Latest / Mrs. PIE / From Mustard Seed to Mighty Tree: Navigating Life's Challenges with Faith and God's Guidance

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From Mustard Seed to Mighty Tree: Navigating Life's Challenges with Faith and God's Guidance · Mrs. PIE

• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Alright, so we are live and recording.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: We'll give folks a couple more minutes before we get started and I'll just run.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Y'all are just listening to soaking music to kind of get us in the right mindset, and then I'll turn it off and then come back so Nat can kick it off.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: So just enjoy the music.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: So I'm gonna turn it off and then come back so Nat can kick it off.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: So I'm gonna turn it off and then come back so Nat can kick it off.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Alright.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: So we are at 830.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: I have stopped the music, so yeah, so we'll kick it over.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: We'll hand over to Nat.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Nothing, admin.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: No, I think we're good in terms of that, and so just, we're just excited to hear what the Lord has to say through Nat.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: I am ready, my heart is wide open.
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: So with that, we're gonna turn over to you, nat, alright thank you, excuse me, spend a day, actually a couple of days, last few days.
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: But before we start anything right, we gotta invite the Lord in.
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: So we'll say our prayer, heavenly Father.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: Thank you, lord, thank you for all that.
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: You are, all that you do, all that you work on for us.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: Lord, despite of us, you love us, you keep us, you show us, day in and day out, how it is to walk with you and your son, jesus Christ, how to follow, how to abundance and love and peace that we so call for Father.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: Father, in this moment I pray that you come in and do what you will do, take over.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: If you must decrease us and increase you, father, let your word go forth and do what it must do, father, and we pray all of this in your mighty son, jesus name, amen, amen.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: So tonight I want to talk about a big word faith, just simple.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: Right, it's a big word but it's simple.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: Right, but it takes a lot to grow, even though it starts small.
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: Right, god says you only need a mustard seed to mustard, seed of faith, and he can do the rest.
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: Why?
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: Because God is our living water, that provides the water to help that seed grow.
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: They have the sun of Jesus Christ, who shines the light down on it, and then the Holy Spirit, which is the mighty wind that comes through and provides anything else that that seed needs to be able to grow continuously.
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: Right, but what do we have to do in order for that to happen?
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: Right, it's not just the simple of the sun shining on us.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: Water, we have to allow that in and we have to get ourselves in a place of where we can do that.
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: We can.
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: We have to be fertile ground to be able to make that happen, meaning we have to be open and pliable.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: We can't have all of the things in the world that we think we need or we have to have to do those things.
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: But first, I want to start with the definition.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: Right of faith is Hebrews 11, one.
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: Now, faith is confidence and what we hope for, an assurance about what we do not see.
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: So what does that really mean?
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: Right faith is confidence and what we hope for.
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: So what are we hoping for?
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: What?
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: Hoping for?
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: Goodness?
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: Right, we want to have a good life.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: We want to have peace, want to have love, joy, faithfulness, kindness.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: One have all the fruits of the spirit we strive to have, just the goodness of God in our lives forever, even if we don't realize that that's what we're.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: We're striving for, right, those that grow up in chaos, they strive for the peace.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: Those that grow up, and you know, poor, they want to be able to have abundance.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: We are strive to be able to just say I'm living life and I'm happy and I'm full of joy, and so that's the things that we're hoping for, and we have to have confidence that God is going to provide those things.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: And then assurance about what we do not see.
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: Well, hoping means it's not here, right, and so we have to be steadfast that God is going to provide.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: Today, I may I barely may be able to scrape up food to feed the family, but guess what God did provide, and so we have to be assured that one of these days we won't have to scrape up.
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: It's going to be so much food around there was nothing we're going to be able to do about it, right, and we're going to be so grateful and also just making sure that we do our part, meaning that we are actually, that we are listening and we are growing and we are coming to God when we have and we're feeling hopeless.
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: Right because I hope our faith, I hope and I love is set in God consistently.
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: And I'll be honest, you guys, like last week has been a test of faith.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: You know it's strangely enough whenever God gives me a new topic.
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: I don't know if it's just me, but it's like he gives you a topic and then he pushes you into the topic.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: Let me know.
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: Okay, we're going to talk about faith.
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: Well, let me test your faith.
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: I wish you went to the wilderness so I can test it, right, but it's not a real wilderness, it's a test.
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: Right is to see you want to talk about the faith.
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: I think, okay, cool, let me see where your faith is.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: Are there?
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: It's funny because as I was going through talking about me trying to learn about faith, and just you know, I was like, okay, my faith is.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: I was like my shield is tight.
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: I think I was like, mm.
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: Hmm, sure, it is right.
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: So the first thing they gave me was right.
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: I started.
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: I was kind of I'm trying to think about.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: Someone from my past called and asked me for a favor and I don't mind.
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: Like I told you guys, I don't mind helping people, I love helping people.
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: Well, this person called me to ask for a favor and I kind of gave them a little wisdom and understanding along with the thing they asked for, and this person kind of got a little annoyed and just it was strange, right.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: So I was like what was that about?
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: Right?
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: So God says well, one.
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: You see, there's a hole in your shield of faith.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: Right, because you allow that to penetrate, you allow that to get you upset, you allow that to change yourself.
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: Right, and faith is understanding that we're going to walk through different things.
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: We're going to walk, we'll talk to different people, but we don't change from what God has shown us.
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: Now.
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: We may fall, but even if we fall, you know, we know where we can go to.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: And I also kind of gave me the lesson behind that don't throw, don't give dogs what is sacred or holy, right, do not throw your pearls to pigs.
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: If you do, they may trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: People have to be prepared and ready, right.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: If their faith is not where your faith is, or even if their journey is not, they're not open enough and understanding enough.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: They just don't have it right.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: And this is where your discernment comes in.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: You have to make sure that.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: Okay, well, it should I sell this person or should I pray for this person?
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: Right, there is a decision that has to be made every time you feel that urge to say something, to action, to action your faith, to say, well, okay, I know you have this going on, or I know you have that going on, because people just aren't ready to hear it.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: And so that's where your faith in God that he put you in his place for a reason, but he also gave you other tools to be able to use so that you can determine what's going, what's needed in that moment, as well as making sure that you have faith that God is not going to put you in this place that's going to hurt you, is everything's meant to help you, even when you go to the wilderness is meant to help you and bring you up to something.
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: Diamonds are made by adding immense pressure on top of coals.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: Iron swords are made by sharpening with rough materials like sanding, paper and things, and so everything beautiful and of use has to go through some type of hard process to be able to be the usable thing that we're used to being able to see.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: And so we have to recognize that these hard times that we're going through, they're only brought, made, brought, to make us stronger, not to kill us, not to hurt us, because God absolutely knows what will, how much we can bear and how much we can take on and what is for us, because he created us and so we have to have faith that our creator loves us.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: And the other analogy that God just kept coming in my head with he kept, I kept seeing children and I was like children.
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: What about he was like?
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: Now your faith has to be like that of a child, right?
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: And he gave me this analogy of when children are walking, right, say, you know, chip mom and a child walking down the street.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: Or say you're taking a walk, just a regular walk through the woods, or something like that, right, just to go, me and my kids, to have nature walks all the time during the pandemic, just to kind of get out the house and you know, just not go stair crazy, right.
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: So, as we were taking these nature walks, when we first start aerial, my five year old now but at the time she was like two or three she would hold my hand really, really tight, right as we're walking and we're just walking, and all of a sudden she would let go because she got comfortable, like okay, but I would notice she would always turn around and kind of look to see are you there, are you there, right, and I'm like I'm still here.
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: You know, I'm kind of watching her.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: I would change positions as she, you know, move around and pick up sticks and pick up rocks, and you know, look at this, and stuff like that, right.
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: And then she was just keep going.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: And then all of a sudden, something would come out the woods or she would hear noise and boom, she's right back on my side holding my hand, again right, and God said we're walking with.
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: Jesus is the same way, right, you have your faith.
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: That you know.
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: In the beginning you're just like growing it.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: You're holding his hand really tight, really close to him.
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: And then, all of a sudden, you get a little comfortable, right, you, comfortable in your faith.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: You got your own shield.
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: That's really, um, your shield is set and you know it's impenetrable.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: So you like, okay, you're going to step out on faith.
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: Let me go ahead and, you know, start ministering to people and telling people about Jesus.
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: And let me start, you know, seeing what the world and see if I like want to do that.
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: And then all of a sudden, right, something comes out and scares you.
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: Now you're running back, you're fasting, you're praying even more, you're trying to hold tight.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: But every time, right, jesus and God and Holy Spirit, they're kind of all switching positions to let you know we're still here.
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: We just changed positions because you moved away or you move this way, you move to the right.
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: We told you to go to the left, but you want to take your time and come back this way, but we're still going this way.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: We're still here, we're still around, and so, um, that that's kind of been my revelation this week on faith and making sure that I stay tight and hold tight to the faith that Jesus has allowed me to grow on Jesus and God and in my journey.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: And so my question to you guys is how do you maintain your faith?
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: How do you keep your armor in tech out here in this world?
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: Because life be like that is.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: That is powerful.
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna have to watch the replay just so I can capture the example with your daughter because, as you was saying that, I was like, yeah, I can see me doing that with the Lord and that's my relationship.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: So how do you keep your faith is through a lot, of, a lot of ways.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: It's through being intentional in worship.
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: Like me and the Lord not me in a church, not us together weren't really working and seeking out this relationship with the Lord, and it's it's a mindset that I had to choose whether or not I believe God or not.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: And once I decided no, I believe God, then nothing else counter to that makes any sense for me anymore, because I just believe.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: I totally believe what he says, I believe his covenant with me, I believe who he says I am.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: My perception is different of the challenges, even challenges, that are coming to me.
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: I'm more like, hey, I'm going to show you, let me show you me meaning the Lord, let me show you how I operate in this situation.
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: So it's no longer about me trying to solve the problem.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: It's because he loves me so much, he's going to use this situation so that he gets glorified and I'm literally like a cheerleader on the side, like, yeah, go, holy Spirit.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: So keeping the faith, and then also through community things like this is so important.
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: You got to have people that you can commune with on those days when you really you really just want to be like I don't know what in the world is going on, right, nothing is making any natural sense, whatever.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: So you really need to have some kind of community of believers who you can, who can come alongside you and you can come alongside them and and they, they lift you up on the days when you need that, and then you're doing that for somebody else.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: And when I see, when I see how God is operating in other people's lives because I watch for that- then, I'm also just energized because when I see Natalie, the goodness that he's doing in your life, or Terry or Audrey, like when I see his him operate, and this is why witness is so, that's why he wants us so bad to witness differently, right.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: But when I see that it helps the days when I might have a little unbelief that God's not going to come through me, no, he will, because he has a witness through that.
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: So, it's all, it's, all of it's, all of those things for me.
• 17:32
  Speaker 4: And I agree with Shelly.
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: It's so much of what she said and I think about, over the years, hearing someone else's testimony and the reminder that if he could do it for that person, he really can do it for me and it's proof of his word.
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, I read his word, understand it.
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: But you have those moments.
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: You know something's happening in your life.
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: You may have a little doubt, but you get reminded of the fact that he is still there and he will come through.
• 18:15
  Speaker 4: He hasn't left us and it's the testimonies and sharing with other people.
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: So, yeah, he did that.
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: He may do something different and a different matter for you, but at the same time he is still there and he loves us so much that it's appreciating the little things that he shows us and being aware of his goodness and the little bitty thing.
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: It's not always something grand, but it's the little things like oh okay, he's still there.
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: You know, tap me on my shoulder, he's said something little Like he is still there.
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: That just keeps me going and knowing that I may have my weekdays but he's still there.
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: Amen Amen.
• 19:18
  Speaker 5: So I agree and I love the analogy, natalie, I really do.
• 19:24
  Speaker 5: I think that one of the things that, for me, I'm intentional about having that relationship with our father so that my faith continues to grow and, as Shelley said, just having those individuals that God has put into your lives to kind of help, coach you, direct you, guide you in those moments where you're not where you feel you need to be, and then somehow there's always this little confirmation that he will nudge you to help you to understand that you're headed in the right direction.
• 20:04
  Speaker 5: So I think, just listening and being intentional about serving God and being in the Word and the one thing the reality is, the walk in which we're on is not easy, but we have to continue to rely on our father by again being intentional about having an intimate relationship with him and understanding that he's our faith, that we may doubt but he is there to support us.
• 20:39
  Speaker 5: He has people in our lives that will support us, and I think that is the biggest thing is just keeping our eyes on Jesus, even in those hard times as Natalie say, in the wilderness.
• 20:52
  Speaker 5: When we're in the wilderness, there's a way out.
• 20:54
  Speaker 5: There's a way out.
• 20:55
  Speaker 5: We just have to continue to hold on to Jesus and what he's doing in our lives and telling us, because it doesn't always come when you think it should.
• 21:10
  Speaker 5: But you still have to hold on because you could get a lot of nodes from God.
• 21:16
  Speaker 5: You could get a lot of nodes because the timing could be, our timing could be way off, maybe we're not ready.
• 21:22
  Speaker 5: He sees that we're not ready, so he's not going to put us in a situation where, as they say, our faith is tested to failure.
• 21:31
  Speaker 5: That is not the God in which we serve.
• 21:33
  Speaker 5: So anything that he puts for us to do, he's going to prepare us for it.
• 21:38
  Speaker 5: So, as I said, sometimes we get out in front of him and he will send a little nudge and pull us back.
• 21:49
  Speaker 5: And that's the good thing about being in a position where you're listening to what God wants you to do, because then you know that nudge is not coming from.
• 22:01
  Speaker 5: If it comes from one of your sisters in Christ, or you know that's coming from a good place, because again he will send where two or three are gathered and standing together.
• 22:13
  Speaker 5: He will send you those nudges where it's going to redirect you.
• 22:17
  Speaker 5: So you have to be in a position where you're listening intentionally for what he has you to do and what he's saying to you.
• 22:25
  Speaker 5: So for me again, it's just being intentional and being in the Word and just standing on that and knowing that I have, I got people to have my back, so that's been real important for me.
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: So, yeah, thank you.
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that was amazing.
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: Thank you, audrey.
• 22:46
  Speaker 3: You know, audrey, thank you for your obedience to send that word yesterday.
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: The end of me, listen, I said I've been in what I call waiting room wilderness like the last few days, just because, right, when your faith is being tested, when you're being tried to see, okay, you wanna talk about this?
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: Well, let me see where your level is.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: It's kind of how God did me the last few days, and so I kind of had got reached a boiling point Sunday night, going over into Monday, and I was just like I don't know, I don't know.
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: He was like downtime, that's all I wanted you to know.
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: Right, because you're trying to fix it right, because God gives us these tools and that we acquire, that we learn to you, know when to use, how to use right, and we start trying to become Mr and Mrs Fixit Because, okay, the last time this happened, I'm gonna do it this way, okay, oh, I remember when this happened, I'm gonna use this gift, I'm gonna use this tool and I'm gonna, okay, I'm gonna pray this away.
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: And God was like and nothing was working, and I was like I surrender God, I don't know what it is.
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: He said that's all I wanted you to know.
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: Sometimes I need you to start coming back to me, right, stop thinking so much.
• 24:13
  Speaker 3: You know, right, because you don't right?
• 24:18
  Speaker 3: And at the same time he gave me and he said truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of God.
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: That's what he told me.
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: He was like, but recognizing that the kingdom of God is already in you, right, and you won't be able to pull it forward because you're not listening, you're not standing tall on your faith.
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: You're kind of like okay, well, this is happening, well, let me move forward and start fixing this.
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: And he was like you're not gonna always know the answers.
• 24:52
  Speaker 3: Like, even though I gave you a tool that could fix it, come ask me first.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: Come say that, right, before children do something, what do they do?
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: They come to mama or daddy hey, can I do this?
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: Is it okay?
• 25:03
  Speaker 3: Even if they did it once before, a lot of times they're still gonna come back and ask right, children are very pure of heart and pliable.
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: And just that word yesterday kind of brought me back to that.
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: Like, natalie, you gotta stop trying to be you, right, stop trying to be you you think you're supposed to be because of what God has given you, and just lean to God.
• 25:31
  Speaker 3: He's here, he's brought you here, he loves you.
• 25:34
  Speaker 3: Just keep, be here.
• 25:38
  Speaker 3: And I agree with you wholeheartedly, audrey.
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: It is so important to have people who have your back, who provide those little nudges, and your faith should be one of those things that makes you action it and read it.
• 25:53
  Speaker 3: And somebody says pray for somebody.
• 25:55
  Speaker 3: You never know when, that prayer that you say for somebody else is a key to unlock something in your life.
• 26:01
  Speaker 3: So we have to keep actioning our faith and saying well, this was brought to me.
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: I feel like I should do something about it.
• 26:11
  Speaker 3: What can I do in this moment?
• 26:13
  Speaker 3: What do I have the power to do?
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: I always have the power to pray.
• 26:16
  Speaker 3: Well, I have the power to open that and read it.
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: Or when somebody gives their testimony, hallelujah, yes, thank you, god, you stand there with them.
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: So I love that.
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: So thank you, audrey, for sending that.
• 26:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you ended my suffering.
• 26:38
  Speaker 3: You ended my suffering.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: I will tell y'all I was suffering.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: I was over here trying to.
• 26:45
  Speaker 3: I was pulling out all the stops and I was like that's not gonna work, it ain't gonna close.
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: It's so funny, it's closing till I close it.
• 26:54
  Speaker 5: And that's just an example of how God works, because I listened to that sermon live on Sunday and I couldn't wait for it to get on YouTube because in my spirit it was like you need to share, it is right.
• 27:10
  Speaker 5: And every time I would bring up cool church, it would have the old sermon and I was like no, I need the other one, because you knew it was something good, because I haven't listened to what was popping up, but that just spoke to me, in that sometimes we gotta get out of our own way and allow God to use us in the varsals.
• 27:36
  Speaker 5: Right, just get out of the way, audrey, because I got you and that's what he's saying, and then he can make those steps forward.
• 27:46
  Speaker 5: And it was just on my heart to share that, so obeying obedience and doing what he asked me to do.
• 27:56
  Speaker 5: But it definitely blessed me, and anytime that I come across something that blesses me, I feel like it will do the same for somebody else, and I just kind of go with my heart on that whenever that happens.
• 28:11
  Speaker 5: So I'm glad that it blessed you as well, matt.
• 28:14
  Speaker 5: So.
• 28:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, amazing, awesome.
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: So, I realized I didn't answer the question either.
• 28:21
  Speaker 3: My own policy, all right.
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: So how do I keep my faith, staying close, right To God, but also listening to everyone, to everything and something I mentioned last week I am like a sponge to data.
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: It's just the way I was created, so to speak, right.
• 28:48
  Speaker 3: So everything is constantly coming in and coming in right and I try to fine tune it by using my discernment as well as just coming back to the Lord.
• 29:02
  Speaker 3: Like I ask questions all the time, like I'm pretty sure somebody was here with me all day while I'm working and would think I was crazy, cause I'm literally talking to God, like I'll watch something you know, youtube, tiktok, you guys will say something, I'll read something.
• 29:18
  Speaker 3: I'm like God, what you think about that, like it sounds right and that kind of keeps to build my faith and confidence in God right as my provider, as my guide, as my everything essentially Right, cause God is my best friend.
• 29:38
  Speaker 3: Right, holy Spirit, jesus, they're my best friends.
• 29:41
  Speaker 3: I talk to them all day Like they're right here, which they are right, and they answer and but that's how I do that.
• 29:52
  Speaker 3: And when I get far away, and I can tell them far away, cause I can tell by God's voice.
• 29:59
  Speaker 3: I can tell by the way I move.
• 30:01
  Speaker 3: When I start moving, a little unassured, right, I'm kind of like, okay, god said, but I don't, hmm, it's not clear right Now, I have to start doing things to get back to Him.
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: So that means, instead of me just kind of saying quick prayers and things like that, I'll be more intentional by making sure that I wake up and actually dive into the work, cause sometimes we get so used to it that I'll get up in the morning, read the Bible really quickly, kind of meditate for a couple of minutes, then pray and then on to whatever I'm supposed to be doing, right.
• 30:44
  Speaker 3: But when I realized that, okay, wait a minute, I've got a little further away, I didn't let go of God's hand.
• 30:50
  Speaker 3: I'm over here looking at the box, and God's like come on, let's go over here.
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: And I'm like, ah, but it's a creek over here.
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: I like that, I like water, I want to watch that, right, and this is real life.
• 31:01
  Speaker 3: That's how my daughter did me.
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: And so when that happens, then I have to find my way back, right, and sometimes I have to find my way back through things I didn't realize I had walked through.
• 31:15
  Speaker 3: You know, I might have walked to the other side of the creek, so now I got to walk back and so I'll start to fast and I'll start to just be more intentional about how I approach God, because also, what I realized is that sometimes I tend to take for granted, right, that God is here and so I'll do things.
• 31:42
  Speaker 3: I guess she heard her name right, so she's back.
• 31:47
  Speaker 3: Somebody doesn't wanna go to bed tonight?
• 31:49
  Speaker 3: It's okay.
• 31:53
  Speaker 3: You can hear this word, baby.
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: You intended to hear it.
• 31:57
  Speaker 3: So I try to make my way and to be intentional, just about my walk and making sure that I'm listening and really diving into the word, and I try to look at the word from multiple viewpoints, cause you can read the same scripture and what speaks to me, what speaks to Shelley, audrey, it's gonna be something totally different.
• 32:23
  Speaker 3: I've noticed, right, and also I've noticed that it speaks to where we are as people, right, cause I can change from today to a month from now and that same scripture speaks something different to me.
• 32:37
  Speaker 3: So, just being more intentional, soaking everything in, not being judgmental of the things that God places in front of me, cause that helps to build my confidence as well and my faith in God and what he has for me.
• 32:53
  Speaker 3: No, put those back, please.
• 32:56
  Speaker 3: Oh, no, ma'am.
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: No, thank you so much.
• 33:03
  Speaker 3: Have a good night.
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: This is real life over here.
• 33:06
  Speaker 3: Okay, right, it's real life.
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: And she still hasn't gone to bed.
• 33:12
  Speaker 3: She's like on the other side of the thing she's trying to get one cheat up, See you?
• 33:20
  Speaker 3: See why I got the analogy.
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: Cause each child like Exactly.
• 33:26
  Speaker 3: You know we like to look at the sometimes we look at the you know the disobedience part of children, but they're not being disobedient, they are finding their place in the world right, it's viable and just.
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: You know they try to understand through learning.
• 33:43
  Speaker 3: That's how we are right With the kingdom of God.
• 33:46
  Speaker 3: We have to read so we can understand.
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: Read God's word so we can understand.
• 33:51
  Speaker 3: We have to open up and be pliable to receive his word.
• 33:57
  Speaker 3: Cause I'll admit, when I first started reading the Bible, how it was like this just hitting nothing.
• 34:04
  Speaker 3: It was hitting and just right there.
• 34:07
  Speaker 3: It wasn't going anywhere because I wasn't open to receiving it.
• 34:12
  Speaker 3: I just was reading it because my intentions where somebody said I can get healing from this, but I'm trying to heal, I don't want to heal to that, but that's not how the word of God works, right.
• 34:29
  Speaker 3: And then I'm praying, cause I'm praying for me, I just want to heal.
• 34:33
  Speaker 3: But what is this going to do for your relationship with God?
• 34:40
  Speaker 3: Right, Are you striving to give something back or are you just trying to heal so you can move on, do the same stuff you were doing before?
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: What's your underlining motive?
• 34:49
  Speaker 3: God sees that, and so the healing wasn't coming, the understanding wasn't coming of God's word.
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: Cause I was just doing it, cause somebody told me to try it.
• 35:00
  Speaker 3: Mama always said stay close to God.
• 35:02
  Speaker 3: I don't know what.
• 35:02
  Speaker 3: I didn't know what that meant.
• 35:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, stay close to God.
• 35:07
  Speaker 3: Okay, mama, like sounds good.
• 35:09
  Speaker 3: Okay, well, I'ma give it a try.
• 35:10
  Speaker 3: Let me open this book.
• 35:11
  Speaker 3: But it wasn't until I truly desired God and a relationship with Him and His love that I realized this is some good stuff here, Like what, what, what's been on my life?
• 35:28
  Speaker 3: And God said right here, right here.
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: It just occurred to me that we're the four of us and whoever else is watching, wherever are live, witnessing to your daughter.
• 35:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yes, Stop doing those, please.
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: She's still back like.
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: So it's all good.
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: I hope that the kind of mom I am is the one that has and will leave that kind of imprint on my both our girls that I was a praying mother and a worshiping mother.
• 36:13
  Speaker 5: You know what I mean.
• 36:14
  Speaker 2: So that's the least for me.
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: I was just sitting here like look at, look at, look at that witnessing for a daughter.
• 36:22
  Speaker 3: It's something.
• 36:23
  Speaker 3: So, speaking of that on Saturday, right, cause that was another one of those things that came up in my faith was am I being intentional about giving my children, you know, peace to the kingdom right and making sure they understand that and presenting it in the right way?
• 36:46
  Speaker 3: And so I was kind of thinking about that a little bit, right.
• 36:50
  Speaker 3: And so Saturday, some Jehovah's Witness came to the door right and Ariel, being Ariel's, just kind of went straight to the door.
• 37:00
  Speaker 3: She opened it and I was like don't open that door right, like you know, cause it's a stranger.
• 37:05
  Speaker 3: So she opened the door and you know we had a great conversation about the kingdom of God of all things.
• 37:13
  Speaker 3: I need some cheetah.
• 37:20
  Speaker 3: Listen, this is real life, okay.
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: So you know we have the conversation.
• 37:27
  Speaker 3: I'm sitting in there kind of still reading, cause, like I said, it doesn't matter where I get the information from.
• 37:32
  Speaker 3: If it's right, it's right, and you know, I can use whatever God you know has for me to use Hamlet Keisha.
• 37:40
  Speaker 3: And so, as I'm reading it right, I stop on a page that has like a bunch of different things on it.
• 37:48
  Speaker 3: I'm so sorry to hear that.
• 37:52
  Speaker 3: Are you okay?
• 37:53
  Speaker 3: Well, do you know?
• 37:55
  Speaker 3: If you were in the bed, you wouldn't have had the opportunity to hit your tongue.
• 38:01
  Speaker 3: Please don't get in the bed.
• 38:03
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 38:04
  Speaker 3: So, as I am reading this pamphlet, right, ariel says mama, what is that about?
• 38:16
  Speaker 3: Like the environment or something?
• 38:18
  Speaker 3: And I was like I didn't say anything, I just cause.
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: I was almost done with the page.
• 38:23
  Speaker 3: So I kind of flipped it over and she said oh no, it's about God.
• 38:28
  Speaker 3: And I was like, no, it's just five, she can't read yet.
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: Right, she can read some words, but not enough for her to be able to read that.
• 38:35
  Speaker 3: So I was like, hmm, how do you know that?
• 38:39
  Speaker 3: And she was like well, there's Jesus right there.
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: And I was like well, how do you know that?
• 38:45
  Speaker 3: And she was like because there's a golden man right there on the throne.
• 38:50
  Speaker 3: And I was like, okay, and I was like, well, now I'm interested even more.
• 39:00
  Speaker 3: Because I'm like well, how do you know that?
• 39:01
  Speaker 3: And she said, well, because you're around here praying and talking to God and listening to the music and they talk about the golden man.
• 39:10
  Speaker 3: I was like mind blown, right, cause you're trying to give them little seeds that you know they can handle, but they're soaking it in from other places, from other things that you're doing, just seeing you and your fruits, and how you're talking, how you're walking, and things that you're ingesting the way that you're approaching them and giving them the knowledge that God is giving you.
• 39:38
  Speaker 3: So I'm pretty sure, shelly, that they see it, Cause I see it, so I'm sure, and you're there with them all the time.
• 39:48
  Speaker 3: So they definitely would be like mama and God was like this, right, you know.
• 39:55
  Speaker 4: Nellie is.
• 39:56
  Speaker 4: I was gonna say, you know, nellie is so right, they pay attention more than we think that they do.
• 40:03
  Speaker 4: And it's the little bitty things.
• 40:06
  Speaker 4: I know my granddaughter I take her to church with me all the time and the things that she notices I'm thinking wait, wait, where were you?
• 40:16
  Speaker 4: But I realized that we're in the same place and the things that she picks up, the things that she says, and I'll never forget.
• 40:25
  Speaker 4: When she made the choice to get baptized, she asked me well, grandma, after I get baptized, does that mean that you should not say certain words or you should not listen to certain things, you should not do certain things?
• 40:41
  Speaker 4: And it was like you know, she recognized that you change after you get baptized.
• 40:47
  Speaker 4: You're not the same person.
• 40:49
  Speaker 4: And she was saying in her own way, and I just looked at that okay, and in your little way, you're understanding it, it's your level.
• 41:00
  Speaker 4: But they pay attention.
• 41:02
  Speaker 4: Even when we think they're not listening to us, they really are listening and we're planting those seeds.
• 41:09
  Speaker 4: Every time we do something, every time we say something, they're watching our behaviors and they'll remember.
• 41:16
  Speaker 4: They definitely remember.
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: So, mckisha, we're talking about faith, and one of the things actually, I was thinking about you and practical faith, because one of the things that Mckisha is very blessed with doing when she talks about faith is practical faith in a way that you can understand, because sometimes, when we talk about faith, it's so high brow and so high minded and so it's so hard to understand that other people who are on the struggle bus maybe you're on the struggle bus this week, you know what I'm saying.
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: It's just you know it is a journey, and so one of the things that I appreciate with Mckisha is that, when she shares her testimonies, when she witnesses about her faith, is that you make it so that the rest of us can digest the information and we experience what you're experiencing.
• 42:21
  Speaker 2: And I'm not y'all, I'm not listen, I'm not someone who, like, blows people up for just that ain't me.
• 42:29
  Speaker 2: I'm saying it because y'all need to hear it, because there are.
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: We talked about how we maintain a faith.
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: I think, yeah, how do we maintain it?
• 42:39
  Speaker 2: And one of the things that I shared was having a community like this, like you know, like minded folks who basically come alongside, and Mckisha is just one of those that does it really well with just sharing very practical faith.
• 42:55
  Speaker 2: So I encourage, if that is your thing, if that is your thing, is that is your gift thing, that you are doing that more within whatever that circle could be you know your family, your job, your co-worker, whatever it is but sharing practical faith, experiences that are like day-to-day things where you've experienced something and you're sharing it in a way that it makes sense to all of us.
• 43:22
  Speaker 2: And again, there are times when it's high brow and all about encounters but everybody don't have it.
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: Sometimes people wanna know that.
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: Listen, this is what the Lord did and this is how by faith was tested and this is how you know the Holy Spirit responded.
• 43:40
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean?
• 43:40
  Speaker 2: Just real, practical, down to earth, not high brow, like just tell me for real how to get out of this mess.
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: Come pray with me, kind of thing.
• 43:51
  Speaker 3: So for me, I feel like I was just saying I just had my podcast and I had one of our sister circles on there.
• 43:58
  Speaker 3: I feel like God, used in my life for his comical moments, like I feel like when he's ready for a laugh, that's when he's like uh-huh, I know the right person that can experience something that can give me the laugh of the day.
• 44:14
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying, because it's always a funny story.
• 44:17
  Speaker 3: It's like always something crazy that happens and you cannot make it up.
• 44:22
  Speaker 3: And when I tell people they'd be like girl, you are such a storyteller, I'm like and it is not now I'm very dramatic, but it just, it, just it just happens.
• 44:32
  Speaker 3: It ends up happening that way.
• 44:34
  Speaker 3: You know, and all my life it's so funny.
• 44:38
  Speaker 3: I'm like why do I always have to have the dramatic stuff Like, and the comical stuff like am I your laugh of the day?
• 44:45
  Speaker 3: Clearly, I have to be your laugh of the day and I'm okay if I'm your laugh of the day, because I already know that you're gonna take care of me.
• 44:51
  Speaker 3: Prime example today I get a phone call from one of my coworkers and they're like first day I am me hey, are you available to chat?
• 45:00
  Speaker 3: I'm like yeah, I'm available to chat.
• 45:02
  Speaker 3: And they call me and they was like I just wanna let you know.
• 45:05
  Speaker 3: I don't know if you already know, but I took another job offer and I'm just like what.
• 45:09
  Speaker 3: Like are you serious?
• 45:15
  Speaker 3: Like I'm with the blue, like different where we coming you know what I'm saying and they're like I don't know when they're gonna announce it, but I just saw my country, or whatever, whatever, whatever.
• 45:25
  Speaker 3: I'm just like okay, god, like you're so funny.
• 45:27
  Speaker 3: Now, you know, my goal is to go to Nick's assignment.
• 45:33
  Speaker 3: Now, I can even be mad, right, I can even be mad.
• 45:36
  Speaker 3: Now, I'm so excited for this person.
• 45:38
  Speaker 3: But I'm like, of all people, they don't call me hey, what the?
• 45:42
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying.
• 45:44
  Speaker 3: Are you available to chat?
• 45:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, am I crazy stuff, like, yeah, I'm available, hey, you know what I'm saying.
• 45:52
  Speaker 3: But the part that I love from it is that I can find humor in it, because I'm saying to myself okay, god, now if you're doing this for them, okay, it's just not by chance that you allowing them to call me.
• 46:07
  Speaker 3: This is not just a coincidental right, this is a faith moment for me to be like, okay, they found their assignment, congratulate them.
• 46:16
  Speaker 3: You're next, you know what I'm saying, but it's just funny, like what, you know what I'm saying.
• 46:21
  Speaker 3: It's just like I won't let you know I got my.
• 46:23
  Speaker 3: I'm like, god, you're so funny, you know what I'm saying.
• 46:26
  Speaker 3: But then they shared their story of how different opportunities that they applied for the doors were not open and different things like that.
• 46:35
  Speaker 3: I was like I see you live here, Jess, and it's just so funny to me that you would think that you're the only person who's experiencing right.
• 46:45
  Speaker 3: But God would be sending people to be like mm-mm, bro, you ain't the only one.
• 46:48
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying.
• 46:49
  Speaker 3: That's why I'm like.
• 46:49
  Speaker 3: I don't have to be your comical smile of the day, your laugh of the day, because it happens to me.
• 46:54
  Speaker 3: You're just just what it is.
• 46:56
  Speaker 3: Hey, man, Cindy, I love it.
• 47:01
  Speaker 3: Now, I was speaking to comical listen.
• 47:06
  Speaker 3: I went and watched that video of the incident the pastor's time and I was like I don't know why I'm standing in line.
• 47:18
  Speaker 3: I was just like let me see.
• 47:19
  Speaker 3: Well, you know it.
• 47:23
  Speaker 3: Kind of.
• 47:23
  Speaker 3: I got a couple of things from the Lord from it right.
• 47:31
  Speaker 3: One we really do get.
• 47:33
  Speaker 3: We do go on a journey.
• 47:36
  Speaker 3: We do go overboard as human beings.
• 47:44
  Speaker 3: This is why we need God to direct us and guide us right, because we take the words as be zealous for your God right.
• 47:54
  Speaker 3: We get overzealous because in our minds, stuff like that is a good idea.
• 48:01
  Speaker 3: Right, what Jesus did it?
• 48:02
  Speaker 3: Why can't I, well, look at the purpose of what Jesus was doing?
• 48:07
  Speaker 3: It for right?
• 48:08
  Speaker 3: He was doing it to heal, not to prove a point.
• 48:12
  Speaker 3: But then also, god came back to me to say, well, but he has faith, though.
• 48:18
  Speaker 3: Look at that Faith.
• 48:19
  Speaker 3: By doing that, he was like, yeah, because he has to have faith, because he did something that he know is going to create a shock and a paw.
• 48:32
  Speaker 3: It could potentially lose him congregation members, it could destroy his platform, but he had faith that God's word, the word that he was going to deliver that day, was going to turn out to be something for the greater good.
• 48:49
  Speaker 3: Now, I don't know if that was kind of what that did, but that's what God told me.
• 48:55
  Speaker 3: He had that faith.
• 48:56
  Speaker 3: I received that, but I was one of those indefined Christians at that moment.
• 49:03
  Speaker 3: I was like I pinched my pearls.
• 49:05
  Speaker 3: I was like, oh my God, you know.
• 49:08
  Speaker 3: But God, and then I literally stopped watching.
• 49:14
  Speaker 3: But our pastor has been talking about forgiveness and witnessing and different things like that, and God, I had to repent because I was like, dang, do you want some more judge eat Now.
• 49:26
  Speaker 3: You look crazy out there too.
• 49:27
  Speaker 3: Now you be saying super stuff and you be putting up.
• 49:30
  Speaker 3: Do you want some more judge you too?
• 49:32
  Speaker 3: So I had to repent and I'm like God, I'm so sorry, cause he did say touch not mine, you want to one?
• 49:39
  Speaker 3: And he had a naughty.
• 49:40
  Speaker 3: So I had to go get my stuff all the way together.
• 49:44
  Speaker 3: But I was just like Lord sometimes, for we and I know because I'm very charismatic too, I'm very dramatic, I know, and I want an example, I want practical things.
• 49:55
  Speaker 3: But I was like, why did he pick that practical one?
• 49:58
  Speaker 3: But forgiveness is the key.
• 50:06
  Speaker 3: I had to ask for forgiveness and I had to.
• 50:09
  Speaker 3: I have to be careful about judging, because the one you judge trust and believe it's coming back.
• 50:17
  Speaker 3: The same measure you judge, they're going to be measured to you.
• 50:20
  Speaker 3: So I had to.
• 50:22
  Speaker 3: When I was watching his sermon I said, oh, hold on, hold on, I can't even watch you, sir.
• 50:26
  Speaker 3: I need to get my heart straight.
• 50:28
  Speaker 3: I need to get all the meat on the cross and get my cash my cares Cause I have just only just judge you in so many ways.
• 50:40
  Speaker 3: Because that's just I feel like I think his parents must have was Pentecostal or some kind of like that, because you can see the charismatic and with the Pentecostals and different things they had those dramatic things and stuff.
• 50:56
  Speaker 3: So I just think it's just probably carried over from his upbringing.
• 50:59
  Speaker 3: That's a good point.
• 51:03
  Speaker 3: But I like him Now.
• 51:05
  Speaker 3: I'm good me and him good.
• 51:06
  Speaker 3: Now Us good.
• 51:07
  Speaker 3: Us good now.
• 51:11
  Speaker 3: Now you know what I'm saying.
• 51:12
  Speaker 3: I ask God for forgiveness.
• 51:14
  Speaker 3: Now.
• 51:14
  Speaker 3: I've been listening to my child.
• 51:16
  Speaker 3: I was like, yes, I don't remember you being funny.
• 51:18
  Speaker 3: I said I don't remember you being funny.
• 51:20
  Speaker 3: I don't remember you being funny.
• 51:21
  Speaker 3: Oh, my God, you be acting stupid like that.
• 51:25
  Speaker 3: Sometimes you know what I'm saying, cause you put that in a dig in like you, and arise up like God, be like hold on, hold on.
• 51:32
  Speaker 3: You have not arrived.
• 51:33
  Speaker 3: Only time you can arrive when you in those golden gates.
• 51:37
  Speaker 3: Right now you ain't nowhere near it.
• 51:39
  Speaker 3: Right, we still walking.
• 51:42
  Speaker 3: Right, we still walking.
• 51:44
  Speaker 3: I'm like, ooh, so forgiveness is the key.
• 51:48
  Speaker 3: We talked about that last time.
• 51:50
  Speaker 3: Forgiveness is still potent.
• 51:53
  Speaker 3: I think that's been trending.
• 51:55
  Speaker 3: So, for a minute, across a lot of platforms, listening to different ministers and stuff, forgiveness has been trending.
• 52:06
  Speaker 3: So there's a lot of things that we have to search our hearts to make sure that we are not walking in on forgiveness, especially if you're going to be used by God, because what you're going to do is dispense all that stuff out, all that bitterness, all that toxic, all that stuff into people Because it's come out of your mouth.
• 52:26
  Speaker 3: No man, I had to check myself, got to let it go.
• 52:31
  Speaker 3: There's a lot of us walking around with it, with forgiveness in us, and we don't even realize it, right, because we've managed to morph it into something else, right?
• 52:43
  Speaker 3: Like we morphed it from.
• 52:46
  Speaker 3: You know I didn't like the way she, so now I'm just telling it like it is, type of person Girl.
• 52:53
  Speaker 3: Really it is.
• 52:54
  Speaker 3: You just have some unforgiveness in your heart that makes you feel like it's your duty to tell everybody everything you need to be told, Because you feel like either somebody didn't tell you when or somebody did tell you stuff and you didn't like it.
• 53:11
  Speaker 3: But it's just a bunch of different things that have manifested in you, but it gets transformed into something else Because you won't let it go.
• 53:21
  Speaker 3: You got to let it go.
• 53:23
  Speaker 3: It be weighing us down.
• 53:25
  Speaker 3: Audrey, were you saying something?
• 53:29
  Speaker 3: I can't see?
• 53:30
  Speaker 3: I was just agreeing.
• 53:32
  Speaker 5: No, but you're absolutely right, because sometimes you walk around with that unforgiveness, that's what you exhibit and put off on other people and you don't have the mindset to see them where they really are, because you're so jaded by your own feelings, by what you have built up in your mind about somebody, that you don't even see that real person anymore.
• 54:06
  Speaker 5: So you have to just kind of start peeling that onion back and that's when you get the crime, because you know that you have wronged people.
• 54:16
  Speaker 5: So you really have to just try to walk in that forgiveness and it's not easy, you have to.
• 54:25
  Speaker 5: Sometimes it gets really real because, as the Lord is bringing you forward, he starts to show you some things and you have to be ready to deal with it.
• 54:40
  Speaker 5: And sometimes it's not pretty and sometimes it's situations where you may hurt somebody with what you're going to say about how you have treated them and they don't even know I mean, they don't even know why you're acting the way you're acting.
• 54:57
  Speaker 5: But it's because you have built up so much resentment or animosity or whatever towards them for no real reason.
• 55:06
  Speaker 5: And you have to find that within yourself and then reach out to people to start to just say I've wronged you, and that's when God rises you up a little bit higher.
• 55:19
  Speaker 5: You've got to be willing to acknowledge that you have wronged somebody and that you have for no reason, and that's the thing that sometimes you don't realize is like OK so why?
• 55:34
  Speaker 5: am I acting like this toward her or Him?
• 55:37
  Speaker 5: Or you just carry stuff and we've got to let go.
• 55:42
  Speaker 5: We've got to let that stuff go because you're the only one that's hurting, because sometimes and Mcky said I think you talked about this before we're walking around, we're carrying stuff.
• 55:55
  Speaker 5: They sleep a real good at night.
• 55:57
  Speaker 5: But we have to recognize within ourselves and just start creating that gratitude list and those people and things like that and get that stuff off of our chest and move on.
• 56:17
  Speaker 3: Like the old folks said, you need to learn how to count your blessings.
• 56:20
  Speaker 3: I think we have walked away from a lot of basic principles that we learned when we were in Sunday school.
• 56:26
  Speaker 3: We have walked away because we have became so grown I'm so grown, you know what I'm saying and we have lost those basic principles and we have to go back.
• 56:36
  Speaker 3: You have to go back to that first love.
• 56:38
  Speaker 3: We have to go back to that first love, basic, like a child mind.
• 56:44
  Speaker 3: He said he wants you to be a child like faith.
• 56:46
  Speaker 3: We have to go back there.
• 56:47
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying.
• 56:48
  Speaker 3: We have to let go because I'm grown.
• 56:51
  Speaker 3: Girls, I remember being a kid I was waiting to be able to say because I'm grown, now I'm like, oh, I don't want to be grown.
• 56:59
  Speaker 3: No Real life here, bro, bro, no, indeed, indeed.
• 57:03
  Speaker 3: But that's also where our faith comes in, right, like knowing that we can step out there and have those conversations with individuals to release ourselves from the bondage of forgiveness.
• 57:23
  Speaker 3: We can step out there and recognize all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, because we have faith that this isn't just it right, like there's even more if we continue to walk.
• 57:36
  Speaker 3: We have faith that those things look a little bleak and strange and, like I said, every week right before these calls, there's always something right, like there's something going on, like area of the day.
• 57:54
  Speaker 3: She wanted to come back and forth.
• 57:56
  Speaker 3: Normally she goes in a room you got to just still stay the course because God is handling it, god is taking care of it, he will see through it, he will make sure and, trust me, there's a blessing on the other side of it, whatever it is, or there's a blessing right there in it.
• 58:12
  Speaker 3: I'm learning now the last few months that even in the struggle there's blessings, right, because a lot of times my struggles only be struggles when I'm not paying attention to the lesson that's in the struggle, right?
• 58:28
  Speaker 3: So what is it?
• 58:30
  Speaker 3: God called for me to fast, right?
• 58:34
  Speaker 3: Shelly had been saying it for a while, but God called for me to fast over the weekend and it was very specific, you understand me.
• 58:42
  Speaker 3: It was the most specific fast I had ever gotten.
• 58:45
  Speaker 3: It was like don't do this, don't do that, don't do this, not after this time or after it.
• 58:52
  Speaker 3: And I was like what kind of fast is this right?
• 58:55
  Speaker 3: And at first I was kind of struggling because I'm like this is so out of my norm and how do I do this?
• 59:01
  Speaker 3: And God was like relax, I got this, you're going to be able to do this.
• 59:10
  Speaker 3: And this is the first lesson I've learned in this fast One.
• 59:14
  Speaker 3: I've been struggling with being able to keep up with my life because I haven't been taking care of me.
• 59:21
  Speaker 3: And he was like this fast first off is for you to recognize you need to take care of yourself.
• 59:26
  Speaker 3: You need to be eating on a regular basis.
• 59:29
  Speaker 3: I've been.
• 59:29
  Speaker 3: My eating habits have been all over the place.
• 59:32
  Speaker 2: Not coming from me, y'all.
• 59:33
  Speaker 2: I just want to put on a record.
• 59:34
  Speaker 2: Not coming from me because I'm living on gummy bears.
• 59:44
  Speaker 3: Well, if the shoe fit, if the wire hit you, okay, you know what I mean, you too, right?
• 59:51
  Speaker 3: But yeah, he said he was like but I mean, I haven't been taking care of myself either, right, when I don't take care of myself, I don't eat like I'm supposed to, I don't, you know, really pour into myself, I don't make sure I go out and, you know, get my exercise and stuff like that, my whole energy changes, right, and I shift, and so, whereas I normally could take on you know a thousand things, I'm struggling with three.
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 3: And he's like because you're not running at your optimal self and I need you to pay attention to that Right Now.
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 3: There's more for me to learn, but that was the first thing.
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 3: So there's always typically a lesson in the struggle.
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 3: We have to just stop focusing on the, on the, the problem, and focus on what.
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 3: What is God trying to say?
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 3: What is he trying to stop me to see?
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 3: Because usually when we get to that struggle, we start clinging so hard down the guy with a pran and stuff.
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 3: But are we taking the time to listen?
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 3: and meditate, got close our mouths and just sit there and listen.
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 3: Put on a little soaking music and just let God just speak in the room.
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 3: Come, sit in the room you can feel the Holy Spirit just kind of usher in and just sit down.
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 3: He's like oh, it's about to get good now.
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 3: It's about to get good now.
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 3: So we got to stop and just sometimes we got to stop Like, um, that's one of the things I think the mom and them and my aunt and them generation, because my aunt said she was waking up two, three o'clock in the morning and she's like what does that mean?
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 3: I can't sleep, what does that mean?
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 3: And the first thing I said was why don't you meditate?
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 3: My aunt was like no pray, pray without ceasing.
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 3: But God said meditate to like Jesus, meditated a lot.
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 3: That's like right.
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 3: And I felt bad because I was like she was so hard about it and I was like, um, he said meditate, but okay, sure, and she was.
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 3: She came back and was like you know, we got to start listening more.
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 3: But that was one of those moments where I let her have it because I wasn't from the argumenter and I actually went and prayed about it.
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 3: Right, I was like what am I?
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 3: Was I wrong?
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 3: Like, because this was when I was new in my walk and I had just came from doing some other things in my walk with Jesus that I wasn't supposed to be doing.
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 3: I got shifted over into the other side.
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 3: That's for another day, though.
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 3: But I got shifted over to the other side and I started you know, there was some ancestral things going on and God was like hold on, wait a minute, I did not bring you out, no, we're not doing that Right.
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 3: So I was kind of a little uncertain, like well, it is meditating, a part of the ancestral you know, arts or and God was like no, you're supposed to listen.
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 3: I gave you two years to listen.
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 3: Right, I need you to listen more than you are talking.
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 3: You can pray, that's cool, but are you listening for the answer?
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 3: Because when you pray, you gotta.
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 3: I'm going to give you an answer back.
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 3: Sometimes I'm going to be audible with my answer and I need you to be listening for it.
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 3: Okay, say less, god.
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 3: I'm here listening, all right.
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 3: Well it's so funny what you talk about.
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 3: Fast right.
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 3: Well, it's another funny story.
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 3: So it's like you got for me.
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 3: I can't even get it out.
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 3: It's so funny.
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 3: I'm in the shower, right, because that's where we have our communication, our talking, our conversation, our listening, whatever, whatever.
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 3: Right Now, this is like two weeks prior to the time he told me to start the fast.
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 3: He was like you got a fast.
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 3: You're talking to him.
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 3: They're planning to eat such a fast right.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 3: You know how they say I'm a rebuke devil, I rebuke, and I'm like stop, you know what I'm saying.
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 3: Like you do a team too much right.
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 3: And then it was like from 6am to 6pm, like really, why, eye gates, ear gates, mouth gates, all the gates where the holes are, I'm on restriction, no snacks.
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 3: So when Shelly show her gum bears, I was like when I see her I'm gonna tell her you are here showing gum bears, I can't eat.
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 3: No snacks.
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 3: Like I'm a snack of horror and that's where you strip.
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 3: He was like eat nutrition and stuff.
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 3: Like a day you fast.
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 3: If you hungry, eat an apple, eat an apple, piece of peanut butter, eat some soup, Some light broth, clear broth.
• 1:05:08
  Speaker 3: I'm like bro, yeah, like straight up.
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 3: Eye gates, no, ratchet TV, no.
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh that sounds just like my eyes, no social media yeah.
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 3: Like I've been watching Bob Bob Hart, abba Shola.
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 3: Bob Hart.
• 1:05:34
  Speaker 3: Bob Hart, abba Shola.
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 3: With this Nigerian lady.
• 1:05:38
  Speaker 3: He's a white man.
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 3: I said man and it's.
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 3: I mean, it ain't what you don't understand.
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 3: I was just like okay, but guess what, I got my whole family engaged when my sister came down this weekend, my daughter came down this weekend, my husband on my nephew, everybody's like oh my gosh, turn it to the next Bob.
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 3: I'm kind of seeing food anyway.
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 3: So we all just been being watching Bob's Hart, abba Shola In it.
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 3: Now I'm telling you it is the funniest.
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 3: But if you guys have never seen it, it's on CBS, but you can catch it on max if you want to be watching.
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 3: It's the most funniest episode.
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 3: It's some crazy stuff but it's not as crazy.
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 3: Like you know how our TV is, it's crazy, it's awesome.
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 3: It teaches you family values and, like I've learned stuff about the Nigerian culture, like how they hold up their elders and different things.
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 3: We don't do that in our culture.
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 3: You know, we, we used to.
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 3: That's those practical things that we lost, right, and we need to get back to.
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 3: But it's just, it just taught me so much things and I was like, okay, yeah, so that's where I'm at for 24, 30 days and she wants to show those.
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 3: I was at the gym.
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 3: I said, oh, I cannot wait till I see her.
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you right here showing your welches, oh, gummies.
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 3: You just don't understand.
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 3: No, you don't understand.
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 4: Listen, she got a whole issue.
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 4: I got all kinds of issues.
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 3: That's a whole, yeah, that's a whole thing, yeah.
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 3: No, I mean, there's my sister.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 4: After we shut down this live recording.
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 2: Okay, okay, do you guys want to?
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 3: speak on faith or God's word Shut us down.
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 2: This was really good that the imagery of the kids really stuck with me and Mckisha, even as you're talking about fasting, my fasting has been a little bit different this time and mine has been people and so there are, for example, like when you guys shared those sermons, even he was like no, the things that he has me absorbing has been like oral Roberts and, like you know, the actual and Catherine Coleman and those types of feeding because of where I'm going.
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 3: But, by the way, I asked for this right or Rob, that's some deep, that's some deeper it is.
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 3: Oh my God, that is very very that.
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 3: We need that, we need that, we need that now.
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 2: So you're in the right vein, oh yeah.
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 2: For sure.
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 2: That's, that's it, that's all, you know, that's, that's it, that's all.
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 2: And so these, the I don't want to say younger pastors, how do you put it these more modern day, the message that the feeding that I need isn't going to come from them, it's the other folks.
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 2: But I had to.
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 2: I had to have faith that I could understand and receive what they are teaching, and then just relying on the Lord.
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 2: So I'm asking, I'm asking God for stuff.
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 2: I'm not asking for daily bread stuff anymore, because he's got me right.
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 2: I don't care how crazy it looks or what's going on on the job, but, like I know, the daily bread stuff, you know, yeah, he's got it covered and I just I trust him.
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 2: But what I'm asking for is I, I want to be fully, fully, fully engulfed with the Holy Spirit, where it becomes overflow, where you literally pass me and you feel him, because I want to be in a position where I walk like I'm stepping back and I'm watching the Holy Spirit work.
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 2: That's what I want, that's the.
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 2: That's the, it's the power and the authority.
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 2: But I want to see him more and less of me, less of people, and to get that you got to go through a whole different mindset, and so that's what he literally so I've yeah.
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 2: So I've had to cut down conversation, so I keep again, I keep.
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 2: The circle was tight before, but the circle is even tighter now.
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 2: You know, and that's that's that, because again, that's what I asked for.
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 2: It's like, give me that.
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 2: And he was like you're going to have to, you're going to have to cut some strings, You're going to have to let people say stuff and not respond.
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 2: You're going to have to not watch some stuff like Mekisha.
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 2: Mekisha is what she's priming up for for this retreat, the stuff that she's going to.
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 2: You know, you're going to have to, you're going to have to, but we're doing it with joy.
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 2: So, for those of y'all who are listening to us when we talk about fasting, we're doing it out of obedience, but there is also joy in our heart.
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 2: There's no, you know what I'm saying Like yeah, we're not tortured.
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 2: If you will, we're, you know, obedient and doing this because we know why we're doing it and we just we're humbly doing it.
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 2: So please don't don't take it the wrong way.
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 2: Now I will say I do have my gummy bear addiction and I'm not ashamed of that.
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 2: Go ahead and press out net and then I'll turn off this live because y'all ain't going to come from me on the live over my gummy bears.
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 3: See, we all still got.
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 3: We all still a work in progress.
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 3: Okay, we all got something.
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 3: All right, no matter what, what's happening with us, we are all still real people.
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 3: Okay, Listen, we, we be seeking the Holy Spirit.
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 3: We want to push back because we know we are a mess.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 3: We are a whole mess out here in these streets.
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 3: Okay, all right.
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 3: Well, thank you guys so much, and I'm on close as I, heavenly Father, thank you, lord, thank you for your exhibit of faith and love in this moment, lord, giving us hope.
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 3: We pray that those that are here and those that are listening on the live have received a word that will be nourished and flourished in you, father.
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 3: We pray that all that you are setting out to do in their lives shall be accomplished.
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 3: Father, we pray all of this in your mighty son, jesus name, amen, amen.
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 2: Amen, all right.
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 2: Thank y'all for watching.
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 2: I'm going to cut the live, so give me one uno momento.
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 2: So I'm going to stop the recording as well.