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The Biggest Loser - Stress Test - 256 · Marriage Life and More and Bible Study

• 0:04
  Daniel Moore: If your life were to be weighed today, what would the scale reveal?
• 0:07
  Daniel Moore: Would it show that something is lacking?
• 0:10
  Daniel Moore: If we examined how you spend your time, would it align with your true priorities or would there be an imbalance?
• 0:16
  Daniel Moore: What would your spouse say about how you're investing your time, your kids, your friends?
• 0:21
  Daniel Moore: It's a sobering thought and, believe me, I feel the conviction too.
• 0:26
  Daniel Moore: These are tough questions that we have to confront this week.
• 0:30
  Daniel Moore: On Connecting the Gap, we continue our series on Unshaken, holding fast in a culture of compromise.
• 0:37
  Daniel Moore: We'll be back with episode 12 right after this.
• 0:40
  Daniel Moore: Welcome to Connecting the Gap.
• 0:50
  Daniel Moore: This is a podcast about marriage, bible and book studies, and we interview people that have a story.
• 1:15
  Daniel Moore: I'm Daniel Moore, your host.
• 1:16
  Daniel Moore: Thank you, guys, for joining us this week.
• 1:18
  Daniel Moore: If you're not familiar with our show, check out our website at connectingthegapnet for all of our platforms.
• 1:23
  Daniel Moore: Our YouTube and Rumble links are there.
• 1:25
  Daniel Moore: We're also on the Christian podcasting app, edify, and we're also on your Alexa and Google smart devices.
• 1:31
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• 1:36
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• 1:39
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• 1:40
  Daniel Moore: Give us a thumbs up or a five-star review on Apple Podcast and we'd be thankful and grateful to you for doing that and helping our ministry to grow.
• 1:49
  Daniel Moore: Well, as I said here in the intro, we are back in with another episode this week in our series, unshaken.
• 1:56
  Daniel Moore: As we're getting close to wrapping up here, we've just got a few episodes left in this series.
• 2:01
  Daniel Moore: Hope you've enjoyed it.
• 2:02
  Daniel Moore: We've been following the book of Daniel, the life of Daniel as he's been through different scenarios where it has caused him to have to think about compromising whether he's going to compromise his faith or not for God, or if he's going to stand firm, and we've taken a lot of those stories and applied them to our situations today.
• 2:20
  Daniel Moore: Hope you guys have grown from this I know that I have and we've got another great episode this week, as we're going to be doing episode 12.
• 2:28
  Daniel Moore: The title of this one, the Biggest Loser Stress Test.
• 2:51
  Daniel Moore: Our bathroom scale sits right beside the toilet in the master bathroom, a constant fixture in my daily routine.
• 2:54
  Daniel Moore: Every time I see it, it seems to silently challenge me to step on and face the consequences, usually in the form of a higher number than I'd like.
• 3:01
  Daniel Moore: It's hard not to resent the scale for the way it highlights every poor choice that I've ever made All those late night ice creams, too much vinaigrette dressing or another generous portion of my famous homemade tacos.
• 3:14
  Daniel Moore: I've never considered myself obese, at least not by my own judgment, but I'm far from being in peak condition.
• 3:22
  Daniel Moore: But I'm far from being in peak condition.
• 3:23
  Daniel Moore: I often joke with people saying I'm not in shape.
• 3:33
  Daniel Moore: I'm in a shape, round counts, right.
• 3:34
  Daniel Moore: Well, I'm no expert on weight loss or physical health and won't turn this into a fitness tale, but there's something that I do understand well, that's the importance of weighing our time.
• 3:41
  Daniel Moore: Scripture talks about it.
• 3:43
  Daniel Moore: Often.
• 3:44
  Daniel Moore: We're held accountable to how we spend each of the limited days that we're given, and when it comes time to assess how we've used those days, what will the balance show?
• 3:56
  Daniel Moore: Nearly everyone admits that they don't use their time the way that they'd prefer.
• 3:59
  Daniel Moore: Think how often you're asked or ask someone else how are you?
• 4:04
  Daniel Moore: Almost every time, the response is busy.
• 4:07
  Daniel Moore: There was a time when I'm fine was a common reply, but now that's even rare.
• 4:13
  Daniel Moore: Busyness has become the default answer, almost like it's something to be proud of.
• 4:18
  Daniel Moore: It's become a cultural badge, subtly implying look how industrious I am.
• 4:24
  Daniel Moore: I'm always working, always moving, always busy.
• 4:36
  Daniel Moore: But this is very, very dangerous, because busy is never a better way to be.
• 4:38
  Daniel Moore: You might remember that we left Daniel as he was interpreting the mysterious writing on King Belshazzar's wall, left behind by the eerie hand.
• 4:45
  Daniel Moore: The first word, mene, revealed that our days are numbered, a truth that should prompt us to live with greater focus and an eternal perspective.
• 4:55
  Daniel Moore: Now let's take a closer look at the second word, tekel, which means weighed, as Daniel explained to the king In Daniel 5, verse 27.
• 5:11
  Daniel Moore: In other words, it's not just that our time is limited, we'll also be held accountable for how we've used it.
• 5:19
  Daniel Moore: Busy is never better.
• 5:24
  Daniel Moore: If your life were to be weighed today, what would the scale reveal?
• 5:27
  Daniel Moore: Would it show that something is lacking?
• 5:30
  Daniel Moore: If we examined how you spend your time, would it align with your true priorities or would there be an imbalance?
• 5:37
  Daniel Moore: What would your spouse say about how you're investing your time, your kids, your friends?
• 5:43
  Daniel Moore: You know it's a sobering thought and, believe me, I feel the conviction.
• 5:48
  Daniel Moore: In my life, too, there are tough questions that we all need to confront.
• 5:52
  Daniel Moore: Often, my own struggle feels captured in this verse.
• 5:56
  Daniel Moore: My days go by faster than a runner.
• 5:58
  Daniel Moore: They fly away without my seeing, any joy.
• 6:01
  Daniel Moore: That's Job, chapter 9, verse 25.
• 6:05
  Daniel Moore: Deep down, we all know that living out of balance doesn't serve us well.
• 6:09
  Daniel Moore: We understand there are things that matter far more than working overtime, scrolling through social media or browsing online stores.
• 6:17
  Daniel Moore: No one at the end of their life ever says I wish I'd spent one more hour at Walmart.
• 6:24
  Daniel Moore: So why do we keep overwhelming ourselves?
• 6:27
  Daniel Moore: For one thing, I believe it's because we have too many options.
• 6:32
  Daniel Moore: There are endless choices where to eat, what to do, which social media platform to check.
• 6:38
  Daniel Moore: We're constantly deciding where to go, who to go with, what to wear and when to shop.
• 6:44
  Daniel Moore: Even simple tasks present dozens of decisions what kind of store to visit, which brand or flavor of mustard to buy and what size of a container that we need.
• 6:54
  Daniel Moore: Day after day, we're bombarded with hundreds of little choices that quickly add up.
• 7:02
  Daniel Moore: A big part of the problem comes from the constant social pressure to say yes to things that we don't really want to do or don't really have the time for.
• 7:10
  Daniel Moore: We're afraid of letting people down, whether if it's family, co-workers, our bosses, friends or neighbors.
• 7:17
  Daniel Moore: Then there's the pressure to keep up appearances, to stay in step with everyone else.
• 7:22
  Daniel Moore: When someone gets something new, something better, we start convincing ourselves that we need it too.
• 7:29
  Daniel Moore: Deep down, we want to be accepted, to fit in, to appear successful, and often more successful than those around us.
• 7:39
  Daniel Moore: On top of that, we're living in a culture that preaches a financial gospel of instant gratification you can have it all, and you can have it right now.
• 7:50
  Daniel Moore: Some might be too young to remember the concept of layaway.
• 7:53
  Daniel Moore: Back then, instead of using a credit card, you'd reserve the item at the store, make small payments over weeks or months, and only when it was fully paid off would you take it home.
• 8:04
  Daniel Moore: These days, we do the reverse we walk out of the store with the item in hand on credit, start using it immediately and keep making payments months or even years afterwards.
• 8:16
  Daniel Moore: And then we wonder why we constantly feel like we're never financially caught up.
• 8:21
  Daniel Moore: If we buy into the constant noise of our culture, we start to believe that we can do it all, that our capabilities have no limits.
• 8:30
  Daniel Moore: So we push ourselves to the edge, cutting back on sleep, skipping proper meals, neglecting rest, bypassing quiet moments for reflection, learning, play, connection and even prayer.
• 8:43
  Daniel Moore: Then we wonder why we feel burned out and overwhelmed.
• 8:48
  Daniel Moore: The truth is our bodies, minds and souls weren't made to run this way.
• 8:53
  Daniel Moore: We've conditioned ourselves to function on empty, far beyond the healthy limits we were designed to live within.
• 9:00
  Daniel Moore: We can't survive under this kind of pressure.
• 9:04
  Daniel Moore: We weren't created to sustain within.
• 9:09
  Daniel Moore: We can't survive under this kind of pressure.
• 9:11
  Daniel Moore: We weren't created to sustain.
• 9:12
  Daniel Moore: That Now I could easily discuss in the rest of this episode listing all the reasons why so many of us feel overwhelmed and out of balance.
• 9:17
  Daniel Moore: And it's not because I have everything figured out myself either.
• 9:20
  Daniel Moore: Let me share another honest truth about me.
• 9:23
  Daniel Moore: I tend to hit burnout at work every year around May.
• 9:27
  Daniel Moore: It usually comes after nine straight months of regular work, with a huge topping of sports added right on top of it as well.
• 9:35
  Daniel Moore: Where I work at is a radio station.
• 9:37
  Daniel Moore: We're a Christian talk, teaching and preaching station that, incidentally, has a sports network intertwined as well, station that, incidentally, has a sports network intertwined as well.
• 9:47
  Daniel Moore: We broadcast high school sports for four local school districts, and when I say we broadcast high school sports, that means football, softball boys and girls basketball and baseball.
• 9:56
  Daniel Moore: Then at the completion of baseball, we pick up other various schools, sometimes if they are in the state championships and our other teams are finished.
• 10:05
  Daniel Moore: It's very exhausting, to say the least.
• 10:08
  Daniel Moore: On top of that, I put out these podcasts weekly and run a marriage ministry with my wife, michelle, as well as run my own small business on the side.
• 10:19
  Daniel Moore: I hit a breaking point and it's never in a good direction.
• 10:22
  Daniel Moore: By the time May ends, I'm feeling completely drained, just barely making it through.
• 10:28
  Daniel Moore: When I was younger, I used to power through on sheer adrenaline.
• 10:32
  Daniel Moore: I believed I didn't have a choice and would convince myself with thoughts like we're broadcasting as a ministry.
• 10:38
  Daniel Moore: They need me.
• 10:39
  Daniel Moore: This is my calling from God.
• 10:41
  Daniel Moore: I have to keep going.
• 10:42
  Daniel Moore: Now.
• 10:43
  Daniel Moore: Maybe you feel like you don't have a choice right now, like this is just the way life is, and honestly, you're not wrong.
• 10:52
  Daniel Moore: As long as we keep chasing the lifestyle society sells us, the one built around big homes, luxury cars, name brand clothes, costly pastimes and giving our kids everything they ask for, this exhausting pace will continue.
• 11:08
  Daniel Moore: The weight of it all is heavy and we all face the pressures of obligations and responsibilities that push us to use our time in ways that leave us drained.
• 11:18
  Daniel Moore: And I get it.
• 11:20
  Daniel Moore: It's easy to assume it's just a time management issue, but by now you've probably figured it out and likely become frustrated with the truth.
• 11:31
  Daniel Moore: It's not about fitting everything in.
• 11:35
  Daniel Moore: The reality is that the life you're juggling simply won't balance the way that you're living it.
• 11:40
  Daniel Moore: We filled our days so full that even when we try to prioritize putting the big rocks in the jar first, then the gravel, there are still too many rocks left over.
• 11:51
  Daniel Moore: They don't fit and as they press against the sides of our lives, they leave cracks, and they're painful ones.
• 11:59
  Daniel Moore: Something needs to change.
• 12:02
  Daniel Moore: We have to restore balance, and while choosing to live a balanced life isn't always easy especially at the start when you're learning what to let go of it's still far easier than continuing in a life of the chaos, stress and constant fatigue that comes from being off balance.
• 12:21
  Daniel Moore: If we want to shift the direction of our lives towards something healthier, more meaningful, it's going to require a deep change both in how we think and how we live.
• 12:50
  Daniel Moore: That kind of transformation can only come from aligning our minds with God's truth, not the mixed messages that we're constantly bombarded with from the culture around us.
• 12:56
  Daniel Moore: With God's guidance, we can create a better, more peaceful life, and I believe it all begins with this powerful principle In Ecclesiastes 4, verse 6, better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
• 13:11
  Daniel Moore: Pause and really reflect on that.
• 13:15
  Daniel Moore: It's better to have less of what doesn't matter and more of what truly does.
• 13:20
  Daniel Moore: It's far better to have just enough and be able to enjoy it than to have more than enough and live in a state of constant stress.
• 13:29
  Daniel Moore: Peace outweighs pressure.
• 13:32
  Daniel Moore: Less can actually be more.
• 13:35
  Daniel Moore: Most of us have been trained to think that if one of something is good, then you know what.
• 13:40
  Daniel Moore: Two must be better.
• 13:41
  Daniel Moore: One dollar is good, so two must be better.
• 13:45
  Daniel Moore: No, one car is nice, so two means that you've really made it.
• 13:48
  Daniel Moore: One child is a blessing, so five must be five times the joy.
• 13:53
  Daniel Moore: And if one wife is great, well that's where things clearly go off track.
• 13:59
  Daniel Moore: The truth is, more isn't always better, especially when chasing after more ends up consuming your time, energy and joy.
• 14:07
  Daniel Moore: If more isn't better, then what principle can help us shift our lives in the right direction?
• 14:14
  Daniel Moore: Well, the answer is this Our lives work best when we live according to God's design, not according to the pressures and expectations of culture.
• 14:25
  Daniel Moore: In simple terms, it's better to live by design than by default.
• 14:29
  Daniel Moore: That means living with intention, guided by a clear sense of purpose and priorities centered around that purpose.
• 14:36
  Daniel Moore: When we lack that focus, our energy gets scattered in too many directions.
• 14:41
  Daniel Moore: It's like firing a shotgun, scattering shots everywhere and hitting nothing with real precision.
• 14:47
  Daniel Moore: The result is that little actually gets done, especially the things that matter most to us, the goals that sit at the center of our personal bullseyes.
• 14:58
  Daniel Moore: And there's another important truth that we need to understand If we don't take the lead in prioritizing our lives, someone else will.
• 15:07
  Daniel Moore: If we fail to discover God's design and choose to live intentionally, we constantly will be pulled in every direction by other people's expectations.
• 15:16
  Daniel Moore: Only God truly knows the number of days we have and how we're meant to use them.
• 15:22
  Daniel Moore: As Psalm 139.16 says, all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
• 15:30
  Daniel Moore: That means God alone holds the plan and only he can provide the direction that we need to live it out.
• 15:39
  Daniel Moore: Without God guiding us, it's easy to lose direction and get caught chasing after things that don't really matter, like a hamster running endlessly on a wheel.
• 15:48
  Daniel Moore: God's way isn't about doing more, it's about doing what truly counts.
• 15:53
  Daniel Moore: The Bible is clear it's not about quantity, it's about quality.
• 15:59
  Daniel Moore: It's better to accomplish the right things than to simply stay busy with many things.
• 16:04
  Daniel Moore: As Proverbs 17, verse 24 says, an intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.
• 16:13
  Daniel Moore: Or as someone once cleverly put it, if you're burning the candle at both ends, you're not as bright as you think you are.
• 16:21
  Daniel Moore: Keep in mind, it's far better to have less and enjoy peace of mind than to constantly be busy chasing after more.
• 16:32
  Daniel Moore: If trying to keep up with others isn't the answer, if moving faster only wears you out and if chasing after more always leaves you empty, then what's the key to finding real balance?
• 16:43
  Daniel Moore: I believe it starts with discovering the unique pace and rhythm that God has designed for your life.
• 16:49
  Daniel Moore: If our culture would stop treating busyness as a badge of honor, we might all feel free to run the race that God has set for us at His pace, not anyone else's.
• 17:00
  Daniel Moore: As Hebrews 12.1 says, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
• 17:11
  Daniel Moore: Everyone's race looks different, and so does everyone's pace, but I believe there are three practical steps that can help anyone begin to discover their right rhythm.
• 17:22
  Daniel Moore: Believe there are three practical steps that can help anyone begin to discover their right rhythm.
• 17:24
  Daniel Moore: I won't pretend to have all the answers or a perfect formula for finding balance.
• 17:28
  Daniel Moore: But God does, and these are some helpful ways to invite him to shape the tempo of your life.
• 17:36
  Daniel Moore: First, take regular inventory.
• 17:38
  Daniel Moore: Now think about how businesses like Walmart or Target do annual inventories.
• 17:44
  Daniel Moore: They tag and count their merchandise to track what they have and what they're missing and how to better organize their space.
• 17:52
  Daniel Moore: It's a simple but powerful practice that we can apply to our own lives.
• 17:56
  Daniel Moore: Without it, the current of culture, with all its noise, distractions and demands, can easily carry us off course, even when we mean well and intend to make adjustments.
• 18:08
  Daniel Moore: It's incredibly easy to get pulled into what's urgent instead of what truly matters, and unless we pause regularly to assess where we're headed, we tend to drift toward the path of least resistance toward other people's expectations, cultural pressure or temporary distractions that ultimately take us away from our purpose.
• 18:30
  Daniel Moore: One of the most helpful habits that I've developed is taking a weekly inventory of my life.
• 18:34
  Daniel Moore: It's something you can start doing as well.
• 18:37
  Daniel Moore: Use your Sabbath, the day you set aside to rest and honor God, as an intentional time to reflect.
• 18:43
  Daniel Moore: Taking inventory on this day can be a meaningful part of your worship, helping you put God first and recenter your life.
• 18:50
  Daniel Moore: It's a valuable way to bring clarity, identify areas that are out of balance and make adjustments before the weight of life pushes you off course.
• 18:59
  Daniel Moore: Pushes you off course In order to recognize what truly matters.
• 19:04
  Daniel Moore: We need intentional space to think, reflect, rest and make wise decisions.
• 19:09
  Daniel Moore: It's as King David prayed in Psalm 39, verses 4 through 5, lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
• 19:18
  Daniel Moore: Remind me that my days are numbered.
• 19:21
  Daniel Moore: How fleeting my life is If you have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
• 19:27
  Daniel Moore: My entire lifetime is just a moment to you.
• 19:30
  Daniel Moore: At best, each of us is but a breath.
• 19:33
  Daniel Moore: Maybe that's why the message given to Belshazzar started with the word manna, a reminder that his days were numbered, and followed with tekel, which pointed to how he was using those days.
• 19:47
  Daniel Moore: When we truly understand that our time is limited, we're far more likely to use it wisely.
• 19:54
  Daniel Moore: Without that awareness, it's easy to take life for granted and fill our days with distractions that keep us from facing the reality of our mortality.
• 20:03
  Daniel Moore: When you're counting your days, you start making your days count Consistently.
• 20:09
  Daniel Moore: Taking an honest look at your life is essential to maintaining balance.
• 20:13
  Daniel Moore: The second step is making some hard choices.
• 20:17
  Daniel Moore: The key word here is elimination.
• 20:22
  Daniel Moore: We all carry things in our lives that simply don't belong.
• 20:26
  Daniel Moore: If we want to regain balance and focus on what really matters, we have to start removing what's not essential.
• 20:32
  Daniel Moore: Something has to be let go.
• 20:34
  Daniel Moore: In the book Essentialism the Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McCown, he made a powerful point.
• 20:42
  Daniel Moore: When we learn to say no, we often end up trading popularity for respect.
• 20:47
  Daniel Moore: That truth hit home for me especially when I think about the poor choices I made growing up.
• 20:53
  Daniel Moore: Looking back, almost every bad decision I made the first time happened during a sleepover at a friend's house.
• 20:59
  Daniel Moore: First time drinking alcohol At a friend's house First time smoking the same First time looking at inappropriate magazines and pornography.
• 21:10
  Daniel Moore: You guessed it I was at a sleepover.
• 21:14
  Daniel Moore: No matter our age, we need to stop chasing what everyone else is doing.
• 21:18
  Daniel Moore: We have to quit saying yes to people or opportunities that pull us off course.
• 21:24
  Daniel Moore: Without clear boundaries and the courage to say no to what doesn't truly matter, we'll never be able to give our best to the things that do to what doesn't truly matter.
• 21:33
  Daniel Moore: We'll never be able to give our best to the things that do, as Psalm 90, verse 12, reminds us.
• 21:36
  Daniel Moore: Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are.
• 21:39
  Daniel Moore: Help us to spend them, as we should.
• 21:42
  Daniel Moore: Stop trying to cram everything into your life.
• 21:46
  Daniel Moore: Don't waste energy constantly making trade-offs and compromising what truly matters.
• 21:54
  Daniel Moore: If something isn't a clear yes, then it's a clear no.
• 21:55
  Daniel Moore: Keep this simple process in mind Evaluate, eliminate and execute.
• 22:02
  Daniel Moore: Most importantly, focus on what lasts.
• 22:05
  Daniel Moore: That's the highest level of living, the key to a life that's balanced, meaningful and productive.
• 22:12
  Daniel Moore: As we consider where we invest our time and attention, we should regularly ask ourselves will this still matter in a hundred years?
• 22:20
  Daniel Moore: Chances are.
• 22:22
  Daniel Moore: Like me, you'll realize that not many things make the cut.
• 22:26
  Daniel Moore: In fact, what truly endures usually falls into just two categories God and people.
• 22:34
  Daniel Moore: As we've already discussed, one of the best ways to live with an eternal perspective is to consistently place God at the center of everything.
• 22:41
  Daniel Moore: God always matters, as Matthew 6, verse 33 reminds us, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
• 22:53
  Daniel Moore: Everything meaningful flows from who God is and how he's created us to live.
• 22:59
  Daniel Moore: Many of us claim that God is our top priority, but our calendars, our bank accounts and affections often tell a different story.
• 23:10
  Daniel Moore: Remember the parable Jesus told about the wealthy man, someone who had everything externally but very little of true value internally.
• 23:17
  Daniel Moore: He focused more on filling his barns and stockpiling wealth than on knowing and honoring God.
• 23:23
  Daniel Moore: Even when warned about the dangers of his greed, he ignored the message and kept chasing more.
• 23:29
  Daniel Moore: In Luke 12, verses 20 to 21, it says but God said to him you fool this very night.
• 23:37
  Daniel Moore: Your life will be demanded from you.
• 23:38
  Daniel Moore: Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
• 23:41
  Daniel Moore: This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.
• 23:48
  Daniel Moore: How will the scales tip when the balance of your days is measured on God's scale?
• 23:54
  Daniel Moore: At that final weighing, I suspect we will all understand what Paul wrote in Philippians 3, 7, and 8.
• 24:02
  Daniel Moore: But whatever were gains to me, I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ.
• 24:08
  Daniel Moore: What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
• 24:17
  Daniel Moore: I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ.
• 24:22
  Daniel Moore: It all comes down to this Our treasure is in heaven.
• 24:27
  Daniel Moore: So every decision we make should be shaped by that reality.
• 24:30
  Daniel Moore: We're here to prepare for eternity with God and to help others do the same.
• 24:36
  Daniel Moore: At our church, we believe that true transformation in life, rooted in eternal perspective, happens through meaningful connections and small groups.
• 24:44
  Daniel Moore: If you're serious about focusing on what really matters, then you need to build real relationships with others.
• 24:51
  Daniel Moore: This is how we love, serve, support and encourage one another.
• 24:56
  Daniel Moore: We all face seasons when we need others to lift us up, just as there are times when we're called to come alongside and support someone else.
• 25:05
  Daniel Moore: In Ecclesiastes 4, verse 12, it says a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer.
• 25:16
  Daniel Moore: Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken.
• 25:22
  Daniel Moore: Take a moment and reflect on how you're investing your time and energy right now.
• 25:28
  Daniel Moore: Are the right people a central part of your life?
• 25:32
  Daniel Moore: Is your focus anchored on what will truly last forever?
• 25:52
  Daniel Moore: With all its demands, distractions and constant noise, our culture often throws our lives out of balance.
• 25:58
  Daniel Moore: The pressure to keep up and respond to everything urgent can easily pull us away from what truly matters.
• 26:04
  Daniel Moore: We end up chasing after everything, only to lose sight of the most important things.
• 26:10
  Daniel Moore: Only to lose sight of the most important things.
• 26:11
  Daniel Moore: True balance comes when we trust in God's purpose and follow His timing, rather than being driven by the fast pace and expectations around us.
• 26:21
  Daniel Moore: So why is this so important?
• 26:22
  Daniel Moore: How does it help us live a godly life in the midst of an ungodly culture?
• 26:28
  Daniel Moore: Because the moment that we decide who we are and what we stand for in this culture, we step into our role as salt and light.
• 26:35
  Daniel Moore: We are God's plan to shine his light into a world filled with darkness.
• 26:42
  Daniel Moore: But here's the reality.
• 26:43
  Daniel Moore: We wrestle with many of the same struggles as the people that we're called to reach.
• 26:47
  Daniel Moore: In other words, we can't truly make a difference in this world unless we're living differently from it.
• 26:56
  Daniel Moore: If you feel as convicted by this episode as I do, chances are God has been stirring something in your heart long before you listen today.
• 27:03
  Daniel Moore: In fact, scripture explains exactly how he works in us.
• 27:07
  Daniel Moore: In 1 Kings 19, verses 11 and 12, it says the Lord said Go out.
• 27:13
  Daniel Moore: And 12, it says but the Lord, he was not in the earthquake.
• 27:15
  Daniel Moore: After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
• 27:17
  Daniel Moore: And after the fire came a gentle whisper, much like my old friend, the bathroom scale.
• 27:46
  Daniel Moore: God is always there, patiently waiting, gently whispering into our lives, just as a scale is in anger with me, neither is God.
• 27:55
  Daniel Moore: He's not shouting or condemning us.
• 27:58
  Daniel Moore: Instead, he's quietly and consistently inviting us to examine our lives.
• 28:03
  Daniel Moore: If we slow down and truly listen, he'll speak to our hearts.
• 28:08
  Daniel Moore: And in that stillness we just might hear Him saying something like Slow down, you're going too fast.
• 28:16
  Daniel Moore: Don't do it.
• 28:17
  Daniel Moore: You know it will cost you dearly.
• 28:19
  Daniel Moore: Or do it, take the step, go all in with God.
• 28:24
  Daniel Moore: Hang in there.
• 28:25
  Daniel Moore: I know you're tired, but you can make it.
• 28:29
  Daniel Moore: Let it go.
• 28:31
  Daniel Moore: Forgive them.
• 28:32
  Daniel Moore: I know they were wrong, but it's affecting you more than it's affecting them.
• 28:36
  Daniel Moore: Get help.
• 28:38
  Daniel Moore: You can't overcome that problem by yourself.
• 28:41
  Daniel Moore: And there's more.
• 28:43
  Daniel Moore: Keep pursuing God.
• 28:44
  Daniel Moore: Don't settle for what you've experienced, or maybe you'll hear God whisper something unique that he's never told anyone else.
• 28:53
  Daniel Moore: Either way, listen to him.
• 28:56
  Daniel Moore: The scales are waiting.
• 28:59
  Daniel Moore: That's going to be it for this week's episode here on Connecting the Gap.
• 29:05
  Daniel Moore: As we continue our series on Unchicken, holding Fast in a Culture of Compromise, as we go this week, I want to remind you that we believe that God's Word never fails us.
• 29:17
  Daniel Moore: God's Word has stood the test of time and, through Jesus' death on the cross, he has connected the gap.
• 29:23
  Daniel Moore: This is an extension of Connecting the Gap, ministries.
• 29:26
  Daniel Moore: We pray that you have a blessed week.