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When You Abandon God · Jessi Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hello, hello.
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 57.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: This week's devotional is titled when you Abandon God, let's go.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart my journey and love for Jesus Christ, my Savior.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hot Podcast.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: This is a weekly devotional.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: Through that challenging time, god worked in ways that truly amazed me.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith, woven together with scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Let's all pray within when you Abandon God.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Key Passages Judges 10, episode 57.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the podcast.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: This week's episode is very vulnerable and, honestly, it's one I really didn't expect to share so soon, but here we are.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: So let's call it what it is when you abandon God.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: I did it again.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: I abandoned God this past week, and not for the first time.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: I've done it before, over and over again, just like Israel, sinning over and over again and asking God to deliver them over and over again.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: And I'm human, but still sometimes I look in the mirror and say, girl, get it together.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Well, anyways, this past week has been really hard.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Work has been nonstop juggling multiple programs, deadlines, meetings.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: It feels like a hamster wheel that never stops spinning, even when I'm off or on vacation.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: My work doesn't pause the programs I manage.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: They just keep going and going and going.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: And then I need to focus on home.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: I'm a mom to a toddler, my sweet, busy little girl.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: I love her.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: I'm trying to keep her on a routine to ensure she continues to progress.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Well, since she was, you know, a micro preemie and just like work, that doesn't stop either, not until bedtime, and all of it starts over again the next morning.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: So yeah, I've been overwhelmed, but then the enemy crept in and I felt it.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Satan knows exactly how to get to me and this time he came for my peace mentally, spiritually and through three of the biggest triggers for me finances, bills and misinformation.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Let me explain.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: This week I've been fighting an incorrect therapy bill for Sage.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Then, out of nowhere, we get notified that we're late on our car note, which we're not.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: The dealership added these wild fees and labeled us delinquent.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: It was a mess, something that could have hit our credit if we didn't fix it fast.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: I literally crawled in a corner, sat down and cried.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: I was tired, done.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: And then last Friday hit.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: I had a scary episode severe, severe back spasms like I've never felt before.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: I had to call for help.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: By Saturday they were pretty much gone.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: I was still in some pain, but then that's when it hit me.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: It was stress.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: I was holding on to so much, trying to figure out everything by myself, trying to carry it instead of surrendering it.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Then my husband God bless him looked at me and said Jess, he never really calls me Jess, he calls me.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: You know pet names and love names.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: So for him to say my name, he was serious.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: He said Jess, look at what we've accomplished this year.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: All of it happened because of God.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: He's going to take care of these bills.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Please don't stress, you know what.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: My husband is just so calm, the exact opposite of me.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: That's what makes us work, I think, his faith and mentality.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: It just grounds me all over again and I realized right then I was sinning, I had abandoned God.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: I was walking in fear, anxiety and pride.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: I was walking in fear, anxiety and pride, thinking I could solve it all by myself.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: But this past Tuesday morning it just something shifted and I walked into my office and I didn't just pray, I praised.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: I praised God in advance.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: I thanked him for the miracles I hadn't seen yet.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: I thanked him that the car note issue was already resolved.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: I praised him that the therapy billing issues for Sage was already taken care of.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: I praised him like it was already done.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: That moment was surrender, that moment was repentance.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: That moment was repentance, that moment was peace.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: And that brings me to Judges, chapter 10.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: It's a short chapter but it says so much.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: It opens up with two judges mentioned Tola, who led Israel for 23 years, and Jair, who led for 22 years, that's over 40 years of peace, no oppression, no chaos, just rest.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: But when they died, israel abandoned God again.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Here's what it says in Judges 10, 6-7.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: I'm reading from the NIV version.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: They served the Baals and the Ashereths, and because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Wow, they didn't just mess up.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: They walked away from the one who gave them peace, who gave them the promised land.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: And what did God do in return?
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: He abandoned them.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Finally, he let them feel the weight of their choices.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Israel cried out for 18 years, though they were oppressed, and at first God didn't respond until this, judges 10, 15 through 16, it says.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: But the Israelites said to the Lord we have sinned.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Do with us whatever you like, whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord, and God could bear Israel's misery no longer.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: You see, god saw their hearts had turned back to him.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: They didn't just cry out, they took action.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: They removed the idols and they returned to the Lord and God.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: He couldn't bear that misery any longer.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: That hit me hard because I saw myself in that I had been sinning in my worry, stressing over things I know God has already handled for me in the past.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: He's shown up time and time again, and yet I still walked away.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: But then I turned around.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: I removed my idol, which was worry.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: I laid it at his feet, just like Israel removed Baal and other false gods, and God being good, loving father that he is stepped in again.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: He blessed us, just like he blessed Israel.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: He began resolving the very issues I cried about just days earlier.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: Not everything is perfect right now, but my faith is rebuilding and God has already fixed so many things, and God is walking right beside me again.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: So I ask you this why do we abandon God when he's the only one who never abandons us?
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: Why do we walk away from the very source of our peace?
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: How do we keep the bond strong when life feels like it's just too much?
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: Let's stop leaving God behind in our stress and instead let's lean on him, especially when it gets hard, you know, because he's the alpha and omega, the only one who can truly deliver us.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: So I'll leave you with this question Are you ready to spiritually move back in with God?
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: He hasn't left you.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: Will you stop abandoning him?
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: Let's pray.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, thank you for never abandoning us, even when we abandon you.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: Thank you for being a constant presence in our chaos, our stress and even our silence.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: God forgive us for the times we let worry, fear and pride take the place of your peace, of your refuge.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Lord, we lay down every burden today, every financial concern, every unanswered question, every source of stress.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: We give it to you.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: You are our deliverer, just like you were for Israel.
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: You're the God who sees us, hears us, believes in us and still chooses to rescue us.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Help us to praise you in advance, even when outcome hasn't come yet.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Help us remember that faith isn't about what we can fix.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: It's about who we can trust.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: We love you, lord, and we praise you, and we need you always.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, we pray amen.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: Till next time, everyone, we'll be covering our next judge, god bless.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Well.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: That wraps up this week's episode.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: I hope these devotions help you draw closer to God each day.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need the same message, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: Also, if you feel compelled, leaving a nice review would be so appreciated as well.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessimorganhomecom or find me on Instagram at jessimorganlife.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: Remember God's timing is always perfect.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: Keep trusting him Until next time.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: This is Jessi Morgan praying on Jessi Morgan Devotions behind theenes.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: Starting right now.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Behind the Scenes.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: I was kind of iffy about doing a Behind the Scenes this week because I at first felt like I didn't have that much to say.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: Hopefully you guys really enjoyed this week's devotional.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Didn't have that much to say.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: Hopefully you guys really enjoyed this week's devotional, and I just wanted to come on here and just be really real.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: This has really been one of the toughest weeks in my adulthood I mean, aside from, you know, my daughter being born at 23 weeks.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: It was just mentally challenging.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: And as I sit back and I think about it, I'm disappointed in myself because I'm sitting here trying to build this platform, showcasing my faith, how amazing God has been to me and encouraging others to really believe in God, witnessing to people, getting people to believe in Jesus Christ, and I'm sitting here going through a really tough spiritual battle and like abandoning God and like basically not even like forgetting how great he's been to me.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: But you know what?
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: I wanted to be honest about it, because we're human, we're not perfect.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: I'm not perfect and it's just been really hard and I I think a new exercise for me that I do, a spiritual exercise that I do is I started to I'm going to keep going with this but I started listing like list.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: I started listing all the miracles or blessings God has done for me and the list can just keep going.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: And sometimes, when I'm just like down and out, I go back now and I look at that list of blessings and I'm just like, wow, god, you have done so much for me and it keeps going.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: Because it just keeps continuing.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: It's not like it stops unless I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: That's the only time.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: And if you see that pattern of something like seems like things aren't just going well, that might be because you've walked away from God, you've abandoned him, or you're doing some things that you know you're not supposed to be doing.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: And it keeps you in check.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: So you know, we list out on resumes all our experience, right?
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: We list out you know why we're good for this job.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Why wouldn't we list out what God's done for us?
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: And it's a way to be thankful and realize that God is continuous, you know, and it's another way to just praise him for what he's done for you in the past and to me.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: It changed my attitude, it lightens my mood.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: I got to keep doing it, constant and consistently, so I can hold myself accountable spiritually, and it also can steer me in the direction of you know what?
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: I'm going through a tough time, but God's got me, and you know what.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: Sometimes too, you got to put down the blessings that are just little, like it doesn't mean, it doesn't seem like it's a huge thing, but it could mean something so powerful later on.
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: You know, like I mean, I went through a situation where I had this, really, this really young kid.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: He's nice kid, he washes our cars, he's the nicest guy.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: He literally just knocked on my door one day and said, hey, you know, do you need somebody to wash your car?
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: And I don't know.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: I just God laid it on my spirit to say yes and he's been absolutely a blessing.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: He's just trying to get some extra money and he's been great.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: One day he was here.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: My grandfather's truck is just I mean, that thing hasn't been cleaned in 20 years.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: And he allowed this, this guy that cleans my car to clean his truck, and you know he did it for free.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: I was like okay, whatever.
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: But you know what I think to myself now.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: What a blessing, because my grandfather called me last week and said, hey, I'm getting up there in age.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: Do you know that kid that did the car?
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: He's like I just really think he did a great job and this and this, and could he come clean my car?
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: And you know what?
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: I don't think much of it, but what a blessing that was to find somebody that my grandfather trusts with his cars.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: It takes a lot for my grandfather to not do things since he's older and it was just such a blessing that I found somebody that works, that you know cleans my car, that also now cleans his car, and that's one less burden that my grandfather has to deal with, because you know he's getting over losing my grandmother and he just it just light.
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: It just brightened his day that his cars are clean.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: It just gave him an extra pep in his step.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: Like what a blessing that is.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: That's so little but that means so much, you know.
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: So just count your blessings, as people would say, but write them down so it's a visual and if the list is like miles long.
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: Great, if the list is three things, then you know what.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Maybe you're not looking at the small things as blessings, but that's just a new exercise I started doing and I encourage you to look at it like that as well.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much again for all the support.
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: We're going to continue judges.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: We have about a couple of more left and we know that we're going to be concluding this study with Samson, which is obviously a very famous judge, and actually into Samuel, which is also considered a judge as well.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: God bless, till next time.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: Remember, I have now have a new Substack platform where you could read a really nice little written devotional that goes with the podcast, with application questions and everything.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: So I encourage you to subscribe to that.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: Follow me on there.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: Really, would appreciate the support and the growth of this podcast.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: And until next time, guys.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: Jessi Morgan signing off.
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: God bless.