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Crushing Strongholds #034 When the Enemy wants to take you OUT! · One Voice Many Conversations

0:04
SPEAKER_01: Hello everyone.
0:06
SPEAKER_01: Welcome back, family.
0:08
SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to another episode of Crushing Strongholds, where we expose the work of the enemy and walk boldly in the freedom Jesus died for.
0:17
SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Mickey, and today's episode, well, this one is personal and it's prophetic.
0:26
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever just had a week of constant distraction?
0:33
SPEAKER_01: And no matter which way you turned, um, things just didn't go the way you wanted.
0:40
SPEAKER_01: Well, this week, right in the middle of planning and creating and moving forward, my back went out.
0:47
SPEAKER_01: The pain was real.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: It was so bad.
0:51
SPEAKER_01: The frustration, the frustration was real and intensity.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: And I heard in my spirit say, the enemy is just trying to take you out.
1:05
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever heard that?
1:07
SPEAKER_01: Where you're just pressing in and pressing in, and the enemy says, I'm gonna take you out.
1:13
SPEAKER_01: But you know what the Bible says in Isaiah 59, 19?
1:18
SPEAKER_01: It says, When the enemy shall come like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
1:28
SPEAKER_01: A standard.
1:29
SPEAKER_01: So God puts even a standard on the enemy when he tries to come at you.
1:35
SPEAKER_01: Did you know that?
1:36
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that crazy?
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Do we ever think about it like that, though?
1:39
SPEAKER_01: Like when my back went out, and I was like, oh, and I was in so much pain.
1:45
SPEAKER_01: But it's crazy because you know, you get to my age, all you have to do is sneeze and your back goes out, or you know, pick over and or bend over and pick up something off the floor and your back goes out, or you just turn, or you get in your vehicle, bam, your back goes out.
2:01
SPEAKER_01: I was literally um adjusting my wash machine because it hadn't it didn't spin out all the way because it became unbalanced.
2:11
SPEAKER_01: And I reached in my wash machine and I was pulling up the blankets because they're wet, and man, my back just went.
2:16
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I thought I was gonna fall in the wash machine.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: I was in so much pain.
2:20
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, oh my gosh, but I continued what I was doing, and then I thought to myself, how am I gonna walk upstairs?
2:28
SPEAKER_01: Because my my laundry room is downstairs, and my back was hurting so bad, and I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe how bad my back at back is out.
2:36
SPEAKER_01: And not only was it just my back, but it affected me hip and my leg.
2:41
SPEAKER_01: So obviously it was it was affecting my sciatic nerve.
2:45
SPEAKER_01: So here I am, frustrated, thinking to myself, oh my gosh, this cannot be happening.
2:51
SPEAKER_01: I have so much to do today.
2:53
SPEAKER_01: This can't be happening.
2:56
SPEAKER_01: Well, it did.
2:57
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
2:58
SPEAKER_01: So today we're gonna talk about what standard God has for even the enemy when he tries to take us out.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: Because that's in fact what I really felt was like was happening.
3:16
SPEAKER_01: I really feel like that was it for me because I am a go-getter, if you know me at all.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm a go-go go kind of person.
3:26
SPEAKER_01: And um sometimes I pile my plate too high, as I've mentioned in my previous class.
3:33
SPEAKER_01: But um I like to stay busy, I like to stay focused, and I like the gears to stay to be turning.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: I don't really like to, and God knows Jesus, and the enemy knows this.
3:58
SPEAKER_01: So that's where God puts us to intervene and try to take us out.
4:05
SPEAKER_01: Now we decide what to do with it, okay.
4:09
SPEAKER_01: So we think about how God lifts you up, even when your body and your mind and your emotions feel really weak.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: So that's what the lesson is today.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: This lesson is called When the Enemy Wants to Take You Out.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: The enemy attacks your movement, your vision, your momentum.
4:27
SPEAKER_01: What are you gonna do with it?
4:29
SPEAKER_01: What are you gonna do with it?
4:30
SPEAKER_01: The enemy rarely attacks you when you are idle, when you're being still and you're not doing nothing.
4:39
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes he doesn't attack you.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: He attacks you when you are moving towards your God-given purpose.
4:47
SPEAKER_01: Because the enemy doesn't want you to get to that next level where God's taking you.
4:53
SPEAKER_01: And it's funny when I'm coaching, I teach uh my clients that hey, it's it's important to um up.
5:05
SPEAKER_01: Let's take it up a notch, let's go a step further from what we're doing so that we can just get over the threshold of staying stuck and getting pulled back into the old momentum.
5:20
SPEAKER_01: So the enemy, like the enemy literally, when he he attacks you um and you're moving forward.
5:29
SPEAKER_01: What does Jesus say?
5:30
SPEAKER_01: Jesus told us exactly who the enemy actually is.
5:34
SPEAKER_01: So let's look at John 10 10.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: And if you have your Bibles today, get them out and get them in your hand, and let's read the Word of God.
5:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, I have already shared Isaiah, but now we're gonna jump into John 10 10, and I'm reading from the King James Version today.
5:51
SPEAKER_01: And today, um, or in this scripture, this chapter, this verse, it says, The the thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.
6:08
SPEAKER_01: What is he stealing from you?
6:11
SPEAKER_01: He comes to steal your momentum, he comes to kill your motivation, and he comes to destroy your assignment.
6:20
SPEAKER_01: When we're born, God gave us a purpose.
6:24
SPEAKER_01: He just didn't allow us to be created and plop us here on earth and be like, well, there you go.
6:32
SPEAKER_01: He gave us a purpose, and the enemy knows it, the enemy hates it, the enemy wants to destroy anyone that is trying to live up to God's purpose.
6:43
SPEAKER_01: So when my back went out, I knew it wasn't just physical, it was strategic, literally strategic.
6:54
SPEAKER_01: But the word reminds us, let's look at um 1 Peter 5.8.
6:58
SPEAKER_01: The word reminds us, um, in 1 Peter, King James Version still says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
7:21
SPEAKER_01: The enemy seeks to devour you.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: Okay, he doesn't have the authority to, but he can seek you out, but he can't take unless you stop standing.
7:38
SPEAKER_01: So what's the second part of this?
7:43
SPEAKER_01: The second part of this is man, I was in a lot of pain.
7:45
SPEAKER_01: My back was hurting so bad.
7:48
SPEAKER_01: It was, you know, it was like, oh, and it was just sharp, and it was just oh.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: So pain is a signal, not a stop sign.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay, it's a signal.
8:02
SPEAKER_01: Some of you think pain means God is finished with you, but often pain is a sign that God is stretching you.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: You ever feel like that?
8:15
SPEAKER_01: Where you're just kind of being stretched a little bit, where you're just pulling and tugging a little bit more.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: Okay, see, Paul dealt with pain too.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: In 2 Corinthians, we're gonna talk about that.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: 2 Corinthians, let's go there.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: 2 Corinthians 12, 9 in the King James Version.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: God told Paul, this is what he said, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
8:45
SPEAKER_01: Wow, that's crazy.
8:49
SPEAKER_01: My grace is sufficient, right?
8:52
SPEAKER_01: Everything God gives us is enough.
8:57
SPEAKER_01: But sometimes in our weakness we need to have faith and rely on God so that he can strengthen us.
9:05
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
9:07
SPEAKER_01: Your weakness is not a liability, it's a setup for God to show off his strength.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: That's what God likes to do.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: Kind of a jealous God, kind of a kind of a I am God, God.
9:22
SPEAKER_01: So he likes to show off his strength.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: He wants to show you that he's there for you.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: If he wants us to rely on him and have faith in him, what is he gonna give us in return?
9:31
SPEAKER_01: He's going to show us his strength, especially when we are weak.
9:37
SPEAKER_01: So pain is a signal.
9:40
SPEAKER_01: When that sharp pain hit me, I was like, oh, and it put stopped me right in, you know, like a like a stop sign signal, stopped me in my tracks.
9:50
SPEAKER_01: But it's not a stop sign, it's just a signal.
9:54
SPEAKER_01: That's it.
9:55
SPEAKER_01: It's to catch your attention, it's not to stop you.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: It may want to slow you down because that gives God an opportunity to start stretching you, taking you to the next level.
10:07
SPEAKER_01: I hope that makes sense.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
10:14
SPEAKER_01: When we think about it, I mean, honestly, when you think about it, do you ever wonder um why God sucks?
10:28
SPEAKER_01: The third part of this is the pause is not a punishment, sometimes it's a protection.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: When my body slowed down, I actually lean on God in a deeper way.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: I spent a lot of time with God over the last few days with my back being out because I couldn't do anything else.
10:57
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't do laundry.
10:58
SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's gonna get backed up.
11:00
SPEAKER_01: It did get backed up, but that's okay.
11:03
SPEAKER_01: I'll catch up with it.
11:05
SPEAKER_01: I didn't cook.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: My daughter cooked for me.
11:09
SPEAKER_01: I didn't do chores.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, I did a little bit, but only what I could do without being in horrible pain.
11:16
SPEAKER_01: I literally sat on a heating pad for two days and ice and ibuprofen and tyanol without movement for two full days.
11:27
SPEAKER_01: The third day I finally started moving around.
11:29
SPEAKER_01: Today I'm getting a little better, um, but I'm still in a lot of pain, not as much as I have been.
11:35
SPEAKER_01: So I've got to get a podcast done.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
11:39
SPEAKER_01: Today I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna make this personal because when the devil, the enemy, he comes at you and he attacks you, it's personal.
11:49
SPEAKER_01: It is a personal attack.
11:51
SPEAKER_01: He's trying to take you out, okay?
11:54
SPEAKER_01: But even though you got that wrench, that kink in your back, that pain, this is when God gets to um work on us as we lean on him.
12:10
SPEAKER_01: Because the pause, like I said, is not a punishment, it's a type of protection.
12:14
SPEAKER_01: Have you ever heard the story um about the lady who wakes up late, her alarm doesn't go off.
12:22
SPEAKER_01: Then she can't find her keys, then she locks her keys in her car, then she gets in the car, she spoils her coffee.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Like nothing is going right the entire morning, okay?
12:32
SPEAKER_01: She's an hour and a half late for work, she's hitting all this traffic.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's just frustrating for her.
12:39
SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh, what a nightmare, right?
12:41
SPEAKER_01: You think, oh man, this is a nightmare.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: I'm late for work.
12:44
SPEAKER_01: I've had such a crazy, crazy awful morning.
12:48
SPEAKER_01: And you get to work and you hear talking around the office.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: And she was like, hey, well, what's going on?
12:55
SPEAKER_01: I know I'm like, what did I miss?
12:57
SPEAKER_01: And like, did you hear about that really bad accident?
13:01
SPEAKER_01: Had she left on time, she'd have been in that accident.
13:06
SPEAKER_01: God protected her.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: As annoying as it was.
13:21
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes we have to think about that situation.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: Like, what is it God is protecting us from that He's allowing this over here to take place in our life?
13:31
SPEAKER_01: And we need to think like that.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: Because if we start changing our mindset to where we're thinking about what God wants us to do or not to do, instead of constantly just go, go, go, go, go, go, go, because we are so programmed, we're so robotic, we're so routined, we're so um very ritualistic when we when we set out our schedules, we want to follow it to the to the A, to the B, to the C, to the D, all the way from start to finish of the day.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: And I mean, at least for myself.
14:08
SPEAKER_01: That's how I am.
14:10
SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, that way when you get to the end of your day, you feel like you're accomplished and you've you've succeeded, and you're, you know, but when you wake up and you have a bad day and something happens, like my morning was just beginning, and I went down um got you know, to start some laundry, and boom, back was out.
14:34
SPEAKER_01: I was like, man, my back is out, you know.
14:37
SPEAKER_01: This is bad.
14:38
SPEAKER_01: This is not a good thing.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, do I need to go to the chiropractor?
14:41
SPEAKER_01: Am I gonna have to go to the doctor?
14:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, that's still to be determined at the moment.
14:47
SPEAKER_01: I did put a call into my doctor, and because it's a holiday week, um, following from last week, he took some time off and he's not in the office this week like he normally is.
14:59
SPEAKER_01: So he's booked and cannot even think about seeing me until next week.
15:05
SPEAKER_01: So I was like, do I just suck it up and stick it out and just keep on taking ibuprofen and telanol and icing and heating and just relaxing.
15:16
SPEAKER_01: But I know me.
15:18
SPEAKER_01: As soon as I start to feel an intsy bitsy teeny weeny bit better, I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna start trying to catch up all the things I got behind on because that's my naturalistic um way of living.
15:31
SPEAKER_01: That's how I normally just um thrive every day.
15:35
SPEAKER_01: But I know I have to be careful because I don't want to go backwards to where I first hurt my back and I could barely walk up the stairs or move, and I had to, I had to lay down and I had to rest and just like, and I hate to just stay in bed all day.
15:50
SPEAKER_01: It's very rare that I spend a day in bed or on the couch.
15:55
SPEAKER_01: I didn't make myself get off my bed and go lay on the couch because I was already sick of being in my bed.
16:00
SPEAKER_01: I had to go back and forth because I was so annoyed with having to not be able to do anything.
16:07
SPEAKER_01: So I was like, God, what you know, what is it that you're showing me?
16:10
SPEAKER_01: And he was literally showing me the you know, it's attack of the enemy, but even though, like it says in Isaiah, let's go back to Isaiah real quick.
16:18
SPEAKER_01: Let's look at that one more time.
16:20
SPEAKER_01: Even though it says in Isaiah, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
16:29
SPEAKER_01: So the Lord is literally only going to let the enemy, only let the enemy do so much.
16:40
SPEAKER_01: Because in Jeremiah 29, 11, it says his plans are perfect for us.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: So, okay, but when we're talking about the pause, whether it's we think it's a punishment, you know, like what am I being punished for?
16:56
SPEAKER_01: If God is allowing the enemy to try and take me out, what am I being punished for?
17:04
SPEAKER_01: Do you ever do ever feel like sometimes you're you're just you know being punished for something?
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, because you know that God can stop the enemy if he really wants to, but guess what?
17:16
SPEAKER_01: So can you.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
17:20
SPEAKER_01: I had to literally stop and lean on God in a deeper way.
17:26
SPEAKER_01: So let's look at Psalms 46:10 in the King James Version.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: It says, be still and know that I am God.
17:37
SPEAKER_01: Boom.
17:37
SPEAKER_01: That simple.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: Just be still and know that I am God.
17:42
SPEAKER_01: Okay, sometimes the still moments, the painful ones, the slow ones, they're God reminding you.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: You are not doing any of this in this world, in this life, on your own strength.
18:03
SPEAKER_01: God's there helping you.
18:05
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes we forget that I think that's what allows the enemy to outright attack us if we have our guard down.
18:15
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so if the enemy could have taken you out, he would have already.
18:21
SPEAKER_01: If he could have if he wanted to take me out, he could have.
18:24
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so let me speak this over you.
18:27
SPEAKER_01: You are still here because God said no to the enemy when we were weak.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: Because we're supposed to be armored up every day and we're supposed to be paying attention to the wicked wiles of the enemy, we're supposed to be watching out for the wolf in sheep's clothing, the lion, you know, that wants to devour us.
18:54
SPEAKER_01: We are supposed to be paying attention, but when we have a moment of weakness where we hurt our back, or something happens, you pull a muscle, or you wake up with a toothache, or you have a headache, or you just don't feel good, or something's something's not right.
19:08
SPEAKER_01: The enemy's coming in, attacking you.
19:11
SPEAKER_01: Okay, what are you thinking about?
19:13
SPEAKER_01: What are you thinking about?
19:14
SPEAKER_01: Are you thinking about is it God, or are you thinking about is it the enemy, or are you thinking about is it you?
19:21
SPEAKER_01: Okay, because you were taking us out already.
19:29
SPEAKER_01: So let's look at Psalms 118, 17.
19:32
SPEAKER_01: It says, I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: That's what we are supposed to be saying.
19:43
SPEAKER_01: This is what David's saying, okay, in Psalms.
19:47
SPEAKER_01: I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.
19:53
SPEAKER_01: Remember when David was in a lion's den?
19:58
SPEAKER_01: That was the enemy that put him there.
20:02
SPEAKER_01: But God was there, God gave him strength.
20:05
SPEAKER_01: God actually sealed the mouths of the lions so they couldn't devour him.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: God does that, but he'll also put you in the den.
20:14
SPEAKER_01: He'll put you in the lion's den and let you go through some stuff.
20:18
SPEAKER_01: Let you go through some things that you don't want to go through.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: And David declares this is what he declares, I shall not die.
20:29
SPEAKER_01: So even though I hurt my back, I knew I wasn't dying, but I knew I was in pretty bad shape.
20:33
SPEAKER_01: I was in bad pain.
20:35
SPEAKER_01: I had the choice to live.
20:36
SPEAKER_01: You know, I had the choice to make to how am I gonna handle the situation.
20:41
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
20:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm not a big boo-hooer when it comes to pain.
20:45
SPEAKER_01: I actually have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and I usually can work through quite a bit of pain.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: But when you literally can't move because your back is locked up and you're afraid you're gonna fall on your face, and every little shift of your body sends horrible pain, you know, down your hip and down your leg, and and and you're just like, oh, you're just stuck because that pain is so bad.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes that's God telling you, you're gonna be okay, you're not gonna die, you're gonna live.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: Declare that.
21:17
SPEAKER_01: You're not gonna stay in this position forever, you're gonna get better.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: Same, same thing, right?
21:22
SPEAKER_01: This is God saying the same thing.
21:24
SPEAKER_01: You're you're you're not gonna be stuck here forever.
21:26
SPEAKER_01: You will get better.
21:28
SPEAKER_01: Now declare it.
21:30
SPEAKER_01: Declare the works of the Lord, declare the standard that he's gonna put on the enemy, that the enemy has put on you, that is not gonna allow it to go.
21:40
SPEAKER_01: If that makes any sense.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: So, how how do we press through the pain though?
21:46
SPEAKER_01: When we're in the midst of the pain and the warfare, how do we press through it?
21:52
SPEAKER_01: Every time you show up hurting, every time you pray through through tears.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Every time you choose obedience during an attack, you are engaging in spiritual warfare.
22:10
SPEAKER_01: The Bible tells us in James, let's go there.
22:13
SPEAKER_01: James 4, 7.
22:15
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
22:16
SPEAKER_01: Submit yourselves, therefore, to God.
22:20
SPEAKER_01: Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: Let's say that again.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
22:31
SPEAKER_01: Now, in that moment when my back went out and I was in horrible pain, I could have done a lot of different things.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: A lot of different things.
22:42
SPEAKER_01: But I chose to take that time to rest and listen to worship.
22:49
SPEAKER_01: I lit a candle.
22:51
SPEAKER_01: I got my Bible out.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: I prayed.
22:54
SPEAKER_01: And I worked on a scripture.
22:58
SPEAKER_01: Matter of fact, the scripture I'm sharing with you today is the scripture that God gave me while I was in the midst of my pain.
23:05
SPEAKER_01: All of these scriptures I'm sharing with you today are the scriptures that God has given me.
23:09
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: So it says resist the devil and he will flee.
23:13
SPEAKER_01: He will flee from you.
23:16
SPEAKER_01: Resist, resistance is pressing through.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: Resistance is warfare.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: Resistance is saying, devil, you don't get my day.
23:33
SPEAKER_01: You don't get my purpose, and you don't get my assignment.
23:38
SPEAKER_01: You don't get it.
23:39
SPEAKER_01: It's mine.
23:41
SPEAKER_01: And I'm declaring that now.
23:44
SPEAKER_01: So I took my day and I spent it with God.
23:49
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I could have been doing laundry.
23:51
SPEAKER_01: Yes, I could have been prepping for food.
23:53
SPEAKER_01: I had already cooked, you know, for Thanksgiving, and and I had my daughter here, and she had just left a couple days before I hurt my back.
24:02
SPEAKER_01: And and so we had a lot going on.
24:04
SPEAKER_01: I was pretty kind of wiped out.
24:06
SPEAKER_01: I think God knew it.
24:07
SPEAKER_01: I think God knew I needed I needed to re um refresh and digress, like slow it down a bit.
24:13
SPEAKER_01: And it's crazy because I'm almost positive that that's why God allowed this to occur.
24:21
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
24:22
SPEAKER_01: And He he kind of opened my eyes and said this.
24:24
SPEAKER_01: You know, that's why this is prophetic, because I know the Lord said, you need to take some time and rest.
24:30
SPEAKER_01: You're doing too much.
24:32
SPEAKER_01: And I had my plate full.
24:33
SPEAKER_01: I was ready to get right in there and just keep on trucking.
24:37
SPEAKER_01: Well, sometimes when you run out of gas, you have to refuel.
24:41
SPEAKER_01: You have to hit the gas station, you have to go park in the truck stop, and you have to just rest.
24:47
SPEAKER_01: The truckers, they're only allowed to drive for so many hours, right?
24:52
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's how we are.
24:53
SPEAKER_01: We we should only be able to operate for so many hours, but sometimes we don't.
24:57
SPEAKER_01: All we see is all of the things that are ahead of us that we have to get done, need to get accomplished, and that's where it's important that we remember we need to refuel, we need our batteries to get recharged.
25:11
SPEAKER_01: We need to plug in, okay?
25:13
SPEAKER_01: So the good thing is, is we don't have to fight pain alone.
25:18
SPEAKER_01: And that's what I loved about this time is that I got to spend some really good time with God.
25:25
SPEAKER_01: I laid in my bed and I just I read scripture, and you know, God shared some stuff with me, and I was like, man, I'm I feel like the enemy is just after me, God.
25:37
SPEAKER_01: He's after me.
25:40
SPEAKER_01: See, God never intended for you to fight spiritual and emotional battles in isolation.
25:47
SPEAKER_01: When you go in your room and you go in your bed and you close the door and lock yourself, and you just stay in bed for a whole day.
25:53
SPEAKER_01: That's isolation.
25:55
SPEAKER_01: I was isolating myself, but I didn't isolate myself alone.
26:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
26:01
SPEAKER_01: In Galatians 6, 2, it says, bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
26:10
SPEAKER_01: When we think about this, when I'm down like that, I don't want to burden anyone else.
26:17
SPEAKER_01: I don't want anyone to take care of me.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: I don't want anybody to come and pick up after me.
26:21
SPEAKER_01: I don't want anybody to do the stuff that I need to be getting done.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: But sometimes you have to allow people to help you.
26:27
SPEAKER_01: You just need to get over that stubborn pride and let people help you because I'm really bad at that.
26:33
SPEAKER_01: I'm super bad at letting people help me.
26:35
SPEAKER_01: So I finally told my daughter, my oldest daughter, that lives with me, I said, ma'am, my my back is really out.
26:44
SPEAKER_01: It's hurting.
26:44
SPEAKER_01: And and I waited almost a whole day to tell her.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: And she was like, okay.
26:49
SPEAKER_01: So like she literally got up and took care of everything.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: Like she took care of dinner, she helped take care of my grandma, she helped take care of my daughter, her sister, um, her kids, um, everything.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: I didn't, I didn't have to do anything.
27:02
SPEAKER_01: I just stayed in bed.
27:04
SPEAKER_01: I got up and I ate and I went back to bed.
27:08
SPEAKER_01: That was it.
27:09
SPEAKER_01: It was it was wonderful.
27:11
SPEAKER_01: And she's like, oh, I'm already dead.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: Oh, already got it taken care of.
27:14
SPEAKER_01: And and I didn't want her to feel like I was trying to dump more on her plate, but she could tell I was in a lot of pain.
27:21
SPEAKER_01: And that's when you know you have people around you in your circle that care and love about you.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: Because when it really comes down to it, are they gonna be there?
27:29
SPEAKER_01: Are they gonna bear your burdens?
27:31
SPEAKER_01: Also, Christ beared my burden.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: Like when he went to the cross, he bared all of my burdens, all of my sin.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: But during that time of refreshing that I got to spend with God, he was bearing that burden of me feeling so attacked by the enemy.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: I was like, I like I talked about earlier, I felt like I was being punished.
27:52
SPEAKER_01: Like, what have I done?
27:56
SPEAKER_01: And God was saying, You've done too much.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: You need to slow down.
27:59
SPEAKER_01: You need to, you need to take some time for yourself.
28:05
SPEAKER_01: You need to just whoop slow it down.
28:08
SPEAKER_01: And so this is God talking to me, you know, through his word.
28:12
SPEAKER_01: And he's letting me know he's helping me also, he's also bearing my burden because that's what Christ did.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: Christ came to bear one another's burdens, he burnt beared all of our burdens, all of them.
28:24
SPEAKER_01: So, so when you need some support, like if you need support or you need community, um, or like when we need wise counsel, we don't have to be the warriors all on our own.
28:38
SPEAKER_01: It's okay to reach out and ask for help.
28:42
SPEAKER_01: Okay, seriously, my turning, my turning point moment was um when I was hurting, I was uncomfortable, I was frustrated.
28:56
SPEAKER_01: And the enemy, you know what the enemy does?
28:58
SPEAKER_01: This is what he does.
28:59
SPEAKER_01: He whispers in your ear, he's like, so stop, quit, go ahead and take a break.
29:04
SPEAKER_01: Skip the whole week.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: But the Holy Spirit reminded me, he reminded me in Philippians um 4 13.
29:12
SPEAKER_01: I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me.
29:19
SPEAKER_01: So even though I was down for a couple of days, he didn't get to take my whole week.
29:25
SPEAKER_01: Even though my back is still flared up right now, and I'm still I'm still taking precautions and I'm being careful and I'm not jumping right back in full force, I'm not allowing the enemy to win.
29:40
SPEAKER_01: Because I can do all things through Christ.
29:42
SPEAKER_01: He will strengthen me, I will declare that.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
29:48
SPEAKER_01: It's not my strength, not my willpower.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: It's Christ strengthening me.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: And that's that's why I'm here today.
29:59
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that is literally why I'm here right now talking to you and sharing this personal testimony of a stronghold that I've been struggling with all week because I don't like to be, I don't like to be held back.
30:16
SPEAKER_01: I want to keep pressing forward, I want to keep on moving.
30:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, there's there's people that I had plans with this week that I had to reschedule, and I'm not, I don't like to do that.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: I don't like to cancel or reschedule.
30:28
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
30:29
SPEAKER_01: I don't like to do that.
30:32
SPEAKER_01: But that's why I'm here today.
30:34
SPEAKER_01: And not because my back feels great.
30:37
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't.
30:38
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't feel great.
30:40
SPEAKER_01: All right.
30:41
SPEAKER_01: But because God, God's strength shows up when mine is depleted, when it runs out, when it's when it's just gone, okay.
30:52
SPEAKER_01: So I I want to share just some.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: I I just want to share some encouragement with you, if if if we will, okay.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: Are you in pain?
31:06
SPEAKER_01: You you may be in pain.
31:08
SPEAKER_01: It may not even be a physical pain, it may be a spiritual pain, it may be a personal, like in your heart pain, in your mind.
31:17
SPEAKER_01: It could be it could be physical.
31:19
SPEAKER_01: Do you feel delayed?
31:20
SPEAKER_01: Do you ever feel delayed?
31:23
SPEAKER_01: Do you ever feel like you're under attack?
31:28
SPEAKER_01: But this is not the end, it's the stretching before the breakthrough.
31:35
SPEAKER_01: God is going to stretch us, he is going to stretch us, and we need it.
31:41
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes we need it, okay?
31:43
SPEAKER_01: The Bible promises, let's look at Romans 8 37.
31:47
SPEAKER_01: In Romans 8.37 says, Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
32:00
SPEAKER_01: Not just conquerors, it doesn't say just, you're just a conqueror.
32:06
SPEAKER_01: It says more, more than conquerors.
32:12
SPEAKER_01: See, it doesn't say, oh, you're just a conqueror.
32:15
SPEAKER_01: No, it says you're more than a conqueror through him that loved us.
32:20
SPEAKER_01: That's huge.
32:23
SPEAKER_01: You're not pressing in the law.
32:25
SPEAKER_01: God is literally pressing in with you.
32:30
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
32:31
SPEAKER_01: So I'm hoping that today's message has strengthened you.
32:38
SPEAKER_01: And I hope that you share it with someone who needs it, someone maybe who just needs encouragement, just someone that needs a boost, someone that needs uplifted.
32:47
SPEAKER_01: I want them to know they're not alone.
32:50
SPEAKER_01: You can walk through through the struggles because you're gonna have them.
32:56
SPEAKER_01: God didn't say we wouldn't have trials and tribulations, He said we would have trials and tribulations.
33:00
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
33:02
SPEAKER_01: If you know anybody or even yourself that feels like the enemy has just been hitting you from every angle, and trust me, my friends, when I tell you this, oh my gosh.
33:16
SPEAKER_01: I've had my back go out before.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: I've had back surgery.
33:19
SPEAKER_01: So I I was out for a year once before they finally did the surgery.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: It took them a year to figure out what was actually wrong with my back.
33:28
SPEAKER_01: And every now and then it'll flare up.
33:30
SPEAKER_01: But it's been a really long time since it's it's really flared up like it has it has this week.
33:36
SPEAKER_01: It reminded me, it took me back to when I had my back surgery for that whole entire year where I had so much pain in my legs, in my hip, in my back.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't sit left, I couldn't sit right, I lay down this way, lay down that way.
33:54
SPEAKER_01: There was no comfortable position.
33:57
SPEAKER_01: I was going to physical therapy three times a week.
34:00
SPEAKER_01: They were trying to stretch me so that I could get comfortable.
34:04
SPEAKER_01: Turns out that was a bad idea because I actually needed surgery, and they the guy in physical therapy could have actually paralyzed me because they didn't start off with taking the MRI first.
34:17
SPEAKER_01: They just got an X-ray and they said, Oh, your back's inflamed, go to physical therapy.
34:21
SPEAKER_01: Well, I actually had my sciatic nerve was actually pinched in between two of my vertebrae, stuck and being pinched in there.
34:30
SPEAKER_01: And um had I kept going, um it could have paralyzed me.
34:37
SPEAKER_01: So I'm thankful, I'm thankful that I had the pain because I'd have rather had the pain than to be paralyzed.
34:48
SPEAKER_01: But this week reminded me of just how bad that pain was.
34:53
SPEAKER_01: And then I had the surgery and I finally started getting some relief.
34:56
SPEAKER_01: And the surgery was no fun, but it was really no fun.
35:01
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't move very well, but I got through it.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: So if you are, if this is you, if this is you feeling like the enemy is literally literally coming at you from every direction, every angle, no matter which way you turn, left, right, forwards or backwards, he's just constantly uh frustrating.
35:24
SPEAKER_01: I want to ask you a question.
35:27
SPEAKER_01: I want to ask you, are you seeking out help or are you trying to do it by yourself?
35:33
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
35:34
SPEAKER_01: Because for myself, as a as a counseling coach, um this last week, I had to reach out and get some help.
35:47
SPEAKER_01: I I needed some encouragement.
35:49
SPEAKER_01: I needed um, well, I've got to spend time with God, but I reached out to a couple of people um that I knew I could trust and talk to and tell them my situation.
36:04
SPEAKER_01: And I love, I love their concern for me because everything was like, well, are you doing this or are you doing that or are you doing this?
36:10
SPEAKER_01: And I said, I'm taking care of myself, but I'm just frustrated, you know, because I know the enemy is trying to take me out and I have so much to do.
36:16
SPEAKER_01: And they're like, tomorrow we'll be here tomorrow.
36:19
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to worry about it today.
36:21
SPEAKER_01: And we are not supposed to but worry about things.
36:24
SPEAKER_01: But had I not made that call, and and one of the calls was was, you know, to I reached out to um my coach, my counseling coach, and he said, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna be praying for you because I I didn't know you were down.
36:42
SPEAKER_01: But thank you for calling me and sharing this with me because now I know how to pray for you.
36:47
SPEAKER_01: I know what I need to do for you.
36:49
SPEAKER_01: I know what exactly I need to go to God in prayer for.
36:53
SPEAKER_01: And um it was a reminder that we have people out there praying for us and helping us and coaching us and getting us through.
37:03
SPEAKER_01: And I was really excited, and so I can't wait to, you know, I have another coaching session session with him again coming up here in a couple of days.
37:11
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait.
37:12
SPEAKER_01: I'm excited actually, I'm thrilled because having him as my coach helps me when I feel weak.
37:21
SPEAKER_01: He reminds me one that I'm also not alone, he's he's bearing one of my burdens because he's praying for me.
37:30
SPEAKER_01: He loves me, he cares about me, he's praying for me.
37:33
SPEAKER_01: Somebody that prays for you loves you.
37:38
SPEAKER_01: Know that because God is love, and if they're just willing to pray for you, they love you, they care about you.
37:50
SPEAKER_01: Okay, so knowing that he's gonna pray for me and praying for the for me to get rest and strength and my motivation back, I told him I lost my, I lost my mojo.
38:05
SPEAKER_01: I lost my mojo this week, and I was like really kind of bummed and and and I don't like to be poor me, woo-hoo, woo, sad, sad, poor me, but I I I did, I lost my mojo.
38:16
SPEAKER_01: And um spending time with God and reaching out to coaching really helped me.
38:22
SPEAKER_01: So before I close, I want to say this, and I want to speak directly to you.
38:26
SPEAKER_01: I want to speak to the one that's hurting emotionally, the one that's hurting spiritually or even physically.
38:34
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to keep carrying this alone.
38:37
SPEAKER_01: The Bible literally says, let's look at Proverbs 14, 11.
38:42
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says, in the multitude of counselors, there is safety.
38:50
SPEAKER_01: So seeking out help and getting coaching and getting counseling, that's a safe place to take your problems to.
38:59
SPEAKER_01: That's a safe place to go and get help.
39:02
SPEAKER_01: Okay, having a support is not weakness, it is a protection, and it's a protection that God encourages.
39:13
SPEAKER_01: Okay, He encourages it in Proverbs 11:14.
39:18
SPEAKER_01: In the multitude of counselors, there is safety.
39:22
SPEAKER_01: I have more than one coach, I have a few, and trust me, I need them.
39:29
SPEAKER_01: They help me.
39:31
SPEAKER_01: And because they help me, you know, go through what all the stuff I've gone through, it's it's really helped me to help other people.
39:38
SPEAKER_01: It's kind of like a pay it forward motion.
39:41
SPEAKER_01: You want to pay things forward, okay?
39:43
SPEAKER_01: So if you feel stuck in cycles or overwhelmed or broken or just battling the strongholds, I want to personally invite you to crushing, to crushing strongholds counseling and coaching, coaching sessions with me.
40:03
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
40:04
SPEAKER_01: I'm here to walk with you, to fight with you, to help you find your freedom through biblical principle, practical tools, and the power of God.
40:15
SPEAKER_01: And here's the kicker.
40:16
SPEAKER_01: And I share this every time I talk about my counseling and my coaching sessions.
40:21
SPEAKER_01: God made you an individual, he made you unique, he created his image the way that he wanted you.
40:31
SPEAKER_01: So when I do coaching one-on-one, I specifically do my coaching sessions around you, you specifically.
40:43
SPEAKER_01: It's not a cookie cutter program, it's not a formatted program where I just grab the workbook and give you the workbook, and here you go.
40:52
SPEAKER_01: Here's your workbook.
40:54
SPEAKER_01: Let's get started.
40:55
SPEAKER_01: No, first, I work with you one-on-one.
41:00
SPEAKER_01: And what we do is we get down to the root.
41:05
SPEAKER_01: We get down to the root of what is going on.
41:08
SPEAKER_01: What root stronghold are you so rooted in?
41:14
SPEAKER_01: What is it?
41:15
SPEAKER_01: We need to crush it.
41:17
SPEAKER_01: We need to get to that root and we need to figure it out.
41:20
SPEAKER_01: Because here's the thing: you can mow your lawn all day long, even spray a little chemical on your roots, on your weeds, and all of this.
41:28
SPEAKER_01: Those aren't gonna go away.
41:30
SPEAKER_01: Those strangling weeds that come in your yard and the things in your life that strangle you and take over you and become your strongholds that you're battling, they don't go away by cleaning up the surface.
41:44
SPEAKER_01: Like if I go take a shower, my strongholds are still here.
41:48
SPEAKER_01: We have to get down to the root of the problem.
41:51
SPEAKER_01: And in doing that, I design a program that I walk you through.
41:57
SPEAKER_01: It's a 90-day program.
41:58
SPEAKER_01: We meet once a week on Zoom.
42:01
SPEAKER_01: I give you the tools that you need, the scripture that you need, um, and all the affirmations, the encouragement you need.
42:13
SPEAKER_01: And the good thing is, is I want to be a person that helps you, helps bear your burdens.
42:22
SPEAKER_01: That's let me say it like that.
42:24
SPEAKER_01: I want to be here to help bear your burden.
42:26
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
42:27
SPEAKER_01: So if that's you, please reach out to me.
42:29
SPEAKER_01: Please reach out to me.
42:30
SPEAKER_01: Because I'm telling you, after this last week, I had such a hectic week, but I knew that I could get help.
42:40
SPEAKER_01: I knew that if I just reached out, it would be available.
42:44
SPEAKER_01: Because in the multitude of counseling, there is safety, and that's what the Bible says to do.
42:51
SPEAKER_01: We're actually instructed.
42:54
SPEAKER_01: Proverbs is a really huge book on instruction.
42:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, it guides us, it gives us a lot of a lot of wisdom.
43:01
SPEAKER_01: If you want to gain some knowledge and wisdom, read the whole book of Proverbs.
43:04
SPEAKER_01: But it's literally instructing you to go seek out coaching and counseling, to go get it, go get the help you need.
43:12
SPEAKER_01: Do not stay stuck in your cycle, do not stay overwhelmed, do not stay broken, and do not try to battle your strongholds all by yourself.
43:24
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I'm experienced, I'm educated, and I am willing.
43:32
SPEAKER_01: I am willing and able to bear your burdens with you.
43:36
SPEAKER_01: So please reach out to me.
43:38
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I want you to find the freedom.
43:41
SPEAKER_01: I want you to find your freedom.
43:43
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
43:45
SPEAKER_01: So let's break whatever's been breaking you.
43:49
SPEAKER_01: Let's build what God is calling you into.
43:52
SPEAKER_01: Let's walk in freedom together.
43:56
SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's do that, okay?
43:58
SPEAKER_01: So, anyhow, in closing today, I just want to thank you so much for just listening and being here.
44:04
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for another great episode of Crushing Strongholds.
44:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, I love you.
44:09
SPEAKER_01: I'm praying for you.
44:11
SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
44:13
SPEAKER_01: I will see you guys all next episode because I'm gonna go and um and give my back a treatment and um spend some time with God.
44:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, go sign up for coaching session today, get some help.
44:34
SPEAKER_01: I am readily available to help you break break through and crush the strongholds that are keeping you.
44:42
SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it's just a physical one or an emotional one or a spiritual one, or all three.
44:49
SPEAKER_01: It could be sometimes your physical, your physical being will struggle because you have a spiritual or a um even a psychological stronghold that's holding you.
45:03
SPEAKER_01: It can cause you to have end up with a physical stronghold because it's really pressing you.
45:10
SPEAKER_01: Say stuck.
45:11
SPEAKER_01: Let's walk in freedom.
45:13
SPEAKER_01: So, anyway, you all take care, have a great day, and God bless y'all.