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Transcript

Coyotes & Turkeys · Wilder Whispers Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hey friend, welcome to Wilder Whispers, a space where we slow down and listen for God's voice in the ordinary moments of life.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Shay Wooden, and I'm so glad you're here.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: We often expect God to speak through big moments, a sermon, a breakthrough, a perfectly quiet prayer time, and he does.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: But so often, he chooses quieter ways, in the middle of everyday life, in the unnoticed moments, in gentle whispers that invite us closer.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Each episode, I'll share one simple story and the quiet truth God revealed through it.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Not because it was extraordinary, but because he was present.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: So wherever you are right now, take a breath, let's slow down and listen together.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: We tend to evaluate our circumstances by what we can see and what we're experiencing in the moment.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: When life gets difficult, it's easy to focus on how those difficulties are affecting us.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: But what if there's more happening than we realize?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: What if God is accomplishing something through our circumstances that reaches far beyond our own lives?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Recently, while hiking at the Indiana Dune State Park, the Holy Spirit used an unexpected encounter to remind me of two important truths about the enemy we face and the God who is with us.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: I've hiked the Three Dune Challenge at the park many times over the years, although I haven't done it nearly as often in the last couple of years.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: A few weeks ago we decided to hike it again and we brought a friend who had never done the trail before.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever hiked the dunes, you know that climbing through thick sand can be quite a workout.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: And the Three Dune Challenge is no joke.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: We'd made it over the first dune and we were climbing the second.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's a pretty steep climb, and between the incline and the sand, we were definitely getting our exercise that day.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: As we were walking, I heard some rustling and a turkey gobbling nearby.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Wild turkeys are pretty common around the dunes, so I just mentioned there was a turkey somewhere close and we kept walking.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: A little farther up the trail we came around a corner and saw a coyote standing about 10 to 15 feet away from us.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now I've hiked those dunes many times and I don't remember ever seeing a coyote there before, so that was quite a surprise.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: The coyote stopped and looked at us for just a second, tucked his tail, and ran away.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: As I watched that coyote run away, the Holy Spirit immediately reminded me of something.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: That coyote had no problem stalking the turkey, but the moment he encountered us, he tucked his tail and ran.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because he knew he was disadvantaged.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: But that wasn't the only thing the Holy Spirit showed me that day.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: As we continued hiking, we talked about what had just happened.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: We realized that we had most likely saved that turkey's life.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought about the difficult climb.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: We had no idea what was happening farther up the trail.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: We were simply making our way up that hill.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: But had we not continued, that turkey might have become the coyote's breakfast.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: And the Holy Spirit reminded me, you never know when your trial may be the answer to someone else's miracle.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: In 1 Peter 5 8, Peter warns us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Notice that Peter describes the devil as a predator.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: He is looking for someone to devour.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: But in the very next verse, Peter tells us how we're to respond.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Resist him, steadfast in the faith.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: James 4 7 gives us another important instruction.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: I love the order of that verse.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: First, submit to God, then resist the devil.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: And what does Scriptures say will happen?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: He will flee from you.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: But we can't overlook that first instruction.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Our authority over the enemy isn't rooted in our own strength or ability.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: It comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Submission to God means yielding to his authority, bringing our lives into agreement with his word, and choosing obedience to him.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: And resistance means refusing to give the enemy a place in our lives.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: We resist his temptations, reject his lies, and stand firm in the truth of God's word.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Our confidence isn't in how strong we feel on any given day, it's in the one in whom we've placed our faith.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: The coyote recognized that he was at a disadvantage and he fled.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: And Scripture assures us that when we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: There's another important truth that we see throughout Scripture.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: God's presence doesn't mean we won't experience difficult circumstances.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes the things we're going through are connected to purposes far greater than we can imagine.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Think about Joseph.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph's life was anything but easy.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: His own brothers hated him.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: They stripped him of his robe, threw him into a pit, and eventually sold him into slavery.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine being betrayed by the very people who should have loved and protected you.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: But Genesis thirty nine and two tells us something remarkable.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph was a slave living in a foreign country, separated from his family, yet Scripture tells us that the Lord was with him.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: God's presence didn't mean Joseph was free from hardship, and his circumstances were about to become even more difficult.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: When Potiphar's wife repeatedly tried to seduce him, Joseph refused.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: He recognized that giving in would be a sin against God.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: He did what was right, and what happened?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: He was falsely accused and thrown into prison.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph had been betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and now imprisoned for something he hadn't done.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: But listen to Genesis thirty nine and twenty-one.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: There it is again.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord was with Joseph.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And in verse twenty-three, Scripture repeats that the Lord was with him and made whatever he did prosper.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Three times in Genesis thirty nine we're reminded that the Lord was with Joseph.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: He was with them in Potiphar's house, and he was with them in prison.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's something we need to understand.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: We sometimes associate God's favor with things going well.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: But the life of Joseph reminds us that we can be walking in obedience to God and still encounter opposition, injustice, and disappointment.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: But Joseph didn't allow his circumstances to determine his faithfulness to God.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: He continued to honor him even when life was unfair and the future was uncertain.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: While in prison, he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: He asked the cupbearer to remember him when he was restored to his position.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: But the cupbearer forgot about him.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: And Joseph remained in prison for two more years.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: He had helped someone else, yet he was still waiting for his own circumstances to change.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: We aren't told everything Joseph thought or felt during those years, but Scripture shows us that he continued serving faithfully.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually, Pharaoh had two troubling dreams that no one could interpret.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's when the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, and God gave him the interpretation of the dreams.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Egypt would experience seven years of abundance, followed by seven years of famine.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph advised Pharaoh to prepare during the years of abundance so the nation could survive the coming famine.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And Pharaoh recognized the wisdom God had given Joseph and placed him in authority over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: The young man who had been sold into slavery by his own brothers was now responsible for preparing an entire nation for a devastating famine.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: But Joseph's story doesn't end with his promotion.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Years later, when the famine spread beyond Egypt, Joseph's brothers traveled there looking for food.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: The same brothers who had thrown him into a pit and sold him into slavery were now standing before him, dependent upon him for their survival.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph recognized them, although they didn't recognize him.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually, he revealed his identity.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: And in Genesis 45 and 5, Joseph told his brothers not to be grieved or angry with themselves because they sold him into Egypt, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph understood something about his journey that he couldn't have understood while he was sitting in that pit or imprisoned in Egypt.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: God had been working toward a purpose much greater than Joseph's personal deliverance.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: His position in Egypt would preserve the lives of many people, including the very brothers who had betrayed him.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: The prey became the protector and deliverer.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph had every reason to resent his brothers.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: He had suffered because of their jealousy and cruelty, and now he held a position of authority that could have allowed him to retaliate.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: But instead, he provided for them and their families.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Years later, after their father Jacob died, Joseph's brothers became afraid that he might finally seek revenge.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to what Joseph told them in Genesis 50 twenty.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph didn't pretend that what his brothers had done was acceptable.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: He called it evil, but he also recognized that their evil intentions had not prevented God from accomplishing his good purpose.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: And notice the purpose Joseph identified to save many people alive.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't just about Joseph becoming successful.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't simply about his freedom from slavery or his release from prison.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: God had placed Joseph in a position where he could save the lives of countless people.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: The years of betrayal, slavery, false accusation and imprisonment weren't the end of his story.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: And although Joseph couldn't see what God was accomplishing through those difficult years, God had never abandoned him.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: What others intended for evil, God meant for good.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: And the good God accomplished reached far beyond Joseph himself.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Friend, I don't know what you're facing today.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe the enemy has been coming against you with fear, temptation, discouragement, or lies that have caused you to question what God has said.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Remember what the Bible tells us.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Submit yourself to God, resist the devil, stand firm in your faith.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to give the enemy authority that God hasn't given him.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe you're walking through a difficult season.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: You've been doing your best to remain faithful, but the circumstances haven't changed.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: You've prayed, you've trusted, and you've kept going, but you're tired.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: I want to remind you of something we saw in Joseph's life.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord was with him.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not just when he stood before Pharaoh, but when he was a slave and when he was sitting in prison.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: And the same God who was with Joseph has promised never to leave or forsake those who belong to him.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: When you know who's with you, you can keep going even when you feel like quitting.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: But there's something else I want you to consider.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we become so focused on what we're going through that we forget God may be accomplishing something through us.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: We want to know when the difficulty will end, when things will change, or when we'll finally see the answer to our prayers.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: But what if there's more to the story than what you can see right now?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: What if your faithfulness in this season is making a difference in someone else's life?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: You may never know how your prayers, your obedience, your encouragement, or your willingness to keep going have affected someone else.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't have to know in order to remain faithful.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to trust the one who does.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: So let me encourage you today.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Is there an area of your life where you've allowed fear or discouragement to influence your decisions?
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a lie you've been believing or a temptation you've been struggling to resist?
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Bring it before the Lord.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Submit that area of your life to Him and stand firm in the truth of His Word.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're in the middle of a difficult season, ask yourself whether you've allowed your circumstances to determine your willingness to keep going.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's something God has asked you to do, but you become discouraged because you haven't seen the results you expected.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Don't give up on what God has called you to do simply because you can't see what he's doing.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: Take the next step in obedience.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Continue to trust him.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: You may not know what lies ahead, but you know the one who is with you.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Father, thank you for reminding us that you are with us, even in the most difficult seasons of life.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Help us to live in submission to you, to recognize the enemy's schemes, and to stand firm in the truth of your work.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: For those who are weary today, I pray that you would strengthen their faith and remind them that your presence is not dependent upon their circumstances.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: When the way forward is difficult and we cannot see what lies ahead, help us to trust you and remain faithful to what you've called us to do.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: And Father, keep us from becoming so focused on our own struggles that we lose sight of the people around us.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Give us hearts that are sensitive to your leading and willing to be used for your purposes even when we don't understand what you're doing.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: In the name of Jesus we pray.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when we started climbing that second dune, we had no idea what was waiting around the corner.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: We were simply making our way up that hill.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's what faithfulness looks like.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Continuing to trust God and taking the next step, even when we can't see what's ahead.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: So today's whisper to carry with you is this: what feels like an ordinary step of obedience to you may make an extraordinary difference in someone else's life.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for spending this time with me on Wilder Whispers.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I hope today's story reminded you that God is closer than we often realize and that he's still speaking, even in the ordinary moments of life.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: Whispers are the language of closeness.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: They invite us to lean in.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: As you go about your day, whether you're working, resting, driving, or just trying to catch your breath, stay attentive.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: God is not far away.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: He's not silent, he's near, and he's speaking.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep listening.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: This is Wilder Whispers, and I'm Shay Wood.