Latest / Mrs. PIE / Exploring Faith and Belief: Lessons from Abraham and the Power of Prayer

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Exploring Faith and Belief: Lessons from Abraham and the Power of Prayer · Mrs. PIE

• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to another.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Come Out of the Wilderness.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: It's Thursday, I'm Shelley and I'm back.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Before we get started, obviously I'm going to lead into prayer, but for those of you all who don't know what this is, this is just a weekly live prayer.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: You're welcome to join in the chat.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: I know that a lot of people catch us on the replay and also listen to us on all the podcast channel.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: We go live on podcasts about a day or so after the actual visual show.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: So so thank you for all of you all who are downloading the episodes and I hope that this is blessing you it's definitely blessing me and for all of you who are sharing your encouragement and support.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Please make sure you like the video.
• 1:01
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• 1:04
  Speaker 1: That way, we can get the word out to many, many more people and also keep us coming back.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: So today, you know, today, we're actually the title.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: The theme for today is called Do you Believe God?
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: This is going to be a tough one.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Good morning Laura.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning Y'all.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Please don't forget to like so that they don't kick us off YouTube.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: But this is going to be a challenging one because I am going to open with a question and I'm going to close with a question and the purpose for today is really to stir up your soul and your thoughts, and so maybe, again, a lot of us are going through a lot of different things.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: There's health challenges, there's wealth challenges, there's kid challenges, there's job challenges, but there's also people who are going through periods of restoration and hope and enjoying all those things.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: But I pose this question to.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: I pose this question to some women who are in a separate prayer group on Monday and I asked two questions and the first one was do you believe God?
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Not in God, not.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Do you believe that God exists and all that?
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Not that We've.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: We've wrapped that okay.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: The question is do you believe God?
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Because I think it's in these times when we're questioning whether God will come through for us, whether God is our provider, whether God is our healer, I think these are the times when we really truly get tested, because we respond whether we believe that God will come through for us or not in a certain way.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to walk through some of the verses in the word.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Obviously, this is Bible based, so I'm not just saying stuff off the cuff of my head, but I just I'm also going to try to share some personal things that I'm going through.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: So it makes sense and it connects because we're doing this together, this walk is together.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: And then, before we close out, I'm going to share an invitation.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: We have an event coming up, a retreat for women coming up October 21st.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: So I'll drop all that information before we head out, because I'd love to see y'all in real life.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: So, before we go any further, father, we just thank you for another opportunity to come before you're thrown, or we just give you all the praise and Holy Spirit just ask, as you always do, to take over this call and I pray that you will bless those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, and I ask that you'll just touch them in a different way and demonstrate who you are and let them see you and not me.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen, I'm going to share my screen.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to share my screen because it's just easier for me to do it that way.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: But when we talk about, as I'm setting it up, when we talk about do you believe God, I dropped in the kind of the opening that this question is actually rooted in in our essence, the essence of our faith.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: This is really what, the way that we really examine the actual heart, our soul, our minds and how we respond to things that are going on around us.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: So I want to start in Genesis 15, verse one through six, and so I'm going to present.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: So just bear with me.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: If you have your Bible, it's cool.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: If you don't, there's zero judgment.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: We'll just work it off my screen.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: And so in Genesis 15, verse one through six so this is the covenant that God made, the promise that God made with Abraham, and this is before he was Abraham.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: And so, just to set the context for those who are not aware, but these things it says, after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: So Abraham got a vision and the Lord says fear not, I am your shield, your reward shall be very great.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: And Abraham said oh Lord, what will you give me?
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Because I would ask the same question like what are you going to give me when I continue childless?
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: So now he's listening.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Like what are you going to do for me, lord?
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: Because I don't even have a child and the you know, and the air of my house is a leisure of that Damascus.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: And he's.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: And Abraham also said behold, you have given me no offspring and a member of my household will be my heir Right.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: And so here you have the Lord coming.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Maybe he's coming to you and he's saying you know, fear not, look, we don't just call this out.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: But you know, your reward should be very great.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: And you're like, well, I don't even have anything.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Like, what are you going to give me so that I can continue?
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Right, how am I going to live beyond?
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: Like, how am I going to produce for you?
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: What do I have?
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: And so the Lord, universe five takes him outside.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: And I'm going to paraphrase a little bit look, look toward heaven and number the stars.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: If you're able to number them, he said to him, so shall your offspring be.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: So the context though you have to think about, abraham at this time is a is a very old man, okay, so the idea that the Lord is telling him that he's going to have an offspring you know that he can't number because of the stars literally made no sense, right?
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: But what does?
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Verse six says and he believed the Lord.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: He believed the Lord.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: He believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: He literally just believed God.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: Right, because, again it it comes down to a question.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Sometimes the Lord shows you things and gives you promises and says I'm going to give you this family, I'm going to give you this job, I'm going to give this.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: You know, I'm gonna give you these things, I'm gonna give you this purpose, I'm gonna give you these gifts.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: And you know, and in in your natural mind, it makes no sense, but it's still up to you to believe.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Do you believe him or not?
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Do you believe him or not?
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: So, so, as we go further down, I'm gonna show you in, and I think I have to stop sharing and select the screen.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: So bear with me because I want to walk you through the rest of this, this journey, as we come further down into Genesis 22.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: So this is now after the fact, abraham, now, abraham has a son, his son's name is Isaac, and so you know, sarah was also barren, his wife, and she was of age, I mean, she was much, much older, past past Pay, past the age that we know of having children.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: And so here here, god kind of came through, he did, and you know, I Zach is the result, that blessing.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: And After these things, god tested Abraham and sent him.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: So Abraham went through some things.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Y'all, it wasn't just, you know, there was a promise.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: And then life was just easy.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: Abraham went through some tests and I encourage you to go back and read this in Genesis so you can get the full context of the story and he said here I am.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: So, after these things, god tested Abraham and said to him Abraham, and Abraham responds here I am, yeah.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: And he said this is the Lord.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: Take your son, your only son, isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mariah and Offer him there as a burnt offering, on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: And what did Abraham do?
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: He rose up, he settled his donkey, he took two of his men and his son and he prepared.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: He prepared for this and this, I think a lot of times is so hard for us to understand that our God, right, our God, would give you something and then take it back.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: He will test you.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: And you still, and you still believe.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Abraham believes so much about what.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: Remember what God promised him, right?
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: So imagine sitting there and thinking you gave me Isaac, I was, you know, I'm supposed to have, you know, generations that come behind me, the one thing that would make that happen through my son.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: You're gonna take him.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: You want that as an offering and and here Abraham is put in the position of do you believe or don't you believe, and Going through three days of preparation, y'all, three days of preparation For this sacrifice.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: A burnt offering is, is not something where you know.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: We go back into Leviticus and explains what it takes to do, go through a burnt offering just with animals.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: So imagine that is your child, right, and the Lord is asking you to give him back.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: And it was a test.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: But he didn't know, it was just a test at that point.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: He's just following through on obedience and he was willing to give that gift back.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: A lot of us have been given gifts and the Lord is saying now give it back.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: I gave you that business.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: Now you give it back to me.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: I gave you that child.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: You give that child back to me, right?
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: Maybe not in sacrifice, right?
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: I gave you that husband.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: You give it back to me.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: I gave you that job.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: You give it back to me.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: This is a test.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: You don't own it.
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: Give it back to me and as you, you know, as you go back through the rest of Dena says you understand that the Lord actually did prepare a way out.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: They prepare a way out.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: But at the end of all this, good morning, nadia, and before all this, do you believe God?
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: I, honestly, I think that a lot of us, because we can't answer the question.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: We answer the question from our perspective, right, like I don't understand how God could let something happen.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Therefore, I'm gonna figure out how to do it myself.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Right, I need my bill is paid, so I'm gonna take that job.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: And then you get into that job and you're miserable because you try to solve it on your own terms.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: Or my child is sick and I don't believe God's gonna come through for me, so I'm gonna plant a seed of $1,000 to somebody on social media who promises me that there's a blessing coming, because I don't believe that God is a healer.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: There's a million and one stories and it drives us to disobedience.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: Right, I don't believe God will provide for my family, so I'm gonna make a covenant with somebody else, because you only live once and I gotta get my coin and then, when it doesn't pan out, well, I don't really believe God, because he let this happen to me.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: I don't believe God is the Lord of peace.
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: I've gotta fight my own battles.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Do you believe God?
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: And for me I have to.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: I rely a lot, obviously.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: I rely a lot on the Holy Spirit because I totally I mean, I can't maybe some of y'all can, but I can't do this walk by myself.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: I pray every day, I'm in the Word every day, I worship every day but, quite frankly, without the Holy Spirit it doesn't work for me, it is impossible.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: For me.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: It's very, very hard to be a believer and a Christian knowing that, quite frankly, people don't even believe Christians anymore.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Because a lot of us have corrupted the Word.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: We've twisted it to make sense to what the world says and not God says.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Our identities are tied up in what titles and what other people say we are and we should be.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: All of a sudden if all of a sudden, even in Christianity we picked sides politically, which again makes no sense, we literally are going against the word.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: We just kind of twisted this thing and at the end of all this, the Holy Spirit will remind you of some of the ways that the Lord has shown up because, quite frankly, a lot of us need that reminder.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: We're so short-sighted, right?
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: So sometimes you know he has to come back and remind you that you know.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: Here's how the Lord pulled you out of something last week.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Do you believe God?
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Do you believe God when he says that I am your provider, and are you going back to him and asking him to provide, or are you tapping your neighbor or some stranger you met on the Internet and trying to figure out how to make it work for you?
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Do you believe God?
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: Do you believe God?
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: I have this, this thing that I printed out a while back.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: It's called the names of God.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: I found that y'all, I found it on the Google machine and and it's just this is out, the names of God, and every now and then I will refer back to it because I think it's interesting, but it literally lists out Jehovah Rafa, the Lord that heals.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: Jehovah Shama, the Lord.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: Is there?
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: Some of these I can't pronounce, so I won't.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: I won't pretend to do that here at an eye, lord and master, but every now and then I will go back through this list, the names of God, and and just I'll just pray on it.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: Lord, you know you show me and reveal yourself to me, you tell me who you are and it's because you know I go through a lot like everybody else and I do have to be reminded sometimes of the power of God and God's love and his majesty, and especially when there are times that make no sense, like on this call right now that now there's a woman of God that prayed for me and I'm trying not to embarrass her, but we're created to be still on here.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: She prayed for me.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: I went to her with just this is what's happening and she prayed for me and I had the opportunity to really receive the blessings from her.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: There was no seed involved, there wasn't no ceremony, it was just.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: God has placed people in my life the same way he's placed people in yours right um, he will place people around you to help lift you up when you fall down, and and that that actually also bolsters up your belief in God that he literally will send help, okay, and so being able to receive even that prayer from this woman of God Lifted my spirit, and what it also does is not only helps me, but it helps my family, because now my my spirit is lifted up and also now I can pour back into other people.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: So I I highly recommend.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: If you're not in a part or you're not, you know, if you're not a part, if you don't have that, that circle around you and again, I'm not talking about circles, you listen, this isn't, this isn't a you know circle you pay to get into.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: This is not not that I mean strong women of God, men of God, to surround you so that you can be poured into.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: That is a constant reminder.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: It's what you're, what you're receiving in your own spirit, it's what you're listening to, is who you're talking to.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: It's where you're going to be fed y'all, if, if you're you know, you can take a million bible studies, but if you're not going back to the word itself, then you're wasting your money.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: Don't, you know?
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Don't keep buying stuff if you're not actually understanding what you're, what you're getting right.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: So making sure that you're surrounded by like-minded, not cultish, not, you know.
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: It's not about Restricting yourself to people who only think like you, because, I promise you, my circle is a mixed medley, but my identity in Christ doesn't change and no one can Can change the fact that I believe what God says about me, not what you say about me, and and I can see God working in my life, and I, you know.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: I mean you need to have that reinforcement around you.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: If you kind of wishy-washy, he's not gonna work.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: If you're not spending time with God and asking him to To really exactly, I'm gonna put this, this, this quote, up being able to partner in prayer with other Like-minded believers is is beyond valuable, because you're gonna need that.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: You're gonna come through times in your life when you're going to need, you're going to need Like-minded believers to partner in prayer and if you can't find one, come back every Thursday.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Here I am and I'm doing it with you.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: Okay, we're standing in agreement that the Lord is gonna work through some things and I I hate to say this, but a lot of times when we go to God and we ask him to take care of that situation, he's gonna work on you.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: First, I asked God to bless my family for something and he sent me to go bless somebody else on the same thing I was asking about, and I did it with joy, right?
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: So the question I started with is do you believe God?
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: Because that is the foundation of everything that you do Before you make another decision do you believe God is gonna come through you?
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: Do you believe this partner came through that way?
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: Was this a divine help that God sent you?
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: And if it wasn't, slow down, slow down, wait for the answer.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Don't just jump on the next great thing.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: Slow down and wait to hear from God and he will direct your path.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: And I'm telling you this as someone who is doing it.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: I'm not telling you because I heard about it, I'm telling you because I'm living it every single day.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: He will literally direct your path if you have ears to hear.
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: So that's what I wanted to bring you guys.
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: I'm so honored for those of y'all who are catching on alive and for we know we are reaching thousands on the replay, and God bless every single one of you.
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: Everything that you stand and need up, if it's aligned to his purpose for your life, because I've been asking for stuff and you're like that's not what I said, okay.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: So even in obedience, you have to be able to say okay, lord, if this is not your will, remove it, remove the things from your life that wasn't meant for you.
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: He will exactly send you, he will direct your path, absolutely.
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: He will do that, and I know because I'm living it, and I tell you there's a lot of folks in this room today doing the same thing.
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: I speak from what I know and they're testifying is the truth.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: So we're gonna close a prayer Before we go into prayer, like I mentioned at the top, we have a retreat.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: If you're in Atlanta, georgia, on October 21st, we are so excited to have you join us.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: It's gonna be an intimate setting, about 50 women.
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: Tickets are, I think it's $10.
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: And you're welcome to come and join us.
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: It's gonna be a full day, 830 to 1pm.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: Maybe that's not a full day, it's a full day for me, but y'all, come on out.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: We have speakers lined up.
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: It's not listen.
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: I mean, just say this right now.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: It is not going to be a Proverbs 31 where we just hype each other.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: Okay, this is a pouring into oil type thing, not adrenaline, right?
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: We wanna make sure that we are resting on the word, but we also wanna learn from each other and pour into each other and support each other and then send you on your way.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: So I will drop the link for come out of the wilderness retreat.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: Like I said, it's $10.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: I never come on here and talk about anything related to price or cost or anything, but this is a retreat and y'all need to come.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: I wanna see y'all in real life.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: So, father God, we just thank you so much for this Another Thursday.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: We thank you for allowing us to come again before your presence, and I'm gonna ask our God that today is a little bit different than maybe the way the morning started for many of us.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: Many of us are still struggling, even as believers, whether or not we actually believe you or not, if we believe that you're gonna come through.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: So I pray over everyone in their path, in their situations, that they will just come to know and hear your voice a little bit differently today, so that they'll be directed in the path.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: And for those who don't know and for those who don't believe, oh God, I ask that you will penetrate them as well and maybe they will meet someone today, maybe there'll be a holy visitation, that they will come to see your mercy and your grace and they'll come to know you and to turn their belief.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: And so we just thank you, god.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: I pray over everyone who's standing needs of anything health or finance, or just a mindset or heartbreak or anything, any disappointment, anything that is stopping people from believing believing you, lord, and what you say.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: We thank you, lord, that your word says all things are working together for our good, and so we receive that.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: That is actually the case.
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: So we turn over this call now back to you, lord, and ask that you continue to work through this day and the rest of the week over everyone watching us live or listening to us in weeks to come.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: Amen, y'all, that's what I had.
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: I am so blessed to have you Come on back next week.
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: Please, you know, make sure you like on the way out so that again they don't kick us off the YouTube streets and so that other people will honestly, other people will, get blessed.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: Next Tuesday we have a panel on our 7 pm show called Faith at Work.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: It's gonna be really, really good to talk about folks and how we deal and live out our lives at work, and so we invite you for that.
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: Otherwise, same time, same back channel, thursday 7 am, and I will be back here next week.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Y'all have a blessed day and thank you so much for watching.
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: Thank you.