Hey guys and welcome back to the Salt Not Sweetener
podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend. I hope
y 'all are having a wonderful week and I believe
that this episode today is going to be very helpful.
There are going to be some people who are needing
to hear what we're talking about today, okay?
And I want to start off with just sharing with
y 'all a little bit of a story. Because I believe
this is going to get the gears in your brain
turning. And I encourage you that as you listen
to me sharing this experience that happened this
week, that you start to reflect on your personal
life. And you start to reflect on maybe some
ways that you can relate. Or just pay attention
to some of the ways that what I'm about to speak
to you, and maybe some of the scripture I'm about
to read to you, relates to your current life.
So earlier this week, y 'all, I was praying to
God and I was like, Lord, speak to me through
scripture. I feel like you're trying to speak
to me and it's kind of hard for me to hear you
right now. Like I'm taking private time, but
like, it just feels loud. It feels like the enemy
does not want me to hear from God in all honesty.
I've been having to very extra take these intrusive
thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.
I feel like every time I hear from God, I hear
from the enemy twice as much. I'm like, God,
help me. I need to hear from you through scripture.
And recently, God has also given me a couple
visions, a couple dreams, a couple things to
hope for, right? God has shown me a couple things
that he plans to do for me one day. And I got
really excited. And I was like, okay, God, let's
make this work. And I actually started praying
with God to align my heart with it. You know,
because some of the things at first you showed
me, I was like, God, I don't know. Like, I don't
have the desire to do that thing. But I feel
like you're showing it to me. And it doesn't
contradict your word, if anything. It makes a
lot of sense why you would call me to do that.
But I don't have the desire in my heart. So I
started praying to God, like, God, give me the
desire to do this thing. And he has answered
that prayer. And now. I'm I got to a point where
I'm like, OK, God, these are things you've shown
me. I desire to have these things. So logically,
like the next step is I need to start making
a way for these things. Right. Like I need to
start figuring out provision. I need to start
like paving a path for this to happen. And. I'm
going to be so for real, y 'all. It felt God
led. You know, there's some times where God will
confirm things for us and he will allow us to
go into a space, not because that's where we're
going to find our blessing or because that's
where we're going to find the breakthrough. But
because that's where we're going to find the
lesson that he's needing us to learn or something
to be reminded of. And I will say that this isn't
my first time learning this lesson, but I needed
to be reminded of this lesson, okay? And I think
a big part of it is so I could speak with y 'all
about it and share it with y 'all because y 'all
know I share with you my walk as I'm walking
through. A lot of things we talk about are things
that are going on presently or I've just recently
learned from or moved on from in my life. And
I'm sharing it in hopes it'll help you and because
it's Holy Spirit. led. There are things that
I hold on to until I know the Holy Spirit has
guided me to share. I really try to be thoughtful
with that. But just to kind of set the scene,
there are some visions, there are some hopes,
and I'm at the point where I'm like believing
in it. I have the faith for it. And I'm like,
all right, now it's go time. Now we need to start
drawing up the provision. And I even feel like
God has confirmed for me to do it. And I'm putting
in the effort. I'm doing it, and these things
do not work out the way I want them to. They're
kind of like a womp womp. And there's a part
of me that's getting a little bit frustrated
because I'm like, God, this path that I chose
to take to pave the way and find the provision,
I tried like 10 times before previously, and
it didn't work out. God, the reason why I stopped
trying that method. was because it had proven
itself to not work out for me and the only reason
why i tried this method now is because i felt
like you gave me the okay i felt like this was
spirit led and as i was praying about it i even
felt like i was hearing to do it again but with
god this time and now i'm looking at the results
and these results don't look blessed god And
y 'all, you know, the interesting thing, as I
said this right now, what just hit me is I did
it with God this time. And this time I actually
got a lesson. Funny thing, I didn't get a lesson
like this out of the situation I tried the past
10 times. All I learned was this doesn't work.
I need to try a different way. But now I actually
have a revelation and it's actually a testimony
and a story used to plant seeds. Oh, wow. So
this is how revelation in the moment works, y
'all. Like God literally just. Okay, period.
Word. Amen. I did it with God and he gave me
a lesson. Okay. Okay, let's get back. Let's get
back. So anyway, that is what I'm dealing with.
And I feel a little bit like a Jonah, right?
Where, you know, Jonah, God called him to go
to Nineveh and Jonah was like, no, because I'm
going to go and you're going to spare him. And
like, I already know how this is going to play
out. So I'm just not going to do it. And then
he gets humbled and then he submits to God and
does it. And then it's the result that he was
expecting. He was like, see God, this is why
I didn't want to do it. And y 'all, if that was
not the way I was talking to God, I was like,
see God, I tried it and it didn't work out. I
told you, I don't know why you had me do it.
Clearly he had me do it so I could learn from
it. And I started praying to him on like scripture.
Like, God, I need you to speak to me through
scripture. I'm trying to hear you. And I believe
this is where you led me, but it feels really
loud. Like, am I hearing you wrong? Like, I need
you to lead me to some scripture. And he led
me to John chapter 5, which is the healing of
the paralytic man. Healing at the pool of, some
people say Bethsaida and some people say Bethesda.
Y 'all will probably hear me pronounce it both
ways. I usually say Bethsaida, but recently I've
been saying Bethesda more. So we'll see what
happens. But I was reading that, and this is
where I really want y 'all, if you aren't already
locked in, kind of lock into this, okay? Because
I was reading this scripture. And the first thing
I noticed was, okay, this man has been dealing
with this for 38 years. This man has been paralyzed
for 38 years. So he has been desiring healing
for 38 years. And I was kind of comparing it
to my life where it's like, this thing I was
working towards this provision wasn't just for
these things. I had been wanting provision like
this for a long time. I, the problems I have
right now that I'm trying to solve have been
like a thorn in my side longer than just this.
And I was like, okay, I relate to this man that
this man has been in need of this thing for a
long time. I have been in need of this thing
for a while now. And then I go on to read further
that this man had been paralyzed for 38 years
and he had been at the pool for a long time.
So this man had a problem. He needed healed.
The pool of Bethesda was an opportunity for healing.
And he was trying that opportunity for a long
time. It wasn't just once or twice. He was there
for a long time. And I was like, ooh, this method,
I had a problem I needed solved. And this method
I went to, I went to a lot in the past. And it
never worked out. I was like, okay, I relate
to this man in this way too. I have my own. pool
that i go to and i just want to pause here y
'all we can see the pool in this moment as a
source of healing outside of god a source of
provision outside of god our own creation our
own works to give you a little bit of background
of the pool of bethesda historically people believed
it was like stories of healing with this pool
so supposedly randomly at times this pool the
water would start to bubble up you can almost
think like a natural spring and it was rumored
stories were told that an angel from the lord
would come and stir the waters and the first
person in the water would receive healing so
people who needed healing would go wait by that
water now if y 'all watch the show the chosen
And we'll talk about this in a few minutes. The
Chosen actually has an episode on this. And I
really like the direction that they went in with
this. If you watch the scenes, they're not afraid
to show the paganness of that, right? Because
we know that's not in our God's character to
pit one another against each other, to trip over
each other, to kick each other, to be the first
one in the water. When Jesus came, he tossed
a new commandment to love one another as yourself.
to serve one another, to turn the other cheek,
to give someone who's hungry food, to give someone
who needs clothes clothes. He's definitely not
encouraging you to kick and push everyone over
to be the first one in the water and to put yourself
first and just get yours and worry about everybody
else later. The rule of thumb with that pool
is like the opposite of God's character, right?
And the chosen, they weren't afraid to address
that in that episode. If you watch the episode,
you can see that they kind of have like pagan
idols in the back, like they have evil eyes dangling.
Y 'all already know my stance on evil eye, which
is the biblical stance of that is a false idol.
Jesus Christ defeated death, Satan. evil, wickedness
on the cross. You just need to be covered in
the blood of Jesus. Jesus triumphs over your
evil eye, symbols, bracelets, wall decorations,
the things you put in your bio a million times
over. And you can't be Christian and feel like
you need an evil eye. And the most loving way
I'm saying this, that is a false idol. And your
faith isn't truly in Jesus for protection and
healing. If you think that you need the idol
in your bio, Or on your body. Or in your house.
And we've talked about that in my last episode,
Traditions. Take it to there. You know, people
start saying, well, this is my culture. Well,
this is my heritage. Jesus triumphs that. He
trumps that. Your culture and your heritage compared
to the word of God. The word of God matters more.
And the word of God is truth. I'm going to leave
it at that, y 'all. And lovingly, I'm going to
leave it at that. And in the show, the chosen,
they're not afraid, you know, they have like
some evil eyes dangling. And there's a character
in the show, Simon, who is characterized to be
the zealot. We know that Jesus had his multiple
disciples and one of them was a zealot. And at
least in the show, they chose Simon to be like
he was the zealot and they had him as the brother.
of the paralyzed man at the pool was the way
that they chose to tell this story and he says
even to his brother who's waiting this healing
it is not in our god's nature to pit people against
each other like this And funny enough, I tried
recording this episode like 30 minutes ago and
I deleted it and we've restarted it. And I felt
led to Matthew 4 .10 when I was talking about
this. And I stopped and I like looked at my Bible.
I was like, I have no idea what Matthew 4 .10
says. And Matthew 4 .10 is actually where Satan's
tempting Jesus in the wilderness and says, if
you bow down and worship me, I'll give you all
this stuff. And Jesus is like, no, your scripture
says you worship the Lord, your God only. And
I was like, word, God, this is perfect for this
episode today. But anyway, yeah, I was led to
the story of the healing of the man at the pool
of Bethesda. And then I was praying to God about
what show should I watch tonight? And I felt
led to watch The Chosen. I've seen every episode
of The Chosen. And when I was like, okay, what
episode? I felt like I was led to season two
episode, and it was either four or episode five.
And I go to turn it on, and it's literally the
episode that's the healing at the pool. And I
was like, God, you're hilarious. You're hilarious.
I watched it, and it really helped me to really...
it helped me to even deepen my understanding
even more but just to kind of backtrack sorry
y 'all i feel like we're getting a little plot
let me pull back let me pull back um i saw a
lot of similarities between me and this man at
the pool he had a desire to be healed i had a
desire for something and he decided to try making
a way which was going to the pool for healing
i decided to try making a way which was investing
in these things that I thought were, God was
going to be with me on it this time. He wasted
a lot of time there and saw no healing. I wasted
a lot of time on that and saw nothing come out
of it. And this is where it was very transformational
for me, was we see in scripture where Jesus approaches
this man and says, do you want to be healed or
do you want to be made well? That's the only
question he asks. this man is do you want it
is this what you desire and i remember in reading
that i started thinking i was like what all did
god when god showed me these things did he ask
me to start doing all this work no i started
thinking about i was like he just wanted me to
believe in these things he was just showing me
these things for a hope for the future he wasn't
asking for work yet he was just asking for faith
do i have the faith That he will make a way for
these things to happen. That he will guide my
steps. He actually asked me for something very
simple. He just asked me for the faith. He just
showed me these things so I could start believing.
It's hard for me to expect God to do these big
things for me or to hope for a miracle if I don't
even believe in what God is showing me. And I
felt like Jesus asked him a very simple question.
And Jesus gave me a very simple command. He only
asked this man, do you want to be made well?
It was a yes or no question. And for me, I feel
like Jesus was just asking, do you believe I'm
going to do these things for you? And it's like,
it is a very simple question. Yes, I do. That's
why I went and started doing this work. I believe
it's possible. And I believe that this man at
the pool believed healing to be impossible. He
believed he could be healed. That's why he sought
healing. That's why he was at the pool. But when
you are relying on your own solution or relying
on a way outside of God and it's not working,
it starts to decrease your morale. It starts
to chip away at your faith. It starts to chip
away at your hope. And it starts to make you
hopeless. And that is what we see this man at
the pool was starting to experience. right? Because
when Jesus asks him that question, that man doesn't
answer him with a yes or no. What that man does
is that man starts making excuses for all the
reasons why he is not healed. He starts saying
to Jesus, I have been here at this pool. I have
tried to get down that water. I want to read
the scripture to y 'all. We're in John 5, verse
7 in my She Reads Truth Study Bible, which is
the Christian Standard Bible. And the man says
in response, sir, the disabled man answered,
I have no one to put me into the pool when the
water is stirred up. But while I'm coming, someone
goes down ahead of me. So he starts by blaming
everyone else and saying, I don't have anyone
helping me. I'm trying to do this on my own.
I don't have anybody offering me assistance.
I don't have anybody handing anything to me.
I don't have anybody helping carry me down. Nobody
wants to help me. And that's the first thing
is where he starts to blame everyone else for
why he's not healed yet. He's like, no one else
will help me. No one else will take time out
of their day. And then he starts to talk about
his own efforts where he's like, and I'm trying.
Then I try to bring myself. But my efforts aren't
good enough. By the time I'm down there, someone
else is already in ahead of me. He doesn't give
Jesus a yes or no, but instead he starts immediately
hitting with the excuses. And it's very easy
for us when we are kind of in this space of trying
and feeling like we're not seeing anything come
out of it to slip into a victim mentality. And
I believe that is just a little bit of what this
man was going through. And that's not to negate
his suffering. And that's not to say that he's
not in pain and he hasn't been going through
hardship and it's not emotionally or mentally
trying. But those emotions and those things that
he was dealing with started to take away his
hope and put him in more of a space where he
was just starting to blame everybody else for
his problems. And I don't know about y 'all,
but I'm guilty of doing that. And I found myself
even not too long ago crying out to God. I remember,
and I'm being so vulnerable with y 'all. I had
a prayer where I was being very vulnerable with
God and saying, God, I feel like you send me
to everybody. Like, I feel like you send me to
speak to people. I feel like you send me to help
people. You send me to bless people. You send
me to minister to people. You send me to do all
these things. But God, when I'm needing someone,
I don't feel like a lot of people remember me.
I don't feel like a lot of people are like, let
me go help Danielle. Let me go minister to her.
Let me go do this. Let me go do that. And I started
saying to God, it was like, you send me to all
these people. But why aren't you sinning? And
it was like I started to blame God. And I started
to blame everybody else when what I was dealing
with was no one's fault. And it was, I had to
have some reality checks. And the Lord was very
loving with me and patient with me. But he did
start to remind me of multiple people that he
sent to minister to me. When people reach out
to me and say, I just want you to know I've been
led to pray for you and you're being covered
in prayer. right after a time when I was dealing
with some serious warfare. Or when someone would
randomly invite me to something, or someone would
randomly come up to me and give me something.
And I was very humbled, very quick of like, no,
God, you have lovingly, you have sent me a lot
of people too. But it's very easy for us to slide
into that space, right? And what's interesting,
if y 'all watch the show The Chosen, Jonathan
Remy, who plays Jesus, in the show, he asks,
do you want to be healed? And the man starts
making excuses for why he's not, just like he
does in scripture. And the response that Jesus
has in the show, in the episode, is that is not
what I asked. And that did play in my mind as
I was reading the scripture. Because I started
thinking, I was like, what are the things I'm
doing and the excuses I'm making that Jesus didn't
ask me to exert all this effort and all this
extra mental energy and all this extra anxiety
and worry and planning. All he asked me to do
was believe that he was one day going to do these
things he was showing me. He showed me these
things, not for me to do it myself, not for me
to start relying on my own works, but just so
that way I could start believing. for these things.
And needless to say, y 'all, God spoke to me
so heavily through the story of the man at the
pool of Bethesda, where I started to realize
that there were some ways that I was already
starting to idolize this promise, right? And
you can identify that something is becoming an
idol when you're elevating it above God. is number
one. And I'm sure that's one that everybody hears.
And there are a lot of people who are like, well,
I don't put money above God, or I don't put a
job above God, or I don't put my pride above
God. But here's the second way of how I'm able
to identify idols in my life. Am I prioritizing
that thing enough that I'm willing to go ahead
of God or step out of his will or compromise
the values that he has instilled in me? And if
the answer to that is yes, then that thing is
also. an idol i feel like people only think of
the first one of like well i worship god i'm
not praying to this thing i'm not praying to
my job i'm not praying to my money you know i'm
not telling everyone that's the best thing in
existence so like it's not an idol but those
are the same people who lovingly will lie to
keep the job will lie to get the job We'll deceive.
We'll bear false witness. We'll do that to have
a relationship. We'll do that to have a platform.
We'll bear false witness against other people.
We'll gossip against other people to have a platform.
God says, wait, I don't want you to move. And
they move anyway. They jump anyway. They take
the opportunities anyway. They lean into sexual
immorality. They lean into fornication. They
lean into the other things to get what they want.
If you are willing to go ahead of God, against
God, outside of his will, against the values,
that thing is an idol. If you elevate it enough
that you are willing, and someone needs to hear
this today. If you are elevating that thing enough
that you are willing to participate in witchcraft,
that you are willing to go to psychics. that
you are willing to go to tarot card readers,
that you are willing to go to oracles, that you
are willing to do readings yourself, that you
are willing to try to do New Age practices to
get it. That thing is an idol. And you are worshiping
other gods before the Heavenly Father. And I'm
speaking that to you all as a former New Ager,
as a former tarot card reader. Those things are
not from God. And the guidance information you
get from those things is not God -led, is not
Holy Spirit -led. And if you desire a thing,
if it's vengeance, if it's revenge that you desire,
if it's knowledge that you desire, if it's the
desire to just get ahead in life, to get one
up on people, if it's the desire to achieve the
same first or do the same first that you are
willing. Lord, I feel like there is someone listening
to us today specifically that needs to hear this.
I know not everybody struggles with this, but
there is someone listening to us specifically
today who needs to hear this. If you are desiring
knowledge, wisdom, a one -up, a get -ahead, vengeance,
the desire to look good, so much that you are
willing to get your guidance and your instruction
or monitor other people through divination. Through
readings, through psychics, through witchcraft,
through any of that. You have now elevated that
above God and you are now worshiping false idols.
Not only that, but you are committing willful
sins. God does not condone witchcraft or divination,
point blank, period. There are not special exceptions
or special excuses. Works of the flesh are works
of the flesh. Sins are sins. And I encourage
you to repent and put your faith in Jesus. And
now I feel we can move forward. Okay. But I hope
that me sharing that personal experience and
how I felt led to read the healing of the man
at the pool, Bethesda, has caused you to kind
of start reflecting on your life and maybe the
effort that you're putting in, the things that
you're elevating. And now I want to step into
talking to y 'all about the promises of God and
why God even gives us promises, why he even shows
us big things. And I want to start with admitting
to y 'all that I am someone who unfortunately
in the past, and this happened years ago, and
it was a very humbling journey that I went on.
There were things that when I first started getting
into is before I fully dove into new age, I believe
I received some promises from God. that he has
still been faithful to. But when I received those
promises from God, instead of starting to read
the Bible and leaning into God and his ways and
submitting to him, I fell into new age. And I
started to get my direction and my guidance from
tarot cards and diviners. And I became a diviner
myself. And I became a tarot card reader myself.
And I thought that I was going to get to the
promises through that, that that was how I was
going to navigate things. That was how I was
going to judge things. That was how I was going
to make calls in my life. And I felt like at
first it was accurate and it was good and I was
going to do everything I needed it to do. And
in God's timing, I was able to see that that
was just an open door for the devil. And in a
lot of ways, the devil was just playing with
my mind. Because the devil, the enemy, is the
great deceiver. He's the father of lies. And
deception is mostly, it's most believable when
there is truth sprinkled in. Okay? It's easier
for the devil to get you to believe lies if there
are some things sprinkled in that seem to be
true. That's why when he was tempting Jesus in
the wilderness, he was quoting scripture. You
remember the devil quoted scripture, but things
were twisted and out of context. The devil will
use truth with lies sprinkled in or lies with
truth sprinkled in. And that's exactly what you
get from tarot cards and psychics. That's why
they're like, well, 90 % of the information seems
accurate. And then the other 10 or the other
20 % is stuff that makes no sense, but maybe
it'll resonate later. It doesn't all land. But
we know that God's word will never return to
avoid. So we know these things aren't from God.
Okay. And I don't want to shame anybody because
I'm someone who I fell into it in the past. And
I want you to see today my story and where God
has me. And I know this isn't where he stops.
God didn't lead me this far to lead me where
I am. Is hope for you that you too can repent
and leave that behind. My guidance now is fully
from God. It comes from prayer and it comes from
scripture reading. It comes through my time of
worship. And when God needs me to move, he makes
sure I move. When God needs me to be alert on
something, he alerts me. God strengthens my discernment.
You can trust that when God needs you to move,
you'll move. When God needs you to see something,
you're going to see something. And you don't
need the ways of the wicked to get ahead. The
wage of sin is death. Okay? And I just want to
encourage you to evaluate the areas in your life
where right now you may be outside of God's will.
The methods you're choosing are not the ways
of the Lord. You know, if it's to find a relationship
and you're choosing to dress, and I know there
are so many people who are like, it's about conviction.
Y 'all, you don't need to dress promiscuously
to get a husband or get a wife. If you have to
show your goodies, man or woman, to have someone
interested in you, that's not your person from
God. I'm sorry to say it. I'm not sorry to say
it, actually. You need to hear it. If you have
to compromise your boundaries that you know are
God -given boundaries, if you have to compromise
intimacy before marriage, if God has told you
you're not living with a person before marriage,
that's too tempting. But this person doesn't
want to date you unless you do that. That's not
your person from God. Like I'm telling you today,
if the methods you're choosing to get what you
want go against God, his word and the boundaries
he has given you. Is it safe to say that thing
isn't from God? That's not the method God has
called you to. If you have to like. gossip and
lie about other people to get people to want
to talk to you like if these people only want
to talk to you if you gossip which is zen maybe
those aren't the people god intends for you to
be around maybe there's a better way maybe there's
a different conversation starter If the only
way you can get that position or get that job
or be friends with those people or get that relationship
is by lying, bearing false witness or slandering
someone else, maybe that's not the position for
you. Or maybe if you choose to wait, God will
show you a better way. There have been times
before when there's a promise that is for me.
But the first method presented is not the method
to take. And it's in waiting on God and his guidance,
amen, that I'm later presented with the correct
method, the God way, the Jesus way. So I just
ask y 'all today to look at the methods you've
been choosing. Look at the ways you've been choosing.
And ask if this really aligns with God's will.
But now let's go back to what do promises do
for you? All right, and if you feel like this
episode today is for you, I do encourage y 'all
to listen to, I have a previous episode. A couple
months back, I believe it's titled Promise Process,
which is more detailed and helpful for you if
you've received a promise from God of just like
the things that usually happen after starting
to have a promise from God, which is the pruning
that comes along with it, of making you into
the person who you're needed to be to steward
over it, the warfare that comes along with it,
the, you know, shaky faith. There are a lot of...
things that come along with a promise from God.
And I do encourage y 'all, if you feel this episode
today is really hitting for you and resonating
for you, I do encourage you to pray about it
and see if you feel led to go listen to that
episode because it may be very helpful for you.
Amen. But what we're going to talk about today
and just touch in on a little bit today, y 'all,
is why does God remind you of your promises?
Because when God promises something to you, it's
usually not just one time. And then you never
hear it about again until it happens. Oftentimes,
and you'll see this in your life, God will remind
you time and time again about what he has for
you. And sometimes it can actually feel kind
of annoying. And sometimes you can kind of lose
your gratitude for it. And I say this as someone
who I have had multiple times where God has given
me a promise. And it's like... He cultivates
this desire in me for it where it's like I'm
yearning for it. I'm desiring for it. I feel
ready for it and that's what I want. But he doesn't
bless me with it yet. And it feels like it's
far away. And there have been times when I've
actually cried out to God in prayer when I've
just been so overcome with emotion, overwhelmed,
and begged him to stop reminding me of the promises.
I have multiple times in tears said to God, it
hurts. hurts to want this thing so badly and
to know that this is for me one day, but to not
be able to have it right now. And I have begged
God before to take the desire out of my heart,
to stop reminding me and saying, just drop it
on me when it's time. Stop speaking it to me.
And glory be to God, he didn't answer that in
the way I wanted him to. he would lovingly and
gently help me to calm down help me to get back
to you know a peace and have me in gratitude
for the process and for him and seeing everything
he's done so far and then lovingly in his timing
say the promise still stands and we're still
gonna do this thing one day it's just not yet
and I want to tell you the very first thing a
promise will do for you. I want to identify two
things that I've noticed a promise heavily do
for me in my life that I hope will encourage
y 'all today. And the first thing is what God's
promises have done for me is it's helped me to
get through seasons of suffering and trial and
tribulation. Y 'all know a man named Joseph in
the Bible, in Old Testament, was it Exodus? exodus
oh lord i hope it's not genesis and i misquoted
we'll see um joseph who has multiple brothers
and he's already dad's favorite his brothers
already don't like him very much and god gives
him a vision that one day his family is going
to be bowing before him and he sees that he is
like kind of like in a high position a position
of power And to be clear, his situation doesn't
look like that yet. But God gives him this dream
and he believes it. He believes it so much that
he tells his brothers and his father about it.
And in response, they call him a dreamer, say
some very wicked things, plan to kill him, and
then settle on selling him into slavery. And
then he goes through... people bearing false
witness against him, gets locked up in jail,
all these things. God gives him a vision, a dream
that looks really, really good. And then Joseph's
reality looks nothing like it. If anything, it
seems to get a lot worse. All of a sudden, the
suffering picks up. He's betrayed. He's wrongfully
accused. He's wrongfully sold off his rights.
Like he goes from a free man to a slave. after
a betrayal of his own family. And then he's living
in Potiphar's house and he just submits to God's
ways and says, no, I'm not going to commit adultery.
I'm not going to sleep with Potiphar's wife.
And she bears false witness and gets him locked
in jail. And then he's still trying to do God's
will, interpreting dreams, interprets for some
of Pharaoh's like right -hand men. And then one
of them gets out and totally forgets about Joseph.
And although he's going through all these things,
he doesn't lose the faith. He doesn't curse God.
He doesn't turn away. He still believes in the
promise. What God's promise does is it gives
you hope in seasons of suffering where you're
like, I know it hurts right now and I know it's
rough right now, but God has shown me what is
waiting for me. I know there is light at the
end of the tunnel. And as someone who y 'all
know, I've been vulnerable about this. I'm someone
who in the past struggled heavily with depression
and just a hopelessness. And there were periods
where it was really hard. And it can feel very
overwhelming. And what God has given me through
promises is a hope. And I believe it was Jeremiah
who God spoke this to, that I have plans to prosper
you, not to harm you. Like I have come to give
you hope for a future. And that's what God does
with the promises, right? Is he gives us hope
for the future and shows that even though we're
going through maybe a trial or tribulation, a
suffering, that he has plans to use this to prosper
us. His intent is to prosper us, not to harm
us. And although it may feel harmful in the moment,
when you come out on the other side, you'll be
so glad that you trusted God instead of your
own ways. So number one, it gives you hope. When
you're going through suffering, but you know
what the second one, what the second one is.
And this was something that I didn't realize
until I was thinking on it today. Cause before
I knew the general topic we're going to talk
about today, y 'all, but I went and took a walk
for a while, about like a 45 minute, close to
an hour walk. And I was just praying to the Lord
to like, please reveal a bit more to me. Like
help me to dive a little bit deeper on this.
And the Lord had kind of shown me, not only does
a promise give me hope, but it has also prevented
me from settling for less than God's best. Because
in the kindest way I can say this is when I know
that God has this top tier thing for me, when
he has shown me his best for me, when he has
shown me this amazing thing, when I have the
opportunity to settle for something that is like
75 % of that or even 80 or even 90 % of that,
99 % of that. can't get myself to be content
with it or fulfilled by it once I know what God
has in store for me I am not fulfilled with less
than God's best because believe me y 'all there
have been multiple opportunities to settle for
less this doesn't happen every single time god
delivers on a promise but i have noticed with
some promises that have come along with a lot
of warfare in general um meaning a lot of opportunities
to backslide a lot of pruning that has had to
go along with it a lot of kind of like sabotaging
attempts from the enemy a lot of doubt I've experienced
some promises that came with a lot of opposition
from the enemy. But that's also how I can identify,
okay, the enemy knows God wants to use this in
a big way. The enemy knows that this is going
to be used by God to further his will. That is
why the enemy is trying to stop. I want to be
so clear, y 'all. The enemy isn't attacking your
marriage because he wants your marriage. He's
not attacking your relationship because he wants
your relationship. He's not attacking your friendships
because he wants your bestie as his bestie. He
is not attacking your house because he wants
your house. He's not attacking your job because
he wants your job. He's not attacking your title
because he wants your title. What he's doing
is he is trying to attack what God wants to do
through it. He's trying to attack your faith
and your belief in God. There are some people
that before they came into a relationship and
got married, they experienced a lot of warfare.
I know of people. who do ministry as couples
are being used in great ways through sharing
their testimony and glorifying the kingdom of
heaven that went through a lot of warfare individually
and like I've heard stories of warfare getting
together right of just like trying to date like
where the enemy will try to prevent it because
he knows he has an inkling at least because he's
not all knowing but he can see a bit of what
God can do when The promise is fulfilled when
the couple gets together, when the blessing is
poured out, when the provision arrives. The devil
isn't taking or attacking those things because
he wants those things specifically. He wants
to block what God can use them for. He wants
to block what God can do through them. And also,
he wants to steal your faith and your hope. He
comes to steal, kill, and destroy. That's like
literally his job. That's literally his MO. That's
his main way he operates is stealing, killing,
and destroying. He's the father of lies. So he
comes to lie and deceive. And I've said this
before, deceptions. The devil is so good at taking
lies and sprinkling truth on it to make it believable.
Because you can get people to believe a whole
bunch of lies if you just inject a little bit
of truth. If they feel like they can validate
one or two things, they'll run with the rest.
We see that especially now, like in our generation
on social media, where people will make a lot
of wild accusations, and then they'll throw in
two things that can be proven, and people will
believe all the rest of the accusations. And
that's exactly how the devil works. There's multiple
people right now that are very influential, that
claim to be Christians, that literally operate
just off of gossiping and slandering other people
online. Everyone goes to them for the tea. Everyone
goes to them for the like, what's the new news?
What's the new conspiracy theory? And these people
will pour out like a lot of wild crap. that has
like no actual like source or no like actual
valid there's no there's no proof with it there's
no god isn't god isn't coming through i'm proving
this um at least to my knowledge at least to
what i've seen or anybody else has seen but then
they'll throw out one or two things that um it
can be believable and people will buy it all
of it and they'll say well if this one thing
was true clearly it all has to be true and that's
like the basic way the devil operates which is
why i always say you you have to take everything
back to the lord all right accusations all these
things before you believe every you've got to
take it back to god ask him to strengthen your
discernment okay y 'all i don't know we're gonna
reel back i don't even know how we got there
but we're gonna reel back we're gonna pull it
back and i know that we were talking about the
two things that God did for me, and God can definitely
do through you for the promises. And the second
one is you don't settle for less than God's best.
There are a lot of counterfeits. You may in your
life experience counterfeit things. Think it
not strange. It happens more frequently than
you would think, especially when it's a promise
you've been waiting for for a long time that's
had a lot of opposition. The enemy would love
for you to settle for something that looks like
75%. But that's the one thing, y 'all, is each
time I've been given the opportunity to settle,
and I'm not saying I haven't been tempted. You'll
get tempted at times to settle, especially if
you've been waiting for a long time and this
thing looks 75%. Your flesh is like eating at
you to just take it and work with it and just
make the best out of it when life gives you lemons.
But when you know that God has more for you,
it's like you can't. cannot shake it. And when
you try to settle, there's a part of you that
it just will not feel right. You will not be
fulfilled. And that's another thing God's promise
does for you. So maybe you're someone who's been
waiting on God's promise for a long time. And
this is just more of an encouragement to reflect
on what you've been doing thus far. You know,
what are some areas where you have been pouring
yourself into that God hasn't asked you to pour
into? Now, there were some areas that maybe you've
been compromising that you don't need to be compromising.
What are some areas where you have been moving
ahead of God or moving against God? I heard someone
the other day. And I believe this was on, and
I could be wrong, it was on a podcast. It was
a clip of a podcast episode I saw, and I believe
it was Madison Pruitt Trout's Stay True podcast.
And there was a woman that was talking about,
it was either her or Sadie Robertson. It was
someone, I'm sorry y 'all, but this stuck with
me so heavily, where she said that she had realized
she had been working against God. And when she
had been praying to God, God showed her a river
moving with a current. And he spoke to her that
the current is his way, is his timing, is his
method. And she's been trying to swim. And if
you're swimming forward, you're swimming ahead
of God. And if you're swimming back, it's like
you're swimming away from him. You're working
against him. You're kind of running away. And
all God asked her to do was float, to lay on
her back, and to trust God is going to guide
her. in the way she needed to be guided. And
I feel like that ties perfectly into this piece
of scripture I was reading this morning, y 'all,
which is John 14, verses one through three. And
it says, don't let your heart be troubled. Believe
in God. Also believe in me, referring to Jesus.
In my father's house are many rooms. If it were
not so, would I have told you that I am going
to prepare a place for you? If I go away and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and
take you to myself so that where I am, you may
be also. And I believe that this was at the last
supper when Jesus was talking to his disciples.
But what stuck with me so heavy was that first
part where it says, don't let your heart be troubled.
Where he was calling them, don't be anxious.
Don't be worried. Don't start planning. Don't
start freaking out. Don't start giving into despair.
Don't start worrying. Instead, believe in God.
Believe in his ability. Believe that he is the
Alpha and the Omega. Believe that he has plans
to prosper you, not to harm you. Believe that
he is protecting you. Believe that he has planned
already for everything that is to happen. God
is not surprised by the decisions we make or
anyone else makes. You know those times when
you look up and you're like, but you didn't expect
that one, God. Guess what? Actually, he did.
God knew those people were going to react that
way and still called you to take that step. God
knew you were going to go sideways and is still
saying your promise stands. Believe in God. Believe
in his word. Believe in his promises. Believe
in who he is. Believe in what you've already
seen him do. He's done it before and he'll do
it again. Believe in God. Or Jesus want to say
in my father's house are many rooms. If it were
not so, would I have told you that I am going
to prepare a place for you? And that was my reminder
that God goes ahead of us. And don't forget in
God's ability to make a way when there appears
to be no way. Don't forget in God's ability to
go ahead of you. While he's calling you to rest,
while he's calling you to just float, he is down
there working in that person's heart. He is down
there working in that environment, working in
that place, preparing a room for you, preparing
a space for you. Amen. I cannot tell y 'all how
many times when I was waiting on, there's one
that specifically is coming to mind where I was
waiting on a promise from God and it was getting
hard and my environment was getting heavy. And
I was like, God, I don't know. Like if you don't
come through, it's about to get really, really
bad. And you're telling me to wait and you're
telling me to be still and you're telling me
that you are bringing the opportunity to me.
And I'm not saying that's every time. Sometimes
God is going to call you to go seek that, to
go apply at that thing. Faith without works is
dead. There is a work God will guide you to take.
But for me, what God was calling me to do with
this specific situation was to wait on him. And
his prompting to me one day was go to this place,
go to this church service. And I did. And when
I was there, I felt him present to me to go talk
to this person. And I did. And they asked me
to come meet with them next week. And I did.
And then just having conversation with them,
they found out I was in need of something. And
they opened a door for me. And later on, I found
out that if I had gotten brought to that place
any earlier, the timing wouldn't have been right.
God's timing for that situation was perfect.
He was literally preparing a space because I
wasn't qualified for that space. But the environment
had gotten to a point where it was ready to accept
someone who didn't have every book qualification.
God's timing was perfect. Mine was not. My timing
was based off of my fears and my anxieties and
my worries. God's timing was based off of what
was actually going to be the best. Trust in God's
ability to go ahead of you. If he's calling you
to wait and rest, trust that he's working on
people's hearts. Trust that he's shuffling things
around. He's moving things around. He's revealing
things. He's exposing things. He's doing things.
God isn't lazy. He is working. And someone needs
to hear today, trust in his ability to go ahead
of you. If God right now is only calling for
your faith, is only calling for you to believe.
I'm telling y 'all right now, this is scripture
that has helped me so deeply is seek first his
kingdom, God and his kingdom and his righteousness.
And all these things will be added on to you.
Where it was like, God is giving me these promises
and I'm going to trust that if I'm just seeking
him and I'm just seeking to grow in righteousness
and to grow in love, I'm just pursuing Jesus.
That's going to lead me down the path where I'm
going to pick these things up along the way.
I'll be close enough to God that I'm going to
be able to hear him say, turn right, turn left,
pick up the phone, apply to this, apply to that.
It's the times when I'm just trying to do my
own thing and work it out myself that I can't
hear God. I'm encouraging y 'all today, if you
are in this space, the best thing you can do
is get in God's presence. It's to seek him. It's
to read his word. It's to pray and listen. And
don't be so quick to move. Sometimes when we
receive a promise, all we want to do is go, go,
go. And force, force, force. And then that just
ends up creating what, at least to us, are delays
and setbacks and hardships. Upsetting experiences.
God is never late. Trust in his ability to go
ahead. And maybe you're looking at the situation
and you're like, if God did it, it would be a
miracle. Like, it has to be a miracle. And a
lot of promises from God are like miraculous
things. And I think I've discussed this earlier.
We're promises from God. And they usually require
God's hand heavily. Because if we relied on our
own strength, our own wisdom, our own works,
we would not get there. So when he gives us promises,
when he gives us hopes for the future, it's something
only he can do. And if you're in a situation
where you're like, well, God gave me this vision,
but there's no way that I see right now, you
are in the perfect space to receive a miracle.
Because it's when you can clearly not credit
yourself or credit anybody else around you that
God gets all the glory. And that it becomes a
testimony not to your own strength or your own
knowledge or your own will or your own creation,
but God. You know, when I think back to why that
thing, that thing I told you all about in the
beginning of this episode, I'm happy it didn't
work out. Because I remember praying to God when
I realized, I was like, God, thank you for not
letting that thing work out because that would
have directly contradicted a promise you gave
me. Like getting that would have kind of like
negated my need for another promise that God
has for me. But not only that, I started thanking
God. I was like, if I would, if this thing would
have worked out, it wouldn't have glorified you.
It would have glorified the world. It would have
glorified worldly systems and luck and things
like that. It wouldn't have been clearly God's
hand. It would have been a luck of the draw situation.
And I want my testimony, my promise to glorify
you and that it will point other people closer
to you, Lord. And I want to remind y 'all of
that today, that the testimony that God is building
up with your promise. It's going to be something
that glorifies him, not you. And I encourage
you to also look at the steps you've been taking.
If those things worked out right now, who would
get the glory? Would lying get the glory? Would
bearing false witness get the glory? Would cheating
and scheming get the glory? Would unforgiveness
get the glory? Would divination get the glory?
Would witchcraft get the glory? Would new age
get the glory? Would false idols get the glory?
Would money get the glory? Would the methods
you're using right now glorify yourself? Would
your testimony be, I did it. I did it. My brain,
my strength, my knowledge, my cunningness, my
this, my that. If it's a promise from God, you
best believe. the miracle, the testimony is also
going to glorify God. And I say this to y 'all
as a loving sister in Christ, that if it's not
from God, you don't want it. If you had to sin
to get it, if you had to compromise to get it,
you're going to have to sin to keep it. You're
going to have to compromise to keep it. And when
it's time to be delivered from it, when it's
time to let it go, you might end up in a swine
situation. And this was an episode. I almost
recorded last week, but I feel like the Lord's
leading me, amen, to kind of just dabble in on
this a little bit. And I believe this was in
the book of Mark. I want to flip to it real quick,
y 'all. It's been about a week since I've read
it, but it's the first couple chapters in the
book of Mark. Let me find it real quick so I
know what I'm referring you guys to. It was around
Mark 7. It was Mark chapter 5. We're in John
5 and now we're in Mark 5. Okay, now there was
this man who was possessed by a legion of demons,
which is like thousands of demons. And everyone
in town knew he was possessed by demons. Everyone
in town, they would literally chain him up. But
he kept breaking free of the chains, and this
demon convinced him to harm himself, to cut himself,
to hurt himself in those ways. And it's interesting,
the interaction. When Jesus started, like, I
just want to note this real quick, y 'all. It
says here in Mark 5 and verse 4, because he...
We're going to go in verse three. He lived in
the tombs and no one was able to restrain him
anymore, not even with a chain, because he often
had been bound with shackles and chains, but
had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles.
No one was strong enough to subdue him. And I
want to pause here. Y 'all, we've talked today
about. your promises, people believing in promises
of healing, people believing in promises of like
relationships or things like that. But maybe
you're someone today who's been believing in
the promise of deliverance. If it's an addiction
that's kept you bound, if it's demonic influence
that's kept you bound. I've talked before in
the past, and this doesn't speak to everybody,
but I will speak to my situation. There was literal
physical disorders I dealt with. I dealt with
self -harm as a teen. I dealt with drinking and
smoking to excess, that becoming an idol. I dealt
with mental health. problems depression anxiety
and I do personally believe that I had a lot
of demonic oppression going on in my life I had
a lot of open doors to the devil I had a lot
of unforgiveness in my life I had fornication
going on I had idol worship going on I was idolizing
myself I was idolizing my feelings I was idolizing
my emotions I was vengeful I was entertaining
divination I was entertaining horoscopes I was
I was entertaining all these things and I believe
I opened a lot of doors for the devil to willingly
use me and I'm not saying that's the case for
everybody else or that's the source of all of
these other problems but I do believe for me
That was a big source of why I was dealing with
a lot of these things was a lot of things I was
dealing with were symptoms of my demonic oppression.
And I've shared with y 'all too about the deliverance
I went through where for months I was doing full
on self -denial. I was eating for four or five
days at a time. I was going through intermittent
fasting. I was reading my Bible 12 to 15 hours
a day. And when God told me to leave it, I left
it. When God told me to leave tarot cards, I
left tarot cards. When God told me to forgive
people who had hurt me for decades, I forgave
them. Like, I had to just do what God called
me to do, period. I had to be like a child and
say, yes, Father. Instead of asking questions
and saying, I will, but not this or not that
or give me another way, I said, you know what?
You know best, God. And I submitted to it. I
know what it is like to need deliverance. And
I know what it's like. To lose things in deliverance
like we're about to talk about now because when
I gave my life to the lord And he was going to
deliver me and there were things that I had been
dealing with for decades mental disorders and
like physical health stuff That god said I will
deliver you you will be healed. This will never
be a problem again I've shared this a couple
episodes ago where I was like, there is no healing
for this There is no surgery. There is no medication,
but god said there is healing in me I will give
you the healing. It'll be like it never happened.
You will no longer deal with this. And I believed
him. And after believing in that promise, there
were things he started calling me to do, which
was closing doors to sin. And one of them was
he called me to leave behind the only way I was
making money and bringing in provision, which
was tarot card reading. He called me to leave
behind the only way I was able to sleep at night
and have comfort, which was smoking. He called
me to leave behind a nicotine addiction, which
was the way I dealt with my stress and anxiety
for over 10 years. There were things I had to
lose and let go of in order to be delivered.
And that's what we're about to learn about here.
So maybe you're someone who has been waiting
on deliverance and you've been seeking it in
all the other ways. Maybe in the methods you've
been trying to find peace or trying to find fulfillment
or trying to find deliverance. And there's another
direction God is pointing you in. I don't know
what your situation is, but I feel called to
talk about the loss that sometimes comes with
deliverance and encourage y 'all today not to
turn away from the Lord, okay, and not to give
up. And I feel led real quick. Sorry, y 'all.
Pause one more time before I go into this to
share with y 'all real quick a personal release
I just did. Because I shared with y 'all one
that I did like two years ago, right? Well, when
I was a new age and before a new age, it was
more during COVID time. I built up a platform
on social. I started building up a platform on
social media. I got to about like 15 ,000 followers
on TikTok. And then once I was getting a new
age and I was a tarot card reader, I built it
up to like 33 ,000 followers on TikTok. And then
I, when I gave my life to the Lord, I deleted
all my social media. But the one thing I felt
led to not delete entirely was TikTok. Although
I did feel led to delete all the content to no
longer connect myself with that. And I felt like
I was never getting on social media again. And
I felt like I was never going to do it again.
And I started feeling the Lord months later,
put on my heart to start posting videos, just
sharing my testimony and glorifying God and planting
seeds for other people. And slowly I got back
on TikTok and I was using that when I would learn
something in scripture or when the Lord would
give me, you know, like an aha moment, I would
get on and share it with other people. I would
share testimony and I didn't see it then, but
the Lord was using that to encourage me to the
point of creating this podcast. And I thought
I was going to be doing that for a long time.
And it was last week. where in really seeking
the Lord's will, I felt led to delete that account.
And there's a big part of me that I started feeling
a conviction of I built that when I was in the
world. And if God calls me to do that, if God
wants me to have a platform like that again one
day, he'll help me build it and I'll build it
with him. And if he doesn't, that is fine too.
And I surrendered that platform to him. For those
of y 'all who didn't know, I deleted my TikTok
account. as a surrenderance. And I actually felt
delivered from multiple things I had been struggling
with. My deliverance from comparison. And I was
focusing too much on if people were even hearing
the message. And I felt like I wasn't being used
by God. And I felt like I was comparing myself
to other people and how they were being used
and how I felt like I wasn't being used. And
then deleting that, there was so much freedom
and so much deliverance. And I've been able to
focus on other things. And I feel like God has
already been starting to give me new promises
and new dreams. I'm starting to realize that,
like, there were some things I was holding on
to that were more my goals than God's goals.
And I pray that this moment of vulnerability,
that y 'all continue to listen to what I'm about
to say. Because maybe there's something God is
calling you to release and give up, and it's
really hard. If it's a vendetta, if it's vengeance,
if it's a method of how you've been dealing with
things, how you've been coping, if it's a dream
or a goal you've had for yourself, but it's not
a God goal. I pray that testimony encourages
you. Now let's read on here. So this man is dealing
with these demons and it's something that people,
humans don't have a cure for. So for a little
bit of a modern day translation, therapy isn't
fixing it. Medication isn't fixing it. The lifestyle
changes aren't fixing it. Relationships aren't
fixing it. This man, the symptoms that he is
getting from this demonic oppression, this demonic
oppression in general, cannot be contained, controlled,
or helped by man. And there are people right
now who are dealing with those things. I'm someone
with personal testimony to that where I've shared
with y 'all before. The problems that God has
helped me move through and has delivered me from
in big ways were things that therapists told
me I would just have to live with. Or health
disorders that I was told I was just going to
have to live with. But God, this man, this man
possessed by a legion of demons is dealing with
something that people can no longer help him
with. They just started locking him in the tomb
and avoiding him. It says night and day among
the tombs and on the mountains, he was always
crying out and cutting himself with stones. And
when he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and
knelt down before him and he cried out in a loud
voice. What do you have to do with me, Jesus,
the son of the most high God? I beg you before
God, don't torment me. For he had told him, come
out of the man, you unclean spirit. I want to
pause right here. Demons obey and submit to Jesus.
And that's why earlier in the episode I said,
y 'all, your evil eyes do nothing compared to
Jesus. They do nothing, point blank, period.
It's Jesus. Demons don't flee at an evil eye.
Demons don't flee at crystals. Demons don't flee
at witchcraft, at mantras, at incantations. Demons
flee at the only thing that has conquered them,
which is Jesus. Jesus Christ spilt his blood
on the cross. When Jesus went to the cross, died,
and resurrected, he defeated death. We already
have victory. Don't forget that, my brothers
and sisters. When you are with Christ, you're
on the winning side. If you have not yet read...
The Bible read Revelation. We know how this ends.
The devil does not win. Wickedness does not win.
They have already been defeated. They're just
really sore losers, and they're still trying
until the day, and they're kicking and screaming
until the day Jesus decides to come back for
his church, until the Father sends him back for
the church. We already know how it ends. If you
choose the side of wickedness, you have chosen
the losing side. If you have chosen witchcraft,
you've chosen the losing side. If you have chosen
lying and deception and gossiping and evilness,
you've chosen the losing side. But if you choose
Jesus and you submit to Jesus, that is where
you see victory. We see right here the true authority
that Jesus has over demons, over demonic oppression,
over the evil energy, over the negativity, over
the gossip and the slander and the bad vibes.
It's not the evil eyes. It's not the sigils.
It's not the little pentagram that y 'all witches
do. It's the name of Jesus. And when you are
covered in the blood of Jesus, There is an authority.
When you are baptized with the Spirit, when you're
operating with the Holy Spirit, you are walking
in authority. We as followers of Christ, we have
the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We have the
authority to bind and rebuke. We have the authority
to trample on the heads of serpents and scorpions.
This isn't just something that happened back
then. This can happen now. This is where you
find authority, not any of that other stuff.
And it says here, Jesus said to the unclean spirit,
what is your name? He said, my name is Legion.
He answered him because we are many. And he begged
him earnestly not to send him out of the region.
See how the demons have to ask permission from
God. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The demons
have to get permission from Jesus. And you need
to hear this today. Whatever the devil takes
from you, God has permitted. He has to get permission.
The devil has to get permission to take that
relationship. The devil has to get permission
to take that job. The devil has to get permission,
which means that God, who uses everything for
your good, already has a plan, already has a
way out for you when you face that. So if God
knows, God knows in your deliverance that that
thing will be taken and you'll have to let it
go. He also already has a plan to keep you from
lack. Philippians 4 .19, For my God will provide
your needs according to his riches and glory
in Christ Jesus. Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd,
there is nothing I lack. God has already planned
accordingly. If you are walking with him and
trusting in his guidance, you will lack for nothing.
I just want to remind you of that. Whatever the
devil takes, he has to get permission from God.
And if God is allowing it, God has a plan for
it. And God can use it to teach you something,
to do something in your life. Moving on here,
it says a herd of pigs was there feeding on the
hillside. The demons begged him, send us into
the pigs so that we may enter them. So he gave
them permission and the unclean spirits came
out and entered the pigs. And a herd of about
2000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea
and drowned there. The man who tended them ran
off and reported it in the town, in the countryside.
And the people went to see what happened. They
came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon
-possessed sitting there, dressed and in his
right mind, and they were afraid. This was something
that they didn't believe to be possible. It scared
them that when they walked away, this man was
demon -possessed and he was dealing with all
this messy stuff. And they see him now and he's
sitting upright, fully dressed, in his right
mind, good to go. That's terrifying. Who, what
man has this authority? What man is able to make
demons flee Jesus? But that kind of power was
terrifying. But I want to let y 'all in on something.
If you know the historical context of this, this
place where this man is at, the reason why there
are 2 ,000 pigs there is because the people who
lived in this area, most were herders. They were
swine herders. They were like livestock owners.
So this was their money. This was their provision.
This was their way. And then this man being delivered,
the devil took their financial provision source.
The devil took, I don't know if y 'all know this,
but 2 ,000 swine was worth a lot of money. And
it was just all gone. This man's deliverance
cost a price. And that price was all of those
swine. And when the people saw this, I want you
to see what their reaction was. Those who, I'm
going to, we're going to keep reading. We're
in chapter 5, verse 16 of the book of Mark. Those
who had seen it described to them what happened
to the demon -possessed man and told them about
the pigs. Then they began to beg him to leave
their region. They saw the miracle of God. They
saw. the deliverance they saw that jesus did
something that no man could do something that
was miraculous they saw a miracle they saw healing
they saw hope they saw this was a good thing
that happened to that man But instead of seeing
the good, they just saw the bad. They just saw
the loss. They just saw the suffering, and they
were afraid that walking with Jesus would come
with more loss, that walking with Jesus would
come with more suffering. So instead of leaning
in, instead of welcoming him, instead of worshiping
him, instead of asking him, what's next, Jesus?
They asked him to leave. They said, we don't
want any more of this. We don't want any part
of this. Please go. There are people out there
that trust in God and have their faith in God.
And when it gets hard, when God closes a door,
when God tells them no, when God says, in order
to be free, you have to stop doing this thing.
You have to kick this habit. You have to do this.
It's too hard and they walk away. I didn't plan
to give this example, but I feel this example
being put on me. There are some of y 'all out
there that want a husband or a wife that wants
you for more than your body. There's some of
you out there that are sick of lustful partners,
but you refuse to cover up your body. You say,
he should just see me for my heart, but you have
your goodies out on social media. But you're
flaunting it all out there on dates and in public.
And when God is convicting you to dress modestly,
you want a man that sees your heart? Stop putting
every piece of your body out there for him to
ogle and lust over. Stop opening up the door
for those men. Yeah, you'll have less people
calling you, and you'll have less people complimenting
you. but you're more likely to have quality people
complimenting you because they can no longer
ogle that stuff. Now they have to pay attention
to the words that come out of your mouth. Now
they have to see the way that you minister. Now
they have to see the way that you stand on boundaries.
And that's not just for my women. That's for
the men too, the men who are, you know, the shirtless
pics out there. The shirtless pics, the flexing,
or the showing off your car, the showing off
these things. You want someone who doesn't want
you for all those things, but those are the things
that you put out about yourself to seem desirable.
Stop showing those things off. I'm not saying
you have to keep them completely hidden and not
glorify God, but stop making that your eye catcher,
your conversation starter, your drawer in. There
are people who are complaining and wanting deliverance
and wanting to stop dealing with these things,
but they're refusing to make the changes that
God is calling them to make. I'm not speaking
from a high horse. I'm someone who I used to
post the bikini pics all over. I used to always
crop tops, always the tight stuff, always the
showing off a part of my body. And then I'd be
like, why don't people want me for me? Why do
they always end up lustful? Or why is it they
seem like they want my heart, but when I set
a boundary against intimacy, they don't want
to follow it. They didn't seem like a lustful
person. But best believe when you start covering
up, that person stops calling. There are some
people who know that alcohol and smoking is running
them into the ground, that it is an idol, that
it is an addiction. But they read scripture and
see, well, it's not a sin to be drunk. It's not
a sin to drink. It's only a sin to be drunk.
And they're like, so I can keep drinking. But
they're refusing to listen to the conviction
God is giving them to live a sober lifestyle.
Every time you drink, you wreck your life. Every
time you smoke, you wreck your life. You get
lazy. You get angry. You get belligerent. You
get messy. You can't hold boundaries. You become
vulnerable. But they don't want to say no to
the bars. If you're like me, I was someone who
I wanted to give my life to Jesus. And he said,
you want to give your life to me? Stop being
a tarot card reader. And I said, well, God, this
is the only way I bring in money. What's going
to happen? And God said, trust I will provide
for you. I'm telling you to close this door,
close it. And I closed that door and it wasn't
easy. But God started ministering to me and sending
me people who randomly blessed me. God came through.
God made a way. And I was delivered. I saw healing
I didn't think could be possible before God spoke
it over me. And unfortunately, you hear celebrities.
There's one celebrity who for a while was known
to like love God and made like a lot of Christian
music. but you shall know them by their fruits
and one day all of a sudden it flipped and it
seemed like they were back to vengefulness and
like hatefulness and false idol worship and they
were comparing themselves to Jesus and like like
in ways that not not a way of like reading scripture
but it was like they felt like they were elevated
on that level and years later it was like last
year I heard a testimony of them where they had
they had decided to start walking with God and
following God until there was a prayer they were
praying and they prayed for a relationship to
be rebuilt and for God to give them this person
back and when God didn't do it they they turned
their back and that's when you can see that relationship
wasn't built out of reverence and fear and love
it was a mutual transaction it was a transactional
relationship And that person saw God more as
a genie in a bottle. And best believe this is
someone I pray for consistently. And I encourage
you all to pray for these people too. As you
see people doing this, the most powerful thing
you can do is pray for them. I feel like someone
is needing to hear this today. What is it that
God is calling you to stop? Where he wants to
give you deliverance. He wants to give you healing.
He wants to give you that promise. He wants to
give you that new life. But you are refusing
to stop. Or you're so scared of the loss that
you turn away from him every time he starts taking
you into the deeper water. And you're not allowing
yourself to really walk out by faith. There is
no testing or trial or tribulation that you are
facing right now that is not known to man. And
that is biblical as well. Someone out here has
been through it. You're not alone. Jesus faced
temptations. And he is here to help us to flee
temptation, to resist, and to trust in him. And
I pray, y 'all. But this episode has been encouraging
for you. And I ask you to like and subscribe
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Share this episode with someone that you feel
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a comment on the episode. You can do that too.
I see when you guys are interacting, and I love
it. And I will talk to you guys next time. Bye,
guys.