Latest / The Bible Gal / Persevering and staying strong

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Persevering and staying strong · The Bible Gal

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Baba Gal podcast, and I'm Miguel Amber.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just a Proverbs 31 woman empowering women to step into their on-the-fire for the Lord mentality.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: I encourage us to live out our faith, to grow, and to believe in the calling that God has for us.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: My vision is to help women break the chains of their past of inner struggles and fears to create new chapters that only our Father can write for us.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm on a mission and passion to empower you and all the women out there.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: This is going to be your new favorite podcast for daily devotionals and Bible study chats.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the podcast.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are going to be jumping in and talking about persevering and standing strong in the hard times.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so before we get started, as you know, I always like to start in prayer before we get into the message.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: So before we get started, um let me pray.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Dear Heavenly Father, I just ask that you open our hearts and our minds, that you fill us up with your Holy Spirit, um, and that we receive your word today, that we receive your um what you want to tell us today, and that we feel your presence.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I ask that you please um speak through me and give me the words to say and allow um this message to come from you, Holy Spirit.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm just um I want to lift up every single listener to you, and I pray that they will um hear your voice today during this message.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: So um I really want to start today's message with scripture and and like the strict scripture focal point.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: So in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 5 says, But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so the Lord is telling us here that we need to endure the hard times.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and now this doesn't mean that when we have to endure it, that we have to love it and enjoy it, right?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like hard times at the end of the day are hard times.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: They're hard because they're not easy, but he does he definitely does say to endure it, to embrace it.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, endure the accusations and the persecution and the attacks and continuing pushing through and reaching people to Jesus and continuing pushing through and fulfilling his ministry.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so we see a great deal in people being persecuted, um, especially people of faith, happening everywhere um all around us, and the Lord tells us that it's gonna happen.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so he actually tells us that in 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 12, he says, in fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: So he warns us here and he kind of says, you know, you're gonna be persecuted.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so you know, he says, No, like not just the ones who live a blameless life, but everyone who wants to live like Christ is going to endure and is gonna have to be persecuted.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so, as we've talked about in our last episode, that really is the devil's form of attack.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to accuse us and he wants to do anything that he can to stray us away and to mess up and to ruin our relationship with the Lord and to ruin his ministry and to ruin um his plan.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so we see different kinds of persecution here, right?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so the first one, there's one, two, three, four, five that I have here.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, six a lot, and so the first one is socially, right?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we see us being persecuted all the time in a social aspect, and so you know, what does that look like?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, standing on biblical word when it comes to social norms, and you know, you often hear backlash, you know, for example, like um when you're speaking about um marriage, or you know, when you are speaking about being kind to somebody, um, you know, when somebody's complaining or talking um badly about somebody, you know, we are standing up on that biblical word and we're encouraging people to be kind and we're talking about the kindness, right?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or when people are talking about their marriage narrative and we start talking about, you know, the way that the Lord sees marriage and in a biblical sense, right?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: How often do we get labeled?
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: How often do we get accused of you know, oh well, they're just like that because they're Christian, you know?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I I see that all the time.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh, they're they label us, they literally use oh, they're Christians.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's not a positive connotation, and so that is persecuting us and kind of looking down on us and and and accusing us of of oh well, they only think that way because they're Christians, um, in a sense like that, right?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um the second point is relationships, right?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: When this can really look like when somebody like friends or family they dismiss our belief, they dismiss our feelings, you know, regarding biblical outlook, you know, they being ignored, not supported, you know, in the sense of like refusing to support your baptism.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you or got baptized and you invited the family and somebody in your family was specifically like, I'm not going, I'm not supporting that, right?
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or maybe ignoring you when you're having conversations at the table or you know, in a group of family members having conversations about Jesus and planting those seeds in other people, you know, where is that one person that is accusing you of like, you know, you can tell they're definitely persecuting you and saying, like, do you really believe that?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, is that really the case?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Right, like and they persecute us and they make us feel stupid, um, or they try to make us feel stupid for you know, believing in that.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'll say this next one is a big one, especially for me.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: This is definitely one where I personally feel like I am attacked the most my character, and attacking and accusing your intent of what you said or the way you did something, twisting around what you said, accusing you um, you know, of something that was not at all what you said, or not at all what you did, you know, or they accuse you of judging them, and they say that, you know, you judge everybody and that you're snobby or that you're attacking them or that you're trying to control them or that you're trying to push them, right?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Some I know I hear this um connotation just around, um, and especially in my church and and in this area that you know we're a cult, you know, for choosing Jesus over the world, and you know, getting ripped apart and being screwed up, right?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um we say that we're screwed up for choosing Jesus over the world, that we have the wrong idea, that our priorities are wrong, that we don't know what we're doing, that you know, all the things.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, our character is compromised and we're, you know, told or talked about as like we're stupid or something.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um the next one is our workplace.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: How often um you as a Christian have ever felt, I will say this is my second biggest one, where I get persecuted is in my workplace where I get overlooked or dismissed.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've definitely heard like, oh well, that's only because she's a Bible thumper, right?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Or oh, that's just because she's a Christian, or um, you know, just not taking you seriously when you're speaking about whatever it is that you're speaking about, you know, whether you're planting seeds, speaking about the Lord, trying to invite somebody to church, whether you're just talking about the Lord, or you're talking about a you know, uh like a biblical law, like for example, like the way that, you know, the way that the Lord sees, you know, faith-guided marriages, things like that, right?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you're talking about, they don't take you seriously.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, how often do they pressure to silence yourself and to dim your light?
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: I um will definitely I have heard myself people say, like, oh, that's a choice, or teach their own, and that's like okay, you know, definitely being kind of dismissed, or you know, we aren't taken seriously within our work job, you know, when we are trying to, I'll say, especially in my work, I'll I'll give like a really good, it's not an example, it's like it's the truth, it's something that's really happened to me.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um when there are hard coworkers, right?
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like there aren't, I'm not gonna sit here and say that every coworker is easy to deal with, and I'm also not gonna sit here and act like there has never been a time that I've gossiped about a coworker.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I have and I'm human and I definitely have sinned and I've had to repent for it and come back and be like, you know what, Lord, that was wrong of me.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I will say that I've been persecuted in ways when there are staff members or co-workers that are challenging people for whatever reason, you know, you can think of many reasons, or you can think of co-workers right now in your mind that's challenging for whatever reason.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, you hear other people talk badly about that coworker, and so often I find myself sticking up for that coworker and saying, you know, they're not A, B, and C.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: They have a good heart and they mean well, and they just need extra nurturing, they need extra training, they need extra love, you know, they they just want to fit in, and so I I find myself sticking up for them and kind of prophesying the word without like you know, I'm obviously not like in Psalms says, right?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't quote scripture, but I definitely like speak about it and speak the concept of of what's in the word, and I definitely encourage people to not talk negatively or not talk about that co-worker, but I encourage them to be kind and to pray about it, and you know, to give them patience.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: And when I say these things, or I am like, oh whoa, you're just like that because you're a Christian.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you actually, you know what, you're right.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: I do say those things because I'm a Christian, because I have godly light in me and I have godly love in me, and so you know that that is intended for a persecution, but I can say that in those moments, it's actually at least to me, it's a blessing.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually like a compliment because the fact that you notice that in me, the fact that you notice that I'm different, the fact that you notice that my heart is genuine, the fact that you notice that I'm shining light within me and that I'm spreading kindness and that I'm spreading love from God, like you know what?
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Persecute me all you want because you're honestly right.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: That is why I think like that.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, anyway, I got off on a tangent.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: The next way is like culturally and legally, and so I don't really know how I was having a hard time finding examples for like this one.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I gave an example that I see personally for me, um, and I and I hope that that helps.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but culturally and legally is like getting in trouble for speaking the word or talking about God.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, I can't talk, or praying, you know, asking to pray for students as a teacher.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: I am often, you know, uh persecuted and kind of silenced in a way where I'm not allowed to speak about my beliefs, I'm not allowed to pray, I'm not allowed to do certain things.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or I guess I could say another cultural or legal thing is, you know, if there's a certain religion that's not of the Lord, that's another one that, you know, people there is you know, we there is a negative connotation over that culturally, depending on, you know, like in in the culture.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or legally, you know, when we stand up for, you know, not killing babies and we stand up for life and you know, we are definitely persecuted in the way of saying, you know, you're just saying not because you're a Christian.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Women should have rights, we should be able to have an abortion if we want one.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like those are uh also other examples of how we get persecuted in like a legal sense.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then the last one of the ways of persecution is no the sixth one is subtle comments.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is probably the third most popular one for me.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um the very first one that I've ever gotten, and I just I'm not gonna share the person's name, but I just want to share this as a testimony and also to give you hope.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: That the very first person that gave me a comment and persecuted me, that was really, really offensive for me, and that really hurt my feelings because it was the very first time I had been persecuted in this way, and I definitely was offended, and I definitely had to get right in my mind about it and in my heart about it, and I had to learn to forgive that person.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I will say that that person who said this is now saved, and not just saved.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: This person is grown in their faith so much, they've been baptized, and they go to church every Sunday, they've been going to church for quite some time.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: They have a beautiful relationship with the Lord, they lead their own Bible study for middle school kids, and I just think that's absolutely amazing and beautiful, and I just have to give all the glory to God that only God, only God.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, so I've heard comments like, Oh, I'm sorry, and like just like this in this tone.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: I forgot you had to go read your Bible because you have to do your God stuff that you do now, right?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: With like that very disp disrespectful, like negative attitude and demeanor about it.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Or like I kind of was saying earlier when people are like, Oh, to each their own, I guess, or like whatever floats your boat, right?
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or they're you know, they persecute us like if um I'm trying to think of like exactly what this person said because I can like think of the concept.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: They were kind of like something along the lines of they were basically like, if that's what works for you, you know, or if if you found something to help your mental health go you like very like persecuting the Lord and persecuting my faith in the Lord.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so in James chapter one verses two and four says consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete and lack nothing.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so the Lord is telling us here being persecuted strengths us, it builds up our faith.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to reference back in episode eight where I talk about growing pains because we really do go into the pains of growing your faith.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: And growing's not fun, it's painful, it doesn't actually feel all that good.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: There's hurt, there's pain, there's accusation, there's feelings, there's heartbreak, right?
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: And all of those emotions, but the Lord encourages us to endure it because it makes us stronger and encourages us to keep going.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And all I can think of right now is think about Jesus.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like think about how much he was persecuted, accused before he was hung on the cross.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: He was beaten.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: And before he was beaten, he was accused.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: He was cancelled, right?
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: And like today's slang language.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: He was accused and persecuted and name-called, and they tried to degrade him and all of the things.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: They were very verbally abusive and persecuted him.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then they continued to persecute him and they beat him, and they continued to persecute him, and they beat him some more, and they ting continued to persecute him and made him carry his own cross, and they continued to persecute him, and they hung him on the cross, and they continued to persecute him and continued to spit at him and to say more things about him, and the people next to him on the cross were continuing to sp persecute him.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: And he did nothing wrong.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: He was Jesus, and so if he experiences persecution, then definitely we will too.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I wanna give this analogy.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Think about a time if you've ever worked out.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's offensive, okay?
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's pain, it hurts, it ain't comfortable, all right.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's like you're happy when you get to the gym because you're like, Yay, cool, we're gonna work out, and then like you work out and you're like, This sucks, and then you get done working out, and you're like, I'm so glad I did that, right?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: But in the moment it's not that fun, it's pretty painful.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know what?
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Each and every minute you get stronger, and you start to sweat, and you start to shed off those burned calories and that burned fat, right?
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: And just like our faith, think about that.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Growing is painful and endurance is hard, but we are reminded that through God we are strong and we keep going, knowing that it makes us stronger, and so shedding our flesh as we become more like Christ.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Think about like you know, the sweat, right?
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's kind of like our sweat, our faith sweat, right?
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're shedding our flesh and we're becoming more like Christ.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so the more we become persecuted, it's like the more we work out that yes, we're gonna be accused, yes, we're gonna be attacked, yes, it's gonna hurt, yes, it's going to test our faith.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: But because of that, and through that, it's going to allow us to grow, it's going to allow us to grow to be mature and humble, and as the Lord says, complete.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be really hard when somebody is aggressively persecuting you, such as cussing you out, you know, really reaming out you for your faith and coming at everything that means so much to you, right?
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I know for me, you know, it's definitely hard when I'm persecuted in my faith because like you can, I'm not easy to be offended.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, seriously, like I work with kids and I work with like behavioral kids.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like I work with kids who have special disabilities who have behavior issues.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I literally am persecuted by kids all day long.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm told that I'm a big back.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm told that I'm like all the things.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even I can't even think about it.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've told that I have a giant forehead.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: I told like I've been told some really messed up things.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't have like I just don't care.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: I could care less.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, okay, like tell me something I don't know, or like tell me something that's really gonna bother my feelings.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, does that make you feel better?
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm just really not bothered.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: But I will say when somebody attacks my faith, like I'm definitely still working on not taking it personally because I am so it is something that is so so important to me.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, honestly, it's kind of speaking to myself here, you know, like by not like letting it get to you and you know not allowing that fleshly feelings to take over, you know, when you want to rat lash out or defend yourself.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: But it's definitely super, super, super, super vital to absorb the things that make us want to lose it that make us, you know, to absorb the persecutions.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: And instead of snapping back, take it in, use that moment to shine your godly light, use that moment to shine your love and your heart on Jesus.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: Rise above, don't respond with bitterness, but respond with love, kindness, patience, or sometimes not responding at all.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you know that your faith just isn't strong enough in that moment to not respond in, or I mean to respond in like a kind manner, then having the self-control to not say anything and not be offended by that is okay too.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm actually gonna have a little testimony here because fun fact, while I was writing this message not too long ago, I think I've told you before in a previous episode that I think back when we talked about the lots wife, the Lord laid it on my heart to cut off one of my friends and not look back.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: And as much as that was hurt, and as much as I knew that was growing pains, I knew that if the Lord told me to do something, I wasn't I wasn't gonna say no.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: I knew that he had bigger, better, more things for me ahead.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I did.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a few weeks ago, and then very recently, um her husband reached out to me and lit me up, and I mean like six, seven, eight text messages, like kind of reaming me out in a way, cussing me out and really persecuting me, saying all these terrible, horrible things.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Called me like all like was really angry with me, and you know, I started to read the text messages, and I was like getting worked up, like I started like getting anxio anxiety, and I was like, you know what?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna finish reading this because I'm being persecuted right now.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: Literally, why I was finishing writing this message.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, wow, the Lord is like so perfect with his timing.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, you know what?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: I had to pray a minute.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, you know what, I'm not gonna get offended.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: I rebuked the anxiety, and I was like, you know what?
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: I expected this, I expected the persecution because I made such a huge bold move by choosing the Lord and by choosing my priority and by choosing to obey, I knew that there was gonna come persecution, and I had to stand with that.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, you know what?
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to get worked up, and I don't want to allow my feelings to be hurt and to, you know, talk about it negatively.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, you know what?
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna delete the messages.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not even gonna sit there and reread them 10,000 times.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna think about answering him, I'm not gonna think about anything.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I'm just gonna delete them and I'm just gonna have the self-control to not say anything at all, and I'm just gonna remain silent and I'm gonna pray about it.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that was hard because for a minute I was like, you know, it's hard.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: But you know what?
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord gave me revelation and reminded me that I not I they aren't in faith.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so because they're not in faith, they're not going to understand.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, in the way of the world, I understand why they're upset.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just had to be okay with that and sit with that.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because, you know, we do live in such an offensive and hostile world that how we handle persecution is super important.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: And without becoming um, you know, super offended, it's okay to become somewhat offended, right?
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like we're human, we do have emotions.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we especially when people like aren't understanding, you know, think about the people who are lost so they don't understand, people who don't like Christians or don't like us, right?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: But at the end of the day, people are always watching us, and so we are children of God, we are representatives of God, we are ambassadors of God, and so it's very important on how we respond because people are always looking.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so I really want to wrap up my message here.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why I feel like I'm talking for a long time because it's only been like 24 minutes, but it feels forever.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I want to add that, you know, whether you have kids or you don't have kids yet and you're planning for the future, think about your legacy that you're gonna create and leave behind.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: Where are your priorities?
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: How do you respond to accusation?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: How do you respond to persecution?
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: Are you letting it shake you up?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: How do you talk about it?
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: How do you act about the situation when you're at home away from ice?
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: When you're in your own home, as David says in Psalms 101, you know, uh, about having integrity and doing what is right when nobody's watching.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: Are you pretending to be okay, but deep down you're shutting, you know, you're you're showing your hurt and your offensiveness and you're lashing out and you're talking badly about that person who's talking badly about you.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: Or are you rising above?
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: Are you praying through it?
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: Are you allowing yourself to cry it out for a minute and say, you know what, I'm gonna move on because God has my back and I have bigger and better things to worry about?
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I got bigger and better things.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: I got I got the Lord's got plans for me.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so I encourage you to even pray for that person who persecuted you.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: I ask I encourage you to pray for your enemies.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um the Lord encourages us to do that.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: And um somewhere in the word, um, and I just can't think of exactly where it is right now.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um the Lord like literally lit it on my heart to like say that part, and I'm like, oh Lord, I'm really bad.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: I don't remember exactly where that is in the word, I just know it's in the word.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, it's uh praying over your enemies.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, and so in Luke chapter 23, verses 34, he says, Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them because they do not know what they're doing.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I was I was saying earlier when Jesus was being persecuted, he was doing he was dealing with all this persecution when he did nothing.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: And yet, you know what he said after all that?
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: He said, Forgive them.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: They don't know what they're doing.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to think that way when my friend's husband was yelling at me.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: I had to say, you know what?
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Nope, forgive him, because he doesn't know what he's doing.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: He's just acting out on what he thinks he knows and what he knows.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yes, we're ending the message here.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: I really have one more verse.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he talks about how we get rewarded for our um endurance and our faith.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so in Matthew chapter 25, 21, he says, Well done, good and faithful servant.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: You were faithful over a few things, and I will put you in charge of many things.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: I just have to say, all the glory to God, that he says, You were faithful with me on a few.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't say a lot, he said few.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: You were faithful with me for few.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: But because you were faithful with me for few, I will give you many.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'll give you much.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that is just so beautiful.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: So beautiful.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: Just I have to give him a minute.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: Praise the Lord right now for that.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um so as I wrap up, I want to close us out in prayer.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I want to encourage you to pray with me and to pray after this uh message and pray after this episode is over, to just sit for a minute wherever you are, just before you do anything else, just sit and pray and have your own intimate conversation with the Lord.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: Let me close us out.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Father, I ask that you help us to stand strong, and I ask that you help us to have strong spiritual strength when we are being persecuted.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Father, I want to lift up every single listener to you, Father, and I pray that this message touched their heart, and I pray that this message got to them and that they will walk away changed after today, that they will no longer allow the persecution to get to them, that they will no longer um let the persecution tell their story.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: But Father, you tell our story.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so I encourage every single one of them and I lift them up to you, and I pray over spiritual strength, and I pray favor upon them, and I pray that your light will be upon them, and I pray that you will um protect them, Father.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I just pray that they will you will build them up in their faith, Father.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I just pray that they will forgive all of the people who have persecuted them.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: Father, please forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I just want to pray one more thing, Father.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: I pray over every single listener right here, right now, wherever they are, wherever they are going, Father, I pray protection over them, that they will get where they got to go safely today.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: Father, I pray, and I intercede on their behalf and I rebuke the devil in the name of Jesus that they will feel your presence today, that they will feel your Holy Spirit within them today.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: All right, guys, thank you so much for listening.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: I will see you guys next time.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for listening to today's episode.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to hear more, there are new episodes that drop every Monday and Thursday.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you liked what you heard, please help your gal out by leaving a review.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: You can also give using the link below.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to pray for you.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any prayer requests, please send me an email to your BibleGal at gmail.com, which is also in the links below, along with all my other social media so you know where to find me.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, sisters, if you walk only in faith this week, God is with you every step of the way.