us, and lead us not into

00:41:15.480 --> 00:41:17.980
temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Amazing

00:41:17.980 --> 00:41:22.980
prayer. And these are things that we need. But

00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:24.900
there are things I'm going through in my personal

00:41:24.900 --> 00:41:31.659
life right now. that aren't discussed and not

00:41:31.659 --> 00:41:34.079
to the depth that I need to discuss them with

00:41:34.079 --> 00:41:43.860
God and I personally allowed this kind of prayer

00:41:43.860 --> 00:41:48.420
life to Replace intentional time with God and

00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:52.260
when I received that deliverance back in California

00:41:52.260 --> 00:41:55.019
was where I was living When the Lord was breaking

00:41:55.019 --> 00:41:56.840
all these things off of me. I was praying very

00:41:56.840 --> 00:41:59.360
intentionally At that time I had some very pressing

00:41:59.360 --> 00:42:01.800
things and that was what I was praying to God

00:42:01.800 --> 00:42:03.980
about saying God this is why I'm dealing with

00:42:03.980 --> 00:42:06.739
and God this is my fear and like this is what

00:42:06.739 --> 00:42:08.739
I'm wrestling with and I need your help with

00:42:08.739 --> 00:42:12.000
this and I need this and like then times when

00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:14.000
I'm like God thank you for this and thank you

00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:15.719
for that and times when I'm like God I don't

00:42:15.719 --> 00:42:19.519
understand Humble me like give me peace give

00:42:19.519 --> 00:42:22.119
me an understanding like every single area in

00:42:22.119 --> 00:42:23.760
life things I was happy about things I said about

00:42:23.760 --> 00:42:25.480
things I was confused about I was taking it all

00:42:25.480 --> 00:42:28.809
to God And then me personally when I when I really

00:42:28.809 --> 00:42:35.389
got into that religious Season in my life that

00:42:35.389 --> 00:42:37.690
relationship with Jesus was on the back burner

00:42:37.690 --> 00:42:41.769
and it just became kind of like the Every day

00:42:41.769 --> 00:42:44.230
what everyone else around me was doing and I

00:42:44.230 --> 00:42:46.230
found myself really spiritually kind of slowing

00:42:46.230 --> 00:42:48.809
down And I felt like I wasn't hearing from the

00:42:48.809 --> 00:42:51.309
Lord felt like I wasn't really seeing the promises

00:42:51.309 --> 00:42:54.719
I felt like all the momentum I had been gaining

00:42:54.719 --> 00:42:56.940
with God really started coming to a halt and

00:42:56.940 --> 00:43:01.059
slowing down and That's not everybody's I want

00:43:01.059 --> 00:43:02.980
to be so clear. I'm talking about my own personal

00:43:02.980 --> 00:43:05.519
experience. I'm not speaking for a whole religion

00:43:05.519 --> 00:43:10.440
Because I had a grandma who was Catholic who

00:43:10.440 --> 00:43:12.579
said all those prayers But also had her intentional

00:43:12.579 --> 00:43:15.159
alone time with God and I saw it in her prayer

00:43:15.159 --> 00:43:19.900
life. I Just for me personally, this is what

00:43:19.900 --> 00:43:21.780
God has called me to do where God has called

00:43:21.780 --> 00:43:24.349
me to be For me personally, that was this non

00:43:24.349 --> 00:43:26.349
-denominational church that I'm at right now.

00:43:26.550 --> 00:43:32.090
Okay? But I'm telling y 'all how important that

00:43:32.090 --> 00:43:34.369
intentional prayer time with God is because he

00:43:34.369 --> 00:43:38.170
has taught me to prioritize it again. And when

00:43:38.170 --> 00:43:41.389
I tell you it has been transformational, when

00:43:41.389 --> 00:43:44.949
I tell you I hear from God multiple times a day,

00:43:45.090 --> 00:43:47.550
like every time I'm sitting down praying to him,

00:43:47.889 --> 00:43:51.719
I feel like I'm hearing something. Every time

00:43:51.719 --> 00:43:53.960
I'm in my scripture reading and I'm praying God

00:43:53.960 --> 00:43:56.340
guide my reading God give me an understanding.

00:43:56.340 --> 00:43:59.059
It's like he's revealing things to me I'm allowing

00:43:59.059 --> 00:44:02.360
him to lead my prayer life. I'm allowing him

00:44:02.360 --> 00:44:06.460
to lead my reading and that is y 'all I started

00:44:06.460 --> 00:44:10.980
implementing Where I just have specific time

00:44:10.980 --> 00:44:16.409
every day of prayer to God And someone today

00:44:16.409 --> 00:44:18.329
needs to hear this, and I felt convicted about

00:44:18.329 --> 00:44:20.570
this when I was reading Madison Perot Trout's

00:44:20.570 --> 00:44:24.130
book, Dare to be True, where she said, like,

00:44:24.190 --> 00:44:26.809
you make time for what's important to you. And

00:44:26.809 --> 00:44:28.889
we make a lot of excuses about prayer, of like,

00:44:28.949 --> 00:44:33.449
I don't know what to pray, and I don't know...

00:44:34.369 --> 00:44:38.230
Don't know what to pray. I don't know like what

00:44:38.230 --> 00:44:42.570
to talk to God about or saying I'm too busy like

00:44:42.570 --> 00:44:46.090
making up all these excuses and it's like you

00:44:46.090 --> 00:44:48.210
make time for God he's gonna make time for you

00:44:48.210 --> 00:44:50.989
and I I had to kind of swallow that pill because

00:44:50.989 --> 00:44:53.360
I felt convicted about I was like I need to be

00:44:53.360 --> 00:44:54.800
praying. I start thinking, but God, I don't have

00:44:54.800 --> 00:44:56.380
the time to pray. And I start thinking, okay,

00:44:56.460 --> 00:44:58.599
well what does my day usually look like? And

00:44:58.599 --> 00:45:00.699
it's like, okay, I get home from work and I use

00:45:00.699 --> 00:45:03.639
that time to, in my own little air quotes, decompress.

00:45:03.639 --> 00:45:05.960
And what does my decompression look like? Getting

00:45:05.960 --> 00:45:09.460
in my comfy clothes, scrolling on my phone, listening

00:45:09.460 --> 00:45:13.059
to some music. And then I go into cooking dinner,

00:45:13.639 --> 00:45:16.139
getting a shower, and then kind of going back

00:45:16.139 --> 00:45:18.619
to that. And it's like, how much of that time

00:45:18.619 --> 00:45:22.340
of that mindless scrolling? Could I instead like

00:45:22.340 --> 00:45:25.099
give that to God? Because every time I spend

00:45:25.099 --> 00:45:27.179
time with Jesus, I end up leaving with a lot

00:45:27.179 --> 00:45:30.380
more peace than I do passively scrolling. So

00:45:30.380 --> 00:45:33.880
I started doing a thing where I set a 30 minute

00:45:33.880 --> 00:45:36.719
timer and said, okay for 30 minutes I'm chewing

00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:40.059
out all the distractions. I'm shutting off my

00:45:40.059 --> 00:45:43.199
TV, shutting off all my stuff. I'm putting that

00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:46.000
30 minute timer on and that 30 minutes is dedicated

00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:49.820
just to talking to Jesus. And sometimes it looks

00:45:49.820 --> 00:45:52.539
like me pacing around my room, pacing around

00:45:52.539 --> 00:45:53.880
the living room, because I'm one of those people

00:45:53.880 --> 00:45:56.059
that like, I don't like to just sit still for

00:45:56.059 --> 00:45:57.840
long periods of time, especially when I'm thinking

00:45:57.840 --> 00:46:00.480
and processing things actually do better, like

00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:02.780
kind of moving around and talking out loud, which

00:46:02.780 --> 00:46:07.920
is why it's important to pray out loud. And you

00:46:07.920 --> 00:46:09.619
know what's interesting enough, at first those

00:46:09.619 --> 00:46:12.730
30 minutes felt kind of hard. but eventually

00:46:12.730 --> 00:46:15.070
those 30 minutes started turning into an hour

00:46:15.070 --> 00:46:16.889
and an hour and a half or sometimes I've been

00:46:16.889 --> 00:46:18.409
walking around realizing I've been praying for

00:46:18.409 --> 00:46:22.389
two and a half, three hours. So that's my first

00:46:22.389 --> 00:46:24.809
encouragement with prayer to y 'all today is

00:46:24.809 --> 00:46:27.329
set aside intentional time for God. Stop saying

00:46:27.329 --> 00:46:30.429
that you don't have time for God. Imagine if

00:46:30.429 --> 00:46:32.889
he said, I don't have time for you. You make

00:46:32.889 --> 00:46:34.690
time for God, he's going to make time for everything

00:46:34.690 --> 00:46:36.269
else. Other things that need taking care of,

00:46:36.389 --> 00:46:37.969
they will be taken care of. We learned that with

00:46:37.969 --> 00:46:40.409
Mary and Martha. Mary chose the better thing.

00:46:40.409 --> 00:46:43.869
She chose to be in Jesus's presence Martha chose

00:46:43.869 --> 00:46:45.750
to run around and do all this other stuff saying

00:46:45.750 --> 00:46:48.969
like if I don't who will that's when you give

00:46:48.969 --> 00:46:55.449
it to God I Encourage y 'all set aside intentional

00:46:55.449 --> 00:46:59.050
time to just talk to Jesus I'm not talking about

00:46:59.050 --> 00:47:01.369
the pre -rehearsed prayers or anything like that.

00:47:01.369 --> 00:47:05.219
Those are Continue to say you're our father Continue

00:47:05.219 --> 00:47:08.539
to say those but set aside time for intentional

00:47:08.539 --> 00:47:17.400
prayer with God Set aside time for intentional

00:47:17.400 --> 00:47:21.019
Prayer with him because as we said earlier y

00:47:21.019 --> 00:47:24.000
'all we're called to be in fellowship fellowship

00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:26.940
is relationship How can you have a relationship

00:47:26.940 --> 00:47:29.079
with someone you don't talk to the people that

00:47:29.079 --> 00:47:31.599
you call your best friends? Are they people that

00:47:31.599 --> 00:47:35.050
you only call when you have a problem? Like a

00:47:35.050 --> 00:47:36.989
lot of us, we only pray to Jesus when it gets

00:47:36.989 --> 00:47:39.429
too hard. We only pray to him when we need something

00:47:39.429 --> 00:47:41.969
fixed. We only pray to him when we have an ask,

00:47:42.030 --> 00:47:43.929
which is like the genie in the bottle situation

00:47:43.929 --> 00:47:45.570
where we treat him like a genie in the bottle.

00:47:48.690 --> 00:47:50.309
When your friends are coming through and these

00:47:50.309 --> 00:47:52.949
people are doing helpful things for you, is it

00:47:52.949 --> 00:47:56.389
just one time you're like, Ayo, thanks, and you

00:47:56.389 --> 00:48:01.909
walk away? No? And it shouldn't be like that

00:48:01.909 --> 00:48:03.590
with Jesus. With Jesus we should be thanking

00:48:03.590 --> 00:48:05.409
him every day. There's something to thank him

00:48:05.409 --> 00:48:07.250
for every day. His mercies are new every morning.

00:48:07.309 --> 00:48:09.829
God's mercies are new every morning. Every day

00:48:09.829 --> 00:48:12.110
we can thank Jesus for his salvation on the cross.

00:48:12.869 --> 00:48:14.670
For what he did on the cross for our salvation.

00:48:16.530 --> 00:48:19.289
There's something we can thank God for every

00:48:19.289 --> 00:48:22.730
single day. Just waking up the air in our lungs.

00:48:23.650 --> 00:48:25.590
The lessons he's teaching us. The ways that he

00:48:25.590 --> 00:48:27.829
uses things for our good. We shouldn't just be

00:48:27.829 --> 00:48:30.510
praying to Jesus. the things we need fixed, we

00:48:30.510 --> 00:48:32.909
should be praying and gratitude. We should be

00:48:32.909 --> 00:48:39.050
thanking him for things. With your friends, when

00:48:39.050 --> 00:48:40.809
you're hanging out with them and spending time

00:48:40.809 --> 00:48:42.710
with them, you're not just talking about things

00:48:42.710 --> 00:48:45.750
you need. You're just, you're filling them in

00:48:45.750 --> 00:48:47.269
on your daily life. You're telling them about

00:48:47.269 --> 00:48:49.730
what's going on. You might be asking for some

00:48:49.730 --> 00:48:53.969
advice. That's what we're supposed to be doing

00:48:53.969 --> 00:48:56.730
with Jesus. I'm at the point I'm at right now,

00:48:56.829 --> 00:48:59.369
y 'all. because I treat my relationship with

00:48:59.369 --> 00:49:03.170
Jesus like a legit fellowship. Where he is my

00:49:03.170 --> 00:49:06.590
savior, God is the Alpha and the Omega, there's

00:49:06.590 --> 00:49:08.730
a reverence, there's a respect, there's all these

00:49:08.730 --> 00:49:11.829
things, there's a fear. Because I want to be

00:49:11.829 --> 00:49:13.710
so clear, some people treat relationship as like

00:49:13.710 --> 00:49:16.090
Jesus is just like my bestie and there's no reverence

00:49:16.090 --> 00:49:18.469
or fear or anything like that. And there are

00:49:18.469 --> 00:49:21.610
people who treat relationship as like willy -nilly.

00:49:23.650 --> 00:49:26.050
And they are like, they throw religion out, but

00:49:26.050 --> 00:49:27.590
when they throw out religion they also throw

00:49:27.590 --> 00:49:31.150
out the fear and the reverence and the fruits

00:49:31.150 --> 00:49:33.210
of the spirit and the one who believes in Jesus

00:49:33.210 --> 00:49:36.030
will do the works he does. And they throw out

00:49:36.030 --> 00:49:40.309
the Bible completely. Jesus is the word made

00:49:40.309 --> 00:49:43.010
flesh. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

00:49:43.010 --> 00:49:45.530
You can't have Jesus while discounting the word

00:49:45.530 --> 00:49:51.170
of God. Okay? But this may be convicting for

00:49:51.170 --> 00:49:54.900
somebody if You feel like your relationship is

00:49:54.900 --> 00:49:56.340
strong with Jesus or you're one of those people

00:49:56.340 --> 00:49:58.820
who says like, yeah, it is all about relationship.

00:50:00.320 --> 00:50:03.599
But like, do you have a consistent, healthy relationship?

00:50:03.960 --> 00:50:05.880
Like, is it one where you feel like, because

00:50:05.880 --> 00:50:08.880
he already knows everything. And we know from

00:50:08.880 --> 00:50:10.900
reading scripture, God waits on us, he wants

00:50:10.900 --> 00:50:13.360
us to bring it to him. He already knew Adam and

00:50:13.360 --> 00:50:16.159
Eve bit into the fruit. When he was still saying,

00:50:16.380 --> 00:50:18.119
he already knew where they were at, but he was

00:50:18.119 --> 00:50:20.219
still giving them an opportunity to present themselves

00:50:20.219 --> 00:50:26.559
to him. He's like, where are you? When we look

00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:30.300
at Cain Nable, he already knew. He already knew

00:50:30.300 --> 00:50:32.219
what happened, but God still said, where's your

00:50:32.219 --> 00:50:35.000
brother? He's like, am I my brother's keeper?

00:50:36.300 --> 00:50:39.659
God gives us. He wants us to bring it to him.

00:50:39.719 --> 00:50:41.659
He already knows. He already knows the fears

00:50:41.659 --> 00:50:43.599
in your mind. He already knows the ego, the pride.

00:50:43.860 --> 00:50:45.480
He already knows the sins you're struggling with.

00:50:45.599 --> 00:50:46.940
He already knows how you're defending things

00:50:46.940 --> 00:50:49.920
away. He already knows what's going on in your

00:50:49.920 --> 00:50:51.889
brain. He already knows what's going on in your

00:50:51.889 --> 00:50:59.610
heart, so take it to him. And this, get your

00:50:59.610 --> 00:51:00.969
notes ready. If you haven't written anything

00:51:00.969 --> 00:51:03.349
down, y 'all, I want you to write this down,

00:51:03.489 --> 00:51:07.969
because this was shown to me in a young adult

00:51:07.969 --> 00:51:09.889
group last year, and it was transformational

00:51:09.889 --> 00:51:12.369
for my prayer life. And in reading there to be

00:51:12.369 --> 00:51:15.260
true, This isn't an advertisement y 'all. This

00:51:15.260 --> 00:51:17.159
is just one of the more recent books. I've been

00:51:17.159 --> 00:51:20.239
reading y 'all know I'm a bookworm I'm always

00:51:20.239 --> 00:51:23.539
I love reading and Madison Perot trow I just

00:51:23.539 --> 00:51:26.860
finished I listened to the audiobook of the love

00:51:26.860 --> 00:51:29.920
everybody once and right now I'm finishing up

00:51:29.920 --> 00:51:32.400
reading through dare to be true and I'm just

00:51:32.400 --> 00:51:34.980
this I'm not getting paid to talk about them

00:51:34.980 --> 00:51:37.960
You all this is just me. I'm sharing what I'm

00:51:37.960 --> 00:51:40.519
reading right now and how it's impacted me and

00:51:40.519 --> 00:51:42.949
she kind of shared something kind of similar

00:51:42.949 --> 00:51:47.510
in her prayer she shared kind of about her prayer

00:51:47.510 --> 00:51:49.769
life and it's very similar there's a little bit

00:51:49.769 --> 00:51:54.469
a couple different differences but p -r -a -y

00:51:54.469 --> 00:51:59.250
this is where you all need to write it down when

00:51:59.250 --> 00:52:02.050
i pray this is this is the step process i go

00:52:02.050 --> 00:52:03.989
through in my head and it doesn't always look

00:52:03.989 --> 00:52:05.849
like this but this is the majority of what my

00:52:05.849 --> 00:52:07.469
prayer looks like that's been transformational

00:52:07.469 --> 00:52:10.750
for me the p starts with praise When I'm open

00:52:10.750 --> 00:52:13.489
up in prayer, I start with thanking and worshiping

00:52:13.489 --> 00:52:17.230
God. I'm saying, God, thank you for the air in

00:52:17.230 --> 00:52:20.530
my lungs. Thank you for the salvation. Thank

00:52:20.530 --> 00:52:22.829
you for bringing me to you. Thank you for the

00:52:22.829 --> 00:52:24.889
deliverance. I start thanking him for who he

00:52:24.889 --> 00:52:27.650
is, for what he did. I think about all the different

00:52:27.650 --> 00:52:30.210
things I can be grateful for, and I start praising

00:52:30.210 --> 00:52:33.190
him. And that praise is saying, no one but you,

00:52:33.230 --> 00:52:36.730
Jesus. No one but you because none of these things

00:52:36.730 --> 00:52:38.849
were my own works or I did for myself. No one

00:52:38.849 --> 00:52:42.550
but you Jesus I praise him. I start with thanks.

00:52:42.929 --> 00:52:46.989
I start with gratitude. I start with praise There's

00:52:46.989 --> 00:52:48.710
sometimes like before I go into my prayer time.

00:52:48.769 --> 00:52:51.309
I'll listen to a couple worship songs put my

00:52:51.309 --> 00:52:54.590
hands up y 'all My hands up. I'm one of those

00:52:54.590 --> 00:52:56.690
people that used to not put my hands up being

00:52:56.690 --> 00:52:59.289
raised like in Religion like in the Catholic

00:52:59.289 --> 00:53:01.489
Church that that wasn't a thing you did like

00:53:01.489 --> 00:53:03.889
I'm just like Worship with your hands up and

00:53:03.889 --> 00:53:05.789
I don't know a lot of people. It's weird going

00:53:05.789 --> 00:53:07.989
into the non -denomination That was what everyone

00:53:07.989 --> 00:53:10.570
did and for a while it was really uncomfortable

00:53:10.570 --> 00:53:13.610
for me and now I can't help it That's how just

00:53:13.610 --> 00:53:15.050
in reverence like I'll be listening to worship

00:53:15.050 --> 00:53:16.949
music in the car and when my hands will be up

00:53:16.949 --> 00:53:19.289
and that's just my way of like kind of emptying

00:53:19.289 --> 00:53:23.309
myself up emptying myself out and elevating God

00:53:23.309 --> 00:53:26.650
and giving him the praise and just really like

00:53:26.650 --> 00:53:30.000
opening myself up And I know a lot of people,

00:53:30.239 --> 00:53:31.900
it's not just people who are raised in Lake Hal,

00:53:31.980 --> 00:53:35.860
I know people who are like Presbyterian, I know

00:53:35.860 --> 00:53:37.719
people who are Methodists, people who are Baptists,

00:53:38.039 --> 00:53:41.239
who are like hands feel performative. And I used

00:53:41.239 --> 00:53:43.400
to be one of those people too. And then I started

00:53:43.400 --> 00:53:46.739
feeling convicted about... Judging and realized

00:53:46.739 --> 00:53:48.739
that like at the root of it. I actually was passing

00:53:48.739 --> 00:53:51.480
judgment And the Lord convicted me very heavy

00:53:51.480 --> 00:53:55.199
and now I am one of those people who has my hands

00:53:55.199 --> 00:53:58.179
up But when I tell you all that worship has been

00:53:58.179 --> 00:54:00.260
Transformational and a lot of my spiritual battles

00:54:00.260 --> 00:54:02.159
have been one with me on my knees and my hands

00:54:02.159 --> 00:54:08.820
up in prayer and worship and gratitude I Cannot

00:54:08.820 --> 00:54:11.539
tell you how many times the Lord has had me Giving

00:54:11.539 --> 00:54:13.719
me a taste of my own medicine had me have a tough

00:54:13.719 --> 00:54:16.179
pill to swallow at me passing judgment on the

00:54:16.179 --> 00:54:18.800
way other people worship Passing judgment on

00:54:18.800 --> 00:54:20.639
me calling other people performative and all

00:54:20.639 --> 00:54:22.639
these things and he showed me zero to 100 real

00:54:22.639 --> 00:54:25.800
quick. That's not all performative And that just

00:54:25.800 --> 00:54:28.480
comes through relationship because I was always

00:54:28.480 --> 00:54:30.420
so focused on religion when I was so focused

00:54:30.420 --> 00:54:32.719
on religion I looked at non -denominational people

00:54:32.719 --> 00:54:42.010
as like And now like y 'all it's crazy now it's

00:54:42.010 --> 00:54:45.510
it lord has really transformed it's been amazing

00:54:45.510 --> 00:54:50.030
um but p p we start with praise so when you go

00:54:50.030 --> 00:54:53.010
into i i encourage y 'all to try praying like

00:54:53.010 --> 00:54:56.389
this set a 30 minute timer and go through this

00:54:56.389 --> 00:55:00.969
start praying start with a p praise praise god

00:55:00.969 --> 00:55:05.719
for everything and then r repent Just where I

00:55:05.719 --> 00:55:08.920
go into a time of repentance and I start repenting

00:55:08.920 --> 00:55:11.960
to God Like if there's anything any gossip I

00:55:11.960 --> 00:55:13.940
fall into any kind of discipline. It keeps me

00:55:13.940 --> 00:55:18.199
humble Right. We empty ourselves out we repent

00:55:18.199 --> 00:55:21.920
Before you even get into asking God for anything

00:55:21.920 --> 00:55:24.780
you need to you need to get right in these areas

00:55:24.780 --> 00:55:27.559
repent ask for forgiveness acknowledge where

00:55:27.559 --> 00:55:30.119
you've fallen short and also for me personally

00:55:30.119 --> 00:55:33.079
has kept me from getting like prideful and puffed

00:55:33.079 --> 00:55:35.880
up of thinking i can do no wrong and i'm the

00:55:35.880 --> 00:55:37.980
victim and all these things when i have to come

00:55:37.980 --> 00:55:40.360
before god and acknowledge i'm not perfect and

00:55:40.360 --> 00:55:42.619
it also reminds me that i'm not deserving like

00:55:42.619 --> 00:55:45.719
i'm not earning the things i just praise jesus

00:55:45.719 --> 00:55:49.699
for he's so graciously given them to me and praying

00:55:50.699 --> 00:55:53.500
Psalm 139 during this time is an amazing thing

00:55:53.500 --> 00:55:55.679
to empty yourself out. And this is when I recommend

00:55:55.679 --> 00:55:58.659
to pray that in your prayer time, y 'all. Just

00:55:58.659 --> 00:56:01.599
search me in God and know my heart. Test me and

00:56:01.599 --> 00:56:03.940
know my concerns. See if there is any offensive

00:56:03.940 --> 00:56:08.099
way in me. Lead me in the everlasting way. Sometimes

00:56:08.099 --> 00:56:09.780
y 'all when I go to repent, I start thinking,

00:56:09.940 --> 00:56:12.719
well, there's nothing to repent for. I'm like,

00:56:12.719 --> 00:56:15.679
I haven't done a big bad sin. There's nothing.

00:56:15.860 --> 00:56:19.630
And then when I pray that, The Lord such revealed

00:56:19.630 --> 00:56:22.769
me little ways where I've been prideful little

00:56:22.769 --> 00:56:25.510
ways where it fall and where I can see I'm still

00:56:25.510 --> 00:56:30.150
falling short So that is a very important one

00:56:30.150 --> 00:56:35.150
are repent and then we go to a which is ask And

00:56:35.150 --> 00:56:38.869
this is the time to start asking God And I'll

00:56:38.869 --> 00:56:41.449
find myself saying God I need healing and this

00:56:41.449 --> 00:56:43.969
I'm asking you to heal God. I'm asking you to

00:56:43.969 --> 00:56:47.300
reveal I'm asking you to speak to me. I'm asking

00:56:47.300 --> 00:56:49.079
for these things. And this is also the time when

00:56:49.079 --> 00:56:50.739
I start saying, God, this is what I'm wrestling

00:56:50.739 --> 00:56:53.280
with in my mind. And I'm in confusion with this.

00:56:53.559 --> 00:56:55.440
Most of the time, y 'all, I'm actually asking

00:56:55.440 --> 00:56:57.780
God for wisdom and knowledge. You'll hear me

00:56:57.780 --> 00:56:59.519
so many times saying, God spoke this to me and

00:56:59.519 --> 00:57:01.400
God revealed this to me. That's because y 'all

00:57:01.400 --> 00:57:03.760
honestly to them. I don't want to say that's

00:57:03.760 --> 00:57:07.340
because, but it's no coincidence that the majority

00:57:07.340 --> 00:57:09.659
of my prayers are, God, give me clarity on this.

00:57:09.690 --> 00:57:12.789
God, show me the right way to view this. God,

00:57:12.849 --> 00:57:14.670
this is what I'm thinking, but I shouldn't be

00:57:14.670 --> 00:57:17.590
relying on my own understanding. God, show me

00:57:17.590 --> 00:57:20.030
the things that I can't see. Most of what I'm

00:57:20.030 --> 00:57:22.750
praying for is wisdom and understanding, because

00:57:22.750 --> 00:57:24.769
it's once I have the wisdom and understanding

00:57:24.769 --> 00:57:28.500
that I can then... have the confidence to take

00:57:28.500 --> 00:57:30.360
the steps sometimes God is calling me to take

00:57:30.360 --> 00:57:32.179
there are times when it's bold and I have no

00:57:32.179 --> 00:57:34.119
understanding and there are other times when

00:57:34.119 --> 00:57:36.320
I'm like first you know God revealed me what

00:57:36.320 --> 00:57:38.780
I need to see that I'm not seeing and once he

00:57:38.780 --> 00:57:41.400
reveals it to me I'm like oh so God like are

00:57:41.400 --> 00:57:43.440
you calling me to do this should I say this thing

00:57:43.440 --> 00:57:46.679
should I take this and then I take that to God

00:57:46.679 --> 00:57:49.940
and he'll reveal to me a yes or no there are

00:57:49.940 --> 00:57:52.739
times when I'm I'm saying God put a scripture

00:57:52.739 --> 00:57:56.369
on my heart highlight an area in scripture god

00:57:56.369 --> 00:57:58.190
i want to help memorize scripture help me to

00:57:58.190 --> 00:58:03.949
memorize scripture a that asking time anything

00:58:03.949 --> 00:58:07.289
on your heart what you're needing clarity for

00:58:07.289 --> 00:58:13.309
ask ask that that is when i present things to

00:58:13.309 --> 00:58:17.610
god and then the why is yielding where the why

00:58:17.610 --> 00:58:22.690
is me yielding and saying even if Like these

00:58:22.690 --> 00:58:24.969
are the things I desire and these are things

00:58:24.969 --> 00:58:27.429
I believe they align with your will because y

00:58:27.429 --> 00:58:28.769
'all that's another important thing. That's why

00:58:28.769 --> 00:58:30.349
you read scriptures. There are things I used

00:58:30.349 --> 00:58:32.349
to pray for that when I would read the Bible,

00:58:32.409 --> 00:58:34.070
I'd be like, of course God didn't give me that.

00:58:34.090 --> 00:58:36.750
That's a sin. Of course God didn't give me that.

00:58:36.969 --> 00:58:45.190
That goes against His word. Make sure and this

00:58:45.190 --> 00:58:47.090
happens as you're in relationship with Him. You're

00:58:47.090 --> 00:58:48.949
praying for things that are like His will for

00:58:48.949 --> 00:58:51.090
your life. like you're praying for things that

00:58:51.090 --> 00:58:53.130
are pleasing to God because he's not going to

00:58:53.130 --> 00:58:56.210
bless you with things that are going to lead

00:58:56.210 --> 00:58:58.449
you away in a stray and that's a whole combo

00:58:58.449 --> 00:59:02.829
for another day okay but the why the yielding

00:59:02.829 --> 00:59:05.170
is me saying and God even if you don't give me

00:59:05.170 --> 00:59:08.389
these things even if not even if I don't see

00:59:08.389 --> 00:59:11.150
a yes to any of these prayers you are still good

00:59:11.150 --> 00:59:14.530
you are still worthy of the praise you are still

00:59:14.530 --> 00:59:16.969
deserving of it all and I will still serve you

00:59:19.019 --> 00:59:22.000
The why is the yielding is a saying after getting

00:59:22.000 --> 00:59:23.860
through a place of asking sometimes it's easy

00:59:23.860 --> 00:59:26.960
to get kind of puffed up right and the yielding

00:59:26.960 --> 00:59:30.039
again is a humbling moment for me saying If any

00:59:30.039 --> 00:59:31.900
of these things do happen, it's not me that did

00:59:31.900 --> 00:59:38.360
it God. It's you And I all of these things even

00:59:38.360 --> 00:59:41.260
if you do none of them, I know you're capable

00:59:41.260 --> 00:59:44.280
It's not that you're not capable. It's that you

00:59:44.280 --> 00:59:47.760
chose not to and I'm not gonna turn my back on

00:59:47.760 --> 00:59:51.079
you There's multiple famous celebrities y 'all

00:59:51.079 --> 00:59:55.739
there's one coming to mind that There was a stint

00:59:55.739 --> 00:59:58.360
in this person's life where they were like elevating

00:59:58.360 --> 01:00:02.079
God and like Saying Jesus name and all these

01:00:02.079 --> 01:00:04.960
things and they they've shared openly but there

01:00:04.960 --> 01:00:09.579
were some things that they they took to God and

01:00:09.579 --> 01:00:16.429
God told them no and they left God Which shows

01:00:16.429 --> 01:00:18.590
that their their relationship was conditional

01:00:18.590 --> 01:00:21.269
their worship was conditional right? It was an

01:00:21.269 --> 01:00:26.690
unconditional surrender And that's like a space

01:00:26.690 --> 01:00:29.429
I have to remember to keep myself in in the why

01:00:29.429 --> 01:00:31.610
and the yielding is like even if you don't do

01:00:31.610 --> 01:00:34.010
it God I'm still gonna serve you. You're still

01:00:34.010 --> 01:00:37.230
good. I still need to be on mission I still need

01:00:37.230 --> 01:00:39.969
to walk with you. Even if you don't do any of

01:00:39.969 --> 01:00:42.289
these things. I know my reward is in heaven anyway

01:00:44.119 --> 01:00:46.579
That is where the blessings really lies in heaven

01:00:46.579 --> 01:00:48.360
all these earthly things are gonna pass away

01:00:48.360 --> 01:00:50.840
anything you give me here isn't gonna go with

01:00:50.840 --> 01:00:57.519
me When I die It's the treasure in heaven that

01:00:57.519 --> 01:01:05.480
awaits me and Yielding is also I kind of do like

01:01:05.480 --> 01:01:10.739
a why? Because this is also my time for others.

01:01:11.059 --> 01:01:13.559
This is also my time when I pray for others it

01:01:13.559 --> 01:01:17.059
it I have found it's so important for me to be

01:01:17.059 --> 01:01:20.139
praying for others. It gets you into a real prideful

01:01:20.139 --> 01:01:22.239
space when you're just asking for yourself and

01:01:22.239 --> 01:01:24.559
praying for yourself. And I want to be so clear

01:01:24.559 --> 01:01:27.380
it's not the prayer for others where it's like

01:01:27.380 --> 01:01:30.860
the backhanded prayer where it's like God do

01:01:30.860 --> 01:01:33.159
all these wicked things. Like there's some people

01:01:33.159 --> 01:01:36.480
who like with the praying for others they take

01:01:36.480 --> 01:01:38.440
it as a time to like take out their anger and

01:01:38.440 --> 01:01:41.380
their frustration. This is a time period for

01:01:41.380 --> 01:01:44.269
me where it's like You kind of start with the

01:01:44.269 --> 01:01:45.550
bigger people where I'm like, I'm going to pray

01:01:45.550 --> 01:01:47.769
for the leader of the country. We should be praying

01:01:47.769 --> 01:01:52.489
for our leaders regardless. Like regardless of

01:01:52.489 --> 01:01:54.409
anything, pray for your leaders because they're

01:01:54.409 --> 01:01:57.090
in a leadership position. So pray that God is

01:01:57.090 --> 01:02:00.530
guiding them. Pray that they encounter the Holy

01:02:00.530 --> 01:02:03.150
Spirit. I find myself praying for the leaders

01:02:03.150 --> 01:02:05.510
in my country, for my state, for my city. I find

01:02:05.510 --> 01:02:08.050
myself praying for my bosses. I find myself praying

01:02:08.050 --> 01:02:11.570
for anybody in leadership position. And I find

01:02:11.570 --> 01:02:14.309
myself praying for the people who are lost. I

01:02:14.309 --> 01:02:16.190
find myself praying for the witches. I pray for

01:02:16.190 --> 01:02:20.010
the atheists. I pray for the people who their

01:02:20.010 --> 01:02:24.989
faith is not in Jesus. I pray for the people

01:02:24.989 --> 01:02:27.349
who, you know, say rude things to me online.

01:02:29.230 --> 01:02:32.250
I start praying for my enemies. I start praying

01:02:32.250 --> 01:02:34.599
for the people who I know hate me. praying for

01:02:34.599 --> 01:02:36.860
the people who are trying to block me i am praying

01:02:36.860 --> 01:02:39.780
for these people i'm praying god heal them god

01:02:39.780 --> 01:02:43.079
show them the truth god change their heart god

01:02:43.079 --> 01:02:45.719
expose them when they walk into seat and i pray

01:02:45.719 --> 01:02:48.659
that they start to walk in the light i pray that

01:02:48.659 --> 01:02:51.199
they they love the truth and they live in the

01:02:51.199 --> 01:02:56.360
truth i'm praying for people's salvation i'm

01:02:56.360 --> 01:02:57.860
praying for and this time i'm praying for my

01:02:57.860 --> 01:03:00.599
family i'm praying for my friends i'm praying

01:03:00.599 --> 01:03:04.210
for my exes i'm praying for my ex friends I'm

01:03:04.210 --> 01:03:05.949
praying for people I haven't talked to in years.

01:03:06.230 --> 01:03:07.730
There are times, y 'all, when the Lord will bring

01:03:07.730 --> 01:03:09.710
up the face of someone to me in my time of prayer,

01:03:09.769 --> 01:03:11.570
someone I haven't talked to since high school,

01:03:11.670 --> 01:03:13.710
or since middle school, and I'll find myself

01:03:13.710 --> 01:03:15.190
praying for them. He'll bring up someone I haven't

01:03:15.190 --> 01:03:17.429
seen since I was like 12 years old, and I'll

01:03:17.429 --> 01:03:19.710
be praying for that person. That's my time to

01:03:19.710 --> 01:03:21.690
just pray for other people. It's in scripture

01:03:21.690 --> 01:03:24.650
that the prayer of a righteous person is so powerful.

01:03:24.690 --> 01:03:27.469
We're supposed to pray for others. The Lord has

01:03:27.469 --> 01:03:29.469
taught me how to intercede and pray on behalf

01:03:29.469 --> 01:03:31.570
of others. Y 'all, sometimes I'm gonna be so

01:03:31.570 --> 01:03:33.860
for real, sometimes... When the Lord is leading

01:03:33.860 --> 01:03:36.139
my prayer life, I find myself praying that someone

01:03:36.139 --> 01:03:37.960
has turned over for the destruction of their

01:03:37.960 --> 01:03:45.519
flesh The Lord has called me to pray some heavy

01:03:45.519 --> 01:03:51.139
things for people But the important what I'm

01:03:51.139 --> 01:03:52.920
getting at y 'all is like I I'm right now what

01:03:52.920 --> 01:03:56.280
I'm trying to do is I'm I'm just showing y 'all

01:03:56.280 --> 01:04:01.059
The things that transform my prayer life I have

01:04:01.059 --> 01:04:03.119
revealed you all some of the fruits that have

01:04:03.119 --> 01:04:05.380
come through my relationship with Christ, which

01:04:05.380 --> 01:04:07.739
is healing, which is deliverance, which is I

01:04:07.739 --> 01:04:10.679
hear from God consistently, which is He is guiding

01:04:10.679 --> 01:04:14.659
my steps. I want to share this scripture with

01:04:14.659 --> 01:04:17.300
y 'all, okay? Because someone needs to hear this

01:04:17.300 --> 01:04:19.039
today. For the people who think, like, can you

01:04:19.039 --> 01:04:21.599
really hear from God? Like, is it really possible

01:04:21.599 --> 01:04:24.840
to hear from Him that much? Yes! Like it's more

01:04:24.840 --> 01:04:27.000
possible now than ever that we have the Holy

01:04:27.000 --> 01:04:29.059
Spirit dwelling with us within us Do you all

01:04:29.059 --> 01:04:31.960
forget that there is literally a part of Jesus

01:04:31.960 --> 01:04:37.260
inside each of us? First Corinthians 6 19 your

01:04:37.260 --> 01:04:40.820
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you

01:04:40.820 --> 01:04:51.159
When you have from God Literally all each of

01:04:51.159 --> 01:04:54.059
our bodies is now a dwelling place. There was

01:04:54.059 --> 01:04:57.420
a time when God would, when his spirit was kept

01:04:57.420 --> 01:04:59.860
in tents. There was a time when people were carrying

01:04:59.860 --> 01:05:02.659
around the religious artifacts. But when Jesus

01:05:02.659 --> 01:05:07.579
left us, the helper, just the Holy Spirit, when

01:05:07.579 --> 01:05:09.780
he departed and said, the helper is going to

01:05:09.780 --> 01:05:12.559
come to you, the Holy Spirit is dwelling with

01:05:12.559 --> 01:05:14.719
them. Back then we see in Old Testament time,

01:05:14.739 --> 01:05:16.559
that was when God would pour his spirit out on

01:05:16.559 --> 01:05:18.719
people and then like after they do something

01:05:18.719 --> 01:05:21.400
like his spirit would leave, right? But now His

01:05:21.400 --> 01:05:24.380
Spirit is dwelling within us consistently. And

01:05:24.380 --> 01:05:26.880
we know the reason why. The Spirit is the helper

01:05:26.880 --> 01:05:30.739
and brings things to our remembrance. Of course,

01:05:30.739 --> 01:05:33.039
you can hear from God every day. He's literally

01:05:33.039 --> 01:05:37.320
inside of you. He's literally dwelling within

01:05:37.320 --> 01:05:39.940
you, waiting on you to say, Holy Spirit, guide

01:05:39.940 --> 01:05:43.079
me. Holy Spirit, lead me. Holy Spirit, help me

01:05:43.079 --> 01:05:46.079
to remember. Holy Spirit, help me to discern.

01:05:50.799 --> 01:05:54.219
Like back in the Old Testament times I actually

01:05:54.219 --> 01:05:56.659
think it'd be a lot harder compared to now and

01:05:56.659 --> 01:06:01.639
we see how much God was working back then You

01:06:01.639 --> 01:06:03.900
literally have the Holy Spirit dwelling within

01:06:03.900 --> 01:06:07.159
you and you think it's impossible For the Holy

01:06:07.159 --> 01:06:09.539
Spirit for you to hear from the Holy Spirit every

01:06:09.539 --> 01:06:12.039
day for you to feel a nudging to read your Bible

01:06:12.039 --> 01:06:14.000
for you to Feel a nudging to go talk to that

01:06:14.000 --> 01:06:16.219
person for you feel a nudging to go pray for

01:06:16.219 --> 01:06:19.920
that person for you to be praying Lord reveal

01:06:19.920 --> 01:06:22.960
things to me guide me and in prayer he reveals

01:06:22.960 --> 01:06:25.940
something to you and guides you I have shared

01:06:25.940 --> 01:06:28.739
before y 'all about the Lord revealing things

01:06:28.739 --> 01:06:32.400
to me and me being like is that really God and

01:06:32.400 --> 01:06:34.360
then it's like a couple months later someone

01:06:34.360 --> 01:06:35.840
comes and says that thing to me where I'm like

01:06:35.840 --> 01:06:39.039
oh my gosh that's what God told me about oh my

01:06:39.039 --> 01:06:42.820
goodness where God gets detailed with me now

01:06:42.820 --> 01:06:44.059
there is a time where I was like there's no way

01:06:44.059 --> 01:06:46.989
God can get that detailed until I experienced

01:06:46.989 --> 01:06:54.969
it. I was humbled. And y 'all, these things,

01:06:55.150 --> 01:06:57.670
let me tell you, I actually started reading up

01:06:57.670 --> 01:07:01.090
on the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit is working

01:07:01.090 --> 01:07:04.389
in my life, how I can partner with the Holy Spirit.

01:07:05.650 --> 01:07:08.030
See, as I told y 'all earlier, knowledge isn't

01:07:08.030 --> 01:07:11.650
a bad thing, but it has to be implemented in

01:07:11.650 --> 01:07:15.010
relationship. In my prayer time, I started praying

01:07:15.010 --> 01:07:17.809
to God. Help me to understand how the Holy Spirit

01:07:17.809 --> 01:07:22.210
is working. Help me to, you know, come to you

01:07:22.210 --> 01:07:26.250
consistently. Help me. All of these things, when

01:07:26.250 --> 01:07:29.489
I tell y 'all prayer was so crucial. Because

01:07:29.489 --> 01:07:33.289
a big part of prayer is listening and not talking.

01:07:33.949 --> 01:07:35.949
We oftentimes see prayer as just our time for

01:07:35.949 --> 01:07:38.309
talking to God and spilling it all out. And then

01:07:38.309 --> 01:07:40.829
when we say, okay, I'm done, and we walk away,

01:07:40.829 --> 01:07:43.730
we forget to listen. I cannot tell y 'all how

01:07:43.730 --> 01:07:46.329
many times in that 30 minutes an hour when I'm

01:07:46.329 --> 01:07:48.809
praying that I'll pause for a few minutes because

01:07:48.809 --> 01:07:51.670
it's like I'm mid -talking and all of a sudden

01:07:51.670 --> 01:07:54.530
I have an understanding of what I'm asking God

01:07:54.530 --> 01:07:57.349
about. It's like I'm mid -talking Him and all

01:07:57.349 --> 01:08:00.070
of a sudden it's like there's an idea. All of

01:08:00.070 --> 01:08:02.250
a sudden there's an understanding. And that's

01:08:02.250 --> 01:08:04.170
when I take it to the Lord and I'm like, oh my

01:08:04.170 --> 01:08:07.630
gosh, is this from you, Lord? And there are people

01:08:07.630 --> 01:08:09.750
who, because they haven't experienced it, don't

01:08:09.750 --> 01:08:13.079
believe it. And you don't have to, you don't

01:08:13.079 --> 01:08:15.139
have to believe me, but the fruits speak for

01:08:15.139 --> 01:08:18.420
themselves. How many times God has literally

01:08:18.420 --> 01:08:21.760
spoken a thing and then he comes through with

01:08:21.760 --> 01:08:24.800
it? I don't, it doesn't matter how many people

01:08:24.800 --> 01:08:27.479
tell me you're wrong or you're crazy. I know

01:08:27.479 --> 01:08:33.800
my God and I know what he's done. And you might

01:08:33.800 --> 01:08:35.800
think, well, Danielle, how do you know that that's

01:08:35.800 --> 01:08:38.600
God's voice and not your voice and not the enemy?

01:08:39.210 --> 01:08:43.050
I used to say that to myself too. I believe that

01:08:43.050 --> 01:08:44.970
at that time when I'd be like God doesn't reveal

01:08:44.970 --> 01:08:47.149
things God doesn't speak things He wasn't yet

01:08:47.149 --> 01:08:50.770
able to trust me To speak to me the way he can

01:08:50.770 --> 01:08:52.449
now because back then every time I heard from

01:08:52.449 --> 01:08:54.949
him I didn't believe it was him and I was always

01:08:54.949 --> 01:08:57.930
second -guessing it and Oversharing with other

01:08:57.930 --> 01:09:00.270
people and everything. He literally I wasn't

01:09:00.270 --> 01:09:04.270
spiritually mature enough To be trusted with

01:09:04.270 --> 01:09:07.979
a lot of things, but I also did didn't know him

01:09:07.979 --> 01:09:10.800
well enough to know his voice and that's why

01:09:10.800 --> 01:09:13.939
John 10 27 my sheep hear my voice I know them

01:09:13.939 --> 01:09:16.819
and they follow me and I wrote down y 'all intentional

01:09:16.819 --> 01:09:18.800
time with Jesus is how you learn his voice and

01:09:18.800 --> 01:09:21.020
guidance I remember for those two months when

01:09:21.020 --> 01:09:22.359
I was just spending all that time with Jesus

01:09:22.359 --> 01:09:25.220
and I was like praying and reading the Bible

01:09:25.220 --> 01:09:27.560
and I was wanting community and wanting friends

01:09:27.560 --> 01:09:30.359
and God told me in his timing I would have that

01:09:30.619 --> 01:09:32.699
But right now I have to work on discerning His

01:09:32.699 --> 01:09:34.420
voice and knowing His voice, knowing what's His

01:09:34.420 --> 01:09:36.460
will and what isn't. Because once I'm put back

01:09:36.460 --> 01:09:38.300
in the world, I'm going to have opportunities

01:09:38.300 --> 01:09:41.579
and doors open that aren't from Him. And I have

01:09:41.579 --> 01:09:43.439
to be able to look at it and say, that's not

01:09:43.439 --> 01:09:46.119
God. God wouldn't call me to that. I have to

01:09:46.119 --> 01:09:48.600
be able to enter room, hear God's voice, and

01:09:48.600 --> 01:09:51.819
trust and listen. And that comes through intentional

01:09:51.819 --> 01:09:54.020
time with Him. Part of it through scripture reading,

01:09:54.500 --> 01:09:57.859
a lot of it through prayer. Now I know what His

01:09:57.859 --> 01:09:59.659
promptings feel like. I know what His nudgings

01:09:59.659 --> 01:10:07.119
feel like. And I feel like this episodes getting

01:10:07.119 --> 01:10:09.800
kind of long so we might have to kind of take

01:10:09.800 --> 01:10:13.720
a pause here y 'all but I'm really praying that

01:10:13.720 --> 01:10:17.279
this is helping you today and that you you really

01:10:17.279 --> 01:10:21.260
take some time to evaluate your relationship

01:10:21.260 --> 01:10:26.119
with Jesus and Understand that no matter how

01:10:26.119 --> 01:10:28.000
long you've been walking with Jesus your relationship

01:10:28.000 --> 01:10:30.779
can be improved I today I'm saying my relationship

01:10:30.779 --> 01:10:33.329
with Jesus can be improved I'm sharing with y

01:10:33.329 --> 01:10:35.710
'all where I'm at now compared to where I used

01:10:35.710 --> 01:10:42.890
to be and I pray I pray to God That a year from

01:10:42.890 --> 01:10:45.930
now my relationship is gonna be so much more

01:10:45.930 --> 01:10:48.369
improved drastically different than it is today

01:10:48.369 --> 01:10:53.069
We are never spotless we are never like imperfect

01:10:53.069 --> 01:10:55.529
until Jesus Christ comes back There's always

01:10:55.529 --> 01:10:57.489
room for us to grow for us to improve and that

01:10:57.489 --> 01:10:59.710
includes our relationship with Christ, right?

01:11:00.449 --> 01:11:04.199
so It doesn't matter who you are listening to

01:11:04.199 --> 01:11:07.119
this today. Your relationship with Jesus can

01:11:07.119 --> 01:11:13.000
improve. Your prayer life can improve. How you

01:11:13.000 --> 01:11:17.260
hear from God can improve. And I pray that this

01:11:17.260 --> 01:11:19.880
episode helps you with that. And I pray that

01:11:19.880 --> 01:11:22.699
this episode, maybe there's a part of you that

01:11:22.699 --> 01:11:26.119
needed kind of humbled by something I said. And

01:11:26.119 --> 01:11:29.020
I want to remind you and I'll remind you every

01:11:29.020 --> 01:11:31.720
episode. I'm able to share these things because

01:11:31.720 --> 01:11:34.619
I've also experienced it. So I have definitely

01:11:34.619 --> 01:11:36.479
experienced a side of needing to be humbled,

01:11:36.960 --> 01:11:39.899
experiencing a humbling. I've shared with y 'all

01:11:39.899 --> 01:11:42.220
multiple times in this episode where I was being

01:11:42.220 --> 01:11:46.420
judgmental and casting stones and God would humble

01:11:46.420 --> 01:11:48.880
me real quick. I'm sharing these things with

01:11:48.880 --> 01:11:52.479
you because I've experienced it too. It's not

01:11:52.479 --> 01:11:55.439
a holier than thou, it's a y 'all I've been there,

01:11:55.439 --> 01:11:57.640
I've done that, like listen to my experience

01:11:57.640 --> 01:11:59.500
so maybe you don't have to be in it as long as

01:11:59.500 --> 01:12:05.140
I did. Okay, I pray y 'all have a wonderful week.

01:12:05.340 --> 01:12:10.500
Don't forget to Like this episode leave Please

01:12:10.500 --> 01:12:12.300
please please y 'all leave a review wherever

01:12:12.300 --> 01:12:13.979
it is. You're listening to us if it's on Spotify.

01:12:14.020 --> 01:12:16.319
It only takes a minute There's little star reviews

01:12:16.319 --> 01:12:19.260
leave some stars that helps push my content out

01:12:19.260 --> 01:12:22.920
there if you're on YouTube like it save it If

01:12:22.920 --> 01:12:27.529
you're on Amazon Apple I heart radio Stars if

01:12:27.529 --> 01:12:29.310
you want to go above and beyond you can leave

01:12:29.310 --> 01:12:32.569
comments on episode, but I do ask for those of

01:12:32.569 --> 01:12:36.210
y 'all who listen consistently Leave those reviews

01:12:36.210 --> 01:12:40.630
Stars help and be honest with it I'm not saying

01:12:40.630 --> 01:12:42.569
you have to leave five stars leave two if it's

01:12:42.569 --> 01:12:45.130
a two -star episode if it's a two -star podcast

01:12:45.130 --> 01:12:51.989
but I would love to have Some input y 'all and

01:12:51.989 --> 01:12:54.390
please share this with someone that you feel

01:12:54.390 --> 01:12:57.449
is needing to hear this Re -share it on social

01:12:57.449 --> 01:13:00.250
media Whoever God is putting on your spirit to

01:13:00.250 --> 01:13:02.369
share it with share it with them and I will see

01:13:02.369 --> 01:13:04.229
you guys next time. Bye guys