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19. Daily Devotions Feel Dry? Revive Your Hunger for God · Believe & Become | Ministry, Biblical Encouragement, God's Will, How to Change, Holy Spirit

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Today on the podcast we're talking about feeling spiritually dry. Do you feel spiritually dry as a Christian in leadership? Are you constantly pouring out but rarely being filled up? Totally get that. We've been there, we've done it and it was tough. But today we are excited to share with you some practical ways to revive your secret place times with the Lord, to revive your hunger and to get filled up for pouring out. Stay Stay tuned. If you're tired of leading others while secretly battling doubt, discouragement and mental warfare.
• 0:34
  Speaker B: And you want practical tools to renew your mind and walk boldly in your.
• 0:38
  Speaker A: Calling as a leader, you're in the right place. Welcome to Believe and Become.
• 0:42
  Speaker B: We're Josh and Corina, your spirit-filled coaches here to help you overcome those limiting beliefs and lead others confidently.
• 0:49
  Speaker A: If you're ready to hear God's voice more clearly to the step into your purpose and find joy and strength in.
• 0:54
  Speaker B: The everyday Silence those Bible app reminders judging you from your lock screen and let's jump in. Hey friend, before we get started, we've got a quick invite for you. If you're a spirit filled Christian in leadership who's been caring a lot lately, maybe you're tired, overthinking or just wondering how to find your next breakthrough, we would love to help. Sign up for a free 25 minute transformation session where we'll help you get clarity and create a practical plan to move forward in peace. You'll also learn about our one on one coaching program designed to help you renew your mind and lead from presence instead of pressure. Just head to joshandcorina.com/coaching that's J-O-S-H-A-N-D-C-O-R-I-N A.com coaching to book your session now, let's dive in.
• 1:46
  Speaker A: Welcome to Believe and Become podcast. We're so glad you're joining us today. I am really excited for this episode. I really really am excited because this is gonna change your life. If you are feeling dry, if your time with the Lord, maybe it's just become a routine, something you gotta do. Something you have to check off your to do list. Like you're not connecting with the Lord but you still do it out of obligation. Been there. Also gone through seasons where it was just tough to fit it in because we were so busy and there can be some shame around that. But we're breaking all that off today because God has something way better for you and we're going to get you fired up for your secret place time with the Lord, today?
• 2:27
  Speaker B: Yeah. We spent 13 years in what was mostly volunteer ministry. So Josh had a full time job. I was homeschooling our kids. We were leading an entire ministry week in and week out, and we were busy. And finding that consistent time with the Lord where we could be filled up was something that fell to the wayside quite often. And so we were almost regularly serving out of our own strength. Yeah, there would be times when we would get fired up and we would be so excited and we would be super disciplined in our daily devotions and then we would get discouraged, we would not be seeing the fruit that we wanted to see, or ministry wasn't feeling the way we wanted it to feel. And we would get discouraged and then we would get back into that cycle of allowing the busyness of life to overtake that time. And so it just left us feeling dry, it left us feeling frustrated and we were just too often pouring out without getting filled up. And that is frustrating and it leaves you depleted. And I think you can become bitter against the people that you're ministering to or against just having to minister in general. And it doesn't have to be, you know, your full time job, but if it's something where you're regularly, regularly pouring out and that could even be to your family or you feel like supposed to reach people at your work or whoever it might be, and you're regularly pouring out but you are not being filled up, then there is going to be a mismatch there and your heart is not going to really be able to stay in it for very long because we're not called to do this on our own strength.
• 3:58
  Speaker A: That's a recipe for burnout. So many ministers, so many people that start out in leadership and are fired up just because God is good, you get excited, you encounter him, the change that he's made in your life is huge, huge. And you want to share that with other people. Yeah, but it's easy in the day to day of life to be spending time with him out of obligation. You're like, oh, this is something I'm supposed to do. Or you're like, I actually have forgotten to do it. I'm not making it a priority. Other things are taking precedence over spending time with God and then you get burnt out.
• 4:35
  Speaker B: Yeah. Or there's seasons in life where life is more demanding. Maybe you have parent that you have to take care of, your spouse gets sick, you have a kid with ongoing issues. There's different seasons in our lives that make it difficult to be consistent in that Time, when in reality that time is the thing that fuels us for all of those things. And so it has to be the most important thing. And so that is our first question for you. Are you having a regular time in the secret place with the Lord? Is this something that you make a priority for that is potentially in your calendar, but for sure in your daily habit? Is it a system that you have in your life? Have you created a space for him every single day? It's okay if you have not. It's okay if this is something that. Sometimes I do it in the morning, sometimes I do it in the afternoon. I just try to fit it in. It's okay. There's no shame. We've all been there. But is it something for you that is consistent? Because like I said, for us for a lot of time, it wasn't consistent. I had many seasons where it was like, in the morning, I'm going to get up early, I'm going to spend time with the Lord, and then I hit the snooze five times. And then I rushing around all morning. And then by the time I sit down, I'm too exhausted and I fall asleep or, you know, I just forget about it all together and then it's bedtime and I'm like, oh, I can't believe I didn't spend time with Jesus. I really wanted to. My heart was in the right place, but I didn't have the systems to make it happen on a regular basis. So it's okay if you don't. That's all right. But what are some things that we can do to create that consistency in our lives?
• 6:06
  Speaker A: Yeah, and I, I was the same too many times because as Trina said, I was working full time. We were volunteering, doing ministry full time. We had kids, we were super busy. And so basically the time I had to spend with the Lord was at like 5:30 in the morning or something when I'm not awake. And so a lot of times I would sit, I would read my Bible, I would try to write something in my journal. And it was just, it was difficult, you know, And I didn't feel like I was getting a lot out of it or sometimes I didn't do it because I just didn't feel like I had time. I wasn't prioritizing that. Yeah, I mean, and really what it comes down to, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. And so you got to decide what is the most important thing. And as somebody that's in leadership, you're leading others you need to be filled up with God's presence.
• 6:55
  Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
• 6:56
  Speaker A: As someone that has done it both ways on my own and then with the aid and the help of the Holy Spirit, it is a night and day difference. It's completely different when you allow God to fill you and you minister out of that overflow. So I would say if you're in a season where you feel empty, try to find a way to cut back so that you can prioritize that. And then the times that you are ministering are going to be that much more effective and they're going to be life giving to you. Because when we serve with God instead of on our own, or we're serving God now, we're not working with him, we're working for him. That leads to feeling burnt out and bitter.
• 7:35
  Speaker B: Yeah. And I think recognizing that just because your best friend is a morning person and they have, you know, glorious encounters with the Lord every morning at 4 and 5am does not mean, does not mean that that's what is going to work for you. And it's okay. I think that's part of the problem is that we're comparing ourselves with others or we're taking advice from people who don't function like we do. Josh and I are like, completely different when it comes to mornings. I'm. I love getting up early. If I've slept well, I'm awake by five and I'm ready to just get up and make some coffee and sit down and snuggle with the Lord. I'm so ready for that. It doesn't take me that long to wake up. But Josh is not like that and that's okay. So, like, if I was coaching Josh, something I would recommend would be like, hey, well, what does your lunchtime look like? What does your lunch break look like? Is that 30 minutes that you can spend having lunch with God instead of on your phone or, you know, whatever else you might do during your lunch break, checking emails, continuing to work through your lunch. How about you spend those 30 minutes or 45 minutes with Jesus? Right. So it's about really finding something that makes sense for you and your personality and your schedule. When I had toddlers at home, getting up early to spend time with Jesus was not going to happen because I was exhausted. And so I had to find other times throughout my day where I would do that or, or I had to be okay with it being five minutes of getting a quick scripture in before I had a diaper to change and then having my conversations with Jesus over the dishes or Whatever I might be doing throughout the day, I had to be okay with allowing myself some grace in that season. So what season are you in? What does your schedule look like? And what kind of person are you? Are you a morning person? Are you a night owl? When is the best time for you to meet Jesus in your day? Not. And, and I think too, remembering that it's a constant conversation, but making sure that we have that time every day where we're connecting is really important.
• 9:28
  Speaker A: Put it in your calendar so that it's actually set aside and you don't get meetings scheduled over. This is when I'm going to meet with the Lord, have a plan. So many times we just kind of ramble through life hoping it's going to happen.
• 9:41
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 9:41
  Speaker A: You know, or I'm going to squeeze it in somewhere. And sometimes that works. That works for some people. And depending on the season of life you're in, maybe that's all you can do. And that's okay. Yeah, God has grace for that. He has grace for whatever season you're in. And you can actually, in five minutes, have a beautiful time with the Lord. If you're a busy mom and all you get is that five minutes when you're in the bathroom, God can really use that powerfully. But so, so have it on your calendar. Use a habit tracker. Try to give yourself some accountability, you know, and have that on your to do list for every day and check that off and look at that. I love to print out a calendar and write that every day. I'm going to do this and be able to check it off and then you can go, look, actually, I've done this for a whole month or a week or whatever it is. And after you've done that for a few months, it becomes part of your just daily system of.
• 10:31
  Speaker B: And giving yourself. I'm going to meet with the Lord every day, but if I miss a day, I'm going to give myself grace, but I'm not going to miss more than two days in a row. I'm not going to miss more than three days in a row or whatever. It feels good for you and the Lord. Like, I'm going to make sure that I'm being as consistent as possible so that you're. You are developing a habit and not just necessarily checking a box. Right. Like, this is something that I want to continue to do. And I think it also gives you a space to look back and say, look, I actually met with the Lord four days this week when the enemy is going, like, you suck.
• 11:02
  Speaker A: Right?
• 11:02
  Speaker B: You haven't met with God this week. You missed three days in a row. And da, da, da. And he was like, trying to bring condemnation. And you can go, actually, look, I met with the Lord four days this week, and that was great. That was better than last week, you know, so it gives you an opportunity to see. See what you're really doing.
• 11:16
  Speaker A: There's two key phrases that have helped me so much that I would like to share. The first one is that we celebrate progress, not perfection.
• 11:25
  Speaker B: Yes.
• 11:26
  Speaker A: So don't beat yourself up. If you had a busy day or you didn't sleep last night and you just needed to sleep in extra, God's okay with that.
• 11:33
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 11:33
  Speaker A: You don't have to be perfect, but celebrate the progress that you're already making.
• 11:37
  Speaker B: Absolutely.
• 11:37
  Speaker A: And the other one is to never stop starting.
• 11:40
  Speaker B: Yes, that's good.
• 11:41
  Speaker A: Never stop starting. That has helped me so much. If you mess up or you miss a day or a week or whatever, it doesn't matter. Just pick up, start again. And don't beat yourself up over, oh, my gosh, I can't believe I didn't pray. I didn't read my Bible for a week or whatever it is. Just start tomorrow, start today, start right now. It doesn't matter. So many times we're like, just too much in our head and so. Or it's like, I'm gonna wait till Monday to start.
• 12:09
  Speaker B: Right. That's what I was gonna say. Don't wait till Monday. I know I do. It's so bad.
• 12:14
  Speaker A: Don't start on Monday.
• 12:15
  Speaker B: Start today. Yeah, that's so good. Keep.
• 12:18
  Speaker A: Keep the ball rolling.
• 12:19
  Speaker B: And I think another important thing is to have some accountability. It's so important that we invite other people into our process, whether it is your best friend or your pastor or your leader in whatever ministry you're in. It's okay. The goal is that we're running together and that we're supporting. Supporting each other. I would say don't look for accountability for. With somebody who's also struggling, because that's not going to be helpful. You guys are just going to be like, oh, it's okay. Oh, it's okay. You're fine. It's okay. Me neither. Don't do that. Look to somebody who, you know will keep you accountable and who will help you in this journey. And, hey, we're always available. We have a coaching program that we love to walk alongside people. So if you want to check us out, we would love to. To run with you and to help you develop the habits and systems that will Keep you accountable, but also move you closer to the Lord. Um, and the last thing we, I would say on this point is to have a plan, but be led by the Spirit. Allow Holy Spirit to guide you, to direct you. But it's okay if you have a plan. If you have a, a Bible reading plan from the back of your Bible or from, you know, the YouVersion Bible app. If you find one online or somebody gives you one and you really like it, great, have the plan. But allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. Don't be so stuck to a plan that you're not going to follow where God is leading. I love Proverbs 25:2. It says, it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. And I like to think about the surprises that God has hidden in the Word for me, the surprises that are in his presence. And I like to think of it like when I read my Bible, he's just waiting in the pages. Like he's tucked into the pages and he's just waiting to jump out and be like, surprise, I was hiding this for you and you just found it. And I'm so excited and let's hang out here today. You know, something that you've read a hundred times might just jump out and, and speak to your heart in such a special way. That's him hiding in the pages, just waiting to show you something that he has hidden in His Word for you. And so that brings us to our next point, which is look for connection. So often we're just checking off that box. And when you're checking off a box, that is not creating connection. But if you're looking for him, you're going to be connected with him because you're looking for his heart, you're looking for his voice, you're listening, you're searching. And so look for the connection. Don't just check off the box.
• 14:47
  Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, it's all about relationship. God is relational.
• 14:51
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 14:51
  Speaker A: And I like to think about it like you're going on a date with your spouse. You might have an idea of what you're going to do. It's like, okay, we're going to go to a movie, we're going to go out to dinner, we're going to go for a walk. We have a plan. But the real point of it is that we're connecting.
• 15:05
  Speaker B: Right.
• 15:05
  Speaker A: We're spending time talking.
• 15:06
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 15:07
  Speaker A: We're connecting on a heart level. And that's what God wants. It's not like, okay, we talked for 10 minutes, check the box. Now we're going to do the next thing. I mean, you could do that. It's just not. It wouldn't be very fun. It's not personal, and it's not. You're not connecting on a heart level. And that is all that God really wants from us, is to connect to our hearts. And so it can look like a lot of different things. Like your secret place, time with the Lord doesn't have to be the same every single day. And it doesn't have to look like what you read in a book or you were taught when you were young.
• 15:36
  Speaker B: It really doesn't have to look like anything specific. And I think that's the beauty of.
• 15:41
  Speaker A: Don'T compare to someone else.
• 15:42
  Speaker B: Yeah. When you begin to look at your relationship with Jesus as a relationship and you begin to see him as a person, you realize, I don't need an agenda. He doesn't have an agenda. He just wants to connect with me, to talk to me, to love on me, to teach me, to direct me, whatever it might be. And so I love that picture of a date with your spouse. Because as a woman, I want to connect. I want heart connection. I want googly eyes. I want. I want, you know, all of the things I want to feel something. I don't necessarily just want you to go, okay, well, I took you to dinner and we went for that walk. So now it's time to be intimate. And I'm like, yep. But we didn't connect. You didn't share your heart with me. And I think it's that same kind of concept that we're developing intimacy with the Lord. We're looking for something special and sweet.
• 16:33
  Speaker A: Sweet.
• 16:34
  Speaker B: Not just. All right, brownie points. Okay, I'm getting into heaven. I did my thing today. Right. It's about that relationship.
• 16:41
  Speaker A: So it's okay to be flexible with your secret place, time.
• 16:45
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 16:45
  Speaker A: In fact, if it's feeling dry right now, try something different.
• 16:48
  Speaker B: Yes.
• 16:49
  Speaker A: Stop doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Try something different. Ask God, how do you want to meet today? What do you want to do? Sometimes what I need is a holy Spirit. Now it's. I used to feel bad when I would fall asleep. I'd try to pray, and I'd fall asleep. I'm like, oh, I fell asleep again. And then somebody said along the way, do you ever get mad at your kid when they fall asleep in your lap? No. If you're. If you're in God's presence and you fall asleep, he still loves on you. I think sometimes he's like, you need to sleep right now. You need some rest. I'm actually going to minister to you while you sleep. I can actually probably speak to you better while you're asleep than when you're doing all the talking and you're not listening to me.
• 17:29
  Speaker B: So good.
• 17:29
  Speaker A: And you can receive it. And sometimes it looks like walking in nature. Go for a walk with the Lord. Speak to Him. I love doing that. Sometimes it's just soaking in his presence and allowing to fill you up. And maybe you're just quiet. Maybe you're just listening. Spend some time in worship. Pour your heart out. Often we're doing all the talking, but he wants to have a conversation. He wants to speak, and we need to listen. Ask him some questions and give him a chance to answer those. Yeah, but sometimes that can feel like pressure too, if you don't hear an answer right away. Sometimes you might feel like, oh, my gosh, I'm not hearing from the Lord. Yeah, just be ready to receive from him throughout the day. He's going to answer those questions that you asked him, but maybe it's just not right away.
• 18:11
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 18:11
  Speaker A: And I love to ask him, God, what do you want to talk about today? What's on your heart? Yeah.
• 18:16
  Speaker B: And I also think it's important to recognize that we're always connected to Him. We're always connected. Holy Spirit lives inside of you, and there is nothing that's going to separate you from his love. And so recognizing that, whether you feel like it or not, you're always connected. And I think that is a really sweet little declaration you can tuck in your heart. I'm always connected. Whether I feel like it or not, I am always connected. And I like to envision myself plugging in. I'm plugged into Holy Spirit. I'm always connected to him. And there's nothing that's going to separate me from him. James 4, 8 is a promise that we can hang onto when we're feeling maybe a little disconnected. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. He is not far away. He is easy to find. And all it takes is that turning your heart towards him and saying, lord, I want to be close to you. And so we expect that we're going to meet with Him. We expect that we're going to hear from Him. But like Josh said, there's no pressure. Just make it about that relationship and make it about coming close to somebody that you love. I remember listening to a minister talk about how he used to Feel guilty because he was supposed to pray for a certain amount of time every day. And he would get to reading his Bible and just, you know, encounter the Lord in the pages and, like, have questions and having this good conversation with the Lord. And then he would be like, ugh, now I have to go pray. And then he would go sit and pray for, like, an hour, and it was like pulling teeth. And finally one day, he was like, lord, I have to go pray now. But I really am just having such a good time in your word. I would really like to stay here and just, you know, continue in the Word. And the Lord was like, oh, good. Those prayer times, they're draining both of us. You gotta meet with the Lord, connect with him in the way that. That works for you. And for him, that was. He was encountering the Lord in the scripture, but he was having conversations with him in the Scripture. And it didn't have to look like this prayer time that he had made it out to be. He was actually praying and conversing with the Lord in his Bible time. And so we just have to recognize we connect differently, and it's okay.
• 20:24
  Speaker A: And it's supposed to be fun. Yeah, it's. It's not supposed to be a chore. So many times we make it. Oh, it's. It's a chore. I have to read my Bible. It's supposed to be fun. Connecting with the God of the universe. How amazing is that? So I love to just sit down, open my Bible and say, holy Spirit, thank you so much that you're speaking to me, that I'm gonna encounter you in your word today. I ask that you would just highlight a verse to me. What do I need to hear today? Yeah, and a lot. A lot of times I like to say, even lead me to the right passage. What chapter do I need to read today? What couple of verses? And I don't know how many times he'll highlight something or he'll lead me to what feels like a random psalm or a random chapter, and maybe it'll be a few of them, and then they connect together. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. You know, it's God speaking to me through his Word, and that's what he wants to do. And then it's. It's just like Karina was talking about. It's like a treasure hunt. You're, like, finding stuff. God speaking and revealing himself to you. It's supposed to be fun connecting with him.
• 21:22
  Speaker B: Yeah. And I think we're not taught that. We're just Taught you're supposed to spend time with God.
• 21:26
  Speaker A: It's a discipline.
• 21:27
  Speaker B: It's a discipline. We call it a spiritual discipline. And so it feels like it needs to be this, like, spirit stern thing. But in reality, all that means it's a practice. It's a habit. It's something that you do on a regular basis. And so when you look at it like, okay, this habit is drawing me closer to God. So what does that look like? It's not going to look the same for everybody. And it doesn't have to look the same as it did 20 years ago.
• 21:49
  Speaker A: Like, it could be different every day.
• 21:50
  Speaker B: Absolutely. And I think, too, I. That, like, asking Holy Spirit where to go and then, like, finding verses that. I don't think that has ever worked for me. I've tried it. But I love having a plan to read through the Bible, and I love having a plan to read through the Bible, but then allowing myself the grace to read two chapters or two verses. I don't have to accomplish something today. I just want to meet with the Lord. And so if I start to read a chapter and the first verse grips my heart or brings tears to my eyes, or the Holy Spirit highlights a word that I've never noticed before, I have the freedom to go dig that up and say, like, oh, what does this mean? And I have had some really cool encounters with the Lord, just allowing myself the freedom to say, I'm going to read this chapter. And if. If I go through the whole thing and, you know, nothing jumps out at me, that's okay. I'm going to move on to prayer and worship or I'm going to start reading. And if something does jump out at me, I'm going to have permission to sit here and dig deep. And I've just had some really cool revelations and encounters, and it's been so fun.
• 22:57
  Speaker A: Yeah. Have fun connecting with the Lord. Yeah. And it could look like many different things. It could. Even if you need joy in this season, it could be watching funny pet videos with the Lord, laughing with him. He loves that. He created joy for us.
• 23:12
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 23:13
  Speaker A: Laughter is medicine.
• 23:14
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 23:15
  Speaker A: And the joy of the Lord is our strength. So dig into that if that's what you need. But follow the Holy Spirit. Just have a conversation with him. I love that.
• 23:23
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 23:24
  Speaker A: So that's our second point. Let's move on to our last point here, which to me, it is huge and has made a big difference in my life. It's how are you feeding your soul? We have to pay attention to what we are putting into Our minds into our hearts.
• 23:38
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 23:39
  Speaker A: And I love Proverbs 4. 23, which says, above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. And this includes your ministry, whatever you're leading the grace from God to be effective at, what you're doing, what you've been called to do flows from your heart, what you're feeding it. And so obviously, we're going to feed ourselves with the Word. We're going to feed ourselves with worship, spending time in God's presence. But then think about everything else. How are you spending the rest of your time? Because we end up having more time than we realize. We're commuting, you're driving in the car. I mean, you're dropping kids off, picking them up. There's actually a lot of time there. You're working out. Are you just kind of tuning out? Are you tuning into social media, the news, things that probably aren't feeding your soul?
• 24:24
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 24:25
  Speaker A: Or are you using that time intentionally to actually fill yourself up with good things? So I love to find podcasts. Believe and Become, if I can suggest one, would be great. It's a great way to feed your soul. But other podcasts from great Christian leaders that are going to fill you up, that are going to encourage you, that is so important. What books are you reading? Yeah, find books from good, solid teachers and read those. Listens to sermons, sermon of the week from different churches, from pastors that you love, that speak to your heart. Spent time in worship. Listen to audio Bible. This is the one. People are like, oh, I don't even have time to read the Bible.
• 25:05
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 25:06
  Speaker A: Now it's so easy. Just put that audio Bible on. And the thing that is wild about that is that's the way that the Bible was intended to be encountered. The New Testament, all those letters from Paul, those are read out loud.
• 25:20
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 25:21
  Speaker A: People listen to them. And so I actually find that it's a totally different experience. Different things will pop out. To me when you hear it, somebody reading it to you, it's like, whoa, that's. I didn't even realize that was in there. And you kind of get a different, bigger picture view of what God's trying to say through a particular book of the Bible. And go to conferences, find where God's doing stuff and go there, experience it. That was huge for us to get refilled up. You know, carve some time out of your schedule to spend a few days at a conference where you can spend time in worship, hear from incredible speakers that always refilled us when we were Feeling dry. That was a great way to just get recharged.
• 26:03
  Speaker B: Yeah. And I think it's important to recognize that what you're putting in is what you're going to get out.
• 26:09
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 26:10
  Speaker B: And so if you're putting in negative, if you're putting in the world, that's what's going to come out of you, and it's going to be really hard to muster up the rest.
• 26:19
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 26:19
  Speaker B: But when you create an environment in your life and in your space where you're listening to things that are encouraging, engaging with the word, you're listening to worship, you're filling your mind with good things that are uplifting you, that is going to create an environment where you are going to connect with the Lord. You are going to be hanging out with him all day long. And it doesn't mean that you can never, you know, just sit and watch Netflix or hang out on Instagram or whatever you like to do. But what are you feeding your soul? And I think that's really important. What are the words? What are the images? What are those things? There's no condemnation here. We all have. Most of us have spent way too much time on, you know, tv, social media, whatever it might be. But look at your habits. Do you not have time for the Lord? But you have 30 minutes to get lost on social media? That turns into two hours, you know? Or are you spending all evening, every evening, just vegging out on the couch? That was something that we used to do when we'd get burnt out. It's like, dinner's over and we're just going to veg on the couch because we don't have anything left. It felt like to even have quiet time or Bible study together just felt like so much effort because we were so exhausted. But what are you filling yourself with in those times? It would have been really sweet to just be like, we're just gonna put on some worship music and we're just gonna connect with the Lord, or we're just gonna listen to a sermon, and there's no more work in that than there is in watching Netflix or Food Network or whatever it is. So recognizing that you are constantly feeding your soul, no matter if it's good or bad. And so we want to make sure that we're creating a positive environment where we can connect with the Lord and make sure that those sermons that you're listening to aren't all corrective sermons or, you know, end times. We all know those preachers end times. Like, oh, the world is getting dark, the world is falling Apart, those are. Those have their place. But if you're in a dry season, you want to make sure that what you're listening to is somebody that is encouraging you, that is building you up, that is reminding you who you are in Christ. If you feel condemnation, that's not Jesus. Not saying that. They're not speaking from a holy place, but saying what you're able to receive in this season might be different than in other seasons where you're stronger. So recognize. What am I filling myself up with? Even. Even when it comes to worship music, you know, it's not like the. Like, oh, life is terrible.
• 28:49
  Speaker A: Oh, my God.
• 28:51
  Speaker B: Depressing Christian worship music. This is not the time for that. This is the time for God is good. I'm going to praise him. I'm going to worship. I'm going to exalt him. I'm going to draw close. Those are the things you want to be looking for and putting in. And so we just encourage you to feed your soul with good food.
• 29:08
  Speaker A: And I love to allow the Holy Spirit into that process. Ask him, is this the podcast I'm supposed to be listening to? Is this the book? You know, when you're scrolling through Amazon trying to figure out what's my next book I want to read or you hear about one. Go Holy Spirit. Is this the one for me right now? Yeah, because I'm sure that's a great book. I'm sure that's a great podcast or sermon, but is it the one that I need to hear right now? And allowing him to speak into that? Because those things, probably they're not bad, but it might not be what you need to hear right now. It's like that your. That might be your friend's favorite book. Oh, my gosh. You got to read this. Yeah, just say holy Spirit. Is that the one I'm supposed to read right now?
• 29:44
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 29:44
  Speaker A: And allowing him to lead you into that, because I think there's great, great teachings out there, but just might not be the right season. And just trust him. He's good. He's our best life coach ever.
• 29:54
  Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Oh, we have some books that we could recommend.
• 29:58
  Speaker A: That's true. We do.
• 29:59
  Speaker B: Josh and I both wrote books this last year. Josh's is called 40 Days to Peace, Daily devotions for demolishing fear, anxiety, and discouragement. And I wrote one called Transformed by Truth, Practical ways to renew your mind with the truth of God's word. So those are a couple of books we might recommend, and they're very positive and encouraging as well. But we hope that this chat has helped you to really remember that your relationship with the Lord is a relationship that is vital to your success as a leader, but to your success in life. It is so important that we connect with him regularly. Remember that he's hidden secrets in His Word for you and he loves to meet with you. He wants to have fun with you.
• 30:44
  Speaker A: So and right now God is just releasing grace over your secret place time with Him. He is filling you up with the ability to connect with him like never before. That's all he wants from his kids. He just wants to connect with us. He's going to connect with you and I right now. Release over you the ability to hear his voice so clearly as you read His Word as you spend time in his presence. And I break off any shame, break off any feelings of performance or have to check the box and release freedom to follow his presence, to follow his voice, to ask him questions, have a conversation with him and to experience him like never before.
• 31:23
  Speaker B: Amen.
• 31:24
  Speaker A: So thanks for listening. We'll talk to you next week.
• 31:32
  Speaker B: Hey friend. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, would you take 30 seconds to share this podcast with someone who may need encouragement or practical tools for fighting their battle?
• 31:42
  Speaker A: Then rate and review this podcast. Help us spread the message of transformation far and wide.
• 31:47
  Speaker B: All right, time to walk back into the noise with peace, purpose and maybe a tiny bit of guffing.
• 31:52
  Speaker A: We'll meet you back next Thursday for another episode. Bye, Sam.